HOSEA, BOOK OF
A book of the Hebrew Scriptures written by “Hosea the son of Beeri.” (Hos. 1:1) In it the writer’s domestic life is paralleled with God’s relationship to Israel. (Chaps. 1-3) The book shows that mere formal religious ceremony does not find acceptance with Jehovah. (6:6) It also highlights God’s mercy and loving-kindness.—2:19; 11:1-4; 14:4.
TIME AND PLACE OF COMPOSITION
Hosea began serving as a prophet at a time when Judean King Uzziah (829-777 B.C.E.) and King Jeroboam II of Israel (c. 844-803 B.C.E.) were contemporaries, and thus no later than 803 B.C.E., the apparent end of Jeroboam’s reign. (Hos. 1:1) Hosea’s prophetic ministry continued into the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, who began to rule about 746 B.C.E. Hence, it spanned no less than fifty-seven years, though it doubtless covered some time in the reigns of Jeroboam and Hezekiah, thus being somewhat longer. Although Hosea recorded a prophecy concerning Samaria’s destruction (Hos. 13:16), he did not report its fulfillment, which he probably would have done if the writing of the book had extended to 740 B.C.E., the date of Samaria’s fall. Therefore, the book of Hosea was evidently written in the district of Samaria and completed sometime between 746 and 740 B.C.E.
SETTING
The book of Hosea is concerned primarily with the northern ten-tribe kingdom of Israel (also called “Ephraim” after its dominant tribe, the names being used interchangeably in the book). When Hosea began to prophesy during King Jeroboam’s reign, Israel enjoyed material prosperity. But the people had rejected knowledge of God. (Hos. 4:6) Their wicked practices included acts of bloodshed, stealing, fornication, adultery and the veneration of Baal and calf idols. (Hos. 2:8, 13; 4:2, 13, 14; 10:5) After King Jeroboam’s death, prosperity ceased and frightful conditions came into existence, marked by unrest and political assassination. (2 Ki. 14:29–15:30) Faithful Hosea also prophesied amid these circumstances. Finally, in 740 B.C.E., Samaria fell to the Assyrians, bringing the ten-tribe kingdom to its end.—2 Ki. 17:6.
HOSEA’S WIFE AND THE CHILDREN
At Jehovah’s command, Hosea took to himself “a wife of fornication and children of fornication.” (Hos. 1:2) This does not necessarily mean that the prophet married a prostitute or an immoral woman already having illegitimate children. It may indicate that the woman would become adulterous and have such children after her marriage to the prophet. Hosea married Gomer, who “bore to him a son,” Jezreel. (1:3, 4) Gomer later gave birth to a daughter, Lo-ruhamah, and thereafter to a son named Lo-ammi, both possibly being fruits of her adultery, as no personal reference is made to the prophet in connection with their births. (1:6, 8, 9) Lo-ruhamah means “she was not shown mercy,” and the meaning of Lo-ammi is “not my people,” these names indicating Jehovah’s disapproval of wayward Israel. On the other hand, the name of the firstborn child “Jezreel,” meaning “God will sow seed,” is applied to the people favorably in a restoration prophecy.—2:21-23.
After the birth of these children, Gomer apparently abandoned Hosea for her paramours, but it is not said that the prophet divorced her. Evidently she was later forsaken by her lovers and fell into poverty and slavery, for Hosea 3:1-3 seems to indicate that the prophet purchased her as though she was a slave and took her back as a wife. His relationship with Gomer paralleled that of Jehovah with Israel, God being willing to take back his erring people after they repented of their spiritual adultery.—2:16, 19, 20; 3:1-5.
Some Bible scholars have viewed Hosea’s marriage as visionary, as a trance or a dream never carried into action. However, the prophet did not say or indicate that a vision or a dream was involved. Others have considered the marriage to be an allegory or a parable. But Hosea did not use symbolical or figurative terminology when discussing it. Viewing this as an account of the actual marriage of Hosea to Gomer and of Gomer’s literal restoration to the prophet gives force and significance to the application of these things historically and factually to Israel. It does not strain the plain Biblical account and it harmonizes with Jehovah’s choosing of Israel, the nation’s subsequent spiritual adultery and the people’s restoration to God upon their repentance.
STYLE
Hosea’s writing style is concise, even abrupt at times. There are rapid changes of thought. The book contains expressions of great feeling and power in the form of rebuke, warning and exhortation, as well as tender pleas for repentance. Nor does it lack excellent figures of speech.—4:16; 5:13, 14; 6:3, 4; 7:4-8, 11, 12; 8:7; 9:10; 10:1, 7, 11-13; 11:3, 4; 13:3, 7, 8, 15; 14:5-7.
CANONICITY
The book of Hosea stands first in the order of the so-called “Minor Prophets” in common English Bibles, as well as in the ancient Hebrew and Septuagint texts. Jerome specified that one of the divisions of the Jews’ sacred books was The Book of the Twelve Prophets, which evidently included the book of Hosea to fill out the number twelve. Melito of the second century C.E. left a catalogue including these books, as did Origen and others.
HARMONY WITH OTHER BIBLE BOOKS
This book harmonizes with thoughts expressed elsewhere in the Bible. (For instance, compare Hosea 6:1 with Deuteronomy 32:39; Hosea 13:6 with Deuteronomy 8:11-14; 32:15, 18.) The book of Hosea refers to occurrences recorded in other parts of the Scriptures, such as incidents involving Jacob (Hos. 12:2-4, 12; Gen. 25:26; 32:24-29; 29:18-28; 31:38-41), Israel’s exodus from Egypt (Hos. 2:15; 11:1; 12:13), her unfaithfulness in connection with Baal of Peor (Hos. 9:10; Num. chap. 25) and the nation’s request for a human king.—Hos. 13:10, 11; 1 Sam. 8:4, 5, 19-22.
USE IN THE CHRISTIAN GREEK SCRIPTURES
Twice Jesus Christ quoted from Hosea 6:6, using the words “I want mercy, and not sacrifice.” (Matt. 9:13; 12:7) He referred to Hosea 10:8 when pronouncing judgment on Jerusalem (Luke 23:30), and this statement was used at Revelation 6:16. Paul and Peter both made use of Hosea 1:10 and 2:23. (Rom. 9:25, 26; 1 Pet. 2:10) Paul quoted Hosea 13:14 (LXX) when discussing the resurrection, in asking: “Death where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55) Compare also Hosea 14:2 with Hebrews 13:15.
It has been said regarding the book of Hosea: “Few O.T. [Old Testament] books (aside from Isaiah and Psalms) are quoted as often in the N.T. [New Testament]; more than 30 direct and indirect quotations from Hosea are contained in the Gospels and Epistles.”—Harper’s Bible Dictionary, 7th ed., 1961, p. 269.
FULFILLED PROPHECIES
The prophetic words of Hosea 13:16 concerning Samaria’s fall were fulfilled. Hosea’s prophecy also showed that Israel would be deserted by her lovers among the nations. (Hos. 8:7-10) Indeed, they were of no assistance when Samaria was destroyed and inhabitants of Israel became Assyrian captives in 740 B.C.E.—2 Ki. 17:3-6.
Hosea’s prophecy foretold that God would send a fire into the cities of Judah. (Hos. 8:14) In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Assyrian King Sennacherib “came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and proceeded to seize them.” (2 Ki. 18:13) However, Hosea also prophesied that Jehovah would save Judah. (Hos. 1:7) This occurred when God frustrated Sennacherib’s planned attack on Jerusalem, Jehovah’s angel destroying 185,000 men of the Assyrian army in one night. (2 Ki. 19:34, 35) But a much more disastrous “fire” came when Jerusalem and the cities of Judah were destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 607 B.C.E.—2 Chron. 36:19; Jer. 34:6, 7.
Nonetheless, in keeping with inspired restoration prophecies found in the book of Hosea, a remnant of the people of Judah and Israel was gathered together and emerged from the land of captivity, Babylonia, in 537 B.C.E. (Hos. 1:10, 11; 2:14-23; 3:5; 11:8-11; 13:14; 14:1-8; Ezra 3:1-3) Paul used Hosea 1:10 and 2:23 to emphasize God’s undeserved kindness as expressed toward “vessels of mercy,” and Peter also employed these texts. These apostolic applications show that the prophecies also pertain to God’s merciful gathering of a spiritual remnant.—Rom. 9:22-26; 1 Pet. 2:10.
