Hosea 2:22 kjv
And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.
Hosea 2:22 nkjv
The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel.
Hosea 2:22 niv
and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.
Hosea 2:22 esv
and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel,
Hosea 2:22 nlt
Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries
of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees.
And they in turn will answer,
'Jezreel' ? 'God plants!'
Hosea 2 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Point) |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:3-5 | If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments… I will give you your rains in their season… the land will yield its produce… | Blessings for obedience, including rain & produce. |
| Deut 11:13-15 | So if you faithfully obey the commands… then I will send rain on your land in its season… so that you may gather your grain… | Covenantal provision of rain and crops. |
| Deut 28:11-12 | The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity… with the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock… storehouse of your produce. | Material abundance as divine blessing. |
| Ps 65:9-13 | You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly… You drench its furrows and level its ridges… providing grain. | God's sovereignty over natural fertility. |
| Ps 67:6 | The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. | God's blessing leads to fruitful land. |
| Isa 30:23-24 | He will also send rain for your seed which you sow in the ground… The earth will produce nutritious bread; in that day your livestock will graze… | Rain for sowing and abundant provision. |
| Isa 35:1-2 | The wilderness and the desert will be glad… The desert will rejoice and blossom… They will see the glory of the Lord. | Nature transformed by divine presence/blessing. |
| Jer 31:12 | They will come and shout for joy… and will be radiant over the bounty of the Lord—over the grain, new wine, and fresh oil… | Rejoicing over the Lord's abundance for Israel. |
| Ezek 34:26-27 | I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing… I will cause showers to come down in their season… trees of the field will yield their produce. | Showers and fruitful trees in restoration. |
| Ezek 36:29-30 | I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses; and I will call for the grain and multiply it… so you will not receive reproach. | Multiplication of grain, removal of reproach. |
| Joel 2:18-24 | Then the Lord will be jealous for His land and have pity on His people… I will send you grain, new wine and fresh oil. | Lord's pity leading to abundance after desolation. |
| Amos 9:13-14 | Indeed, the days are coming… when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes the sower of seed… They will rebuild the ruined cities… | Intense agricultural productivity in restoration. |
| Zec 8:12 | For the seed will be prosperous, the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will drop dew. | Prosperity and fruitful land/heavens. |
| Gal 5:22-23 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace… kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… | Spiritual fruitfulness in believers. |
| Phil 4:19 | And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. | God's ultimate provision. |
| Heb 6:7 | For ground that drinks the rain often which falls on it and produces crops useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing. | Productive ground receives God's blessing. |
| Jas 5:7 | Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil. | Patience and waiting for the produce. |
| Rev 22:2 | On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month… for the healing of the nations. | Abundant, continuous fruit in the New Jerusalem. |
| Hos 1:4-5 | For in a little while, I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel… | Original meaning of Jezreel: scattering, judgment. |
| Hos 2:23 | I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will have compassion on her who had not received compassion… and they will say, 'You are my God!' | Reversal of Jezreel: God sowing, mercy. |
| Rom 9:25-26 | As He says also in Hosea, "I will call those who were not My people, 'My people,' and her who was not beloved, 'beloved.'... | God calls a scattered people His own again (Jezreel link). |
| 1 Cor 3:6-7 | I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth… So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. | God is the source of all growth, spiritual and natural. |
Hosea 2 verses
Hosea 2 22 Meaning
Hosea 2:22 proclaims a future of abundant restoration for Israel, reversing the judgments caused by their unfaithfulness. It illustrates a divine chain of blessing where God calls upon creation, and creation responds with extraordinary fertility. The heavens respond to God, the earth responds to the heavens, and its rich produce—grain, new wine, and fresh oil—will in turn respond to Jezreel, symbolizing the nation of Israel regathered and blessed. This signifies not just physical provision but also spiritual renewal and flourishing, transforming a symbol of judgment into one of prosperity and divine sowing.
Hosea 2 22 Context
Hosea 2 portrays a dramatic shift from God's indictment of Israel's idolatry (likened to Gomer's infidelity) and the resulting judgment of barrenness and desolation, to a promised restoration rooted in His enduring love and covenant. Chapters 2:1-13 detail the "wooing" process, where God punishes Israel's sin (specifically their worship of Baal and attribution of agricultural blessings to him), causing her physical and spiritual desolation. He then promises to draw her back, speak tenderly to her, and restore her to the land and His favor (vv. 14-23). Verse 22 falls within this redemptive section, directly following God's promise to restore fertility to the land (vv. 21). Historically, Israel had adopted Baal worship, believing him to be the god of rain, storm, and fertility, crucial for their agrarian society. Hosea's message serves as a direct polemic against Baalism, asserting that YHWH alone controls the heavens, the earth, and its produce. This verse underscores God's complete sovereignty and His intention to provide abundance directly, refuting any notion that Baal provided these blessings.
