Hosea served during the period of the divided monarchy and was a contemporary of Isaiah, both of whom ministered in the eighth century BCE. Hosea is thus one of the earliest of the minor prophets, and his book, at 14 chapters in length, is one of the longer texts in that collection. Chapters 1-3 tell a poignant tale in which Hosea’s family life is made into an allegory of God’s relationship with his people, and Chapters 4-14 consist of a series of prophetic judgments against Israel and Judah.

Much as in Ezekiel, God commands Hosea to undertake prophetic actions as examples of divine messages. In Hosea’s case, this involves taking an unfaithful woman for his wife, illustrating the unfaithfulness of the Israelites to the God who has set his love upon them. Despite their unfaithfulness, God pledges a day when his covenant of love with Israel and Judah will be fully realized: “And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy” (Hosea 2:19). The remainder of the book’s prophecies focus on the dark picture of the Israelites’ immediate future, as their rebellion against God leads to an ever more dangerous political situation: “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7).