Hosea 2 8

Hosea 2:8 kjv

For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.

Hosea 2:8 nkjv

For she did not know That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, And multiplied her silver and gold? Which they prepared for Baal.

Hosea 2:8 niv

She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold? which they used for Baal.

Hosea 2:8 esv

And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.

Hosea 2:8 nlt

She doesn't realize it was I who gave her everything she has ?
the grain, the new wine, the olive oil;
I even gave her silver and gold.
But she gave all my gifts to Baal.

Hosea 2 verses

Hosea 2 8 Meaning

Hosea 2:8 reveals Israel's profound spiritual blindness and ingratitude. God laments that His people, personified as an unfaithful wife, failed to recognize Him as the sole source of their abundant blessings—from vital agricultural produce (corn, wine, oil) to valuable wealth (silver and gold). Tragically, instead of acknowledging the divine giver, they misdirected these very gifts, using them to worship and honor Baal, a rival Canaanite fertility deity. This verse highlights Israel's failure in covenant knowledge and loyalty, a fundamental betrayal of their relationship with God.

Hosea 2 8 Context

Hosea 2 serves as an extended parable detailing God's judgment and eventual restoration of Israel, likened to an unfaithful wife (Gomer) who pursues lovers (idols) but is ultimately drawn back by her faithful husband (God). Verse 8 is a pivotal point within this narrative of divine lawsuit. It immediately follows God's declaration of His intent to block Israel's sinful pursuit of false gods by taking away her blessings. This verse reveals the reason for such harsh judgment: Israel's fundamental spiritual ignorance and misattribution of divine provision.Historically, the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) was characterized by profound spiritual apostasy and syncretism. During the 8th century BC, despite a period of material prosperity, they adopted Canaanite Baal worship, believing it would ensure agricultural fertility and wealth. Hosea's prophecy directly confronts this syncretism, asserting that Yahweh, not Baal, was the true and sole provider of the land's bounty. The polemic is clear: Baal, as a powerless idol, could not give what Israel attributed to him; only the sovereign God, Yahweh, could.

Word Analysis

• For she did not know (כִּ֣י לֹֽא יָֽדְעָ֗ה kî lō’ yāḏə‘āh): The Hebrew word for "know" (yada‘) signifies far more than intellectual acquaintance. It implies an intimate, covenantal recognition, acknowledgment, and faithful response. Israel's failure was not mere ignorance, but a profound lack of appreciative relationship and loyalty. They did not acknowledge God as the provider, leading to practical disobedience.
• that I gave her (כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֤י נָֽתַ֨תִּֽי לָהּ֙ kî ’ānōḵî nāṯattî lāh): The emphatic "I" (אָנֹכִי ’ānōḵî) stresses God's sole, personal agency in providing these blessings. It distinguishes Him sharply from any pagan deity. God is unequivocally stating His benevolent provision as a core aspect of His character and covenant.
• corn, and wine, and oil (הַדָּגָ֤ן וְהַתִּיר֣וֹשׁ וְהַיִּצְהָ֔ר haDāḡān wəhaTTîrôš wəhaYYiṣhār): These agricultural staples represent the fundamental provisions necessary for life and prosperity in ancient Israel. They symbolize the richness of the Promised Land, a direct result of God's covenant blessings and rainfall. They directly address the fertility domain claimed by Baal.
• and multiplied her silver and gold (וְכֶ֣סֶף הִרְבֵּ֥יתִי לָ֛הּ וְזָהָֽב wəḵeseff hirbbêṯî lāh wəzāhāḇ): Beyond basic sustenance, God also bestowed wealth and luxury. This covers all aspects of material prosperity, highlighting the extensive nature of God's unacknowledged generosity. Silver and gold were symbols of affluence and often used in religious objects.
• which they prepared for Baal (אֲשֶׁר֙ עָ֣שׂוּ לַבַּ֔עַל ’ašer ‘āśû labba‘al): The verb ‘aśû (prepared/made/fashioned) denotes a deliberate act. It could refer to using the resources as offerings to Baal, fashioning idols from the silver and gold, or funding Baal's cultic practices. This demonstrates Israel's deliberate perversion of God's blessings by dedicating them to His rival. "Baal" (בַּ֫עַל ba‘al) was the primary Canaanite storm and fertility god, worshipped to secure agricultural bounty and wealth, the very things Yahweh had already provided.

Word-Group Analysis:

• "did not know that I gave her": This phrase highlights the fundamental issue of covenant relationship – a profound lack of appreciative acknowledgment of God's benevolent provision. Israel suffered from spiritual amnesia and ingratitude.
• "corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold": This expansive list underscores the comprehensive nature of God's generosity, covering both essential sustenance and abundant wealth. No blessing was left unprovided by God.
• "which they prepared for Baal": This damning indictment reveals the extent of Israel's idolatry. They took God's gifts and shamefully dedicated them to a false god, directly challenging God's sovereignty and holiness.

Hosea 2 8 Commentary

Hosea 2:8 serves as a poignant illustration of humanity's propensity to forget the Divine Benefactor amidst prosperity. God identifies Israel's core sin as a profound failure to know Him, not merely intellectually, but relationally and gratefully, as the ultimate source of every blessing. Despite showering His people with fundamental sustenance (corn, wine, oil) and lavish wealth (silver, gold), Israel, driven by spiritual infidelity and the pervasive influence of Baal worship, erroneously attributed this prosperity to the fertility rituals of a powerless idol. The sheer irony and insult of taking God's gifts and "preparing" them for a false deity underline the depth of their spiritual adultery. This verse warns against attributing blessings to human effort, fate, or false gods, reminding believers across all ages that genuine gratitude springs from the acknowledgement of God as the generous Giver of all good things.

Bonus SectionThe Hebrew yada‘ ("know") points to an intimate, relational failure, more akin to covenant breaking than simple ignorance. Israel's sin was not an intellectual oversight, but a failure of the heart to recognize and be faithful to its covenant partner. The irony of using God's blessings for Baal worship is profound, exposing the perverse inversion of true devotion and serving as a timeless example of how prosperity, when divorced from grateful recognition of its divine source, can tragically become a catalyst for spiritual declension and idolatry. This verse sets the stage for God's subsequent, sorrowful judgment, where He declares His intention to withdraw these misappropriated blessings, aiming to bring His people back to Himself through hardship, forcing them to acknowledge the true Provider.