God Indicts Israel (Hosea 4:1-19)
The first three chapters of Hosea functions as a prophetic sign-act where God’s relationship with Israel is given a concrete model in the relationship of Hosea and his family. They alternate between judgment and hope, between marriage-divorce-remarriage. God entered into covenant with Israel, and Israel broke faith with Yahweh, but Yahweh promises to renew covenant with Israel. The northern clans—existing as a northern kingdom in the land promised to Abraham—went from “my people” to “not-my-people” to the promised hope of once again becoming the people of God.
This sets both the theme and tone for the whole book. Though unfaithful Israel suffers the consequences of breaking covenant, there is yet hope for Israel. Though Yahweh is frustrated by Israel’s idolatry and injustice, Yahweh still yearns for them and will restore them. This is a recurring theme in the rest of Hosea. The first set of oracles (chapters 4-11) is a prophetic word of judgment (4-10) and hope (11:1-11). The second set of oracles (chapters 12-14) is also a prophetic word of judgment (11:12-13:16) and hope (14).
The Preface (4:1-3)
Hosea 4:1-3 probably functions as a preface to the rest of the book. It announces God’s lawsuit against Israel, the northern kingdom. It summarizes the charge against Israel as if it were an indictment in a court of law. It also articulates the consequences of evil in the land. In fact, Israel has polluted the land that God gave to them as a new Garden of Eden in the world. It is important to notice the emphasis on “land” in these first three verses (twice in verse 1 and once in verse 3). The land was a gift, and now the land mourns.
Hosea 4:1a, “Hear the word of Yahweh, O people of Israel” begins the prophetic oracle. It addresses the northern kingdom (not Judah) who inhabit a portion of the promise land. And the prophet has a specific role—Hosea is a prosecutor. He has a bill of indictment. This is probably the meaning of the Hebrew word rib (רִ֤יב) variously translated as complaint, charge, or indictment.
What is the charge? There are three general charges, which are followed by a specific bill of indictment. The general charges are:
- No faithfulness, no trustworthiness, no commitment to the covenant or to one’s own promises, whether with God or in relation to neighbors.
- No kindness, no hesed (חֶ֛סֶד), that is, no mercy, kindness, or steadfast love, no sense of neighbor-love that images God’s love for Israel.
- No knowledge of God—the people neither know about God or know God; there is no intimacy with God among the people.
These general charges are then specified in Hosea 2:2. It is easy to see the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) in the background here, especially murder, stealing, and adultery. It is also reminiscent of the temple sermon of Jeremiah 7:9. These specifics characterize the whole community; it is a generalization of the condition of Israel. These particulars, Hosea proclaims, “break out” or “multiply” (as used in Hosea 4:10). They fill the land, and thus pollute the land, which is God’s gift to Israel. The specifics are:
- Swearing or cursing, particularly imprecations against neighbors.
- Lying, intent to deceive neighbors by protecting oneself
- Murder (Exodus 20:13), killing a neighbor for one’s own gain
- Stealing (Exodus 20:15), defrauding a neighbor for one’s own gain
- Adultery (Exodus 20:14), exploiting a neighbor for one’s own gain
- Violence, bloodshed begets bloodshed; it is a cycle of violence.
“Therefore” begins Hosea 4:3. What follows is a consequence of Israel’s covenant-breaking. It is about the land; this is an ecological statement. The land is valued and personified—it mourns or languishes; it dries up. Not only the land but “all who live in it” languish as well. It is not a safe, happy place; there is no security in the land. Rather, it is devastated. Where there is no faithfulness, mercy, or intimacy with God, there is no peace.
The ecological ramifications are a reversal of the shalom of creation. What God created as “very good” and as space for all life (animals, birds, and fish) is now perishing or being removed. The language echoes Genesis 1 but reverses it. While Genesis 1 is a hopeful beginning, Hosea 4:3 describes a despairing end. Sin has ecological consequences as the whole creation mourns and groans under the burden of human wickedness. Our human vocation to shepherd the creation also has the capacity to destroy it.
The Leadership (Hosea 4:6-10)
Hosea 4:1-3 is a preface to the rest of the book, and the first topic that Hosea explores is Israel’s unfaithful leadership (4:4-10) which deceives the people (4:11-19).
Hosea first address a specific priest (“you” is singular in Hosea 4:4-6), and then addresses the priests as a group (“they” in Hosea 4:7-10). Perhaps Hosea has a specific person in mind who led the counterattack against his message, or maybe the singular “you” represents the whole priestly community. I think probably the latter, but it is difficult to say.
Yahweh’s first concern is leadership. The verb form of rib is used twice in Hosea 4:4. Hosea starts with the religious leaders of Israel. The priest (and the prophet) have neglected to form the people of God into the image of God through their teaching. The people do not know God because the priest has not taught the law of God to them. The priest has forgotten the law, and consequently the people do not know God and God will forget the people due to their unfaithfulness. Hosea lays the blame on the leadership of Israel, both priest and prophet.
In Hosea 4:7-10, the single priest of verses 4-6 becomes the priesthood in general or leadership in general (“they”). He addresses the priests as a group. Under the reign of the Jeroboam II Israel prospered and so did the priests. They “increased” and satisfied their greed. They turned the glory of God—which the priests are to represent—into shame as they fattened themselves on the offerings of the people. There are probably hints of exploitation here in terms of the sacrifices (food). The priests excused their sins, and the played the harlot rather than serving the God of Israel.
The People (Hosea 4:11-19)
Due to the lack of leadership and instruction, the people became idolaters. They became unfaithful marriage partners with Yahweh. Hosea 4:11-13 describes this idolatry:
- They consult Asherah poles (“wood”), which may have been viewed as a female counterpart to Yahwerh.
- They use idolatrous divinization practices
- They sacrifice on mountain tops under various trees, which are associated with idolatrous practices.
All of this is, according to Hosea, “playing the whore”—it is committing adultery. It is covenant unfaithfulness.
“Therefore” (Hosea 4:13b), as in Hosea 4:3, there are consequences. I don’t think “daughters” or “daughters-in-law” refer to specific women or children but are a way of describing the people as a whole (like the “children” in Hosea 4:6). The people pursued idolatry, including the sexual immorality of temple prostitution.
The people strayed because Israel had become “a people without understanding.” They were a people with discernment. They did not know how to see the difference between Yahweh and the Asherah pole or Baal. They were deceived or neglected by their leadership. They conflated or syncretized their faith with the practices of the nation.
Hosea warns Israel to stay away from Judah. More than likely Hosea’s oracles circulated in Judah as well as Israel, maybe even first published in Judah (as many scholars suppose). Whatever the case, Hosea does not want Israel’s idolatrous practices to filter down into Judah: “do not enter Gilgal, or go up to Beth-aven.” These are located on the border of Israel and Judah, and they remind Israel of the conquest of the land as both locations factor in the story we find in Joshua (though the specifics of Beth-aven are disputed).
Hosea wants to protect Judah but has given Israel over to its consequences. “Ephraim is joined to idols—let him alone” (Hosea 4:17). “Israel is stubborn” (Hosea 4:16). They have given themselves to drunkenness, sexual orgies, and unfaithfulness.
“They love lewdness more than their glory” (Hosea 4:18). That might be the saddest line in the oracle so far. What does Israel love? Do they love God where Israel might find “their glory”? Or, do they love their shame or disgrace? Just as the priests exchanged glory for shame in Hosea 4:7, the people follow their lead by pursuing shame instead of God’s glory. Their idolatrous altars do not bring them God’s glory but their shame.