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Study :: Bible Study Notes :: ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Hosea 3
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ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Hosea 3

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References for Hos 3:1 —  1   2 

Hos. 3:1–5 Hosea returns to his marriage, which is still an image for God and Israel. Israel’s hope, like Judah’s, lies with the house of David.

Hos. 3:1 Though the name of this woman is not stated, she is Gomer, Hosea’s wife. It is Israel, the adulteress, that the Lord pursues, not another people. Hosea is to retrieve his adulterous wife so that Israel will clearly know that the Lord still loves her, his spiritually unfaithful wife.

Hos. 3:2 Bought her probably means that Hosea redeemed Gomer from slavery, though the exact custom is unknown.

Hos. 3:3–4 You must dwell as mine has the force of a command. The separation of Gomer/Israel will lead to her purification, rededication, and renewal. This separation will mean giving up those things that led to Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness: king and prince, who failed in keeping Israel faithful to the Lord (see 1:4; 8:4); sacrifice, which they offered to the Baals (see 11:2; 13:1–2); the cult pillar (see 10:2), popular in Canaanite religion; the ephod, which was improperly used as a tool for magical ceremonies; and household gods, idols prohibited from Israel’s religion (Judg. 17:5; 2 Kings 23:24; Zech. 10:2). The Lord’s removing these things, far from being incompatible with his love, is a major aspect of it.

Hos. 3:5 To call David their king is significant for the northern kingdom, which has been rebelling against the house of David for two centuries. They must return in order to be full participants in God’s covenant with David (2 Sam. 7:8–16). It is from the house of David that the ultimate king for God’s people will come, as indicated by the term the latter days (see Isa. 2:2). God has a glorious future in store for his people.

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