Hosea Chapter 3
The Restoration of an Adulterous Wife
A. The restoration of Gomer.
1. (Hosea 3:1) God commands Hosea to love Gomer again.
“Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.” (Hosea 3:1, KJV)
a. Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress.
The LORD commands Hosea to return to Gomer and to love her again, even though her adultery is ongoing. This is not a call to forgive past sin only, but to pursue a wife who is presently unfaithful. The phrase go yet indicates repetition, meaning Hosea had already loved her before and is now commanded to do so again under even more painful circumstances. God requires Hosea to act in obedience where natural affection would likely fail. This command underscores that love is not merely an emotional response, but a moral decision grounded in obedience to God.
i. Love commanded, not optional.
Scripture allows divorce in the case of adultery, but it never commands it. “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her…” (Deuteronomy 24:1, KJV) and “They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.” (Matthew 19:7–8, KJV). If divorce were mandatory in cases of adultery, God would contradict His own instruction here. Hosea’s obedience demonstrates that reconciliation is always possible where repentance and covenant love are pursued.
ii. Love as an act of the will.
This passage exposes a modern misconception about love, namely that love is something uncontrollable and purely emotional. Scripture consistently teaches that love involves the will. Hosea is not told to feel love, but to act in love. The idea that love simply disappears and therefore justifies relational abandonment is foreign to biblical thinking. Love can be commanded because love can be chosen. When God commands love, He also supplies the grace to obey.
b. According to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel.
Hosea’s marriage is intentionally designed to mirror God’s covenant relationship with Israel. As Hosea is commanded to love an adulterous wife, so the LORD continues to love a spiritually adulterous nation. Israel pursued idols and foreign gods, delighting in pagan worship and sensual indulgence, yet God’s love did not cease. Hosea’s obedience becomes a living parable, demonstrating divine grace in human form.
i. The transforming effect of understanding God’s love.
Meditating on the patience, mercy, and steadfast love of God toward His people should reshape how believers relate to others. Those who grasp the depth of God’s forgiveness are equipped to forgive deeply. God’s relentless love toward sinners becomes the model for human compassion and grace.
2. (Hosea 3:2–3) Hosea demonstrates his love to Gomer and restores her through purchase.
“So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:
And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.” (Hosea 3:2–3, KJV)
a. So I bought her to me.
Though Gomer was Hosea’s lawful wife, Hosea paid a price to reclaim her. This action was not legally necessary, but it was relationally powerful. By purchasing her, Hosea demonstrated costly love and intentional restoration. He went beyond obligation to show commitment. The price paid suggests that Gomer had reduced herself to a degraded condition, likely dependent on prostitution for survival.
i. A love that goes beyond obligation.
Hosea’s actions communicate to Gomer that she does not need other lovers for provision. He shows that he can supply what others falsely promised. This reflects God’s message to Israel, that He alone is sufficient, and that idols offer nothing God cannot provide more fully and faithfully.
ii. Redemption imagery.
Some understand Gomer’s condition as slavery, suggesting Hosea redeemed her from bondage. While this is possible, the text does not require it. The emphasis remains on restoration from prostitution and moral ruin. Regardless, the redemptive imagery is unmistakable. Love pays a price to reclaim what has been lost.
b. Thou shalt abide for me many days.
Hosea’s goal was not merely to end Gomer’s immoral behavior, but to restore the marriage relationship. He calls her to dwell with him, to remain faithful, and to live within the safety of covenant commitment. Love seeks restoration, not mere reform. Gomer is not treated as a servant or a possession, but as a wife being brought back into fellowship.
i. Mutual faithfulness restored.
Hosea’s promise, so will I also be for thee, establishes reciprocity. He commits himself to her just as he calls her to commit to him. This mirrors God’s covenant faithfulness toward His people. Restoration is not punitive, but relational, rooted in loyalty, patience, and enduring love.
B. The restoration of Israel.
1. (Hosea 3:4) The fallen state of Israel.
“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim.” (Hosea 3:4, KJV)
a. Without a king or prince.
Hosea describes a prolonged period of national desolation for Israel. The absence of a king or prince indicates political collapse and loss of sovereignty. Israel would exist without legitimate leadership, direction, or national authority. This prophecy has been historically fulfilled through exile and dispersion, where Israel lived for centuries without a Davidic king or independent rule. Political stability was removed as part of divine discipline, exposing Israel’s inability to govern herself apart from submission to God.
b. Without a sacrifice or an image.
Israel would also be deprived of formal religious life. The loss of sacrifice points to the absence of the Mosaic sacrificial system, which required a functioning priesthood and a central place of worship. At the same time, the removal of sacred pillars and images indicates the end of idolatrous practices. God strips Israel of both true worship and false worship, leaving her spiritually barren. This creates a condition of suspension, where Israel is forced to confront her spiritual emptiness and inability to approach God on her own terms.
c. Without an ephod or teraphim.
The ephod was associated with priestly ministry and legitimate inquiry of the LORD, while teraphim were household idols used for pagan divination. By removing both, God cuts Israel off from all forms of supernatural guidance, whether true or false. Israel would be unable to discern God’s will through lawful means and also unable to rely on idolatrous substitutes. This highlights a total spiritual deprivation designed to bring Israel to repentance.
2. (Hosea 3:5) The restored state of Israel.
“Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” (Hosea 3:5, KJV)
a. The children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God.
Restoration begins with repentance. Israel’s return is both physical and spiritual, but the emphasis here is clearly spiritual. National restoration does not precede repentance, it follows it. Israel must seek the LORD personally and corporately. The long period of deprivation described in the previous verse prepares the nation for this turning. Only when Israel abandons self reliance and idolatry will she be restored.
b. And David their king in the latter days.
The reference to David their king cannot be merely symbolic or dynastic. David had been dead for centuries when Hosea wrote. This prophecy anticipates a future, literal reign under Davidic authority, fulfilled in the Messianic kingdom. Scripture elsewhere confirms this expectation.
“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.” (Isaiah 55:3–4, KJV)
“But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.” (Jeremiah 30:9, KJV)
“And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.” (Ezekiel 34:23–24, KJV)
These passages point to the millennial reign, when Christ rules from Jerusalem as the Son of David, with David himself serving in a restored leadership role under Messiah’s authority. This is a future, literal fulfillment tied to the latter days.
c. They shall fear the LORD and his goodness.
The fear described here is not terror, but reverent awe produced by experiencing God’s mercy and faithfulness. Israel’s restored relationship will be marked by humility and gratitude. God’s goodness, not merely His power, will draw Israel into proper fear and obedience. This completes the restoration cycle, discipline leads to repentance, repentance leads to restored relationship, and restored relationship leads to reverent devotion.
