God announces that, having firmly punished Israel for her infidelity, and having thereby reduced her to total dependency on him, he will romance her again, to re-establish a loving relationship with her.1 Ortlund2 notes: Amazingly, his response to her indifference is not further judgement but, in this case, the artful strategy of an ardent lover.
Though God does not leave sin unpunished, his severe judgment and stern words against Israel is not where their story ends.
This is a striking break with the pattern of Hosea 2 thus far. God says, I will hedge Israel up
(Hosea 2:6) and I will take back my grain
(Hosea 2:9), but instead of a further punishment he now says, I will allure her.
Commenting on this word, Hubbard3 writes: The common strain between the words of judgement and the notes of hope is the divine initiative, now heard as the language of love.
As Hosea 2:14–23 unfolds we see that this is not the depiction of a self-centred seduction, but a whole hearted appeal based on personal commitment.
4
14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.