Hosea 2:2

Plead with your mother, plead: for she [is] not my wife, neither [am] I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

Plead {H7378} with your mother {H517}, plead {H7378}: for she is not my wife {H802}, neither am I her husband {H376}: let her therefore put away {H5493} her whoredoms {H2183} out of her sight {H6440}, and her adulteries {H5005} from between her breasts {H7699};

Rebuke your mother, rebuke her; for she isn't my wife, and I'm not her husband. She must remove her whoring from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts.

Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.

Contend with your mother, contend; for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her whoredoms from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

Commentary

Hosea 2:2 presents a stark and poignant image of God's relationship with the nation of Israel, portrayed through the powerful metaphor of a broken marriage. In this verse, God speaks, instructing the "children" (representing the prophet, faithful Israelites, or even future generations) to confront their "mother" (the unfaithful nation of Israel) regarding her spiritual infidelity.

Context

The Book of Hosea is unique in the Old Testament for its central allegory: the prophet Hosea's own difficult marriage to an unfaithful wife, Gomer, mirrors the Lord's enduring love for His covenant people, Israel, despite their persistent idolatry and spiritual apostasy. Chapter 1 introduces this prophetic symbolism, and Chapter 2 continues with God's direct indictment of Israel's unfaithfulness.

Historically, Israel, particularly the Northern Kingdom, had deeply embraced the worship of Baal and other Canaanite deities, attributing their prosperity to these false gods rather than to Yahweh. They also relied on foreign alliances instead of trusting in God's protection. This verse sets the stage for God's impending judgment, which is always presented with the underlying hope of eventual restoration and divine healing and love.

Key Themes

  • Broken Covenant Relationship: The core message is God's profound grief over Israel's betrayal. By saying, "she is not my wife, neither am I her husband," God declares the breaking of the sacred covenant, akin to a divorce, due to Israel's profound unfaithfulness. This reflects the conditional nature of the covenant made at Mount Sinai.
  • Idolatry as Spiritual Adultery: The terms "whoredoms" and "adulteries" are not merely symbolic but equate the worship of other gods and participation in pagan rituals directly with marital infidelity. This imagery underscores the depth of Israel's offense against their exclusive relationship with Yahweh, who had chosen them as His own (Deuteronomy 7:6).
  • Call to Repentance: The command to "put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts" is a direct and urgent summons for Israel to abandon their pagan practices and return to exclusive devotion to the Lord. It signifies a call for profound repentance and spiritual cleansing.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "plead" (riv) carries the connotation of a legal dispute or a contention. It's a call to present a case or argue with someone, highlighting the seriousness of the charges God is bringing against Israel. The terms "whoredoms" (zenut) and "adulteries" (ni'ufim) are used literally for sexual immorality, but in prophetic literature, they are consistently applied metaphorically to religious apostasy and idolatry. The phrase "between her breasts" is a vivid and graphic depiction of open, visible, and deeply ingrained sin. It could refer to pagan amulets or symbols worn as part of fertility cults, or simply emphasize the blatant nature of their spiritual defilement.

Practical Application

While written for ancient Israel, Hosea 2:2 holds profound relevance for believers today. It serves as a powerful reminder that God desires an exclusive and devoted relationship with His people. For the church, often described as the bride of Christ, this verse calls for vigilance against anything that might draw our hearts away from God. This could include materialism, worldly ambitions, or anything that takes precedence over our devotion to Him. It encourages self-examination and a commitment to spiritual purity, ensuring that our lives reflect an undivided loyalty to our Heavenly Husband.

Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Isaiah 50:1

    ¶ Thus saith the LORD, Where [is] the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors [is it] to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

  • Ezekiel 23:45

    And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they [are] adulteresses, and blood [is] in their hands.

  • Jeremiah 3:13

    Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

  • Ezekiel 16:25

    Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

  • Jeremiah 3:1

    ¶ They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.

  • Jeremiah 19:3

    And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.

  • Hosea 2:5

    For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give [me] my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.