Hosea 2:8

8 And this Jerusalem knew not, that I gave to her wheat, wine, and oil; and I multiplied silver and gold to her, (of) which they made (offering) to Baal. (And this Jerusalem knew not, that it was I who gave her the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and I multiplied her silver and her gold, which they then offered to Baal.)

Hosea 2:8 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 2:8

For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil,
&c.] This is a reason, not of her resolution to return to her first husband, but to go after lovers, and of her ascribing these things to them, ( Hosea 2:5 ) , and why the Lord would behave towards her as he determined to do, ( Hosea 2:6 Hosea 2:7 ) , this ignorance was wilful and affected, and therefore blameable; she might have known, but she would not; she did not set her mind to know; she did not consider who gave her these things, nor behave as if she knew, as Jarchi: or she did not own and acknowledge God to be the author and giver of them, as she should have done; which was ingratitude rather than ignorance, and is a heinous sin, and to be resented; since all good things, temporal and spiritual, as daily bread, all the necessaries of life, signified by these things, so the word, and ordinances, and spiritual gifts, which they may be emblems of, come from God, and should be acknowledged; but the Jews, as in the times of Isaiah, did not know him, and acknowledge his benefits, ( Isaiah 1:2 Isaiah 1:3 ) , so, in the times of Christ, they did not know him to be the God of Israel, God over all, blessed for ever; from whom, and for whose sake, who was to be, and was born of them, they enjoyed the privileges they did, ( John 1:10 John 1:11 ) ( Romans 9:4 Romans 9:5 ) . And multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal;
the relative "which" may refer to all that goes before; and the sense be, that these gifts of God, and which should have been owned as such, and employed in his service, and to his glory; some were made use of in meat and drink offerings to Baal; and others in decking themselves to appear in his worship to his honour; or in ornamenting the idol therewith, or in making it thereof, so the Targum and Syriac version: and all this may be said to be done, when these things are spent in the service of other lords than the Lord himself; when they are abused to sinful purposes, and consumed on the lusts of men, to gratify their sensuality, pride, and vanity, which the Jews did.

Hosea 2:8 In-Context

6 For this thing, lo! I shall hedge thy way with thorns, and I shall hedge it (about) with a wall, and she shall not find her paths.
7 And she shall follow her lovers, and shall not (over)take them, and she shall seek them, and shall not find [them]; and she shall say, I shall go, and turn again to my former husband, for it was well to me then more than now. (And she shall follow after her lovers, but shall not overtake them, and she shall seek after them, but shall not find them; and then she shall say, I shall go, and return to my former husband, for it was better for me then, than it is now.)
8 And this Jerusalem knew not, that I gave to her wheat, wine, and oil; and I multiplied silver and gold to her, (of) which they made (offering) to Baal. (And this Jerusalem knew not, that it was I who gave her the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and I multiplied her silver and her gold, which they then offered to Baal.)
9 Therefore I shall turn (again), and take (back) my wheat in his time, and my wine in his time; and I shall deliver my wool, and my flax, by which they covered the shame thereof. (And so I shall return, and take back my corn in its time, and my wine in its time; and I shall take away my wool, and my flax, with which she covered her shame, or her nakedness.)
10 And now I shall show the folly of her before the eyes of her lovers, and a man shall not deliver her from mine hand; (And now I shall show her folly to her lovers, and no one shall be able to rescue her out of my hands;)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.