Commentary on the book of the prophet Hosea

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 In the Russian and Slavic Bibles, the book of the prophet Daniel is followed, and in the Hebrew, after the book of Ezekiel, the books of the Twelve Minor Prophets follow. In ancient times, all these books made up one, which among the Jews was called schaejasar (Aram. trejasar, treisar), and among the Greeks δωδεκαπιρόφητον. The first evidence that the books of the minor prophets were combined into one can be found in Jesus the son of Sirach (Sir 49.10). This evidence, then, is confirmed by Josephus, who counts only 22 books in the Jewish canon (Apion I, 8) and by church teachers Melito of Sardinia (Eusebius, Church. Ist. IV, 26), Athanasius the Great (Pasch. 39), Cyril of Jerusalem (Sl. IV, 35), Gregory the Theologian (33 verses), etc., using the term δωδεκαπιρόφητον defining the number of Old Testament canonical books only 12. The motives for combining 12 prophetic books into one are unknown, since what was said by Blessed. Theodoret (Preface to the interpretation of the minor prophets) and R. Kimhi (Comment. in psalm. proef.) and the idea adopted by some new authors (Gonaker) that the books were connected due to their small volume, to prevent their loss, cannot be considered solid. Composing one book, the writings of the Twelve Prophets did not occupy the same place in the codes of the Bible: according to Melito, they were placed after the books of the great prophets, according to Origen and Epiphanius, before this book, as now in the accepted text of the LXX. Likewise, the order of individual works in the collection of minor prophets changed. In euros The Bible preserved the order adopted in our texts, but in the LXX the books were arranged differently, namely: Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. What motives formed the basis for the indicated distribution of the books of the minor prophets cannot be said with certainty; Apparently there was no firm principle, but were partly guided by the chronological principle, and partly they took into account the volume of books. Therefore, the books of the post-exilic prophets were placed at the end of the entire collection, and of the pre-exilic books, the largest volume was the book. Hosea was placed in front of the book. Amos, although Amos was Hosea's predecessor in the prophetic ministry. The literature devoted to the interpretation of the books of the minor prophets is extremely extensive. Of the church teachers, the books of the minor prophets were interpreted by the blessed one. Theodoret, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Ephraim the Syrian, blessed Jerome and Blessed Theophylact. Of the works compiled in modern times, the most important are the following: Hitzig, Die kleinen Propheten (4 Aufl. 1881); Keil, Die kl. Proph. (3 Aufl 1888); Knabenbauer, Comment, in prophetas minores. 1866. Nowack, Die kl. Proph uberzetzt und erklart, 1904, Marti, Dodekapropheton erklart 1904. Hoonacker Les douze petits prophetes. 1908. In Russian literature, the works of Palladius, Bishop. Sarapulsky (1872 etc.). Rougemont, Brief explanation of the 12 minor prophets 1880 and I. Smirnov (1873 etc.). The Prophet Hosea (Greek ᾿Ωσηέ Heb. Hoschea, from jascha to save, help, means salvation, savior, helper), according to his book, was the son of a certain Beerius. The only thing that can be considered known with certainty about the life of the prophet is that he was a native of the ten-tribe kingdom and in the same kingdom he served as a prophet. This is evidenced by: 1) appearing throughout the book. Hosea is the prophet's comprehensive acquaintance with the internal state of the kingdom of Israel (Hos. 4:1–2, 11–14, 5:11, 7:6–7, 11–14, 9:7–8, 10:10, 12:7, 13:2); 2) his exclusive mention of the cities of this kingdom (Samaria Hos 7:1, 8:5-6; Gilead Hos 6:8, 12:11; Shechem Hos 6:9; Gilgal Hos 4:15, 9:15; Bethel or Beth-Aven Hos 4:15, 5:8, 10:5, 8, 15). 3) Features of the prophet’s speech or Aramaicisms characteristic of the language of the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom (Hosea 11.4 Ochil instead of aachil; Hoses 13.15 japrija instead of japreh; Hoses 13.10 ehi instead of asseh). If ch. Books I-III Hosea is understood in the sense of describing actual events from the life of the prophet (which, however, is not indisputable), then from these chapters it follows that Hosea had a wife and children, but was unhappy in his family life, since his wife was unfaithful to him. Brief information drawn from the book of Hosea itself is supplemented by legends reported by ancient writers (Ephraim Sir, Dorotheus) that Hosea was from the city of Beelmoth or Belemon in the tribe of Issachar, that