Book of Hosea Chapter 14 Vs. 6

 A Plea to Return to the Lord

His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. Hos. 14:6

His branches shall... As the well rooted cedars in Lebanon (see Num. 24:6). These branches respect the propagation of the church of God, and the interest of Christ in the world, as in the first times of the Gospel, and will be in the latter day, when the Gospel shall be spread everywhere. Churches set up in all places; the Jews converted, and the fullness of the Gentiles brought in; and these like spreading branches, and fruitful boughs, abounding in grace and good works.

יוֹנֶקֶת

yôneqeth

yo-neh'-keth

Feminine of H3126; a sprout: - (tender) branch, young twig.

הָלַךְ

hâlak

haw-lak'

Akin to H3212; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively): - (all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, + be eased, enter, exercise (self), + follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), + greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, X more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), + send, speedily, spread, still, surely, + tale-bearer, + travel (-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, [way-] faring man, X be weak, whirl.

and his beauty... Which lies in its being laden with excellent fruit and being always green; for which reasons particular believers, and the whole church of God, are sometimes compared to it. Having that fatness in them, with which God and men are honored. And that true grace, which is signified by oil in the vessels of the heart and is called the unction and anointing of the Holy One. And they are persevering in this grace to the end, which is evergreen and durable, immortal, and dies not (see Psm. 52:8). Here again it may be observed that the trees of Lebanon, though they had strong roots, and spreading branches, yet were not fruitful.

הוֹד

hôd

hode

From an unused root; grandeur (that is, an imposing form and appearance): - beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory, goodly, honour, majesty.

and his smell... The mountain famous for cedars, where also were the trees that afford the frankincense, which sweat out that excellent aromatic, and where many sweetest flowers grow and perfume the air.

רֵיחַ

rêyach

ray'-akh

From H7306; odor (as if blown): - savour, scent, smell.

God has completely turned away His anger from Israel and His blessings are upon him. The beauty of growth in the Lord is spoken of here.

Son. 2:13 "The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines [with] the tender grape give a [good] smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."

Rom. 11:24 "For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?"

Israel in her prosperity is also compared to a cedar of Lebanon, whose deep roots, luxuriant growth, and aromatic smell (cf. Son. 4:11) were well known; and to an olive tree, widely recognized for its luxuriance (cf. Psm. 52:8; Jer. 11:16).

The figure in the end of Hos. 14:6 seems forced to some critics, who have proposed various emendations, such as like the fast-rooted trees of Lebanon, but anyone who has seen how the mountain himself rises from great roots, cast out across the land like those of some giant oak, will not feel it necessary to mitigate the metaphor.

A promise of restoration

This is a complete reversal of the imagery used in Hos. 13:15. Israel in her prosperity is also compared to a cedar of Lebanon, whose deep roots, luxuriant growth, and aromatic smell (cf. Son. 4:11) were well known; and to an olive tree, widely recognized for its luxuriance (cf. Psm. 52:8; Jer. 11:16).