The Meaning of Hosea 6:11 Explained

Hosea 6:11

KJV: Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.

YLT: Also, O Judah, appointed is a harvest to thee, In My turning back to the captivity of My people!

Darby: Also, for thee, Judah, is a harvest appointed, when I shall turn again the captivity of my people.

ASV: Also, O Judah, there is a harvest appointed for thee, when I bring back the captivity of my people.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Also, O Judah,  he hath set  an harvest  for thee, when I returned  the captivity  of my people. 

What does Hosea 6:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Judah also had sinned horribly and could anticipate a harvest of judgment. This would come when the Lord paid back His people for their sins. Yet the hope of eventual restoration was clear. This would be another type of harvest, a harvest marked by blessing and restoration, and that is the one primarily in view here. Reference to restoration concludes this brief message as it does the major series of messages on judgment.
The mention of Judah at the beginning and at the end of this message proves again that both kingdoms were guilty of disloyalty to God, though Israel was the worse offender.

Context Summary

Hosea 6:1-11 - "let Us Return Unto The Lord"
How full Scripture is of tender invitations: Come, and let us return! This opening verse is closely connected with Hosea 5:15. The hand that smote was the Father's who waited to welcome the prodigal nation with healing and up-binding. When the sun seems to dip below the horizon, we begin to travel toward its rising again. Then we follow on, to behold the glorious dawn of the next day, which is prepared for us. Presently we catch the first glimpse, and soon come into its full splendor. The sun does not move toward us, but we toward it. So when the soul turns toward God, if only it is willing to do His will, it has begun to follow on toward the light of His countenance, which presently will be revealed in its full radiance. God's favor is also compared to the fertilizing rain, for its certainty and refreshment, Genesis 8:22.
While God's love is constant, our religious life is fickle and changeful. Emotion is evanescent as the morning clouds, which in Palestine vanish by nine or ten o'clock. Our Lord quoted Hosea 5:6 in Matthew 9:13; Matthew 12:7. The pomp of outward ritual, however ornate, counts less with God than one contrite sigh or tear. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hosea 6

1  Exhortations to repent and hope in God
4  A lamentation over those who had sinned after conviction
5  Reproofs of obstinate sinners, and threats against them

What do the individual words in Hosea 6:11 mean?

Also Judah is appointed a harvest for you when I return the captives of My people -
גַּם־ יְהוּדָ֕ה שָׁ֥ת קָצִ֖יר לָ֑ךְ בְּשׁוּבִ֖י שְׁב֥וּת עַמִּֽי פ

גַּם־  Also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
יְהוּדָ֕ה  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
שָׁ֥ת  is  appointed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שִׁית  
Sense: to put, set.
קָצִ֖יר  a  harvest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קָצִיר 
Sense: harvest, harvesting.
לָ֑ךְ  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
בְּשׁוּבִ֖י  when  I  return 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
שְׁב֥וּת  the  captives 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שְׁבוּת 
Sense: captivity, captives.
עַמִּֽי  of  My  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation