Hosea 3

Hosea 3 is the third of the fourteen chapters of the Book of Hosea. Hosea 1 recounts the prophet's marriage, and Hosea 2 rebukes Israel, portrayed as an unfaithful wife, and promises restoration. This chapter continues the account with God's renewed command to Hosea to perform a symbolic act involving marriage.

Outline

• Verse 1: Although the children of Israel turn to other gods and love raisin cakes, the LORD still loves them. In the same way, the LORD commands Hosea to go and love an adulterous woman.
• Verses 2–3: Hosea buys the woman for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley. He tells her to remain with him for many days without playing the harlot, and he pledges to do the same toward her.
• Verses 4–5: The prophet foretells that Israel will live for many days without a king, without a prince (leader), without sacrifice, without a sacred pillar, without an ephod, and without teraphim. Afterward they will return and seek the LORD and "David their king," and in the latter days they will come to the LORD and his goodness.

Key Verses

• Hosea 3:1: "Go yet, love a woman … according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel." This verse expresses most clearly the book's central metaphor, in which Hosea's marriage represents the relationship between God and Israel.
• Hosea 3:5: "Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king." This verse expresses the hope of restoration after judgment and the hope placed in the house of David.

People and Places

• Hosea: A prophet who ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel.
• The adulterous woman: She is not named in the text. She is commonly identified with Gomer, Hosea's wife in chapter 1.
• David: King of Israel. Here the name is understood to refer to a king descended from David.
• Sacred pillar, ephod, and teraphim: The sacred pillar was a standing stone used in worship, the ephod was a priestly garment, and teraphim were household idols.

Interpretive Issues

• The woman's identity: Many commentators identify the woman as Gomer, though some interpreters regard her as a different woman from the one in chapter 1.
• The nature of the marriage: Some view it as an actual marriage, while others regard it as an allegory or a vision.
• The fulfillment of verse 4: The verse is commonly connected with the exile that followed the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. Dispensationalism tends to read it as describing Israel's condition down to the present day and a future national restoration. Covenant theology tends to locate its fulfillment in Christ and the church.
• "David" in verse 5: Christians have traditionally read this David as a reference to the Messiah, that is, Christ. Jewish interpretive tradition is also reported to have understood it as a reference to the Messiah.
• Connection with the New Testament: The chapter is not directly quoted in the New Testament. It is, however, often read alongside Romans 5:6–10, which speaks of God's love for sinners that takes the initiative before they turn to him.

In the Korean Church

This chapter is frequently used as a sermon text to illustrate God's unconditional love and redemption through the image of Hosea paying a price to bring his wife back.