Hosea 2:20

20 ¹I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And ²you shall know the Lord.

Hosea 2:20 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 2:20

I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness
Which lies in keeping the marriage contract inviolable; Christ will never suffer his faithfulness to fail, nor break his covenant; as he is faithful to his Father that appointed him, so he is, and will be, to his church and people, and to every believer, to whom he is espoused; and it is he that makes them faithful unto him, and gives them faith to believe in him, receive, embrace, own, and acknowledge him as their husband: and in this sense some understand it, rendering it, "in faith" {z}; so the Targum and others. This is the third time the word "betroth" is used, or this promise made; which, according to Jerome, refers to them espousing of the Jews in Abraham, at Mount Sinai, and in the times of Christ; and, according to Kimchi, to the three captivities of the Jews, in Egypt, in Babylon, and that in which they now are: and some Christian writers think the mystery of the Trinity is here pointed at; and the sense to be, that all the three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, would espouse them: but rather it is so often repeated to confirm it, and express the certainty of it, which might, on many accounts, seem a thing incredible. And thou shall know the Lord;
that the Messiah is Jehovah, and that he is their husband; they shall all know him, from the least to the greatest; they shall have a saving knowledge of him, which will issue in eternal life; they shall own him, and acknowledge him, serve and obey him, as their Lord, Head, and Husband, as well as love him, and believe in him. The Targum is,

``and ye shall know to fear before the Lord;''

see ( Jeremiah 31:34 ) . Let it be observed, here are no conditions throughout, it is only "I will", and "thou shalt".

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 (hnwmab) "in fide", V. L. &c.

Hosea 2:20 In-Context

18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety.

19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.

20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

21 “And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth,

22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel,

Cross References

• 1. 2:20 [See ver. 19 above]
• 2. 2:20 Jer. 31:34; John 17:3