Hosea 1

General context

The chapter opens with a heading verse: "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 Lord tells Hosea to take "a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms" because the land "hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord." Hosea takes Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, who bears him a son. The Lord names the boy Jezreel and gives the reason: he will "avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu" and end the kingdom of the house of Israel, breaking "the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." A daughter follows, named Lo-ruhamah, "for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel"; Judah, by contrast, will be saved "by the Lord their God" and not by bow, sword, horses or horsemen. After the daughter is weaned, a third child, a son, is named Lo-ammi: "for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God." The chapter then turns. Israel's number will be "as the sand of the sea"; where they were called "not my people" they will be called "the sons of the living God"; Judah and Israel will be gathered under "one head" and come up out of the land, "for great shall be the day of Jezreel."

Cited passages: Hosea 1:1, Hosea 1:2, Hosea 1:3, Hosea 1:4, Hosea 1:5, Hosea 1:6, Hosea 1:7, Hosea 1:8, Hosea 1:9, Hosea 1:10, Hosea 1:11

Hosea 1 (KJV)

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Historical context

The heading names Hosea's father, Beeri, four kings of Judah (Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah) and one king of Israel, "Jeroboam the son of Joash." It gives no year and no event; the sequence of kings is the only setting marker. Verses 1 to 3 and verse 8 are narrated in the third person ("So he went and took Gomer"); the naming words are given as speech, "the Lord said unto him" in verse 4 and "God said" in verses 6 and 9. Gomer the daughter of Diblaim is named, but the chapter never narrates any act of hers beyond conceiving, bearing and weaning ("when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah"). The first son is said to be born to Hosea ("bare him a son"); for the daughter and the third son the text says only "bare a daughter" and "bare a son," without the word "him." Whether that difference is meant to say anything is not stated. The name Jezreel is tied to "the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu," but this chapter does not say what that blood was. The house of Israel and the house of Judah are treated differently: mercy withdrawn from Israel, mercy and rescue promised to Judah without weapons. The final two verses have no speaker marker of their own; they continue after the Lord's naming speech without a "saith the Lord." No location for the prophet, and no explanation of the names beyond the reasons the Lord gives, appears in the text.

Cited passages: Hosea 1:1, Hosea 1:3, Hosea 1:6, Hosea 1:8, Hosea 1:4, Hosea 1:7, Hosea 1:10

Literary context

The chapter is built from three naming scenes, each with a name and a reason introduced by "for." The reasons escalate: Jezreel announces vengeance and the end of a kingdom; Lo-ruhamah withdraws mercy; Lo-ammi cancels the relationship itself, "ye are not my people, and I will not be your God." Between the second and third names the speech inserts a contrast, mercy for Judah, saved by the Lord and not "by bow, nor by sword." Then the last two verses reverse the third name word for word: "in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God." Jezreel, the first name, returns in the last line as "the day of Jezreel," so the word that began the judgment closes the promise. The bow that is broken in verse 5 is the thing Judah will not need in verse 7. Chapter 2 opens by using the two negative names without their negation, "Ammi" and "Ru-hamah," so this chapter's endings are picked up at once.

Cited passages: Hosea 1:4, Hosea 1:6, Hosea 1:9, Hosea 1:7, Hosea 1:10, Hosea 1:11, Hosea 1:5, Hosea 2:1

Key moments

1. The heading verse (Hosea 1:1). The word of the Lord comes to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of four kings of Judah and Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel.
2. A wife of whoredoms (Hosea 1:2). The Lord commands Hosea to take a wife and children of whoredoms because the land has departed from him.
3. Gomer bears a son (Hosea 1:3). Hosea takes Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, who conceives and bears him a son.
4. Jezreel named (Hosea 1:4). The Lord names the son Jezreel and announces vengeance on the house of Jehu.
5. Lo-ruhamah named (Hosea 1:6). A daughter is named Lo-ruhamah because mercy is withdrawn from the house of Israel.
6. Lo-ammi named (Hosea 1:9). A second son is named Lo-ammi: not my people, and I will not be your God.
7. Not my people reversed (Hosea 1:10). Israel will be as the sand of the sea and be called the sons of the living God.

For reflection

Three children carry names that announce judgment, and the reversal in verse 10 arrives with nothing narrated between the sentence "ye are not my people" and "Ye are the sons of the living God." What does it do to a reader to be given the ending before the story of how it comes about?

People in this chapter

• Jacob
• Judah
• Hosea
• Hezekiah
• Jehu

Also indexed here:

• Lo-ruhamah
• Ahaz
• Beeri
• Diblaim
• Gomer
• Jeroboam
• Jezreel
• Joash
• Jotham
• Lo-ammi
• Uzziah