Hosea 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22
#383 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,
when she came up from the land of Egypt.
On that day, says the Lord,
She shall call me “My husband,”
and never again “My baal.”
I will espouse you to me forever:
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the Lord.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22
The Prophet Hosea, voicing God’s hope for the people of Israel as husband might speak to a wife who was unfaithful, exhorts the people to turn from idolatry (the worship of Baal). He tells them that if they will be faithful, God’s love and mercy will be theirs: it is eternal, and God is always faithful. In Hebrew tradition "espousing" would include the gifts for the bride (cf. Genesis 24:53). It is thought by many scholars that the prophet went through a personal trial with an unfaithful spouse which colored his prophetic writings, using the analogy of Israel as the espoused people throughout this book.
CCC: Hos 2 218; Hos 2:21-22 2787
Hosea 2:16bc, 17cd, 21-22
#83B Solemnities B Context (8th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
#599A Proper of Saints Context (St. Kateri Tekakw1tha, Virgin, Jul 14)
#617A Proper of Saints Context (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr, Aug 9)
#681 Proper of Saint Context (St. Cecilia Nov 22)
#731 Commons Context (Common of Virgins)
#827 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 1. For the Church, 4.)
Thus says the LORD:
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,
when she came up from the land of Egypt.
I will espouse you to me forever;
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 2:16bc, 17cd, 21-22
The Prophet Hosea, voicing God’s hope for the people of Israel, speaks as a husband might address a wife. (In later parts of the book Israel is like the wife who was unfaithful.) In this selection, speaking with the voice of God to the Hebrew people, he sounds as if he is wooing his future bride. He tells them that if they will be faithful, God is always faithful, because God’s love and mercy are eternal. In Hebrew tradition this courtship would include the gifts for the bride (cf Genesis 24:53).
CCC: Hos 2 218; Hos 2:21-22 2787
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 2:16, 21-22
#811 Ritual Mass Context (VIII. For the Consecration of Virgins and Religious Profession, 10)
#852 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 7. For Religious, Fourth Option)
Thus says the LORD:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
I will espouse you to me forever;
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 2:16, 21-22
The Prophet Hosea, voicing God’s hope for the people of Israel as husband might speak to a wife whom he adores. He tells them that if they will but be faithful, God’s love and mercy is eternal, that God is always faithful. In Hebrew tradition this would include the gifts for the bride (cf Genesis 24:53)
CCC: Hos 2 218; Hos 2:21-22 2787
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 6:1-6
#242 Weekday Years I & II Context (Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent)
“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 6:1-6
Hosea portrays the people of Israel as the faithless harlot. Repenting past sins she thinks to return to God who will raise Israel up to salvation after three days in the tomb. The image prefigures the Messiah. The prophet continues with the voice of God. Recognizing their faithlessness, he calls for authentic love, not empty sacrifices.
#383 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,
when she came up from the land of Egypt.
On that day, says the Lord,
She shall call me “My husband,”
and never again “My baal.”
I will espouse you to me forever:
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the Lord.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22
The Prophet Hosea, voicing God’s hope for the people of Israel as husband might speak to a wife who was unfaithful, exhorts the people to turn from idolatry (the worship of Baal). He tells them that if they will be faithful, God’s love and mercy will be theirs: it is eternal, and God is always faithful. In Hebrew tradition "espousing" would include the gifts for the bride (cf. Genesis 24:53). It is thought by many scholars that the prophet went through a personal trial with an unfaithful spouse which colored his prophetic writings, using the analogy of Israel as the espoused people throughout this book.
CCC: Hos 2 218; Hos 2:21-22 2787
Hosea 2:16bc, 17cd, 21-22
#83B Solemnities B Context (8th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
#599A Proper of Saints Context (St. Kateri Tekakw1tha, Virgin, Jul 14)
#617A Proper of Saints Context (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr, Aug 9)
#681 Proper of Saint Context (St. Cecilia Nov 22)
#731 Commons Context (Common of Virgins)
#827 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 1. For the Church, 4.)
Thus says the LORD:
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,
when she came up from the land of Egypt.
I will espouse you to me forever;
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 2:16bc, 17cd, 21-22
The Prophet Hosea, voicing God’s hope for the people of Israel, speaks as a husband might address a wife. (In later parts of the book Israel is like the wife who was unfaithful.) In this selection, speaking with the voice of God to the Hebrew people, he sounds as if he is wooing his future bride. He tells them that if they will be faithful, God is always faithful, because God’s love and mercy are eternal. In Hebrew tradition this courtship would include the gifts for the bride (cf Genesis 24:53).
CCC: Hos 2 218; Hos 2:21-22 2787
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 2:16, 21-22
#811 Ritual Mass Context (VIII. For the Consecration of Virgins and Religious Profession, 10)
#852 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 7. For Religious, Fourth Option)
Thus says the LORD:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
I will espouse you to me forever;
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 2:16, 21-22
The Prophet Hosea, voicing God’s hope for the people of Israel as husband might speak to a wife whom he adores. He tells them that if they will but be faithful, God’s love and mercy is eternal, that God is always faithful. In Hebrew tradition this would include the gifts for the bride (cf Genesis 24:53)
CCC: Hos 2 218; Hos 2:21-22 2787
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 6:1-6
#242 Weekday Years I & II Context (Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent)
“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 6:1-6
Hosea portrays the people of Israel as the faithless harlot. Repenting past sins she thinks to return to God who will raise Israel up to salvation after three days in the tomb. The image prefigures the Messiah. The prophet continues with the voice of God. Recognizing their faithlessness, he calls for authentic love, not empty sacrifices.
"Central to the entire passage is the hurtful, angry proclamation by God in 6:6-7. God rejected Isreal's partial fulfillment of the covenant as no fulfillment at all. by concentrating only on the rituals, the people treated the covenant like 'dirt.'" [1]
CCC: Hos 6:1-6 2787; Hos 6:2 627; Hos 6:6 589, 2100
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 6:3-6
#88A Solemnities A Context (10th Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
In their affliction, people will say:
“Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
for it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 6:3-6
The highly sensitive prophet Hosea calls to the people of Israel to know and love God because he is surly with them. He speaks most directly to Ephraim and Judah who have fallen prey to empty ritual and meaningless sacrifice, forgetting the Law and its spirit.
CCC: Hos 6:6 589, 2100
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
#384 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority;
they established princes, but without my approval
. With their silver and gold they made
idols for themselves, to their own destruction.
Cast away your calf, O Samaria!
my wrath is kindled against them;
How long will they be unable to attain
innocence in Israel?
The work of an artisan,
no god at all,
Destined for the flames—
such is the calf of Samaria!
When they sow the wind,
they shall reap the whirlwind;
The stalk of grain that forms no ear
can yield no flour;
Even if it could,
strangers would swallow it.
When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin,
his altars became occasions of sin.
Though I write for him my many ordinances,
they are considered as a stranger’s.
Though they offer sacrifice,
immolate flesh and eat it,
the Lord is not pleased with them.
He shall still remember their guilt
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 8:4-7, 11-13
The Prophet Hosea, speaking with the voice of God, condemns the people of Israel, Samaria, and Ephraim for falling away from the Law of Moses, and taking up the worship of Baal and other false practices (probably those of the local majority population). The prophet is eloquent in describing how these practices not only displease God, but will not bring the result hoped for. (“When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind.”) He beckons them back to “innocence” in the precepts of the Lord.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
#385 Weekday Year II Context (Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Israel is a luxuriant vine
whose fruit matches its growth.
The more abundant his fruit,
the more altars he built;
The more productive his land,
the more sacred pillars he set up.
Their heart is false,
now they pay for their guilt;
God shall break down their altars
and destroy their sacred pillars.
If they would say,
“We have no king”—
Since they do not fear the Lord,
what can the king do for them?
The king of Samaria shall disappear,
like foam upon the waters.
The high places of Aven shall be destroyed,
the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles shall overgrow their altars.
Then they shall cry out to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall upon us!”
“Sow for yourselves justice,
reap the fruit of piety;
break up for yourselves a new field,
for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain down justice upon you.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
The Prophet Hosea speaks of the relationship between secular success and the erosion of faith. The people have moved away from the fidelity demanded by God’s covenant, even to a point where they seem to be seeking a king other than God (as described in 1 Samuel 8:6ff). They have adopted pagan practices, setting up pillars and altars to false gods. The oracle of Hosea predicts the destruction of these places of false worship and finally exhorts the people to return to genuine love of God (“Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety; break up for yourselves a new field”).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 11:1-4, 8e-9
#386 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the farther they went from me,
Sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.
