Old Testament · Prophecy · book 28 of 66 · 1 min read
The book of Hosea
A prophet told to marry an unfaithful woman and stay married to her, as a message that could not be delivered any other way.
“For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
At a glance
- Chapters
- 14
- Author
- Hosea
- Written
- Eighth century BC
- Written for
- The northern kingdom shortly before its destruction
- Themes
- unfaithfulness, covenant love, judgement, return
What it is about
Hosea's ministry was to the northern kingdom in its last decades, and the book opens with an instruction that has troubled readers ever since: marry a promiscuous woman, and later, take her back.
The marriage is the message. Israel's covenant unfaithfulness is described not as breaking a legal contract but as adultery, with everything that word carries — betrayal, humiliation, and a love that continues past the point where it makes sense.
Its most-quoted line is picked up by Jesus twice: God desires mercy rather than sacrifice, which in context is an attack on a religion that was performing correctly and behaving appallingly.
Where to start
Chapter 11, where the metaphor shifts from marriage to parenthood and the book is at its most tender.
The chapters worth knowing
- Hosea 1 — The instruction to marry, and the children given names that are the message.
- Hosea 6 — I desire mercy and not sacrifice — a line Jesus quotes twice in Matthew, both times against people complaining about the company he was keeping.
- Hosea 11 — The metaphor shifts to a parent teaching a child to walk, and the book becomes tender.
What people get wrong about it
That the marriage is an allegory the prophet only preached. The text presents it as something he was told to do and did, which is what makes the book so uncomfortable.
Questions
Why did Hosea marry a prostitute?
As a sign-act. The book presents the marriage as instructed, and the relationship — betrayal followed by costly restoration — is the message about Israel's covenant unfaithfulness.
What does I desire mercy and not sacrifice mean?
It attacks religion performed correctly by people behaving badly. Jesus quotes it twice in Matthew, both times against critics complaining about who he was eating with.