The book of hosea illustrates that no one is beyond the offer of our forgiveness because no one sits outside gods offer of forgiveness. Little is known about the life or social status of hosea. The book of hosea is the first of the 12 books of minor prophets. The book of hosea is one of the books of the hebrew bible. Hosea definition and meaning collins english dictionary. According to the traditional order of most hebrew bibles, it is the first of the twelve minor prophet s. 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. Hosea definition, a minor prophet of the 8th century b. Hosea is part of that strange section of our bibles known as the minor prophets. Moreover, israel has repeatedly violated the terms of the law.
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. 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. Well discuss the original hebrew, plus the words and names hosea is related to, plus the occurences of this name in the bible. Hosea knew she would be unfaithful, as god says this to him immediately. Book of hosea old testament britannica encyclopedia britannica. 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. Hosea is the first of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture. 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. Hosea his name meaning to save, salvation is the first of the socalled minor prophets. 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.
Thus stuart rightly points out, understanding the message of the book of hosea depends upon understanding the sinai covenant. Information and translations of book of hosea in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. These twelve prophets are comprised in one single book in the hebrew bible and are called the twelve. Box 551, greenville, alabama 36037 usa hosea, a prophet with an unfaithful wife hosea one in our bible the books of hosea through malachi are called minor prophets. Study hosea 1 using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. Hosea was a young preacher in the nation of israel, the northern kingdom, and he was a. This seems like such a ridiculous thing for hosea to do. Introduction hosea the prophet hosea was a prophet who lived and prophesied just before the destruction of israel in 722 bc.
He contends the book is divided into five panels, each of which moves from judgment to salvation. The book contains a series of blessings and curses announced for israel by god through hosea. Throughout the book you will see that he refers to israel and ephraim. According to the traditional order of most hebrew bibles, it is the first of the twelve minor prophets. This propensity for idolatry meant that the israelites lived as if they were not gods people. 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. Chapters 414 give excerpts from hoseas preaching of grace and judgment leading up to the fall of israel in 722 bc. That hoseas marriage to gomer was to depict gods marriage to israel is clearly set forth and becomes the key to the theme of the book. Why did god tell hosea to marry a prostitute hosea 1. We find a hidden reference to the incarnation in the name of this prophet.
How are people destroyed from a lack of knowledge hosea 4. The book of hosea was likely written between 755 and 725 b. Go, get for yourself a woman of prostitution and children of prostitution, for the land prostitutes itself, a turning away from the lord. The book of hosea written hundreds of years before daniel and is addressed to the northern kingdom of israel. In the book of hosea, the word forget is the opposite of know. Hosea definition and meaning bible dictionary bible study tools. Like the book of amos, the book of hosea is addressed to the people of the northern kingdom israel. Hosea is the first book in the sections of minor prophets. Hosea, the son of beeri, prophesied for quite some time, from 785 to 725 b. Hosea, theology of definition and meaning bible dictionary.
Mar 27, 2019 hosea is part of that strange section of our bibles known as the minor prophets. And though god told them as much through the birth of hoseas third child, loammi. And his name is related to the name joshua, which means salvation. Throughout the book, hosea pictured the people turning away from the lord and turning toward other gods 4.
Hosea was the last of the prophets of the northern kingdom. 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. Hoseas personal tragedy speaks to readers at the deepest level, moving them emotionally, intellectually, and. Often, we do not recognize the derivation of these bible names, but this prophets name would be joseph in english. Bryce sandlin southwestern journal of theology vol. It comes from the same hebrew root hoshea as the names joshua and jesus. Hosea was a man, but he was a man god used to speak through. The marital life of hosea and his wife, gomer, provide the rich metaphor which clarifies the themes of the book.
The imagery of hoseas family and the restoration of israel. In ancient hebrew manuscripts the collection of the minor prophets was written on one scroll, called the book of the twelve. Free bible commentary on hosea in easy english easyenglish bible. Hosea 6 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. The book primarily denounces israel for apostasy against god and warns of a coming judgment, but it also contains promises of restora. The shocking nature of hoseas marriage is difficult for us to comprehend. Israel is the lords bride, but israel has instead joined itself to. It moves from the heights of an intimate knowledge, symbolized by marriage and paternal love, to the. According to the superscription, hosea began his prophetic activity during the reign of jeroboam ii c. Summary like the book of amos, the book of hosea is addressed to the people. 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. In johns gospel, that statement leads to the incarnation. Hosea mentions the four kings of judah first, and then he mentions the king of israel, the northern kingdom. Hosea was a contemporary of amos, another prophet to israel.
