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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Hosea 6:1–3. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
These may be taken either as the words of the prophet to the people, calling them to repentance, or as the words of the people to one another, exciting and encouraging one another to seek the Lord, and to humble themselves before him, in hopes of finding mercy with him. God had said, In their affliction they will seek me; now the prophet, and the good people his friends, would strike while the iron was hot, and set in with the convictions their neighbours seemed to be under. Note, Those who are disposed to turn to God themselves should do all they can to excite, and engage, and encourage others to return to him. Observe,
I.What it is they engage to do:
"Come, and let us return to the Lord, Hos 6:1. Let us go no more to the Assyrian, nor send to king Jareb; we have had enough of that. But let us return to the Lord, return to the worship of him from our idolatries, and to our hope in him from all our confidences in the creature." Note, It is the great concern of those who have revolted from God to return to him. And those who have gone from him by consent, and in a body, drawing one another to sin, should by consent, and in a body, return to him, which will be for his glory and their mutual edification.
II.What inducements and encouragements to do this they fasten upon, to stir up one another with.
1.The experience they had had of his displeasure: "Let us return to him, for he has torn, he has smitten. We have been torn, and it was he that tore us; we have been smitten, and it was he that smote us. Therefore let us return to him, because it is for our revolts from him that he has torn and smitten us in anger, and we cannot expect that he should be reconciled to us till we return to him; and for this end he has afflicted us thus, that we might be wrought upon to return to him. His hand will be stretched out still against us if the people turn not to him that smites them," Isa 9:12, Isa 9:13. Note, The consideration of the judgments of God upon us and our land, especially when they are tearing judgments, should awaken us to return to God by repentance, and prayer, and reformation.
2.The expectation they had of his favour: "He that has torn will heal us, he that has smitten will bind us up," as the skilful surgeon with a tender hand binds up the broken bone or bleeding wound. Note, The same providence of God that afflicts his people relieves them, and the same Spirit of God that convinces the saints comforts them; that which is first a Spirit of bondage is afterwards a Spirit of adoption. This is an acknowledgement of the power of God (he can heal though we be ever so ill torn), and of his mercy (he will do it); nay, therefore he has torn that he may heal. Some think this points particularly to the return of the Jews out of Babylon, when they sought the Lord, and joined themselves to him, in the prospect of his gracious return to them in a way of mercy. Note, It will be of great use to us, both for our support under our afflictions and for our encouragement in our repentance, to keep up good thoughts of God and of his purposes and designs concerning us. Now this favour of God which they are here in expectation of is described in several instances: -
(1.)They promise themselves that their deliverance out of their troubles should be to them as life from the dead (Hos 6:2): "After two days he will revive us (that is, in a short time, in a day or two), and the third day, when it is expected that the dead body should putrefy and corrupt, and be buried out of our sight, then will he raise us up, and we shall live in his sight, we shall see his face with comfort and it shall be reviving to us. Though he forsake for a small moment, he will gather with everlasting kindness." Note, The people of God may not only be torn and smitten, but left for dead, and may lie so a great while; but they shall not always lie so, nor shall they long lie so; God will in a little time revive them; and the assurance given them of this should engage them to return and adhere to him. But this seems to have a further reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ; and the time limited is expressed by two days and the third day, that it may be a type and figure of Christ's rising the third day, which he is said to do according to the scriptures, according to this scripture; for all the prophets testified of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Let us see and admire the wisdom and goodness of God, in ordering the prophet's words so that when he foretold the deliverance of the church out of her troubles he should at the same time point out our salvation by Christ, which other salvations were both figures and fruits of; and, though they might not be aware of this mystery in the words, yet now that they are fulfilled in the letter of them in the resurrection of Christ it is a confirmation to our faith that this is he that should come, and we are to look for no other. And it is every way suitable that a prophecy of Christ's rising should be thus expressed, "He will raise us up, and we shall live," for Christ rose as the first-fruits, and we revive with him, we live through him; he rose for our justification, and all believers are said to be risen with Christ. See Isa 26:19. And it would serve for a comfort to the church then, and an assurance that God would raise them out of their low estate, for in his fulness of time he would raise his Son from the grave, who would be the life and glory of his people Israel. Note, A regard by faith to a rising Christ is a great support to a suffering Christian, and gives abundant encouragement to a repenting returning sinner; for he has said, Because I live, you shall live also.
