Hosea 3:3

3 and I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.

Hosea 3:3 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 3:3

And I said unto her
Having bought or hired her; this was the covenant or agreement he made with her, thou shall abide for me many days;
dwell alone in some solitary and separate place, and have no conversation with any, especially with men; live like a widow that has lost her husband, and so wait for a long time till the prophet should think fit to take her to his house and bed: thou shall not play the harlot, and thou shall not be for another man;
neither prostitute herself, as she had done to her lovers; nor marry another, but keep herself chaste and single: so will I also be for thee;
wait for thee, and not take another wife; or will be thy husband, after having made proper trial and full proof of thy conduct and behaviour: the Targum paraphrases it thus;

``say, O prophet, to her, O congregation of Israel, your sins are the cause that you are carried captive many days; ye shall give yourselves to my worship and not err, nor serve idols, and even I will have mercy on you.''

The whole is explained in the following words:

Hosea 3:3 In-Context

1 Then the LORD said unto me again, Go, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the sons of Israel, who look to other gods and love flagons of wine.

2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and an homer and a half of barley:

3 and I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.

4 For the sons of Israel shall abide many days without king and without Lord and without sacrifice and without image, and without ephod and without teraphim;

5 afterward the sons of Israel shall return, and they shall seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the end of the days.