Hosea 14

Hosea 14 is the final chapter of the Book of Hosea. Hosea 13 ends by pronouncing the destruction of Samaria. This chapter follows with a renewed call to Israel and a promise of restoration, bringing the book to its close. The Hebrew Bible numbers verse 13:16 of Korean and English Bibles as 14:1, so the Hebrew verse numbers in this chapter are shifted by one, and the chapter has ten verses.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 The prophet calls Israel to return to the LORD, a call to repentance. He then teaches the confession the people are to make when they return. The confession has three parts:
• They ask God to take away iniquity.
• They pledge to offer their lips in place of sacrificial bullocks.
• They vow no longer to rely on Assyria, on horses (military power), or on idols made with their own hands.
• Verses 4–7 The LORD promises to heal their backsliding (their unfaithfulness) and to love them freely. The restoration is portrayed through images from nature: the dew, the lily, the cedars of Lebanon, the olive tree, grain, and the vine.
• Verse 8 Ephraim breaks with its idols. The LORD compares himself to a green fir tree and declares that Ephraim's fruit comes from him.
• Verse 9 The wise are urged to understand these things. The book closes by stating that the just walk in the ways of the LORD, while transgressors stumble in them.

Key Verses

• Hosea 14:1, "O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God": The calls to repentance that run throughout the book converge in this summons.
• Hosea 14:2, "so will we render the calves of our lips": The expression describes offering confession in place of animal sacrifice. The Septuagint renders the phrase as "the fruit of our lips," and for this reason the verse is often read together with "the fruit of our lips" in Hebrews 13:15.
• Hosea 14:4, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely": The basis of restoration lies not in the merit of the people but in the love of God.

People and Places

• Hosea: The prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel who delivered this message.
• Israel and Ephraim: Both names refer to the northern kingdom of Israel. Ephraim, the name of the leading tribe of the northern kingdom, was also used to designate the nation as a whole.
• Assyria: The dominant power of the time, presented as the foreign nation on which Israel sought to lean.
• Lebanon: The mountainous region north of Israel, renowned for its cedars and its wine.

Points for Reflection

• The connection between verse 3 and chapters 1–2: The statement in verse 3, "in thee the fatherless findeth mercy," is sometimes read in connection with the name Lo-ruhamah ("not having obtained mercy") in chapter 1. Chapter 2 contains the promise that this name will be reversed.
• The speaker in verse 8: The Hebrew text alone does not make clear who is speaking, so translations divide the speakers differently. The Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) renders the first part as the words of Ephraim, while some other translations render it as God speaking to Ephraim. God's comparison of himself to a tree is a rare expression in the Old Testament.
• The character of verse 9: Verse 9 is written in the style of wisdom literature. Some scholars regard it as a concluding note added at a later time. Traditionally, it has been read as a guide to reading the Book of Hosea as a whole.
• Reading in the synagogue: In Jewish synagogues, this chapter (Hebrew 14:2–10) is read on the Sabbath between the New Year and the Day of Atonement. That Sabbath is called Shabbat Shuvah, after the chapter's first word, shuvah ("return").
• Christian interpretation: Christians often read the promise of restoration in verses 4–7 as a picture of the new life enjoyed by a people who have returned to God. The chapter is also read alongside "Come, and let us return unto the LORD" in Hosea 6:1–4.