Hosea

Hosea 2:5–7

⁵For their mother has played the harlot

and has conceived them in disgrace.

For she thought,

‘I will go after my lovers,

who give me bread and water,

wool and linen, oil and drink.’

⁶Therefore, behold,

I will hedge up her path^c with thorns;

I will enclose her with a wall,

so she cannot find her way.

⁷She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;

she will seek them but not find them.

Then she will say,

‘I will return to my first husband,

for then I was better off than now.’

Footnotes

c 2:6 Hebrew your path

Read all of Hosea 2

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Hosea 2:5

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
For	כִּ֤י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
their mother	אִמָּ֔ם	’im·mām	Noun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine plural	H517 mother
has played the harlot	זָֽנְתָה֙	zā·nə·ṯāh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular	H2181 commit fornication, be a harlot
and has conceived them	הֽוֹרָתָ֑ם	hō·w·rā·ṯām	Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular construct; third person masculine plural	H2029 conceive, become pregnant
in disgrace	הֹבִ֖ישָׁה	hō·ḇî·šāh	Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person feminine singular	H954 be ashamed
For	כִּ֣י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
she thought	אָמְרָ֗ה	’ā·mə·rāh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular	H559 utter, say
I will go	אֵלְכָ֞ה	’ê·lə·ḵāh	Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular	H1980 go, come, walk
after	אַחֲרֵ֤י	’a·ḥă·rê	Preposition	H310 behind
my lovers	מְאַהֲבַי֙	mə·’a·hă·ḇay	Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct; first person common singular	H157 love
who give me	נֹתְנֵ֤י	nō·ṯə·nê	Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct	H5414 give, put, set
bread	לַחְמִי֙	laḥ·mî	Noun - masculine singular construct; first person common singular	H3899 bread, food
and water	וּמֵימַ֔י	ū·mê·may	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine plural construct; first person common singular	H4325 water, juice, urine
wool	צַמְרִ֣י	ṣam·rî	Noun - masculine singular construct; first person common singular	H6785 wool
and linen	וּפִשְׁתִּ֔י	ū·p̄iš·tî	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular construct; first person common singular	H6593 linen, carded
oil	שַׁמְנִ֖י	šam·nî	Noun - masculine singular construct; first person common singular	H8081 fat, oil
and drink	וְשִׁקּוּיָֽי׃	wə·šiq·qū·yāy	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine plural construct; first person common singular	H8250 drink

Hosea 2:6

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Therefore	לָכֵ֛ן	lā·ḵên	Adverb	H3651 right, veritable, honest
behold	הִנְנִי־	hin·nî-	Interjection; first person common singular	H2005 lo! behold
I will hedge up	שָׂ֥ךְ	śāḵ	Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular	H7753 hedge or fence up, about
her	אֶת־	’eṯ-	Direct object marker	H853 mark of the accusative
path	דַּרְכֵּ֖ךְ	dar·kêḵ	Noun - common singular construct; second person feminine singular	H1870 way, road, distance, journey, manner
with thorns	בַּסִּירִ֑ים	bas·sî·rîm	Preposition-b, Article; Noun - feminine plural	H5518 pot
I will enclose her with a wall	וְגָֽדַרְתִּי֙	wə·ḡā·ḏar·tî	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular	H1443 wall up or off, build a wall
so she cannot	לֹ֥א	lō	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
find	תִמְצָֽא׃	ṯim·ṣā	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular	H4672 attain to, find
her way	וּנְתִיבוֹתֶ֖יהָ	ū·nə·ṯî·ḇō·w·ṯe·hā	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine plural construct; third person feminine singular	H5410 path, pathway

Hosea 2:7

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
She will pursue	וְרִדְּפָ֤ה	wə·rid·də·p̄āh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular	H7291 pursue, chase, persecute
her lovers	מְאַהֲבֶ֙יהָ֙	mə·’a·hă·ḇe·hā	Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct; third person feminine singular	H157 love
but not	וְלֹֽא־	wə·lō-	Conjunctive waw; Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
catch	תַשִּׂ֣יג	ṯaś·śîḡ	Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person feminine singular	H5381 reach, overtake
them	אֹתָ֔ם	’ō·ṯām	Direct object marker; third person masculine plural	H853 mark of the accusative
she will seek them	וּבִקְשָׁ֖תַם	ū·ḇiq·šā·ṯam	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular; third person masculine plural	H1245 seek
but not	וְלֹ֣א	wə·lō	Conjunctive waw; Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
find them	תִמְצָ֑א	ṯim·ṣā	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular	H4672 attain to, find
Then she will say	וְאָמְרָ֗ה	wə·’ā·mə·rāh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular	H559 utter, say
I will return	וְאָשׁ֙וּבָה֙	wə·’ā·šū·ḇāh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular	H7725 turn back, return
to	אֶל־	’el-	Preposition	H413 motion to
my first	הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן	hā·ri·šō·wn	Article; Adjective - masculine singular	H7223 former, first, chief
husband	אִישִׁ֣י	’î·šî	Noun - masculine singular construct; first person common singular	H376 man
for	כִּ֣י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
then	אָ֖ז	’āz	Adverb	H227 at that time, then
I was better off	ט֥וֹב	ṭō·wḇ	Adjective - masculine singular	H2896 pleasant, agreeable, good
than now	מֵעָֽתָּה׃	mê·‘āt·tāh	Preposition-m; Adverb	H6258 now

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Hosea 2:5 Jeremiah 44:17–18 · Hosea 3:1 · Isaiah 1:21 · Hosea 2:8 · Jeremiah 3:1–9 · Hosea 2:12–13

Hosea 2:6 Job 19:8 · Lamentations 3:7–9 · Job 3:23

Hosea 2:7 Jeremiah 2:2 · Luke 15:17–20 · Hosea 5:13 · Jeremiah 14:22 · Ezekiel 23:4 · Deuteronomy 8:17–18 · Ezekiel 23:22 · Hosea 13:6

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.