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Easy-to-Read Version

Hosea 2:14

"So I, the Lord, will speak romantic words to her. I will lead her into the desert and speak tender words.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   God Continued...;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Scofield Reference Index - Wife;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Affliction, Consolation under;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Quotations;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Heart;   Marriage;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Resignation;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ammi;   Canticles;   ;   Hosea;   Wilderness of the Wanderings;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Famine and Drought;   Hosea;   Remnant;   Wilderness;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Hosea, Book of;   Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Sin;   Song of Songs;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Redemption (2);   King James Dictionary - Allure;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Husband;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Concubine;   Shur;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Allure;   Bring;   Comfortably;   Eschatology of the Old Testament (with Apocryphal and Apocalyptic Writings);   Hosea;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Marriage;   Peace-Offering;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for August 15;   Faith's Checkbook - Devotion for July 18;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, I am going to persuade her,lead her to the wilderness,and speak tenderly to her.
Hebrew Names Version
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, And bring her into the wilderness, And speak tenderly to her.
King James Version
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
English Standard Version
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
New American Standard Bible
"Therefore, behold, I am going to persuade her, Bring her into the wilderness, And speak kindly to her.
New Century Version
"So I am going to attract her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.
Amplified Bible
"Therefore, behold, I will allure Israel And bring her into the wilderness, And I will speak tenderly to her [to reconcile her to Me].
Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore beholde, I will allure her, and bring her into the wildernesse, and speake friendly vnto her.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Therefore, behold, I will allure herAnd bring her into the wildernessAnd speak to her heart.
Berean Standard Bible
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her and lead her to the wilderness, and speak to her tenderly.
Contemporary English Version
Israel, I, the Lord , will lure you into the desert and speak gently to you.
Complete Jewish Bible
I will ravage her vines and fig trees, of which she says, ‘These are my wages that my lovers have given me.' But I will turn them into a forest, and wild animals will eat them.
Darby Translation
Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak to her heart.
George Lamsa Translation
Therefore, behold, I will comfort her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak lovingly to her.
Good News Translation
So I am going to take her into the desert again; there I will win her back with words of love.
Lexham English Bible
Therefore, Look! I am going to allure her and bring her into the desert, and I will speak tenderly to her.
Literal Translation
Therefore, behold, I will lure her and bring her to the wilderness, and speak to her heart.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wherfore beholde, I wil call her againe, bringe her in to a wildernes, and speake frendly vnto her:
American Standard Version
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
Bible in Basic English
For this cause I will make her come into the waste land and will say words of comfort to her.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And I will lay waste her vines and her fig-trees, whereof she hath said: 'These are my hire that my lovers have given me'; and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.
King James Version (1611)
Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wildernesse, and speake comfortably vnto her.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wherefore beholde, I wyll allure her and bryng her into the wildernesse, and speake frendly vnto her.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore, behold, I will cause her to err, and will make her as desolate, and will speak comfortably to her.
English Revised Version
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
World English Bible
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, And bring her into the wilderness, And speak tenderly to her.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For this thing lo! Y schal yyue mylk to it, and Y schal brynge it in to wildirnesse, and Y schal speke to the herte therof.
Update Bible Version
Therefore, look, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably to her.
Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably to her.
New English Translation
However, in the future I will allure her; I will lead her back into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
New King James Version
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her.
New Living Translation
"But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.
New Life Bible
"So I will lead her into the desert and speak words of comfort to her.
New Revised Standard
Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Therefore, lo! I, am going to persuade her, and, though I conduct her forth into wilderness, yet will I speak unto her heart.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore, behold I will allure her, and will lead her into the wilderness: and I will speak to her heart.
Revised Standard Version
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
Young's Literal Translation
Therefore, lo, I am enticing her, And have caused her to go to the wilderness, And I have spoken unto her heart,
THE MESSAGE
"And now, here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to start all over again. I'm taking her back out into the wilderness where we had our first date, and I'll court her. I'll give her bouquets of roses. I'll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope. She'll respond like she did as a young girl, those days when she was fresh out of Egypt.