he died in Babylon, and was buried in upper Galilee. The reliability of these traditions is as difficult to defend as it is to defend Doom’s assumption (Dulm, Tbeologie der Propheten 1875, s. 130) that Hosea belonged to the priestly class: acquaintance with the past history of Israel, a high view of sacrifices, a mention of the law of God and other features of the book noted by Doom are understood in the book of the prophet and without the assumption of his belonging to the priests. The time of Hosea's prophetic activity cannot be specified with precision. From the inscription of the book it follows that the prophet served during the period of the Judah kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (791–698). If we understand the inscription in the sense that Hosea began his activity only in the second half of the reign of Uzziah, and concluded it already at the beginning of the reign of Hezekiah, then, nevertheless, the time of the prophet’s ministry will have to be determined by the period in 59-63 (26-28 years. Uzziah 16 Jotham. 2 Kings 15.33; 16 Ahaz 2 Kings 16.2 and 1-3 Hezekiah). Such a significant duration of the prophet’s activity raises doubts among some researchers about the accuracy of the inscription. The basis for this doubt is also in the fact that of the kings of Israel for the entire period of the prophet’s ministry, only Jeroboam II is named, who was a contemporary only of Uzziah. From here, not without reason, they conclude (almost all Western authors, including Russian Yavorsky) that the writing in the book. Hosea is damaged and that the time of the prophet's ministry should be determined only on the basis of the instructions available in the contents of the book itself. According to these instructions, the prophet began his ministry at the end of the reign of Jeroboam II (787–746). According to Hosea 1.4, the house of Jehu is only still in danger of falling; the latter happened after the death of Jeroboam, under his son Zechariah. Proposed ch. I-III prosperity of the kingdom (Hosea 2.7) corresponds precisely to the time of Jeroboam. The indications in further chapters of the book about times of anarchy, when princes and judges fell (Hosea 7.7) and fluctuations between friendship with Egypt and an alliance with Assyria (Hosea 7.11) already correspond to the time of Jeroboam’s successors. The end of the prophet's ministry is determined by the following data: 1) The Prophet everywhere assumes the existence of a ten-tribe kingdom and speaks of its destruction (722) as the future; 2) in the book there is no indication of a former war with the Kingdom of Judah. Israeli king Pekah and Syrian Rezin (735); 3) B Os 6.8; Hos 12.12 Gilead is also called the city of Ephraim, meanwhile the region of Gilead was devastated by Tiglath-Pelassar back in 734. Thus, based on the instructions of the book, the time of the prophet’s ministry can be limited to the period from 750 to 735. The prophet Hosea had to undergo his ministry under difficult circumstances. The country was experiencing a difficult political situation. Jeroboam II expanded the border of the kingdom of Israel from Hamath to the Dead Sea (2 Kings 14.25–28) and gave it power and strength that it had not had since the days of David and Solomon. But immediately after the death of Jeroboam, the rapid decline of the kingdom began. The last representative of the house of Jehu, Zechariah, in the 6th month of his reign, fell victim to the conspiracy of Shallum (2 Kings 15.8 and 9). A month later, Sallum was killed by Menaim. Menaim could remain on the throne only with outside help. He received this help from the Assyrian king Phula, paying him a large tribute. The son and successor of Menaim, Phekias, after two years of his reign, was killed by Phekias (2 Kings 15.26). Pekah in turn was deposed and killed by Hosea (2 Kings 15.30). Thus, after the death of Jeroboam, anarchy reigned in the ten-tribe kingdom, the throne passed from one usurper to another, and the Assyrians intervened in the internal affairs of the country, soon putting an end to the northern kingdom. The country was also experiencing a difficult situation in religious and moral terms. The country was dominated by the cult of the calves, introduced by Jeroboam I for political reasons, the centers of which were the sanctuaries in Bethel and Dan. Representing Jehovah in the form of a calf, the people began to equate Jehovah with pagan deities and, confusing him with the Baals, adopted the name Baal for Jehovah (Hosea 2.16). The service of calves, which was illegal in itself, was thus a step for the transition from the religion of Jehovah to the pagan cult. This falling away from Jehovah was reflected in the moral state of the