1 Say ye vnto your brethren, Ammi, & to your sisters, Ruhamah:
2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whordomes out of her sight, and her adulteries from betweene her breasts;
3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that shee was borne, and make her as a wildernesse, and set her like a drie land, and slay her with thirst.
4 And I will not haue mercy vpon her children, for they be the children of whordomes.
5 For their mother hath played the harlot: shee that conceiued them hath done shamefully: for shee sayd, I will goe after my louers, that giue me my bread and my water, my wooll and my flaxe, mine oyle, and my drinke.
6 ¶ Therefore behold, I will hedge vp thy way with thornes, and make a wall, that she shall not find her pathes.
7 And she shall follow after her louers, but she shall not ouertake them, and she shall seeke them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will goe and returne to my first husband, for then was it better with me then now.
8 For she did not know that I gaue her corne, and wine, and oyle, and multiplied her siluer and gold, which they prepared for Baal.
9 Therefore will I returne, and take away my Corne in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and wil recouer my wooll and my flaxe giuen to couer her nakednesse.
10 And now will I discouer her lewdnesse in the sight of her louers, and none shall deliuer her out of mine hand.
11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast daies, her new moones, and her Sabbaths, and all her solemne feasts.
12 And I will destroy her vines and her figge trees, whereof she hath said; These are my rewards that my louers haue giuen me: and I will make them a forrest, and the beasts of the field shall eate them.
13 And I will visite vpon her the daies of Baalim, wherein she burnt incense to them, and she decked her selfe with her eare-rings, and her Iewels, and she went after her louers, and forgate me, saith the Lord.
14 ¶ Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wildernesse, and speake comfortably vnto her.
15 And I wil giue her, her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a doore of hope, and she shall sing there, as in the dayes of her youth, and as in the day when she came vp out of the land of Egypt.
16 And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call mee Ishi; and shalt call mee no more Baali.
17 For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, & they shal no more be remembred by their name.
18 And in that day will I make a couenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the foules of heauen, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will breake the bow and the sword, and the battell out of the earth, and will make them to lie downe safely.
19 And I will betroth thee vnto me for euer; yea, I will betroth thee vnto me in righteousnesse, and in iudgement, and in louing kindnesse, and in mercies.
20 I will euen betroth thee vnto me in faithfulnesse, and thou shalt know the Lord.
21 And it shall come to passe in that day, I will heare, saith the Lord, I will heare the heauens, and they shall heare the earth,
22 And the earth shall heare the corne, and the wine, and the oyle, and they shall heare Iezreel.
23 And I will sow her vnto me in the earth, and I will haue mercy vpon her that had not obtained mercy, and I will say to them which were not my people; Thou art my people, and they shallsay, Thou art my God.
The idolatry of the people. (1-5) God's judgments against them. (6-13) His promises of reconciliation. (14-23)1-5 This chapter continues the figurative address to Israel, in reference to Hosea's wife and children. Let us own and love as brethren, all whom the Lord seems to put among his children, and encourage them in that they have received mercy. But every Christian, by his example and conduct, must protest against evil and abuses, even among those to whom he belongs and owes respect. Impenitent sinners will soon be stripped of the advantages they misuse, and which they consume upon their lusts.
6-13 God threatens what he would do with this treacherous, idolatrous people. They did not turn, therefore all this came upon them; and it is written for admonition to us. If lesser difficulties be got over, God will raise greater. The most resolute in sinful pursuits, are commonly most crossed in them. The way of God and duty is often hedged about with thorns, but we have reason to think it is a sinful way that is hedged up with thorns. Crosses and obstacles in an evil course are great blessings, and are to be so accounted; they are God's hedges, to keep us from transgressing, to make the way of sin difficult, and to keep us from it. We have reason to bless God for restraining grace, and for restraining providences; and even for sore pain, sickness, or calamity, if it keeps us from sin. The disappointments we meet with in seeking for satisfaction from the creature, should, if nothing else will do it, drive us to the Creator. When men forget, or consider not that their comforts come from God, he will often in mercy take them away, to bring them to think upon their folly and danger. Sin and mirth can never hold long together; but if men will not take away sin from their mirth, God will take away mirth from their sin. And if men destroy God's word and ordinances, it is just with him to destroy their vines and fig-trees. This shall be the ruin of their mirth. Taking away the solemn seasons and the sabbaths will not do it, they will readily part with them, and think it no loss; but He will take away their sensual pleasures. Days of sinful mirth must be visited with days of mourning.
14-23 After these judgments the Lord would deal with Israel more gently. By the promise of rest in Christ we are invited to take his yoke upon us; and the work of conversion may be forwarded by comforts as well as by convictions. But usually the Lord drives us to despair of earthly joy, and help from ourselves, that, being shut from every other door, we may knock at Mercy's gate. From that time Israel would be more truly attached to the Lord; no longer calling him Baali, or "My lord and master," alluding to authority, rather than love, but Ishi, an address of affection. This may foretell the restoration from the Babylonish captivity; and also be applied to the conversion of the Jews to Christ, in the days of the apostles, and the future general conversion of that nation; and believers are enabled to expect infinitely more tenderness and kindness from their holy God, than a beloved wife can expect from the kindest husband. When the people were weaned from idols, and loved the Lord, no creature should do them any harm. This may be understood of the blessings and privileges of the spiritual Israel, of every true believer, and their partaking of Christ's righteousness; also, of the conversion of the Jews to Christ. Here is an argument for us to walk so that God may not be dishonoured by us: Thou art my people. If a man's family walk disorderly, it is a dishonour to the master. If God call us children, we may say, Thou art our God. Unbelieving soul, lay aside discouraging thoughts; do not thus answer God's loving-kindness. Doth God say, Thou art my people? Say, Lord, thou art our God.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.