In this book, hosea accuses israel of breaking their covenant with god and warns them of the tragic consequences to follow. In ancient hebrew manuscripts the collection of the minor prophets was written on one scroll, called the book of the twelve. The area surrounding the city was also called the valley of jezreel. Hosea is the first book in the sections of minor prophets. Free bible commentary on hosea in easy english easyenglish bible. Hosea was a young preacher in the nation of israel, the northern kingdom, and he was a. Introduction hosea the prophet hosea was a prophet who lived and prophesied just before the destruction of israel in 722 bc. They are called minor prophets not because their material is less important or insignificant, but because of the size of the book they wrote was shorter in length. The reigns of the kings uzziah, jotham, ahaz and hezekiah of judah, and of jeroboam ii of israel lasted from around 793 to 697 bc, which are around 100 years chap. During the days of hoseas ministry, israel was a very prosperous nation materially. Hosea, theology of definition and meaning bible dictionary. These twelve prophets were sometimes named the minor prophets, not because they are of lesser importance. Some of the early continue reading outline of hosea. These little gems can be difficult to interpret, but once unlocked, you find treasure.
According to the superscription, hosea began his prophetic activity during the reign of jeroboam ii c. Put together, the two root words mean god will sow. Hosea was called to marry a woman of adultery and produce children of adultery. Throughout the book, hosea will show us that salvation is found in turning to the lord and away from our sin. Go, get for yourself a woman of prostitution and children of prostitution, for the land prostitutes itself, a turning away from the lord. According to the b oo k of hosea, he married gomer, the daughter of diblaim, but she proved to be unfa ithful.
Fortunately, the book that bears his name has been preserved. The book primarily denounces israel for apostasy against god and. Christians see in this book a comparable call to the church not to forsake the. According to the traditional order of most hebrew bibles, it is the first of the twelve minor prophets set around the fall of the northern kingdom of israel, the b ook of hosea denounces the worship of gods other than yahweh, metaphorically comparing israels abandonment of yahweh to a. The book of hosea describes hoseas marriage to gomer and its prophetic meaning for israel. These chapters are richly symbolic, and through symbols hosea helps his readers understand israels history relevant to the past, present, and future in order to understand the overall meaning of the book. The story of the prophet hoseas troubled marriage is a powerful testimony to two things. You have been a snare at mizpah, a net spread out on tabor. Hoseas message was primarily for the northern kingdom of israel. Since the beginning of time gods ungrateful and undeserving creation has been accepting gods love, grace, and mercy while still unable to refrain from its wickedness. The book of hosea was a severe warning to the northern kingdom against the growing idolatry being practiced there. When this is true it all too easily leads to compromise, selfish ambition, and lack of integrity in ones personal activities and dealings. Hosea delivers a plea to israel and a complaint against her 6. In the book of hosea, the word forget is the opposite of know.
Bethel, which had been a place of god, had been turned into a place of calf worship. Summary like the book of amos, the book of hosea is addressed to the people. And his name is related to the name joshua, which means salvation. Often, we do not recognize the derivation of these bible names, but this prophets name would be joseph in english. The opening surprise of the book is that god initiated hoseas marriage to this harlot 1. Written in the northern kingdom, it draws parallels between his relationship with his unfaithful wife and the relationship between god and his people. Mar 27, 2019 hosea is part of that strange section of our bibles known as the minor prophets. Jun, 2019 hosea is one of the twelve minor prophets of the old testament, the author of the book of hosea. Well discuss the original hebrew, plus the words and names hosea is related to, plus the occurences of this name in the bible. The shocking nature of hoseas marriage is difficult for us to comprehend. Information and translations of book of hosea in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The meaning of his name, salvation, is the same as that of joshua compare num. Hoseas personal tragedy speaks to readers at the deepest level, moving them emotionally, intellectually, and. Hosea definition, a minor prophet of the 8th century b.
The imagery of hoseas family and the restoration of israel. We do well to recall the story, especially given the continue reading the story of hosea and what it teaches about god and holy matrimony. Hosea is the first of the 12 minor prophets called minor not because they are of less importance, but because the books are shorter. Hosea was the last of the prophets of the northern kingdom. Hosea was a contemporary of amos, another prophet to israel. Israel in a later time, paid tribute to shalmaneser to postpone the inevitable. What we see as 14 pages of the bible are snippets of a life devoted to the work of god. Israel is the lords bride, but israel has instead joined itself to baal, the false god worshiped in syriapalestine. Why did god tell hosea to marry a prostitute hosea 1. Hosea was instructed by god to marry a certain woman and experience with her a domestic life which was a dramatization of the sin and unfaithfulness of israel.
The book of hosea stands first in the division of the bible called the book of the twelve in the apocrypha cf. Hosea definition and meaning bible dictionary bible study tools. Jezreel was a city in the plain, or valley, of esdraelon. Little is known about the life or social status of hos ea. These twelve prophets are comprised in one single book in the hebrew bible and are called the twelve. He contends the book is divided into five panels, each of which moves from judgment to salvation. The priests became rich when jeroboam 2nd was king verse 7. Loruhamah meaning not loved, as god warns them that god will no longer show love to israel.
Set around the fall of the northern kingdom of israel, the book of hosea denounces the worship of gods other than yahweh. Jan 02, 2020 hosea is the only prophet of israel who left any written prophecies which were recorded during the later years of his life. It is our hope that this outline of hosea will assist you in your study of gods holy word his letter to you. In hosea s time, the israelites were devoted to gods that they could make. The book of hosea is the first of the 12 books of minor prophets. The book of hosea is a prophetic accounting of gods relentless love for his children. This book is literally a message of salvation to a spiritually bankrupt people. He was a prophet to the northern kingdom of israel, as the content of the book reveals. The book of hosea written hundreds of years before daniel and is addressed to the northern kingdom of israel.
Hosea, the son of beeri, prophesied for quite some time, from 785 to 725 b. The book of hosea is a commentary on that relationship. Rober chisholm suggests that judgmentsalvation in alternating fashion is the structured pattern of the book of hosea. If youre scratching your head and wondering who in the world hosea is, he was a minor prophet of the old testament who did all he could to warn israel of their falling away from god while reminding them of gods unfailing, persistent love and mercy. Hosea is the first of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve. The book of the twelve prophets was originally on one parchment roll because of the brevity of the text, and together formed one book of the 24 books of hebrew scripture. Hosea 12 uses imagery to describe the lords covenant with israel, relating israels covenant to that of the patriarch abraham. The book of hosea was likely written between 755 and 725 b. The book of hosea was written by the prophet whose name it bears. A dear friend of mine recently finished a study on the book of hosea. The meaning of his name, salvation, is hosea is the first of the 12 minor prophets. Hosea revealed little about his background, though his book of prophecy offers a few glimpses into his life. Hosea knew she would be unfaithful, as god says this to him immediately.
Bryce sandlin southwestern journal of theology vol. Because they were all contemporary with hosea, he mentions them all. Hosea was a prophet to israel, the northern kingdom, from 753 715 bc. When the assyrians overran the land, someone escaped to the south and brought the manuscript to the city of jerusalem. Book of hosea overview insight for living ministries. Hosea definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Philo states that the name hosea means what sort of a person is this. Book of hosea old testament britannica encyclopedia britannica. Jan 12, 2015 hosea was the prophet who gave gods final appeal to the jews to repent of their unfaithfulness to him. The book of hosea is a narrative history and prophetic oracle. The word jezreel comes from two hebrew root words meaning to sow and almighty.
An indepth look at the meaning and etymology of the awesome name hosea. Hosea his name meaning to save, salvation is the first of the socalled minor prophets. Book of hosea bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. Hosea definition is a hebrew prophet of the eighth century b. Its fourteen chapters contain both a warning concerning future events and an interpretation of these events meanings. Gomer gomer was the wife of the prophet hosea 8th century bc, mentioned in the hebrew bibles book of hosea. Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word book of hosea. According to the traditional order of most hebrew bibles, it is the first of the twelve minor prophets. Andersen and freedman conclude that chapters are basically written in prose narrative, while chapters 414 are typical of poetry. How are people destroyed from a lack of knowledge hosea 4. Listen to chuck swindoll s overview of hosea in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. It is questionable whether this child was hoseas, for god commands that his name be loammi, meaning not my people. Not only does the book of hosea provide an example of gods love to a people who have left god behind, but it also shows us what forgiveness and restoration look like in a close relationship.
Hosea is the first of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture. There are two unequal sections in the book of hosea, composed of chapters and 414. The book of hosea may feel complex, but interpretative help is found when we realize that it is intended to be approached as a living parable. The first known use of hosea was in the 14th century. The study of the book of hosea is timely for the people of god in the last half of the twentieth century. Chapters 414 give excerpts from hoseas preaching of grace and judgment leading up to the fall of israel in 722 bc. Christians extend the analogy of hosea to christ and the church.
Hosea with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Garrett canadian southern baptist seminary cochrane, alberta tol owo the book of hosea is the written record of the prophecies that ho sea son of beeri1, gave to the nation of israel in the eighth century b. Gods relationship with israel was one of covenant love so loyalty was a key part. Hoseas primary audience was ephraim another name for the northern kingdom, israel, which is mentioned 35 times in the book. Ephraim was the largest tribe in israel and sometimes the whole nation was referred to as ephraim. Hosea synonyms, hosea pronunciation, hosea translation, english dictionary definition of hosea. We find a hidden reference to the incarnation in the name of this prophet. The prophets name means salvation, likely a reference to hoseas position in israel as a beacon of hope to those who would repent and turn to god because of his message. In johns gospel, that statement leads to the incarnation. This outline and bibliography are offered with the prayer that they will enhance the study of the book of hosea for the busy pastor who must take time from an already busy schedule to make preparation for a weeks study in his church.
Throughout the book you will see that he refers to israel and ephraim. Book of hosea, the first of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, considered as one book, the twelve, in the. The prophets name means salvation, likely a reference to hoseas position in israel as a beacon of hope to those. Hosea mentions the four kings of judah first, and then he mentions the king of israel, the northern kingdom. The marital life of hosea and his wife, gomer, provide the rich metaphor which clarifies the themes of the book. The book of hosea is one of the books of the hebrew bible.
This ebook has lessons for you from the early church relevant to us today. If this becomes characteristic of society at large, dishonesty and corruption become endemic. The book of hosea illustrates that no one is beyond the offer of our forgiveness because no one sits outside gods offer of forgiveness. Book of hosea, also spelled osee, the first of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, considered as one book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. Like the book of amos, the book of hosea is addressed to the people of the northern kingdom israel. It moves from the heights of an intimate knowledge, symbolized by marriage and paternal love, to the. We are currently reading from the book of the prophet hosea at daily mass. Hosea is part of that strange section of our bibles known as the minor prophets. His prophetic style is so elevated that it is often difficult to distinguish between his prose and poetry. Hosea was called to the ministry of a prophet early in his life, and the book of the bible devoted to his name spans almost the duration of his lifetime. Throughout the book, the prophet speaks to the people of israel about the critical situation that developed during the. This man, in his wickedness, magnifies his own name while attempting to diminish the lord god. These 12 books are called minor prophets not because their message is less important but because they are so much shorter than the previous five books.