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Selected Verse: Hosea 2:13 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Ho 2:13	Strong Concordance	And I will visit [06485] upon her the days [03117] of Baalim [01168], wherein she burned incense [06999] to them, and she decked [05710] herself with her earrings [05141] and her jewels [02484], and she went [03212] after [0310] her lovers [0157], and forgat [07911] me, saith [05002] the LORD [03068].
	King James	And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
days of Baalim--the days consecrated to the Baals, or various images of Baal in different cities, whence the names Baal-gad, Baal-hermon, &c. decked herself with . . . earrings--rather, "nose-rings" (Isa 3:21; Eze 16:12, Margin), with which harlots decked themselves to attract admirers: answering to the ornaments in which the Israelites decked themselves on the idols' feasts. forgat me--worse than the nations which had never known God. Israel wilfully apostatized from Jehovah, whom she had known.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

days of Baalim--the days consecrated to the Baals, or various images of Baal in different cities, whence the names Baal-gad, Baal-hermon, &c.

decked herself with . . . earrings--rather, "nose-rings" (Isa 3:21; Eze 16:12, Margin), with which harlots decked themselves to attract admirers: answering to the ornaments in which the Israelites decked themselves on the idols' feasts.

forgat me--worse than the nations which had never known God. Israel wilfully apostatized from Jehovah, whom she had known.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, or Baals - When men leave the one true God, they make to themselves many idols. They act, as if they could make up a god piece-meal out of the many attributes of the One God, and create their Creator. His power of production becomes one God; His power of destroying, another; His providence, a third; and so on, down to the very least acts. So they had many Baals or Lords; a "Baal-berith Jdg 8:33, Lord of covenants," who was to guard the sanctity of oaths; "Baal-zebub Kg2 1:2, Lord of flies," who was to keep off the plague of flies, and "Baal-Peor" Num 25:3, who presided over sin. All these their various idolatries, and all the time of their idolatries, God threatens to visit upon them at once. "The days of punishment shall equal the days of the wanderings, in which she burnt incense to Baal." God spares long. But when persevering impenitence draws down His anger, He punishes not for the last sin only, but for all. Even to the penitent, God mostly makes the chastisement bear some proportion to the length and greatness of the sin. Wherein she burnt incence unto them - Incense was that part of sacrifice, which especially denoted thanksgiving and prayer ascending to God. And she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels - Christ says to the bride, "Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold" Sol 1:10. But what He gave her, she threw away upon another, and "cast her pearls before swine." She "decked herself," i. e., made God's ornaments her own, used them not as He gave them, but artificially as an adulteress. And what else is it, to use wit or beauty or any gift of God, for any end out of God? : "The ornament of souls which choose to serve idols, is to fulfill those things which seem good to the unclean spirits. Very beautiful to devils must be the sin-loving soul, which chooses to think and to do whatsoever is sweet to, and loved by them." Sins of the flesh being a part of the worship of Baal, this garish trickery and pains to attract had an immediate offensiveness, besides its belonging to idols. He still pictures her as seeking, not sought by her lovers. "She went after her lovers, and forgat Me." The original has great emphasis. "She went after her lovers, and Me she fogat, saith the Lord." She went after vanities, and God, her All, she forgat. Such is the character of all engrossing passion, such is the course of sin, to which the soul gives way, in avarice, ambition, worldliness, sensual sin, godless science. The soul, at last, does not rebel against God; it "forgets" Him. It is taken up with other things, with itself, with the objects of its thoughts, the objects of its affections, and it has no time for God, because it has no love for Him. So God complains of Judah by Jeremiah, "their fathers have forgotten My name for Baal (Jer 23:27; add Jdg 3:7; Sa1 12:9-10; Jer 2:32; Jer 3:20; Jer 13:25; Jer 18:15; Eze 22:12; Eze 23:35; Isa 17:10; Psa 9:17; Psa 50:22; Psa 78:11; Psa 106:13, Psa 106:21).

