Hosea chapter 1
Hosea marries a sex worker named Gomer. They have a son named Jezreel. A daughter named Lo-Ruhamah. A son named Lo-Ammi.
HOSEA MARRIES A SEX WORKER NAMED GOMER
VERSE 1. The LORD’s word that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
Hosea. In Hebrew this name means “salvation.”
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Hosea ministered during the reign of those four different kings.
the days of Uzziah. Uzziah was the king of Jerusalem from 790 to 739 BC.
the days of Jeroboam. Jeroboam II was the king of Israel from 793 to 753 B.C.
VERSE 2. When the LORD spoke at first by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking the LORD.”
take for yourself a wife of prostitution. This marriage was forbidden, at least for Levitical priests:
Exodus 21:7. “ ‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane. A priest shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God.
THEY HAVE A SON NAMED JEZREEL
VERSE 3. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son.
VERSE 4. The LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.
Call his name Jezreel. There was a strategic valley in northern Israel named Jezreel.
There, Jehu ended the dynasti of Omri through massacre.
VERSE 5. It will happen in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”
A DAUGHTER NAMED LO-RUHAMAH
VERSE 6. She conceived again, and bore a daughter. Then he said to him, “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah; for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them.
Lo-Ruhamah. This means “she is not pitied,” or “she is not loved.”
I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel. The love of the LORD God for Israel would be cut off for a time.
VERSE 7. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”
will save them. This was fulfilled in 701 BC.
In one night, one angel annihilated the 185,000 soldiers of the powerful Assyrian army.
A SON NAMED LO-AMMI
VERSE 8. Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son.
VERSE 9. He said, “Call his name Lo-Ammi; for you are not my people, and I will not be yours.
Lo-Ammi. This means “not my people.”
Hosea 1:9. He said, “Call his name Lo-Ammi; for you are not my people, and I will not be yours.
Hosea 2:23. I will sow her to me in the earth; and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; and I will tell those who were not my people, ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘My God!’ ”
1 Peter 2:10. In the past, you were not a people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
VERSE 10. Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can’t be measured or counted; and it will come to pass that, in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’
they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ The Jewish people are indeed children of the Living God.
VERSE 11. The children of Judah and the children of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint themselves one head, and will go up from the land; for great will be the day of Jezreel.
« previous chapter
(Daniel chapter 12)
« previous chapter
(Daniel chapter 14)
(Deuterocanonical)
HOSEA
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.