The Lord has been speaking to the children of Israel through his prophet Hosea, but they are wrapped up in their political alliances and are trusting in the work of their own hands in Hosea 12:8 And Ephraim said, “Surely, I am rich, I gained wealth for myself; in all my toil they have not found guilt in me that is sin”. They don’t recognize that judgement is coming and there is no one to save them in Hosea 13:10 Where now is your king that he may save you? Where in all your cities are your judges, of whom you said, “Give to me a king and rulers?”. Again the Lord tells them, turn to him and asks in Hosea 14:9 Who is wise that he can understand these things? Who is discerning that he knows them? The ways of Yahweh are right, and the righteous walk in them; but transgressors stumble in them. 

I Gained Wealth for Myself

Hosea 12:7–14
Here is the gloat of the prideful businessman, but it is not just one business, here it is all of them that make up the economy of the region, in

Hosea 12:8 And Ephraim said, “Surely, I am rich, I gained wealth for myself; in all my toil they have not found guilt in me that is sin.

Here, “Ephraim argues, My success in my labors proves that I am not a guilty sinner as the prophets assert. Thus sinners pervert God’s long-suffering goodness (Mt 5:45) into a justification of their impenitence (compare Ec 8:11–13).”¹

and there are those today that justify themselves in the same way, saying because “I gained wealth for myself” I am living right. But God says of these in Ephraim in

Hosea 12:7 The trader, in his hand are scales of deceit; he loves to oppress.

There are businesses that provide a quality product or service at a good price. Businesses that pay fair wages and care about the source of their materials. This phrase “he loves to oppress” might be today’s corporate avoidance of external costs that bring high profits but leave a huge debt for society. This is the reason many are talking about Corporate Social Responsibility. There is no mechanism to require “the trader” to be honest and legislation is often too late.

But the Lord notices. He said in

Hosea 12:10 I spoke to the prophets; I myself multiplied revelations and through the hand of the prophets I will destroy.

The prophets speak the truth. The prophets reveal things that are hidden. The prophets are the “whistle blowers” saying do what is right. And just as the Lord has promised “the trader” of Ephraim responsible in

Hosea 12:14 Ephraim has caused bitter provocation, and his Lord will hold him responsible for his crimes and pay back to him his insults.

the Lord is still against “scales of deceit” and those that love “to oppress” for their own gain.

They Will Be Like Dew Going Away

Hosea 13:1–8 

It Will Plunder His Treasury

Hosea 13:9–16
Everything the children of Israel depended on will fail them beginning with their kings and judges and rulers in

Hosea 13:10 Where now is your king that he may save you? Where in all your cities are your judges, of whom you said, “Give to me a king and rulers?”

The Lord says the sin of Ephraim is hidden in

Hosea 13:12 The sin of Ephraim is wrapped up; his sin is concealed.

so, using the analogy of childbirth, they do not come forth when labour pains begin in Hosea 13:12. Instead, there are plagues and destruction in Hosea 13:14 and every guilty one will be taken, even those hidden, “among reeds”, who may think they have escaped in

Hosea 13:15 Although he may flourish among reeds, the east wind will come, a wind of Yahweh rising from the desert; his fountain will dry up, his spring will be parched. It will plunder his treasury, every object of desire.

 

Who Is Discerning That Knows?

Hosea 14:1–9
The word of the Lord is calling out to them again in

Hosea 14:1–2 Return to Yahweh your God, O Israel, for you have stumbled because of your sin. 2 Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Say to him, “Take away all guilt; accept good, and we will offer the fruit of our lips.

The prophet tells them what God wants to hear “the fruit of our lips” saying in

Hosea 14:3 Assyria will not save us; we will not ride on horses, and we will say no more, “Our God,” to the work of our hands because in you the fatherless child finds mercy.

The Lord simply wants them to look beyond the work of their own hands to God who has created all. If they would look to him, and keep the Sabbath, and do good, then the Lord would bless them with increase in

Hosea 14:5–6 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily plant, and he will strike his roots like the trees of Lebanon. 6 His new plant shoots will spread out; his splendor will be like the olive tree, and his scent like the trees of Lebanon.

