The Meaning of Hosea 6:2 Explained

Hosea 6:2

KJV: After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

YLT: He doth revive us after two days, In the third day He doth raise us up, And we live before Him.

Darby: After two days will he revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before his face;

ASV: After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

After two days  will he revive  us: in the third  day  he will raise us up,  and we shall live  in his sight. 

What does Hosea 6:2 Mean?

Verse Meaning

He would revive them after a relatively brief period of judgment (two days; cf. Job 5:19; Proverbs 6:16; Proverbs 30:15; Proverbs 30:18; Amos 1:3; Amos 1:6; Amos 1:9, et al.) and restore them to life and usefulness. He would do this so they might enjoy His fellowship and serve Him. The fact that Jesus Christ was in the tomb two days and arose on the third day is only a coincidental parallel. It Isaiah , however, one of many similarities between Christ and Israel.

Context Summary

Hosea 6:1-11 - "let Us Return Unto The Lord"
How full Scripture is of tender invitations: Come, and let us return! This opening verse is closely connected with Hosea 5:15. The hand that smote was the Father's who waited to welcome the prodigal nation with healing and up-binding. When the sun seems to dip below the horizon, we begin to travel toward its rising again. Then we follow on, to behold the glorious dawn of the next day, which is prepared for us. Presently we catch the first glimpse, and soon come into its full splendor. The sun does not move toward us, but we toward it. So when the soul turns toward God, if only it is willing to do His will, it has begun to follow on toward the light of His countenance, which presently will be revealed in its full radiance. God's favor is also compared to the fertilizing rain, for its certainty and refreshment, Genesis 8:22.
While God's love is constant, our religious life is fickle and changeful. Emotion is evanescent as the morning clouds, which in Palestine vanish by nine or ten o'clock. Our Lord quoted Hosea 5:6 in Matthew 9:13; Matthew 12:7. The pomp of outward ritual, however ornate, counts less with God than one contrite sigh or tear. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hosea 6

1  Exhortations to repent and hope in God
4  A lamentation over those who had sinned after conviction
5  Reproofs of obstinate sinners, and threats against them

What do the individual words in Hosea 6:2 mean?

He will revive us after two days On day the third He will raise us up that we may live in His sight
יְחַיֵּ֖נוּ מִיֹּמָ֑יִם בַּיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י יְקִמֵ֖נוּ וְנִחְיֶ֥ה לְפָנָֽיו

יְחַיֵּ֖נוּ  He  will  revive  us 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common plural
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
מִיֹּמָ֑יִם  after  two  days 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, md
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
בַּיּוֹם֙  On  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י  the  third 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: שְׁלִישִׁי 
Sense: third, one third, third part, third time.
יְקִמֵ֖נוּ  He  will  raise  us  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common plural
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
וְנִחְיֶ֥ה  that  we  may  live 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, first person common plural
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
לְפָנָֽיו  in  His  sight 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.