I WILL BETROTH YOU IN FAITHFULNESS
Key verse: 19,20
NIV
14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness(A)
and speak tenderly to her.
15 There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor[a](B) a door of hope.
There she will respond[b](C) as in the days of her youth,(D)
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.(E)
16 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“you will call me ‘my husband’;(F)
you will no longer call me ‘my master.[c]’
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;(G)
no longer will their names be invoked.(H)
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the creatures that move along the ground.(I)
Bow and sword and battle
I will abolish(J) from the land,
so that all may lie down in safety.(K)
19 I will betroth(L) you to me forever;
I will betroth you in[d] righteousness and justice,(M)
in[e] love and compassion.(N)
20 I will betroth you in[f] faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge(O) the Lord.(P)
21 “In that day I will respond,”
declares the Lord—
“I will respond(Q) to the skies,
and they will respond to the earth;
22 and the earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine and the olive oil,(R)
and they will respond to Jezreel.[g](S)
23 I will plant(T) her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.[h](U)’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,[i]’ ‘You are my people’;(V)
and they will say, ‘You are my God.(W)’”
Footnotes
- Hosea 2:15 Achor means trouble.
- Hosea 2:15 Or sing
- Hosea 2:16 Hebrew baal
- Hosea 2:19 Or with
- Hosea 2:19 Or with
- Hosea 2:20 Or with
- Hosea 2:22 Jezreel means God plants.
- Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah (see 1:6)
- Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ammi (see 1:9)
Cross references
- Hosea 2:14 : S Eze 19:13
- Hosea 2:15 : S Jos 7:24, 26
- Hosea 2:15 : Ex 15:1-18
- Hosea 2:15 : S Jer 2:2; S Eze 16:22
- Hosea 2:15 : S Eze 28:26; Hos 12:9
- Hosea 2:16 : S Isa 54:5
- Hosea 2:17 : Ex 23:13; Ps 16:4
- Hosea 2:17 : S Jos 23:7; Zec 13:2
- Hosea 2:18 : S Job 5:22
- Hosea 2:18 : S Ps 46:9; S Isa 2:4; Zec 9:10
- Hosea 2:18 : S Job 5:23; S Jer 23:6; Eze 34:25
- Hosea 2:19 : S Isa 62:4; 2Co 11:2
- Hosea 2:19 : S Isa 1:27
- Hosea 2:19 : S Isa 54:8
- Hosea 2:20 : Jer 31:34; Hos 4:1; 6:6; 13:4
- Hosea 2:20 : S Eze 16:8
- Hosea 2:21 : Isa 55:10; Zec 8:12; Mal 3:10-11
- Hosea 2:22 : S Jer 31:12; Hos 14:7; Joel 2:19
- Hosea 2:22 : S Eze 36:29-30; S Hos 1:4
- Hosea 2:23 : S Jer 31:27
- Hosea 2:23 : S Hos 1:6
- Hosea 2:23 : S ver 1; S Isa 19:25; S Hos 1:10
- Hosea 2:23 : S Jer 29:12; Ro 9:25*; 1Pe 2:10
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
The Lord's Mercy on Israel
14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and (A)bring her into the wilderness,
and (B)speak tenderly to her.
15 And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor[a] a door of hope.
And there she shall answer (C)as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
16 “And (D)in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For (E)I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And (F)I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And (G)I will abolish[b] the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in (H)safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me (I)forever. (J)I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 (K)I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And (L)you shall know the Lord.
21 “And (M)in that day (N)I will answer, declares the Lord,
I will answer the heavens,
and they shall answer the earth,
22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and they shall answer (O)Jezreel,[c]
23 and (P)I will sow her for myself in the land.
And (Q)I (R)will have mercy on No Mercy,[d]
and (S)I will say to Not My People,[e] (T)‘You are my people’;
and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”
Footnotes
- Hosea 2:15 Achor means trouble; compare Joshua 7:26
- Hosea 2:18 Hebrew break
- Hosea 2:22 Jezreel means God will sow
- Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-ruhama
- Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-ammi
Cross references
- Hosea 2:14 : [Ezek. 20:35]
- Hosea 2:14 : Isa. 40:2
- Hosea 2:15 : [ch. 9:10; 11:1; Jer. 2:2; Ezek. 16:22, 60]
- Hosea 2:16 : ver. 18, 21
- Hosea 2:17 : Zeph. 1:4; Zech. 13:2; [Ex. 23:13]
- Hosea 2:18 : Ezek. 34:25; [Job 5:23]
- Hosea 2:18 : Ps. 46:9; Isa. 2:4; 9:5; Ezek. 39:9, 10
- Hosea 2:18 : Lev. 26:5; Jer. 23:6
- Hosea 2:19 : [Ezek. 43:7]
- Hosea 2:19 : [ver. 7, 16; Jer. 3:14, 15; 2 Cor. 11:2]
- Hosea 2:20 : [See ver. 19 above]; [ver. 7, 16; Jer. 3:14, 15; 2 Cor. 11:2]
- Hosea 2:20 : Jer. 31:34; John 17:3
- Hosea 2:21 : ver. 16
- Hosea 2:21 : [Zech. 8:12]
- Hosea 2:22 : [ch. 1:4, 11]
- Hosea 2:23 : [ch. 1:10]; See Ezek. 36:9-11
- Hosea 2:23 : Cited Rom. 9:25, 26
- Hosea 2:23 : ch. 1:6
- Hosea 2:23 : ch. 1:9; 1 Pet. 2:10
- Hosea 2:23 : ver. 1; Zech. 13:9; See Lev. 26:12; Jer. 31:33
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. I will make a door of hope (14-15)
When trouble comes to punish wilful sinners, they can become fatalistic and think that there is no hope. But God is a God of hope. He promised to make the valley of trouble (Achor) a door of hope. There is a redemptive purpose in his punishment; he wants sinners to repent and return to him. He will restore repentant sinners and put a song in their hearts.
2. Betrothed in righteousness and justice (16-23)
God wants his people to love him. He does not want them to worship Baal. When they respond to his love and acknowledge that he is the Lord, a chain reaction of love will be put into action. The Creator will respond to the sky; the sky will respond to the earth; the earth will respond with fruitfulness. God will sow and plant his people in the land. His people will include the Gentile world (Ro 9:25; 1Pe 2:9-1
).
Prayer: Lord, teach my heart to respond to your love; help me to be faithful to your loving covenant forever.
One Word: Betrothed to the Lord forever