Hosea 3:1

Hosea 3:1

Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.

a. NLT: Then the LORD said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the LORD still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them

b. NIV: The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

c. YLT: And Jehovah saith unto me: 'Again, go, love a woman, loved of a friend, and an adulteress, like the loved of Jehovah, the sons of Israel, and they are turning unto other gods, and are lovers of grape-cakes.'

d. Amplified Bible Classic: Then said the Lord to me, Go again, love [the same] woman [Gomer] who is beloved of a paramour and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins [used in the sacrificial feasts in idol worship].

e. Septuagint: And the Lord said to me, Go yet, and love a woman that loves evil things, an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, and they have respect to strange gods, and love cakes of dried grapes.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: HASHEM said to me, “Go again, love a woman who was the beloved of [her] companion, yet an adulteress—like HASHEM’s for the Children of Israel, yet they turn to the gods of others and cherish goblets of grape [wine].”

1. “Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress…”

a. Then said [559 * 'amar] [Strong: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

b. the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong: from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

c. unto [413 * 'el; (but only used in the shortened constructive form sel] [Strong: a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).]

d. Go [3212 * yalak] [Strong: a primitive root (Compare 1980); to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses):--X again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, + follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, + pursue, cause to run, spread, take away ((-journey)), vanish, (cause to) walk(-ing), wax, X be weak.]

e. love [157 * ‘ahab; or raheb] [Strong: a primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise):--(be-)love(-d, -ly, -r), like, friend.]

f. a woman [802 * 'ishshah ish-shaw' feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym {naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as 582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none, one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.]

g. beloved [157 * ‘ahab; or raheb] [Strong: a primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise):--(be-)love(-d, -ly, -r), like, friend.]

h. of her friend [7453 * rea` ray'-ah or reya2 {ray'-ah}; from 7462; an associate (more or less close):--brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, lover, neighbour, X (an-)other.]

i. yet an adulteress [5003 *  na'aph] [Strong: a primitive root; to commit adultery; figuratively, to apostatize:--adulterer(-ess), commit(-ing) adultery, woman that breaketh wedlock.]

2. “…according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel…”

a. according to the love [160 * 'ahabah] [Strong: feminine of 158 and meaning the same:--love.]

b. of the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong: from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

c. toward the children [1121 * ben] [Strong: from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

d. of Israel [3478 * Yisra'el] [Strong: from 8280 and 410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: --Israel.]

1). Here it clearly says that although Gomer and Hosea were real people and their circumstances also real, it was also symbolic of God’s love for his people.

3. “…who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.”

a. who [1992 * hem; or (prolonged) hemmah] [Strong: masculine plural from 1981; they (only used when emphatic):--it, like, X (how, so) many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, X so, X such, their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.]

b. look [6437 * panah] [Strong: a primitive root; to turn; by implication, to face, i.e. appear, look, etc.:--appear, at (even-)tide, behold, cast out, come on, X corner, dawning, empty, go away, lie, look, mark, pass away, prepare, regard, (have) respect (to), (re-)turn (aside, away, back, face, self), X right (early).]

c. to other [312 * 'acher] [Strong: from 309; properly, hinder; generally, next, other, etc.:--(an-)other man, following, next, strange.]

d. gods [430 * 'elohiym] [Strong: plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.]

e. and love [157 * ‘ahab; or raheb] [Strong: a primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise):--(be-)love(-d, -ly, -r), like, friend.]

f. flagons [809 * 'ashiyshah] [Strong: feminine of 808; something closely pressed together, i.e. a cake of raisins or other comfits:--flagon.]

g. of wine [6025 *  `enab] [Strong: from an unused root probably meaning to bear fruit; a grape:--(ripe) grape, wine.]