03/18/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

“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 2:23 KJV

 

Replacement Theologians will often use this verse as proof for Replacement Theology as they believe the people “which were not my people” are Gentiles. Since the verse says these people will become God’s people, they conclude this shows the believing Gentiles (the Church) have replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. Yet, this verse doesn’t teach that, as shown by the context:

 

First, we must understand who the audience of this passage is. By the terminology in this passage, it is obvious the audience is Israel. Terms such as “valley of Achor” (v. 15), which is significant for Israel since it is the place where Achan was executed (Joshua 7:24-26), show this. It is also stated in Isaiah that the communion with the Lord will be restored and that there is hope for the future (“What is the significance of the Valley of Achor in the Bible?,” Got Questions, last accessed May 12, 2022, https://www.gotquestions.org/valley-of-Achor.html). That is, “[the] troubles of the past are reversed and replaced with blessings” (same as last citation): 

 

“And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.” Isaiah 65:10 KJV

 

Also, the term “Jezreel” (v. 22) is significant as “[the] city of Jezreel has a long and varied history and figures prominently in many Bible events, most of them violent. King Jehu ordered that the heads of King Ahab’s 70 sons be placed in heaps at the gate of Jezreel (2 Kings 10:1–11). Ahab’s queen, Jezebel, met her death by being thrown from a window of the palace of Jezreel, and it was there that her body was eaten by dogs (2 Kings 9:30–35). Jezreel was the scene of the phony trial of Naboth, who owned a vineyard near Ahab’s palace and who was murdered by Jezebel for his refusal to give his land to Ahab (1 Kings 21:1–23). Additionally, the Valley of Jezreel was the scene of some important battles: the victory of Barak over Sisera (Judges 4); a victory of Gideon over the Midianites, the Amalekites, and their allies from the east (Judges 6 – 8); the victory of the Philistines over Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 31); and the Egyptians’ victory over King Josiah (2 Kings 23:29)” (“What is the meaning of Jezreel?,” Got Questions, last accessed May 12, 2022, https://www.gotquestions.org/Jezreel.html). In conclusion, because of the terms found in Hosea 2, it is obvious the audience is Israel.

 

Another proof the audience is Israel is the phrase found in Hosea 2:15, which says, “. . . she came up out of the land of Egypt.” This phrase is used in a large number of Scriptures in which the audience is Israel (cf. Hosea 11:1; Exodus 13; Micah 7:15; 1 Kings 6:1). 

 

Based on the evidence stated above, it is very conclusive the audience of Hosea 2:23 is Israel. Now we must determine what Hosea 2:23 means: 

 

“The Lord would plant Israel in the Promised Land; He would plant her there securely where she would grow under His care and blessing. He would show compassion to the people whom He formerly said were "not loved," and He would reclaim as His own the people whom He formerly called "not my people" (cf. 1:6, 9). They would then acknowledge Yahweh as their God, not Baal. The names of all three of Hosea's children come together again in verses 22-23” (Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Hosea, 2022 ed., 38, https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/hosea.pdf).

 

Stated differently, “[the] Lord Himself is pictured as engaging in agricultural endeavors. He will plant Israel in the land, where she will grow under His protective care. The nation called Lo-Ruhamah ([“not loved”]; cf. 1:6) and Lo-Ammi ([“not My people”]; cf. 1:9) will experience God’s compassion and will be addressed as His people. They will acknowledge that He, not Baal, is their God. This passage is parallel to 1:10-2:1, where the same reversal in the significance of the symbolic names is seen” (Brad Ingram, “Hosea: ‘Salvation,’” in The Minor Prophets of the Old Testament, Truth Baptist Church School of the Bible, 13, last accessed May 12, 2022, http://calvarybaptistcanon.org/users/tbcwestsalem_com/Class%20Notes%20through%20p1-84.docx).

 

“Hosea 2:23, along with 1:10, is quoted in Romans 9:25-26 and 1 Peter 2:10. Paul quoted those Hosea passages to say that both Jews and Gentiles will be converted during the Church Age (cf. Romans 9:24). However, this does not mean that he equated the Gentiles with Israel and regarded the conversion of Gentiles as a direct fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy [as Covenant Theologians believe]. Paul clearly taught that national Israel would be saved as well (Romans 11). Rather, Paul extracted from Hosea’s prophecy a principle concerning God’s gracious activity” (Robert B. Chisholm, “Hosea,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 1985), 1387).

 

According to Hosea, God will mercifully bring a previously rejected people into a relationship with Himself. Paul recognized this same pattern in God’s dealings with the Gentiles. In Romans 9:25, then, Paul was applying Hosea 2:23 to the Gentiles; he was not reinterpreting the verse” (Ingram, “Hosea: ‘Salvation,’” in The Minor Prophets of the Old Testament, 13).