(2.)That then they shall improve in the knowledge of God (Hos 6:3): Then shall we know, if we follow on to know, the Lord. Then, when God returns in mercy to his people and designs favour for them, he will, as a pledge and fruit of his favour, give them more of the knowledge of himself; the earth shall be full of that knowledge, Isa 11:9. Knowledge shall be increased, Dan 12:4. All shall know God, Jer 31:34. We shall know, we shall follow to know, the Lord, (so the words are); and it may be taken as the fruit of Christ's resurrection, and the life we live in God's sight by him, that we shall have not only greater means of knowledge, but grace to improve in knowledge by those means. Note, When God designs mercy for a people he gives them a heart to know him, Jer 24:7. Those that have risen with Christ have the spirit of wisdom and revelation given them. And if we understand our living in his sight, as the Chaldee paraphrast does, of the day of the resurrection of the dead, it fitly follows, We shall know, we shall follow to know, the Lord; for in that day we shall see him be perfected, and yet be eternally increasing. Or, taking it as we read it, If we follow on to know, we have here,
[1.]A precious blessing promised: Then shall we know, shall know the Lord, then when we return to God; those that come to God shall be brought into an acquaintance with him. When we are designed to live in his sight, then he gives us to know him; for this is life eternal to know God, Joh 17:3.
[2.]The way and means of obtaining this blessing. We must follow on to know him. We must value and esteem the knowledge of God as the best knowledge, we must cry after it, and dig for it (Pro 2:3, Pro 2:4), must seek and intermeddle with all wisdom (Pro 18:1), and must proceed in our enquiries after this knowledge and our endeavours to improve in it. And, if we do the prescribed duty, we have reason to expect the promised mercy, that we shall know more and more of God, and be at last perfect in this knowledge.
(3.)That then they shall abound in divine consolations: His going forth is prepared as the morning, that is, the returns of his favour, which he had withdrawn from us when he went and returned to his place. His out-goings again are prepared and secured to us as firmly as the return of the morning after a dark night, and we expect it, as those do that wait for the morning after a long night, and are sure that it will come at the time appointed and will not fail; and the light of his countenance will be both welcome to us and growing upon us, unto the perfect day, as the light of the morning is. He shall come to us, and be welcome to us, as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth, which refreshes it and makes it fruitful. Now this looks further than their deliverance out of captivity, and, no doubt, was to have its full accomplishment in Christ, and the grace of the gospel. The Old Testament saints followed on to know him, earnestly looked for redemption in Jerusalem; and at length the out-goings of divine grace in him, in his going forth to visit this world, were [1.] As the morning to this earth when it is dark for he went forth as the sun of righteousness, and in him the day-spring from on high visited us. His going forth was prepared as the morning, for he came in the fulness of time; John Baptist was his fore-runner, nay, he was himself the bright and morning star. [2.] As the rain to this earth when it is dry. He shall come down as the rain upon the mown grass, Psa 72:6. In him showers of blessings descend upon this world, which give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, Isa 55:10. And the favour of God in Christ is what is said of the king's favour, like the cloud of the latter rain, Pro 16:15. The grace of God in Christ is both the latter and the former rain, for by it the good work of our fruit-bearing is both begun and carried on.
Historical interpretation
Three Centuries of Reception
5 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Hear what the prophet says: “God will revive us after two days, and on the third day we shall arise and live in his sight.” The first day is the passion of the Savior for us. The second is the day on which he descended into hell. The third day is the day of resurrection. Therefore on the third day “God went before them, by day in a column of cloud, by night in a column of fire.” But if according to what we said above, the apostle teaches us rightly that the mysteries of baptism are contained in these words, it is necessary that “those who are baptized in Christ are baptized in his death and are buried with him.” [They must] also arise from the dead with him on the third day, according to what the apostle says, “He raised up together with him and at the same time made them sit in the heavenly places.” When, therefore, you shall have undertaken the mystery of the third day, God will begin to lead you and will himself show you the way of salvation.
A few of the Jews of that time were persuaded, but the world hearkened to the truth. Those who concealed the truth were buried in oblivion, but those who received it were made manifest by the power of the Savior, who rose from the dead and raised the dead himself. In the person of the risen dead the prophet Hosea says plainly, “He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his presence.”
