your mother. Gomer (Hosea 1:3 ). The ten tribes personified by their royal capital. her husband. Compare Jeremiah 31:32 . whoredoms . . . adulteries = idolatries. See note on Hosea 1:2 . between her breasts = her embraces. read more
"Contend with your mother; contend, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her whoredoms from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts."It is natural to associate the opening words of this verse with the children mentioned in Hosea 1, for they certainly suggest Hosea's domestic situation; but this impression fades quickly "into the picture of a nation under the figure of a marriage which has gone wrong."[3] The mother here is then the nation of... read more
Hosea 2:2. Plead, &c.— These words are directed to those pious persons who still remained among the ten tribes, and who were required to reprove, and use their best endeavours to reform that general corruption which the nation had contracted by its idolatry. In the day that she was born, &c., Hosea 2:3., alludes to the situation of the Hebrews in Egypt, plunged in idolatry, oppressed with cruel servitude, and almost deprived of hope. See Ezekiel 16:5-6. read more
2. Plead—expostulate. mother—that is, the nation collectively. The address is to "her children," that is, to the individual citizens of the state (compare :-). for she is not my wife—She has deprived herself of her high privilege by spiritual adultery. out of her sight—rather, "from her face." Her very countenance unblushingly betrayed her lust, as did also her exposed "breasts." read more
Hosea called on his children to act as witnesses against the conduct of their mother. She was not acting like a true wife, so he could not be a true husband to her. Perhaps they had separated. She needed to stop practicing harlotry and adultery.In the figure Yahweh used, He called on the Israelites to contend with their mother, a figure for the nation as a whole."Israel’s one hope is that her own sons should stand up in accusation against her, as Ezekiel was later to do with Judah (cf. chs. 16,... read more
III. THE SECOND SERIES OF MESSAGES OF JUDGMENT AND RESTORATION: MARITAL UNFAITHFULNESS 2:2-3:5These messages develop the comparison between Hosea’s relationship with his adulterous wife and Yahweh’s relationship with unfaithful Israel more fully. In both relationships, restoration follows judgment. read more
1. Judgment on Gomer as a figure of Israel 2:2-7In this message, the Lord described Israel’s unfaithfulness to Him in terms similar to those that a husband would use to describe his wife’s unfaithfulness to him. The whole message appears to be one that Hosea delivered to his children, but it really describes Israel as the unfaithful "wife" of Yahweh. As explained above (cf. Hosea 1:2), the evidence suggests that Hosea’s wife really was unfaithful to him; this is not just an allegory in which... read more
A. Oracles of judgment 2:2-13Two judgment oracles follow. In the first one, Hosea and Gomer’s relationship is primarily in view, but the parallels with Yahweh and Israel’s relationship are obvious. In the second one, it is almost entirely Yahweh and Israel’s relationship that is in view. In both parts the general form of the messages is that of the lawsuit or legal accusation (Heb. rib) based on (Mosaic) covenant violation. read more
The Discipline and Restoration of Faithless IsraelThe unfaithful conduct of Gomer and the prophet’s gentle treatment of her are regarded as an analogue of the nation’s faithlessness and God’s gentle correction, a proof of the love which will triumph in the end. But the acted parable and its interpretation are so blended that they cannot always be separated; and frequently the prophet’s personal experience is overshadowed by the larger thought of God’s dealings with His people.2. Plead]... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Hosea 2:2-23
Unfaithful Israel (2:2-23)In Chapter 2 Hosea’s sons are apparently now grown up and Hosea asks them to plead with their mother to return to him. In the same way the minority of faithful believers in Israel plead with the faithless nation to return to God (2).Israel’s adultery was to follow Baal instead of Yahweh. The people believed that Baal was the god of nature and he would give them happiness. Just as a husband could strip his unfaithful wife and send her away naked, so God will, by drought... read more