Commentators agree that the price Hosea paid—fifteen shekels of silver plus a measure of barley—was equivalent to the value of a slave. This wasn't a dowry but a redemption price. It powerfully illustrates the degraded and worthless state Gomer (representing Israel) had fallen into through her unfaithfulness. Her sin had reduced her to the lowest status in society, highlighting the depth of God's grace in buying her back.