Hosea 2:1-23: The Parable of the Prodigal Bride

Say [Qal MPl Impv amar] to your brothers, My people you are. And to your sisters, You have received mercy [Pual 3FS Perf raham].

Strive [Qal MPl Impv rib] with your mother, strive [Qal MPl Impv rib], for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. And let her take away [Hiph 3FS Juss sur] her whorings from before her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts, 3 lest I strip her [Hiph 1CS Impf pashat with 3FS suff] naked, and I establish her [Hiph 1CS Perf yatsag with waw cons with 3FS suff] like the day she was born [Niph Inf Cons yalad with FS suff], and I put her [Qal 1CS Perf samah with waw cons] like a wilderness, and I set her [Qal 1CS Perf shit with waw cons] like parched earth, and I killed her [Hiph 1CS Perf mot with waw cons] with thirst. 4 And to her children I will not have mercy [Piel 1CS Impf raham] for children of whorings are these. 5 For their mother has whored [Qal 3FS Perf zanah]; she puts to shame [Hiph 3FS Perf bosh] those she conceived [Qal FS Part harah with 3MS suff], for she said [Qal 3FS Perf amar], I will go [Qal 1CS Impf halak] after my lovers, the givers of [Qal MPl Part natan] my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink. 6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge [Qal MS Part suk] her road in thorns, and I will wall up [Qal 1CS Perf gadar with waw cons] her wall [gadarah], and her paths she will not find [Qal 3FS Impf matsa]. 7 And she will pursue eagerly [Piel 3FS Impf radaph] her lovers, but not overtake [Hiph 3FS Impf nasag] them, and she shall seek them [Piel 3FS Impf baqash with 3MPl suff], but she will not find [Qal 3FS Impf matsa] them. And she will say [Qal 3FS Perf amar with waw cons], I will go [Qal 1CS Impf halak], and I will return [Qal 1CS Perf shub with waw cons] to my first husband, for good to me then from now. 8 But she did not know [Qal 3FS Perf yada] that I gave [Qal 1CS Perf natan] to her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and silver I multiplied [Hiph 1CS Perf rabah] to her, and gold, they make [Qal 3MPl Perf asah] to Baal. 9 Therefore I will return [Qal 1CS Impf shub] and I will take back [Qal 1CS Perf laqach with waw cons] my grain in its time and my wine in its season, and I will snatch away [Hiph 1CS Perf natsal with waw cons] my wool and my flax, which was for the purpose of covering [Piel Inf Cons kasha with lamed prep] her nakedness. 10 Now I will uncover [Piel 1CS Impf galah] her lewdness to the eyes of her lovers, but no one will snatch her [Hiph 3FS Perf natsal with waw cons] from my hand. 11 And I will put to rest [Hiph 1CS Perf shabat with waw cons] all her mirth, her feasts, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts. 12 And I will ravage [Hiph 1CS Perf shamam with waw cons] her vines and her fig trees, which she said [Qal 3FS Perf amar], Wages1 are these to me, which they give [Qal 3MS Perf natan] to me, my lovers. And I will set them [Qal 1CS Perf sim with waw cons with 3MS suff] a forest, and they will eat them [Qal 3FS Perf acal with waw cons with 3MS suff], the living-ones of the field. 13 And I will visit [Qal 1CS Perf paqad with waw cons] upon her the feast days of the Baals, in which she burned incense [Hiph 3FS Perf Qatar] to them, and she adorned [Qal 3FS Pret adah with waw cons] her ring and her jewelry, and she went [Qal 3FS Pret halak with waw cons] after her lovers, but me she forgot [Qal 3FS Perf shakach], declares YHWH.

