Hosea 2:18 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Hosea 2:18
And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
a day (as the warm hours) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
make
וְכָרַתִּ֨יve.kha.ra.Ti
H3772
to cut (off · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 1st person common singular
covenant
בְּרִית֙be.Rit
H1285
a compact (because made by passing between pieces of fl… · noun, common feminine singular absolute
beasts
חַיַּ֤תchai.Yat
H2416
alive · noun, common feminine singular construct
field
הַשָּׂדֶה֙ha.sa.Deh
H7704
a field (as flat) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
fowls
ע֣וֹףof
H5775
a bird (as covered with feathers · noun, common masculine singular construct
heaven
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִםha.sha.Ma.yim
H8064
the sky (as aloft · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
things
וְרֶ֖מֶשׂve.Re.mes
H7431
a reptile or any other rapidly moving animal · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct
ground
הָֽאֲדָמָ֑הha.'a.da.Mah
H127
soil (from its general redness) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
break
אֶשְׁבּ֣וֹר'esh.Bor
H7665
to burst (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
bow
וְקֶ֨שֶׁתve.Ke.shet
H7198
a bow · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
sword
וְחֶ֤רֶבve.Che.rev
H2719
drought · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
battle
וּמִלְחָמָה֙u.mil.cha.Mah
H4421
a battle (i.e. the engagement) · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
earth
הָאָ֔רֶץha.'A.retz
H776
the earth (at large · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
down
וְהִשְׁכַּבְתִּ֖יםve.hish.kav.Tim
H7901
to lie down (for rest · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
safely
לָבֶֽטַחla.Ve.tach
H983
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Ezekiel 34:25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the w…
Ezekiel 39:9-10 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, t…
Psalms 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
Isaiah 11:6-9 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling togeth…
Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall n…
Jeremiah 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS…
Isaiah 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into…
Job 5:23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Hosea 2:14–end
The state of Israel ruined by their own sin did not look so black and dismal in the former part of the chapter, but that the state of Israel, restrained by the divine grace, looks as bright and pleasant here in the latter part of the chapter, and the more surprisingly so as the promises follow thus close upon the threatenings; nay, which is very strange, they are by a note of connexion joined to, and inferred from, that declaration of their sinfulness upon which the threatenings of their ruin are grounded: She went after her lovers, and forgot me, saith the Lord; therefore I will allure her. Fitly therefore is that therefore which is the note of connexion immediately followed with a note of…
for them--for their benefit.
covenant . . . with the beasts--not to hurt them (Job 5:23). They shall fulfil the original law of their creation by becoming subject to man, when man fulfils the law of his being by being subject to God. To be realized fully in millennial times (Isa 11:6-9).
break the bow . . . out of the earth--rather, "out of the land"; that is, I will break and remove war out of the earth (Psa 46:9); and "out of the land" of Israel first (Isa 2:4; Eze 39:9-10; Zac 9:9-10).
lie down--A reclining posture is the usual one with Orientals when not in action.
safely-- (Jer 23:6).
John Gill on Hosea 2:18
And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field,.... That is, so as to be at peace with them, as the Targum is; see Job 5:23, the sense is, the Lord here promises this unto them, and that it shall be as sure and firm, and to be as much depended upon, as if it was established and settled by covenant, and should be enjoyed as a covenant mercy and blessing; and the creatures should as strictly observe it, and answer to it, as if bound by covenant: and this should reach not only to the beasts of the field, the wild beasts of prey, "but the fowls of heaven"; as the locusts and others, as Kimchi observes, which should not eat up the fruits and increase of the earth: "a…
For He hath come as a Physician, not as a Judge. Therefore in like manner as those of old took harlots for wives, even so God too espoused unto Himself the nature which had played the harlot: and this also prophets from the beginning declare to have taken place with respect to the Synagogue. But that spouse was ungrateful towards Him who had been an husband to her, whereas, the Church, when once delivered from the evils received from our fathers, continued to embrace the Bridegroom.
And I will strike a deal with them in that day, with the beasts of the field and with the birds of the sky and with the creeping things of the ground; and I will shatter from the land, the bow, the sword, and war. And I will cause them to sleep with security. (LXX) And I will make a covenant with them in that day, with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the creeping things of the earth; and I will break the bow, and the sword, and war out of the land, and I will cause them to dwell in hope. When all the words of the opposing religion have been taken away from the people confessing the Lord, and he calls me, "my husband," and not "Baal," that is, "my idol," then I will strike a deal and agreement with them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky and with the creeping things on the ground. From this time on, Isaiah speaks: "The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the lion, and the sheep will live together, and a small child will lead them all. The calf and the bear will graze and their young will rest together. The lion will eat straw like an ox." (Isaiah 11:6-7) He desires neither flesh nor blood, but feeds on clean and simple foods. When Peter was instructed to welcome Cornelius among the nations (Acts 10:15), it was revealed and commanded that he should eat all kinds of animals and recognize nothing as unclean, which he received with thanksgiving. Later, he was told: "What God has cleansed, you must not call common." (Ephesians 2:1). Therefore, at the coming of the Lord and Savior, after his triumphs in the resurrection, and his ascent to the Father, two walls were joined together by a corner stone, made one by him who made both ("Al." both): and he called her who was called, "Without mercy, mercy obtained": and those who were said, "Not my people," his people: and with all things pacified, the bow and sword shall be brought to nothing, and war shall cease. For there will no longer be a need for weapons of those who fight, when those who fight no more exist. Israel shall be joined to the Gentiles, and that of Deuteronomy shall be fulfilled: "Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people" (Deut. 32:43). "God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel." And: "In peace his habitation shall be, and his dwelling in Sion" (Psalm 75), that is, in the Church, wherein he hath…
Dictionary and topics
Bow, The · Illustrative: (When broken,) of the overthrow of power — Illustrative: (When broken,) of the overthrow of power
Covenants · Illustrative: (With stones and beasts, of the earth,) of peace and prosperity — Illustrative: (With stones and beasts, of the earth,) of peace and prosperity
Nation · Promises of peace to — Promises of peace to
Peace · The church shall enjoy — The church shall enjoy
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Hosea 2:18
Hosea 2:18
18. And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
18. Et percutiam illis foedus in die illa cum bestia agri et cum volucre coeli et cum reptili terrae: et arcum et gladium et proelium confringam e terra et quiescere eos faciam ad fiduciam, (hoc est, confidenter.)
The Prophet shows here that the people would be in every way happy after their return to God's favour: and, at the same time, he reminds us that the cause of all evils is, that men provoke God's wrath. He…
With the complete abolition of idolatry and false religion, the church of the Lord will attain to the enjoyment of undisturbed peace. Hos 2:18. "And I make a covenant for them in that day with the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and the moving creatures of the earth: and I break in pieces bow, and sword, and battle out of the land, and cause them to dwell securely." God makes a covenant with the beasts, when He imposes the obligation upon them to hurt men no more. "For them:" lâhem is a dat. comm., for the good of the favoured ones. The three classes of beasts that are dangerous to men, are mentioned here, as in Gen 9:2. "Beasts of the field," as distinguished from the same do…
On that day the Lord would make a covenant with his creation and his people, a covenant of peace and safety.
Rashi on Hosea 2:18
you shall call [Me] Ishi, etc You shall worship Me out of love and not out of fear. Ishi is an expression of marriage and the love of one’s youth.
Baali An expression of mastership and fear. And our Rabbis (Pesachim 87a, Kethuboth 71b) explained: Like a bride in her father-in-law’s house, and not like a bride in her father’s house.
