Hosea 3:3

3. Gomer cannot be immediately restored to her full privileges as wife.

Abide Remain inactive; in what sense the latter part of the verse states.

For me As my possession.

Many days Until the prophet shall feel assured that he may safely restore her to her full privileges.

Shalt not play the harlot Living, in seclusion, she is to discontinue her shameful career. Not be for another man [“any man’s wife”] The preceding expression points to the cessation of illegitimate intercourse, but even the legitimate conjugal intercourse is not to be resumed for a while.

So will I also be for [“toward”] thee He will abstain from all intercourse and yet remain loyal to Gomer during the probationary period. That this is the meaning seems evident, though a slight alteration may have to be made to get it from the original.

For the prophet’s purpose it is not necessary to describe further his domestic experience; he turns immediately, Hosea 3:4, to the application of the experience described in Hosea 3:3. As the reclaimed Gomer must pass through a probationary period, in which, she is compelled to abstain even from legitimate pleasures before she is restored to complete favor, so Israel must pass through a long period of seclusion, when she will be deprived of all her religious and civil institutions, before she can enjoy the blessings of Jehovah pictured in Hosea 2:15 ff.

Children of Israel The northern kingdom, to which Hosea primarily addresses himself.

Abide Remain inactive so far as national activities are concerned. The things enumerated are those thought essential to the nation’s life; their withdrawal will be a serious loss.

King The secular as well as the religious head of the nation.

Prince During the period of the monarchy the term designates all civil and military officers, not only members of the royal family.

Sacrifice In the popular conception bringing of sacrifices covered almost all religious requirements; the inability to bring them would appear a very serious loss to the people. For the prophet’s estimate see Hosea 6:6. This threat seems to imply the expectation of an exile; in a foreign and unclean land sacrifices might not be offered (Hosea 9:4). Image [“pillar”] See on Micah 5:13.

Ephod This term seems to be used in the Old Testament with two distinct meanings. In Exodus 28:6-14, is described the high priest’s ephod or garment; in many passages this is the meaning of the word. There are other passages, however, where this meaning seems unsuitable; for example, Judges 8:24-27. The root meaning of the word is generally thought to be to cover, to overlay. From this it has been inferred that in some passages the ephod is an image of Jehovah overlaid with silver and gold (Judges 8:24-27; Judges 17:5; 1Sa 21:10 ; 1 Samuel 23:6, etc.). This would give acceptable sense here. Whatever its exact form, it was undoubtedly something used in connection with the consulting of the oracle. (See article “Ephod” in Hastings’s Dictionary of the Bible.) The statement does not necessarily imply that Hosea regarded the ephod as valuable, or that he considered its removal a serious loss. He puts himself in the place of the people; they would consider the loss of all these things a serious calamity.

Teraphim Another uncertain word. That they were idols is clear from Genesis 31:19; Genesis 31:30; Genesis 35:2-4; Judges 17:5, etc. Sometimes they must have been of considerable size (1 Samuel 19:13-16). It is generally thought that they were household gods, and as such they have been compared with the Roman lares and penates. Whether they can be regarded as household deities exclusively must remain uncertain in view of Ezekiel 21:21. That they were the images of ancestors and that they prove the prevalence of ancestor worship in Israel is more than can be naturally inferred from the Old Testament references. Dr. Foote, after careful investigation, concludes that the ephod is a pouch used in connection with the giving of oracles, while the teraphim are the lots used for determining the oracles.