Bible and Culture 2014 - Hosea day 3

HOSEA 3

Three periods of history for Hosea

1. Israel’s ancestors (patriarchs)

2. Exodus and wilderness

3. Life in the promised land

Base texts

Texts which Hosea builds on

Torah

Genesis – Numbers, Deuteronomy?

Israel’s rescue

perhaps especially Exodus 3 – 4

Israel is my firstborn son. Exodus 4:22

Decalogue (start)

Exodus 20:1–6

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt . . .

Exodus 20:2

You shall have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:3

Golden calf incident

Exodus 32 – 34

Psalm 106

especially verses 6–39

Structure of Hosea

A 1:1 – 3:5 A wayward wife B 4:1 – 5:7 Spiritual prostitution C 5:8 – 6:11a political corruption; empty sacrifices D 6:11b – 7:16 Israel has not returned to God C’ 8:1 – 9:7b political corruption; empty sacrifices B’ 9:7c – 10:15 Spiritual prostitution A’ 11:1 – 14:10 A wayward son

Hosea 4:1 – 5:7

charge = rîb

covenant lawsuit• Summons

• Charge

• Evidence

• Verdict and sentence

More on prophetic genres:bit.ly/prophet_info

Hebrew poetry

parallelism

synonymous parallelism

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist.

Isaiah 44:22

He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

Micah 4:3

Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, royal house! This judgement is again you.

Hosea 5:1

synthetic parallelism

‘The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life. The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life. Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,’ declares the LORD.

Amos 2:14

Fallen is virgin Israel,

never to rise again,

deserted in her own land,

with no one to help her up Amos 5:2

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,

and you will not hear

Or cry to you ‘Violence!’

and you will not save? Habakkuk 1:2

inverted parallelism

I will visit upon them their ways, and their deeds I will return to them.

Isaiah 11:13

I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me.

Hosea 5:3

antithetical parallelism

They do not cry out to me from their hearts,

but wail upon their beds. Hosea 7:14

All the nations may walk

in the name of their gods;

we will walk in the name of the LORD

our God for ever and ever. Micah 4:5

Manuscript Bible Study• Structure (flow of the argument)? • Repeated words, images or concepts • Connecting words: (but, therefore, etc.) • Figures of speech (metaphors, similes, etc.) • Key themes, concepts or images • What characters and places are mentioned? • Parallels and cross-references • Questions: what do you not understand?