people. The fear of both the holiness of the law and the holiness of God disappeared among the people. There was neither truth nor mercy; perjury, murder, deception, theft, adultery (Hosea 4.1–2) spread throughout the country, penetrating all levels of society. The priests were engaged in robbery and robbery (Hosea 4.8, 5.1–6), the princes “blazed towards villainy like a red-hot furnace,” the people drowned in debauchery (Hosea 4.13–14). Division of the book and general contents. Book Hosea is not a collection of individual speeches of the prophet, but a collection of them, an abbreviated presentation of what the prophet preached during his ministry. This presentation, as in other biblical books, is not strictly systematic. Usually the book of Hosea is divided into two parts: the first includes ch. I-III, and to the second chapter. IV-XIV. The first part covers the beginning of the prophet’s ministry, that is, speeches from the time of Jeroboam II, and the second contains a presentation of the prophet’s accusatory and consoling speeches from the subsequent period of his ministry. At the same time, both parts of the book of Hosea are imbued with one idea, around which all the speeches of the prophet revolve. According to the modern prophet, the state of the people, Prince. Hosea is accusatory. The starting point of the prophet’s sermon is the idea of ​​the marriage union of the people of Israel with Jehovah. From the point of view of this idea, the prophet considers both the present of the people and their future. The image of the marriage union is constantly presented to the prophet, and he uses it both in the symbolic action with which his sermon began and in subsequent speeches. Jehovah, having made a covenant of love with his people, remained faithful to this covenant. Jehovah's love for his people never faded. He brought Israel out of Egypt (Hosea 2.1), gave them the law (Hosea 8.12), saved them from their enemies (Hosea 7.13), raised up prophets for them (Hosea 11.2), and poured out generous mercies on them (Hosea 12.9). But Israel violated the marriage covenant with Jehovah and became a harlot and an adulteress, like Gomer (I-III). Already in the first time after concluding an alliance with Jehovah, Israel went to Baal-peor (Hosea 9.10). Later, he completely forgot his Creator (Hosea 8.14), became attached to Idols (Hosea 4.17), began to smoke Baalam (Hosea 2.15, 11.2), built altars (Hosea 8.2) and died through Baal. (Os 13.1). “This land commits great fornication, having departed from the Lord” (Hosea 1.2). Forgetting Jehovah and serving Baal is the first great sin of Israel. But this sin was the source and cause of other crimes, which the prophet denounces in his speeches. In connection with the deviation from Jehovah, there is, first of all, the second sin of Israel - falling away from the house of David, the people set themselves kings (Hosea 8.4) or, if they were given to them by God, they were given in anger (Hosea 13.9–11). Then, the consequence of the godless mood of Israel was the false policy of the kingdom, the search for friendship with the pagans. Desiring, with the help of foreigners, to get rid of God's punishment (Hosea 5.13), striving, contrary to its intended purpose, to play a role among nations (Hosea 7.8, 8.8). Israel began to enter into alliances with Egypt and Assyria, and this conclusion of an alliance was combined with “empty words and false oaths” (Hosea 12.2, 10.4). “And Ephraim became,” says the prophet, “like a stupid dove without a heart, they are called to Egypt, they go to Assyria” (Hosea 7.11). And here are the results of this policy: “Ephraim mixed with the nations... Strangers devoured his strength, and he did not notice; gray hair covered him, but he does not know” (Hosea 7.8–9). Finally, deviation from Jehovah led the people to extreme moral decline (Hosea 4.1–2) “there is neither truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God on earth; oath and deceit, murder and theft and adultery have become extremely widespread,” and bloodshed follows bloodshed. By denouncing the apostasy of the people, the prophet outlines for them an ideal to which they should strive. Israel must be a faithful wife to Jehovah and not remember the name of Baal (Hosea 2.16–17). He must seek the Lord his God and David his king (Hosea 3.5). He must know (jadah) the Lord, since the knowledge of God in the eyes of God is worth more than burnt offerings, for the Lord says: “I want mercy, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6.6). Heb. verb jadah - to know implies the idea of ​​such knowledge, which is based on the closest, direct unity with the knowable and therefore is used to designate marital relations. When the prophet sets