the infant Jesus were the objects of God’s love and deliverance in the face of an oppressor. Thus, the NT writer quoted a single verse not as a prooftext, but as a pointer to his source’s larger context. Instead of interrupting the flow of his argument with a lengthy digression, he let the words of Hosea 11:1 introduce that whole context in Hosea. Despite Hosea’s sharp words of judgment, he nevertheless emphasized God’s love in his preservation of his son, Israel—especially during an early stage
Page 52