Background of the book hosea

She reminds us that god is the main character of the book of hosea and it is his unfailing love that changes everything for hosea, gomer, israel, and us. Hosea means salvation and is the same as the original name of joshua num. Abstract the book of hosea portrays the dangers of the observance of. The book of hosea, a minor prophet, is part of the book of the twelve. Book of hosea biblical studies oxford bibliographies. What distinguishes hosea is the way he expresses the intense love and compassion of god for his unworthy people. When i teach hosea, my students spend a whole quarter going chapter by chapter and verse by verse through the book of hosea. Sep 10, 2012 hosea was a biblical prophet in the land of israel and spoke the messages of the lord. Marriage of hosea and gomer, the harlot, chapter 1 v. Intro to hosea biblica the international bible society. Israel is the lords bride, but israel has instead joined itself to. Author hosea according to tradition date 785 bc approximately theme the apostasy of israel types and shadows in hosea jesus is the faithful husband.

Hosea s 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. Book of hosea overview insight for living ministries. Hosea was a biblical prophet in the land of israel and spoke the messages of the lord. Historical background of hoseaassyria over the next month ill be working through hosea in sermons and some blog posts. Discusses hosea in the context of the book of the twelve and. Powerful love overcomes rebellion in the book of hosea. Hoseas prophecy is closely related to that of amos.

The book of hosea is an unusually powerful book, because the prophet ministered out of his deep personal emotions. Hosea was a contemporary of amos, another prophet to israel. Hosea appears to have had the temperament of a poet. Hosea s primary audience was ephraim another name for the northern kingdom, israel, which is mentioned 35 times in the book. The book primarily denounces israel for apostasy against god and. Hosea ranks with deuteronomy and the gospel of john as major biblical treatises on the love of god. Book of hosea, the first of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets. Hosea is the first book in the sections of minor prophets. A highly complex and rhetorically rich text, the books backdrop is the rise of the assyrian empire in the mid8th century bce.

The short book of powerful prophetic poetry accompanied by two brief narrative sections, cannot be read in strict isolation. Title the title is derived from the main character and author of the book. Set around the fall of the northern kingdom of israel, the book of hosea denounces the worship of gods other than yahweh, metaphorically comparing israels abandonment of yahweh to a woman being unfaithful to her husband. 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. Otherwise i will strip her naked and make her as bare as on the day she was born. She looks at common views of the book of hosea and presents new methodologies on. According to the superscription, hosea began his prophetic activity during the reign of jeroboam ii c. Hosea s prophecy reflects conditions of economic prosperity, religious formalism and apostasy, and political stability that marked jeroboam iis reign. But spiritually hosea gives a deeper and truer revelation than amos. The prophecy of hosea is unique in that it is the only prophetic book written by a northerner to the north about the north. Discusses hosea in the context of the book of the twelve and succinctly highlights the contributions that the following methods have made to the study of the book. The book of hosea is a narrative history and prophetic oracle.

The book of hosea stands first in the division of the bible called the book of the twelve in the apocrypha cf. Hosea is the first of the 12 minor prophets called minor not because they are of less importance, but because the books are shorter. Abstract the book of hosea portrays the dangers of the observance of religious ceremony without genuine devotion and commitment to the lord. Lesson 1 in the series the prophetic wisdom of hosea. 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.

Most are reluctant to intrude their own personal experience into their prophecies, but the experience of hosea parallels the experience of the nation. The book of hosea, the first of the canonical twelve minor prophets, was written by hosea whose name means salvation, or deliverance, a prophet who lived during the last years of the age of jeroboam ii in israel and the period of decline and ruin that. Six kings ruled during the last tragic 25 years of israel. This page offers introductory and background information for the old testament book of amos, including authorship, purpose, and historical background. The marital life of hosea and his wife, gomer, provide the rich metaphor which clarifies the themes of the book. The book of hosea depicts gods relationship with his people through a metaphor that occurs throughout the bible, though nowhere as strongly and pervasively as in hosea. Before talking about hosea, i need to give you some historical background to the book of hosea and the other minor prophets. The book of hosea was likely written between 755 and 725 b. He appears on the bible timeline poster around the 8th century b. The remainder of the book of hosea consists of a collection of miscellaneous statements expressing hosea s convictions concerning the character of yahweh and yahwehs relation to the people of israel. 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. Hosea s name means salvation and he pictures christ as the healer of he backslider. Hosea looked forward to the assyrian captivity of the northern kingdom, just as jeremiah looked forward to the babylonian captivity of the southern kingdom. Historical and religious context the international standard bible encyclopedia, revised.

