Hosea 2:14-23

Hosea 2:14-23

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Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Hebrew Interlinear Bible, WLCv, WLC5, CHES, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
- Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
- John Calvin's Commentary on Hosea.
  - "Here the Lord more clearly expresses, that after having long, and in various ways, afflicted the people, he would at length be propitious to them; and not only so, but that he would also make all their punishments to be conducive to their salvation, and to be medicines to heal their diseases."
- From the Geneva Notes.
  - "By my benefits in offering her grace and mercy, even in that place where she will think herself destitute of all help and comfort."
- From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
  - "By the promise of rest in Christ we are invited to take his yoke upon us; and the work of conversion may be forwarded by comforts as well as by convictions. But usually the Lord drives us to despair of earthly joy, and help from ourselves, that, being shut from every other door, we may knock at Mercy's gate."
- From Wesley's Notes.
  - "When the earth is dry, it does as it were, cry to the heavens for refreshing showers, when the seed sown, the vines and olives planted, are at a stand, they cry to the earth for its kindly influences, that they may spring up, and yield fruit for Jezreel, which may call, and cry, but never will be satisfied if God does not hear them, and command his blessing which he promises to his people on renewing covenant with them."
- From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
  - "The wilderness sojourn, however, is not literal, but moral: while still in the land of their enemies locally, by the discipline of the trial rendering the word of God sweet to them, they are to be brought morally into the wilderness state, that is, into a state of preparedness for returning to their temporal and spiritual privileges in their own land; just as the literal wilderness prepared their fathers for Canaan: thus the bringing of them into the wilderness state is virtually a deliverance from their enemies."
Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
- Hosea 1:2-10, Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in Australia.
  - "The marriage is an indictment against Israel and the names of the children are the judgement."
Articles & Background:
- "Hosea 2: Structure and Interpretation," David J. A. Clines, On the Way to the Postmodern: Old Testament Essays 1967-1998.
  - "Obviously, insofar as this is a narrative poem, analysis of plot lays bare the essentials of what is going on in the narrative, and so serves as orientation to our reading of the poem."
- "Spiritual Restoration in the Prophecy of Hosea 2:16-25," Yoon-Hee Kim, Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology Journal, 2001.
- 4Q166 "Hosea Commentary" fragment on Hosea 2:8-14, from the Dead Sea Scrolls.
  - "This text is a commentary, or "pesher," on the prophetic biblical verses from the book of Hosea (2:8-14). The verse presented here refers to the relation of God, the husband, to Israel, the unfaithful wife. In the commentary, the unfaithful ones have been led astray by "the man of the lie." The document states that the affliction befalling those led astray is famine. Although this famine could be a metaphor, it may well be a reference to an actual drought cited in historical sources of that time."
- "Who is Battering Whom?" by Dr. David R. Blumenthal, Professor of Judaic Studies, Emory University.
  - "If we must admit that God is sometimes abusive, we also know, however, that God is not always abusive. God is usually loving and fair; God is often kind and merciful. We know, from our own experience or from that of others, that God is, indeed, these things too. Our gratitude for God's fairness, love, kindness, and mercy does not stop us, however, from acknowledging God's abusiveness. What, then, is a proper stance toward God?"
- "The Best for Our Family," by Desmond M. Tutu at The Living Pulpit.
  - "We are active participants with God in the struggle for justice."
Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
- Mitchell, Matthew W., "Hosea 1-2 and the Search for Identity," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2004.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Silva, Charles H., "The Literary Structure of Hosea 1-3," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2007.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Yee, Gayle A., "'She Is Not My Wife and I Am Not Her Husband': A Materialist Analysis of Hosea 1-2," Biblical Interpretation, 2001.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
Sermons:
Reviews:
- Kelle, Brad E. Hosea 2: Metaphor and Rhetoric in Historical Perspective. Society of Biblical Literature/Brill, 2005. Reviews by Joseph Cathey and Anselm Hagedorn, Review of Biblical Literature, 2006.
With Children:
Drama:
Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Hosea
Movies and movie scenes associated with the following themes, at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Forgiveness/Reconciliation
- Grace/Mercy
- Love (see especially the reference to Forrest Gump)
Study Links and Resources for the Book of Hosea