Messianic prophecy is also found in the book of Hosea. Matthew applied the words of Hosea 11:1 (“out of Egypt I called my son”) to the child Jesus, who was taken into Egypt but was later brought back to Palestine.—Matt. 2:14, 15.
OUTLINE OF CONTENTS
I. Israel’s adultery and restoration; the parallel (1:1–3:5)
A. Hosea’s wife and the children she bears (1:1-9)
1. God commands Hosea to take ‘a wife an children of fornication, because Israel turns from following Jehovah’ (1:2)
2. Hosea complies, taking Gomer as his wife (1:3)
a. She bears him a son, Jezreel (1:3-5)
b. She gives birth to a daughter, named Loruhamah, for Jehovah will not show mercy to Israel, though He will to Judah (1:6, 7)
c. Gomer bears a son, named Lo-ammi “because you men are not my people” (1:8, 9)
B. Restoration foretold; Israel and Judah to be “collected together into a unity” (1:10–2:1)
C. Jehovah will punish Israel for fornication and withdraw blessings that were misused in Baal worship (2:2-13)
D. Restoration of Israel to Jehovah as husband and God (2:14-23)
1. She will be engaged to Him in righteousness, justice, loving-kindness, mercies and faithfulness (2:14-20)
2. Blessings will be restored, and in harmony with the meaning of Jezreel, ‘God will sow Israel like seed and show her mercy’ (2:21-23)
E. Like Hosea’s redeemed adulterous wife, ‘Israel will come back and look for Jehovah and for David their king’ (3:1-5)
II. Prophetic judgments against Ephraim (Israel) and Judah for unfaithfulness to Jehovah (4:1–13:16)
A. God will hold an accounting with Israel and Judah for their wrongdoing (4:1–5:15)
1. Violence prevails in Israel and knowledge of God is rejected by the people, resulting in divine rejection (4:1-8)
2. Jehovah will hold an accounting for their idolatry and harlotry (4:9-19)
3. Leaders and people have not acknowledged Jehovah; Ephraim and Judah will experience God’s judgment (5:1-15)
B. The people are urged to return to Jehovah; they seek worldly alliances and receive divine retribution (6:1–8:14)
1. Plea is made to return to Jehovah for healing (6:1-3)
2. Their loving-kindness is fleeting, whereas Jehovah delights in loving-kindness, not sacrifice, “knowledge of God rather than in whole burnt offerings” (6:4-6)
3. They have overstepped His covenant and practiced wickedness (6:7–7:7)
4. Ephraim has gone to Egypt and Assyria for help, rather than to Jehovah, and He will discipline them for their error (7:8-16)
5. They have sown wind and will reap a stormwind; Israel must be swallowed down and Judah’s cities will be burned (8:1-14)
C. Ephraim’s sinfulness will result in rejection by God, “and they will become fugitives among the nations” (9:1-17)
D. Israel, “a degenerating vine,” will suffer ruin (10:1-15)
E. Jehovah’s love for Israel (11:1-11)
1. God has loved Israel from his childhood 11:1-4)
2. Exile to Assyria foretold for unfaithfulness, but there will also be restoration (11:5-11)
F. Ephraim’s wickedness and its consequences (11:12–13:16)
1. Ephraim practices lying and deception; turns to Assyria and Egypt (11:12–12:1)
2. Ephraim’s faithful forefather Jacob an example that should cause Ephraim to return to God (12:2-14)
3. Ephraim practiced idolatry and forgot Jehovah, who will bring ruin, but will also redeem them from death and Sheol (13:1-14)
4. “The wind of Jehovah” will come and Samaria will fall (13:15, 16)
III. Return to Jehovah and its results (14:1-9)
A. Israel urged to come back to Jehovah with ‘bulls of lips,’ acknowledging that Assyria will not save them, and abandoning idolatry (14:1-3)
B. Jehovah will heal their unfaithfulness, show them love and grant them his blessing (14:4-8)
C. Jehovah’s ways are upright; righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them (14:9)
See the book “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” pp. 143-145.