FocusUnfaithfulness, judgment, and restoration
Hosea 2:8
KJVFor she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.
This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The family imagery establishes the book's portrayal of Israel's unfaithfulness and the LORD's announced purpose of restoration.
- 2:1 Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.
- 2:2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
- 2:3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.
- 2:4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.
- 2:5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
- 2:6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.
- 2:7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.
- 2:8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.
- 2:9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.
- 2:10 And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.
- 2:11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.
- 2:12 And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.
- 2:13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Hosea son of Beeri is the named prophet and traditional author of the collected message. Biblical references: Hosea 1:1. stated in the text
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Hosea 1:1–3:5): Hosea, Gomer, and their children appear in the prophetic family signs addressed to Israel. The marriage imagery explains Israel's relationship with the LORD. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Primarily the northern kingdom of Israel, often called Ephraim, with warnings also concerning Judah. Biblical references: Hosea 4:1; Hosea 5:1; Hosea 5:5. stated in the text
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Israel’s Adultery Rebuked. Read Hosea 2:1 through Hosea 2:13 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The family imagery establishes the book's portrayal of Israel's unfaithfulness and the LORD's announced purpose of restoration. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The opening names kings of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel. The oracles address that setting while also announcing future judgment and restoration. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? Israel, especially the northern kingdom, is central; the poetry also recalls Egypt, wilderness, and other places in the covenant story. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Israel’s Adultery Rebuked (Hosea 2:1 to Hosea 2:13). Start reading at Hosea 2:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Matthew applies Hosea's words about calling the son out of Egypt to Jesus. Hosea's immediate passage recalls Israel's history, so the later application and the original reference should both be stated. See Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Respond to the call to return with faithful conduct rather than empty religious activity. Marriage imagery should be read as the book's covenant portrayal, not casually imposed on a reader's private circumstances. interpretation
Cited: Hosea 2:1, Hosea 2:13, Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15
Who wrote it, and how we know
Related passages
- she Isa 1:3 Hab 1:16 Acts 17:23-25 Rom 1:28
- her corn Hos 2:5 Hos 10:1 Judg 9:27 Jer 7:18 Jer 44:17-18 Ezek 16:16-19 Dan 5:3-4,23 Luke 15:13
- wine Hos 4:11 Isa 24:7-9
- which they prepared for Baal Hos 8:4 Hos 13:2 Exod 32:2-4 Judg 17:1-5 Isa 46:6
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Hosea 2
Hosea 1:1 Hosea 3:1 Hosea 14:1
God’s Mercy to Israel
Hosea 2:14–23FocusUnfaithfulness, judgment, and restoration
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Hosea
Hosea 1:1 Hosea 3:1 Hosea 14:1
FocusUnfaithfulness, judgment, and restoration
The case against Israel
Hosea 4:1–10:15FocusIdolatry, injustice, and false security
The LORD's love and the call to return
Hosea 11:1–14:9FocusMemory, judgment, and healing
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.