Hosea 1
1
1Here is Yahweh’s message that came through the prophet Hosea son of Beeri. # 1:1 Beeri means “my wellspring.” Jewish tradition states that Beeri was a prophet who was a wellspring of revelation and greatly influenced Isaiah. At that time, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah ruled as kings of Judah, and Jeroboam the son of Joash was king in Israel. 2This is the beginning of what Yahweh spoke through Hosea.
Hosea’s Marriage
Yahweh said to me, “Go and marry an adulterous woman # 1:2 Or “Go marry a woman of harlotries.” It is possible that Hosea was told to marry a temple prostitute from the fertility cult of Baal. However, some view this description as a prediction—that is, that she was not necessarily a prostitute when Hosea married her but would prove to be unfaithful to him in the future. Gomer is nowhere called by the Hebrew word zonah (“prostitute”). Commentators and translators are varied in their explanations and translations of the Hebrew. and have children of adultery # 1:2 Or “she will have children born through unfaithfulness [adultery].” Throughout the Old Testament, prostitution is a symbol of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God and of pursuing false gods (idolatry). See
Jer. 2–3
;
Ezek. 16
;
23
. because the people of the land are adulterers. They have forsaken me.” 3So I married a woman named Gomer, # 1:3 Gomer means “all finish with her” or “ending.” Diblaim’s daughter. She became pregnant and bore a son.
4Yahweh said to me, “Name him Jezreel # 1:4 Jezreel means “God sows” or “may God sow.” However, Jezreel was best known as a place, the location where Jehu assassinated Israel’s King Ahab and his family (see
2 Kings 9–10
). because it will not be long before I punish the dynasty of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel and then destroy the kingdom of Israel. 5At that time, I will smash Israel’s military power # 1:5 Or “bow,” a metonymy for military power. in the Valley of Jezreel.” # 1:5 The Valley of Jezreel runs eastward from the capital city of Jezreel near Mount Gilboa toward the Jordan River. The Valley of Jezreel was the location where invaders from the north entered the land (see
Judg. 6:33
) and a frequent site of large battles in history. The valley was flat and navigable for chariots (as opposed to the Judean highlands). Many such clashes took place here, generally initiated by the superpowers Egypt and Mesopotamia trying to extend their reach into the lands between them (such as Israel). The prophecy of this verse was fulfilled when the Assyrians invaded and defeated Israel.
6Later, Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. # 1:6 It is entirely possible that Hosea was not the father of this child. Yahweh said to me: “Name her No-Tender-Mercy # 1:6 The Hebrew root word is racham , a word of tender love, like motherly love for a child. It has a homonym that means “womb.” Perhaps “womb-love” could be a possible translation for the word translated here as “tender mercy.” because I will no longer have tender mercy on the nation of Israel. I will certainly not forgive them. 7I will, however, have compassion on the nation of Judah.
“I will rescue them! I will not give them victory through their weapons and military might. # 1:7 Or “through their warrior’s bow, sword, and warfare.” It will not be their horsemen and chariots that deliver them. I, Yahweh their God, will save them!”
8After Gomer weaned her daughter, No-Tender-Mercy, she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son. # 1:8 It is entirely possible that Hosea was not the father of this child. 9Then Yahweh said to me, “Name him Not-My-People # 1:9 To paraphrase this in language that shows the emotional power of the prophet’s mandate, we could describe Hosea’s family as follows: “He is married to a harlot, has one kid named after a disaster [Jezreel] and two others called, essentially, ‘Unloved’ and ‘Unwanted’ ” (Joel Hoffman, And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible’s Original Meaning [New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2010], 226). because you, Israel, are not mine anymore, and I am not yours.” # 1:9 Or literally “I [am] not I AM for you” (cf.
Ex. 3:14
) or “I do not exist for you.” A solemn statement indeed! This serves as a decree of divorce. God canceled the covenant relationship between himself and Israel.
Israel’s Restoration
10Yet someday, # 1:10 In the Hebrew Bible, this paragraph is the first part of ch.
2
. Most English translations keep this paragraph as part of ch.
1
. the number of the people of Israel will become as innumerable as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted. # 1:10 Even when God sends judgment, mercy will prevail. He will restore and renew and reveal his love again. See
Hab. 3:2
. Although # 1:10 Or “In the place where,” which could be a reference to Jezreel. God named them Not-My-People, he will restore them and call them Children of the Living God. # 1:10 We must always remember that mercy triumphs over judgment. God always remembers to show mercy (see
Isa. 54:8
).
11The divided people of Judah and Israel will reunite. They will appoint themselves one head # 1:11 Jesus is the “one head” over all his scattered people. He has reunited Jew and gentile into one new person (see
Eph. 2:15
). We are the seeds he has sown into the earth (see
Matt. 13:1–23
,
38
), and he is the Head of the church (see
Col. 1:18
). and will once again cover the land like grass that sprouts from the ground. How great will be the day when the meaning of Jezreel’s name is fulfilled: God sows!
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Hosea 1: TPT
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