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, or Baals - When men leave the one true God, they make to themselves many idols. They act, as if they could make up a god piece-meal out of the many attributes of the One God, and create their Creator. His power of production becomes one God; His power of destroying, another; His providence, a third; and so on, down to the very least acts. So they had many Baals or Lords; a "Baal-berith Jdg 8:33, Lord of covenants," who was to guard the sanctity of oaths; "Baal-zebub Kg2 1:2, Lord of flies," who was to keep off the plague of flies, and "Baal-Peor" Num 25:3, who presided over sin. All these their various idolatries, and all the time of their idolatries, God threatens to visit upon them at once. "The days of punishment shall equal the days of the wanderings, in which she burnt incense to Baal." God spares long. But when persevering impenitence draws down His anger, He punishes not for the last sin only, but for all. Even to the penitent, God mostly makes the chastisement bear some proportion to the length and greatness of the sin.

Wherein she burnt incence unto them - Incense was that part of sacrifice, which especially denoted thanksgiving and prayer ascending to God.

And she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels - Christ says to the bride, "Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold" Sol 1:10. But what He gave her, she threw away upon another, and "cast her pearls before swine." She "decked herself," i. e., made God's ornaments her own, used them not as He gave them, but artificially as an adulteress. And what else is it, to use wit or beauty or any gift of God, for any end out of God? : "The ornament of souls which choose to serve idols, is to fulfill those things which seem good to the unclean spirits. Very beautiful to devils must be the sin-loving soul, which chooses to think and to do whatsoever is sweet to, and loved by them." Sins of the flesh being a part of the worship of Baal, this garish trickery and pains to attract had an immediate offensiveness, besides its belonging to idols. He still pictures her as seeking, not sought by her lovers. "She went after her lovers, and forgat Me." The original has great emphasis. "She went after her lovers, and Me she fogat, saith the Lord." She went after vanities, and God, her All, she forgat. Such is the character of all engrossing passion, such is the course of sin, to which the soul gives way, in avarice, ambition, worldliness, sensual sin, godless science. The soul, at last, does not rebel against God; it "forgets" Him. It is taken up with other things, with itself, with the objects of its thoughts, the objects of its affections, and it has no time for God, because it has no love for Him. So God complains of Judah by Jeremiah, "their fathers have forgotten My name for Baal (Jer 23:27; add Jdg 3:7; Sa1 12:9-10; Jer 2:32; Jer 3:20; Jer 13:25; Jer 18:15; Eze 22:12; Eze 23:35; Isa 17:10; Psa 9:17; Psa 50:22; Psa 78:11; Psa 106:13, Psa 106:21).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
In this way will the Lord take away from the people their festivals of joy. Hos 2:13. "And I visit upon her the days of the Baals, to which she burned incense, and adorned herself with her ring and her jewels, and went after her lovers; and she hath forgotten me, is the word of Jehovah." The days of the Baals are the sacred days and festive seasons mentioned in Hos 2:13, which Israel ought to have sanctified and kept to the Lord its God, but which it celebrated in honour of the Baals, through its fall into idolatry. There is no ground for thinking of special feast-days dedicated to Baal, in addition to the feasts of Jehovah prescribed by the law. Just as Israel had changed Jehovah into Baal, so had it also turned the feast-days of Jehovah into festive days of the Baals, and on those days had burned incense, i.e., offered sacrifice to the Baals (cf. Hos 4:13; Kg2 17:11). In Hos 2:8 we find only הבעל mentioned, but here בּעלים in the plural, because Baal was worshipped under different modifications, from which Beâlı̄m came to be used in the general sense of the various idols of the Canaanites (cf. Jdg 2:11; Kg1 18:18, etc.). In the second hemistich this spiritual coquetry with the idols is depicted under the figure of the outward coquetry of a woman, who resorts to all kinds of outward ornaments in order to excite the admiration of her lovers (as in Jer 4:30 and Ezek. 22:40ff.). There is no ground for thinking of the wearing of nose-rings and ornaments in honour of the idols. The antithesis to this adorning of themselves is "forgetting Jehovah," in which the sin is brought out in its true shape. On נאם יהוה, see Delitzsch on Isa 1:24.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Visit - Punish. The days - The sins of those days. Of Baalim - Baal was the great idol of the ten tribes; here it is plural Baalim, to denote the multitude of idols which they worshipped, all called by this one name. Decked herself - To put the greater honour on the idol.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Days of Baalim - To visit signifies to inflict punishment; the days are taken for the acts of idolatrous worship committed on them; and Baalim means the multitude of false gods worshipped by them. Baal was a general name for a male idol, as Astarte was for a female. Baalim includes all the male idols, as Ashtaroth all those that were female. But the species of idol was often designated by some adjunct; as Baal-Zebub, Baal-Peor, Baal-Zephon, Baal-Berith, etc. Her earrings - נזמה nizmah, signifies rather a nose jewel. These are worn by females in the East to the present day, in great abundance. And her jewels - וחליתה vechelyatah, rings, armlets, bracelets, ankle-rings, and ornaments of this kind.

