WORD

BIBLICAL

COMMENTARY

VOLUME 31

Hosea-Jonah

DOUGLAS STUART

General Editors

Bruce M. Metzger

David A. Hubbard†

Glenn W. Barker†

Old Testament Editor

John D. W. Watts

New Testament Editor

Ralph P. Martin

WORD BOOKS, PUBLISHER • DALLAS, TEXAS

Word Biblical Commentary

Hosea-Jonah

Copyright © 1987 by Word, Incorporated

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Main entry under fide:

Word biblical commentary.

Includes bibliographies.

1. Bible—commentaries—Collected works.

BS491.2.W67 220.7´7 81-71768

ISBN 0-8499-0230-4 (vol. 31) AACR2

Brief Scripture quotations in the body of the commentary, when not directly translated from the Hebrew text, are from the New International Version of the Bible (niv), copyright © 1978 by the New York International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers; or from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946 (renewed 1973), 1956, and © 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and are used by permission.

The author’s own translation of the text appears in italic type under the heading “Translation.”

To

Hannah

and

Maria

Hos 11:3, 4

Table of Contents

Author’s Preface

Editorial Preface

Abbreviations

General Bibliography

General Introduction

Prophetic Dependency on Pentateuchal Blessings and Curses

The Canonical Order of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, and Jonah

HOSEA

Bibliography

Introduction

Hosea and the Covenant

The Basic Message of Hosea

Form, Structure, and Style

The Isolation of Poetry in Hosea

The Historical Setting

Hosea the Prophet and His Family

Hosea’s Audience

The Text of Hosea

Unity and Integrity

Assumptions about Dates

Some Notable Vocabulary

Pericope Divisions in Hosea

Translation and Commentary

The Title and the Time (1:1)

The Children’s Names Presage Judgment (1:2–9)

Israel’s Restoration in Jezreel’s Great Day (2:1–3 [1:10–2:1])

Divorce Proceedings with a Surprise Ending (2:4–17 [2–15])

Images of Restoration (2:18–25 [16–23])

Israel Loved and Therefore Chastened (3:1–5)

Yahweh’s Case against Israel (4:1–19)

An Unclean People Summoned to Judgment (5:1–7)

Wrath, Return, Restoration (5:8–7:1aγ)

Ephraim Mixed Up among the Nations (7:1aδ–16)

Israel Reaps the Storm for Its Sin (8:1–14)

From Festival Days to Punishment Days (9:1–9)

Ephraim Rejected, Exiled, Unloved (9:10–17)

The End of Cult, King, and Capital (10:1–8)

War against the Wicked Ones (10:9–15)

Israel in and out of Egypt (11:1–11)

Israel a Deceiver (12:1 [11:12]–13:1)

“I Will Destroy You, Israel” (13:2–14:1 [13:16])

A Promise for the Remnant That Will Return (14:2–9 [1–8])

Challenge to the Wise Reader (14:10 [9])

JOEL

Bibliography

Introduction

Joel’s Era

Structure

Style

Joel’s Message

Joel and the Covenant

Joel and Yahweh’s Sovereignty

Judah and Jerusalem

The Democratization of the Spirit

The General Nature of the Distress

The ...