Hosea

Author: Probably Hosea

Audience: Primarily the northern kingdom of Israel

Date: Probably after the fall of the northern capital, Samaria (722–721 bc)

Theme: Hosea proclaims and demonstrates how a faithful God contends with his unfaithful people.

Introduction

Author and Date

Hosea, son of Beeri, prophesied about the middle of the eighth century bc, his ministry beginning during or shortly after that of Amos. Amos threatened God’s judgment on Israel at the hands of an unnamed enemy; Hosea identifies that enemy as Assyria (7:11; 8:9; 10:6; 11:11). Judging from the kings mentioned in 1:1, Hosea must have prophesied for at least 38 years, though almost nothing is known about him from sources outside his book. He was the only one of the writing prophets to come from the northern kingdom (Israel), and his prophecy is primarily directed to that kingdom. But since his prophetic activity is dated by reference to kings of Judah, the book was probably written in Judah after the fall of the northern capital, Samaria (722–721 bc)—an idea suggested by references to Judah throughout the book (1:7,11; 4:15; 5:5,10,12–13; 6:4,11; 10:11; 11:12; 12:2). Whether Hosea himself authored the book that preserves his prophecies is not known. The book of Hosea stands first in the division of the Bible called the Book of the Twelve (in the Apocrypha, cf. Ecclesiasticus 49:10; see article) or the Minor Prophets (a name referring to the brevity of these books as compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel).

Background

Hosea lived in the tragic final days of the northern kingdom, during which six kings (following Jeroboam II) reigned within 25 years (2Ki 15:8—17:6). Four (Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, Pekah) were murdered by their successors while in office, and one (Hoshea) was captured in battle; only one (Menahem) was succeeded on the throne by his son. These kings, given to Israel by God “in my anger” and taken away “in my wrath” (13:11), floated away “like a twig on the surface of the waters” (10:7). “Bloodshed” followed “bloodshed” (4:2). Assyria was expanding westward, and Menahem accepted that world power as overlord and paid tribute (2Ki 15:19–20). But shortly afterward, in 733 bc, Israel was dismembered by Assyria because of the intrigue of Pekah (who had gained Israel’s throne by killing Pekahiah, Menahem’s son and successor). Only the territories of Ephraim and western Manasseh were left to the king of Israel. Then, because of the disloyalty of Hoshea (Pekah’s successor), Samaria was captured and its people exiled in 722–721, bringing the northern kingdom to an end.

Theological Theme and Message

The first part of the book (chs. 1–3) narrates the family life of Hosea as a symbol (similar to the symbolism in the lives of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel) to convey the message the prophet had from the Lord for his people. God ordered Hosea to marry a promiscuous woman, Gomer, and their three children were each given a symbolic name representing part of the ominous message. Chapter 2 draws on Hosea’s relation to Gomer to point to its symbolic representation of God’s relation to Israel. The children are told to drive the unfaithful mother out of the house, but it was her reform, not her riddance, that was sought. The prophet was ordered to continue loving her, and he took her back and kept her in isolation for a while (ch. 3).

The affair graphically represents the Lord’s relation to the Israelites (cf. 2:4,9,18), who had been disloyal to him by worshiping Canaanite deities as the source of their abundance. Israel was to go through a period of exile (cf. 7:16; 9:3,6,17; 11:5). Just as Hosea took back his wife, Gomer, so the Lord loves his covenant people and longs to take them back. This return is described with imagery recalling the exodus from Egypt and settlement in Canaan (cf. 1:11; 2:14–23; 3:5; 11:10–11; 14:4–7). Hosea saw Israel’s past experiences with the Lord as the fundamental pattern, or type, of God’s future dealings with his people.

The second part of the book (chs. 4–14) gives the details of Israel’s involvement in Canaanite religion, but a systematic outline of the material is difficult. Like other prophetic books, Hosea issued a call to repentance. Israel’s alternative to destruction was to forsake their idols and return to the Lord (chs. 6; 14). Information gleaned from materials discovered at Ugarit (dating from the fifteenth century bc; see chart) enables us to know more clearly the religious practices against which Hosea protested.

Hosea saw the failure to acknowledge God (4:1,6; 8:2–3; 13:4) as Israel’s basic problem. God’s relation to Israel was that of love (2:19; 4:1; 6:6; 10:12; 12:6). The intimacy of the covenant relationship between God and Israel, illustrated in the first part of the book by the husband-wife relationship, is later amplified by the father-child relationship (11:1–4). Disloyalty to God was spiritual adultery (4:13–14; 5:4; 9:1; cf. Jer 3; see note on Ex 34:15). Israel had turned to Baal worship and had sacrificed at the pagan high places, which included associating with the sacred prostitutes at the sanctuaries (4:14) and worshiping the calf images at Samaria (8:5; 10:5–6; 13:2). International intrigue (5:13; 7:8–11) and materialism were also problems. Yet despite God’s condemnation and the harshness of language with which the unavoidable judgment was announced, the major purpose of the book is to proclaim God’s compassion and covenant love that cannot—finally—let Israel go.

