“On that day I will respond—” declares the LORD—“I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB It will happen in that day, I will respond,” says Yahweh, “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth;
- KJV And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;
- NKJV “It shall come to pass in that day That I will answer,” says the Lord; “I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth.
- NASB ¶“And it will come about on that day that I will respond,” declares the Lord. “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth,
- NLT “In that day, I will answer,” says the Lord. “I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds. And the sky will answer the earth with rain.
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 describes a harmonious chain of provision in which the heavens respond to His word and the earth in turn is blessed. Restored fellowship brings restored fruitfulness.
Overview
This poetic sequence pictures all creation cooperating to supply Israel's needs once she is reconciled to God. Where earlier God withdrew grain and wine, now He commands the heavens and earth to yield abundance again. The verse shows that blessing flows from a right relationship with the Creator, and it hints at the renewal of all things that accompanies God's saving work.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Zech 8:12“For the seed will be prosperous, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce, and the skies will give their dew. To the remnant of this people I will give all these things as an inheritance.
- Isa 65:24Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
- Rom 8:32He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
- Matt 6:33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
- Isa 55:10For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat,
- 1 Cor 3:21–23Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,
- Zech 13:9This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”
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 2:21 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.