Contextual Overview

14 "So I, the Lord, will speak romantic words to her. I will lead her into the desert and speak tender words. 15 There I will give her vineyards. I will give her Achor Valley as a doorway of hope. Then she will answer as she did when she came out of the land of Egypt." 16 This is what the Lord says. "At that time you will call me ‘My husband.' You will not call me ‘My Baal.' 17 I will take the names of those false gods out of her mouth. Then people will not use those names again. 18 "At that time I will make an agreement for the Israelites with the animals of the field, the birds of the sky, and the crawling things on the ground. I will break the bow, the sword, and the weapons of war in that land. I will make the land safe, so the people of Israel can lie down in peace. 19 And I will make you my bride forever. I will make you my bride with goodness and justice and with love and mercy. 20 I will make you my faithful bride. Then you will really know the Lord . 21 And at that time I will answer." This is what the Lord says. "I will speak to the skies, and they will give rain to the earth. 22 The earth will produce grain, wine, and oil, and they will meet Jezreel's needs. 23 I will sow her many seeds on her land. To Lo-Ruhamah, I will show mercy. To Lo-Ammi, I will say, ‘You are my people.' And they will say to me, ‘You are our God.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Therefore: Isaiah 30:18, Jeremiah 16:14

I will: Song of Solomon 1:4, John 6:44, John 12:32

and bring: Hosea 2:3, Jeremiah 2:2, Ezekiel 20:10, Ezekiel 20:35, Ezekiel 20:36, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14

and speak: Isaiah 35:3, Isaiah 35:4, Isaiah 40:1, Isaiah 40:2, Isaiah 49:13-26, Isaiah 51:3-23, Jeremiah 3:12-24, Jeremiah 30:18-22, Jeremiah 31:1-37, Jeremiah 32:36-41, Jeremiah 33:6-26, Ezekiel 34:22-31, Ezekiel 36:8-15, Ezekiel 37:11-28, Ezekiel 39:25-29, Amos 9:11-15, Micah 7:14-20, Zephaniah 3:9-20, Zechariah 1:12-17, Zechariah 8:19-23, Romans 11:26, Romans 11:27

comfortably: or, friendly, Heb. to her heart, Genesis 34:3, Judges 19:3, *marg.

Reciprocal: Genesis 9:27 - dwell 2 Samuel 19:7 - comfortably unto thy 2 Chronicles 30:22 - comfortably unto all Isaiah 17:10 - thou hast Isaiah 42:16 - I will bring Isaiah 54:6 - a woman Jeremiah 29:11 - thoughts Lamentations 1:9 - she had Micah 4:10 - shalt thou Micah 5:3 - Therefore 1 Thessalonians 1:6 - received

Cross-References

Genesis 10:11
Nimrod also went into Assyria. In Assyria, Nimrod built the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and
Genesis 10:22
Shem's sons were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
Genesis 15:18
So on that day the Lord made a promise and an agreement with Abram. He said, "I will give this land to your descendants. I will give them the land between the River of Egypt and the great river Euphrates.
Genesis 25:18
His descendants settled throughout the desert area from Havilah to Shur. This area begins near Egypt and goes toward Assyria. Ishmael's people were often at war with the other descendants of Abraham.
Deuteronomy 1:7
Go to the hill country where the Amorites live and to all the neighboring areas in the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western slopes, the Negev, and the seacoast. Go throughout the land of Canaan and Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates.
Deuteronomy 11:24
All the land you walk on will be yours. Your land will go from the desert in the south all the way to Lebanon in the north. It will go from the Euphrates River in the east all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.
Daniel 10:4
On the 24th day of the first month of the year, I was standing beside the great Tigris River.
Revelation 9:14
It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Free the four angels who are tied at the great river Euphrates."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore, behold, I will allure her,.... Since these rough ways will not do, I will take another, a more mild and gentle way; instead of threatening, terrifying, and punishing, I will allure, persuade, and entice, giving loving words and winning language: or "nevertheless", or "notwithstanding" m: so Noldius and others render the particle; though they have thus behaved themselves, and such methods have been taken with them to no purpose, yet I will do as follows: the words may be understood of the call and conversion of the people of God, the spiritual Israel of God, both Jews and Gentiles, in the first times of the Gospel, as Hosea 2:23 is quoted and applied by the Apostle Paul, Romans 9:24 and be understood also of the call of the believing Jews out of Jerusalem, before the destruction of it,

