In context, His people had been unfaithful to Him—comparable in human terms to an adulterous wife. Any human heart would have given up on them and given them over to their deserved consequences. But He says, “No, I will not unleash my fierce anger…for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you…” Hosea 11:9 NLT.
Combine this deep eternal love and holy compassion with royal authority and power, and the result is: “For someday the people will follow me. I the LORD, will roar like a lion.” Hosea 11:10a NLT. The LORD who is roaring is the Lion of Judah! Jacob prophesied, “Judah, my son, is a young lion…The scepter will not depart from Judah…” Genesis 49:9-10 NLT. The book of Revelation confirms: “…Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has won the victory.” Revelation 5:5 NLT.