The Book of Hosea is the first of the Minor Prophets listed in the Bible. Hosea prophesied during the last years of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. When he started his ministry, the kingdom prospered and his prophecies of a fall were unpopular and seemed unlikely.
God instructed Hosea to marry a prostitute, knowing she would be unfaithful to him. It would serve as an example of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. First, the religious leaders were unfaithful in leading the people to God, doing the exact opposite. Secondly, the political leaders aligned themselves with Egypt and Assyria, rather than relying on God.
Book of Hosea: Authorship and Date
The time frame of Hosea’s ministry was during the reigns of the four kings of Judah and the one king of Israel mentioned in Hosea 1:1. Based on that knowledge, we know he prophesied during the middle to the second half of the 8th century, which was the last decades before the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to Assyrian forces in 722 BCE.
Verse Hosea 1:1 has motivated the traditional view on authorship: that Hosea wrote the book. The references to his marriage and children support that view, though it does not eliminate the possibility of alternative authorship.
Though Hosea primarily prophesied the imminent fall of the Northern Kingdom, he did mention the Southern Kingdom of Judah on several occasions as well (Hosea 1:7, 4:15; 5:5, 10, 12-14). These references to the Kingdom of Judah have motivated many scholars to suggest that Hosea may not have been the author and that someone from the Kingdom of Judah wrote the account.
Some literary elements in the book also suggest that it may be a compilation that underwent some editing and redactions, possibly originating from an original oral tradition. This perspective may reconcile the two views in having Hosea as the original contributor but with later scribes penning the work while making redactions and contributing theological perspectives from after the time of the exile of the Kingdom of Israel.
Historical Context
Hosea received the word of the Lord during Jeroboam II’s reign in the Northern Kingdom. He likely prophesied for more than a decade while the Northern Kingdom prospered economically and politically. The kingdom expanded under Jeroboam II’s rule, and trade and agriculture flourished. However, prosperity was not equally shared, and the wealth gap increased, resulting in social inequality, which Hosea addressed.
After Jeroboam’s death, his son Zechariah was assassinated within a year. A string of weak kings followed, resulting in the rapid decline of economic and political prosperity for Israel.
When the Northern and Southern Kingdoms had first split, Jeroboam I introduced idol worship, not wanting his people to go to Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, to worship at the Temple. He erected golden calves in Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28–30). In subsequent reigns, worship of Yahweh became progressively blended with pagan practices in the Northern Kingdom as influences from other deities infiltrated the religious traditions of Israel. This was more than breaking the covenant with God, it was apostasy and rebellion. During their decline, tribal infighting among the elites further divided the nation and exacerbated these problems.
Hosea highlighted the transgressions of Israel and illustrated the unfaithfulness of the nation by marrying a prostitute and having children with her. This vivid depiction of God’s experience of Israel and the call for repentance did not find traction among the Israelite nation and the judgments Hosea proclaimed came to fruition. Assyria, a former ally of Israel conquered the kingdom and exiled its people.
Structure
Hosea has three distinct sections:
Hosea’s Call and Symbolic Marriage (Chapters 1-3)
God instructs Hosea to marry Gomer, an unfaithful woman the Bible describes as a “wife of whoredom.” They have three children who receive names that seem symbolic of Israel: Jezreel, symbolizing the fall of Israel, Lo-Ruhamah, meaning “not pitied” or “not loved” demonstrating God’s withdrawal from Israel, and Lo-Ami, which means “not my people.”
The judgment of Gomer for her unfaithfulness and adultery, and her restoration afterward, clearly illustrate the judgment and restoration of Israel for their idolatry. God instructs Hosea to buy Gomer back after she presumably left him. This is symbolic of God’s willingness to forgive Israel for their idolatry and transgressions if they repent and return to him. Hosea 3:4-5 explicitly applies the principles of Gomer’s restoration to Israel.
The Prophetic Oracles of Judgment and Israel’s Guilt (Chapters 4-10)
After using his marriage as a symbolic representation of the relationship between God and Israel, Hosea accused Israel of specific transgressions. Among them are idolatry, dishonesty, violence, and moral corruption of which the religious and political leadership were guilty. Hosea warned of the impending judgment for their misdeeds, which would come in the form of foreign invasion.
Hosea assured Israel of God’s mercy if they genuinely repented. Hosea 6:6 highlighted the importance of genuine inward contrition, not mere outward display. Their idolatry was a rejection of God and deserved punishment, and it would manifest in devastation and exile. The land would be left desolate behind them.
Future Restoration and Hope (Chapters 11-14)
The last chapters of Hosea focus on restoration and hope. God would have compassion for Israel despite their sins. There had to be justice for their sins, and that justice was the inevitable end of the kingdom when Assyria would conquer them. Yet, God would restore them if they repented. He assured them that their wounds would be healed, and a time of blessing would follow.
Main Themes
Hosea, like most of the prophets, proclaimed messages on the following themes:
Judgment
Hosea brought a message of judgment for Israel’s infidelity to God. Hosea’s marriage served as a metaphor for Israel’s covenant with God. Just as his wife was unfaithful, Israel was unfaithful to God and therefore deserved judgment. Though in the beginning of Hosea’s ministry Assyria was an ally of Israel, the prophet foretold that the judgment of God would destroy the nation and lead to exile.
Repentance
Hosea repeatedly called for repentance, declaring that God would be merciful. Repentance is a prerequisite for forgiveness, and without it, the restoration God promised could not come to fruition. Unlike the Southern Kingdom of Judah which went into exile to Babylon more than a century later, the people of Israel never returned to their land as a significant unit. One of the reasons was their loss of national identity, which would have likely remained if they had held onto their shared faith. It seems as if the people of Israel never truly repented for their sins of idolatry and assimilated with other nations after their mass deportation to Assyria.
Restoration
God promised through Hosea that though the nation of Israel would suffer the consequences of their idolatry, he would restore them after their time of punishment had been served. This message was meant to give hope and assurance of mercy should they repent. It is believed the reason the restoration never occurred was due to the conditional nature of the prophecy.
Key Passages
Hosea 1:2
“When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, ‘Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.’”
Hosea had to convey his message by marrying an adulterous wife to illustrate the unfaithfulness of Israel to God. The elements of judgment, repentance, and restoration were all demonstrated in the way Hosea dealt with Gomer.
Hosea 6:6
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6 in Matthew 12:7 during the Sabbath controversy. The verse constitutes a Hebrew parallelism which highlights the fact that ritual (sacrifice or burnt offerings) without the essence that it represents (love or knowledge of God) is futile and misses the point of the ceremony.
Hosea 8:1
“Set the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is over the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law. To me they cry, ‘My God, we—Israel—know you.’ Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue him.”
Though some claimed with their mouths they were the people of God, the actions of Israel spoke louder than the words. Hosea brought the message of the destruction of Israel for their unfaithfulness.
Contemporary Relevance
The contemporary Christian can learn much from Hosea, though separated by millennia. First, to God, unfaithfulness is like idolatry. Loyalty to God should surpass words and manifest in actions. Secondly, the symbolism of Hosea’s marriage gives insight into how God feels about unfaithfulness to him. Yet, he is merciful and willing to forgive whatever transgression has been made as long as it comes with heartfelt repentance.