Literary Features

Hosea uses an array of literary devices that make his prophetic message unforgettable. For example, he uses abundant similes and metaphors to liken the nation of Israel to flawed people (3:1–2; 5:13; 6:4; 8:7; 11:1–4; 13:13), plants (9:16; 10:1), animals (4:16; 7:11; 8:9; 10:11–13) and things (7:4,6–7,8,16; 8:8; 13:3). He describes God’s judgment against Israel’s unfaithfulness as a moth or rot (5:12) that will eventually consume them, and like a lion, leopard, or bear that will tear them to pieces and carry them off (5:14; 13:7–8). But Hosea also prophesies hope for this seemingly hopeless nation. After experiencing divine judgment for their sin, Israel is promised God’s mercy and blessing. Hosea again uses word pictures to describe God at that time as a wooing husband (2:14–16), a loving parent (11:3–4), and a flourishing juniper (14:8). Hosea depicts Israel’s response to this divine love as birds who respond to his call (11:11) and as a flowering lily, a cedar of Lebanon, a beautiful olive tree, flourishing grain, and a blossoming vine (14:5–7).

Hosea also uses assonance and alliteration to force readers to slow down and give closer attention to his words. These literary devices use words that contain and / or begin with similar sounding letters in the original Hebrew that could cause tongue-twisting if not pronounced slowly and carefully. One example is found in Hosea 4:16, where the words “stubborn” (occurring twice) and “Israel” share the s and r sounds, as seen when the Hebrew is rendered into English letters: sōrērāh sārar yiśrāʾēl. By using these similar sounds, Hosea causes his words to be read more slowly, thus emphasizing the content of his message.

Hosea’s literary artistry is also evident in his use of wordplays. In the original language, these wordplays have striking effect. For example, in Hebrew the consonants of Israel’s other name, Ephraim, are ʾ-p-r-y-m. Hosea re-purposes these consonants to literarily tie his prophecy even more closely to this rebellious nation. So, for example, ʾ-p-r-y-m (Ephraim) is likened, both in their character and in the spelling of their name, to a stubborn heifer (p-r-h, 4:16), a wild donkey (p-r-ʾ, 8:9), a worthless plant that produces no fruit (p-r-y, 9:16), and a nation unaware that God is the one who heals them (r-p-ʾ-t-y-m, 11:3).

These and other literary devices used by Hosea (e.g., the symbolic meaning of the names of his children) add power and memorability to his words and result in a prophecy that is as beautifully crafted as it is heartrendingly poignant.

Special Problems

The book of Hosea has at least two perplexing problems. The first concerns the nature of the story told in chs. 1–3 and the character of Gomer. While some interpreters have thought the story to be merely an allegory of the relation between God and Israel, others claim, more plausibly, that it is to be taken literally. Among the latter, some insist that Gomer was faithful at first and later became unfaithful, others that she was unfaithful even before the marriage.

The second problem of the book is the relation of ch. 3 to ch. 1. Despite the fact that no children are mentioned in ch. 3, some interpreters claim that the two chapters are different accounts of the same episode. The traditional interpretation, however, is more likely, namely, that ch. 3 is a sequel to ch. 1—i.e., after Gomer proved unfaithful, Hosea was instructed to take her back. At any rate, it is the fact of Gomer’s unfaithfulness, rather that its timing, that is the salient point of Hosea’s relationship with her.

The Israelites had been disloyal to God by worshiping Canaanite deities as the source of their abundance. Just as Hosea took back his wife, Gomer, so the Lord loves his covenant people and longs to take them back.

Outline

I. Superscription (1:1)

II. The Unfaithful Wife and the Faithful Husband (1:2—3:5)

A. The Children as Signs (1:2—2:1)

B. The Unfaithful Wife (2:2–23)

1. The Lord’s judgment on Israel (2:2–13)

2. The Lord’s restoration of Israel (2:14–23)

C. The Faithful Husband (ch. 3)

III. The Unfaithful Nation and the Faithful God (chs. 4–14)

A. Israel’s Unfaithfulness (4:1—6:3)

1. The general indictment (4:1–3)

2. The cause declared and the results described (4:4–19)

3. A special message to the people and leaders (ch. 5)

4. The people’s sorrowful plea (6:1–3)

B. Israel’s Punishment (6:4—10:15)

1. The case stated (6:4—7:16)

2. The judgment pronounced (chs. 8–9)

3. Summary and appeal (ch. 10)

C. The Lord’s Faithful Love (chs. 11–14)

1. The Lord’s fatherly love (11:1–11)

2. Israel’s punishment for unfaithfulness (11:12—13:16)

3. Israel’s restoration after repentance (ch. 14)