Hosea 14:5

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Hosea 14:5 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
Hosea 14:5 — American Standard Version

Context — Hosea 14

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
5I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“I will be as the dew unto Israel, etc.] To spiritual Israel, to those that return to the Lord, take with them words, and pray unto him, whose backslidings are healed, and they are freely loved; otherwise it is said of apostate Israel or Ephraim, that they were “smitten, [and] their root dried up, [and bore] no fruit”, (<280916>Hosea 9:16). These words, and the whole, context, respect future times, as Kimchi observes; even the conversion of Israel in the latter day, when they shall partake of all the blessings of grace, signified by the metaphors used in this and the following verses. These words are a continuation of the answer to the petitions put into the mouths of converted ones,…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“as the dew--which falls copiously in the East, taking the place of the more frequent rains in other regions. God will not be "as the early dew that goeth away," but constant (Hos 6:3-4; Job 29:19; Pro 19:12). the lily--No plant is more productive than the lily, one root often producing fifty bulbs [PLINY, Natural History, 21.5]. The common lily is white, consisting of six leaves opening like bells. The royal lily grows to the height of three or four feet; Mat 6:29 alludes to the beauty of its flowers. roots as Lebanon--that is, as the trees of Lebanon (especially the cedars), which cast down their roots as deeply as is their height upwards; so that they are immovable [JEROME], (Isa 10:34).…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“I will be as the dew unto Israel - Before, He had said, “his spring shall become dry and his fountain shall be dried up” Hosea 13:15. Now again He enlarges the blessing; their supply shall be unfailing, for it shall be from God; yea, God Himself shall be that blessing; “I will be the dew; descending on the mown grass” Psalms 72:6, to quicken and refresh it; descending, Himself, into the dried and parched and sere hearts of men, as He saith, “We will come unto him and make Our abode in him” John 14:23. The grace of God, like the dew, is not given once for all, but is, day by day, waited for, and, day by day, renewed. Yet doth it not pass away, like the fitful goodness John 6:4 of God’s former…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“As the dew - I will refresh and comfort, and make fruitful in good works, such as return to me. As Lebanon - As the cedars in Lebanon, so shall the true Israel, converted backsliders, be blessed of God: so flourishing and happy shall the church be under Christ. Hosea 14:6”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“14:5-7 Hosea describes the effect of God’s healing love on repentant Israel. God promises to provide the fertility that Israel had sought from the baals. 14:5 like a refreshing dew: In the semi-desert climate of Israel, dew was an important source of life-giving moisture (Gen 27:28; Deut 33:28). • it will send roots deep: When Israel lived in faithfulness to their covenant with the Lord, they would be solid and stable like the majestic cedars in Lebanon (Ps 92:12).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“as the dew: Deu 32:2; Sa2 23:4; Job 29:19; Psa 72:6; Pro 19:12; Isa 18:4, Isa 26:19; Isa 44:3; Mic 5:7 he shall: Sol 2:1, Sol 2:2, Sol 2:16, Sol 4:5; Mat 6:28; Luk 12:27 grow: or, blossom cast: Heb. strike, Kg2 19:30; Psa 72:16; Isa 27:6, Isa 35:2; Eze 17:22-24; Eph 3:17 Hosea 14:6”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification