Hosea — Chapter 1
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1The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
2The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
4And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
6And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
7But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
8Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
9Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
10Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
11Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
1The word of Jehovah that came unto Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
2When Jehovah spake at the first by Hosea, Jehovah said unto Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom; for the land doth commit great whoredom, [departing] from Jehovah.
3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bare him a son.
4And Jehovah said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.
5And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
6And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And [Jehovah] said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah; for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, that I should in any wise pardon them.
7But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
8Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
9And [Jehovah] said, Call his name Lo-ammi; for ye are not my people, and I will not be your [God].
10Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, it shall be said unto them, [Ye are] the sons of the living God.
11And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint themselves one head, and shall go up from the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
1This is the Lord’s message that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the time of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the time of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel.
2When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, he said to him, “Go marry a prostitute who will bear illegitimate children conceived through prostitution because the nation continually commits spiritual prostitution by turning away from the Lord.”
3So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. Then she conceived and gave birth to a son for him.
4Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Name him ‘Jezreel,’ because in a little while I will punish the dynasty of Jehu on account of the bloodshed in the valley of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.
5At that time, I will destroy the military power of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”
6She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, “Name her ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah) because I will no longer have pity on the nation of Israel. For I will certainly not forgive their guilt.
7But I will have pity on the nation of Judah. I will deliver them by the Lord their God; I will not deliver them by the warrior’s bow, by sword, by military victory, by chariot horses, or by chariots.”
8When she had weaned “No Pity” (Lo-Ruhamah), she conceived again and gave birth to another son.
9Then the Lord said: “Name him ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi) because you are not my people, and I am not your God.
10(2:1) “However, in the future the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea that can be neither measured nor numbered. Although it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said to them, ‘You are children of the living God!’
11Then the people of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together. They will appoint for themselves one leader, and will flourish in the land. Certainly, the day of Jezreel will be great!
1Yahweh’s word that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
2When Yahweh spoke at first by Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking Yahweh.”
3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son.
4Yahweh said to him, “Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.
5It will happen in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”
6She conceived again, and bore a daughter. Then he said to him, “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah; for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them.
7But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by Yahweh their God, and will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”
8Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son.
9He said, “Call his name Lo-Ammi; for you are not my people, and I will not be yours.
10Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can’t be measured or counted; and it will come to pass that, in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’
11The children of Judah and the children of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint themselves one head, and will go up from the land; for great will be the day of Jezreel.
Summary
God commands Hosea to marry an unfaithful wife as a living parable of Israel's spiritual adultery, and their three children receive prophetic names declaring judgment — yet the chapter closes with a stunning promise of future restoration.
Authorship & Background
- The Prophetic Commission: Hosea's Marriage (vv.1-3)
- First Child: Jezreel — Judgment on Jehu's House (vv.4-5)
- Second Child: Lo-ruhamah — No Mercy (vv.6-7)
- Third Child: Lo-ammi — Not My People (vv.8-9)
- The Promise of Future Restoration (vv.10-11)
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Videos
The Bible Project — Hosea Overview (Video)
Animated overview of the book of Hosea showing the literary structure, key themes, and how this book fits into the larger biblical narrative. Excellent visual introduction.
Reflection
- 1. God uses painful experiences as prophetic pictures (v.2). Hosea didn't just preach about God's heartbreak — he LIVED it. Your own painful experiences may be the very thing God uses to give you authority and compassion in ministry. Pain is not wasted.
- 2. Names matter — they declare identity and destiny (vv.4-9). God named each child as a prophetic word to the nation. What "names" has the world spoken over you? What names has GOD spoken? The chapter ends with God RENAMING: "Not my people" becomes "sons of the living God." God is the ultimate name-giver.
- 3. Sin has consequences even when forgiveness is available (vv.4-9). Judgment came. The names were real. Israel DID fall. God's patience is not permission; His mercy is not indifference. There is a point where consequences must come — not from anger, but from love that refuses to enable destruction.
- 4. Grace always gets the last word (vv.10-11). The chapter begins with judgment names and ends with restoration promises. This is the pattern of Scripture: judgment is NEVER God's final word for His people. Even in the darkest pronouncement, hope breaks through. If God can restore "Not my people" to "sons of the living God," there is no one beyond His reach.
- 5. "One head" (v.11) — Reunion under Christ. Divided Israel, divided humanity, Jew and Gentile — all gathered under one King. Whatever divisions exist now are temporary. God's plan is UNITY in Christ.