1 Name The name Hosea (Heb., Hoshea) means “salvation.” It is interesting to observe that the names Joshua (Num 13:16) and Jesus (Matt 1:21) are derived from the same Hebrew root as Hosea Family and home Hosea’s father was named Beeri (1:1) We not know what Beeri’s occupation was He may have been a middle-class merchant, or a farmer or cattleman Hosea used many illustrations of agricultural settings when he wrote, which suggests that the prophet lived close to the soil in his young life (cf 4:16; 6:4; 10:12) His home may have been in a town of Ephraim or Manasseh (see Map X), though this also is only speculation Ministry Hosea probably had no formal training in a school of the prophets, but his writings show him to be a very knowledgeable man We not know precisely when God originally called him to be a prophet The messages recorded in the book were given to him probably between 754 and 714 B.C Chart 102 shows who his contemporaries were Note the following: a) During Hosea’s ministry seven kings reigned over Israel, while four kings reigned on Judah’s throne.13 b) In a sense Hosea was a successor to the prophet Amos Recall that Amos was a native of Judah This makes Hosea the only writing prophet of Israel to Israel As one writer has said, “His book is the prophetic voice wrung from the bosom of the kingdom itself.”14 c) Hosea was ministering at the time the Assyrian invaders conquered Israel (722 B.C.).15 Refer to Chart 102 and note that Jeremiah was ministering to Judah when the Babylonian Captivity began (586 B.C.) Hosea and Jeremiah both preached the same kind of message; both were “weeping prophets.” d) Isaiah and Micah were prophets of Judah, while Hosea was prophesying to Israel (As is shown later, a few of Hosea’s messages were directed to the Southern Kingdom.) Hosea was one of the tenderest of the prophets in his contacts with Israel He has been called “the prophet of the broken heart.” His divine commission was to plead with the people of Israel to return to God They did not respond, and so captivity came (read Kings 17) Although his message went unheeded, he did not fail as a prophet He was obedient to God who called him, delivering God’s message to the people B THE BOOK OF HOSEA Date The messages of the book of Hosea, delivered sometime between 754 and 714 B.C., were probably compiled by Hosea into one book toward the end of that period Gleason Archer suggests 725 B.C as a possible date.16 If that is so, Hosea completed the book before the Assyrian Captivity (722 B.C.) That judgment was foretold in the book; it was not reported as having already taken place ... Hosea’s messages were directed to the Southern Kingdom.) Hosea was one of the tenderest of the prophets in his contacts with Israel He has been called ? ?the prophet of the broken heart.” His divine... message to the people B THE BOOK OF HOSEA Date The messages of the book of Hosea, delivered sometime between 754 and 714 B.C., were probably compiled by Hosea into one book toward the end of that... to the prophet Amos Recall that Amos was a native of Judah This makes Hosea the only writing prophet of Israel to Israel As one writer has said, “His book is the prophetic voice wrung from the