In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call Me ‘my Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’
Parallel translations
- WEB It will be in that day,” says Yahweh, “that you will call me ‘my husband,’ and no longer call me ‘my master.’
- KJV And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.
- NKJV “And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’
- NASB “And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord, “That you will call Me my husband And no longer call Me my Baal.
- NLT When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God foresees a day when Israel will call Him 'my husband' rather than 'my master,' reflecting renewed intimacy. The relationship will be marked by love, not mere servitude.
Overview
The Hebrew word for 'my master' is baali, which also evoked the very Baals Israel had worshiped, so God replaces it with the tender term 'my husband' (ishi). The change signals a relationship transformed from distant or idolatrous to one of genuine affection. This points to the heart of true religion, communion with God in love, fully realized in the new covenant where God's people know Him as their faithful, loving Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Isa 54:5For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.
- Hos 2:7She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will return to my first husband, for then I was better off than now.’
- Jer 3:14“Return, O faithless children,” declares the LORD, “for I am your master, and I will take you—one from a city and two from a family—and bring you to Zion.
- Rev 19:7Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.
- 2 Cor 11:2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
- John 3:29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
- Eph 5:25–27Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's relentless love for an unfaithful bride dramatizes the gospel: 'Out of Egypt I called my son' is fulfilled in Jesus, who redeems an adulterous people at his own cost.
How Hosea 2:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.