The first portion of the book portrays gods free and faithful love for his people through hoseas marriage to unfaithful gomer. Thankfully, the answer to this question is one of historicity, and does not determine the meaning of the book, even though the referent is affect by historical setting. He was a prophet to the northern kingdom of israel, as the content of the book reveals. The book of hosea was written in the northern kingdom of israel in the eighth century bc, during the reign of jeroboam ii 786746 bc.

Best commentaries and books on hosea logos bible software. The meaning of his name, salvation, is the same as that of joshua cf. This book is all about relationship gods relationship with his people which is falling apart owing to their adulterous behaviour. Today my students will study the prophet hosea in my course, the minor prophets. Hosea revealed little about his background, though his book of prophecy offers a few glimpses into his life. When this is true it all too easily leads to compromise, selfish ambition, and lack of integrity in ones personal activities and dealings. The global message of hosea hosea in redemptive history.

The word hermeneia has a rich background in the history of biblical interpretation as a term used in the ancient greekspeaking world for the detailed, systematic exposition of a scriptural work. Hosea, prophet amazing bible timeline with world history. Hosea prophesied during a dark and melancholic era of israels history, the period of the northern kingdoms. The historical background of the book of hosea the new american commentary. It is hoped that the series, like its name, will carry forward this old and venerable tradition. The general background of the book is much the same as. Jan 17, 2018 introduces the background of the prophet hosea and his book, and provides an overview of the book s content and structure. Hosea in the picture study bible the book of hosea with. When the lord began to speak through hosea, the lord said to him, go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the lord. Hosea prophesied to israel and judah during the decades leading up to the fall of the northern kingdom to assyria. Hosea is the first book of the twelve minor prophets. The book of hosea says that, during hosea s lifetime, the kings of the northern kingdom, their aristocratic supporters, and the priests had led the people away from the law of god, as given in the pentateuch. Outlines of the book vary, but there are several obvious transitions in the book which center on a.

It is suggested based on certain clues within the book that hosea was from the northern kingdom. Biblical scholar holt examines the background of israel to investigate how it is used in hosea. Before we jump into hosea, i think it is so important to understand the context of hosea s time and. Hosea with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. This does not diminish its universal message, but puts it into a class of its own and gives it a compelling authority respecting its original recipients i kings 19. Hosea mentions the four kings of judah first, and then he mentions the king of israel, the northern kingdom. Because they were all contemporary with hosea, he mentions them all. May 17, 2010 this is a presentation on the book of hosea in the bible. The historical setting word biblical commentary, volume 31. While some interpreters have thought the story to be merely an allegory of the relation between god and israel, others claim, more plausibly, that the story is to be taken literally. The book of hosea covers approximately 40 years of his prophetic ministry. But the book of hosea includes tender expressions of deep love among this prophets descriptions of judgment. Transcribed and edited by david sielaff, october 2012.

Prason shared this presentation in a bible study for a group of scripture thirsty souls. May 30, 2011 historical background of hoseaassyria over the next month ill be working through hosea in sermons and some blog posts. According to the traditional order of most hebrew bibles, it is the first of the twelve minor prophets. And like the book of amos, the book of hosea somehow made its way south to jerusalem where it was copied, edited, and preserved to serve as gods word for future generations. Israel is under the rule of jeroboam 11 and later pekah depending on actual date. These twelve prophets are comprised in one single book in the hebrew bible and are called the twelve. These books are full of poetic language, metaphors, and imagery unfamiliar to modern ears. The book of hosea written hundreds of years before daniel and is addressed to the northern kingdom of israel. 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. Introduces the background of the prophet hosea and his book, and provides an overview of the books. The book of hosea portrays the dangers of the observance of religious ceremony without genuine devotion and commitment to the lord. According to the books narrative, the relationship between hosea and his unfaithful wife gomer is comparable to th.

