- Home
- Bible
- Hosea
- Chapter 12
- Verse 12
Hosea 12:6
Verse
Context
Sermons
Vance Havner
T. Austin-SparksSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
Therefore turn thou to thy God - Because he is the same, and cannot change. Seek him as faithfully and as fervently as Jacob did, and you will find him the same merciful and compassionate Being.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
To this God Israel is now to return. Hos 12:6. "And thou, to thy God shalt thou turn: keep love and right, and hope continually in thy God." שׁוּב with ב is a pregnant expression, as in Isa 10:22 : "so to turn as to enter into vital fellowship with God;" i.e., to be truly converted. The next two clauses, as the omission of the copula before chesed and the change in the tense clearly show, are to be taken as explanatory of תּשׁוּב. The conversion is to show itself in the perception of love and right towards their brethren, and in constant trust in God. But Israel is far removed from this now. This thought leads the way to the next strophe (Hos 12:8 -15), which commences afresh with a disclosure of the apostasy of the people.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
thou--who dost wish to be a true descendant of Jacob. to THY God--who is therefore bound by covenant to hear thy prayers. keep mercy and judgment-- (Mic 6:8). These two include the second-table commandments, duty towards one's neighbor, the most visible test of the sincerity on one's repentance. wait on thy God--alone, not on thy idols. Including all the duties of the first table (Psa 37:3, Psa 37:5, Psa 37:7; Psa 40:1).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Therefore turn thou to thy God,.... Judah, with whom the Lord had a controversy, is here addressed and exhorted to return to the Lord, from whom they had backslidden; and this is urged, from the consideration of their being the descendants of so great a man as Jacob; whose example they should follow, and make supplication to the Lord as he did; and from this instance of their progenitor might encourage themselves, that God, who was his God, and their God, would be gracious and merciful to them, and that they should prevail with him likewise, and obtain the blessing, and especially since he is the everlasting and unchangeable Jehovah. Turning to the Lord, as it supposes a going astray from him, so it signifies a turning from idols, and all vain confidences; and is done by renewed acts of faith and trust in the Lord, and repentance towards him; and cannot be performed aright without grace and strength from him, of which Ephraim was sensible, Jer 31:18; as well as the encouragement to it is from a view of God as a covenant God, and as gracious and merciful, So Aben Ezra interprets it of divine help, of turning by thy God, that is, by the help and assistance of thy God; and, indeed, conversion to God, whether at first, or after, is through his powerful and efficacious grace. Kimchi explains it, "thou shalt rest in thy God" (w); when want follows is performed, comparing it with Isa 30:15. The Targum is, "and thou shall be strong in the worship of thy God;'' keep mercy and judgment; or, "observe" (x) them to do them; to show mercy to persons in misery, to the poor and indigent, which is what the Lord desires and delights in, more than in ceremonial sacrifices; and is a principal part of the moral law, as "judgment" is another; the exercise of justice, both public and private; passing a righteous sentence in courts of judicature, and doing that which is right between man and man; owing no man anything, but giving to all their due; doing no injury to any man's person, property, or character; which are fruits meet for true repentance; and when they spring from faith and love, and are done with a view to the glory of God, and good of men, are acceptable to the Lord; these are the weightier matters of the law, Mat 23:23; and wait on thy God continually; both in private prayer, and for an answer to it, and in public worship and ordinances, in hope of meeting with him, and enjoying his presence; for this takes in the whole of religious worship, private and public, and all religious exercises, as invocation of God, trust in him, and expectation of seed things from him; and may have a respect to the Messiah, and salvation by him, and a waiting for him and that; as Jacob did, and his posterity should, and many of them were in this posture, before and at his coming; see Gen 49:18; Agreeable to this the Targum is, "and wait for the redemption or salvation of thy God continually.'' (w) "in Deo tuo conquiesce", Drusius. (x) "observa", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
12:6 The Lord admonished Israel to live no longer as Jacob did, but to return to God and act with love and justice.
Hosea 12:6
A Reproof of Ephraim, Judah, and Jacob
5the LORD is the God of Hosts— the LORD is His name of renown. 6But you must return to your God, maintaining love and justice, and always waiting on your God.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
You'll Get Over It!
By Vance Havner0RevivalFirst LoveHOS 12:6MAT 18:3ROM 12:111CO 13:1PHP 3:132TI 1:6HEB 10:24JAS 1:221JN 4:19REV 2:4Vance Havner emphasizes the danger of losing our first love for Christ, drawing parallels between nature's ability to recover from devastation and the human tendency to become complacent in faith. He warns that while we often get over hardships, we also risk getting over our passion for God, leading to spiritual stagnation. The church at Ephesus serves as a cautionary example of a community that, despite being active and doctrinally sound, had lost its fervor for Christ. Havner calls for a revival of love and zeal, urging believers to remember, repent, and return to their initial devotion to God. He concludes that true renewal comes from rekindling our relationship with Christ, rather than merely increasing church activities.
