Hosea 1
1 The word of the LORD that came unto 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 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
4 And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
8 Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
9 Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
Common Questions About Hosea 1
What does God command Hosea to do in chapter 1?
God commands Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman who would be unfaithful to him, as a living prophetic sign of Israel's own unfaithfulness to God through persistent idolatry.
What do the names of Hosea's children symbolize?
Their children are given symbolic names, Jezreel (judgment for past bloodshed), Lo-Ruhamah meaning 'not pitied,' and Lo-Ammi meaning 'not my people,' each dramatizing the broken state of Israel's covenant relationship with God.
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Questions to Think About
- Hosea's own family life became a living sermon. What does your life communicate to others about faithfulness and commitment?
- The harsh names given to Hosea's children still pointed forward to a promised reversal. How do you hold onto hope even in a season that feels defined by broken relationship?
Ask the Bible Chat Bot below if you'd like to talk through any of these.
