Hosea 3 · Verse 3

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.
Hosea 3:3, King James Version

Hosea 3:3 in other translations

BSBThen I said to her, “You must live with me for many days; you must not be promiscuous or belong to another, and I will do the same for you.”
WEBI said to her, “You shall stay with me many days. You shall not play the prostitute, and you shall not be with any other man. I will also be so toward you.”
ASVand I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be any man’s wife: so will I also be toward thee.
YLTand I say unto her, ‘Many days thou dost remain for Me, thou dost not go a-whoring, nor become any one's; and I also am for thee.'
DARBYAnd I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be another man's, and I will also be for thee.
BBEAnd I said to her, You are to be mine for a long space of time; you are not to be false to me, and no other man is to have you for his wife; and so will I be to you.
WebsterAnd I said to 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.

What does Hosea 3:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. abide for me--separate from intercourse with any other man, and remaining for me who have redeemed thee (compare De 21:13). so will I also be for thee--remain for thee, not taking any other consort. As Israel should long remain without serving other gods, yet separate from Jehovah; so Jehovah on His part, in this long period of estrangement, would form no marriage covenant with any other people (compare Ho 3:4). He would not immediately receive her to marriage privileges, but would test her repentance and discipline her by the long probation; still the marriage covenant would hold good, she was to be kept separated for but a time, not divorced (Is 50:1); in God's good time she shall be restored.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 Thou shalt abide for me many days - He did not take her home, but made a contract with her that, if she would abstain from her evil ways, he would take her to himself after a sufficient trial. In the meantime he gave her the money and the barley to subsist upon, that she might not be under the temptation of becoming again unfaithful. So will I also be for thee - That is, if thou, Israel, wilt keep thyself separate from thy idolatry, and give me proof, by thy total abstinence from idols, that thou wilt be my faithful worshipper, I will receive thee again, and in the meantime support thee with the necessaries of life while thou art in the land of thy captivity. This is farther illustrated in the following verses.

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 3:3 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.

וָאֹמַ֣רva.'o.Marand I saidH559
אֵלֶ֗יהָ'e.Lei.hato herH413
יָמִ֤יםya.MimdaysH3117
רַבִּים֙ra.BimmanyH7227
תֵּ֣שְׁבִיTe.she.viyou will dwellH3427
לִ֔יLito me
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
תִזְנִ֔יtiz.Niyou must prostitute yourselfH2181
וְלֹ֥אve.Lo'and notH3808
תִֽהְיִ֖יtih.Yiyou must belongH1961
לְאִ֑ישׁle.'Ishto a manH376
וְגַם\־ve.gam-and alsoH1571
אֲנִ֖י'a.NiIH589
אֵלָֽיִךְ\׃'e.La.yikhto youH413

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

Cross references for Hosea 3:3

  • Deuteronomy 21:13

    And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Thou shalt abide.
De 21:13

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

Context

  • 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.

  • Hosea 3:4

    For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

Read all of Hosea 3

Hosea 3:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y díjele: Tú estarás por mía muchos días: no fornicarás, ni tomarás otro varón; ni tampoco yo vendré á ti.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je lui dis: Durant beaucoup de jours tu m’attendras, tu ne te prostitueras pas, et tu ne seras à aucun homme; et moi je ferai de même à ton égard.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich sprach zu ihr: Du sollst mir viele Tage also bleiben, du sollst nicht huren und keines Mannes sein; und so werde auch ich dir gegenüber tun.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et dixi ad eam: Dies multos exspectabis me; non fornicaberis, et non eris viro; sed et ego exspectabo te.