Hosea 3:5

‘Afterward will the children of Israel return, and seek YHWH their God, and David their king, and will come with fear to YHWH and to his goodness in the latter days.'

However, there will come a time when Israel do return (in repentance; compare Deuteronomy 4:30) and seek YHWH their God and David their king. Note the implication that they will be reunited with Judah under the rightful, God-approved king. And then they will come in ‘trembling', (reverent, awed fear), to seek YHWH and His goodness in the latter days (compare Hosea 11:11). The thought is of an Israel fully restored to what was God's initial purpose in choosing David as king.

‘In the latter days.' The phrase comes from Genesis 49:1 where it simply indicates ‘in later days'. It does not therefore necessarily indicate what some call ‘the end times'. The point here is that it will be after God's retribution has been meted out on Israel. The New Testament writers saw themselves as being in the latter days.

Once again we can see this as partially fulfilled in the inter-Testamental days, for there is no reason to doubt that members of both Israel and Judah took the opportunity offered to them to return (and anyway Judah itself had by the time of the Exile become a conglomeration of people from the twelve tribes). Nor would all the people in the land have been exiled. And when they did so it was to take a Davidide (Zerubbabel) as governor.

They would even more seek David their king when great David's greater Son came into the world and called men under the Kingly Rule of God. And this happened in ‘the latter days', for the early church considered that the latter days were upon them. See Acts 2:17; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 1:1; Hebrews 9:26; 1 Peter 1:20; 1 Peter 4:7. Finally, of course, it will result in the everlasting kingdom.