Hosea — Chapter 14
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1Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
2Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.
3Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”
4I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them.
5I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
6His shoots will sprout, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.
7They will return and dwell in his shade; they will grow grain and blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8O Ephraim, what have I to do anymore with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing cypress; your fruit comes from Me.
9Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them.
1O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
3Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
4I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
5I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
6His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
7They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
8Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.
9Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.
1O Israel, return unto Jehovah thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2Take with you words, and return unto Jehovah: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and accept that which is good: so will we render [as] bullocks [the offering of] our lips.
3Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, [Ye are] our gods; for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
4I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for mine anger is turned away from him.
5I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
6His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
7They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive [as] the grain, and blossom as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
8Ephraim [shall say], What have I to do any more with idols? I have answered, and will regard him: I am like a green fir-tree; from me is thy fruit found.
9Who is wise, that he may understand these things? prudent, that he may know them? for the ways of Jehovah are right, and the just shall walk in them; but transgressors shall fall therein.
1Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sin has been your downfall!
2Return to the Lord and repent! Say to him: “Completely forgive our iniquity; accept our penitential prayer, that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls.
3Assyria cannot save us; we will not ride warhorses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods,’ to what our own hands have made. For only you will show compassion to Orphan Israel!”
4“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger will turn away from them.
5I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily; he will send down his roots like a cedar of Lebanon.
6His young shoots will grow; his splendor will be like an olive tree; his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7People will reside again in his shade; they will plant and harvest grain in abundance. They will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.
8O Ephraim, I do not want to have anything to do with idols anymore! I will answer him and care for him. I am like a luxuriant cypress tree; your fruitfulness comes from me!”
9Who is wise? Let him discern these things! Who is discerning? Let him understand them! For the ways of the Lord are right; the godly walk in them, but in them the rebellious stumble.
1Israel, return to Yahweh your God; for you have fallen because of your sin.
2Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Tell him, “Forgive all our sins, and accept that which is good: so we offer our lips like bulls.
3Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our gods!’ for in you the fatherless finds mercy.”
4“I will heal their waywardness. I will love them freely; for my anger is turned away from him.
5I will be like the dew to Israel. He will blossom like the lily, and send down his roots like Lebanon.
6His branches will spread, and his beauty will be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon.
7Men will dwell in his shade. They will revive like the grain, and blossom like the vine. Their fragrance will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8Ephraim, what have I to do any more with idols? I answer, and will take care of him. I am like a green cypress tree; from me your fruit is found.”
9Who is wise, that he may understand these things? Who is prudent, that he may know them? For the ways of Yahweh are right, and the righteous walk in them; But the rebellious stumble in them.
Summary
The book closes with a call for Israel to return to the LORD, since their sin has caused their downfall, and to bring words of genuine repentance instead of empty ritual (vv. 1-2). They are told to stop trusting Assyria, horses, or the work of their own hands, since only in God does the fatherless find mercy (v. 3). In response, God promises to heal their unfaithfulness and love them freely, no longer angry with them (v. 4). He pictures Israel flourishing again like a lily, taking root like the cedars of Lebanon, spreading out with beauty and fragrance, and living fruitfully in his shade (vv. 5-8). The book ends with a wisdom appeal: whoever is wise should understand these things, for the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them while transgressors stumble (v. 9).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Lebanon (v.5, v.6, v.7): Region north of Israel known for its cedar forests.
Places on this map
- LebanonMount Lebanon range, LebanonIn the Bible this is the mountain range, not the modern country: a snow-capped wall rising over 10,000 feet behind the Phoenician coast. Its cedar was the prestige timber of the ancient Near East and both the tabernacle's successors and Solomon's temple were built from it. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Hosea -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- An Invitation to Return (v.1) — After chapters of judgment and exile, Hosea's closing word to Israel is simply an invitation to come back. Where do you assume the door has closed on you, when God is still saying return?
- Words Provided for the Repentant (vv.2-3) — Israel is given the exact words to bring to God, asking Him to take away their sin and refusing to trust foreign alliances or idols any longer. When you don't know how to pray after failure, do you let Scripture give you the words?
- Loved Freely, Not Earned (v.4) — God promises to heal Israel's backsliding and love them freely, with no mention of anything they did to deserve it. Do you believe God's love toward you is unconditional, or do you still think you have to earn it back after failure?
- All Fruit Traced Back to Him (v.8) — God declares that Israel's fruitfulness comes from Him alone, not from their own effort. Where are you striving to produce results in your own strength instead of staying rooted in Him?
- The Ways of the LORD Are Right (v.9) — The book closes with a call to the wise to walk in God's ways, while transgressors stumble over that same path. Does your life show that you're walking in God's ways, or stumbling over them?