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¹² And I put [05414] a jewel [05141] on thy forehead [0639], and earrings [05694] in thine ears [0241], and a beautiful [08597] crown [05850] upon thine head [07218].

²¹ The rings [02885], and nose [0639] jewels [05141],

²¹ They forgat [07911] God [0410] their saviour [03467], which had done [06213] great things [01419] in Egypt [04714];

¹³ They soon [04116] forgat [07911] his works [04639]; they waited [02442] not for his counsel [06098]:

¹¹ And forgat [07911] his works [05949], and his wonders [06381] that he had shewed [07200] them.

²² Now consider [0995] this, ye that forget [07911] God [0433], lest I tear you in pieces [02963], and there be none to deliver [05337].

¹⁷ The wicked [07563] shall be turned [07725] into hell [07585], and all the nations [01471] that forget [07913] God [0430].

¹⁰ Because thou hast forgotten [07911] the God [0430] of thy salvation [03468], and hast not been mindful [02142] of the rock [06697] of thy strength [04581], therefore shalt thou plant [05193] pleasant [05282] plants [05194], and shalt set [02232] it with strange [02114] slips [02156]:

³⁵ Therefore thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069]; Because thou hast forgotten [07911] me, and cast [07993] me behind [0310] thy back [01458], therefore bear [05375] thou also thy lewdness [02154] and thy whoredoms [08457].

¹² In thee have they taken [03947] gifts [07810] to shed [08210] blood [01818]; thou hast taken [03947] usury [05392] and increase [08636], and thou hast greedily gained [01214] of thy neighbours [07453] by extortion [06233], and hast forgotten [07911] me, saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069].

¹⁵ Because my people [05971] hath forgotten [07911] me, they have burned incense [06999] to vanity [07723], and they have caused them to stumble [03782] in their ways [01870] from the ancient [05769] paths [07635] [07635], to walk [03212] in paths [05410], in a way [01870] not cast up [05549];

²⁵ This is thy lot [01486], the portion [04490] of thy measures [04055] from me, saith [05002] the LORD [03068]; because thou hast forgotten [07911] me, and trusted [0982] in falsehood [08267].

²⁰ Surely [0403] as a wife [0802] treacherously [0898] departeth from her husband [07453], so have ye dealt treacherously [0898] with me, O house [01004] of Israel [03478], saith [05002] the LORD [03068].

³² Can a maid [01330] forget [07911] her ornaments [05716], or a bride [03618] her attire [07196]? yet my people [05971] have forgotten [07911] me days [03117] without number [04557].

⁹ And when they forgat [07911] the LORD [03068] their God [0430], he sold [04376] them into the hand [03027] of Sisera [05516], captain [08269] of the host [06635] of Hazor [02674], and into the hand [03027] of the Philistines [06430], and into the hand [03027] of the king [04428] of Moab [04124], and they fought [03898] against them.
¹⁰ And they cried [02199] unto the LORD [03068], and said [0559], We have sinned [02398], because we have forsaken [05800] the LORD [03068], and have served [05647] Baalim [01168] and Ashtaroth [06252]: but now deliver [05337] us out of the hand [03027] of our enemies [0341], and we will serve [05647] thee.

⁷ And the children [01121] of Israel [03478] did [06213] evil [07451] in the sight [05869] of the LORD [03068], and forgat [07911] the LORD [03068] their God [0430], and served [05647] Baalim [01168] and the groves [0842].

²⁷ Which think [02803] to cause my people [05971] to forget [07911] my name [08034] by their dreams [02472] which they tell [05608] every man [0376] to his neighbour [07453], as their fathers [01] have forgotten [07911] my name [08034] for Baal [01168].

¹⁰ Thy cheeks [03895] are comely [04998] with rows [08447] of jewels, thy neck [06677] with chains [02737] of gold.

³ And Israel [03478] joined [06775] himself unto Baalpeor [01187]: and the anger [0639] of the LORD [03068] was kindled [02734] against Israel [03478].

² And Ahaziah [0274] fell down [05307] through a lattice [07639] in his upper chamber [05944] that was in Samaria [08111], and was sick [02470]: and he sent [07971] messengers [04397], and said [0559] unto them, Go [03212], enquire [01875] of Baalzebub [01176] the god [0430] of Ekron [06138] whether I shall recover [02421] of this disease [02483].

³³ And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon [01439] was dead [04191], that the children [01121] of Israel [03478] turned again [07725], and went a whoring [02181] after [0310] Baalim [01168], and made [07760] Baalberith [01170] their god [0430].

²⁴ Therefore saith [05002] the Lord [0113], the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635], the mighty One [046] of Israel [03478], Ah [01945], I will ease [05162] me of mine adversaries [06862], and avenge [05358] me of mine enemies [0341]:

³⁰ And when thou art spoiled [07703], what wilt thou do [06213]? Though thou clothest [03847] thyself with crimson [08144], though thou deckest [05710] thee with ornaments [05716] of gold [02091], though thou rentest [07167] thy face [05869] with painting [06320], in vain [07723] shalt thou make thyself fair [03302]; thy lovers [05689] will despise [03988] thee, they will seek [01245] thy life [05315].

¹⁸ And he answered [0559], I have not troubled [05916] Israel [03478]; but thou, and thy father's [01] house [01004], in that ye have forsaken [05800] the commandments [04687] of the LORD [03068], and thou hast followed [03212] [0310] Baalim [01168].

¹¹ And the children [01121] of Israel [03478] did [06213] evil [07451] in the sight [05869] of the LORD [03068], and served [05647] Baalim [01168]:

⁸ For she did not know [03045] that I gave [05414] her corn [01715], and wine [08492], and oil [03323], and multiplied [07235] her silver [03701] and gold [02091], which they prepared [06213] for Baal [01168].

¹¹ And there they burnt incense [06999] in all the high places [01116], as did the heathen [01471] whom the LORD [03068] carried away [01540] before [06440] them; and wrought [06213] wicked [07451] things [01697] to provoke the LORD [03068] to anger [03707]:

¹³ They sacrifice [02076] upon the tops [07218] of the mountains [02022], and burn incense [06999] upon the hills [01389], under oaks [0437] and poplars [03839] and elms [0424], because the shadow [06738] thereof is good [02896]: therefore your daughters [01323] shall commit whoredom [02181], and your spouses [03618] shall commit adultery [05003].

¹³ And I will visit [06485] upon her the days [03117] of Baalim [01168], wherein she burned incense [06999] to them, and she decked [05710] herself with her earrings [05141] and her jewels [02484], and she went [03212] after [0310] her lovers [0157], and forgat [07911] me, saith [05002] the LORD [03068].