As a church, we’ve been reading through the Minor Prophets together. As questions come up in your reading, continue to fire them my way, and I’ll answer them. Even if you have more questions on Hosea, feel free to send them to me, and I will answer them in next week’s installment of the Heartbroken Q&A.
Hosea
Was Gomer more a woman who was by her nature unfaithful to Hosea, or was she an actual prostitute? I’ve heard both arguments in the past.
There are 2 main views regarding Gomer. One is that she was a prostitute (perhaps a temple prostitute) before marrying Hosea, and after some time of being married went back to her old ways. Some of the language used in chapter 2 would lead me to believe this is true.
The second is that she was just a new bride, and after time she became unfaithful and an adulteress, and that eventually led to prostitution, and slavery. The language of chapter 1 would lead me to believe this is true.
While both views would be acceptable and not contradict any areas of the greater story of Hosea, and each have their strengths and weaknesses, I wouldn’t be dogmatic about this, but I would lean towards the 2ndview, that Gomer was just a young bride who would become unfaithful to Hosea.
I’m slightly confused about interjections of verses of the Lord’s mercy in places like 2:14-15, while most of the meat of the book deals with harsh prophetic words about the consequences of Israel’s sin (except for that final plea of chapter 14 where God’s mercy is tied in with repentance).
As the message of the book unfolds, what you see is God longing for Israel to return, like a husband longing for his wife to come home. There is great judgment to be had, if they don’t return. But it is interesting that as God reminds the people of the judgment to come, He also reminds them of His care, compassion and concern for them.
Hosea 3:1 says “though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” What does that mean? It seems to provide a biblical argument that fruitcakes around the holidays are from the devil and should be abolished. Your thoughts?
I think it’s funny that 3 of you asked a question about this phrase, and obviously, 1 of you really doesn’t like fruitcake.
The cakes of raisins were delicacies prevalent in the Canaanite culture at this time. Historians believe that these cakes could have very well been a part of temple cult worship (they refer to Jeremiah 7:18 and 44:19). Either way, there is a dramatic contrast in this verse. It talks about the dramatic faithful love of God towards the children of Israel, and then talks about the dramatic ridiculous love of the children of Israel towards a simple delicacy. This points out the ridiculous nature of their (or our) unfaithfulness.
And condemns fruitcake forever.
3:2 Is there anything significant about how much Hosea paid for Gomer?
Other references talk about the price of a slave being 30 shekels of silver:
- Exodus 21:32 If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
- Zechariah 11:12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.
The significance of what Hosea paid is that it was half-price. This probably means Gomer wasn’t seen as being worth very much in the eyes of slave-traders.
13:2 What does it mean to kiss calves?
I had the exact same question. It’s a pretty disturbing picture, and rather ridiculous. The act of kissing an object is an act of worship – you see it mentioned in 1 Kings 19:18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.
Remember that the worship of calves was a problem in Israel (Exodus 32 and 1 Kings 12 speak of this).
In the same verse, it speaks about those people who offer human sacrifices, which was a prominent pagan practice at the time. So this verse is speaking very specifically about the serving of false gods.
14:5 I’ve seen, or maybe just heard, the term “Trees of Lebanon” a number of times. What does that mean?
A tree known for its deep roots and strong smell, the Lebanese Cedar grows in Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, northwest Jordan, western Syria, and south central Turkey. It’s the tree that can be seen on the Lebanese flag today (click here to see it.)
The average Lebanese cedar is 20 feet tall. The average depth of the roots on that average cedar would be 60 feet deep! The deeper the roots, the more secure the tree would be. So in this case, these trees are solidly anchored.
In this particular verse, it is being said of Israel that when God heals them, forgives them, they will be rooted like the trees of Lebanon. The picture being communicated here is the stability that would be theirs when they return to God.
The name Ephraim is used a lot in Hosea. Is that a person? What does it stand for?
A lot is an understatement. According to my fancy schmancy Bible program, Hosea uses the name Ephraim 36 times throughout the book.
Ephraim is the name of a tribe in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. When Hosea is uses this name, he is referring to the entire kingdom.
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