But you must return to your God
The phrase "return to your God" is a call to repentance and restoration. The Hebrew word for "return" is "shuv," which implies a turning back or a complete change of direction. In the context of Hosea, this is a plea for the Israelites to abandon their idolatrous ways and come back to a covenant relationship with Yahweh. Historically, Israel had strayed from God, engaging in practices that were contrary to His commandments. This call to return is not just a physical act but a spiritual renewal, emphasizing the need for heartfelt repentance and a recommitment to God.

maintaining love and justice
The Hebrew words for "love" (chesed) and "justice" (mishpat) are central to the covenant relationship between God and His people. "Chesed" refers to steadfast love, mercy, and loyalty, often used to describe God's covenantal love for Israel. "Mishpat" involves fairness, righteousness, and the proper administration of justice. Together, these terms encapsulate the ethical and moral standards that God expects from His people. In a historical context, Israel's society was marked by corruption and injustice, and this call serves as a reminder of the divine standards they are to uphold. The emphasis on love and justice reflects God's character and His desire for His people to mirror these attributes in their lives.

and waiting on your God always
The phrase "waiting on your God always" speaks to the necessity of patience, trust, and hope in God's timing and provision. The Hebrew word "qavah" for "waiting" conveys a sense of eager expectation and confident hope. This is not a passive waiting but an active, faithful anticipation of God's intervention and guidance. In the historical context of Hosea, Israel often sought alliances with foreign nations instead of relying on God. This exhortation is a call to trust in God's sovereignty and faithfulness, recognizing that He is the ultimate source of help and deliverance. The word "always" underscores the continuous and unwavering nature of this trust, encouraging believers to maintain their faith in God through all circumstances.

(6) Therefore . . .--More correctly, But do thou return to thy God. There is an implied contrast between the patriarch and his degenerate descendants in the days of Hosea.

Verse 6. - Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually. God's character in itself, and his conduct towards the great forefather of the Hebrew race, call at once for confidence and contrition. The evidence of their repentance is twofold: one aspect is manward, consisting of mercy and judgment; the other is Godward, being a constant waiting upon God. The literal rendering brings out the meaning more clearly; it is, "And thou, in [or, 'by'] thy God thou shalt return." If we render the preposition by "in," we may understand it to imply entire dependence on God, or close and cordial fellowship with God; if we take it to mean "by," it signifies the power or help of God; while the return is moral and spiritual, with perhaps material and literal restoration implied A parallel for be in the signification of "by" occurs in the first chapter of this book at the seventh verse: "I will save them by (be) the Lord their God;" also in Deuteronomy 33:29, "O people saved by (be) the Lord." We prefer the former sense as more simple and suitable; it is concisely and correctly explained by Keil as follows: "'שׁוב with בְ is a pregnant expression, as in Isaiah 10:22, 'So turn as to enter into vital fellowship with God; ' that is, to be truly converted.... The next two clauses are to be taken as explanatory of תשוב. The conversion is to show itself i, the perception of love and right towards their brethren, and in constant trust in God." The difference between שׁוּב בְּ and שוּב אֶל is that the latter signifies "to return to," and the former "to return into," and thus expresses inward union with him. The general sense of the clause is thus expressed by Aben Ezra: "If thou wouldst return to God, he would be thy help to bring thee back to him;" and by Kimchi as follows: "But thou who art the seed of Jacob, if thou art willing, canst return unto thy God, i.e. thou canst rest in him, as 'In returning and rest shall ye be saved' (Isaiah 30:15)." The second point of the verse has an instructive parallel in Micah 6:8, "What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" In regard to the waiting upon God, of which the last clause speaks, Aben Ezra has the pithy remark, "Depend not upon thy riches nor thy strength, for the strength thou hadst from him, also the riches." Kimchi comments on the same more fully, as follows: "On this condition thou canst rest and not be afraid of the enemy, if thou wilt observe to do mercy and judgment: for his conditions are as he said, 'I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.' And although he does not mention righteousness here, yet he has said in another place, 'Keep ye judgment, and to justice [literally, 'righteousness'].' And he says here, 'And wait upon thy God continually;' now it is righteousness and equity that thou waitest on thy God continually. And even when thou shalt have great possession and riches and wealth, thou shalt say to thyself, ' It is all from him; thou shall remember him continually and wait on him, as he says in the Law (Deuteronomy 8:18), ' Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth; not like Ephraim, who says, 'I am become rich, I have found me out substance.'" The Septuagint has ἔγγιζε, equivalent to "draw near to," having probably read קְרֹב instead of קַוֵּה.

Parallel Commentaries ...


But you
וְאַתָּ֖ה (wə·’at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

must return
תָשׁ֑וּב (ṯā·šūḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

to your God,
בֵּאלֹהֶ֣יךָ (bê·lō·he·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

maintaining
שְׁמֹ֔ר (šə·mōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to

love
חֶ֤סֶד (ḥe·seḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2617: Kindness, piety, reproof, beauty

and justice,
וּמִשְׁפָּט֙ (ū·miš·pāṭ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

and always
תָּמִֽיד׃ (tā·mîḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 8548: Continuance, constant, ellipt, the regular, sacrifice

waiting
וְקַוֵּ֥ה (wə·qaw·wêh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 6960: To bind together, collect, to expect

on
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

your God.
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative


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OT Prophets: Hosea 12:6 Therefore turn to your God (Ho Hs Hos.)