Hosea 3:2

"The LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman loved by another, and an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods, and love cakes of raisins.”"

Key Reflection

This passage symbolizes God's enduring love for Israel despite their faithlessness, paralleling a husband's continued affection for an unfaithful wife. It highlights the contrast between the temporary nature of human relationships and the eternal commitment of God to His people.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver -The fifteen shekels were half the price of a common slaveExodus 21:32, and so may denote her worthlessness. The homer and half-homer of barley, or forty-five bushels, are nearly the allowance of food for a slave among the Romans, four bushels a month. Barley was the offering of one accused of adultery, and, being the food of animals, betokens that she was “like horse and mule which have no understanding.” The Jews gave dowries for their wives; but she was the prophet’s wife already.

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