Hosea 2:15

2:15 From there I will give back her vineyards to her,

and turn the “Valley of Trouble” ¹  into an “Opportunity ²  for Hope.”

There she will sing as she did when she was young, ³ 

when ⁴  she came up from the land of Egypt.

Hosea 2:21

Agricultural Fertility Restored to the Repentant Nation

2:21 “At that time, ⁵  I will willingly respond,” ⁶  declares the Lord.

“I will respond to the sky,

and the sky ⁷  will respond to the ground;

[2:15]  ¹ tn Heb “Valley of Achor,” so named because of the unfortunate incident recorded in Josh 7:1-26 (the name is explained in v. 26; the Hebrew term Achor means “disaster” or “trouble”). Cf. TEV, CEV “Trouble Valley.”

[2:15]  ² tn Heb “door” or “doorway”; cf. NLT “gateway.” Unlike the days of Joshua, when Achan’s sin jeopardized Israel’s mission and cast a dark shadow over the nation, Israel’s future return to the land will be marked by renewed hope.

[2:15]  ³ tn Heb “as in the days of her youth” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[2:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “as in the day when” (so KJV, NASB).

[2:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “And in that day”; NAB, NRSV “On that day.”

[2:21]  ⁶ tn The verb עָנָה, (’anah) which is used throughout 2:23-24, is related to the root I עָנָה (’anah), “to answer, listen attentively, react willingly” (BDB 772 s.v. 1.b; HALOT 852 s.v. ענה 3.b).

[2:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “and they.” In the Hebrew text the plural pronoun is used because it refers back to the term translated “sky,” which is a dual form in Hebrew. Many English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV) use the plural term “heavens” here, which agrees with a plural pronoun (cf. also NIV, NCV “skies”).