Hosea 2:18 (ASV)

Passage

And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the land, and will make them to lie down safely.

Nearby Context

Hosea 2:16 And it shall be at that day, saith Jehovah, that thou shalt call me Ishi, and shalt call me no more Baali.

Hosea 2:17 For I will take away the names of the Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be mentioned by their name.

Hosea 2:18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the land, and will make them to lie down safely.

Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

Hosea 2:20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "make", "covenant", "beasts", "field", "birds", "heavens", "creeping", and "things". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "make" and "covenant", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "For I will take away the names..." into verse 19's "And I will betroth thee unto me...", so "make" and "covenant" belong inside that flow. In Hosea context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "make" and "covenant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.