The Book of Hosea

God commissioned Hosea to prophesy to the crumbling kingdom of Israel during its last thirty years, before it was conquered and destroyed by the Assyrians.


God commanded Hosea to marry "an adulterous wife" - one who would most likely be unfaithful to him - in order to give the people a living and vivid example of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness to God. The command to take "an adulterous wife" was a prophetic word of what would happen later in the marriage.


Hosea's prophecy was God's last effort to call the Israelites to repent from their continued rebellion and desire to follow false gods and to renew their devotion to the true God, before pronouncing full judgment for their sins.


Seven major features characterize the book of Hosea. 1. It comes first in the part of the Old Testament called "The Book of the Twelve; also known as the "minor prophets". 2. Hosea is one of only two prophets from the north with a prophetic book of the Old Testament. The other Old Testament prophets originally came from Judah. 3. As with Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Hosea's personal experiences serve as living examples of his prophetic message. 4. It contains about 150 statements about Israel's sins, more than half of which relate to idolatry. 5. More than any other Old Testament prophet, Hosea reminded the Israelites that the Lord had been faithful and patient in His love for them. 6. There are no recognizable order among Hosea's prophecies in the main body of the book. For that reason, it is not always clear where one prophecy ends and another begins. 7. Hosea's prophecies are filled with vivid figures of speech, many of them relating to rural scenes and settings.


Hosea contains several verses that the New Testaments quotes as being fulfilled through Jesus Christ;  Christ's victory over death; God's desire for mercy and not sacrifice; and the Gentiles becoming God's people. In addition to specific reference to passages from Hosea, the New Testament develops Hosea's theme of God being the husband of His people.