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Name - It should be noted here that the order of arrangement of the Prophetical
Books in our English Bible is not chronological. Hosea, the author of this prophecy, belongs to
the period of Israel's history from 786 to 726 B.C. He was a prophet of the Northern Kingdom,
contemporaneous with Amos, and a contemporary of Isaiah and Micah in Judah. Hosea's
ministry embraced the period of Assyria's first captivity of the eastern tribes of Northern Israel,
and although his recorded ministry concluded in 726 B.C., he may have lived to see the fulfilment
of his prophecies concerning the complete overthrow of Northern Israel by the Assyrian
conquest.
Theme - Hosea began his ministry as a prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II,
and he laboured during the time of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah. Northern Israel
was prosperous during the early part of his work; Syria and Moab had been conquered and the
borders of the nation greatly extended; domestic affairs and foreign commerce were both in their
most advanced stages. Spiritually, however, there was decay: luxury ate at the heart of the
nation; immorality and injustice were rampant; idolatry gripped the whole land. Hence, the
message of Hosea inferred that Israel was Jehovah's adulterous wife, disowned and repudiated,
but still loved with an undying affection and destined to be purified and restored. In style and
expression, Hosea is metaphorical and figurative, filled with emotional colouring and variety of
thought, and intense in sentiments of genuine love.
Outline - The book falls rather naturally into three parts: I. Israel's Sin
Illustrated by the Tragedy of Hosea's Wife (1-3) II. Israel's Sin and Punishment (4-13:8) III.
The Ultimate Blessing and Glory of Israel's Restoration (13:9-14:9)
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