John Calvin Commentary Hosea 2:15

"And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she shall make answer there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt." — Hosea 2:15 (ASV)

The Prophet now plainly declares that God’s favor would be evident not only by words but also by its effects and by experience, when the people were inclined to obedience. The Prophet said in the last verse, ‘I will speak to her heart;’ now he adds, ‘I will bring a sure and clear evidence of my favor, so that they may feel assured that I am reconciled to them.’ He therefore says that he would give them vines.

He said before, ‘I will destroy her vines and fig-trees;’ but now he mentions only vineyards. However, as we have said, the Prophet, under one kind, comprehends all other things, and he has chosen vines because in vines the bounty of God especially appears.

For bread is necessary to support life, wine abounds, and to it is ascribed the quality of exhilarating the heart (Psalms 104): ‘Bread strengthens,’ or, ‘supports man’s heart; wine gladdens man’s heart.’ Since vines are usually planted not only for necessary purposes but also for a more bountiful supply, the Prophet says that the Lord, when reconciled to the people, will give them their vineyards from that place.

And I will give, he says, the valley of Achor, and so forth. He alludes to their situation in the wilderness: as soon as the Israelites came out of the wilderness, they entered the plain of Achor, which was fruitful, pleasant, and vine-bearing. Some think that the Prophet alludes to the punishment inflicted on the people for the sacrilege of Achan, but in my judgment, they are mistaken. For the Prophet here means nothing else than that there would be a sudden change in the condition of the people, such as happened when they came out of the wilderness.

For in the wilderness there was not even a grain of wheat or of barley, nor a bunch of grapes. In short, there was in the wilderness nothing but destitution, accompanied by a thousand deaths. But as soon as the people came out, they descended into the plain of Achor, which was most pleasant and very fertile.

The Prophet meant simply this: that when the people repented, there would be no delay on God’s part, but he would free them from all evils and restore a blessed abundance of all things, as was the case when the people formerly descended into the plain of Achor.

He therefore reminds the Israelites of what had happened to their fathers: Her vines, then, will I give her from that place. This means, “As soon as I will by word testify my love to them, they will truly know and find that I am really and from the heart reconciled to them, and will understand how inclined I am to show kindness; for I will not hold the people in suspense for long.”

And he adds, For an opening, or a door of hope. He signifies here that their restoration would be like a transition from death to life. For though the people daily saw with their own eyes that God took care of their life—for he rained manna from heaven and made water to flow from a rock—yet at the same time, the appearance of death was before their eyes.

As long, then, as they sojourned in the wilderness, God continually set before them the terrors of death. In short, their dwelling in the wilderness, as we have said, was their grave. But when the people descended into the plain of Achor, they then began to draw vital air; they also felt that they were finally living, for they had obtained their wishes. They had now indeed come in sight of the inheritance promised to them.

Just as the valley of Achor was the beginning and, as it were, the door of good hope to their fathers, so the Prophet, now alluding to that redemption, says that God would immediately show such kindness to the Israelites as to open for them a door of hope and salvation, just as he had done formerly to their fathers in the valley of Achor.

And she shall sing there. We may easily learn from the context that those interpreters are mistaken who philosophize subtly about the valley of Achor.

It is indeed true that the root of the word is the verb עכר, ocar, which means to confound or to destroy, and that this name was given to the place because of what had occurred there. But the Prophet referred to no such thing, as clearly appears from the second clause, for he says, She shall sing there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day in which she ascended from the land of Egypt.

For then at last the people of God openly celebrated his praises when they beheld the promised land and when they saw an end to God’s severe vengeance, which had continued for forty years. Hence, the people then poured out their hearts and employed their tongues in praises to God.

The Prophet, therefore, teaches here that their restoration would be such that the people would really sing praises to God and offer him no ordinary thanks—not as they are accustomed to do who are relieved from a common evil, but as those who have been brought from death to life. She shall sing then as in the days of her childhood, as in that day when she ascended from the land of Egypt.

Thus we see that a hope of deliverance is given here, so that the faithful might sustain their minds in exile and cherish the hope of future favor. Though the face of God would for a time be turned away from them, they might yet look for a future deliverance and not doubt that God would be propitious to them after they had endured just punishment and had been thus reformed. For, as we have said, a moderate chastisement could not have been sufficient to subdue their perverseness.