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Hosea Chapter 3 (JPS)

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Hosea 3 - Love That Redeems
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1 And HaShem said unto me: 'Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend and an adulteress, even as HaShem loveth the children of Israel, though they turn unto other gods, and love cakes of raisins.

2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer of barley, and a half-homer of barley;

3 and I said unto her: 'Thou shalt sit solitary for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be any man's wife; nor will I be thine.'

4 For the children of Israel shall sit solitary many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim;

5 afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek HaShem their G-d, and David their king; and shall come trembling unto HaShem and to His goodness in the end of days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Hosea do in chapter 3?
Following God's instruction, Hosea buys back a woman described as an adulteress "for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley" (v.1-2), symbolizing God's costly love for unfaithful Israel.
What condition does Hosea set for her in verse 3?
He tells her, "Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee" - a period of restraint before restoration.
What does the chapter predict for Israel's future?
Verses 4-5 say Israel will go "many days" without king, prince, sacrifice, or idols, and afterward will "return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king" - a turning point similar to the return described in Jeremiah 50:4-5.

Today's Verse

And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.

Mark 1:20 | ASV

Verse Of The Day

The purchase pictures Israel living many days without king or sacrifice before finally seeking 'the LORD their God, and David their king,' a theme Hosea 4 returns to from a different angle. That same later-day seeking appears in Jeremiah 50:4-5.