It doesn’t make sense to our natural mind, we think we must work harder, work more and we will be blessed. But God says, work six days and rest. Keep the Sabbath Holy to him. So he asks in

Hosea 14:9 Who is wise that he can understand these things? Who is discerning that he knows them? The ways of Yahweh are right, and the righteous walk in them; but transgressors stumble in them.

Yahweh Is Coming Out From His Place

Micah 1:1–8

Disaster Has Come Down From Yahweh

Micah 1:9–16

Study Verses

• Hosea 12:7–14 I Gained Wealth for Myself
• Hosea 13:9–16 It Will Plunder His Treasury
• Hosea 14:1–9 Who Is Discerning That Knows?

Today’s Reading

• Hosea 13:1-16
• Hosea 14:1-9
• Micah 1:1-16

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References

• 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 661). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Isreal, the Northern tribes, Ephraim, has lost its place in the world. They are no longer set apart and sought out as the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon in 1 Kings 10:6–9. Now, in Hosea 8:8 “Israel is swallowed up; now they are among the nations, like an object that no one desires”. Rather than follow the Lord and trust him, in Hosea 8:9 “For they have gone up to Assyria” but they will find none of these nations around them is their friend. But this started with Israel turning from the Lord long before in Hosea 10:9 From the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel” but before this judgement comes, there is one more admonition in Hosea 10:12 “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap loyal love. Break up for yourself fallow ground; it is time to seek Yahweh so he will come and rain righteousness upon you.” and then a promise that after this, in Hosea 11:11 “I will let them return to their homes— a declaration of Yahweh”.

They Have Broken My Covenant

Hosea 8:1–7 

They Are Among the Nations

Hosea 8:8–14
Israel was to be a nation set apart for the Lord, an example for the world to see the goodness of God. Instead, in

Hosea 8:8 Israel is swallowed up; now they are among the nations, like an object that no one desires.

but they sought political alliances in

Hosea 8:9 For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild donkey alone to itself; Ephraim has sold itself for lovers.

The king is not named here, but “gone up to Assyria” is “referring to Menahem’s (king of Israel’s) application for Pul’s aid in establishing him on the throne (compare Ho 5:13; 7:11). Menahem’s name is read in the inscriptions in the southwest palace of Nimrod, as a tributary to the Assyrian king in his eighth year. The dynasty of Pul, or Phalluka, was supplanted at Nineveh by that of Tiglath-pileser, about 768 (or 760) b.c.”¹ but the alliance was not only fruitless for Israel, but it was also burdensome. And, the “donkey alone” “image portrays … a loneliness conveyed by the participle wandering (cf. Isa. 14:31; Ps. 102:7), by the particle lô which here means ‘by himself’, and by the natural habitat of the wild ass as described in Job (39:5–8) as ‘steppe’ and ‘saltland’ … Ephraim hiring lovers (cf. 2:12) points to the picture of a people so lonely, so cut off from covenant roots, that they are no longer attractive (cf. useless vessel in v. 8) and now have to pay others to give them the attention they crave”.²

So, the Lord says “now I will gather them” in

Hosea 8:10 Even though they have sold themselves to the nations, now I will gather them. They will soon writhe from the burden of kings and princes.

but this is not the Lord gathering, instead, it is “the nations (Assyria, &c.) (gathering) against Israel, instead of their assisting her as she had wished (Ez 16:37)”³ and then there was “the tribute imposed on Israel (under Menahem) by the Assyrian king Pul, (2 Ki 15:19–22).”³

While 2 Kings 15:19-22 says “Assyria came against the land”, Hosea 8:9 says “they have gone up to Assyria” so it isn’t clear which happened first. It seems that Menahem may have sought a political deal for Pul to show force that would justify tribute but it may have simply been that Menahem didn’t resist, but welcomed Pul “so that his hand would be with him to strengthen his hold on the kingdom” in 2 Kings 15:19. However it happened, the result was the same, Israel had become “an object that no one desires” in Hosea 8:8. Again, it says in Hosea 8:9 “they have gone up” but “Usually foreigners coming to Israel’s land were said to “go up”; here it is the reverse, to intimate Israel’s sunken state, and Assyria’s superiority.”³