Hosea 2 22 Word analysis
- and the earth (וְהָאָרֶץ - wəhā’āreṣ): Hebrew 'ereṣ signifies the land, the soil, the very ground that was promised to Israel, but also the physical world that suffers under God's judgment and rejoices in His blessing. Its specific mention here emphasizes that even creation itself responds to God's decree.
- shall answer (תַּעֲנֶה - ta‘ănæh): From the verb 'anah (עָנָה), meaning "to answer," "respond," "comply," "obey," or even "to testify." This is a crucial word as it highlights the perfect submission of creation to God's will. The earth will not fail to respond, unlike unfaithful Israel who failed to respond to God. It indicates a willing, active, and complete response to the divine chain of command initiated in the preceding verse (heaven answering God).
- the grain (הַדָּגָן - haddāgān): Refers to all types of cereals and grains, the staple food source. Its inclusion signifies fundamental provision and life-sustaining nourishment.
- and the wine (וְהַתִּירוֹשׁ - wəhattîrōš): Specifically denotes new wine, fresh wine. This is not just any wine but represents the joy, festivity, and abundance associated with rich harvests, often used in religious offerings and celebrations. It symbolizes prosperity beyond mere sustenance.
- and the oil (וְהַיִּצְהָר - wəhayyiṣhār): Denotes fresh oil, particularly olive oil. Used for anointing, light, food, medicine, and as a valuable commodity. It symbolizes blessing, anointing, prosperity, and light. Together, "grain, wine, and oil" represent the complete suite of agricultural bounty, often signifying perfect, holistic blessing and wealth in ancient Israel (e.g., Deut 7:13, Neh 9:25).
- and they shall answer Jezreel (וְהֵם יַעֲנוּ יִזְרְעֶאל - wəhēm ya‘ănû yizre‘e’l):
- they (וְהֵם - wəhēm): Refers to the collective grain, wine, and oil. This personifies the produce; it willingly yields itself to "Jezreel."
- shall answer (יַעֲנוּ - ya‘ănû): Again, 'anah, reinforcing the idea of a responsive, obedient delivery. The bounty itself responds directly to "Jezreel," highlighting the ultimate recipient and beneficiary of God's overflowing grace.
- Jezreel (יִזְרְעֶאל - yizre‘e’l): This is a powerful, multilayered wordplay.
- In Hosea 1:4, "Jezreel" was named as a place of judgment and a symbol of God's scattering of Israel and the punishment for Jehu's house.
- Here, its meaning is entirely reversed to signify "God sows" or "God plants." It embodies God's gracious act of re-gathering, re-planting, and restoring His people, providing spiritual and physical fruitfulness.
- "Jezreel" ultimately refers to the restored nation of Israel, regathered and experiencing renewed spiritual and physical abundance under God's watchful eye. It is the destination of God's abundant blessing.
Hosea 2 22 Bonus section
The profound chain of "answering" in Hosea 2:21-22 ("I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall answer Jezreel") beautifully illustrates the holistic nature of God's restoration. It highlights the principle of divine cause-and-effect extending through all layers of creation, ultimately culminating in blessing for His people. This portrays God's absolute sovereignty, not just over Israel's spiritual state, but over the physical processes of nature itself. The passage implicitly critiques the human tendency to attribute blessings to natural cycles, false gods, or human effort rather than to the ultimate source, God Himself. The reversal of "Jezreel" also offers a powerful theological lesson: God can transform symbols of judgment and sorrow into epithets of blessing and joy. What was scattered is now sown; what was broken is now made fruitful. This dynamic imagery sets the stage for the New Covenant understanding where spiritual fruitfulness and gathering into God's kingdom are paramount, fulfilling this physical imagery on a grander scale.
Hosea 2 22 Commentary
Hosea 2:22 completes a profound promise of restoration, painting a picture of cosmic harmony orchestrated by God for the benefit of His redeemed people. It follows a magnificent chain of divine provision: God (v. 21) calls the heavens, the heavens answer by sending rain and dew to the earth, the earth in turn responds by yielding abundant grain, new wine, and fresh oil (v. 22a). Crucially, these fruits of the land then answer "Jezreel" (v. 22b). This layered "answer" signifies absolute obedience throughout creation to the Creator's will. The specific mention of "grain, wine, and oil" dismantles the false narrative of Baal worship, asserting YHWH as the sole giver of all material blessings. The transformation of "Jezreel" from a symbol of judgment (scattering) to one of glorious redemption (God's sowing and planting of His people) encapsulates the essence of Hosea's message: divine love perseveres, bringing about ultimate restoration and unparalleled abundance, even where sin and desolation once reigned. It reminds believers that God's plan is not only redemptive for individuals but extends to the very fabric of creation, all converging to bless His chosen ones.