Hosea 1

There are some differences in verse numbering of this chapter in English Bibles and Hebrew texts:[6]

This article generally follows the common numbering in Christian English Bible versions, with notes to the numbering in Hebrew Bible versions.

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008).[7] Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q79 (4QXII^d; 75–50 BCE) with extant verses 6–11 (verses 1:6-9, 2:1-5 in Hebrew Bible);[8][9][10][11] and 4Q82 (4QXII^g; 25 BCE) with extant verses 10–11 (verses 2:1-2 in Hebrew Bible).[9][10][12][13]

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^Q; 6th century).[14][lower-alpha 1]

The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea.

And the Lord said to Hosea,

Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms:

for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.[22]

• "Whoredom": or "harlotry", "spritual adultery".[23] This description of Hosea's family members, especially his wife, is considered proleptic, describing her future behavior.[21]

So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.[24]

• "Gomer the daughter of Diblaim": The fact that both names don't have apparent symbolic significance gives a support that the people mentioned in the book may really exist in history and the account of Hosea's marriage is not just allegorical or visionary.[21]

And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel;

for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu,

and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.[25]

• "Jezreel": the name of Hosea's first child, the only one explicitly stated to be his child (cf. verses 3, 6, 8), is based on the city of Jezreel, where Jehu killed all living members of Omri's dynasty (2 Kings 9:1–37; 10:1–11) in c. 842 BCE, which is located in the modern city Zer'in.[21]

And she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then God said to him:

"Call her name Lo-Ruhamah,

For I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel,

But I will utterly take them away."[26]

• "Lo-Ruhamah": the name of the second child, a daughter, means 'not pitied',[21] or "no mercy"[27]
• "But I will utterly take them away": or "that I may forgive them at all"[28]

Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son.[29]

• "Had weaned": in Eastern tradition, mothers commonly nursed their children two or three years (2 Maccabees 7:27). The period until weaning of the child (stopping the breastfeeding) symbolizes a certain interval of time, a temporary reprive, between the earlier chastisement ("no mercy", Lo-Ruhamah), and the next one ("not my people", Lo-Ammi), which was the irreversible final judgment.[18]

Then God said:

“Call his name Lo-Ammi,

For you are not My people,

And I will not be your God."[30]

• "Lo-Ammi": the name of the third child (the second son), means 'not my people'.[21]

Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea,

which cannot be measured nor numbered;

And in the place where it was said to them,

"You are not My people,"

there it will be said to them,

“You are the children of the living God.”[32]

• "Cannot be measured nor numbered": The promise of numerous progeny recalls the promises to the patriarchs (Genesis 22:17; 32:12).[21]
• "You are not My people": translated from the Hebrew: lo-ammi, is to be reversed as "you are the children of the living God" (Hebrew: בני אל חי bə-nê ’êl-ḥāy, "sons of Elohim";[33] cf. Hosea 2:23).[31]

Then will the Judahites and the children of Israel be gathered together,

and appoint themselves one head,

and they will come up out of the land,

for great will be the day of Jezreel.[34]

As Yahweh is one, then His chosen people must also be one (cf. Hosea 3:3–4, 8:4, 13:10–11), so the schism of north (Kingdom of Israel-Samaria) and south (Kingdom of Judah) will be healed (cf. Isaiah 11:13, Ezekiel 37:22).[31]

• Hosea 1 Hebrew with Parallel English
• Hosea 1 Hebrew with Rashi's Commentary

• Hosea 1 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate