Hosea
Chapter 1
The word of the Lord was addressed to Hosea, son of Beeri, during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah, and of Jeroboam, son of Joash, in Israel.
Bad Love 2When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him: “Go, take for your wife a woman involved in sacred prostitution; and have children born of prostitution, for the land is wholeheartedly lapsing into prostitution and turning away from the Lord.”
So he married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim. Moreover, she was with child and bore a son.
The Lord told him: “Name him Jezreel, for I will soon punish the family of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel. I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.
The days are coming when Israel will be defeated in the Valley of Jezreel.”
She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to him: “Name her ‘Not Pitied’ (Lo-Ruhamah) because I will no longer pity the nation of Israel. For I will certainly not forgive their guilt.
But I will pity the nation of Judah. I will deliver them by the Lord their God; I will not deliver them through the warrior’s bow, the sword, military victory, chariot horses, or chariots.”
When she had weaned ‘Not Pitied’ (Lo-Ruhamah), she conceived again and gave birth to another son.
Then the Lord said: “Name him ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), because you are not my people, and I am not your God.”
Commentaries
Historical Location of the Prophet and His Ministry.
Hosea Ben-Beeri carried out his prophetic work in the eighth century B.C. in the Northern Kingdom during the reign of Jeroboam II (782-753).
Bad Love.
The prophet’s entire life serves as a symbolic message from God, including his marriage, just as Jeremiah’s celibacy does. The concept of marriage symbolizes God’s covenant with his people, and in this context, Gomer’s infidelity reflects Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord. Aside from the first son, who is Hosea’s, the other two appear to be the result of his wife’s adultery. Their names illustrate the consequences of Israel’s betrayal.