Bible Commentaries
Hosea

Hos HOSEA. THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK AS A WHOLE. Hosea 1:1 . INTRODUCTION. Hosea 1:2 - Hosea 3:5 . SYMBOLICAL. Hosea 4:1 - Hosea 14:8 . LITERAL. Hosea 14:9 . CONCLUSION. For the CANONICAL order and place of the Prophets, see Appdx-1, and pp. 1206 and 1207. For the CHRONOLOGICAL order of the Prophets, see Appdx-77. For the Inter-relation of the Prophetic Books, see Appdx-78. For the Formulas of Prophetic utterance, see Appdx-82. For the Inter-relation of the Minor (or Shorter) Prophets, see pp. 1206 and 1207. For References to the Pentateuch by the Prophets, see Appdx-92. HOSEA was a prophet to the Ten Tribes (or Northern Kingdom), but he had warnings for Judah also, as well as promises of future blessings. His prophecy is dated as being in the reigns of Uzziah, Jot ham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, King of Israel (Hosea 1:1 ). The period covered must have been about seventy-two years:for JEROBOAM II ended in 687 B.C, in the fourteenth of UZZIAH; UZZIAH died in 649 B.C, a period of thirty-eight years. If we assume that HOSEA prophesied during the last two or three years of JEROBOAM, we have, then, say two years; UZZIAH, thirty-eight years; JOTHAM, sixteen years (647-631 = 16); Ahaz, sixteen years (632-616 = 16), a period of seventy-two years to the commencement of HEZEKIAH (689-617 B.C. = 72). See Appdx-50, pp. 59, 68; and notes on 2 Kings 15:6 ; 2 Kings 17:13 . The book of HOSEA points to the events immediately preceding the fall of Samaria (the capital of the Ten Tribes), which took place in the si x th year of HEZEKIAH; and the last statement, in Hosea 13:16 , is a terrible prophecy of Samaria''s end. This took place in 611 B. C, and HOSEA''S latest date would therefore he 613 B. C, if 13:16 were, Say, two years before Samaria''s fall in 611 B. C. This gives us, for the whole period covered by Hosea''s prophecy, some seventy-six or seventy-eight years (from 889-611 B. C). See Appdx-60. VII (6), p. 68, and Appdx-77. If Hosea were, say, twenty when he received his mission, he would be ninety-eight years of age at the destruction of the Northern Kingdom, which ended his prophesying and probably his life too (cp. Eli, 1 Samuel 4:15 ). Hosea is quoted, in the New Testament, in Matthew 2:16 ; Matthew 9:13 ; Matthew 12:7 . Romans 9:25 , Romans 9:26 , 1 Corinthians 15:55 . 1 Peter 2:5 , 1 Peter 2:10 . Hosea 1:2 - Hosea 3:5 . SYMBOLICAL. Hosea 1:2 -. Symbol. The First Wife. "Go, Take." Hosea 1:2 . Signification. The Land departs from Jehovah. Hosea 1:3 . The Prophet takes Gomer. Hosea 1:4-9 . The Former State. Hosea 1:10-11 . The Latter State. Hosea 2:1-4 . Samaria. Remonstrance. Hosea 2:5 - Hos 23. Samaria. Reasons. Hosea 3:1 -. Symbol. The Second Wife. "Go yet, love", &c. Hosea 3:1 . Signification. Israel looks to other gods. Hosea 3:2-3 . The Prophets takes a Woman. Hosea 3:4 . The Present State. Hosea 3:5 . The Future State. Hosea 1:4-9 . THE FORMER STATE. Hosea 1:4 -. Symbol. Son''s name ("Jezreel"). - Hosea 1:4-5 . Signification, and Reason. Hosea 1:6 -. Symbol. Daughter''s mane (Lo-Ruhamah). - Hosea 1:6-7 . Signification, and Reason. Hosea 1:8-9 -. Symbol. Son''s name (Lo-Ammi). - Hosea 1:9 . Signification, and Reason. Hosea 1:10-11 . THE LATTER STATE. Hosea 1:10 . Israel. Hosea 1:11 . Judah. Hosea 2:5-23 . REASONS. Hosea 2:5 . Her False Benefactors. Hosea 2:6-7 -. Her Punishment. - Hosea 2:7 . Her Return. Hosea 2:8 . Her True Benefactor. Hosea 2:9-13 . Her Punishments. Hosea 2:14-23 . Her Reception. Hosea 3:4-5 . THE PRESENT AND FUTURE STATES. (According to the Hebrew text.) Hosea 3:4 -. Time. "Many days." - Hosea 3:4 -. "Shall abide." - Hosea 3:4 -. "The sons of Israel." - Hosea 3:4 . "Without a king, &c. (Neg.) Hosea 3:5 -. Time. "Afterward." - Hosea 3:5 -. "Shall return." - Hosea 3:5 -. "The sons of Israel." - Hosea 3:5 -. "Jehovah, and David their king."