Hosea 2:7

Hosea 2:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.
• New International Version (NIV)She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’
• English Standard Version (ESV)She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, 'I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)She will chase her lovers, But not overtake them; Yes, she will seek them, but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, For then it was better for me than now.’

Context of Hosea 2:7

5Yes, their mother has lived as a prostitute. She became pregnant because she had sex with other men instead of with her husband. She should be ashamed. She herself said, ‘I will go and sleep with my lovers. They give me food and water. They give me wool, linen, olive oil and wine.’ 6So I will stop her living like that. I will put thorn bushes around her, like a wall. Then she will not be able to go anywhere that she likes. She will run after her lovers, but she will not catch them. She will look for them, but she will not find them. Then she will say, ‘Now I will return to my husband, as before. Life was better for me then than it is now.’ 8She did not realize that I was the one who gave her everything that she needed. I gave her grain, wine and olive oil. I even gave her lots of silver and gold. But she used my gifts to worship Baal instead of me. 9So now I will take back the grain and the new wine that I gave her at harvest time. I will take away the wool and the linen. She will have no clothes to cover her bare body.

Hosea 2:7 word by word

וְרִדְּפָ֤ה אֶת־מְאַהֲבֶ֙יהָ֙ וְלֹֽא־תַשִּׂ֣יג אֹתָ֔ם וּבִקְשָׁ֖תַם וְלֹ֣א תִמְצָ֑א וְאָמְרָ֗ה אֵלְכָ֤ה וְאָשׁ֙וּבָה֙ אֶל־אִישִׁ֣י הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן כִּ֣י ט֥וֹב לִ֛י אָ֖ז מֵעָֽתָּה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And she shall followרָדַףrâdaph · to pursueH7291
• after her loversאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
• but she shall not overtakeנָשַׂגnâώag · to overtakeH5381
• them; and she shall seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• them, but shall not findמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• then shall she sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• I will goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• and returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• to my firstרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · firstH7223
• husbandאִישׁ'îysh · man: husbandH376
• betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• with me than nowעַתָּ֫ה‛attâh · nowH6258

Cross-references for Hosea 2:7

• Hosea 5:13Ephraim's people knew that they were not well. Judah's people knew that they had wounds. Ephraim's leaders expected Assyria to help them. They asked Assyria's great king for help. But he is not able to make you well. He cannot make your wounds better.
• 2 Chronicles 28:20King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria came to Ahaz. But he did not help Ahaz. Instead, he caused trouble.
• Isaiah 30:2Your leaders travel to Egypt to ask for Pharaoh's help to keep them safe. But they did not ask me what I think about it. They think that Egypt has the power to protect them.
• Isaiah 31:1It will be very bad for those people who expect that Egypt will help them. They think that Egypt's many horses and chariots will keep them safe. They trust the power of Egypt's strong soldiers who ride on horses. But those people do not trust the Holy God of Israel. They do not ask the Lord to help them.
• Jeremiah 2:28But where are the gods that you made for yourselves? Ask them to save you when trouble comes! You have enough gods to give you help. Yes, people of Judah, your gods are as many as your towns!
• Jeremiah 30:12The Lord says this to Zion's people: ‘You have received very bad wounds. Nobody can make you well again.
• Ezekiel 20:32You think, ‘We want to live like the people of other nations and clans. They worship idols that are made from wood and stone.’ But these thoughts will never happen.
• Ezekiel 23:22So this is what the Almighty Lord says to you, Oholibah: “Listen to me! I will cause your lovers to become angry with you. The lovers that you turned away from will come to attack you. I will bring them from every direction to attack you.
• Hosea 5:15Then I will return to my place. I will leave them to receive their full punishment. When they have suffered enough, they will turn back to me. They will want to serve me again.’
• Hosea 6:1‘Listen! We should return to serve the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but now he will make us well again. He has hurt us, but now he will make our wounds better.
• Hosea 14:1Israel's people, return to the Lord your God! Your sins have caused you to fall down.
• Psalms 116:7So now I know that I am safe again. The Lord has been very good to me.
• Jeremiah 3:22Return to me, all of you have turned away. I will help you to be faithful to me. Now you should say, “Yes, we will return to you, because you are the Lord our God.
• Jeremiah 31:18‘I have heard Israel's people when they are sad. They say to me, “You punished us, and we accepted it. You taught us to obey you, like a farmer teaches an ox to work for him. So let us come back to serve you. We are ready to return to you, because you are the Lord, our God.
• Jeremiah 50:4The Lord says, ‘When that happens, the people of Israel and Judah will return to their land. They will weep because of their sins. They will want to worship the Lord their God.
• Lamentations 3:40Instead, we should think a lot about what we do, and we should turn back to the Lord again.

Commentaries on Hosea 2:7

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-13Verses 6-13 God threatens what he would do with this treacherous, idolatrous people. They did not turn, therefore all this came upon them; and it is written for admonition to us. If lesser difficulties be got over, God will raise greater. The most resolute in sinful pursuits, are commonly most crossed in them. The way of God and duty is often hedged about with thorns, but we have reason to think it is a sinful way that is hedged up with thorns. Crosses…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7Therefore: The initial Hebrew word of Hosea 2:6 (also of 2:9 and 2:14) introduces God’s judgment on Israel. Because of her idolatry, the Lord would limit Israel’s access to the Canaanite fertility gods. Like an aggressive prostitute, she will chase her lovers, but she will not find them. In the end, Israel will realize it is better to return to her rightful husband.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-76-7. thorns ... wall--(Job 19:8; La 3:7, 9). The hindrances which the captivity interposed between Israel and her idols. As she attributes all her temporal blessings to idols, I will reduce her to straits in which, when she in vain has sought help from false gods, she will at last seek Me as her only God and Husband, as at the first (Is 54:5; Jr 3:14; Eze 16:8). then--before Israel's apostasy, under Jeroboam. The way of duty is hedged about with thorns…Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 2:7

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Repentance

In the dictionaries

• Hedge
• Thorn
• Hosea
• Lover
• Song of Songs
• Zechariah, Book of

Commentaries on Hosea 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings