Hosea 3 · Verse 2

Hosea 3:2

So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:
Hosea 3:2, King James Version

Hosea 3:2 in other translations

BSBSo I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.
WEBSo I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley.
ASVSo I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and a homer of barley, and a half-homer of barley;
YLTAnd I buy her to me for fifteen silverlings, and a homer and a letech of barley;
DARBYSo I bought her to me for fifteen silver pieces, and for a homer of barley, and a half-homer of barley.
BBESo I got her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley;
WebsterSo I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for a homer of barley, and a half homer of barley:

What does Hosea 3:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. I bought her--The price paid is too small to be a probable dowry wherewith to buy a wife from her parents; but it is just half the price of a female slave, in money, the rest of the price being made up in grain (Ex 21:32). Hosea pays this for the redemption of his wife, who has become the slave of her paramour. The price being half grain was because the latter was the allowance of food for the slave, and of the coarsest kind, not wheat, but barley. Israel, as committing sin, was the slave of sin (Joh 8:34; Ro 6:16-20; 2Pe 2:19). The low price expresses Israel's worthlessness.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Fifteen pieces of silver - If they were shekels, the price of this woman was about two pounds five shillings. A homer of barley - As the homer was about eight bushels, or something more, the homer and half was about twelve or thirteen bushels.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hosea 3:1-3

The prophet enters into a new contract, representing the gracious manner in which God will again restore Israel under a new covenant. Verses 1-3 The dislike of men to true religion is because they love objects and forms, which allow them to indulge, instead of mortifying their lusts. How wonderful that a holy God should have good-will to those whose carnal mind is enmity against Him! Here is represented God's…

Read the full comment on Hosea 3:1-3 →

Hosea 3:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וָאֶכְּרֶ֣הָva.'e.ke.Re.haand I bought herH3739
לִּ֔יLifor myself
בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֥הba.cha.mi.Shahfor fif-H2568
עָשָׂ֖ר'a.SarteenH6240
כָּ֑סֶףKa.sefsilverH3701
וְחֹ֥מֶרve.Cho.merand a homer ofH2563
שְׂעֹרִ֖יםse.'o.Rimbarley<s>H8184
וְלֵ֥תֶךְve.Le.tekhand a lethech ofH3963
שְׂעֹרִֽים\׃se.'o.Rimbarley<s>H8184

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Hosea 3:2

  • Genesis 34:12

    Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

  • Leviticus 27:16

    And if a man shall sanctify unto the Lord some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.

  • Ezekiel 45:11

    The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.

  • Genesis 31:41

    Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

  • Isaiah 5:10

    Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

  • Exodus 22:17

    If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

  • 1 Samuel 18:25

    And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I bought.
Ge 31:41; 34:12; Ex 22:17; 1Sa 18:25
an homer.
Le 27:16; Isa 5:10; Eze 45:11
half homer. Heb. lethech.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Hosea 3:1

    Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.

  • Hosea 3:2

    So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:

  • Hosea 3:3

    And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.

Read all of Hosea 3

Hosea 3:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Compréla entonces para mí por quince dineros de plata, y un homer y medio de cebada;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je me l’achetai pour 15 pièces d’argent, et un khomer d’orge et un léthec d’orge.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich kaufte sie mir für fünfzehn Silbersekel und einen Homer Gerste und einen Letech Gerste.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et fodi eam mihi quindecim argenteis, et coro hordei, et dimidio coro hordæi.