Hosea 14:2 (DBY)

Passage

Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah; say unto him, Forgive all iniquity, and receive [us] graciously; so will we render the calves of our lips.

Nearby Context

Hosea 14:1 O Israel, return unto Jehovah thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

Hosea 14:2 Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah; say unto him, Forgive all iniquity, and receive [us] graciously; so will we render the calves of our lips.

Hosea 14:3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, [Thou art] our God; because in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

Hosea 14:4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for mine anger is turned away from him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "take", "words", "turn", "jehovah", "forgive", "iniquity", "receive", and "graciously". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "take" and "words", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "O Israel return unto Jehovah thy God..." into verse 3's "Assyria shall not save us we will...", so "take" and "words" 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 "take" and "words" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.