Hosea 11:3
“Yet I taught Ephraim to walk. I took them by his arms; but they didn’t know that I healed them.”
What does Hosea 11:3 mean?
God is describing his tender care for the people of Israel (Ephraim) like a parent teaching a small child to walk, steadying them with loving hands. Despite this intimate, sustained nurturing, the people didn't recognize that their strength and well-being came from God's healing touch. The heartbreak in these words comes from the gap between what God was doing for them and their failure to see it or acknowledge him, even as they were benefiting from his care every step of the way.