Hosea 6

Hosea 6
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4Q166 "The Hosea Commentary Scroll", late first century B.C.
Book	Book of Hosea
Category	Nevi'im
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	28

Hosea 6 is the sixth chapter of the Book of Hosea in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ^{[1] [2]} This chapter contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Hosea son of Beeri, about an exhortation to repentance (Hosea 6:1-3) and a complaint against Israel and Judah for persisting still in their wickedness (Hosea 6:4-11). ^[3] It is a part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets. ^{[4] [5]}

Text

The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 11 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008). ^[6] Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q82 (4QXII^g; 25 BCE) with extant verse 3–4, 8–11. ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^Q; 6th century). ^{[11] [lower-alpha 1]}

Israel's Sickness unto Death and Hosea's Exhortation to Repentance (6:1–3)

This section continues the passage starting in Hosea 5:8, which concerns the time of the Syro-Ephraimite war (735–733 BCE) and its aftermath (733–731 BCE). ^[13] Whereas in 5:8–15 Hosea states divine judgment on both Judah and Israel in their internecine strife, that YHWH will send sickness and death, in 6:1–3 he proclaims the hope of revival if the people are willing accept his exhortation to repent. ^[13]

Verse 1

Come, and let us return unto the Lord:

for he hath torn, and he will heal us;

he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. ^[14]

• "Come and let us return unto the Lord": These words should come out of the people's mouth exhorting one another to return to God, instead of going to others, such as to Assyria, because only God who "tore" has the power and the will to "heal" them, and He tore, "in order to" heal them, smote them, "in order to" bind them up, literally, "smite He and He will bind us up." ^{[15] [16]}
• "Let us return": so that God who has "returned to His place" "may return to" His people.(Hosea 5:15 ) ^[3]
• "He will bind us up": only God can heal and cure Israel (Deuteronomy 32:39 ; and has been doing that for many hundred years, to "bind up the breach of his people, and heal the stroke of their wound (Isaiah 30:26 , when they are truly converted by him. ^[17]

Verse 2

After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. ^[18]

• "After two days... on the third day": can be rendered as 'after a short while' (cf. etmol silsom), 'formerly', literally, 'yesterday, the third day'. ^[19]

Israel's Corruption, Political and Religious (6:4–11)

This section, which continues to 7:16, contains some oracles about Israel's political and religious corruption, because Israel failed to live according to YHWH's demand for steadfast love and knowledge of Him (verses 4–6). Israel corrupt deeds (verses 7–10) prevent YHWH to restore the nation (verses 6:11b–7:2). ^[19]

Verse 6

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. ^[20]

These words emphasize the importance of 'right moral behavior' above 'ritual', as also similarly stated in other books of the prophets (Isaiah 1:10-17; Jeremiah 7:21–23; Micah 6:6–8). ^[19]

See also

• Bible portal

• Ephraim
• Gilead
• Israel
• Judah
• Related Bible parts: Psalm 1, Isaiah 30, Hosea 5, John 7

Notes

1. Book of Hosea is missing from the extant Codex Sinaiticus. ^[12]

References

1. Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary. 24th edition. Zondervan Publishing House. 1965. p. 355
2. Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
3. Robert Jamieson, Andrew Robert Fausset; David Brown. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary On the Whole Bible . 1871. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
4. Metzger, Bruce M., et al. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
5. Keck, Leander E. 1996. The New Interpreter's Bible: Volume: VII. Nashville: Abingdon.
6. Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.
7. Ulrich 2010, p. 593.
8. Dead sea scrolls - Hosea
9. Fitzmyer 2008, p. 39.
10. 4Q82 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
11. Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.
12. Shepherd, Michael (2018). A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve: The Minor Prophets. Kregel Exegetical Library. Kregel Academic. p. 13. ISBN   978-0825444593.
13. Day 2007, p. 574.
14. Hosea 6:1 KJV
15. Barnes, Albert. Notes on the Old Testament. London, Blackie & Son, 1884. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
16. Joseph S. Exell; Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones (Editors). The Pulpit Commentary. 23 volumes. First publication: 1890. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
17. John Gill. John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Exposition of the Old and New Testament. Published in 1746-1763. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
18. Hosea 6:2 KJV
19. Day 2007, p. 575.
20. Hosea 6:6 KJV

Sources

• Collins, John J. (2014). Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Fortress Press. ISBN   9781451469233.
• Day, John (2007). "27. Hosea". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 571–578. ISBN   978-0199277186 . Retrieved February 6, 2019.
• Fitzmyer, Joseph A. (2008). A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN   9780802862419.
• Hayes, Christine (2015). Introduction to the Bible. Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0300188271.
• Ulrich, Eugene, ed. (2010). The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants. Brill.
• Würthwein, Ernst (1995). The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN   0-8028-0788-7 . Retrieved January 26, 2019.

External links

Jewish

• Hosea 6 Hebrew with Parallel English
• Hosea 6 Hebrew with Rashi's Commentary

Christian

• Hosea 6 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate