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 + Israel's unfaithfulness + restoration |
| Chapters | 14 |
Outline
| Section | Chapters | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea + Gomer | 1-3 | Symbolic marriage; God's love displayed |
| Judgment + restoration | 4-14 | Charges + judgment + restoration promises |
Main themes
| Theme | Description |
|---|---|
| God's love + Israel's faithlessness | Marriage metaphor, Yahweh + Israel |
| Knowledge of God | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos.4.6) |
| Restoration | God healing their apostasy and loving them freely (Hos.14.4) |
| Mercy over sacrifice | mercy desired rather than sacrifice (Hos.6.6) |
Key passages
- Hos.1-3, Hosea + Gomer marriage
- Hos.4.6, knowledge of God lack
- Hos.6.6, chesed over sacrifice (cited Mat.9.13; 12:7)
- Hos.11.1-4, God's father-love (Mat.2.15 "out of Egypt I called my son")
- Hos.14.4, restoration promise