Bible Strands
Hosea 3:3
Then 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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Hosea speaks these words to Gomer immediately after buying her in Hosea 3:2. The command initiates a prolonged period of separation that precedes the declaration of Israel’s future desolation in Hosea 3:4.
The words — The Hebrew תִזְנִי (tiz.Ni) literally means "you must prostitute yourself," paired with תֵּשְׁבִי (Te.she.vi) for "you will dwell." These terms establish the conditional terms of the renewed marital covenant.
The thread — The restriction against returning to another owner aligns with the boundary in Deuteronomy 21:13 that a purchased captive wife must not be resold. Hosea 3:3 applies this legal boundary to the prophetic sign-act.
Why it lands — The text mandates a prolonged period of restricted living to enforce exclusive loyalty before announcing national collapse. It requires the reader to accept that covenant restoration operates within strict limits of fidelity.
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 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.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 21:13 and put aside the clothing of her captivity. After she has lived in your house a full month and mourned her father and mother, you may have relations with her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.