This word refers specifically to the wages one would pay to a prostitute. (Geseniuss Lexicon)

Therefore, behold, I am enticing her [Piel MS Part patah with 3FS suff], and I am bringing her [Hiph 1CS Perf halak with 3MS suff] into the wilderness, and I am speaking [Piel 1CS Perf dibber with waw cons] on her heart. 15 And I am giving [Qal 1CS Perf natan with waw cons] to her her vineyards from there, and make the Valley of Achor to a door of hope. And she shall answer [Qal 3FS Perf anah with waw cons] there as in the days of her youth, and as at the day she went up [Qal 3FS Perf alah] from the land of Egypt.
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And it will be [Qal 3MS Perf hayah with waw cons] in those days, declares YHWH, she will call me [Qal 3FS Perf qara with waw cons], My husband, and not she will call [Qal 3FS Perf qara with waw cons] to me any longer My Baal. 17And I will remove [Hiph 1CS Perf sur with waw cons] the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they will not remember [Qal 3MPl Impf zakar] any longer their names. 18 And I will cut [Qal 1CS Perf karat with waw cons] for them a covenant in those days with the livingones of the field and with the birds of the heavens and the creeping things of the earth. And bow, sword, and war I will destroy [Qal 1CS Perf shabar with waw cons] from the land, and I will make you lie down [Hiph 1CS Perf shakab with waw cons with 3MPl suff] for safety. 19And I will betroth you [Piel 1CS Perf arash with waw cons with 2FS suff] to me forever. And I will betroth you [Piel 1CS Perf arash with waw cons with 2FS suff] to me in righteousness [tsedeq] and in justice [mishpat] and in steadfast love [chesed] and in mercies [rachamim]. 20And I will betroth you [Piel 1CS Perf arash with waw cons with 2FS suff] to me in faithfulness [amunah], and you will know [Qal 3FS Perf yada with waw cons] YHWH. YHWH. In those days I will answer [Qal 1CS Impf anah], declares YHWH. I will answer [Qal 1CS Impf anah] the heavens (MPl), but they (MPl) will answer [Qal 3Mpl Impf anah] the earth. 22 And the earth will answer [Qal 3FS Impf anah] the grain, the wine, and the oil. And they shall answer [Qal 3MPl Impf anah] Jezreel. 23 And I will sow her [Qal 1CS Perf zara with waw cons with 3FS suff] for myself in the land. And I will have mercy [Piel 1CS Perf racham with waw cons] to No-Mercy, and I will say [Qal 1CS Perf amar with waw cons] to Not-My-People, My-People you are. And he will say [Qal 3MS Impf amar], My God you are.
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v. 1: The imperative Say is a masculine plural, which hints to us that no longer is YHWH addressing Hosea, but the whole people of Israel. Each is to Say to one his brother, My people, and to his sister, You have received mercy. v. 2: Properly it is to seize one another by the hair.(2) Specially, to contend forensically, to plead a cause, followed by an accus. of the person whose cause is pleaded (Geseniuss Lexicon). In other words, to plead with someone in this context is not to urge them to reconsider, but more along the lines of pleading your case against someone. So, in 1 Sam. 25:39, the word is translated as avenge: When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and in Psalm 43:1, the psalmist writes, Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people BDB does not include the Hosea 2 reference in the section concerning legal disputes, but of all the options it gives, none suggests any kind of wooing, persuading, or urging. Every listed meaning for this word is negative, involving strife, argument, contention, quarreling, and the like. The point here is that YHWH is not pleading with Israel to repent from her whoringshe is arguing his case against her. The deed is done. She is no longer his wife, and he is no longer her husband. (One of the fascinating aspects of Hosea is the stark contrast between YHWHs burning jealousy and his tender mercy. But more on that later) v. 3: Although the ESV uses the phrase make her three times, this is highly poetic language, and, in fact, Hosea uses three different verbs (yatsag, sum, and shit), all of which carry the idea of a establishing or fixingin other words, these are strong verbs for make. v. 4: What was only suspected in ch. 1 is confirmed here: Gomers children are the children of whorings, and not the children of Hosea. Although Gomer bore him [Hosea] the son Jezreel, No-Mercy and NotMy-People are most likely not Hoseas natural children. This suggestion is all the more confirmed by the identification of these children as the children of whorings as the reason for which YHWH Lo-Arachem (I will not have mercy) on them. v. 5: Sadly, the mother decides to go after her lovers, believing them to be the source of her bread, water, flax, oil, and drink. v. 6: Because the mother determines to persist in going after her lovers, YHWH promises to hedge up her path with thorns, and to wall up a wall against her, so that she cannot find her way to her lovers. YHWH foils her attempts to get to those whom she has false credited with her well-being. v. 7: Then, when the mother is unable to get to her lovers, she decides, instead, I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now. This is a shockingly similar line to the prodigal son, who says, But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my fathers hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants (Luke 15:17-19). Notice the difference, thoughthe mother still has no sense of her guilt. She only decides to return to her husband after she is no longer able to find her other lovers. v. 8: YHWH, however, points out that he alone provided her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.

v. 9: Because the mother still has no intent to return to her husband for any reason other than necessity, YHWH promises to take back all the grain and wine, and all the wool and the flax that he had been giving her, but for which he had not received credit. Moreover, the wool and the flax would have been used for clothing herbut YHWH has other ideas on that. v. 10: Instead of clothing her, YHWH now decides to expose her lewdness in the sight of all. He wants to humiliate her in front of all those whom he had pursued. v. 11: More than that, YHWH will shut down even the proper channels of her worshipher feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts. Notice that mirth is equated with worship. v. 12: Next, YHWH targets her vines and fig trees, which were wages (the word specifically refers to the wages a prostitute receives). These YHWH will turn into a forest, which the beasts of the field will devour. This is an interesting reference to beasts of the field, since of the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground with whom YHWH makes for Israel a covenant, only the beasts of the field are mentioned now. v. 13: Finally, YHWH vows to punish her for her feast days of the Baals, burning offerings to them, wearing their jewelry, and going after themthus forgetting YHWH. The judgment on Israel for their whoring is here complete. v. 14: At v. 14, the switch is flipped. Suddenly, YHWH turns to become a compassionate husband who pledges to allure his wife. Notice that he vows to bring her into the wilderness, which is interesting because the verb (Hiphil halak) is also word that she used to determine her own actions (v. 5, 7, 13); now, YHWH describes what he will do with hercause her to go into the wilderness. Moreover, YHWH had promised earlier to make her like a wilderness (v. 3), but now he is bringing her into the wilderness. (Is this an allusion to the Exodus, when YHWH brought the people out of Egypt into the wilderness?) Finally, YHWH pledges to speak tenderly (speak on her heart). v. 15: The vineyards that YHWH had promised to lay waste to (v. 12) he now restores. On the Valley of Achor, G. Campbell Morgan helpfully explains: First, the valley of Achor, that is, of troubling. Three times we find that phrase, the valley of Achor, in the Bible. First, in the Book of Joshua, in connection with the story of Achan. And, by the way, observe the relationship between the words Achan and Achor. That relationship is not a mere coincidence. Achan means trouble, and Achor means troubling. It was so that the valley gained its name (Josh. vii. 26). It was there that judgment swift and terrible fell upon a man who had troubled the whole nation by compromising with evil things, and disobeying God. The second occasion of its occurrence is in Isaiah, who was contemporary with Hosea. He linked the valley of Achor with Sharon as a place of rest for those who seek Jehovah. Then finally we find it here in Hosea. The valley of swift judgment, the place of troubling. So it gained its name. The valley of Achor in conjunction with Sharon, a place of rest and of [page] pasturage and of flocks, and of blessedness to those who have sought Jehovah. The valley of Achor, the

