behaviour. So it is probable that Gomer is presented as someone who, while not necessarily a professional prostitute, is notorious for her promiscuous behaviour. The question then arises as to when this character trait first manifested itself in Gomer’s conduct. Often through a desire to mitigate perceived ethical problems, commentators have proposed that this description of Gomer expresses Hosea’s retrospective evaluation of her. Gomer was chaste when Hosea married her, and it was only afterwards