LiTEKATCRE. — The dlAciissions of tho term are niiinerous. mid widely scattered In commentaries and cxecetical works. Specl- nu'ns of the older may be seen in Ibe Critici SitcH ; in Poole's .^i/Nop'*i«; in Lam[ie ou Jn I'i'*; .1. C. Wolf. Ctirtr, etc.. on ^it '21", where nmnerous reff. are plven. Worth coiisnilinff. also, are the 7th ch. of Gabriel Groddeck's essay on the Keasl of Tabernacles in I'jrolini's Ttienaurttf, etc. vol. xviii, p. .VS4 ll".. and the note in F. IJ. Ilach's ed. 0'i2i'i) of the treatise .^iii-cii/i. eli. iv. § .*>. p. S:U IT. Sjiecialessavs on the word (orthe trinm|ihal entrvl liv llindrim (11)71). Winzef 1170SI, ZoprdTlW), NolbdurllKni.-i), U'ncher (n--"*). Wernsdorf (1765). J. C. PfatT (I7?!i), .1. .M. 11. ilarras, .1. G. Kaii, Sauerbrei, .1. G. Walch. and others, are catalogued ; but they have not t>een accessible lo the present
writer. J. H. Thayer.
"HOSEA.—
i. Name and Life of the Prophet. Ii. 'I'ho Prophet's Time. iii. The l*rophet's Hook.
,1. First division, chs. 1-8. M. Second division, ehs. 4-14, U> The coitus. ('2) Tlie Iniernal misrule. (3) KxliMiial politics. Iv. Some General Ideas. (11 (.(kI and Keli^lon. (■21 Tlio People. V. Integrity and Text.
i. N.VMF. .\SD Life of tiik Propuk.t. — The prophet Hosea (Heb. ■1?''^ 'salvation,' Gr. 'H<r^f, Lat. Osefi, so AV Ko !)'"), whose name is iilentical with the original name of .loshua (Nu 13*1, and with that of the last king of Israel (AV llo.shea 2 K 15''"), w.as certainly a native of the Northern Kingdom, the condilion and destiny of which he luus in view throughout his prophecy. The refer- ences in the prophecy to Judali, though pretty numerous, are more incidental, and Jeru.sniein is nowhi're mentioned.* Israel is 'the land' (l-\ its king is 'our king' (7'), and it is 'the house of Jehu' on which the blood of JeznH'l shall he visited, and 'the kiiiiidom of the house of Israel' that shall be made to cea.se (I*). It is the localities of the Northern Kingdom that are fniniliar to the
• Iteferenres lo .Iiidoh are : 1' ■■ S» 4" .'A >» '"• ,-,. ll su lo" II" 1*2'. .V number of ihi'se |Mw^a*:e^ Ap|M-nr to disturb llie con- nexion, anil have been thouKht later InserUons or allerttlous ol ■ he lext. (Tiurlfj .scrihiw»r'i .s'onj
t20
HOSEA
HOSEA
pruplut, Gilead aiul Tabor (5> (1« 12"). GibeaU (5' 9'J lU'), Gilgal (41' 9" 12"), Jezreel (l<-v" 2"). Rauiali (i)*), Slieolieiii ((P), ami parliculaiiv Bctliid (410 58 i()5 ...i; i2») and Sainaria (7' 8-'« W" 13"'). In like maiinor it is tlif inti-rnal coiulitioii nf Israel and Uie slate of parties there to vvliieh allusion is made : the neglect and seltishness of the priests (4iir. iji gii) ; ilie heathenish revelry of the people at the feasts (2" 11'), and their immoralities at the high places (4"- '* ()"•) ; and the consi>iracies, blood- shed, and anarchy tiiat followed the death of Jeroboam — 'all their kings are fallen' (T' 13"). •
Little is known of the prophet's lii.story. His fatlier was named Beeri (!'), and he re]>resents himself as taking to wife a woman called (Jomer. who became the mother of several children, to whom he gave symbolical names prophetiral of the destiny of his country (cli. 1). The rather obscure passage it* may .imply that he and others were exposed to pei-secution — • as for the jirophet, the snare of a fowler is on all his ways, anil enmity in the house of his God.' Whether the words of the previous verse, • the proiihet is a fool, the man of the spirit is mad,' be eontenii)tuous language used by the people (2 K »". .ler 2'.!-'*), to which the prophet replies: Yes, 'because of the niultituile of thine iniquity, and the great enmity ' ; or wlietlier the words be those of the prophet himself, ex|)ress- ing the distraction to which he was driven by the wickedness and hostility of the people Jer 2.)'-"'), is rather uncertain.
There is nothing to Indicate with any certjilnty to what ranlc of life tht- prophet helonscd. Duhm (Theol. d'. Prolili. I3ll f.) has arj^ia-ti tiiat he was prnbalily a member of the prie^Ilv cia>s, on aceount of liis freqnent references to tlie priests l-i""- 5' *i"), totlic Turah of God It" t-"), to 'unclean thinj-s' ('.I', cf. .V f>i»i, to 'abominations' (i>^"). and to persecntion 'in tlie liouse of liis God' (U". "). lie was certainly a man suHieientiy etlucateil to follow and esti[nate the politics of his country, whether at home or ..ibro.atl (7'-" .'I'^f.)^ and to pass ,iudf:incnt on the course the national history had taken from the bef:inninK. If any infer- ence could bo drawn from tho tipures and comparisons in which the prophecy is so rich, it would be that tho prophet, like Amos, belonged to tho country rather than the city. Such iuuices are: {ii\ those fi-om wild" beasts, the lion, panther, and bear {:M 6> 11'" IS'-'), and other creatures of the Beld, as tho wild ass (S»), and birds l^To >|ii n'M. and from the snares and pits ein- ploved in trappinj; them (.I"-! 7'= U"). (?/) Those ft-om api- cultural life. f.g. from stuliborn cattle (4'" !»■''), the yoke and ways of easing it (11*1, harnessins. threshing, jdowinsr, and harrowing (lui*"-) ; from tlie operations of the husbandman, as bowing and reaping ; ' sowing the wind ' (!>'), ' sowing righteons- ness' (10'!«); from the corn HoorO'ia^), and the like. And In general Ic) tho imagery retlects country life, e.g. references to the vine and ti.;rand the time when their fruit is choice ('Ji** ItU), to the furrows of thu field (lu« 1-2"), the poppy (lu*), thorns and thistles (ln»), nettles (9"). reeds (1S>=), cf. the images in '.;="'• 14*''-) ; to the rains of the various seasons, the winter, early and latter rain ^(fi lui*), to the morning cloud and the early dew (6* 1:1*). to the swollen country brooks — 'like a splinter on the face of the water' (10'). and to the hot desert wind thai smites the vegetation and leaves the fountain dry (13"). Ilosea is the only writer before Dent. (19" 27") who refers to the removal of boundary stones in the fields (."(i"). ^Vhetber this imagery warrants any conclusion regarding the prophet's position in life or not. it is evidence of a line poetic sensibility, of profound sympathy with nature and love of creature life. The prophet lives in the things that are around him. syrapatldzing with the life in every thiug and feeling its charm. It is characteristic of his images that they are painted in a word and never developed. Those of thera that refer to human life have usually something