Editing Book of Hosea (section)

== Background and content ==
[[File:Duccio di Buoninsegna 063.jpg|thumb|''The Prophet [[Hosea]]'', by [[Duccio di Buoninsegna]], in the [[Cathedral (Siena)|Siena Cathedral]] ({{c.|1309–1311}})]]
[[File:Hosea and Gomer.jpg|thumb|right|Illustration of [[Hosea]] and [[Gomer (wife of Hosea)|Gomer]] from the [[Bible Historiale]], 1372.]]

[[Hosea]] prophesied during a dark and melancholic era of [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Israel]]'s history, the period of the Northern Kingdom's decline and fall in the 8th century BC. According to the book, the [[apostasy]] of the people was rampant, having turned away from [[God in Abrahamic religions|God]] in order to serve both the calves of [[Jeroboam]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Hosea|8:4–6|JPS}}</ref> and [[Baal]], a [[Canaanite religion|Canaanite]] god.<ref name="Cook, Stephen L. 1989">Cook, Stephen L. (1989). ''HarperCollins Study Bible; New Revised Standard Version With the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books Student Edition'' (San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishers, Meeks, Wayne A. ed.,  p. 1193.</ref>

The Book of Hosea says that, during Hosea's lifetime, the kings of the Northern Kingdom, their [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocratic]] supporters, and the priests had led the people away from the [[Divine law|Law of God]], as given in the [[Pentateuch]]. It says that they forsook the worship of God; they worshiped other gods, especially [[Baal]], the [[Ancient Canaanite religion|Canaanite]] [[Weather god|storm god]], and [[Asherah]], a [[Canaan]]ite [[List of fertility deities|fertility goddess]]. Other [[sin]]s followed, says the Book, including [[homicide]], [[perjury]], [[theft]], and [[Religion and sexuality|sexual sin]].<ref>{{Bibleverse|Hosea|4:1–2|JPS}}</ref> Hosea declares that unless they repent of these sins, God will allow their nation to be destroyed, and the people will be taken into captivity by [[Assyria]],<ref>{{Bibleverse|Hosea|9:3|JPS}}</ref> the greatest nation of the time.

The prophecy of Hosea centers on God's unending love towards a sinful Israel. In this text, God's agony is expressed over his betrayal by Israel.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Hosea|3:1|JPS}}</ref><ref>{{Bibleverse|Hosea|11:1|JPS}}</ref><ref>{{Bibleverse|Hosea|14:4|JPS}}</ref> Stephen Cook asserts that the prophetic efforts of this book can be summed up in this passage "I have been the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no god but me, and besides me there is no savior".<ref>{{Bibleverse|Hosea|13:4|JPS}}</ref> Hosea's job was to speak these words during a time when they had been essentially forgotten.<ref name="Cook, Stephen L. 1989"/>