The Meaning of Hosea 3:1 Explained

Hosea 3:1

KJV: 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.

YLT: 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.'

Darby: And Jehovah said unto me, Go again, love a woman beloved of a friend, and an adulteress, according to the love of Jehovah for the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods, and love raisin-cakes.

ASV: And Jehovah said unto me, Go again, love a woman beloved of her friend, and an adulteress, even as Jehovah loveth the children of Israel, though they turn unto other gods, and love cakes of raisins.

Discover Hosea 3:1

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Hosea 3:1?

MEANING: What does Hosea 3:1 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Hosea 3:1 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Hosea 3:1?

What is the context of Hosea 3:1?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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.

What does Hosea 3:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Yahweh told Hosea to seek out in love the woman whom he formerly loved, Gomer, even though she was an adulteress. Stuart held that this second woman was not Gomer but an adulteress, probably a prostitute, with whom Hosea never consummated his (second) marriage. ^[1] He believed there is no evidence that Gomer was ever unfaithful to Hosea. Most scholars regard the wife in chapter1 , Gomer, as the same wife in chapter3 , and I agree. The basis for this is that both women were unfaithful to Hosea.

Hosea"s action would be similar to that of the Lord Himself who loved the Israelites even though they had become spiritually unfaithful to Him. They had turned from following Him to worship other gods, and they loved the raisin cakes that were evidently part of their worship (cf. Jeremiah 7:18; Jeremiah 44:19).

Context Summary

Hosea 3:1-5 - "a Door Of Hope"

The valley of Achor was a long wild pass up through the hills. The prophet says that a door of hope would open there, like the Mont Cenis tunnel which leads from the precipices and torrents on the northern slopes of the Alps to the sunny plains of Italy. That door opens hard by the heap of stones beneath which that troubler of Israel, Achan, was laid. We must put away our Achans before we can see doors of hope swing wide before us.

The prophet was bidden to make one further overture to his truant wife. She had been faithless, but the old love burnt in her husband's soul, and he was prepared to buy her back to himself at half the price of a female slave, Exodus 21:32. His only stipulation was that she should abide with him for many days. This was to be a time of testing, with the assurance that, if she were penitent and faithful, she would be perfectly restored.

What a wonderful verse is Hosea 2:3! We are purchased to God by the death of His Son. He only asks us to be for Himself and He promises to be for us. "The best of all," cried the dying Wesley, "is that God is for us!" Shall we not close with the offer and give ourselves to Him? [source]

Chapter Summary: Hosea 3

¹ The Lord's intended future kindness to Israel, not withstanding their wickedness,
² illustrated by the emblem of Hosea's conduct toward his adulterous wife
⁴ The desolation of Israel before their restoration

What do the individual words in Hosea 3:1 mean?

And said Yahweh to me again go love a woman [who is] loved by a lover and is committing adultery just like the love of Yahweh - for the sons of Israel and they look to gods other and love the cakes [of the pagans] raisin

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י ע֚וֹד לֵ֣ךְ אֱ‍ֽהַב־ אִשָּׁ֔ה אֲהֻ֥בַת רֵ֖עַ וּמְנָאָ֑פֶת כְּאַהֲבַ֤ת יְהוָה֙ אֶת־ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְהֵ֗ם פֹּנִים֙ אֶל־ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וְאֹהֲבֵ֖י אֲשִׁישֵׁ֥י עֲנָבִֽים

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר	And said
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: אָמַר Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֜ה	Yahweh
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יהוה Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֵלַ֗י	to me
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular Root: אֶל Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
ע֚וֹד	again
Parse: Adverb Root: עֹוד Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
לֵ֣ךְ	go
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular Root: הָלַךְ Sense: to go, walk, come.
אֱ‍ֽהַב־	love
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular Root: אָהַב Sense: to love.
אִשָּׁ֔ה	a woman
Parse: Noun, feminine singular Root: אִשָּׁה Sense: woman, wife, female.
אֲהֻ֥בַת	[who is] loved by
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, feminine singular construct Root: אָהַב Sense: to love.
רֵ֖עַ	a lover
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: רֵעַ Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
וּמְנָאָ֑פֶת	and is committing adultery
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Participle, feminine singular Root: נָאַף Sense: to commit adultery.
כְּאַהֲבַ֤ת	just like the love
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct Root: אַהֲבָה Sense: love.
יְהוָה֙	of Yahweh
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יהוה Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֶת־	-
Parse: Direct object marker Root: אֹות Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בְּנֵ֣י	for the sons
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct Root: בֵּן Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל	of Israel
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וְהֵ֗ם	and they
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine plural Root: הֵם Sense: they, these, the same, who.
פֹּנִים֙	look
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural Root: פֹּונֶה Sense: to turn.
אֱלֹהִ֣ים	gods
Parse: Noun, masculine plural Root: אֱלֹהִים Sense: (plural).
אֲחֵרִ֔ים	other
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural Root: אַחֵר Sense: another, other, following.
וְאֹהֲבֵ֖י	and love
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct Root: אָהַב Sense: to love.
אֲשִׁישֵׁ֥י	the cakes [of the pagans]
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct Root: אֲשִׁישָׁה Sense: raisin-cake, used in sacrificial feasts.
עֲנָבִֽים	raisin
Parse: Noun, masculine plural Root: עֵנָב Sense: grape(s).

What are the major concepts related to Hosea 3:1?

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