BOOK OF HOSEA: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STRUCTURE

A longer version of the analysis below will be sent to anyone requesting it (elmerphd21@hotmail.com).

Many have commented on the difficulty of discerning the pattern behind the book of Hosea, most notably after ch. 3. This is perhaps due to the absence of obvious introductory and concluding formulas compounded by the number of textual uncertainties in the book. The present proposal pictures Hosea as a three-cycle architecture.

The Structure of Hosea

Cycle I: Hosea 1-2

A. Hosea and Gomer (Hosea 1)

B. God and His People: Condemnation (Hosea 2:1-13)

C. God and His People: Redemption (Hosea 2:14-23)

Cycle II: Hosea 3-11

A. Hosea and Gomer (Hosea 3)

B. God and His People: Condemnation (Hosea 4:1-10:12)

C. God and His People: Redemption (Hosea 10:13-11:12)

Cycle III: Hosea 12-14

A. Jacob (Hosea 12)

B. God and His People: Condemnation (Hosea 13)

C. God and His People: Redemption (Hosea 14)

Such a presentation of biblical prophecy in multiple parallel cycles is not uncommon, and the fullest revelation is generally reserved for the final cycle. This can certainly be seen in the Book of Hosea.

Several common markers appear at key points in this three-cycle arrangement:

    “contend/contention” at the beginning of IB and IIB

    “(commit) adultery” at the beginning of IIA and IIB

    allusions to the Ten Commandments at the beginning of IIB and IIIB

Cycle I (Hosea 1-2)

The well-known story of Hosea is told in Chapter 1 as an acted-out prose parable of the deteriorating relationship between God and his chosen people. This relationship is then recapped in the poetic chapter that follows, with much common vocabulary between chs. 1 and 2.

Verses 1-13 of ch. 2 (IB) describe the sins of the people and God's corresponding judgment on them. By contrast, Hosea 2:14-23 (IC) portrays God wooing back his people and showering them with blessings. These two sections are meant to be read as a contrasting pair since the shared language between the two makes the contrast in theme even more striking. An inclusion of sorts encompasses the whole of these two poetic sections and marks their division:

Say to your brother, “My people,” and to your sister, “She has obtained pity.” (2:1)

And I will punish her for the feast days..., says the LORD. (2:13)

And there I will give her her vineyards...and there she shall answer as in the days of her youth...and in that day, says the LORD... (2:15-16)

And I will have pity on Not pitied, and I will say to Not my People, “You are my people.” (2:23)

Cycle II, Part A (Hosea 3)

The relationship between the events of chs.1 and 3 have been endlessly debated. In many ways Hosea 3 appears to be a retelling of Hosea 1. In both, God commands Hosea to take a harlot as a wife, and then the deeper significance of this act is explained, ending with a vision of Israel's return from spiritual and geographical exile. These parallels between Hosea 1 and 3 are strengthened by several verbal repetitions:

Ch. 3 ends as ch. 1 begins, with “king” and “children.”

            Ch. 1 ends as ch. 3 begins, with a reference to “the people of Israel.”

Both chapters begin with the word “wife.” Such parallels are expected since both chapters start new cycles.

Cycle II, Part B (Hosea 4:1-10:12)

Since the judgment section IIB constitutes the bulk of the book, it is necessary to further delineate it to better comprehend its structure. One helpful clue is to look at the synonyms for the audience of the extended passages. Thus, the first sixteen verses of ch. 4 are addressed exclusively to Israel while the last three verses mention Ephraim only. Chapters 5 and 6 alternate between Israel, Ephraim and Judah. The subjects of the remaining chapters in this section are as follows:

Hosea 7: Ephraim and Samaria

                        Hosea 8: Ephraim, Samaria and Israel

                        Hosea 9: Ephraim and Israel

                        Hosea 10: Ephraim, Samaria and Israel

Judah is also occasionally addressed in subdivisions outside of chs. 5-6 but usually as part of a key marker to close out a major section. With these rough divisions in mind, it is possible to discern four major sub-sections which can be paired up in any of three possible ways. The keyword “falsehood” appears to mark the beginnings of units IIB1, 3 and 4.

Cycle IIB           Opening               Opening              Closing Reference

Unit                   Addressee           Accusation                 to Judah

1 (4:1-16)          Israel                      list of sins                     positive

            2 (4:17-7:1a)           Ephraim                 harlotry                   positive

            3 (7:1b-8:14)          Ephraim             list of sins                          negative

            4 (9:1-10:12)     Israel                          harlotry                          negative

Each of these four sub-sections can be seen to possess completely symmetrical literary structures.

Cycle II, Section C (Hosea 10:13-11:12)

This passage of Hosea best illustrates the apparently conflicting attitudes of God toward the Northern Kingdom as the sub-units alternate between love and justice.

1. God's Judgment (10:13-15)

2. God's Compassion (11:1-4)

1'. God's Judgment (11:5-7)

2'. God's Compassion (11:8-12)

It is telling that Hosea 11:8, the verse which Davies considers to be the high point of the book, appears in this passage, which forms the conclusion of the central unit of Hosea.

Cycle III, Sections A and B (Hosea 12:1-13:16)

The whole of Hosea 12-13 is made up of smaller units that alternate between elaborations of Ephraim's sins and a rehearsal of biblical history. Each of the “2” sections leads to the next thematically with the middle segment acting as a bridge (see below).

IIIA1. Ephraim's sin: alien alliances (12:1)

IIIA2. Past history: Jacob (12:2-6)

IIIA'1. Ephraim's sin: rich oppressor (12:7-8)

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IIIA'2. Past history: Jacob and deliverance from Egypt (12:9-14)

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                        IIIB1. Ephraim's sin: idolatry (13:1-3)

IIIB2. Past history: deliverance from Egypt (13:4-6)

IIIB'1. Ephraim's sin: judgment (13:7-16)

Cycle III, Section C (Hosea 14)

After many chapters of almost unremitting condemnation, the book ends on a note of reconciliation in parallel to the “C” sections of the first two cycles. However, all three also contain ethical demands on the people in order to receive the promised blessings. Cycle IIIC divides into four units as in the RSV. The Northern Kingdom is directly addressed in the first (vv. 1-3) and third (vs. 8) passages, which are separated by a divine soliloquy. These three units are bracketed by “fruit” as an inclusio (taking the Greek and Syrian textual version for v. 2).

The final verse of this chapter serves as a coda for the whole book. This passage is generally treated as an intrusion written by another, later hand since it would seemingly be more at home in one of the wisdom books of the Bible. It should more properly be considered as an integral part of the book, especially of this last section, since the use of the word “stumble” echoes the earlier use of that word in 14:1, with both serving as an inclusio for ch. 14. Also, this verse fittingly closes the whole Book of Hosea by reiterating the important theme of knowledge that ends the previous two cycles. At the end of Cycle 1, we are told that Israel “shall know the LORD (2:20)” while the second cycle concludes with the note that “Judah is still known by God (11:12).”

The reference at the end of the final cycle is presented on a more personal level: the reader is challenged to know and understand what is written “for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them.”