So I bought herThis phrase indicates a transaction, reflecting the cultural and historical practice of purchasing a slave or redeeming someone from bondage. In the context of Hosea, this act symbolizes God's redemption of Israel despite their unfaithfulness. The act of buying back Gomer, Hosea's wife, is a vivid illustration of God's love and commitment to His covenant people, even when they stray. This mirrors the redemptive work of Christ, who "bought" humanity with His sacrifice (
1 Corinthians 6:20).
for fifteen shekels of silver
The price of fifteen shekels of silver is significant as it represents half the typical price of a slave, which was thirty shekels (Exodus 21:32). This may suggest Gomer's diminished value due to her unfaithfulness, yet Hosea's willingness to pay this price underscores the depth of his love and commitment. This can be seen as a type of Christ's redemptive work, where He paid the ultimate price for humanity's redemption, regardless of their worthiness.
and a homer and a lethech of barley
The inclusion of barley, a less expensive grain, alongside the silver, indicates a mixed form of payment. Barley was often considered the food of the poor, highlighting the humble circumstances of the transaction. This reflects the humility of Christ, who came not with earthly wealth but with spiritual riches. The combination of silver and barley may also symbolize the completeness of the redemption, as both monetary and sustenance needs are met. This act of redemption is a precursor to the ultimate redemption through Jesus, who provides both spiritual and physical sustenance (John 6:35).
Persons / Places / Events
1.
HoseaA prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, called by God to deliver His message to the Israelites. Hosea's life and marriage serve as a symbolic representation of God's relationship with Israel.
2.
GomerHosea's wife, who is unfaithful to him. Her actions symbolize Israel's unfaithfulness to God through idolatry and sin.
3.
IsraelThe Northern Kingdom, often depicted as unfaithful to God, similar to Gomer's unfaithfulness to Hosea.
4.
Fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethek of barleyThe price Hosea paid to redeem Gomer, symbolizing the cost of redemption and God's willingness to restore Israel despite their unfaithfulness.
5.
RedemptionThe act of buying back or restoring, which is central to the account of Hosea and Gomer, and reflects God's redemptive plan for His people.
Teaching Points
Understanding RedemptionHosea's purchase of Gomer illustrates the concept of redemption. Just as Hosea redeemed Gomer, God redeems us through Christ. Reflect on the cost of redemption and God's love for us.
Faithfulness in RelationshipsHosea's commitment to Gomer despite her unfaithfulness challenges us to consider our own relationships. Are we willing to forgive and restore those who have wronged us?
God's Unfailing LoveThe account of Hosea and Gomer is a powerful reminder of God's unwavering love for His people. Even when we stray, God seeks to restore us.
The Cost of SinGomer's situation reflects the consequences of sin and unfaithfulness. Consider how sin affects our relationship with God and others, and the steps needed for restoration.
Living as Redeemed PeopleAs those who have been bought with a price, we are called to live lives that reflect our redemption. How does this truth impact our daily actions and decisions?
Lists and Questions
Top 10 Lessons from Hosea 3
Could the events of Hosea 3 be purely symbolic or allegorical, and if so, what would that imply about their historical reliability?
Given the cultural norms of Hosea’s time, is it plausible that a prophet would buy back and restore an adulterous wife as portrayed in Hosea 3?
Is there any historical or archaeological evidence indicating that Hosea’s marriage to Gomer, as described in Hosea 3, actually took place?
How can we reconcile the command in Hosea 3:1 for a prophet to marry a prostitute with moral standards presented elsewhere in Scripture?(2)
Pieces of silver.--Shekels.
So I bought her.--Gomer was treated as no longer a wife, but requiring to be restored to such a position. The purchase of wives is still a very common practice in the East (See Henderson'sCommentary, and Deut. xxi 14.)
Half homer of barley.--Half a homer is the translation given to the Hebrew wordlethekh, which occurs only in this passage. This rendering is founded on the interpretation half a cor (cor = homer), which is given in all the Greek versions except the LXX. The latter read "and anebhel of wine," thenebhel being probably a skin bottle of a certain liquid capacity. This pre-supposes a different Hebrew text. From2Kings 7:1 we may infer that an ephah of barley at ordinary times would cost one shekel (comp.Amos 8:5), and since a homer contains ten ephahs, the price paid by the prophet was thirty shekels altogether. Reckoning a shekel as= two drachms (so LXX.), or 2s. 6 d., the price paid by Hosea was about 3 15s. According toExodus 21:32, this was the compensation enacted for a slave gored to death by a bull, and is a hint of the degradation to which Gomer had sunk.
Verse 2. -
So I bought (
acquired)
her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley and an half-homer (margin,
lethech)
of barley. In narrating the prophet's compliance with the Divine command, the word
אֶכְּרֶהָis connected by Aben Ezra with
וֶכַר in the sense of making acquaintance with; but it is more correctly referred by Kimchi to
כָרָה with daghesh euphonic in the
caph as in
יִקְּרֵך shall meet thee. "The daghesh of the
caph is for euphony as in
miqdush, and the root is
כַרה (Kimchi). The meaning is then simply and naturally traced as follows: to dig, obtain by digging, acquire. The price paid for the acquisition in this case was either the purchase money paid to the parents of the bride, as to Laban in the case of Rachel and Leah by Jacob, or the marriage present paid (
mohar) to the bride herself. Another view represents the prophet paying the price to the woman's husband to whom she had been unfaithful, and who in consequence resigned her for so small a sum. It remains for us to attend to the amount thus paid. Fifteen pieces of silver or shekels would be about one pound fifteen shillings, or one pound seventeen and six-pence; while the price of the barley would he somewhere about the same. There were fifty or sixty shekels in a
mana, Greek
mina, and Latin
ulna; while the maneh was cue-sixtieth of a talent (
kikteer); and thus three thousand or three thousand six hundred shekels in a talent. The homer, the largest of the Hebrew dry measures, contained one cor or ten ephahs ( = ten baths of liquids = ten Attic
μέδιμνοι), and the half-homer or
lethec (
haemi-coros in LXX.) was half a cop or five ephahs. These fifteen ephahs, at a shekel each - for under extraordinary circumstances (
2 Kings 7:1) we read of" two measures of barley for a shekel" - would be equivalent to one pound fifteen or seventeen shillings and sixpence. Both together - the silver and the barley - would amount to thirty shekels, or three pounds and ten or fifteen shillings. Why this exact amount? and why such particularity in the reckoning? By turning to
Exodus 21:32 we learn that thirty shekels were the estimated value of a manservant or maidservant; for it is there stated that "if the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant, he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver." The price paid by the prophet partly in money and partly in kind was exactly the price of an ordinary maidservant. The barley (
שְׂעֹרִים, plural, equivalent to "grains of barley") may hint the woman's unchastity, as it was the offering for a woman suspected of adultery (
Numbers 5.) The low estate of the person purchased is a legitimate inference kern all this. The wife, for whom such a paltry sum should be paid, and paid in such a way, or to whom such a petty gift would be offered, must be supposed to be in a condition of deep depression or in circumstances of great distress. Thus the sum paid by the prophet for his partner symbolizes the servile state of Israel when Jehovah chose them for his peculiar people.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
So I bought herוָאֶכְּרֶ֣הָ(wā·’ek·kə·re·hā)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 3739:To trade, get by tradefor fifteen [shekels]בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֥ה(ba·ḥă·miš·šāh)Preposition-b, Article | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 2568:Fiveof silverכָּ֑סֶף(kā·sep̄)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3701:Silver, moneyand a homerוְחֹ֥מֶר(wə·ḥō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2563:A bubbling up, of water, a wave, of earth, mire, clay, a heap, a chomer, dry measureand a lethekוְלֵ֥תֶךְ(wə·lê·ṯeḵ)Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3963:A measure for, things dryof barley.שְׂעֹרִ֖ים(śə·‘ō·rîm)Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 8184:Barley
Links
Hosea 3:2 NIVHosea 3:2 NLTHosea 3:2 ESVHosea 3:2 NASBHosea 3:2 KJV
Hosea 3:2 BibleApps.comHosea 3:2 Biblia ParalelaHosea 3:2 Chinese BibleHosea 3:2 French BibleHosea 3:2 Catholic Bible
OT Prophets: Hosea 3:2 So I bought her for myself (Ho Hs Hos.) 