Luke 21:21, from whence they removed to Pella, as Eusebius n relates: and of the apostles out of the land of Judea into the wilderness of the people, the Gentile world, to preach the Gospel there; where vineyards or churches were planted; the door of faith and hope, were opened to the Gentiles, that had been without hope; and the conversions now made, both among Jews and Gentiles, opened a door of hope, or were a pledge of the conversion of the Jew, and the bringing in of the fulness of the Gentiles in the latter day; to which times also these words may be applied, when the Jews shall be allured and persuaded to seek the Lord their God, and David their King, and join Gospel churches in the wilderness of the people, and shall have abundance of spiritual consolation and joy; and they may also be applied to the conversion of sinners in common, and set forth the methods of God's grace in dealing with them: there is throughout an allusion to Israel's coming out of Egypt, from whence the Lord allured and persuaded them by Moses and Aaron; and then brought them into the wilderness, where he fed and supplied them, and spoke comfort to them, and gave them the lively oracles; and whence, from the borders of it, they had and entered into the vineyards in the land of Canaan; and in the valley of Achor ate of the grain of the land, which was a door of hope to them they should enjoy the whole land; and when they rejoiced exceedingly, particularly at the Red sea, at their first coming out. The word rendered "allure" signifies to persuade o, as in Genesis 9:27 and in conversion the Lord persuades men, not merely by moral persuasion, or the outward ministry of the word, but by powerful and efficacious grace; opening the heart to attend to things spoken, and the eyes of the understanding to behold wondrous things in the word of God; working upon the heart, and removing the hardness and impenitence of it; quickening the soul, drawing it with the cords of love, and sweetly operating upon the will: and on a sudden and unawares making the soul like the chariots of Amminadib, or a willing people; persuading it to true repentance for sin, to part with sins and sinful companions, and with its own righteousness, and to come to Christ, and to look to him, and lay hold on him as the Saviour, and to submit to his ordinances: moreover, the Lord persuades men at conversion of his love to them, and of their interest in Christ, and all the blessings of grace in him. Kimchi's note is,

"I will put into her heart to return by repentance;''

and compares with it Ezekiel 36:26. The Targum is,

"I will subject her to the law.''

And bring her into the wilderness: so in conversion the Lord calls and separates his people from the world, as the Israelites were from the Egyptians, when brought into the wilderness; and when they are solitary and alone, as they were, and so in a fit circumstance to be spoken unto, and to hear comfortable words, as follows; and when the Lord feeds them with the grain of heaven, with hidden manna, the food of the wilderness; and when they come into trouble and affliction for the sake of Christ and his Gospel. Some understand this of the church into which they are brought, because separate from the world, and attended with trouble; but this is rather a garden than a wilderness. Some, as Noldius and others, render it, "when" or "after I have brought her into the wilderness" p; so after the Lord has shown men their sin and danger, their wilderness, desolate, state and condition, and stripped them of all help elsewhere; or has brought them under afflictive dispensations of Providence; then he does what he said before, and follows after.

And speak comfortably unto her; or, "speak to her heart" q, as in

Isaiah 40:2 as he does when he tells them their sins are forgiven; that he has loved them with an everlasting love; what exceeding great and precious promises he has made unto them; and when he speaks to them by the Spirit and Comforter, who takes his and the things of Christ, and shows them unto them; and in his word, written for their consolation; and by his ministers, who are "Barnabases", sons of comfort; and in the ordinances, those breasts of consolation. The Targum is,

"and I will do for her wonders and great things, as I did for her in the wilderness; and by the hand of my servants the prophets I will speak comforts to her heart.''

The Jewish writers r interpret this of the Messiah's leading people into a wilderness in a literal sense; they ask where will he (the Messiah) lead them? the answer of some is, to the wilderness of Judea, Matthew 3:1; and of others is, to the wilderness of Sihon and Og (the wilderness the Israelites passed through when they came out of Egypt): they, who are on the side of the first answer, urge in favour of it

Hosea 12:9 and they who are for the latter produce this passage.

m לכן "atqui, [vel] attamen", Glassius. n Hist. Eccles. l. 3. c. 5. o מפתיה "persuadendo inducam eam", Munster; "persuadebo illi", Calvin; "persuadens, [vel] persuadebo illi", Schmidt. p והלכתיה המדבר "postquam duxero eam in desertum", Calvin, Drusius, "quum deduxero", Junius Tremellius, Piscator. q על לבה "ad cor ejus", Pagniaus, Cocceius "super cor ejus", Munster, Montanus, Schmidt. r Shirhashhirim Rabba, fol. 11. 2. Midrash Ruth, fol. 33. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Therefore - The inference is not what we should have expected. Sin and forgetfulness of God are not the natural causes of, and inducements to mercy. But God deals not with us, as we act one to another. Extreme misery and degradation revolt man; man’s miseries invite God’s mercies. God therefore has mercy, not because we deserve it, but because we need it. He therefore draws us, because we are so deeply sunken. He prepareth the soul by those harder means, and then the depths of her misery cry to the depths of His compassion, and because chastisement alone would stupify her, not melt her, He changes His wrath into mercy, and speaks to the heart which, for her salvation, He has broken.

