Hosea Chapter 1

From The Open Bible Project

1:1 The word of [1] Yahweh [See Hosea Footnotes 1] 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.

• The Argument - After the ten tribes had fallen away from God by the wicked and subtle counsel of Jeroboam, the son of Neba, and instead of his true service commanded by his word, worshipped him according to their own imaginings and traditions of men, giving themselves to most vile idolatry and superstition, the Lord from time to time sent them Prophets to call them to repentance. But they grew even worse and worse, and still abused God’s benefits. Therefore now when their prosperity was at the highest under Jeroboam, the son of Joash, God sent Hosea and Amos to the Israelites (as he did at the same time send Isaiah and Micah to those of Judah) to condemn them for their ingratitude. And whereas they thought themselves to be greatly in the favour of God, and to be his people, the Prophet calls them bastards and children born in adultery: and therefore shows them that God would take away their kingdom, and give them to the Assyrians to be led away captives. Thus Hosea faithfully executed his office for the space of seventy years, though they remained still in their vices and wickedness and derided the Prophets, and condemned God’s judgments. And because they would neither be discouraged with threatening only, nor should they flatter themselves by the sweetness of God’s promises, he sets before them the two principal parts of the Law, which are the promise of salvation, and the doctrine of life. For the first part he directs the faithful to the Messiah, by whom alone they would have true deliverance: and for the second, he uses threatenings and menaces to bring them from their wicked manners and vices: and this is the chief scope of all the Prophets, either by God’s promises to allure them to be godly, or else by threatenings of his judgments to scare them from vice. And even though the whole Law contains these two points, yet the Prophets moreover note distinctly both the time of God’s judgments and the manner.
• (a) Also called Azariah, who being a leper was disposed from his kingdom.
• (b) So that it may be gathered by the reign of these four kings that he preached about eighty years.

1:2 When Yahweh spoke at first by Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking Yahweh."

• (c) That is, one that has been a harlot for a long time: not that the Prophet did this thing in effect, but he saw this in a vision, or else was commanded by God to set forth under this parable or figure the idolatry of the Synagogue, and of the people her children.

1:3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son.

• (d) Gomer signifies a consumption or corruption, and rotten clusters of figs, declaring that they were all corrupt like rotten figs.

1:4 Yahweh 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.

• (e) Meaning that they would no longer be called Israelites, which name they boasted because Israel did prevail with God: but that they were as bastards, and therefore should be called Jezreelites, that is, scattered people, alluding to Jezreel, which was the chief city of the ten tribes under Ahab, where Jehu shed so much blood; (1 Kings 18:45).
• (f) I will be avenged upon Jehu for the blood that he shed in Jezreel: for even though God stirred him up to execute his judgments, yet he did them for his own ambition, and not for the glory of God as the intended goal: for he built up that idolatry which he had destroyed.

1:5 It will happen in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel."

• (g) When the measure of their iniquity is full, and I will take vengeance and destroy all their administration and strength.

1:6 She conceived again, and bore a daughter. Then he said to him, "Call her name [2] Lo-Ruhamah [See Hosea Footnotes 2]; for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them.

• (h) That is, not obtaining mercy: by which he signifies that God’s favour had departed from them.
• (i) For the Israelites never returned after they were taken captives by the Assyrians.

1:7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by Yahweh their [3] God [See Hosea Footnotes 3], and will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen."

• (k) For after their captivity he restored them miraculously by the means of Cyrus; (Ezra 1:1).

1:8 Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son.

1:9 He said, "Call his name [4] Lo-Ammi [See Hosea Footnotes 4]; for you are not my people, and I will not be yours.

• (l) That is, not my people.

1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can't be measured nor numbered; 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.'

• (m) Because they thought that God could not have been true in his promise unless he had preserved them, he declares that though they were destroyed, yet the true Israelites who are the sons of the promise, would be without number, who consist both of the Jews and the Gentiles; (Romans 9:26).

1:11 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.

• (n) That is, after the captivity of Babylon, when the Jews were restored: but chiefly this refers to the time of Christ, who would be the head both of the Jews and Gentiles.
• (o) The calamity and destruction of Israel will be so great, that to restore them will be a miracle.