(Positive.) - Hosea 3:5 . Time. "In the latter days." Hosea 4:1 - Hosea 14:8 . LITERAL. Hosea 4:1 - Hosea 5:15 . Incriminations and Threatenings. Hosea 6:1-3 . Resolve to return. Hosea 6:4 - Hosea 13:8 . Incriminations and Threatenings. Hosea 13:9 - Hosea 14:8 . Invitation to return. Hosea 4:1 - Hosea 5:13 . INCRIMINATIONS, ETC. Hosea 4:1-5 . Call to Israel. General. Hosea 4:6-14 . Incriminations, &c. Hosea 4:15-19 . Warning as to places in Judah. Hosea 5:1-2 . Call to Israel. Particular. Hosea 5:3-7 . Incriminations. Hosea 5:8-15 . Warning as to places in Judah. Hosea 4:1-5 . CALL TO ISRAEL. Hosea 3:1 -. Call. - Hosea 3:1-2 . Reason. Hosea 3:3 . Threatening. Hosea 3:4 -. Call. - Hosea 3:4 . Reason. Hosea 3:5 . Threatening. Hosea 4:6-14 . INCRIMINATIONS AND THREATENINGS. Hos 3:6-11 . The Priests. Hos 3:12-14 . The People. Hosea 6:4-8 . INCRIMINATION AND THREATENING. Hosea 6:4 . Divine Forbearance. Hosea 6:5 - Hosea 10:15 . Incorrigibility. Hosea 11:1-7 . Contrasted Conduct. Hosea 11:8-11 . Divine Forbearance. Hosea 11:12 - Hosea 12:14 . Incorrigibility. Hosea 13:1-8 . Contrasted conduct. Hosea 6:5 - Hosea 10:15 . INCORRIGIBILITY. ( Bad beyond correction ) Hosea 6:5 . Divine Judgments. Hosea 6:6-11 -. Incorrigibility. Hosea 6:11 - Hosea 7:1 -. Divine Mercy. Hosea 7:1 - Hosea 10:15 . Incorrigibility. Hosea 7:1 - Hosea 10:15 . INCORRIGIBILITY. ( bad beyond reform ) Hosea 7:1-7 . Internal wickedness. Idolatry. Hosea 7:8 - Hosea 8:3 . External trouble. Foreigners. Hosea 8:4-6 . Internal wickedness. Idolatry. Hosea 8:7-10 . External trouble. Foreigners. Hosea 8:11 - Hosea 9:8 . Internal wickedness. Idolatry. Hosea 9:9 . External trouble. The days of Gibeah. Hosea 9:10 - Hosea 10:8 . Internal wickedness. Idolatry. Hosea 10:9-15 . External chastisement. The days of Gibeah. Hosea 11:1-7 . CONTRASTED CONDUCT. Hosea 11:1 . Love. Hosea 11:2 . Ingratitude. Hosea 11:3 -. Love. - Hosea 11:3 . Insensibility. Hosea 11:4 . Love. Hosea 11:5-7 . Threatening. Hosea 11:12 - Hosea 12:14 . INCORRIGIBILITY. Hosea 11:12 - Hosea 12:2 . Incrimination. Lies, &c. Hosea 12:3-4 -. Jacob. Personal history. Hosea 12:4-6 . Divine Favour and Communication. Hosea 12:7-8 . Provocation. Hosea 12:9-10 . Cause. Hosea 12:11 . Incrimination. Idolatry. Hosea 12:12 . Jacob. Personal history. Hosea 12:13 . Divine Favour and Communication. Hosea 12:14 -. Provocation. Hosea 12:14 . Consequence. Hosea 13:1-8 . CONTRASTED CONDUCT. Hosea 13:1 . Ehpraim''s eminence. - Hosea 13:1-2 . Ephraim''s fall. Idolatry. Hosea 13:3 . Threatening, and Comparisons. Hosea 13:4-5 . Jehovah the source of Ephraim''s eminence. Hosea 13:6 . Ephraim''s fall. Forgetting Jehovah. Hosea 13:7-8 . Threatening, and Comparisons. Hosea 13:9 - Hosea 14:8 . INVITATION TO RETURN. Hosea 13:9-16 .. Revolt. Hosea 14:1-8 . Return. Hosea 13:9-16 . REVOLT. Hosea 13:9 -. Incrimination. - Hosea 13:9-11 . Promise. Hosea 13:12-13 . Incrimination. Hosea 13:14 . Promise. Hosea 13:15-16 . Incrimination. Hosea 14:1-8 . THE RETURN.