Hosea 3
The full text of Hosea 3 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 The LORD said to me: "Go again, love a woman
who is loved by another and is an adulteress,
just as the LORD loves the children of Israel
though they turn to other gods
and love raisin cakes."
2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver
and a homer and a lethech of barley.
3 And I said to her: "Many days you will stay with me.
You will not be promiscuous, you will not belong to a man,
and I also will not come to you."
4 For many days the children of Israel will remain
without king and without prince,
without sacrifice and without sacred pillar,
without ephod and without household gods.
5 Afterward the children of Israel will return
and seek the LORD their God and David their king.
They will come trembling to the LORD
and to his goodness in the latter days.
Translation notes (8)
- Hosea 3:1a The Hebrew phrase ʾăhubat rēaʿ means 'loved by a companion/friend' or 'loved by another'.
- Hosea 3:1b Raisin cakes, called ʾăšîšê ʿănābîm in Hebrew, were associated with offerings made in fertility cults.
- Hosea 3:2a The price (15 shekels + grain) totals approximately 30 shekels — the price of a slave (Exod 21:32)
- Hosea 3:2b A lethech is a unit of measure equal to half a homer, making the total amount of barley 1.5 homers.
- Hosea 3:3a This refers to a period of imposed sexual abstinence, meaning neither prostitution nor marital relations.
- Hosea 3:4a Both legitimate elements, such as a king, sacrifice, and ephod, and illegitimate elements, like a pillar and teraphim, are removed, indicating a complete stripping away of institutions.
- Hosea 3:5a The Hebrew phrase ûpāḥădû ʾel-YHWH means 'tremble/hurry to the LORD', because the word pāḥad can convey both fear and eager rushing.
- Hosea 3:5b It is debated whether the phrase 'David their king' refers to a future ruler from David's line or to an idealized representation of David.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Hebrew and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Hosea, is free to read here on the web.
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