Hosea 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22
Chapter 2
16
So I am going to allure her, lead her once more into the desert, where I can speak to her tenderly.
17
Then I will restore her vineyards and turn the Valley of Achor into a door of hope. There, she will answer me, as she did in her youth, just like when she came out of Egypt.
18
On that day, the Lord says,you will call me my husband,and never again: my Baal.
21
You will be my spouse forever,betrothed in justice and integrity;we will be united in love and tenderness.
22
I will espouse you in faithfulness;you will come to know the Lord.
Commentaries
Good Love: Quarrel and Reconciliation.
Marriage serves as a metaphor for the covenant. God is depicted as the husband of Israel, who is unfaithful to him by committing adultery with the Baals, the Canaanite fertility idols. In the first oracle, Hosea divorces Gomer, instructing their children to accuse her (4-6), then warns her about how difficult life without him is, demonstrating the consequences of her infidelity through denying her food and clothing (10-15). Verse 16 marks a shift from God’s seductive actions as He calls His people back to that place of conversion and transformation—the desert. There, he confesses His love and renews His marriage covenant with Israel forever (20-22).