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Hosea

the prophet of faithful love

Who was Hosea?

Also called
Hosea, son of Beeri Hosea 1:1
Occupation
Prophet Hosea 1:1
Feast day
October 17: Saint Hosea, prophet
Hosea, an artistic recreation

What the Bible says

Hosea 1:1

The word of the Lord, that came to Osee the son of Beeri, in the days of Ozias, Joathan, Achaz, and Ezechias kings of Juda, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joas king of Israel.

Hosea 1:2-3; Hosea 3:1

2The beginning of the Lord’s speaking by Osse: and the Lord said to Osee: Go, take thee a wife of fornications, and have of her children of fornications: for the land by fornication shall depart from the Lord. 3So he went, and took Gomer the daughter of Debelaim: and she conceived and bore him a son.

Matthew 2:15; Matthew 9:13

That it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Hosea

  1. Before Jesus. He prophesied in Israel in the time of King Jeroboam, when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah reigned in Judah. Hosea 1:1
  2. Before Jesus. The Lord asked him to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him. It was a sign: the people had turned away from the Lord. Hosea 1:2; NAB note on Os 1, 2
  3. Before Jesus. Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. Gomer had two sons and a daughter, and their names were a warning to Israel. Hosea 1:3-9
  4. With Jesus. The Lord asked him to love an adulterous woman again. That is how the Lord loves Israel, even when it goes after other gods. Hosea 3:1; NAB note on Os 3, 1-5
  5. With Jesus. Hosea paid silver and barley to get her back. He asked her to wait for him many days, and he would wait for her too. Hosea 3:2-3
  6. Afterward. He announced that the Lord would lead his people into the desert and speak to their heart. Hosea 2:16
  7. Afterward. Hosea said the Lord had a complaint against his people. There was no faithfulness in the land, no love and no knowledge of God. Hosea 4:1
  8. Afterward. He said the Lord wants love, not sacrifice, and wants to be known more than he wants burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6
  9. Afterward. He compared God’s love to that of a father who teaches his child to walk. Hosea 11:1, 3-4
  10. Afterward. In the same chapter, God says he cannot give up his people. His heart is moved, because he is God and not man. Hosea 11:8-9
  11. Afterward. At the end of his book, Hosea invited Israel to return to the Lord and ask him to forgive all their guilt. Hosea 14:2-3

Words of Hosea

“And I will espouse thee to me for ever: and I will espouse thee to me in justice, and judgment, and in mercy, and in commiserations.” Hosea 2:21

Words of the Lord to his people, like those of a husband to his wife.

“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than holocausts.” Hosea 6:6

Words of the Lord that Jesus repeated.

“…Israel was a child, and I loved him: and I called my son out of Egypt.” Hosea 11:1

When he recalled the departure from Egypt.

“I will draw them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love: and I will be to them as one that taketh off the yoke on their jaws: and I put his meat to him that he might eat.” Hosea 11:4

When he spoke of God’s tenderness toward his people.

What they were like

The greatest thing they did

Not to be confused with

In the Church today

Feast day: October 17, Saint Hosea, prophet (commemoration (not on the General Roman Calendar or the U.S. calendar)). Roman Martyrology (2004)

What people ask

Why did God ask him to marry Gomer?

It was a sign. His marriage would show that the people had turned away from the Lord, and that the Lord still loved them. Hosea 1:2; Hosea 3:1

Was Gomer already unfaithful when she married?

The Bible does not make it clear. A note in the NAB explains that the text tells of the wedding with what happened later in mind. NAB note on Os 1, 2

What do the names of his children mean?

Lo-ruhamah means “not pitied,” and Lo-ammi means “not my people.” Later God announces new names: “pitied” and “my people.” Hosea 1:6, 9; Hosea 2:3, 25; NAB notes on Os 1, 6.9

Did Jesus quote Hosea?

Yes. Jesus repeated that God desires mercy, not sacrifice. Matthew 9:13; Hosea 6:6

Who is Ephraim, whom Hosea talks about?

Ephraim was the heart of the northern kingdom, Israel. Hosea uses that name to speak of the whole kingdom. (Hosea 11:8; NAB note on Hosea 4:17)

Is Hosea read at Mass?

Yes. For example, Hosea 6:3-6 on the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). And Hosea 11 on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (Year B). Hosea 6:3-6; Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8-9

Little known He was the first to describe the covenant between God and Israel as a marriage. NAB introduction to Hosea Saint Paul quotes his promise to call “my people”…

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Who Hosea is connected to

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All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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