Book of Hosea Chapter 14 Vs. 2

 A Plea to Return to the Lord

Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Hos. 14:2

Take with you... Israel was invited to return, bringing words of repentance accompanied with obedience, repaying God’s gracious acceptance of them with calves fruit of our lips.

לָקַח

lâqach

law-kakh'

A primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications): - accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive (-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.

דָּבָר

dâbâr

daw-bawr'

From H1696; a word; by implication a matter (as spoken of) of thing; adverbially a cause: - act, advice, affair, answer, X any such (thing), + because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, + chronicles, commandment, X commune (-ication), + concern [-ing], + confer, counsel, + dearth, decree, deed, X disease, due, duty, effect, + eloquent, errand, [evil favoured-] ness, + glory, + harm, hurt, + iniquity, + judgment, language, + lying, manner, matter, message, [no] thing, oracle, X ought, X parts, + pertaining, + please, portion, + power, promise, provision, purpose, question, rate, reason, report, request, X (as hast) said, sake, saying, sentence, + sign, + so, some [uncleanness], somewhat to say, + song, speech, X spoken, talk, task, + that, X there done, thing (concerning), thought, + thus, tidings, what [-soever], + wherewith, which, word, work.

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.

יְהֹוָה

y^ehôvâh

yeh-ho-vaw'

From H1961; (the) self-Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: - Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050, H3069.

say unto him, ... See the confession of the publican and compare it with this (Luke 18:13). In both testaments one can see the utter simplicity of what a person has to do in faith to obtain forgiveness from God. See Rom. 10:9-10; 1Jhn. 1:9.

אָמַר

'âmar

aw-mar'

A primitive root; to say (used with great latitude): - answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command (ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use [speech], utter, X verily, X yet.

אֶל אֵל

'êl 'el

ale, el

(Used only in the shortened constructive form (the second form)); a primitive particle, properly denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, that is, near, with or among; often in general, to: - about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because (-fore, -side), both . . . and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in (-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to (-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).

so will we... Quoted in Heb. 13:15. The word calves indicates sacrifice; so in reality this means: We will offer a sacrifice of praise to God as the fruit of our lips.

שָׁלַם

shâlam

shaw-lam'

A primitive root; to be safe (in mind, body or estate); figuratively to be (causatively make) completed; by implication to be friendly; by extension to reciprocate (in various applications): - make amends, (make an) end, finish, full, give again, make good, (re-) pay (again), (make) (to) (be at) peace (-able), that is perfect, perform, (make) prosper (-ous), recompense, render, requite, make restitution, restore, reward, X surely.

פָּר פַּר

par pâr

par, pawr

From H6565; a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof): - (+ young) bull (-ock), calf, ox.

Would be an expression of the sacrifice of praise to God.

שֶׂפֶת שָׂפָה

śâphâh śepheth

saw-faw', sef-eth'

(The second form is in dual and plural); Probably from H5595 or H8192 through the idea of termination (compare H5490); the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication language; by analogy a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.): - band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, ([sea-]) shore, side, speech, talk, [vain] words.

Verse 2 reminds me of the following Scripture.

2Chr. 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Both Scriptures are a call for prayer of repentance.

1Jhn. 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Though this final appeal would surely be rejected by His arrogant and stubborn nation (cf. Hos. 10:12-15), it would instill hope in the hearts of a righteous remnant and provide the repentant generation of the future with a model to follow in returning to the Lord (cf. Hos. 3:5; 5:15b-6:3). True repentance would involve an acknowledgment of sin Say to Him, Forgive all our sins and a desire to praise the Lord that we may offer the fruit of our lips, Israel’s only Savior, God, and Helper (contrast Hos. 5:13; 7:11; 8:4-5, 8:9; 13:2).