The Days of Punishment Have Come

Hosea 9:1–8

Because They Did Not Listen

Hosea 9:9–17

Israel Will be Ashamed

Hosea 10:1–8 

It Is Time To Seek Yahweh

Hosea 10:9–15
At first reading, it isn’t clear what “from the days of Gibeah” means because it is a place with a long history. It was the home of Samuel and prominent in the times of Saul more than two hundred and fifty years before Hosea. But there was a time before there was a thought of a king that was an indelible mark on Israel. The men of Gibeah took the concubine of a Levite who passed through their city and stayed the night. It is a horrendous account with an outcry from people across Israel in Judges 19-20. There are many questions to consider in this account beginning with why was this Levite living as a foreigner and not performing the duties prescribed? Clearly, though, the nation was nearly in total anarchy where people did whatever they wanted and had no regard for those outside their locale, a gang like mentality.

Here though, the Lord is bringing judgement, we might even say, long overdue judgement, but always expects us to choose to do good and always prefers for us to turn from evil because the only other option is destruction and in

Hosea 10:10 In my desire I will punish them; nations will be gathered against them when they are punished for their double iniquities.

Yet, even now, the Lord says again through his prophet in

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap loyal love. Break up for yourself fallow ground; it is time to seek Yahweh so he will come and rain righteousness upon you.

They will now receive the fruit of their actions in Hosea 10:13-15. 

I Will Not Come in Wrath

Hosea 11:1–11
God recounts his tender care and nurturing history as he raised up Israel in

Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

then in Hosea 11:3 “And I myself taught Ephraim to walk; I took them in my arms” and in

Hosea 11:4 I drew them with human ties, with the bands of love. I was to them like one who lifted up a yoke on their jaws, though I bent down to them and let them eat.

But Israel has its focus on the things of Egypt and Assyria, the great cultures of the day having forgotten they were built on the backs of their slaves. So the Lord says in

Hosea 11:7 My people are bent on backsliding from me. To the Most High they call, he does not raise them at all.

and then there is the heart cry of God showing his love, his patience, his goodness, his faithfulness and gentleness, and his self-control all in the face of complete rejection. But it is God’s nature being demonstrated, not theirs, and He will not give up on them in

Hosea 11:8–9 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is disturbed within me; all my compassions are aroused. 9 I will not execute my fierce anger, I will not again destroy Ephraim; because I am God and not a mortal, the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come in wrath.

Though judgement will come and Israel will recognize these nations are not their friends and many will die and others will be taken captive, the Lord will maintain a place for them and says “I will let them return” in

Hosea 11:11 They will tremble like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will let them return to their homes— a declaration of Yahweh.

Return To Your God

Hosea 11:12–12:6

Study Verses

• Hosea 8:8–14 They Are Among the Nations
• Hosea 10:9–15 It Is Time To Seek Yahweh
• Hosea 11:1–11 I Will Not Come in Wrath

Today’s Reading

• Hosea 8:1-14
• Hosea 9:1-17
• Hosea 10:1-15
• Hosea 11:1-12
• Hosea 12:1-6

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References

• 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 657). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
• 2. Hubbard, D. A. (1989). Hosea: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 24, pp. 159–160). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
• 3. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 657). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The Lord has come to his people through Hosea and presents their actions, from the priests, to the people, and to their King and says in Hosea 5:4 “Their deeds do not permit them to return them to God. Because a spirit of whoredom is in their midst, they do not know Yahweh”. They say in Hosea 6:1–3 Come, let us return to Yahweh … He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up … He will come … like the spring rain”. But the Lord knows their hearts and answers in Hosea 6:4 “What will I do with you … Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early in the morning”. And then the Lord set his expectation for them in Hosea 6:6 “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings”. It is really the same message today in Romans 3:23–26 for all have sinned … being justified as a gift by his grace … by faith in Jesus. Will you have faith in God? 

