The meaning of the phrase so will I also be to you
is debated. Very simply, the question turns on whether Hosea will have sexual relations with Gomer during this period or not. Before considering the meaning of that contested phrase, there are three clearer instructions, which Hosea gives to Gomer:1
Gomer must remain or live with him
She can no longer work as a prostitute
She must no longer have adulterous sex
Stuart2 says that these prohibitions are consistent with love, as Hosea’s love for Gomer symbolizes God’s love for his people. By taking her to himself he is protecting her from the excesses and eventual destruction of sexual sin. Likewise, God ridding Israel of her spiritual adultery and idolatrous worship is an act of love, sparing her from the covenant curses and death they entail.
Finally, for a few reasons, it is most likely that Hosea’s marriage to Gomer may involve many days
(a limited period) of chaste or sexless co-habitation.3,4,5 This is the most probable meaning of so will I also be to you.
With the wider literary and historical context of Hosea in view, Israel was facing exile as a result of her spiritual adultery. Though they will remain married (dwell as mine
), a period of partial estrangement is coming. This is symbolized by Hosea’s chaste marriage to Gomer.
3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.”