My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9
The Prophet Hosea, speaking with God’s voice, uses the metaphor of a parent’s love for a child to express God’s love for the people of Israel and Ephraim. With love, says the prophet, God sees the people as a child who turns away from their parent, turning their backs upon the Lord and sacrificing to other gods. In spite of this faithless behavior, Hosea’s oracle promises not to destroy them (again) by flames. (Note: in part d of v. 8, not included in the passage we read today, the prophet makes reference to Admah and Zeboiim: cities destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:22)).
CCC: Hos 11 219; Hos 11:1-4 370; Hos 11:1 219, 441, 530; Hos 11:9 208
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9
#171B Solemnities B Context (Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus B)
#749 Ritual Mass Context (I. For the Conferral of Christian Initiation of Adults, Catechumenate and Christian Initiation of Adults, Presentation of the Lord's Prayer)
#995 Votive Mass Context (The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 7.)
Thus says the LORD:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.
My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not a man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9
The Prophet Hosea, speaking with God’s voice, uses the metaphor of a parent’s love for a child to express God’s love for the people of Israel and Ephraim. With love, says the prophet, God sees a child who turns away from their parent, turning their backs upon God himself, and sacrificing to other gods. In spite of this faithless behavior, in Hosea’s oracle he promises not to destroy them (again) by flames. (Note: in part d of v. 8 not included in this passage, the prophet makes reference to Admah and Zeboiim: cities destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah. Deuteronomy 29:22)
CCC: Hos 11 219; Hos 11:1-4 370; Hos 11:1 219, 441, 530; Hos 11:9 208
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Hosea 14:2-10
#241 Weekday Years I & II Context (Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent)
#387 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.”
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
“I am like a verdant cypress tree”–
Because of me you bear fruit!
Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 14:2-10
This prophetic work has an emotional motive on the part of the author. An ongoing analogy is playing out, using the backdrop of the author’s unfortunate marriage. Hosea’s prophecy paints Israel as an unfaithful wife (seduced away by idolatry and hardened by ignoring the poor), and God as the jealous husband who wants her back in spite of her faults. The language used in this selection, which is from the very end of the book, has that flavor to it. The passage can be summed up with: in spite of your sins, come back to God.
The prophet continues to call Israel back to faithfulness through repentance (“Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good”). God is their only salvation and their strength. The message to the people is one of complete forgiveness, if they but turn back to the Law of Moses. The conclusion of the passage is a possible inspiration for John the Baptist, for whom the message of forgiveness and repentance was central, and whose role as precursor to Messiah is echoed in the message: “Straight are the paths of the Lord, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CCC: Hos 6:1-6 2787; Hos 6:2 627; Hos 6:6 589, 2100
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 6:3-6
#88A Solemnities A Context (10th Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
In their affliction, people will say:
“Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
for it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 6:3-6
The highly sensitive prophet Hosea calls to the people of Israel to know and love God because he is surly with them. He speaks most directly to Ephraim and Judah who have fallen prey to empty ritual and meaningless sacrifice, forgetting the Law and its spirit.
CCC: Hos 6:6 589, 2100
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
#384 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority;
they established princes, but without my approval
. With their silver and gold they made
idols for themselves, to their own destruction.
Cast away your calf, O Samaria!
my wrath is kindled against them;
How long will they be unable to attain
innocence in Israel?
The work of an artisan,
no god at all,
Destined for the flames—
such is the calf of Samaria!
When they sow the wind,
they shall reap the whirlwind;
The stalk of grain that forms no ear
can yield no flour;
Even if it could,
strangers would swallow it.
When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin,
his altars became occasions of sin.
Though I write for him my many ordinances,
they are considered as a stranger’s.
Though they offer sacrifice,
immolate flesh and eat it,
the Lord is not pleased with them.
He shall still remember their guilt
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 8:4-7, 11-13
The Prophet Hosea, speaking with the voice of God, condemns the people of Israel, Samaria, and Ephraim for falling away from the Law of Moses, and taking up the worship of Baal and other false practices (probably those of the local majority population). The prophet is eloquent in describing how these practices not only displease God, but will not bring the result hoped for. (“When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind.”) He beckons them back to “innocence” in the precepts of the Lord.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
#385 Weekday Year II Context (Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Israel is a luxuriant vine
whose fruit matches its growth.
The more abundant his fruit,
the more altars he built;
The more productive his land,
the more sacred pillars he set up.
Their heart is false,
now they pay for their guilt;
God shall break down their altars
and destroy their sacred pillars.
If they would say,
“We have no king”—
Since they do not fear the Lord,
what can the king do for them?
The king of Samaria shall disappear,
like foam upon the waters.
The high places of Aven shall be destroyed,
the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles shall overgrow their altars.
Then they shall cry out to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall upon us!”
“Sow for yourselves justice,
reap the fruit of piety;
break up for yourselves a new field,
for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain down justice upon you.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
The Prophet Hosea speaks of the relationship between secular success and the erosion of faith. The people have moved away from the fidelity demanded by God’s covenant, even to a point where they seem to be seeking a king other than God (as described in 1 Samuel 8:6ff). They have adopted pagan practices, setting up pillars and altars to false gods. The oracle of Hosea predicts the destruction of these places of false worship and finally exhorts the people to return to genuine love of God (“Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety; break up for yourselves a new field”).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 11:1-4, 8e-9
#386 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the farther they went from me,
Sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.
My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9
The Prophet Hosea, speaking with God’s voice, uses the metaphor of a parent’s love for a child to express God’s love for the people of Israel and Ephraim. With love, says the prophet, God sees the people as a child who turns away from their parent, turning their backs upon the Lord and sacrificing to other gods. In spite of this faithless behavior, Hosea’s oracle promises not to destroy them (again) by flames. (Note: in part d of v. 8, not included in the passage we read today, the prophet makes reference to Admah and Zeboiim: cities destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:22)).
CCC: Hos 11 219; Hos 11:1-4 370; Hos 11:1 219, 441, 530; Hos 11:9 208
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9
#171B Solemnities B Context (Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus B)
#749 Ritual Mass Context (I. For the Conferral of Christian Initiation of Adults, Catechumenate and Christian Initiation of Adults, Presentation of the Lord's Prayer)
#995 Votive Mass Context (The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 7.)
Thus says the LORD:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.
My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not a man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9
The Prophet Hosea, speaking with God’s voice, uses the metaphor of a parent’s love for a child to express God’s love for the people of Israel and Ephraim. With love, says the prophet, God sees a child who turns away from their parent, turning their backs upon God himself, and sacrificing to other gods. In spite of this faithless behavior, in Hosea’s oracle he promises not to destroy them (again) by flames. (Note: in part d of v. 8 not included in this passage, the prophet makes reference to Admah and Zeboiim: cities destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah. Deuteronomy 29:22)
CCC: Hos 11 219; Hos 11:1-4 370; Hos 11:1 219, 441, 530; Hos 11:9 208
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hosea 14:2-10
#241 Weekday Years I & II Context (Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent)
#387 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.”
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
“I am like a verdant cypress tree”–
Because of me you bear fruit!
Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.
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Commentary on Hos 14:2-10
This prophetic work has an emotional motive on the part of the author. An ongoing analogy is playing out, using the backdrop of the author’s unfortunate marriage. Hosea’s prophecy paints Israel as an unfaithful wife (seduced away by idolatry and hardened by ignoring the poor), and God as the jealous husband who wants her back in spite of her faults. The language used in this selection, which is from the very end of the book, has that flavor to it. The passage can be summed up with: in spite of your sins, come back to God.
The prophet continues to call Israel back to faithfulness through repentance (“Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good”). God is their only salvation and their strength. The message to the people is one of complete forgiveness, if they but turn back to the Law of Moses. The conclusion of the passage is a possible inspiration for John the Baptist, for whom the message of forgiveness and repentance was central, and whose role as precursor to Messiah is echoed in the message: “Straight are the paths of the Lord, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them."
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[1] Douglas Stuart, Hosea-Jonah, Vol 31, Word Biblical Commentary, (Thomas
Nelson Inc. 1988), p.113.
Fin 2
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