Catholic Commentary on Hosea 3

“Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods.” (Hosea 3:1)

Hosea Redeems His Wife

The LORD says to Hosea: go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes. So Hosea buys Gomer back for fifteen shekels of silver and some barley. He tells her: you are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you. For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king.

The Catechism identifies the purchase of Gomer as the figure of the redemption: the God who loves the unfaithful Israel buys her back at a price, as Christ redeems the Church by his blood (CCC 796).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, go and love her as the LORD loves the Israelites. The divine love is not modelled on the human; the human is commanded to model itself on the divine. Hosea is told to love as God loves: not because the beloved deserves it, not because the relationship is uncomplicated, but because this is what the love of God looks like when it takes on a human face.

Prayer

Lord God, teach us to love as you love: pursuing the unfaithful, redeeming at cost, waiting with patient hope. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

3
Hosea Redeems His Wife
(Zechariah 2:6-13)
1 Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another * 3:1 Or Go show love to a woman who is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and offer raisin cakes to idols.† 3:1 Literally and love raisin cakes”
 
2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver ‡ 3:2 15 shekels is approximately 6 ounces or 171 grams of silver. and a homer and a lethech of barley.§ 3:2 Or a homer and a half of barley; that is, a total of approximately 9.36 bushels or 330 liters (probably about 436 pounds or 198 kilograms of barley); LXX a homer of barley and a wineskin full of wine 3 Then I said to her, “You must live with me for many days; you must not be promiscuous or belong to another, and I will do the same for you.”
 
4 For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol. 5 Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.

*3:1 3:1 Or Go show love to a woman who is loved by another

†3:1 3:1 Literally and love raisin cakes

‡3:2 3:2 15 shekels is approximately 6 ounces or 171 grams of silver.

§3:2 3:2 Or a homer and a half of barley; that is, a total of approximately 9.36 bushels or 330 liters (probably about 436 pounds or 198 kilograms of barley); LXX a homer of barley and a wineskin full of wine

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