"Loose Him, and Let Him Go!"
By T. Austin-Sparks0JOB 33:22PSA 24:3PSA 27:2PSA 145:18ISA 1:16ISA 58:9HOS 12:6MAT 3:2HEB 7:19JAS 4:81PE 4:7James emphasizes the importance of drawing near to God, highlighting the significance of approaching Him in worship and communion, seeking to enter into a close relationship with Him. The term 'eggizo' signifies moving closer to God in space and time, signifying acceptable worship and communion with Him. Cleansing and purifying oneself are essential steps after drawing near to God, symbolizing a moral and ethical purification from sin, preparing one to enter God's holy presence.
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
Therefore turn thou to thy God - Because he is the same, and cannot change. Seek him as faithfully and as fervently as Jacob did, and you will find him the same merciful and compassionate Being.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
To this God Israel is now to return. Hos 12:6. "And thou, to thy God shalt thou turn: keep love and right, and hope continually in thy God." שׁוּב with ב is a pregnant expression, as in Isa 10:22 : "so to turn as to enter into vital fellowship with God;" i.e., to be truly converted. The next two clauses, as the omission of the copula before chesed and the change in the tense clearly show, are to be taken as explanatory of תּשׁוּב. The conversion is to show itself in the perception of love and right towards their brethren, and in constant trust in God. But Israel is far removed from this now. This thought leads the way to the next strophe (Hos 12:8 -15), which commences afresh with a disclosure of the apostasy of the people.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
thou--who dost wish to be a true descendant of Jacob. to THY God--who is therefore bound by covenant to hear thy prayers. keep mercy and judgment-- (Mic 6:8). These two include the second-table commandments, duty towards one's neighbor, the most visible test of the sincerity on one's repentance. wait on thy God--alone, not on thy idols. Including all the duties of the first table (Psa 37:3, Psa 37:5, Psa 37:7; Psa 40:1).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Therefore turn thou to thy God,.... Judah, with whom the Lord had a controversy, is here addressed and exhorted to return to the Lord, from whom they had backslidden; and this is urged, from the consideration of their being the descendants of so great a man as Jacob; whose example they should follow, and make supplication to the Lord as he did; and from this instance of their progenitor might encourage themselves, that God, who was his God, and their God, would be gracious and merciful to them, and that they should prevail with him likewise, and obtain the blessing, and especially since he is the everlasting and unchangeable Jehovah. Turning to the Lord, as it supposes a going astray from him, so it signifies a turning from idols, and all vain confidences; and is done by renewed acts of faith and trust in the Lord, and repentance towards him; and cannot be performed aright without grace and strength from him, of which Ephraim was sensible, Jer 31:18; as well as the encouragement to it is from a view of God as a covenant God, and as gracious and merciful, So Aben Ezra interprets it of divine help, of turning by thy God, that is, by the help and assistance of thy God; and, indeed, conversion to God, whether at first, or after, is through his powerful and efficacious grace. Kimchi explains it, "thou shalt rest in thy God" (w); when want follows is performed, comparing it with Isa 30:15. The Targum is, "and thou shall be strong in the worship of thy God;'' keep mercy and judgment; or, "observe" (x) them to do them; to show mercy to persons in misery, to the poor and indigent, which is what the Lord desires and delights in, more than in ceremonial sacrifices; and is a principal part of the moral law, as "judgment" is another; the exercise of justice, both public and private; passing a righteous sentence in courts of judicature, and doing that which is right between man and man; owing no man anything, but giving to all their due; doing no injury to any man's person, property, or character; which are fruits meet for true repentance; and when they spring from faith and love, and are done with a view to the glory of God, and good of men, are acceptable to the Lord; these are the weightier matters of the law, Mat 23:23; and wait on thy God continually; both in private prayer, and for an answer to it, and in public worship and ordinances, in hope of meeting with him, and enjoying his presence; for this takes in the whole of religious worship, private and public, and all religious exercises, as invocation of God, trust in him, and expectation of seed things from him; and may have a respect to the Messiah, and salvation by him, and a waiting for him and that; as Jacob did, and his posterity should, and many of them were in this posture, before and at his coming; see Gen 49:18; Agreeable to this the Targum is, "and wait for the redemption or salvation of thy God continually.'' (w) "in Deo tuo conquiesce", Drusius. (x) "observa", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
12:6 The Lord admonished Israel to live no longer as Jacob did, but to return to God and act with love and justice.