"In their affliction they will rise early to me: come and let us return to the Lord, for he has taken us, and he will heal us; he will wound us and he will cure us; he will bring us to life after two days, and on the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight: we shall know and we shall follow, that we may know the Lord." LXX: "In their affliction they will rise early to me, saying: let us go and return to the Lord our God: because he will strike and he will heal us: he will wound and he will cure us. He will heal us after two days: on the third day we shall rise again and live in his sight. We shall know, and we shall follow on, that we may know the Lord." Therefore God delivered Ephraim and Judah into captivity, and there is no one who can rescue them from his hand, and they will return to their place until they fail, and they will seek his face, so that they may seek the propitious and present one, whom they had not felt, but one who is angry and absent, and in their tribulation, with the light of penance rising for them, let them arise early to him, as we read in Isaiah: "In their tribulation they remembered the Lord" (Isaiah 26, LXX version). And in the first grade of the psalm: 'When I was in trouble, I cried out to the Lord,' 'and he heard me' (Ps. 119:1). And when they rise up in the morning to the Lord, what will they say? 'Come and let us return to the Lord.' They are not content with their own salvation, but they provoke one another to return to the Lord whom they left, whom they abandoned for their sins, from whom they were abandoned. 'For he has taken us, and he will heal us:' who had said earlier 'I will take myself' 'and I will go,' he will strike and heal us. For what we have said, 'will cure,' all have similarly translated, but properly they are called 'linteola' which are inserted or applied to wounds, so that they may eat away putrid flesh and extract pus: and the art of physicians is to heal large wounds in a long period of time and to restore health through pain. Therefore the Lord strikes and he heals us: for the Lord loves whom he corrects, and he chastises every son whom he receives (Heb. XII) ; and he not only heals, but he vivifies after two days and on the third day rising from the dead, he raises up with himself all human race. And when He shall have healed the stricken and given life to the healed, and raised up the living, then shall we live in His sight, we who lay dead in His absence. We shall live (being alive) in His sight, knowing Him, and with all zeal we shall strive to know the Lord, by whose rising again on the third day we also rose again. These words explain that which we have often warned, and both Israel and Judah, that is, the twelve tribes, shall then have one shepherd and king David, when they shall have believed in the risen Lord. And vainly the Jews of a thousand years promise themselves dreams of salvation, whereas the promised day of the resurrection of the Lord on the third day is the salvation of all. The Hebrews interpret the day secondly, in the coming of Christ, and the third day, in judgment, when they will be saved. Let us grant this, they reply, what is the first day, that is, the first coming of the Savior? And when they cannot respond, we infer that the first day is the same as they desire, in the humility of the Savior's coming, the second in glory, the third in the garb of the judge. And those who accept the second and third, testify that they have lost the first: because the second and third cannot be called without the first.
Further on, Hosea foretold the resurrection of Christ on the third day, but in the mysterious way that is proper to prophecy. He says, “He shall heal us after two days, and on the third day we shall rise again.” This is the idea underlying the words of Paul [when he says], “Therefore if you have risen in Christ, seek the things that are above.”
The prince of this world did not want the Lord’s army to recognize the engagement of those three days, as that engagement of which the prophet said, “He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up.” The first day for us is the passion of the Savior; the second day on which he descended into hell; but the third day is the day of the resurrection. So then on the third day God went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and by night in a pillar of fire, and the people were led through the Red Sea. The three days we can fittingly call the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for the Father is a day, the Son is one, and the Holy Spirit is one, and these three are one.
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Summary
Hosea 6:2 presents a profound promise of divine restoration and renewal for a repentant Israel, declaring that after a period of discipline, God will revive and raise them up to live in His presence. This verse encapsulates God's unwavering commitment to bring life out of spiritual desolation, offering hope for reconciliation and a restored relationship with Him following the consequences of their unfaithfulness.
Context
Literary Context
Hosea 6:2 follows an earnest call to repentance and return to the Lord in Hosea 6:1. The preceding chapters detail Israel's deep spiritual apostasy, their pursuit of foreign alliances, and their reliance on human strength rather than God. The Lord, through Hosea, has pronounced severe judgment, likening Israel's unfaithfulness to a harlot (as seen in Hosea 1). Yet, even amidst the pronouncements of tearing and smiting, Hosea 6:1 introduces a glimmer of hope: "for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up." Hosea 6:2 then expands on this hope, providing a specific timeframe and nature for God's promised healing and restoration, suggesting a definite and relatively swift divine intervention that will lead to a renewed covenant relationship. This passage functions as a pivotal point, balancing the severity of God's judgment with the certainty of His redemptive love.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophet Hosea ministered to the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) during the tumultuous 8th century BC, a period marked by political instability, assassinations of kings, social injustice, and rampant idolatry. Israel had abandoned the covenant with Yahweh, engaging in syncretistic worship of Baal and other foreign deities, and seeking alliances with Assyria and Egypt rather than trusting in God. This spiritual adultery led to national decline and the looming threat of Assyrian conquest, which would ultimately result in the exile of the northern tribes. The "two days" and "third day" phrase, in its immediate historical context, would have been understood as a relatively short, definite period of time, emphasizing the certainty and imminence of God's redemptive action. It was a promise that despite the severity of the impending judgment, God's covenant faithfulness would ensure a future for His people, preventing their utter annihilation and ultimately bringing about a spiritual and national revival.
