Written prior to 721 BC, scholars question if Hosea authored his own book (Arnold & Beyer, 2015). With this prosperity came religious tribulation. However, this pre-exilic prophet’s message stressed great disdain for the Israelites ritualistic practices that distanced themselves from the God of Israel (De Andrado, 2016) as well as warning the nation that their enemy was Assyria (Arnold & Beyer). The Israelites turned away from God, rather choosing idolatry and the worship of Baal. Metaphors abound in Hosea, and in particular, this passage depicts Israel as a ‘child’ and ‘son’ in verse one. Ephraim replaces Israel in verse three as the ‘son’. The distinction of relationships is a common theme as seen in Hosea 1 and 2 between Hosea and his wife Gomer symbolically representing God’s relationship with Israel. In order to interpret the focal passage, understanding the major themes in the book is critical. These include “spiritual adultery, knowledge of God, and God’s frustrated love” (Arnold & Beyer, 2015, p. 431). De Andrado expands on this by stating, “For Hosea, keeping Torah, with its range of moral and ritual prescriptions, is paramount for preserving Israel’s covenant with God” (2016, p. 54). Evident as one reads Hosea 11:1-3, God’s disappointment in the Israelites stems from their disregard of honoring the covenant and their gradual forgetfulness of who God
Written prior to 721 BC, scholars question if Hosea authored his own book (Arnold & Beyer, 2015). With this prosperity came religious tribulation. However, this pre-exilic prophet’s message stressed great disdain for the Israelites ritualistic practices that distanced themselves from the God of Israel (De Andrado, 2016) as well as warning the nation that their enemy was Assyria (Arnold & Beyer). The Israelites turned away from God, rather choosing idolatry and the worship of Baal. Metaphors abound in Hosea, and in particular, this passage depicts Israel as a ‘child’ and ‘son’ in verse one. Ephraim replaces Israel in verse three as the ‘son’. The distinction of relationships is a common theme as seen in Hosea 1 and 2 between Hosea and his wife Gomer symbolically representing God’s relationship with Israel. In order to interpret the focal passage, understanding the major themes in the book is critical. These include “spiritual adultery, knowledge of God, and God’s frustrated love” (Arnold & Beyer, 2015, p. 431). De Andrado expands on this by stating, “For Hosea, keeping Torah, with its range of moral and ritual prescriptions, is paramount for preserving Israel’s covenant with God” (2016, p. 54). Evident as one reads Hosea 11:1-3, God’s disappointment in the Israelites stems from their disregard of honoring the covenant and their gradual forgetfulness of who God