Hosea 12:2 Meaning and Explanation
“The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The Lord brings a formal charge against his people and will repay them according to their deeds.
What Does Hosea 12:2 Mean?
The word translated controversy is a legal term: the Lord lodges a lawsuit, a covenant dispute, against his people. Judah is named here, and Jacob stands for the whole nation descended from the patriarch. The language of being repaid according to one's ways and doings is the language of just judgment.
God does not act arbitrarily. He weighs what his people have actually done and answers it in measure. Yet a controversy is not the same as abandonment; one only contends with those one is still bound to. The Lord's complaint here is the grief of a faithful party against an unfaithful one. His justice and his enduring claim on them stand together, and even the charge is an act of one who has not let them go.
Hosea 12:2 in the Original Language
riv (רִיב), 'controversy' -- a legal dispute or lawsuit, here God's covenant case against his people.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hosea 12:2
What does Hosea 12:2 mean?
The Lord brings a formal charge against his people and will repay them according to their deeds.