Hosea 2

Please see License for Copyright notice and Licensing information.
[ Previous | Next ]

Hosea 2

1 Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and 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 whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.

4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.

9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.

10 And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.

12 And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.

13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord.

14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.

15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

16 And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

17 For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;

22 And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.

23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Notes

Cross Reference

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

<html>And the number…shall be What is the connection of retribution and consolation juxtaposed in one speech? Our Rabbis explained in Pesachim (87b): Hosea felt that he had sinned by saying, “Exchange them for another nation.” He stood and begged mercy for them (See above 1:2). And in Sifrei Devei Rav, in the section commencing: “And Israel abode in Shittim” (Num. 25) we learned: Rabbi says: Some sections are close to each other yet as far apart as east is far from west. “For you are not My people… And the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea.” What is the connection of one to the other? This can be compared to a king who became angry with his wife. He summoned a scribe to come and write a bill of divorcement. Before the scribe arrived, the king became reconciled with his wife. Said the king, “Is it possible that this scribe should leave here divided?” I.e. his heart should be divided and bewildered, saying, “Why did the king send for me?” He said to him, “Come and write that I am doubling her kethubah.” And according to its simple meaning, this is the reason for its juxtaposition. “For you are not My people, and I will not be yours.” I will show Myself as though I am not yours, and you shall be exiled among the nations, and even there you shall multiply and grow, and there you shall lay it to your heart to return to Me, as it is said through Moses (Deut. 30:1,3): “And you shall lay it to your heart among all the nations where…has exiled you etc. And the Lord your God shall return your captivity.” Here too, “And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together.”</html>

Verse 2

<html>one head David their king. for great is the day of Jezreel The gathering of their sowing.</html>

Verse 3

<html>Say to your brethren, “Ammi” To be explained according to the Targum: Return to My Torah, and I will grant clemency to your nation.</html>

Verse 4

<html>Strive with your mother, strive With your nation of today, which is the mother of future generations. and her adulteries from between her breasts It is customary among the adulteresses that they [i.e., their lovers] squeeze them between their breasts. Jonathan renders: And the worship of idols from among her cities.</html>

Verse 5

<html>as [on] the day she was born Like the day that I found her in Egypt, as is delineated in Ezekiel (16: 4, 5): “And as for your birth, on the day you were born your navel was not cut etc. No eye took pity on you etc. with a loathing of your body.” like a desert This alludes to the decrees that I decreed upon you (Parshandatha: them) in the desert, viz. that there they should perish and there they would die (Num. 14:35). and [I will] cause her to die Jonathan renders: And I will kill her.</html>

Verse 7

<html>their mother Their nation. she who conceived them behaved shamefully Jonathan, who renders: Their teachers are ashamed. The wise men who teach them with instructions are ashamed before the ignorant populace. They tell them, “You shall not steal,” but they steal. “You shall not lend for interest,” but they lend. after my lovers In the ways of the nations.</html>

Verse 8

<html>behold I will close off Heb. שָׂךְ an expression of closing. Comp. (Isaiah 5:5) “remove its hedge (מְשׂוּכָּתוֹ)”; (Proverbs 15:19) “as though hedged (כִּמְשֻּׂכַת) by thorns.” your way The ways and paths in which you go.</html>

Verse 9

<html>her lovers Egypt and Assyria, and you will not be able to seek aid from them. And she shall pursue Heb. וְרִדְּפָה This is one of the intensive conjugations. Comp. (Proverbs 12:11) “and he who pursues empty ones” (porcacier in O.F:, poursuivra in modern French), to pursue. I.e. she will follow them and not overtake them. and she shall seek them Heb. וּבִקְשָׁתַם, a combination of וּבִקְשָׁה אוֹתָם.</html>

Verse 10

<html>But she did not know She did not lay it to her heart, but showed herself as unknowing. and I gave her much silver and gold but they made it for Baal.</html>

Verse 11

<html>in its time At the time the produce completes its ripening. and I will separate [Heb. וְהִצַּלְתִּי] from her. My wool and My flax. which was to cover her nakedness. Every expression of הָצָלָה in Scripture is an expression of separation and setting apart. Proof of this we find in (Gen. 31:9) “And God separated (וַיַצֵּל) your father’s cattle,” (ibid.:16) “For all the wealth that…separated (הִצִיל).”</html>

Verse 12

<html>and no man shall save her from My hand Even the merits of the Patriarchs have been depleted. [from Shabbath 55a]</html>

Verse 14

<html>And I will lay waste Heb. וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִי, an expression of desolation (שְּׁמָמָה). hire אֶתְנָה, like אֶתְנָן. and I will make them a forest where the beasts walk and eat the fruit.</html>

Verse 15

<html>And I will visit upon her the retribution of… the days of the baalim to whom she burnt incense constantly to them, and this is a present tense. and she adorned herself with her earrings and her jewelry Heb. וַתַּעַד, an expression of jewelry (עֲדִי). Like a harlot who adorns herself to greet her paramours. And חֶלְיָתָה is an Arabic term meaning jewelry.</html>

Verse 16

<html>Therefore, behold I will allure her I will persuade her to be drawn after Me (losanjier in O.F., to flatter or cajole). Other editions read: atrayray in O.F. (attirerai). I will lure, attract. And what is the allurement? and lead her into the desert In exile, which is to her like a desert and a wasteland. And there she will lay up to her heart that it was better for her when she performed My will than when she rebelled against Me.</html>

Verse 17

<html>her vineyards Jonathan rendered this as an expression of managers and leaders. Comp. (Job 24: 18) “he will not face the way of the vineyards,” meaning that the people of the generation of the flood had made up their mind not to follow the righteous leaders, such as Noah and Methusalah. And so, (Song 1:6) “my vineyard I did not guard.” The allusion is to the worship of idols instead of worshipping God, the Leader. Another explanation: and lead her into the desert To the desert of Sihon and Og, and with the same expression Ezekiel prophesied (20:35, 38), “And I will bring you there to the desert of the peoples, and I will contend with you there, etc. As I continued with your forefathers etc., and I will bring them into the tradition of the covenant. And I will purge you of those who rebel…” but the righteous I will keep alive. That is the intention of “her vineyards.” [from Ruth Rabbah 5:6, Pesikta d’Rav Kahana 49b]. and the depth of trouble Heb. עֶמֶק עָכוּר. The depth of the exile where they were troubled I will give her for a door of hope (an expectation of hope), for, out of those troubles, she will take heart to return to Me. and she shall dwell there Heb. וְעָנְתָה, an expression of dwelling. Comp. (Nahum 2:12) “a den (מְעוֹן) of lions.” [from Machbereth Menachem p. 135] as in the days of her youth when she dwelt in Egypt a long time. and as the day of her ascent, etc. as Israel cried out to me in Egypt because of the subjugation and I redeemed her, so also now.</html>

Verse 18

<html>you shall call [Me] Ishi, etc You shall worship Me out of love and not out of fear. Ishi is an expression of marriage and the love of one’s youth. Baali An expression of mastership and fear. And our Rabbis (Pesachim 87a, Kethuboth 71b) explained: Like a bride in her father-in-law’s house, and not like a bride in her father’s house.</html>

Verse 19

<html>and they shall no longer be mentioned I.e. Israel shall no longer be mentioned by the name of the baalim. Or, the baalim shall no longer be mentioned by the name of Israel, saying that they are their gods. Or, the name of the baalim shall no longer be mentioned, as it is stated. (Isa. 2:18) “And the idols shall completely pass away.”</html>

Verse 20

<html>with the beasts of the field for I will destroy harmful creatures from the world. And so Scripture states (Isa. 11:9): “They shall neither harm nor destroy etc.”</html>

Verse 21

<html>with righteousness and with justice which you practice. and with loving-kindness and with mercy which will come to you from Me because of them. Concerning our father Abraham, it is written (Gen 18:19): “For I love him since he commands etc. to perform righteousness and justice.” And, corresponding to them, He bestowed upon his children loving-kindness and mercy, as it is said (Deut. 13:18): “And He shall grant you mercy”; (ibid. 7:12) “And the Lord your God shall keep for you the covenant and the loving-kindness.” When they ceased to perform righteousness and justice, as it is said (Amos 5:7): “Those who turn justice into wormwood, and righteousness they leave on the ground,” also the Holy One, blessed be He, took away from them the loving-kindness and the mercy, as it is said (Jer. 16:5): “for I have gathered in My peace from this people, says the Lord, the loving- kindness and the mercies.” And when they will return to perform righteousness and justice, they shall be redeemed immediately, as it is said (Isa. 1:27): “Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and her penitent through righteousness.” And the Holy One, blessed be He, will add mercy and loving- kindness to them and make a crown of all four of them and place it on their head.</html>

Verse 22

<html>And I will betroth you to Me with faith For the reward of the faith, for, while in exile, you believed in the promises through My prophets. [from Mechilta 14:31 with variations]</html>

Verse 23

<html>I will answer the heavens to pour upon the clouds from the rivulet of good that depends on My word. They will, in turn, answer to pour water upon the earth.</html>

Verse 24

<html>Jezreel The people of the exile who were scattered and then in gathered.</html>

Verse 25

<html>And I will sow her for Me in the land As one who sows a se’ah in order to gather many korim, so will many proselytes be added to them. [from Pesachim 87b]</html>

ARC Wiki

Table of Contents

Hosea 2

Hosea 2

Notes

Cross Reference

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 22

Verse 23

Verse 24

Verse 25