Hosea 3 2

Hosea 3:2 kjv

So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:

Hosea 3:2 nkjv

So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.

Hosea 3:2 niv

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley.

Hosea 3:2 esv

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.

Hosea 3:2 nlt

So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine.

Hosea 3 verses

Hosea 3 2 Meaning

Hosea 3:2 describes the prophet Hosea's purchase of his unfaithful wife Gomer. This literal act serves as a profound parable for God's relentless and redeeming love for Israel, His spiritual spouse, who had committed idolatry and forsaken Him. The payment, a combination of silver and barley, signifies both Gomer's debased state, perhaps sold into servitude or prostitution due to her actions, and God's complete yet humbling cost of redeeming Israel from their spiritual bondage to sin and false deities, to restore them to covenant fellowship.

Hosea 3 2 Context

Hosea 3:2 falls within a deeply symbolic and poignant section of the book of Hosea. Chapter 1 introduced God's command for Hosea to marry Gomer, a "wife of harlotry," and have children with her whose names symbolized God's judgment and eventual restoration for Israel. Chapter 2 detailed Gomer's persistent unfaithfulness and God's sorrowful, yet resolute, intention to strip Israel of her blessings (gifts she attributed to false lovers) to bring her to repentance.

Hosea 3 directly continues this divine object lesson. Immediately preceding verse 2, in verse 1, the Lord commands Hosea to "Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins." This command explicitly links Hosea's renewed love for Gomer to God's enduring love for unfaithful Israel. Verse 2, therefore, describes Hosea's immediate action to fulfill this difficult divine command, literally enacting the redemptive love and persistent commitment of God towards His errant people. It underscores that God's love for Israel, though costly and humiliating from a human perspective, is unconditional and pursues restoration even in the deepest spiritual degradation.

Hosea 3 2 Word analysis

• So I bought (וָאֶכְּרֶה - wa'ekkəreh): The verb karah (כּרה) generally means "to dig," "to dig for" (e.g., a well), and by extension, "to trade for," "to acquire by payment," "to purchase." Here, it signifies securing ownership or reclaiming possession through a transaction. This is not merely acquiring a new possession but redeeming something that was lost or alienated. It highlights the decisive act of a transaction where payment is rendered.
• her (אֹתָהּ - otah): Refers directly to Gomer, Hosea's wife, who serves as the central allegory for Israel. Her degraded state is implicit; she is no longer simply in Hosea's home but must be acquired anew, perhaps from a master, debt, or directly from prostitution.
• for fifteen shekels of silver: A specific monetary amount. Thirty shekels of silver was the typical price of a male slave (Exod 21:32) or the legal payment for certain offenses (Zech 11:12-13, where it's called a "princely price," albeit mockingly in that context). Fifteen shekels is half of this common slave price. This could suggest Gomer's reduced value due to her immoral lifestyle, or that this was a partial payment combined with the barley.
• and a homer (וְחֹמֶר - vəḥōmer): A dry measure of capacity, approximately 6-8 bushels (or around 390 liters), commonly used for grains. It was a substantial amount.
• and a lethech (וְלֶתֶךְ - vəletekh): A less common Hebrew measure, appearing only here in the Bible. It is generally understood to be half a homer. Therefore, the total barley measured one and a half homers.
• of barley (שׂעורים - sə‘ōrîm): Barley was a common, less valuable grain than wheat. It was often food for animals (1 Kgs 4:28) or the poor (Ruth 2:17). Its use as payment, particularly in a ritual context, could signify a low or disgraced status (Num 5:15, a jealous offering for a suspected unfaithful wife included barley flour, no oil or frankincense).

Words-Group by words-Group analysis

• "So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.": The entire phrase signifies a complete purchase. The combined payment of fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley is often interpreted as equaling the total value of 30 shekels, a common slave price. The fifteen shekels would represent the initial down payment in silver, while the substantial quantity of barley (worth perhaps another 15 shekels when converted to its monetary equivalent) represents the remainder, completing the purchase. This mixed payment underscores the degrading circumstances of Gomer – partially cash for a reduced worth and partially inferior grain. This reflects Israel's degraded spiritual state, requiring a costly yet, from a divine perspective, humbling payment to bring her back. God doesn't just call; He intervenes with a redemptive "price" to secure His unfaithful people. The full and ignominious payment emphasizes that the redemption is not cheap nor is it based on the worthiness of the redeemed but on the determination and love of the redeemer.

Hosea 3 2 Bonus section

The specific value of the barley in relation to silver at that time is a subject of scholarly discussion, but many agree that the combined total payment for Gomer very closely approximated the standard price for a slave (30 shekels of silver, Exod 21:32). This further emphasizes that Gomer, representing Israel, had reached such a low state of degradation that she effectively needed to be bought out of a state of bondage. The mixture of payment – solid currency and basic provisions – suggests that the redemption was thorough and complete, involving various forms of 'payment' to cover all aspects of her (and Israel's) debt and servitude to sin and false worship. It shows God's full payment for redemption.

Hosea 3 2 Commentary

Hosea's act of purchasing Gomer in this verse is one of the most poignant prophetic enactments in Scripture, deeply revealing the character of God. The divine command for Hosea to "love again" is followed immediately by the tangible demonstration of this love through Gomer's acquisition. She was likely in a state of debt or slavery due to her promiscuous lifestyle, having lost her dignity and perhaps even her freedom. The price Hosea pays—a combination of a silver sum and a large quantity of barley—speaks volumes. The silver component might indicate her lost value or an initial down payment for her freedom. The barley, being a lower-value grain, was sometimes associated with poverty, desperation, or even a wife accused of infidelity (Num 5:15). The mixed payment, which together perhaps amounted to the full price of a slave (30 shekels), signifies both Gomer's degraded state (Israel's deep spiritual degradation) and Hosea's complete and costly commitment to her redemption.

This scene perfectly mirrors God's relationship with Israel. Israel had prostituted herself with pagan gods, serving them and abandoning her covenant relationship with Yahweh. She was spiritually "sold" into bondage to these idols. Yet, just as Hosea pursues and pays the price for Gomer, God pursues Israel. He does not abandon her in her spiritual slavery but pays the "cost" of redemption – a cost that points to His profound and suffering love, willing to bear the indignity of buying back one so debased. This transaction highlights God's sovereignty and His unwavering covenant love that is not conditional on Israel's faithfulness, but on His own enduring character and commitment. It prefigures the ultimate redemption purchased for humanity through Jesus Christ, who, though Himself spotless, paid the full and ultimate price of His life to redeem us from the slavery of sin.

• Example for Practical Usage: When we find ourselves alienated from God through our sin, this verse reminds us that God doesn't wait for us to make ourselves worthy. Like Gomer, we are undeserving, but God, in His steadfast love, pursues us, paying the "price" (through Christ's sacrifice) to bring us back into a reconciled relationship, not based on our merit, but on His costly grace. This calls believers to remember the high price of their redemption and to extend costly love to those who are lost or wayward, just as God has extended it to them.