Hosea 3
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 745 BC – 722 BC · Divided kingdom · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
5 verses · 145 words · ~1 min read · ~1 min listen
Hosea Redeems His Wife
1Then the Lord said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.”
2So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3Then I said to her, “You must live with me for many days; you must not be promiscuous or belong to another, and I will do the same for you.”
4For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol. 5Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.
Footnotes (4)
- a v1 Or Go show love to a woman who is loved by another
- b v1 Literally and love raisin cakes
- c v2 15 shekels is approximately 6 ounces or 171 grams of silver.
- d v2 Or a homer and a half of barley; that is, a total of approximately 9.36 bushels or 330 liters (probably about 436 pounds or 198 kilograms of barley); LXX a homer of barley and a wineskin full of wine
Study notes on this chapter · 1
Many days without king or prince
Hosea is told to live a long time with an unfaithful woman as a picture of Israel, who will live 'many days' without king, prince, sacrifice, or idol, and afterward will return and seek the LORD and David their king in the latter days. The period of deprivation and the return are interpreted differently.
When: Hosea, c. 750–722 BC.
Ways people read this (4)
- The Assyrian and Babylonian exiles and the return that followed.
- The whole period from the exile to Christ, after which Israel 'seeks David their king' in the Messiah.
- The long dispersion of the Jewish people, with a future turning in the last days.
- The text is literary: a prophecy of exile and restoration in general terms.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.