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Revised Standard Version

Hosea 3:1

And the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is beloved of a paramour and is an adulteress; even as the LORD loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Flagon;   Polygamy;   Symbols and Similitudes;   Women;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Idolatry;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Flagon;   Fornication;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Hosea;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Flagon;   Wine;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Flagon;   Wine;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bride;   Flagon;   Hosea;   Paramour;   Raisin Cakes;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Flagon;   Food;   Hosea, Book of;   Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Marriage;   Raisins;   Song of Songs;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Flagon;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Gomer;   Harlot;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Flagon,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Wine Press;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ephesians, Epistle to the;   Flagon;   Gomer (2);   Hosea;   Joel (2);   Raisin-Cakes;   Raisins;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - ḥanina (Hananiah) B. Gamaliel Ii.;   Monotheism;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the Lord said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.”
Hebrew Names Version
The LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman loved by another, and an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Yisra'el, though they turn to other gods, and love cakes of raisins."
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
And the Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins."
New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet is committing adultery, as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
New Century Version
The Lord said to me again, "Go, show your love to a woman loved by someone else, who has been unfaithful to you. In the same way the Lord loves the people of Israel, even though they worship other gods and love to eat the raisin cakes."
Amplified Bible
Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman (Gomer) who is beloved by her husband and yet is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love the raisin cakes [used in the feasts in pagan worship]."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then said the Lord to me, Goe yet, and loue a woman (beloued of her husbande, and was an harlot) according to the loue of the Lorde toward the children of Israel: yet they looked to other gods, and loued the wine bottels.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her companion and is an adulteress, even as Yahweh loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to me, "Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and offer raisin cakes."
Contemporary English Version
Once again the Lord spoke to me. And this time he said, "Hosea, fall in love with an unfaithful woman who has a lover. Do this to show that I love the people of Israel, even though they worship idols and enjoy the offering cakes made with fruit."
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai said to me, "Go once more, and show love to [this] wife [of yours] who has been loved by her boyfriend, to this adulteress — just as Adonai loves the people of Isra'el, even though they turn to other gods and love the raisin cakes [offered to them]."
Darby Translation
And Jehovah said unto me, Go again, love a woman beloved of a friend, and an adulteress, according to the love of Jehovah for the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods, and love raisin-cakes.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the Lord said to me again, "Gomer has many lovers, but you must continue loving her. Do this because it is an example of the Lord 's love for Israel. He continues to love them, but they continue to turn to other gods, and they love to eat those raisin cakes."
George Lamsa Translation
THEN the LORD said to me, Go again, love a woman who is fond of doing evil things and an adulteress, as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they have turned and have gone after other gods, and love raisin cakes.
Good News Translation
The Lord said to me, "Go again and show your love for a woman who is committing adultery with a lover. You must love her just as I still love the people of Israel, even though they turn to other gods and like to take offerings of raisins to idols."
Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh said to me again, "Go, love a woman who has a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of Yahweh for the children of Israel, but they are turning to other gods and love raisin cakes."
Literal Translation
And Jehovah said to me, Go again, love a woman loved by a friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of Jehovah toward the sons of Israel, who turn to other gods, and love raisin cakes of grapes.
American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto me, Go again, love a woman beloved of her friend, and an adulteress, even as Jehovah loveth the children of Israel, though they turn unto other gods, and love cakes of raisins.
Bible in Basic English
And the Lord said to me, Give your love again to a woman who has a lover and is false to her husband, even as the Lord has love for the children of Israel, though they are turned to other gods and are lovers of grape-cakes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD said unto me: 'Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend and an adulteress, even as the LORD loveth the children of Israel, though they turn unto other gods, and love cakes of raisins.
King James Version (1611)
Then said the Lord vnto me, Goe yet, loue a woman (beloued of her friend, yet an adulteresse) according to the loue of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who looke to other gods, and loue flagons of wine.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayd the Lorde to me: Go yet and loue a woman beloued of her husbande, and yet an adultresse, according to the loue of the Lorde towarde the chyldren of Israel: and yet they haue respect to straunge gods, and loue the wine pottes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
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.
English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend and an adulteress, even as the LORD loveth the children of Israel, though they turn unto other gods, and love cakes of raisins.
World English Bible
Yahweh said to me, "Go again, love a woman loved by another, and an adulteress, even as Yahweh loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods, and love cakes of raisins."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord seide to me, Yit go thou, and loue a womman loued of a frend, and a womman auoutresse, as the Lord loueth the sones of Israel; and thei biholden to alien goddis, and louen the draffis of grapis.
Update Bible Version
And Yahweh said to me, Go again, love a woman loved by her husband, but [is] an adulteress, even as Yahweh loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods, and love cakes of raisins.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said the LORD to me, Go yet, love a woman beloved by [her] friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD towards the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.
New English Translation
The Lord said to me, "Go, show love to your wife again, even though she loves another man and continually commits adultery. Likewise, the Lord loves the Israelites although they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols."
New King James Version
Then the Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover [fn] and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans."
New Living Translation
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."
New Life Bible
Then the Lord said to me, "Go again and love your wife, even when she is loved by another and is not faithful. Love her as the Lord loves the people of Israel, even when they turn to other gods and love cakes of dried grapes."
New Revised Standard
The Lord said to me again, "Go, love a woman who has a lover and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Yahweh unto me, Once more, go love a woman who loveth a friend, and is an adulteress, - according to the love of Yahweh unto the sons of Israel, though they keep turning away unto other gods, and love idolatrous raisin-cakes.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said to me: Go yet again, and love a woman beloved of her friend, and an adulteress: as the Lord loveth the children of Israel, and they look to strange gods, and love the husks of the grapes.
Young's Literal Translation
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.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde ye LORDE to me: Go yet yi waye & wowe an aduouterous woma, who thy neghboure loueth, as ye LORDE doth the childre of Israel: how be it they haue respecte to straunge goddes, and loue the wyne kannes.
THE MESSAGE
Then God ordered me, "Start all over: Love your wife again, your wife who's in bed with her latest boyfriend, your cheating wife. Love her the way I, God , love the Israelite people, even as they flirt and party with every god that takes their fancy."

