
The Book of Hosea is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible.
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 Book of Hosea denounces the worship of gods other than Yahweh (the God of Israel), metaphorically comparing Israel's abandonment of Yahweh to a woman being unfaithful to her husband.
According to the book's narrative, the relationship between Hosea and his unfaithful wife Gomer is comparable to the relationship between Yahweh and his unfaithful people Israel.
The eventual reconciliation of Hosea and Gomer is treated as a hopeful metaphor for the eventual reconciliation between Yahweh and Israel.
Date
Dated to c. 760–720 BC, it is one of the oldest books of the Hebrew Bible, predating final recensions of the full Torah (Pentateuch).
Hosea is the source of the phrase "sow the wind", which has passed into common usage in English and other languages.
Contents
Chapters 1–2
Account of Hosea's marriage with Gomer biographically which is a metaphor for the relationship with YHWH and Israel.
Chapter 3
Account of Hosea's marriage autobiographically.
This is possibly a marriage to different women.
Chapters 4–14
Oracle judging Israel, Ephraim in particular, for not living up to the covenant.
The rest of this comprehensive Wikipedia article on the book can be read here.
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