Bible Strands
Hosea 2:16
In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call Me ‘my Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Yahweh addresses Israel, speaking of a future restoration after their pursuit of other lovers. He declares a definitive shift in their relationship during the day of renewal.
The words — The text centers on תִּקְרְאִי (tik.re.'I), meaning "you will call," and אִישִׁי ('i.Sh/i), meaning "my husband." These terms explicitly replace the prior title "my Master" with a covenantal designation.
The thread — This marital language parallels Isaiah 54:5, where Yahweh is named Israel’s Maker and Redeemer, and contrasts with the "master" title in Jeremiah 3:14. The theme continues in Hosea 2:15 through the Valley of Achor restoration and in Hosea 2:17 through the removal of Baal names.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to accept that divine fidelity replaces idolatrous alliance through a changed relational address. It demands recognition that covenant loyalty is established by mutual designation rather than enforced authority.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 54:5 For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.
- Hosea 2:7 She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will return to my first husband, for then I was better off than now.’
- Jeremiah 3:14 “Return, O faithless children,” declares the LORD, “for I am your master, and I will take you—one from a city and two from a family—and bring you to Zion.
- Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.
- John 3:29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
- 2 Corinthians 11:2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
- Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her