Hosea 3
New King James Version
Israel Will Return to God
3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a (A)lover[a] and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”
2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You shall (B)stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”
4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days (C)without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without (D)ephod or (E)teraphim. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and (F)seek the Lord their God and (G)David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the (H)latter days.
Footnotes
- Hosea 3:1 Lit. friend or husband
Hosea 3
Amplified Bible
Hosea’s Second Symbolic Marriage
3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman ([a]Gomer) who is beloved by her husband and yet is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the [b]children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love the raisin cakes [used in the feasts in pagan worship].” 2 So I bought her for myself for [c]fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley [the price of a common slave]. 3 And I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the prostitute nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you [until you have proved your faithfulness].” 4 For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or [idolatrous] pillar, and without [d]ephod or teraphim (household idols). 5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return [in deep repentance] and seek the Lord their God and [seek from the line of] David their king [the King of kings—the Messiah]; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness and blessing in the last days.(A)
Footnotes
- Hosea 3:1 The ambiguous wording might be interpreted as referring to a different woman, but this time Hosea is told only to love her, not to take, i.e. marry her. Also, the application of the symbolism to God’s relationship with Israel seems to depend upon the woman’s being Gomer. The purpose of the ambiguities probably is to reflect the emotional estrangement between Hosea and Gomer and the contempt that she deserved for her behavior. Matthew’s anonymous reference to Bathsheba literally as “wife of Uriah” (Matt 1:6).
- Hosea 3:1 See note 1:10.
- Hosea 3:2 Hosea bought Gomer back after she had become a slave. The silver and barley together totaled about thirty pieces of silver. See Ex 21:7, 32; 2 Kin 7:1, 16, 18.
- Hosea 3:4 A garment worn by priests when seeking divine counsel.
Hosea 3
Authorized (King James) Version
3 Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. 2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: 3 and I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. 4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: 5 afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.
Hosea 3
1599 Geneva Bible
3 1 The Jews shall be cast off for their idolatry. 5 Afterward they shall return to the Lord.
1 Then said the Lord to me, [a]Go yet, and love a woman (beloved of her husband, and was an harlot) according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel: yet they looked to other gods, and [b]loved the wine bottles.
2 So [c]I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley.
3 And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide with [d]me many days: thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt be to none other man, and I will be so unto thee.
4 For the children of Israel shall [e]remain many days without a king and without a [f]prince, and without an offering, and without an image, and without an Ephod, and without Teraphim.
5 Afterward shall the children of Israel convert and seek the Lord their God, and [g]David their king, and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.
Footnotes
- Hosea 3:1 Herein the Prophet representeth the person of God, which loved his Church before he called her, and did not withdraw the same when she gave herself to idols.
- Hosea 3:1 That is, gave themselves wholly to pleasure, and could not take up, as they that are given to drunkenness.
- Hosea 3:2 Yet I loved her and paid a small portion for her, lest she perceiving the greatness of my love, should have abused me, and not been under duty: for fifteen pieces of silver were but half the price of a slave, Exod. 21:32.
- Hosea 3:3 I will try thee a long time as in thy widowhood whether thou wilt be mine or no.
- Hosea 3:4 Meaning, not only all the time of their captivity, but also unto Christ.
- Hosea 3:4 That is, they should neither have policy nor religion, and their idols also wherein they put their confidence, should be destroyed.
- Hosea 3:5 This is meant of Christ’s kingdom, which was promised unto David to be eternal, Ps. 72:17.
Hosea 3
Young's Literal Translation
3 And Jehovah saith unto me: `Again, go, love a woman, loved of a friend, and an adulteress, like the loved of Jehovah, the sons of Israel, and they are turning unto other gods, and are lovers of grape-cakes.'
2 And I buy her to me for fifteen silverlings, and a homer and a letech of barley;
3 and I say unto her, `Many days thou dost remain for Me, thou dost not go a-whoring, nor become any one's; and I also [am] for thee.'
4 For many days remain do the sons of Israel without a king, and there is no prince, and there is no sacrifice, and there is no standing pillar, and there is no ephod and teraphim.
5 Afterwards turned back have the sons of Israel, and sought Jehovah their God, and David their king, and have hastened unto Jehovah, and unto His goodness, in the latter end of the days.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
