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 2:23KJV
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Hosea 2:23 (KJV)

What does Hosea 2:23 mean?

Hosea 2:23 describes God welcoming back a people who had been told they were no longer his. God promises to show them mercy and renew their relationship with him, and the people answer by calling him their God.

God speaks in the verse, using the image of sowing to picture a new beginning for Israel in the land. The closing exchange is personal: God addresses the people, and they respond.

The Hebrew behind Hosea 2:23

  • “sow” — זָרַע (zaraʿ): This means to plant or scatter seed. The word also recalls the name Jezreel, given to one of Hosea’s children; that name can carry the sense “God sows.”
  • “mercy” — רָחַם (raḥam): This word carries the sense of showing compassion. Its repeated use recalls the name given to Hosea’s daughter, Lo-ruhamah, who was named as one who had not received mercy.
  • “people” — עַם (ʿam): This means a people or community. In “not my people” and “my people,” the word recalls the name Lo-ammi, given to Hosea’s son.

Why Hosea 2:23 matters

  • The children’s names make the change especially clear. Earlier, those names announced judgment on Israel (Hosea 1:4–9); here, language drawn from the names is turned toward planting, mercy, and belonging.
  • The verse includes an answer from the people, not only a declaration from God. “Thou art my God” completes the exchange begun with “Thou art my people.”
  • “Her” and “them” belong together in Hosea’s picture of Israel. The book speaks of Israel both as a woman and as a people, allowing the verse to move between the two images.

Where else these words appear

“mercy” Hebrew H3818 · used in 2 verses

  • Hosea 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

“mercy” Hebrew H7355 · used in 43 verses

  • Exodus 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
  • Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
  • Jeremiah 33:26 Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.

“sow” Hebrew H2232 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Deuteronomy 11:10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
  • Isaiah 30:23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.