Contextual Overview

1 And the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is beloved of a paramour and is an adulteress; even as the LORD loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins." 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, "You must dwell as mine for many days; you shall not play the harlot, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you." 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or teraphim. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Go yet: Hosea 1:2, Hosea 1:3

friend: Jeremiah 3:1, Jeremiah 3:20, *marg. Matthew 26:50

according: Hosea 11:8, Deuteronomy 7:6, Deuteronomy 7:7, Judges 10:16, 2 Kings 13:23, Nehemiah 9:18, Nehemiah 9:19, Nehemiah 9:31, Psalms 106:43-46, Jeremiah 3:1-4, Jeremiah 3:12-14, Jeremiah 31:20, Micah 7:18-20, Zechariah 1:16, Luke 1:54, Luke 1:55

look: Psalms 123:2, Isaiah 17:7, Isaiah 17:8, Isaiah 45:22, Micah 7:7

love flagons: Hosea 4:11, Hosea 7:5, Hosea 9:1, Hosea 9:2, Exodus 32:6, Judges 9:27, Amos 2:8, Amos 6:6, 1 Corinthians 10:7, 1 Corinthians 10:21, 1 Peter 4:3

wine: Heb. grapes

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 18:20 - loved David Song of Solomon 2:5 - flagons Song of Solomon 5:16 - friend Isaiah 54:4 - thou shalt forget Jeremiah 11:15 - my Jeremiah 31:32 - although I was Ezekiel 4:1 - take Ezekiel 16:32 - General Ezekiel 23:37 - they have Ezekiel 24:24 - Ezekiel Hosea 2:5 - their mother Hosea 7:14 - assemble Hosea 10:11 - and loveth Hosea 12:10 - used James 4:4 - adulterers

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I ate."
Genesis 3:15
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
Ecclesiastes 4:10
For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.
Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Matthew 4:3
And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
Matthew 4:6
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will give his angels charge of you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
Matthew 4:9
and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."
Matthew 10:16
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
2 Corinthians 11:14
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
1 Peter 3:7
Likewise you husbands, live considerately with your wives, bestowing honor on the woman as the weaker sex, since you are joint heirs of the grace of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said the Lord unto me,.... Or, as the Targum,

"the Lord said unto me again'';

for the word yet or again is to be joined to this, and not the following clause; and shows that this is a new vision, prophecy, or parable, though respecting the same persons and things:

go, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress; not the prophet's wife, not Gomer, but some other feigned person; beloved either of her own husband, as the Targum and Jarchi, notwithstanding her unchastity and unfaithfulness to him; or of another man, as Aben Ezra, who had a very great respect for her, courted her, and perhaps had betrothed her, but had not yet consummated the marriage; and, though a harlot, loved her dearly, and could not get off his affections from her, but hankered after her; or of the prophet, as Kimchi, who paraphrases it,

"thou shall love her, and be to her a friend;''

to protect and defend her, as harlots used to have one in particular they called their friend, by whose name they were called, and was a cover to them. The sense is, that the prophet was to go to the people of Israel, and deliver this parable to them, setting forth their state and condition, and their behaviour towards God, and his great love to them, notwithstanding all their baseness and ingratitude; it was as if a woman that was either married or betrothed, or that either had a husband or a suitor that so dearly loved her, that though she was guilty of uncleanness, and continued in it, yet would not leave her; and which is thus expressed by the Targum,