The resurgence of this ancient empire dominated much of the politics of the ancient near east from the time of jeroboam until assyrias demise at the end of the seventh century b. 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. 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. 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 is the only prophet of israel who left any written prophecies which were recorded during the later years of his life. Before we jump into hosea, i think it is so important to understand the context of hoseas time and what got them into the mess they were in again. Gomer gomer was the wife of the prophet hosea 8th century bc, mentioned in the hebrew bibles book of hosea. Also highlights the book s major theological issues. Whether hosea himself authored the book that preserves his prophecies is not known. The historical background of the book of amos is almost identical. Israel punished and restored rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and i am not her husband. His writings form the first of the old testament 1 books of the minor prophets. When this is true it all too easily leads to compromise, selfish ambition, and.

Dating the book is difficult because of its long history of transmission and. Hosea, the son of beeri, prophesied for quite some time, from 785 to 725 b. The first concerns the nature of the story told inchs. Amos must always come before hosea, the revelation of god s justice before the revelation of his love. Hosea 2 background information with maps and images picture. Hosea is a book depicting the relationship god desires for us and helps us become aware of ways in which we can stumble.

Israel is the lords bride, but israel has instead joined itself to baal, the false god worshiped in syriapalestine. His intellectual appeals to the israelites in his day, and to us in ours, arose out of great personal tragedy in his own life. Hosea 1 background information with maps and images. Also, they speak a lot about gods judgment, which can feel like a total downe. Hosea his name meaning to save, salvation is the first of the socalled minor prophets. Two sides of covenant failure whitney woollard reading the book of the twelve, commonly referred to as the minor prophets, can be really disorienting. 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. Say of your brothers, my people, and of your sisters, my loved one. Josiah brought about the final spiritual revival for judah when he came to the throne in 622 b. So it was a true understanding that put hosea first in order. He prophesied to the people of israel during the years that uzziah, jotham, ahaz and kezekiah were kings of judah and when jeroboam ii was king of israel.

Hosea bears somewhat the same relation to israel as jeremiah to judah. Introduces the background of the prophet hosea and his book, and provides an overview of the books content and structure. The book reveals the personality of the prophet, an emotional man who in a moment could swing from violent anger to the deepest tenderness. The five kings mentioned in the books superscription help to frame a significant period in israel and judahs history. But of course the real story of this book isnt the story of hosea and gomer, its the story of god and israel. Hosea means salvation and this is what the lord offered to israel if they would turn from their idolatry or adultery. The book has a long history of formation and transmission. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. Summary of the minor prophet hosea the prophet hosea. Abstract the book of hosea portrays the dangers of the observance of religious ceremony without genuine devotion and commitment to the. Hosea prophesied during a dark and melancholic era of israels history, the period of the northern kingdoms decline. Hosea was to the northern kingdom what jeremiah was to the southern kingdom, a weeping prophet.

The prophet hosea had a reallife situation that god used to illustrate his problem with the nation of israel. The book of hosea is one of the books of the hebrew bible. The book of hosea is the written record of the prophecies that ho sea son of beeri 1, gave to the nation of israel in the eighth century b. In ancient hebrew manuscripts the collection of the minor prophets was written on one scroll, called the book of the twelve. In this session, jennifer shares the background of the book of hosea by pointing out four key ingredients. And like the book of amos, the book of hosea somehow made its way south to jerusalem where it was copied, edited, and preserved to serve as.

I do so because this great prophet of the northern kingdom had a message to the people of. The book of hosea is the first of the 12 books of minor prophets. He heals us with his love, as hosea says i led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. Hoseas primary audience was ephraim another name for the northern kingdom, israel, which is mentioned 35 times in the book. Since ephraim is the largest tribe in the northern kingdom, sometimes the kingdom is referred to a s ephraim. Historical background of hoseaassyria steven hovater.