Hosea 1
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1Yahweh’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. 2When 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.” 3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son. 4Yahweh 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. 5It will happen in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.” 6She 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. 7But 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.” 8Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son. 9He said, “Call his name Lo-Ammi; for you are not my people, and I will not be yours. 10Yet 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.’ 11The 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.
World English Bible (public domain)
“"And the LORD said, 'Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.'"”
Hosea 1:9
Summary
Hosea chapter 1 introduces the prophet Hosea, who is called by God to marry Gomer, a woman described as promiscuous. This marriage is a symbolic act representing the unfaithfulness of Israel to God, as they pursue other gods. Hosea's union with Gomer produces three children, each given a name by God to signify different prophetic messages. Jezreel, the first child, is named to foretell the end of Jehu's dynasty for the bloodshed at Jezreel. The second child, a daughter named Lo-Ruhamah, symbolizes that God will no longer show mercy to the house of Israel. The third child, a son named Lo-Ammi, serves as a prophetic statement that the people are no longer recognized as God's people due to their faithlessness. Despite these judgments, the chapter closes with a glimmer of hope, as God promises a future where Israel will once again be gathered and known as His people.
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