God’s Word Translation
Hosea 2:5
5Their mother acted like a prostitute. The woman who became pregnant with them did shameful things. She said, ‘I’ll chase after my lovers. They will give me food and water, wool and linen, olive oil and wine.’
Hosea 2:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
- New International Version (NIV)Their mother has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace. She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’
- English Standard Version (ESV)For their mother has played the whore; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)For their mother has played the harlot; She who conceived them has behaved shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, Who give me my bread and my water, My wool and my linen, My oil and my drink.’
Context of Hosea 2:5
3If she refuses, I will strip her. I will leave her as naked as the day she was born. I will turn her into a dry and barren land, and she will die of thirst. 4I won’t love her children, because they are children of a prostitute. Their mother acted like a prostitute. The woman who became pregnant with them did shameful things. She said, ‘I’ll chase after my lovers. They will give me food and water, wool and linen, olive oil and wine.’ 6“That is why I will block her way with thornbushes and build a wall so that she can’t get through. 7She will run after her lovers, but she won’t catch them. She will search for them, but she won’t find them. Then she will say, ‘I’ll go back to my first husband. Things were better for me than they are now.’
Read all of Hosea 2Hosea 2:5 word by word
כִּ֤י זָֽנְתָה֙ אִמָּ֔ם הֹבִ֖ישָׁה הֽוֹרָתָ֑ם כִּ֣י אָמְרָ֗ה אֵלְכָ֞ה אַחֲרֵ֤י מְאַהֲבַי֙ נֹתְנֵ֤י לַחְמִי֙ וּמֵימַ֔י צַמְרִ֣י וּפִשְׁתִּ֔י שַׁמְנִ֖י וְשִׁקּוּיָֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For their motherאֵם'êm · motherH517
- hath played the harlotזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
- she that conceivedהָרָהhârâh · to conceiveH2029
- them hath done shamefullyיָבֵשׁyâbêsh · to witherH3001
- for she saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- I will goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- my loversאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
- that giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- my breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
- and my waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- my woolצֶ֫מֶרtsemer · woolH6785
- and my flaxפֵּ֫שֶׁתpishteh · flaxH6593
- mine oilשֶׁ֫מֶןshemen · oilH8081
- and my drinkשִׁקּוּיshiqqûy · drinkH8250
Cross-references for Hosea 2:5
- Hosea 2:2“Plead with your mother; plead with her. She no longer acts like my wife. She no longer treats me like her husband. Tell her to stop acting like a prostitute. Tell her to remove the lovers from between her breasts.
- Hosea 3:1Then the Lord told me, “Love your wife again, even though she is loved by others and has committed adultery. Love her as I, the Lord, love the Israelites, even though they have turned to other gods and love to eat raisin cakes.”
- Hosea 4:5During the day you stumble, and during the night the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother, ⌞the nation of Israel⌟.
- Isaiah 1:21How the faithful town has become a prostitute! She was full of justice, and righteousness lived in her. But now murderers live there!
- Isaiah 50:1This is what the Lord says: Where are your mother’s divorce papers? Did I give her any to get rid of her? To which of my creditors did I sell you? You were sold because of your sins. I got rid of your mother because of your rebellion.
- Jeremiah 2:20“Long ago you broke off your yoke, tore off your chains, and said that you wouldn’t be a slave. You lay down and acted like a prostitute on every high hill and under every large tree.
- Jeremiah 3:1A saying: If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, her first husband shouldn’t go back to her again. The land would become thoroughly polluted. “You have acted like a prostitute who has many lovers. And now you want to come back to me!” declares the Lord.
- Ezekiel 16:15“ ‘But you trusted your beauty, and you used your fame to become a prostitute. You had sex with everyone who walked by.
- Ezekiel 16:28“ ‘You had sex with the Assyrians because you weren’t satisfied. You still weren’t satisfied.
- Ezekiel 23:5Oholah acted like a prostitute, although she was my wife. She lusted after her Assyrian lovers who lived nearby.
- Revelation 2:20But I have something against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. She teaches and misleads my servants to sin sexually and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
- Revelation 17:1One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of that notorious prostitute who sits on raging waters.
- Hosea 9:10⌞The Lord said,⌟ “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert. When I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the first figs of the harvest. But they went to Baal Peor and worshiped shameful idols. They became as disgusting as the things they worshiped.
- Ezra 9:6and said, “I am ashamed, my God. I am embarrassed to look at you. Our sins have piled up over our heads, and our guilt is so overwhelming that it reaches heaven.
- Jeremiah 2:26“As a thief feels ashamed when he’s caught, so the nation of Israel will feel ashamed. Their kings, princes, priests, and prophets will also feel ashamed.
- Jeremiah 11:13Judah, you have as many gods as you have cities. You have set up many altars ⌞in Jerusalem⌟ to sacrifice to Baal. You have as many altars as there are streets in Jerusalem.
Commentaries on Hosea 2:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5That give me my bread - See the note on Jeremiah 44:17-18; (note), where nearly the same words are found and illustrated.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5The only evidence needed to prove Israel’s unfaithfulness comes from her own words: I will go after my lovers. Israel’s lovers were the Canaanite fertility deities, especially the baals (local representations of the god Baal). The Israelites worshiped them because they believed these gods controlled nature's reproductive forces. The Israelites attributed to them the basic necessities of life: food, water, clothing of wool and linen, and oil used for both…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. I will go after--The Hebrew expresses a settled determination. lovers--the idols which Israel fancied to be the givers of all their goods, whereas God gave all these goods (Ho 2:8-13; compare Jr 44:17-19). bread and ... water--the necessaries of life in food. wool ... flax--clothing. oil ... drink--perfumed unguents and palatable drinks: the luxuries of Hebrew life.Read the comment
Topics related to Hosea 2:5
In the dictionaries
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
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