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| HOSEA |
| Explanatory Footnotes |
| 1:4 The Children's Strange Names At God's direction, Hosea named his three children in a way that symbolized God's anger. Their names show God's increasing judgment against Israel's adultery: first comes punishment, then a loss of love, finally total divorce. The first name, Jezreel, refers to a historical incident from 2 Kings 9-10. Jezreel was the place where King Jehu slaughtered a wicked king and all his associates (2 Kings 10:11). Hosea lived to see his prediction of punishment on Jehu's house fulfilled, when the last king in Jehu's line was murdered (2 Kings 15:8-12). Punishment, however, was not the last word. Jezreel has a double meaning - both to "scatter" and to "sow." In verse 11 and in verses 22-23 of chapter 2, Jezreel takes on the hopeful sense of planting new life. Hosea's other two children's names are similarly turned from curses to blessings. God's anger leads to new life. 4:13 Real Prostitution In each of the first nine chapters of his book, Hosea describes Israel's sin as prostitution or adultery. This is primarily a symbolism meant to emphasize God's deep, personal love for Israel and his pain when the Israelites desert him to "go after other gods." But prostitution has a literal meaning also. The religions Israel pursued taught that human sexuality was tied to agricultural fertility. To encourage good crops, believers in these religions practiced their human fertiltiy. This meant organized prostitution, done as part of their worship experience. 8:11 How to Be Religious Without Pleasing God The Israelites didn't think they were rejecting God. In fact, they became increasingly pious. (See 8:2, 11, 13; 10:1; and, probably, 6:1-3 for their expressions of faith.) But they wanted to worship on their terms, not God's. While their |