Hosea 3:5

return i.e. from their evil courses of disobedience to their God and to the legitimate royal house.

David their king There is a great body of authority for regarding this as an expression for the Messiah. So the Targum took it, so Aben Ezra, and other Jewish writers cited by Pococke. The interpretation rests on the undoubted fact that in Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 34:23-24; Ezekiel 37:24-25 -David" means the ideal king of the future who should prove as it were a second David. In all these passages however there is something in the context to determine the reference to a person, and all these passages belong to a later period in the development of the Messianic revelation. The analogy of Amos 9:11 suggests that what is in Hosea's mind is, not the person of the king, but the dynasty. In short, -David" = the representative of David. Precisely so Rehoboam is still -David" in 1 Kings 12:16, and the high priest -Aaron" in Psalms 133:2. Hosea does not sanction the usurping dynasties (see on Hosea 1:11).

and shall fear the Lord and his goodness Rather, and shall come eagerly to Jehovah and to his goodness (or, -to His good things"). -Come eagerly to" is literally, -tremble to", but the idea is not that they will tremble at their own unworthiness, but rather -trement præ gaudio" (as the same verb means in Isaiah 60:8). Comp. the similar expression in Hosea 11:10, where however the idea of speech is included. The parallel passage in Jeremiah 31:10 proves that the revived love of the Israelites for Jehovah will have -cast out fear".

in the latter days Rather, in the days to come (lit., -in the sequel of the days"); see on Micah 4:1. Hosea does not mean to say that this will be the last αἰὼν in the course of history; but only that after Israel's captivity, nothing will arise to break the harmony between Jehovah and his people.