"go, deliver a prophecy against the house of Israel, who are like a woman dear to her husband; and though she commits fornication against him, yet he so loves her that he will not put her away:''

according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel; or such is the love of the Lord to them; for though they were guilty of idolatry, intemperance, and other immoralities, yet still he loved them, and formed designs of grace and goodness for them. And thus, though God does not love sinners as such; yet he loves them, though they are sinners, and when and while they are such; as appears by his choice of them, and covenant with them, by Christ's dying for them while sinners, and by his quickening them when dead in trespasses and sins:

who look to other gods; or "though they look to other gods" c; look to them and worship them, pray unto them, put their trust in them, and expect good things from them:

and love flagons of wine, or "tubs of grapes" d; or of wine made of them; or lumps of raisins, cakes or junkets made of them and other things, as the Septuagint; and may respect either the drunkenness and intemperance of the ten tribes; see Isaiah 28:1, they loved, as Kimchi says, the delights of the world, and not the law and commandments of God; or the feasts that were made in the temples of their idols they loved good eating and drinking, and that made them like idolatry the better for the sake of those things; see Exodus 32:6, for the Heathens used to eat and drink to excess at their sacrifices: hence Diogenes e the philosopher was very angry with those who sacrificed to the gods for their health, yet in their sacrifices feasted to the prejudice of their health.

c והם פנים "quamvis respiciant", Piscator. d אשישי ענבים "dolia uvarum", Pagninus, Montanus, Zanchius; "soa", some in Drusius. e Laertius in Vit. Diogenis, p. 382.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Go yet, love a woman, beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress - This woman is the same Gomer, whom the prophet had before been bidden to take, and whom, (it appears from this verse) had forsaken him, and was living in adultery with another man. The “friend” is the husband himself, the prophet. The word “friend” expresses, that the husband of Gomer treated her, not harshly, but mildly and tenderly so that her faithlessness was the more aggravated sin. “Friend or neighbor” too is the word chosen by our Lord to express His own love, the love of the good Samaritan, who, not being akin, became “neighbor to Him who fell among thieves,” and had mercy upon him. Gomer is called “a woman,” in order to describe the state of separation, in which she was living. Yet God bids the prophet to “love her,” i. e., show active love to her, not, as before, to “take” her, for she was already and still his with, although unfaithful. He is now bidden to buy her back, with the price and allowance of food, as of a worthless slave, and so to keep her apart, on coarse food, abstaining from her former sins, but without the privileges of marriage, yet with the hope of being, in the end, restored to be altogether his wife. This prophecy is a sequel to the former, and so relates to Israel, after the coming of Christ, in which the former prophecy ends.

According to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel - The prophet is directed to frame his life, so as to depict at once the ingratitude of Israel or the sinful soul, and the abiding, persevering, love of God. The woman, whom God commands him to love, he had loved before her fall; he was now to love her after her fall, and amid her fall, in order to rescue her from abiding in it. His love was to outlive her’s, that he might win her at last to him. Such, God says, “is the love of the Lord for Israel.” He loved her, before she fell, for the woman was “beloved of her friend, and yet an adulteress.” He loved her after she fell, and while persevering in her adultery. For God explains His command to the prophet still to love her, by the words, “according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, while they look to other gods, literally, and they are looking.” The words express a contemporary circumstance. God was loving them and looking upon them; and they, all the while, were looking to other gods.

Love flagons of wine - Literally, “of grapes,” or perhaps, more probably, “cakes of grapes,” i. e., dried raisins. Cakes were used in idolatry Jeremiah 7:18; Jeremiah 44:19. The “wine” would betoken the excess common in idolatry, and the bereavement of understanding: the cakes denote the sweetness and lusciousness, yet still the dryness, of any gratification out of God, which is preferred to Him. Israel despised and rejected the true Vine, Jesus Christ, the source of all the works of grace and righteousness, and “loved the dried cakes,” the observances of the law, which, apart from Him, were dry and worthless.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER III

By the prophet's taking back his wife, for whom he (her friend

or husband) still retained has affection, though she had proved

unfaithful; by his entering into a new contract with her; and

by his giving her hopes of reconciliation, after she should for

some time prove, as in a state of widowhood, the sincerity of

her repentance; is represented the gracious manner in which God

will restore the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, 1-4.

It is also very strongly intimated that the whole house of

Israel will be added to the Church of Christ in the latter

days, 5.

NOTES ON CHAP. III

Verse Hosea 3:1. Go yet, love a woman — This is a different command from that mentioned in the first chapter. That denoted the infidelity of the kingdom of Israel, and God's divorce of them. He gave them up to their enemies, and caused them to be carried into captivity. The woman mentioned here represents one who was a lawful wife joining herself to a paramour; then divorced by her husband; afterwards repenting, and desirous to be joined to her spouse; ceasing from her adulterous commerce, but not yet reconciled to him. This was the state and disposition of the Jews under the Babylonish captivity. Though separated from their own idols, they continued separated from their God. He is still represented as having affectionate feelings towards them; awaiting their full repentance and contrition, in order to renew the marriage covenant. These things are pointed out by the symbolical actions of the prophet.

Beloved of her friend — Or, a lover of evil; or, loving another: for the Hebrew words אהבת רע mean one who loves evil or a friend: because רע signifies a friend, or evil, according as it is pointed. The former seems to be its best sense here; רע rea is a friend; רע ra is evil.

According to the love of the Lord — This woman, who had proved false to her husband, was still beloved by him, though he could not acknowledge her; as the Israelites were beloved by the Lord, while they were looking after other gods. The flagons of wine were probably such as were used for libations, or drunk in idol feasts. Others think that the words should be translated cakes of dried grapes, sweet cakes, consecrated wafers.


 
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