Bible Strands
Hosea 2:19
So I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in loving devotion and compassion.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks to Israel, personified as a wife, in a future restoration following the abolition of war (v. 18). This is a divine declaration of renewed covenant bond, not a human proposal.
The words — 'erastîkh (אֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ, "I will betroth you") is the Hiphil of H781, repeated twice in the verse for emphasis; 'olam (עוֹלָם, "forever," H5769) marks the duration as unending rather than merely long.
The thread — Paul applies the same betrothal logic to the church in 2 Corinthians 11:2 ("I promised you to one husband"), and Revelation 21:2 pictures the new Jerusalem as a bride prepared for her husband. Isaiah 54:8 pairs "everlasting kindness" with compassion, echoing the same divine character traits listed here.
Why it lands — The verse places the initiative entirely on God's side: He betroths, and the terms are His own attributes (righteousness, justice, covenant loyalty, compassion), not Israel's performance. The stated purpose in the following verse is that Israel will "know the LORD"—the bond exists to produce knowledge of God, not merely comfort.
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 I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Revelation 21:2 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
- Isaiah 54:8 In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.
- Isaiah 54:14 In righteousness you will be established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear. Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you.
- Psalms 85:10 Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together; righteousness and peace have kissed.
- Ezekiel 37:25 They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever.
- 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.
- Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.
- 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.
- 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.