Key Themes
This verse contributes significantly to several key themes woven throughout the book of Hosea. Foremost is the theme of Divine Restoration and Revival, demonstrating God's sovereign power and desire to bring His people back to life from a state of spiritual deadness and national decline. It underscores God's Steadfast Love (Hesed) and Mercy, which persist even in the face of Israel's persistent unfaithfulness and rebellion, as seen in passages like Hosea 11:8-9. The phrase "live in his sight" highlights the theme of Restored Relationship and Intimacy with God, signifying a return to divine favor, blessing, and communion after a period of estrangement caused by sin. This is the ultimate goal of God's redemptive work, echoing the covenant ideal of God dwelling among His people and them being His people, as promised in Leviticus 26:12.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primitive root means "to live," both literally and figuratively. Causatively, it means "to revive," "keep alive," "quicken," "recover," or "restore to life." In Hosea 6:2, it signifies God's power to infuse life into a spiritually dead nation, bringing them back from a state of desolation and judgment. It speaks to a profound spiritual and national resuscitation.
This primitive root means "to rise" or "to stand up" in various applications, including literal, figurative, intensive, and causative. It can mean to "lift up," "establish," "restore," or "rouse up." Here, it parallels "revive," emphasizing the active, powerful intervention of God to elevate His people from their fallen state, signifying a complete and decisive act of restoration and re-establishment.
This plural noun (always singular in meaning) refers to "the face" or "presence." It is used in a great variety of applications, often with prepositional prefixes to mean "before," "in the presence of," or "in the face of." To "live in his sight" (literally, "in His face") implies living under God's direct favor, protection, and intimate communion. It denotes a state of being fully approved by God and enjoying His manifest presence, a stark contrast to the previous estrangement due to sin.
Verse Breakdown
"After two days will he revive us:"
This clause sets a specific, though symbolically significant, timeframe for God's restorative action. "Two days" suggests a relatively short, definite period of waiting or suffering before God's intervention. The verb "revive" (H2421, châyâh) indicates God's sovereign power to bring life back to a people who were spiritually dead and under judgment. It implies a supernatural infusion of vitality, a re-animation from a state of national and spiritual decay.
"in the third day he will raise us up,"
This phrase further emphasizes the certainty and completion of God's redemptive work. The "third day" denotes the culmination of the process initiated after "two days," signifying the definitive moment of resurrection and restoration. The verb "raise us up" (H6965, qûwm) reinforces the idea of elevation, re-establishment, and recovery from a fallen state, paralleling "revive" to underscore the comprehensive nature of God's life-giving power.
"and we shall live in his sight."
This final clause describes the blessed outcome of God's revival and raising up. To "live in his sight" (H6440, pânîym) signifies a restored and intimate relationship with God, characterized by His favor, presence, and approval. It implies a state of peace, security, and communion, where the people are fully alive and flourishing under the direct gaze and blessing of their covenant Lord, having been reconciled after their period of estrangement.
Literary Devices
Hosea 6:2 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its powerful message. Parallelism is evident in the synonymous phrasing "revive us" and "raise us up," which both describe God's life-giving action, reinforcing the certainty and comprehensiveness of the restoration. This is further enhanced by the Climactic Parallelism of "after two days" leading to "in the third day," suggesting a progression towards a definitive and glorious outcome. The verse also uses Metaphor, portraying Israel's state of spiritual death and national decline as a literal death from which God will bring them back to life. This metaphor underscores the severity of their condition and the miraculous nature of God's intervention. Furthermore, the numerical phrase "two days... in the third day" functions as Symbolism, representing a short, definite period of time, but also carrying a deeper prophetic resonance of divine timing and ultimate resurrection, which would later find its ultimate fulfillment in Christ.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Hosea 6:2 articulates a fundamental theological truth about God's character: His ultimate desire is not for judgment but for restoration and life, even for a people who have profoundly strayed. This verse encapsulates the divine pattern of allowing consequences for sin, yet always holding open the door for repentance and offering profound grace that leads to new life. It speaks to God's covenant faithfulness, demonstrating that His commitment to His people transcends their unfaithfulness. The promise of being "revived" and "raised up" to "live in his sight" points to a holistic restoration—spiritual, national, and relational—where God's presence is once again the source of life and blessing. This divine act of bringing life from death is a recurring motif throughout scripture, foreshadowing the ultimate victory over death achieved through Christ.