Chapters 414 give excerpts from hoseas preaching of grace and judgment leading up. Powerful love overcomes rebellion in the book of hosea. This point to the future unfaithfulness of their mother. Because they were all contemporary with hosea, he mentions them all. 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. I leant the book to my brother for a couple of weeks. Hosea chapter 1 kjv king james version 1 the word of the lord that came unto hosea, the son of beeri, in the days of uzziah, jotham, ahaz, and hezekiah, kings of judah, and in the days of jeroboam the son of joash, king of israel. The name hosea, meaning salvation, or he saves, or he helps, seems to have been not uncommon, being. The opening surprise of the book is that god initiated hoseas marriage to this harlot 1.
These little gems can be difficult to interpret, but once unlocked, you find treasure. Hosea 6 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible. Hosea with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Book of hosea bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets.
Throughout the book, hosea will show us that salvation is found in turning to the lord and away from our sin. The opening surprise of the book is that god initiated hosea s marriage to this harlot 1. The condition in the churches today is similar to that in israel in the middle of the eighth century b. It moves from the heights of an intimate knowledge, symbolized by marriage and paternal love, to the depths of anguish and despair over israels apostasy and idolatry as pictured by the adultery of gomer. In this book, hosea accuses israel of breaking their covenant with god and warns them of the tragic consequences to follow. Chapters are so powerful and personal that i want to walk through them with you and make some brief comments and applications as. Fortunately, the book that bears his name has been preserved. Hoseas love for gomer is only a picture of gods love for israel, because all the while that israel was unfaithful to god, he was providing for them, and they took his blessings and used them for their idol worship.
Hosea synonyms, hosea pronunciation, hosea translation, english dictionary definition of hosea. I lent the book to my brother for a couple of weeks. Hosea 6 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on the. The book of hosea describes hoseas marriage to gomer and its prophetic meaning for israel. He was a prophet to the northern kingdom of israel, as the content of the book reveals. Hosea revealed little about his background, though his book of prophecy offers a few glimpses into his life. The first known use of hosea was in the 14th century. When the assyrians overran the land, someone escaped to the south and brought the manuscript to the city of jerusalem. The priests became rich when jeroboam 2nd was king verse 7. The book of hosea is a narrative history and prophetic oracle. Two sides of covenant failure whitney woollard reading the book of the twelve, commonly referred to as the minor prophets, can be really disorienting. Hoseas primary audience was ephraim another name for the northern kingdom, israel, which is mentioned 35 times in the book.
Hosea chapter 2 teaches me about the love god have for humanity. The meaning of his name, salvation, is the same as that of joshua compare num. An indepth look at the meaning and etymology of the awesome name hosea. Ephraim was the largest tribe in israel and sometimes the whole nation was referred to as ephraim. Rober chisholm suggests that judgmentsalvation in alternating fashion is the structured pattern of the book of hosea. In the hebrew bible, hosea son of beeri, was an 8thcentury bc prophet in israel who authored. It is questionable whether this child was hoseas, for god commands that his name be loammi, meaning not my people. Hosea is the only prophet of israel who left any written prophecies which were recorded during the later years of his life. Mar 18, 2020 book of hosea bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. Hoseas love for gomer is only a picture of gods love for israel, because all the while that israel was unfaithful to god, he was providing for them, and they. Little is known about hosea or of his social status. The book of hosea is a prophetic accounting of gods relentless love for his children. The title is derived from the main character and author of the book. The book of hosea is a commentary on that relationship.
Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word book of hosea. Hosea is the first of the 12 minor prophets called minor not because they are of less importance, but because the books are shorter. In it, the prophet dramatically models gods love for his people and laments the grave sins of the nation of israel. Hosea s personal tragedy speaks to readers at the deepest level, moving them emotionally, intellectually, and. But of course the real story of this book isnt the story of hosea and gomer, its the story of god and israel. 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 meaning of hosea is salvation, and in the book of hosea we read the amazing history of a faithful, prophet of god, who is instructed to marry a prostitute but she continues her harlotry throughout their marriage. Book of hosea overview insight for living ministries. Its fourteen chapters contain both a warning concerning future events and an interpretation of these events meanings.
These books are full of poetic language, metaphors, and imagery unfamiliar to modern ears. 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. The book of hosea illustrates that no one is beyond the offer of our forgiveness because no one sits outside gods offer of. The study of the book of hosea is timely for the people of god in the last half of the twentieth century. According to the book of hosea, he married gomer, the daughter of diblaim, but she proved to be unfaithful.
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