Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pages 307-325

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLKPC9393
Published online: 2025-12-01
Published in print: 2025-12-30

Abstract: The closing section of the Book of Hosea (14:5-9) offers a one-sided yet unconditional declaration of God’s love for His people. It is conveyed as a promise and articulated through a series of vivid metaphors. Three of these images – the water lily, the fruit-bearing tree, and the sitting in the shade of the tree – also appear in the Song of Songs (2:1-3) as symbols of mutual affection between a man and a woman. These two Old Testament passages can thus be read as unique expressions of love that illuminate one another: the theological message of Hosea, voicing God’s address to Israel, intertwines with the poetic dialogue of the Song of Songs, portraying the intimate exchange of lovers. This interplay invites readers to interpret both texts in close connection with each other.