Hosea 3 · Verse 5

Hosea 3:5

Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.
Hosea 3:5, King James Version

Hosea 3:5 in other translations

BSBAfterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.
WEBAfterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and shall come with trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.
ASVafterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and shall come with fear unto Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter days.
YLTAfterwards turned back have the sons of Israel, and sought Jehovah their God, and David their king, and have hastened unto Jehovah, and unto His goodness, in the latter end of the days.
DARBYAfterwards shall the children of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king; and shall turn with fear toward Jehovah and toward his goodness, at the end of the days.
BBEAnd after that, the children of Israel will come back and go in search of the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come in fear to the Lord and to his mercies in the days to come.
WebsterAfterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

What does Hosea 3:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. Afterward--after the long period ("many days," Ho 3:4) has elapsed. return--from their idols to "their God," from whom they had wandered. David their king--Israel had forsaken the worship of Jehovah at the same time that they forsook their allegiance to David's line. Their repentance towards God is therefore to be accompanied by their return to the latter. So Judah and Israel shall be one, and under "one head," as is also foretold (Ho 1:11). That representative and antitype of David is Messiah. "David" means "the beloved." Compare as to Messiah, Mt 3:17; Ep 1:6. Messiah is called David (Is 55:3, 4; Jr 30:9; Eze 34:23, 24; 37:24, 25). fear the Lord and his goodness--that is, tremblingly flee to the Lord, to escape from the wrath to come; and to His goodness," as manifested in Messiah, which attracts them to Him (Jr 31:12). The "fear" is not that which "hath torment" (1Jo 4:18), but reverence inspired by His goodness realized in the soul (Psa 130:4). the latter days--those of Messiah [Kimchi].

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return - Shall repent of their iniquities, and seek the Lord; lay aside their mock worship, and serve the true God in spirit and in truth. And David their king - Or as the Targum, "They shall obey the Messiah, the Son of David their King;" and thus look believingly upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn. And then shall their long spiritual darkness and dismal captivity have an end; but not before. The Messiah, as David, is promised in Jer 30:9 (note); Eze 24:23 (note); Eze 37:22-25 (note), and in this place of Hosea. Some think that the family of David is intended; but if we go to the rigour of the letter, the house of Israel was scarcely ever perfectly submissive to David. And we know that after the death of Solomon they never acknowledged the house of David till they were all carried away captive; and certainly never since. And to say that Zerubbabel is here meant, is not supportable, as the very short and imperfect obedience of the Jews to Zerubbabel can never comport with the high terms of this and similar prophecies. We are obliged, therefore, from the evidence of these prophecies, from the evidence of the above facts, from the evidence of the rabbins themselves, and from the evidence of the New Testament, to consider these texts as applying solely to Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, who has been a light to lighten the Gentiles, and will yet be the glory of his people Israel. There is a strange propensity in some men to deny these evidences of Christianity, while they profess to believe its doctrines.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hosea 3:4-5

Here is the application of the parable to Israel. They must long sit like a widow, stripped of all joys and honours; but shall at length be received again. Those that would seek the Lord so as to find him, must apply to Christ, and become his willing people. Not only are we to fear the Lord and his greatness, but the Lord and his goodness; not only his majesty, but his mercy. Even Jewish writers apply this passage…

Read the full comment on Hosea 3:4-5 →

Hosea 3:5 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.

אַחַ֗ר'a.CharafterH310
יָשֻׁ֙בוּ֙ya.Shu.vuthey will returnH7725
בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
וּבִקְשׁוּ֙u.vik.Shuand they will seekH1245
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֔ם'e.lo.hei.HemGod theirH430
וְאֵ֖תve.'Etand <obj.>H853
דָּוִ֣דda.VidDavidH1732
מַלְכָּ֑םmal.Kamking theirH4428
וּפָחֲד֧וּu.fa.cha.Duand they will be in dreadH6342
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יְהוָ֛הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וְאֶל\־ve.'el-and toH413
טוּב֖וֹtu.Vogoodness hisH2898
בְּאַחֲרִ֥יתbe.'a.cha.Ritat [the] end ofH319
הַיָּמִֽים\׃\ \פhai.ya.Mimthe daysH3117

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

Cross references for Hosea 3:5

  • Jeremiah 50:4-5

    In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

  • Jeremiah 30:9

    But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

  • Ezekiel 34:23-24

    And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.

  • Isaiah 2:2

    And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

  • Ezekiel 37:22-25

    And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

  • Romans 2:4

    Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

  • Psalms 130:3-4

    If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

  • Isaiah 55:3-4

    Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

  • Micah 4:1

    But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

  • Ezekiel 16:63

    That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.

  • 1 Kings 12:16

    So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.

  • Daniel 10:14

    Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
seek.
5:6,15; Isa 27:12,13; Jer 3:22,23; 31:6-10; 50:4,5
and David their king.
1Ki 12:16; Isa 55:3,4; Jer 30:9; 33:17; Eze 34:23,24; 37:22-25
Am 9:11; Ac 15:16-18
fear.
Ps 130:3,4; Jer 33:9; Eze 16:63; Ro 2:4
in the.
Nu 24:14; De 4:30; Isa 2:2; Jer 30:24; Eze 38:8,16; Da 2:28; 10:14
Mic 4:1; Ro 11:25

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

Context

  • 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:

  • Hosea 3:5

    Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.

Read all of Hosea 3

Hosea 3:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Después volverán los hijos de Israel, y buscarán á Jehová su Dios, y á David su rey; y temerán á Jehová y á su bondad en el fin de los días.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ensuite, les fils d’Israël retourneront et rechercheront l’ Éternel, leur Dieu, et David, leur roi, et se tourneront avec crainte vers l’ Éternel et vers sa bonté, à la fin des jours.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Danach werden die Kinder Israel umkehren und Jehova, ihren Gott, und David, ihren König, suchen; und sie werden sich zitternd wenden zu Jehova und zu seiner Güte am Ende der Tage.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et post hæc revertentur filii Israël, et quærent Dominum Deum suum, et David regem suum: et pavebunt ad Dominum, et ad bonum ejus, in novissimo dierum.