Question 1

What does it mean to call the brothers Ammi and the sisters Ruhamah?

Accepted Answer

Those names mean “my people” and “shown mercy.” Earlier God had said the opposite, that they were not his people and would not receive mercy. Here he tells the faithful to speak to each other with these new names. It is like God is giving them a fresh start and a new identity. He is saying, “You belong to me again, and I am showing you mercy.” This helps the people remember who they really are in God’s eyes, even while he still confronts their sin.

Question 2

Why is Israel pictured as a wife who has been unfaithful?

Accepted Answer

God uses marriage language so people can feel how serious their turning away is. He had entered into a close bond with them, like a husband who loves and cares for his wife. When they run after idols, he calls it adultery. The picture of the wife chasing “lovers” who give her food and clothes shows how the people trusted idols and foreign powers instead of the Lord. This image also makes the promise of taking her back, and betrothing her again, very tender and personal.

Question 3

What does it mean that God will hedge up her way with thorns?

Accepted Answer

When God says he will hedge up her way with thorns and build a wall, it means he will block the path that leads to idols. The people will keep trying to chase their “lovers,” but they will not reach them. Loss, trouble, and closed doors will show them that idols cannot help. This is both judgment and mercy. God lets the pain of their choices catch up with them so they will finally say, “I will go back to my first husband, because life with him was better than this.”

Question 4

Why does God take away grain, wine, wool, and flax in this chapter?

Accepted Answer

God reminds them that he is the one who gave their food, drink, and clothing in the first place. But they took his gifts and used them in idol worship, even saying their idols had rewarded them. So God says he will take back his grain in its time and his wine in its season. Their vines and fig trees will be ruined. This shows that every good thing comes from God, and when people misuse his gifts and forget him, he may remove those gifts to wake them up.

Question 5

What is the valley of Achor as a door of hope?

Accepted Answer

The valley of Achor was once linked with trouble and judgment. Here, God promises to turn that place of trouble into a door of hope. After he brings his people into a kind of wilderness and speaks kindly to them, he will give back vineyards and open a way into new blessing. The picture is that God can turn the hardest and darkest places into a starting point for fresh joy, so that his people sing again like they did when he first rescued them from slavery.

Question 6

What does it mean that they will call God Ishi and not Baali?

Accepted Answer

The word “Ishi” means “my husband,” while “Baali” means “my master” and was also tied to the name of their false gods. God promises that one day they will speak to him in a warm, close way, like a wife speaking to a loving husband, not like someone fearing a harsh master. He will remove even the names of the Baals from their mouths. Their hearts and their words will be cleaned from idol talk, and their bond with God will be based on love, not cold distance.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s character?

Accepted Answer

This chapter shows both God’s holiness and his kindness. He does not ignore sin. He warns that he will strip, expose, and bring drought, and that joy and feasts will stop if his people keep running after idols. Yet he also speaks of hedging their way, not to destroy them, but to bring them back. He promises to allure them, speak softly, give vineyards, make them safe, and betroth them forever in righteousness, justice, love, mercy, and faithfulness. He is firm against sin and very patient in mercy.

Question 8

Why does God say he will betroth them to himself forever?

Accepted Answer

The promise to betroth them forever shows that God plans a renewed bond that will not break like before. He lists the qualities of this new joining: righteousness, judgment, lovingkindness, mercies, and faithfulness. This means the relationship will rest on God’s steady character, not on the people’s shifting moods. They will truly know the Lord. Even after their long unfaithfulness, God’s goal is not just to punish, but to bring them into a deeper and lasting union with him.

Question 9

Who are the people called “not my people” and “no mercy” who are restored?

Accepted Answer

Earlier, names like “not my people” and “no mercy” were signs of rejection. Here God reverses those words. He says, “I will have mercy on her that had not obtained mercy” and “I will say to them which were not my people, You are my people.” And they will answer, “You are my God.” This shows that even when people feel cast off because of their sin, God can speak a new word. He can claim them again, restore the bond, and teach them to respond to him in faith and loyalty.

Question 10

How can this passage about judgment and mercy apply to me today?

Accepted Answer

This chapter invites you to see where you might be chasing “lovers” of your own, things you trust more than God for security and joy. God may allow some paths to close or blessings to fade, not because he hates you, but to turn your heart back. Like Israel, you are called to remember that every good gift comes from him. When you feel empty or blocked, you can say, “I will return to my first love.” The same God still speaks kindly, restores joy, and welcomes people into a faithful relationship with him.

Hosea 2:1

Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

Israel’s Adultery Rebuked

God’s Mercy to Israel

Israel’s Adultery Rebuked

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Hosea 2:1

Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

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Israel’s Adultery Rebuked

God’s Mercy to Israel

Israel’s Adultery Rebuked

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