Hosea 2:18-23

18-23. Picture of the ideal future to be realized by the restored wife. Hosea 2:18 speaks of permanent peace, undisturbed by man and beast.

Covenant Requires two parties, who take upon themselves mutual obligations; here the emphasis is upon the obligation laid by Jehovah upon the beasts to abstain from injuring men.

Beasts of the field These do damage to field and crop, and even to men (Hosea 2:12).

For them For their good. Fowls [“birds”] Must refer chiefly to birds of prey.

Creeping things Again especially those hostile to man and his possessions. The conditions enjoyed in the Garden of Eden will be restored. A similar hope is expressed in Isaiah 11:6-9. Both passages are to be interpreted as poetic presentations of the truth that the regeneration of human society is to be accompanied by a restoration of the harmony of creation (Romans 8:19-22). That this will be fulfilled in a broad sense is certainly to be expected. To what extent a literal fulfillment will take place, or whether the prophet expected a literal fulfillment in every detail, is uncertain. A somewhat different expectation is expressed in Ezekiel 34:25. Why the reference to birds and creeping things should be considered a later insertion is not clear.

Bow… sword The war implements of Israel’s enemies will be broken; the result will be a cessation of troublesome wars.

Out of the earth Better, R.V., “land,” that is, of Israel.

Safely Nothing will mar the God-given peace.

Hosea 2:19-20 describe the complete restoration of Israel to its former relationship with Jehovah; the new union will be more permanent and spiritual. The picture is that of a pure, inviolable betrothal covenant of love. The initiative throughout is taken by Jehovah.

Betroth thee Repeated three times for emphasis. The former union was completely dissolved by the wife’s adulteries. A second marriage had to be preceded by a new betrothal.

For ever Implies a transformation in the bride, who had broken the former covenant; she will do so no more (Isaiah 54:8-10; Ezekiel 16:60). The attributes enumerated form a bond of union between Israel and Jehovah. That these attach only to Jehovah’s part in the transaction is not true; they are rather the “future adornment of the bride through which such a complete and lasting union is brought about.” Certainly the manifestation of the same virtues on the part of Jehovah is implied, since in man they are only a reflection of the character of God. It was the lack of these very virtues that brought about the break (Hosea 4:1 ff; Hosea 5:11; Hosea 6:4-5, etc.).

Righteousness Subjective righteousness; the right state of mind and heart. Judgment [“justice”] Frequently connected with the preceding; it marks the objective side of the same; conduct in accord with a right attitude of mind and heart.

Loving-kindness A favorite word with Hosea; is used to express (1) the loving attitude of Jehovah to his people; (2) the loving attitude of the people toward Jehovah; and (3) man’s loving attitude toward his fellows as a reflection of the divine love. The third idea seems most prominent here (Hosea 4:1; Hosea 6:4; Hosea 6:6; Hosea 10:12; Hosea 12:6; compare Micah 6:8). G.A. Smith renders “leal love,” because the Hebrew words “means always not merely an affection, but a relation loyally observed.”

Mercies Compassion for the helpless and undeserving.

Faithfulness The same word is translated in Habakkuk 2:4,”faith” (see comment there).

Thou shalt know Jehovah In general it may be said that Hosea and the other prophets taught that the real secret of the nation’s sin was an absence of the true knowledge of Jehovah. On the other hand, a moral transformation presupposes a knowledge of Jehovah, not purely intellectual, but based on a living experience. This latter will be the possession of Israel. (Compare Methodist Review, July-August, 1904, pp. 579ff.)