Hosea 1
Big idea: A prophet is told to marry a woman who will be unfaithful, and to give their children names that are verdicts on the nation. Then, with no transition and no explanation, the same chapter cancels the verdicts — the people who are not a people will be called sons of the living God.
The names given here are the argument of the next two chapters: chapter 2 prosecutes them, chapter 3 buys her back, and by 2:23 all three have been turned around.
1:1–9 — Three children with terrible names
The dating puts Hosea across four Judean reigns and one northern king, which means he preaches through the collapse — the coups, the tribute payments, and finally Samaria's fall. Then the command that has troubled readers ever since: take a wife of prostitution. Whether Gomer was already unfaithful, or the phrase describes what she would become, or the marriage is a vision rather than an event, has been argued since antiquity, and the text does not settle it.
1 Yahweh’s word 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. 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.” 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son. 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. 5 It will happen in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.” 6 She conceived again, and bore a daughter. Then he said to him, “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by Yahweh their God, and will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.” 8 Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son. 9 He said, “Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I will not be yours.
1:10–11 — As the sand of the sea
Two verses that undo the chapter, with no 'if' attached and nothing asked of anyone. The promise reached for is the one made to Abraham — descendants beyond counting — and the place where they were told 'not my people' is where they will be called sons of the living God.
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can’t be measured or counted; 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.’ 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.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).