14 Therefore, I am going to persuade her,
lead her to the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
15 There I will give her vineyards back to her
and make the Valley of Achor
into a gateway of hope.
There she will respond as she did
in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt.
16 In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
you will call me, “My husband,”
and no longer call me, “My Baal.”
17 For I will remove the names of the Baals
from her mouth;
they will no longer be remembered by their names.
18 On that day I will make a covenant for them
with the wild animals, the birds of the sky,
and the creatures that crawl on the ground.
I will shatter bow, sword,
and weapons of war in the land
and will enable the people to rest securely.
19 I will take you to be my wife forever.
I will take you to be my wife in righteousness,
justice, love, and compassion.
20 I will take you to be my wife in faithfulness,
and you will know the Lord. 

1) What does it mean in verse 15 that “she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt”? 
After years of slavery, God delivered the Hebrews out of Egypt, across the Red Sea and out of bondage. Exodus 14:31 says, “When Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and believed in him and in his servant Moses.” In response to their deliverance, Israel sang a song to the Lord (Exodus 15:1-18). Exodus 15:2 says, “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” The people responded with praise, adoration, and thankfulness. God says in verse 15 that Israel will respond to Him in this way when He delivers her.  

2) Marital words like bride, groom, wife and husband are used throughout the book of Hosea. Who do these titles refer to? 
The groom/husband is God (Yahweh) and the bride/wife is Israel. Like a faithful husband, God relentlessly loves and pursues His people even when they are unfaithful to him. God promises to love His bride in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion (v. 19). Like a husband and wife know each other better, deeper, and more intimate than anyone else, God declares that Israel will know Him (v.20).  

3) Why does the author refer to Baal in this passage? Why is it significant for her to say “My husband” rather than “My Baal”?
Baal was a false god worshipped in that time and culture. Pagan worship (worshipping anything other than God) was an ongoing problem for the Israelites throughout their history. Even though God clearly demanded they follow and worship Him alone, they kept adding cultural pagan gods to their worship. This passage refers to God’s final decree that Israel will no longer worship anyone but Him.  

1) What does it mean in verse 15 that “she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt”? 
If you have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ, do you remember that day? Do you recall the feelings of praise, adoration, and thankfulness for how God had redeemed you? As time passes, it can be easy to forget the weightiness of our salvation and the gladness that filled out hearts. “Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:12) Let us be reminded of our response when Christ first saved us!

2) Marital words like bride, groom, wife and husband are used throughout the book of Hosea. Who do these titles refer to?
On this side of the cross, Jesus Christ is the groom/husband and the bride/wife is the Church. After Paul describes a godly marriage and how husbands and wives should treat each other in his letter to the Ephesians, he compares Christian marriage to Christ and the Church. “For no one ever hates his flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church… This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:29 and Ephesians 5:32). Jesus described himself as the bridegroom in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and when the Pharisees questioned him about fasting (Matthew 9:14-17). So what does this mean for us? Like God declared that Israel would know Him, do you know Jesus like a wife knows her husband?

3) Why does the author refer to Baal in this passage? Why is it significant for her to say “My husband” rather than “My Baal”?
We may not have pagan idols like what the Israelites encountered, but we all have things we worship – even good things! But God wants us to throw away those idols and worship Him truly. In verse 16, God declares that Israel will call Him “my husband”. Do we desire and pursue God above all other things like we would a husband? This can even mean good things like family, church, and community. Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, and even his own life – he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26). This statement can be hard to hear and process. If our love for something exceeds our love for God, then it is an idol. We should be so in love with Jesus that our feelings for others can look like hate in comparison! Even still, our love for God will never compare to the love He has for us!  

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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