Despite that sordid past, Hosea saw in his own times the relationship sunk to its lowest point in Israel’s unrepentant history. The cult of the Baals, the instability of the monarchy and the naivety of foreign policies were its three chief expressions. Hosea’s accusations were laced with metaphors that exposed Israel’s rebellion: stubborn calf (4:16), loaf half-baked, yet mouldy (7:8–9), silly dove (7:11), baby too stupid to be born (13:13). And his announcements of judgment were conveyed in pictures