Hosea 2:3 Meaning and Explanation
“Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →The Lord warns that persistent unfaithfulness will leave the nation exposed and barren.
What Does Hosea 2:3 Mean?
The warning continues the marriage image. To be 'stripped' and 'set as in the day she was born' is to be returned to nakedness and helplessness -- the very state from which God had once clothed and nourished His people. Wilderness and dry land evoke the desert before the gift of the land.
Sin's end, left unchecked, is loss: the gifts of provision withdrawn, the soul parched. Yet the word 'lest' marks this as a warning, not a sentence eagerly carried out. God describes the consequence so that it need never come. His severity here is the severity of love that refuses to watch a beloved drift unwarned toward ruin.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hosea 2:3
What does Hosea 2:3 mean?
The Lord warns that persistent unfaithfulness will leave the nation exposed and barren.