Hosea 14 · ESV Study Bible

A Plea to Return to the LORD

HOSEA 14 [†] n Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,

for o you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

2[†] Take with you words

and return to the LORD;

say to him,

“Take away all iniquity;

accept p what is good,

and we will pay with bulls

q the vows [1] of our lips.

3 r Assyria shall not save us;

s we will not ride on horses;

and t we will say no more, ‘Our God,’

to the work of our hands.

u In you the orphan finds mercy.”

4[†] I v will heal their apostasy;

w I will love them freely,

for my anger has turned from them.

5[^][†] x I will be like the dew to Israel;

y he shall blossom like the lily;

he shall take root like the trees z of Lebanon;

6[†] his shoots shall spread out;

his beauty shall be a like the olive,

and his fragrance like Lebanon.

7[†] They shall return and b dwell beneath my [2] shadow;

they shall flourish like the grain;

they shall blossom like the vine;

their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

8[†] O c Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?

It is I who answer and look after you. [3]

I am like an evergreen cypress;

d from me comes your fruit.

9[†] e Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;

whoever is discerning, let him know them;

for the ways of the LORD are right,

and f the upright walk in them,

f but transgressors stumble in them.

HOSEA—NOTE ON 14:1–9 Closing Appeals. Hosea finishes his book with a series of moving appeals to the wayward northern kingdom to return to the Lord and find healing and covenant renewal.

HOSEA—NOTE ON 14:7 they shall flourish like the grain … like the vine … like the wine. Israel again becomes a choice vine, which was her design from the beginning (cf. 10:1). The landscape here depicted is an Eden-like paradise, illustrating covenant renewal by the replanting of Israel as a lush garden (cf. 2:14–23).

HOSEA—NOTE ON 14:6 his shoots shall spread out. Here the imagery depicts an expanding kingdom like the growth of a great tree: Israel’s original calling was to spread its influence through the whole world. beauty shall be like the olive. The olive was regarded as a symbol of strength and prosperity (cf. Ps. 52:8). fragrance like Lebanon. A reference to the scent of cedars.

HOSEA—NOTE ON 14:2–3 Take with you words means to know ahead of time what you will say. Hosea then gives the words of repentance and confession that the people should use before the Lord (vv. 2b–3). These verses are peppered with terms from the covenant that express God’s grace and the proper response of gratitude: take away all iniquity evokes Ex. 34:7 (“forgiving”; cf. Ps. 32:5), while pay with bulls the vows of our lips probably describes peace offerings (cf. Ex. 24:5; Num. 7:88), in which the grateful worshiper enjoys a meal in God’s presence. This is what Israel can expect, if only they will return to the LORD. Also (Hos. 14:3), no longer will they place their trust in foreign princes (such as Assyria) or in implements of warfare (horses); neither will they worship handmade gods (cf. 13:3–4).

HOSEA—NOTE ON 14:5 I will be like the dew. Dew was one of the key sources of water for Israel. It would be vital for the growth of the kind of plants that follow. like the lily. The Hebrew term can refer to several different lily-like flowers; all are prized for their beauty. Biblical authors regularly celebrate the trees of Lebanon (especially cedars) as the most majestic (e.g., Ps. 104:16).