Reflection and Application
Hosea 6:2 offers an enduring beacon of hope for all who find themselves in a state of spiritual dryness, despair, or the consequences of their own unfaithfulness. It reminds us that no matter how deep the spiritual desolation, how severe the judgment, or how long the period of discipline, God's power to revive and restore remains absolute. For individuals, this means that even after seasons of backsliding, apathy, or profound sin, God is capable of breathing new life into our souls, raising us from spiritual death to vibrant communion with Him. For communities and churches, it is a call to hope for corporate revival, believing that God can re-ignite passion, restore brokenness, and re-establish His people in His presence. This verse encourages us to turn back to the Lord with genuine repentance, trusting in His compassionate nature to heal, bind up, and bring us into a renewed, intimate relationship where we truly "live in his sight." It underscores that our ultimate hope is not in our own efforts to recover, but in God's sovereign and gracious power to quicken us.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the meaning of "After two days... in the third day" in Hosea 6:2?
In its immediate historical context, the phrase "after two days... in the third day" primarily signifies a definite and relatively short period of time. It emphasizes the certainty and swiftness of God's redemptive action for Israel following a period of judgment. It's not meant to be a precise chronological prediction in that context, but rather a way of saying that God's restoration will surely come, and it will not be indefinitely delayed. The use of "two days" and "third day" often conveys a sense of completion or a climactic event in biblical literature, indicating that the period of suffering or waiting will be finite, leading to a glorious outcome. This timing underscores God's mercy, which limits the duration of His judgment and ensures a future for His covenant people.
Does Hosea 6:2 directly predict Jesus' resurrection?
While Hosea 6:2, with its mention of being "revived" and "raised up" on the "third day," bears a striking resemblance to the timing of Jesus' resurrection, it is important to understand its primary meaning within its original context. The prophet Hosea was speaking to the northern kingdom of Israel about their national and spiritual restoration from judgment. The verse's immediate fulfillment was related to God's promise to restore Israel after their period of discipline. However, Christian theology often interprets this verse as having a profound typological or prophetic resonance. The pattern of death and resurrection, particularly on the third day, is a recurring divine motif throughout scripture, and it finds its ultimate and definitive fulfillment in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The New Testament frequently shows how Old Testament patterns and prophecies find their ultimate meaning and culmination in Christ, even if their initial context was different. Thus, while not a direct, explicit prediction, it serves as a powerful foreshadowing of the ultimate resurrection and new life found in Christ, as referenced in passages like 1 Corinthians 15:4.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Hosea 6:2, with its profound declaration of God's power to "revive" and "raise up" on the "third day" so that His people "shall live in his sight," finds its most glorious and ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Hosea's immediate prophecy concerned the national restoration of Israel from spiritual death and judgment, the divine pattern of death, burial, and resurrection on the third day is perfectly embodied in Christ. His crucifixion represents the ultimate "tearing" and "smiting" for the sins of humanity, bearing the judgment that we deserved. Yet, just as Hosea promised, God did not leave His people in desolation. On the third day, God "raised Him up," triumphing over sin and death, as powerfully declared in Acts 2:24. Through Christ's resurrection, believers are not merely revived but are granted a new, eternal life, being spiritually united with Him in His resurrection power, as described in Romans 6:4. This enables us to truly "live in His sight," not just in a restored earthly relationship, but in an eternal, perfected communion with God the Father through the Son, a reality that transcends the Old Covenant promises and points to the glorious hope of the new heavens and new earth where God Himself will dwell with His people, as promised in Revelation 21:3-4. Thus, Hosea 6:2, while rooted in Israel's history, resonates with the universal truth of God's life-giving power, ultimately fulfilled and made accessible to all through the resurrected Christ.