Hosea 2.21-23

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: Hosea chapter: 2 verses: "21-23" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 1 enriched: false

Quoted in

Hosea 2.19

Hosea 2.21-23

Book: Hosea · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

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

"21. And it shall come to pass in that day, I will answer, saith Jehovah, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth; 22. and the earth shall answer the grain, and the new wine, and the oil; and they shall answer Jezreel. 23. And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them that were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God." (Hosea 2:19-23, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"19. I will betroth you to me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness, and in compassion. 20. I will even betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know Yahweh."

"21. It will happen in that day, I will respond,” says Yahweh, “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth; 22. and the earth will respond to the grain, and the new wine, and the oil; and they will respond to Jezreel. 23. I will sow her to me in the earth; and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; and I will tell those who were not my people, ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘My God!’”" (Hosea 2:19-23, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"19. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. 20. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD."

"21. And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; 22. And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. 23. And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God." (Hosea 2:19-23, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"19. And I have betrothed thee to Me to the age, And betrothed thee to Me in righteousness, And in judgment, and kindness, and mercies, 20. And betrothed thee to Me in faithfulness, And thou hast known Jehovah."

"21. And it hath come to pass in that day, I answer, an affirmation of Jehovah, I answer the heavens, and they answer the earth. 22. And the earth doth answer the corn, And the new wine, and the oil, And they answer Jezreel. 23. And I have sowed her to Me in the land, And I have pitied Lo-Ruhamah, And I have said to Lo-Ammi, My people thou [art], and it saith, My God!'" (Hosea 2:19-23, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Hosea + LORD direct discourse
Audience: Northern Kingdom of Israel before fall to Assyria
Location: Northern Kingdom
Time period: ministry c. 753-715 BC

Theological reading

Key words

H0430 - elohim, elohim (Strong's H430). Also appears in: Genesis 1.1, Genesis 1.2, Genesis 1.14-19.
H3068 - YHWH, YHWH (Strong's H3068). Also appears in: Genesis 2.4, Genesis 2.7, Genesis 2.16-17.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.