I will allure her - The original word is used of one readily enticed, as a simple one, whether to good or ill. God uses, as it were, Satan’s weapons against himself. As Satan had enticed the soul to sin, so would God, by holy enticements and persuasiveness, allure her to Himself. God too hath sweetnesses for the penitent soul, far above all the sweetnesses of present earthly joys; much more, above the bitter sweetnesses of sin.

I Myself will allure her - (Such is the emphasis). God would show her something of His Beauty, and make her taste of His Love, and give her some such glimpse of the joy of His good-pleasure, as should thrill her and make her, all her life long, follow after what had, as through the clouds, opened upon her.

And will bring her into the wilderness - God, when he brought Israel out of Egypt, led her apart from the pressure of her hard bondage, the sinful self-indulgences of Egypt and the abominations of their idolatries, into the wilderness, and there, away from the evil examples of the nation from which he drew her and of those whom she was to dispossess, He gave her His law, and taught her His worship, and brought her into covenant with Himself (see Ezekiel 20:34-36). So in the beginning of the Gospel, Christ allured souls by His goodness in His miracles, and the tenderness of His words, and the sweetness of His preaching and His promises, and the attractiveness of His sufferings, and the mighty manifestations of His Spirit. So is it with each penitent soul. God, by privation or suffering, turns her from her idols, from the turmoil of the world and its distractions, and speaks, Alone to her alone.

And speak to her heart - Literally, on her heart, making an impression on it, soothing it, in words which will dwell in it, and rest there. Thus within, not without, “He putteth His laws in the mind, and writeth them in the heart, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God” Heb 8:10; 2 Corinthians 3:3. God speaks to the heart, so as to reach it, soften it, comfort it, tranquilize it, and, at the last, assure it. He shall speak to her, not as in Sinai, amid “blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more Hebrews 12:18-19, but to the heart.” But it is in solitude that he so speaks to the soul and is heard by her, warning, reproving, piercing, penetrating through every fold, until he reaches the very inmost heart and dwells there. And then he infuseth hope of pardon, kindleth love, enlighteneth faith, giveth feelings of child-like trust, lifteth the soul tremblingly to cleave to Him whose voice she has heard within her. Then His infinite Beauty touches the heart; His Holiness, Truth, mercy, penetrate the soul; in silence and stillness the soul learns to know itself and God, to repent of its sins, to conquer self; to meditate on God. “Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you” 2 Corinthians 6:17.

: “Search we the Scriptures, and we shall find, that seldom or never hath God spoken in a multitude; but so often as he would have anything known to man, He shewed Himself, not to nations or people, but to individuals, or to very few, and those severed from the common concourse of people, or in the silence of the night, in fields or solitudes, in mountains or vallies. Thus He spake with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, David, and all the prophets. Why is it, God always speaketh in secret, except that He would call us apart? Why speaketh He with a few, except to collect and gather us into one? In this solitude doth God speak to the soul, from the beginning of its conversion to the loneliness of death. Here the soul, which, overspread with darkness, knew neither God nor itself, learns with a pure heart to know God. Here, placed aloft, she sees all earthly things flee away beneath her, yea, herself also passing away in the sweeping tide of all passing things.” Here she learns, and so unlearns her sins, sees and hates herself, sees and loves God. : Only “the solitude of the body availeth not, unless there be the solitude of the heart.” And if God so speak to the penitent, much more to souls, who consecrate themselves wholly, cleave wholly to Him, meditate on Him. By His presence , “the soul is renewed, and cleaving, as it were, to Him, feels the sweetness of an inward taste, spiritual understanding, enlightening of faith, increase of hope, feeling of compassion, zeal for righteousness, delight in virtue. She hath in orison familiar converse with God, feeling that she is heard, and mostly answered: speaking face to face with God, and bearing what God speaketh in her, constraining God in prayer and sometimes prevailing.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Hosea 2:14. I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. — After inflicting many judgments upon her, I will restore her again. I will deal with her as a very affectionate husband would do to an unfaithful wife. Instead of making her a public example, he takes her in private, talks to and reasons with her; puts her on her good behaviour; promises to pass by all, and forgive all, if she will now amend her ways. In the meantime he provides what is necessary for her wants and comfortable support, and thus opening a door of hope for her, she may be fully reconciled; rejoice as at the beginning, when he first took her by the hand, and she became his bride. This is most probably the simple meaning of the above metaphorical expressions. The valley of Achor was very fruitful; it lay to the north of Jericho, not far from Gilgal. See Isaiah 65:10.


 
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