Hebrew Bible

Hosea served during the period of the divided monarchy and was a contemporary of Isaiah, both of whom ministered in the eighth century BCE. Hosea is one of the earliest of The Twelve, and his book, at 14 chapters in length, is one of the longer texts in that collection. The book has two major sections, the first (Chapters 1-3) telling a narrative in which Hosea’s family life is presented as an allegory of G-d’s relationship with his people and the second (Chapters 4-14) consisting of a series of prophetic judgments against Israel and Judah. 

Much as in Ezekiel, G-d commands his prophet to undertake prophetic actions as examples of divine messages. In Hosea’s case, this involves taking an unfaithful woman for his wife, illustrating the unfaithfulness of the Israelites to the G-d who has set his love upon them. Nevertheless, despite their unfaithfulness, G-d pledges a day when his covenant of love with Israel and Judah will be fully realized. The remainder of the book’s prophecies, however, are focused on the dark picture of the Israelites’ immediate future, as their rebellion against G-d leads to an ever more dangerous political situation: “They sow wind, and they shall reap whirlwind” (Hosea 8.