At a glance
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Authorship | Hosea son of Beeri |
| Date | ~755-710 BC |
| Audience | Northern kingdom (Israel) before fall to Assyria (722 BC) |
| Genre | Prophecy |
| Purpose | God's love and Israel's unfaithfulness and restoration |
| Chapters | 14 |
Outline
| Section | Chapters | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea and Gomer | 1-3 | Symbolic marriage; God's love displayed |
| Judgment and restoration | 4-14 | Charges and judgment and restoration promises |
Main themes
| Theme | Description |
|---|---|
| God's love and Israel's faithlessness | Marriage metaphor, Yahweh and Israel |
| Knowledge of God | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6) |
| Restoration | God healing their apostasy and loving them freely (Hosea 14:4) |
| Mercy over sacrifice | mercy desired rather than sacrifice (Hosea 6:6) |
Key passages
- Hosea 1-3, Hosea and Gomer marriage
- Hosea 4:6, knowledge of God lack
- Hosea 6:6, chesed over sacrifice (cited Matthew 9:13; 12:7)
- Hosea 11:1-4, God's father-love (Matthew 2:15 "out of Egypt I called my son")
- Hosea 14:4, restoration promise