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Introduction to Hosea
Part 1: General Introduction
Outline of Hosea
- God tells Hosea to marry Gomer as a picture of Yahweh's relationship with Israel (1:1–3:5)
- Israel's betrayals, wanderings, and sins; Yahweh's appeals and pleas to return to him (4:1–7:3)
- Literary devices to explain the conflict between Yahweh and Israel (7:4–13:8)
- Similes: oven, cake, dove, bow (7:4–16)
- Israel's open lies and rebellion (8:1–14)
- Prediction of the end of Israel (9:1–17)
- Similes: grapes, vine, calf, lion, children, birds, and doves (10:1–11:11)
- Destruction caused by Israel's sins and betrayals and broken alliances (11:12–12:1)
- Remembering Israel's history (12:2–13:16)
- Idolatry (13:1–8)
- Israel is hostile to Yahweh (13:9–16)
- Yahweh's last appeals to Israel (14:1–9)
What is the Book of Hosea about?
Hosea lived in the northern kingdom of Israel. Hosea often called this kingdom Ephraim or Samaria. He lived in the period of time just before Assyria conquered the northern kingdom.
Hosea began to prophesy around 753 B.C. just before King Jeroboam II died. This was when the kingdom of Israel was its most powerful. Despite its prosperity, the kingdom of Israel was spiritually weak. Hosea prophesied for about 38 years and predicted that the kingdom would be destroyed. The kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.
How should the title of this book be translated?
"The Book of Hosea" may also be called "The Book About Hosea" or "The Sayings of Hosea." (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names)
Who wrote the Book of Hosea?
This book contains the prophecies of Hosea, son of Beeri. It is uncertain whether Hosea wrote the book himself. It was probably written after Samaria, the capital of the norther kingdom, was destroyed in 721 B.C.
Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts
Why did God command Hosea to marry a prostitute?
Hosea's marriage to the prostitute Gomer is a type of metaphor that represents the kingdom of Israel's relationship to Yahweh. Israel was unfaithful to Yahweh and broke the covenant with him. This is compared with a woman who is unfaithful to her husband and breaks her marriage agreement with him. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor, rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/unfaithful and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/covenant)
What is a lawsuit?
Many cultures have a process for resolving disputes through the use of courts. These legal disputes are called lawsuits. The Book of Hosea contains a number of legal terms. This is because Yahweh is spoken of as if he were a husband accusing his wife in court of being unfaithful to him. Part of the book follows the form of a lawsuit. There is a problem that is identified (4:1), someone is accused (4:4), someone is found guilty (4:15), and punishment follows (5:1).
Who did the people of the kingdom of Israel worship?
While Israel was supposed to worship Yahweh alone, they combined the worship of Yahweh with the worship of the Canaanite gods. The name of one of the false gods they worshiped was Baal. This was a major cause of God's judgment upon the kingdom of Israel. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/falsegod and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/judge)
Part 3: Important Translation Issues
What does the phrase "the declaration of Yahweh" mean?
The prophet uses the phrase "the declaration of Yahweh" to mark a message as truly coming from God.
Why are English translations of Hosea very different?
Hosea 4–14 has many problems of interpretation. Some phrases in Hosea are beyond the current understanding we have of the Hebrew language. Many English translations give very different translations for these difficult sections.
What does the term "Israel" mean in Hosea?
In Hosea, "Israel" is used only in reference to the northern kingdom of Israel. It is not used in reference to the southern kingdom or to the two kingdoms together. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/kingdomofisrael)