Book of Hosea Chapter 14 Vs. 1

 

A Plea to Return to the Lord

O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Hos. 14:1

O Israel, return... This was the last appeal made by God through the prophet urging them to return to Him and be cleansed of the sins causing them to fall and be destroyed. God even told them what to say in their repentance and turning to Him: Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips (Hos. 14:1-2). Now at length, after thou hast suffered so many evils, to the Lord by true repentance and reformation of conduct. The whole family of Israel, in both its branches, seems to be here addressed.

יִשְׂרָאֵל

yiśrâ'êl

yis-raw-ale'

From H8280 and H410, he will rule as God; Israel, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: - Israel.

שׁוּב

shûb

shoob

A primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbially again: - ([break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep]) X again, (cause to) answer (+ again), X in any case (wise), X at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call [to mind], carry again (back), cease, X certainly, come again (back) X consider, + continually, convert, deliver (again), + deny, draw back, fetch home again, X fro, get [oneself] (back) again, X give (again), go again (back, home), [go] out, hinder, let, [see] more, X needs, be past, X pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), X repent, requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, + say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, X surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.

For thou hast... From God’s love and favor into his displeasure, and consequently into misery, by thine iniquity. Which has involved thee in endless troubles and will be the cause of thy destruction.

כָּשַׁל

kâshal

kaw-shal'

A primitive root; to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs, especially the ankle); by implication to falter, stumble, faint or fall: - bereave [from the margin], cast down, be decayed, (cause to) fail, (cause, make to) fall (down, -ing), feeble, be (the) ruin (-ed, of), (be) overthrown, (cause to) stumble, X utterly, be weak.

עָווֹן עָוֹן

‛âvôn ‛âvôn

aw-vone', aw-vone'

From H5753; perversity, that is, (moral) evil: - fault, iniquity, mischief, punishment (of iniquity), sin.

This begins with a plea from God for Israel to repent, and return to God. The truth is that God would look for any signs of repentance from them, because He wants to forgive them. God mentions the reason for their fall as their iniquity.

A Concluding Exhortation

An appeal for repentance

Hosea’s prophecy ends on a positive note with an exhortation to repentance return… to the Lord.