Door of Hope. Troubling swinging open a door of hope; troubling leading presently to the place of peace and the place of rest.2 (Interestingly, Calvin doesnt think that this refers to troubling, but to a sudden change in their fortune after coming out of the wilderness. I am going to have to disagree with him herethe verb akar clearly means stir up, disturb, trouble (BDB 747). The whole meaning of Achor is bound up in the idea of troubling.) The other reference to the Valley of Achor is found in Isaiah 65:10, when YHWH is prophesying the reality of the new heavens and the new earth. In that day, Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought me. Sharon was a pastureland (1 Chron 5:16, 27:29), but it doesnt have any particularly negative connotations carried along with it. (The Beloved in Song of Songs declares that she herself is the Rose of Sharon Song of Songs 2:1.) So, I dont know that Achor is itself intended to portray rest in Isaiah 65 any more than it does in Hosea 2, since Isaiah 65 is clearly speaking of a future reality of a new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17), when what has been destructive shall be redeemed. The point, then, is the transformation of Achor in both Isaiah 65 and Hosea 2. Yet there does seem to be a significant difference between how the two prophets are using Achor. Isaiah seems to be using it rhetorically: Even Achor will be a place for herds to lie down. Hosea, however, speaks of Achor as being the door of hope. In other words, the troubling of Achor is somehow the catalyst for hope in the nation of Israel. God does not grant Israel hope in spite of Achor; he is granting Israel hope through Achor. This is high foolishness which we can understand only in the light of the cross. Troubling carries with it no hope, unless the troubling is the swift and utter annihilation of Jesus Christ on the cross, who goes there in place of his people. Moreover, I do not think that we are imposing Christ on this passage to make this claim. The great mystery of this passage is how the switch flips from YHWHs wrath to YHWHs mercy, compassion, and hesed. In the first half of the chapter, YHWH essentially serves divorce papers to Israel (v. 2), sets himself against showing mercy to any of Israels children (v. 4), exposes her lewdness to public humiliation (v. 10), and devastates all that she has (v. 9, 11-13). But now, all of a sudden, YHWH prepares to win Israel back. What accounts for this infinite flip-flop? The cross of Jesus Christ. The troubling of God poured out upon his only, beloved Son, in order that he might count us righteous while still remaining righteous himself. Because Christ was destroyed on our behalf in Achor, that valley now symbolizes hope, not doom. V. 16: I am a tad confused as to what YHWH is intending in their not calling him Baal any more, since baal is a verb for marry, rule over (BDB 127). It could be that they were forbidden from calling in baal (a title, like husband or master) since Baal was also the proper name of a Canaanite god. But YHWH doesnt insist that they call him YHWHhe wants them to call him husband.

G. Campbell Morgan, Hosea: The Heart and Holiness of God (London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, LTD., 1948), 15-16.

Another possibility would be that he intends exclusivity in his marriage to his people, since the next verse speaks of removing the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. Whatever this means, it means that he wishes to become more, and not less, less intimate with his people. V. 17: Calvin explains, Not even the heathens wished to thrust the only true God from his celestial throne, by forming for themselves many gods: but while they allowed some Supreme Being, they wished to have patrons, whom they employed in conciliating his favour and good-will.3 To Calvins mind, the issue at stake is less that Israel willing to be married to YHWH, but more that Israel did not want to remain exclusively faithful to YHWH. This has obvious strength from the contextIsrael went after other lovers (v. 5), but she also recognized that she had it better than now with her first husband (v. 7). V. 18: The first half of v. 18 is replete with creation language: God created the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens (Gen. 2:19) and the creeping things on the ground (Gen. 1:25). Now, YHWH will make for Israel a covenant with the other creatures that inhabit the earth. This could signify two things, as I understand it. Calvin understands this to refer to the safety and security of the regular order of creation, now restored. He writes: But he says here, I will make a covenant for them with the beasts; so that they may perform their duty towards us: for they were all created, we know, for this end, to be subject to men. Since, then, they were destined for our benefit, they ought, according to their nature, to be in subjection to us: and we know that Adam caused this, that wild beasts rise up so rebelliously against us; for otherwise they would have willingly and gently obeyed us. Now since there is this horrible disorder, that brute beasts, which ought to own men as their masters, rage against them, the Lord recalls us here to the first order of nature, I will make a covenant for them, he says, with the beast of the field, which means, I will make brute animals to know for what end they were formed, that is, to be subject to the dominion of men, and to show no rebelliousness any more. We now then perceive the intention of the Prophet: he reminds the Israelites that all things were adverse to their safety as long as they were alienated from God; but that when they returned into favour with him, this disorder, which had for a time appeared, would be no longer; for the regular order of nature would prevail, and brute animals would suffer themselves to be brought to obedience.4 More than this, the passage also speaks to the cosmic scope of the redemption of Gods people. YHWH had created the world as a fitting dwelling place for his people. Once sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, the animals rebelled from their willing subjection to humans. Also, through sin entered deathand often that death was inflicted through the warfare that also stemmed from humanitys sinfulness. YHWH promises here to abolish the bowl, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. V. 19-20: As Calvin notes, There is here an implied contrast between the marriage of which the Prophet had hitherto spoken , and this which God now contracts.5 The difference may in part be explained by a new kind of faithfulness (v. 20) exhibited not so much by YHWH, but by the Israelites, this time around; however, even this may be explained by the language of new covenant, which does not appear hear, but
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appears in Jeremiah, and which appears under different names and descriptions elsewhere in the OT prophets. After all, YHWH has spoken of creating a covenant with the animals, and betrothal is a kind of a covenantan intimate, personal covenant that Israel was to have with YHWH. The point? Intimate knowledge of YHWH: And you shall know the LORD. V. 21-22: Thus far, YHWH has pledged to cut a covenant between Israel and the animal creatures of the world, to end all warfare, and to betroth Israel to himself in righteousness, justice, steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness. Now, YHWH also pledges to answer/respond to the heavens, which shall in turn answer the earth, which shall in turn answer the grain, the wine, and the oilall these shall answer Jezreel (yizreel), which God had used earlier as a negative name YHWH to refer to the blood-debt owed by what Jehu did as he over-performed his judgment against the house of Ahab (Hosea 1:4). Calvin explains the difference here:

The Prophet used the word, Jezreel, before in a bad sense; for his purpose was to reproach the Israelites with their unfaithfulness: when they boasted of being the seed of Abraham, and always claimed that honorable and noble distinction, the Lord said, Ye are Jezreel, and not Israel. It may be that the Prophet wished to show again what they deserved; but he teaches, at the same time, that God would by no means be prevented from showing kindness to the unworthy when reconciled to him. Though, then, they were rather Jezreelites than Israelites, yet their unworthiness would be no impediment, that God should not deal bountifully with them. There may also be an allusion here to a new people; for it follows in the next verse, , usarotie, and I will sow her; and the word, Jezreel, has an affinity to this verb, it is indeed derived from , saro, which is to sow: and as the Prophet presently adds, that Jezreel is, as it were, the seed of God, I do not disapprove of this supposed allusion. But yet the Prophet seems here to commend the grace of God, when he declares that they were Jezreelites with whom God would deal so kindly as to fructify the earth for their sake.6
The language here of answering doesnt make that much sense in English, but the point is that YHWH will cause the heavens to open up with rain, which will in turn nourish the earth. The earth, then, will no longer withhold the grain, the wine, and the oil that YHWH had decided earlier to take back (v. 9). The security/fulfillment/happiness of Israel was tied up in the material things that she gained from her lovers (so she thought). Because she forgot YHWH in order to pursue those material things, YHWH pledged earlier in this chapter to take them away. Now, however, that YHWH is again her husband, and she is YHWHs bride in faithfulnessrighteousness, justice, steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness, she gains everythingYHWH doesnt hold back anything from her, neither in the submission of the animal world, nor in the abolition of war, nor in the produce of the earth. All things are Israels, for all things are YHWHs, and YHWH is Israels through a new covenant of marriage. V. 23: The point to all this is that Israel might bear fruit for YHWH herself. YHWH will sow her for myself in the land. YHWH desires his bride to grow in love, righteousness, and faithfulness in the land.

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And once again he promises to have mercy on No Mercy, and to reconcile Not My People as his own people, so that Israel shall say, You are my God. Not the many baalim, but YHWH alone is Israels God.