up knowledge of God as an ideal for the people, he does not mean the acquisition of theoretical knowledge about God, but precisely the achievement of the closest communication with God, unity in love. The lack of knowledge of God, that is, love of God, was the cause of the moral crimes of the people; the achievement of knowledge of God will be for them a source of new, pure life. The means for returning the people to the goal of their election, according to the thought of the prophet Hosea, will be punishment. Like his older contemporary Amos, Hosea speaks decisively about the inevitability of punishment for the kingdom of Israel. The prophet represents this punishment under the image of the return of the people to Egypt (Hosea 8.13, 9.1). The prophet announces the impending destruction of the kingdom, the captivity and dispersion of the people (Hosea 11.1, 9.17), the decrease in its numbers (Hosea 9.11), the destruction of the royal house (Hosea 10.7, 11.1), the destruction of the sanctuaries (Hosea 10.8) and the onset of a number of severe disasters (Hosea 13.7–6). Among these disasters, according to Amos, Hosea proclaims the people's existence without the revelation of God (Hosea 3.4, 5.6, 9.4), as well as the lack of victims and altars (Hosea 3.4, 9.4). In general, according to the prophet, in order to fulfill its purpose, in order to be purified, in order to live, the people must die, and only by a creative, divine act can they be resurrected to life. The prophet foresees this time when the Lord will return his people from the land of migration (Hosea 1.11, 11.11), will raise them from death, and they will live before Him (Hosea 6.2), when even the power of death and the power of hell will be abolished (Hosea 13.14). After this, the goal that was in mind when calling Israel will be realized. In the new society - among the new Israel - chaste as a virgin (Hosea 2.19 aras - “betrothed” is used about betrothal to a maiden), as numerous as the sand of the sea, due to the addition to it of those who were not hitherto the people of God (Hosea 1.10), - the marriage union with the Lord will be restored in all its purity and depth (Hosea 2.16 etc.). The basis of this new union on the part of God will be truth, justice, goodness and mercy (Hosea 2.19), and on the part of society the knowledge of the Lord, that is, unity with God in love. This restoration of the purity of the marital union of society with the Lord will be accompanied by the restoration of complete harmony in nature, that peace that was once broken by the sin of man (Hosea 2.17–22). From what has been said, it is clear that the prophet Hosea in his speeches is a preacher of love for God; in the lack of this love (knowledge of God), he sees the cause of the sins of the people, and in returning to it he indicates the true source of life. The depth of feeling and ardent love for his people constitute the distinctive features and personality of the prophet Hosea himself. According to these qualities, the prophet Hosea can be brought closer to the New Testament apostle of love John the Theologian, and his book contains the messages of the beloved disciple of Christ. From the presentation of the book. Hosea is distinguished by an abundance of images borrowed from the realm of nature (cf. Hos 2.21, 4.16, 19, 5.1, 12–13, etc.), and rapid transitions from one thought to another - from accusation to threat, from threat to promise. In the language of the prophet there are rare words and forms (Hos 4.18 ahavu hevu; Hos 5.13 nahah; Hos 6.10 Schaarurijah, etc.), as well as deviations from the usual construction and spelling (Hos 5.2, 6.9, 10.14, 11.7, 7.6, 7.9). In general, the book. Hosea is one of the most difficult books of the Old Testament to understand in terms of content and language. The Hebrew text of the book can be considered preserved in sufficient purity, and deviations of the translations from the original, with the exception of a few places (Hosea 6.5, 10.10), are explained by errors and liberties of the translators. Literature. In addition to the noted general works on the books of the Minor Prophets, book. Hosea is inherited in a number of special monographs. Of these, the most important are the foreign Wunsche, Der Prophet Hosea. 1868; Nowack, Der Prophet Hosea. 1880; Scholz, Commentar zum Buche Pr. Hosea 1882; Valeton, Amos und Hosea. 1898; Russians – Smirnov, St. Prophet. Hosea and Joel; Jaworski, Symbolic actions of the prophet Hosea (1903) and especially Prof. I. A. Brodovich, Prince. prophet Hosea. Introduction and exegesis. K. 1903. Monograph by Prof. Brodovich presents a scholarly commentary on the book. Hosea, compiled based on a study of extensive literature. You might be interested in: