The Book of Hosea
Hosea dramatizes God's faithful love for an unfaithful people through the prophet's own marriage to a faithless wife — a portrait of relentless mercy.
- Testament
- Old (14 chapters)
- Type
- Minor Prophet
- Author
- Hosea son of Beeri.
- Date
- Active in the northern kingdom roughly 750-720 BC, before its fall to Assyria.
God's love as costly faithfulness
God instructs Hosea to marry Gomer, who proves unfaithful, then to take her back. The metaphor is searing: Israel is the unfaithful wife; God is the husband who keeps loving. Few books are this painful or this tender.
Knowing God
Hosea calls for not just sacrifice but covenant loyalty — 'I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings' (6:6). Jesus quotes this twice (Matthew 9:13, 12:7).
Key verses (KJV)
“I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely.” — Hosea 14:4 (KJV)
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” — Hosea 6:6 (KJV)
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground.” — Hosea 10:12 (KJV)
How to read Hosea
Read chapters 1-3 (Hosea's marriage), 6 (return to the LORD), 11 (God's heart toward Israel), and 14 (the closing call to return). The book is dense; these chapters give the spine.
Read Hosea on your iPhone
Read the full book of Hosea in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.
Read Hosea free on iPhone.
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