Hosea

See also Hoshea, who has the same name in Biblical Hebrew.

Hosea (הוֹשֵׁעַ "Salvation of/is the Lord", Standard Hebrew Hošeaʿ, Tiberian Hebrew Hôšēăʿ, Greek Ὠσηέ = Ōsēe) was the son of Beeri and a prophet in Israel in the 8th century BC. He is one of the twelve Minor Prophets of the Jewish Hebrew Bible / the Christian Old Testament.

We know practically nothing about the life or social status of Hosea. According to the Book of Hosea, he married the prostitute Gomer, the daughter of Diblayim, at God's command. He lived in the Northern Kingdom in the period 740–725 BC. In Ho. 5:8ff., there is a reference to the wars which led to the capture of the kingdom by the Assyrians (ca. 734–732 BC). It is not certain if he has also experienced the destruction of Samaria, which is foreseen in Ho. 14:1.

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