A Spirit of Whoredom is in Their Midst

Hosea 5:1–7
This message in Hosea 5:1 is first to the Priests who should be directing the people to righteousness and holiness but the Lord rejected them as his Priests in Hos 4:6. Then it is to the house of Israel, the people themselves because God did not make the covenant with the Priests or the King, he made the covenant with the people. The sad thing is, they had been separated because Solomon turned from the Lord in 1 Kings 11:6. This should have been a time for them to rise up as Gods people, instead, they also were led into idolatry. Then, the Lord addresses the King, because the people had rejected God and asked for a king to lead them in 1 Samuel 10:17–19 so the king is not free of guilt here.

We don’t understand the significance of these locations but “As Mizpah and Tabor mean a “watch tower,” and a “lofty place,” (it is) a fit scene for hunters, playing on the words, the prophet implies, in the lofty place in which I have set you, whereas ye ought to have been the watchers of the people, guarding them from evil, ye have been as hunters entrapping them into it [Jerome]”¹ Then he says in Hosea 5:2 “they dug a deep pit in Shittim” and “Shittim was the place where the Israelites were enticed into false worship by seductive means (Nu 25:1 ff.).”² so the Lords statement is not unfounded and not without a history of refusing God’s calls to them. Now God says to them in

Hosea 5:4 Their deeds do not permit them to return them to God. Because a spirit of whoredom is in their midst, they do not know Yahweh.

There is no longer a “godly seed”, no children to raise up in the ways of the Lord. The Lord has given them an object lesson through Hosea’s own children and now ads, “the new moon”, in

Hosea 5:7 They have dealt faithlessly with Yahweh because they have borne illegitimate children. Now the new moon will devour them with their fields.

The Sabbath, and the days God had established for the feasts were not days for any other worship “The new moon was a traditional day for sacrifice and ritual feasting (Num 28:11–15; 1 Sam 20:5, 26). The celebration of the appearance of the new moon, starting the new month … Isa 1:13.”³ 

In Their Distress They Will Search Me

Hosea 5:8–15
The Lord says “blow the horn … sound the alarm” in Hosea 5:8 and “I will reveal what is true” in Hosea 5:9. But there are those that knew what they were doing and they will be dealt with severely in

Hosea 5:10 The princes of Judah have become like those who remove a landmark; on them I will pour out my wrath like water.

This might seem a small thing to us, but in their time, “the removal of a landmark was a serious crime; in Israel it was a violation of the Law of Moses (Dt 19:14; 27:17). Removing landmarks could be represented as changing ancient customs and laws (Prv 22:28; 23:10; cf. Jb 24:2)”.⁴ so it was not just the marking of borders that God was concerned about, it was the setting aside of the revelation, the covenants, that God had made with Abraham, through Moses, and was speaking to them about in their day through Hosea.

The worst part of this is that God was for them. God was always there for them when they called on him. But here, they didn’t call on God, the went instead “to the great king” in their world at the time in

Hosea 5:13 And when Ephraim saw his illness, and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria, he sent to the great king. But he was unable to cure you and heal your wound.

So, the Lord says, I’ll wait in

Hosea 5:15 I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face; in their distress they will search me.

 

Come, Let Us Return to Yahweh

Hosea 6:1–10
They respond to the Lord in their time of trouble. There isn’t help for them anywhere else so they say in

Hosea 6:1–3 Come, let us return to Yahweh; because it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck us down and will bind us up. 2 He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us know, let us press on to know Yahweh; his rising is sure like the dawn. He will come like the showers to us, like the spring rain that waters the earth.

Yes, God will come “like the spring rain” when they come with their whole hearts. They haven’t and the Lord says to them in

Hosea 6:4 What will I do with you, O Ephraim? What will I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early in the morning.

They think that if they appease God, everything will be made right but this isn’t a problem to fix in a day or two or three. They need to change their thinking, they need to change their hearts toward God. How is it that they didn’t trust God and come to him knowing his love for them and showing their “steadfast love” for him in

Hosea 6:6–7 Because I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 7 But like Adam, they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.

There are places like this where we understand how God feels about the actions of people and here is one in

Hosea 6:10 In the house of Israel I have seen something horrible; Ephraim’s unfaithfulness is there. Israel is defiled.

This happened with Adam, it happened in the time of Noah, it is happening as Hosea records it here, and not long after, it happens with the Southern kingdom and the terrible truth is, it still happens today and there are still those that are perishing.

But God, knowing the fallen nature in man, has made a way in

Romans 3:23–26 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus 25 whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins, 26 in the forbearance of God, for the demonstration of his righteousness in the present time, so that he should be just and the one who justifies the person by faith in Jesus.

He came and walked among us, He paid the legal price for our sin and gave us the gift of life, if we will only believe and have faith in Jesus Christ.

By Their Wickedness They Make the King Glad

Hosea 6:11–7:8

Foreigners Devour His Strength

Hosea 7:9–16

Study Verses

• Hosea 5:1–7 A Spirit of Whoredom is in Their Midst
• Hosea 5:8–15 In Their Distress They Will Search Me
• Hosea 6:1–10 Come, Let Us Return to Yahweh

Today’s Reading

• Hosea 4:10-19
• Hosea 5:1-15
• Hosea 6:1-11
• Hosea 7:1-16

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References

• 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 654). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
• 2. Binns, L. E. (1942). Hosea. In C. Gore, H. L. Goudge, & A. Guillaume (Eds.), A New Commentary on Holy Scripture: Including the Apocrypha (Vol. 1, p. 560). New York: The Macmillan Company.
• 3. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ho 5:7). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
• 4. Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Landmark. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1307). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

The people of Israel have been unfaithful to the Lord and are living among the nations as one of them. The Lord has spoken by the prophets and now gives them an object lesson, not just words, but examples through Hosea’s wife, a prostitute, his daughter who the Lord said in Hosea 1:6 he said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them”, and his son who the Lord said in Hosea 1:9 And he said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God”. And even though the Lord says of his unfaithful wife, meaning Israel as a nation, in Hosea 2:6 “Therefore, Look! I am going to hedge her path with thorns” he also remembers his promise to them and says in Hosea 2:16 ‘And on that day—a declaration of Yahweh—you will call me, “My husband;”’, there will be a day of restoration where Israel will know the Lord as in Isaiah 62:4 ‘you will be called “My Delight Is In Her,” and your land, “Married,” for Yahweh delights in you, and your land shall be married’.

The Land Commits Great Whoredom

Hosea 1:1–5 

I Will Save Them by Yahweh Their God

Hosea 1:6–11
Because the “house of Israel” has turned from God and are living as the world lives, the Lord is declaring his judgement against them. Their covenant made at the time of Moses was for blessing or cursing. Blessing if they followed the ways of the Lord. And if they did, forgiveness could be found to cover their transgressions. Now, the Lord says, and gives them a sign of his intent, by the birth of a child in

Hosea 1:6 And she conceived again and bore a daughter, and he said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them.

and the Lord gives them a further sign by a second child as he disowns them as his people in

Hosea 1:9 And he said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.

but the Lord is not unjust, and does not visit the sin of one on another so he also says, as this separation has come to “the house of Israel”, “the house of Judah” will be saved in

Hosea 1:7 But I will have pity on the house of Judah and I will save them by Yahweh their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, war, horses, or horsemen.

and there is a future promise, based on God’s promise to Abraham, and as Moses prayed in

Exodus 32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by yourself, and you told them, ‘I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens, and all this land that I promised I will give to your offspring, and they will inherit it forever.’ ”

so the Lord has still promised, even after this transgression, even after these generations that rebelled, he will restore in

Hosea 1:10 will be like the sand of the sea that cannot be measured or counted; and in the place where it is said to them, “You are not my people,”

it will be said to them, “Children of the living God.” 

I Am Going to Hedge Her Path

Hosea 2:1–12
There is a right way to live and the Lord tells us to

Matthew 11:28–30 Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to carry and my burden is light.”

Yet we often go after our own way, seeking approval, seeking attention, seeking affection, seeking gifts from others but these all come from the lust of the eye and the lust of the flesh and the pride of life and these are never satisfied. So, the Lord says in

Hosea 2:6 Therefore, Look! I am going to hedge her path with thorns, and I will build a stone wall, stone wall against her, and she will not find her paths.

being driven by these things will never bring satisfaction or fulfilment. The things gained will waste away in Hosea 2:12. What are times of laughter and happiness for others, “her festivals, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her appointed festivals” in Hosea 2:11 will have no joy.

But this is not simply an account of a woman in “prostitution” in Hosea 2:12, this is also a type of the children of Israel as a nation and their behaviour toward their husband the Lord. The Lord is going to “hedge her path” as a nation. 

On That Day I Will Answer Declares Yahweh

Hosea 2:13–23
There will be a shift in the relationship from being one of obligation to one of equal love. It seems though, that God must first deliver or separate us from the bondage of our old life, not bondage to the Lord, but bondage to the Baal’s, the snares of the devil that we have served as in

2 Timothy 2:25–26 correcting those who are opposed with gentleness, seeing whether perhaps God may grant them repentance to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they will come to their senses again and escape from the trap of the devil, being held captive by him to do his will.

and separating us from those bondage’s happens as the Lord brings draws us as in

Hosea 2:14 Therefore, Look! I am going to allure her and bring her into the desert, and I will speak tenderly to her.

We may think this desert place, this place that an alcoholic might cal drying out or a drug addicted person might cal getting clean, is a place of God’s deliverance and the place where God can begin to restore his grace to them. It is from this desert place that they can put down the things that were “My Baal”, that were owner, master, ruler, possessor of their life and come into a right relationship with the Lord as husband in

Hosea 2:16 And on that day—a declaration of Yahweh—you will call me, “My husband;” you will no longer call me, “My Baal.”

Here, “There are wordplays on the terms אִישׁ‎ (’ish) and בַּעַל‎ (ba’al) here. The term אִישִׁי‎ (’ishi, “my man, husband”) is a title of affection (Gen 2:23; 3:6, 16) as the counterpart to אִשָּׁה‎ (’ishah, “woman, wife”). The term בַּעְלִי‎ (ba’li, “my lord”) emphasizes the husband’s legal position (Exod 21:3; Deut 22:22; 24:4). The relationship will no longer be conditioned on the outward legal commitment but on a new inward bond of mutual affection and love.”¹ The Lord describes the new relationship this way in

Hosea 2:19–20 And I will take you as my wife forever; I will take you as a wife for myself in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will take you as my wife in faithfulness, and you will know Yahweh.

But I think this English translation “I will take you as my wife” doesn’t convey the meaning intended. the sense of “My delight” seems more what is intended in

Isaiah 62:4 It shall no longer be said of you, “Forsaken,” and it shall no longer be said of your land, “Desolation!” but you will be called “My Delight Is In Her,” and your land, “Married,” for Yahweh delights in you, and your land shall be married.

or as this commentary suggests, “Betroth” is thrice repeated, implying the intense love of God to His people; and perhaps, also, the three Persons of the Triune God, severally engaging to make good the betrothal. The marriage covenant will be as it were renewed from the beginning, on a different footing; not for a time only, as before, through the apostasy of the people, but “forever” through the grace of God writing the law on their hearts by the Spirit of Messiah (Je 31:31–37).²

They Will Come to His Goodness

Hosea 3:1–5

There Is No Knowledge of God

Hosea 4:1–9

Study Verses

• Hosea 1:6–11 I Will Save Them by Yahweh Their God
• Hosea 2:1–12 I Am Going to Hedge Her Path
• Hosea 2:13–23 On That Day I Will Answer Declares Yahweh

Today’s Reading

• Hosea 1:1-11
• Hosea 2:1-23
• Hosea 3:1-5
• Hosea 4:1-9

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References

• 1. Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Ho 2:16). Biblical Studies Press.
• 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 651). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.