The study of the images in the book of Hosea has always been dominated by a single semantic field - family life. Nwaoru adopts a more comprehensive approach which points to the conclusion that all Hosea's images (metaphors and similes) are essentially functional literary devices and, therefore, indispensable for the overall understanding of Hosea's message. More than other aspects of Hosea's language and style his images succinctly define Jahweh's mood and Israel's behaviour. They set the dynamism of the oracles and the complications along which the prophetic message develops.This study also challenges the view that Hosea uncritically draws his images from other traditions. Close observation shows that Hosea not only creates most of his images but also introduces them into biblical tradition.

In this commentary Old Testament scholar Bo Lim and theologian Daniel Castelo work together to help the church recover, read, and proclaim the prophetic book of Hosea in a way that is both faithful to its message and relevant to our contemporary context. Though the book of Hosea is rich with imagery and metaphor that can be difficult to interpret, Lim and Castelo show that, with its focus on corporate and structural sin, Hosea contains a critically important message for today’s church.

J. Andrew Dearman considers the prophetic figure's historical roots in the covenant traditions of ancient Israel, includes his own translation of the biblical text, and masterfully unpacks Hosea's poetic, metaphorical message of betrayal, judgment, and reconciliation. --from publisher description

Joy Philip Kakkanattu provides an exegetical and theological analysis of an important and difficult text of the Old Testament through a synchronic and diachronic reading. Detailed critical notes, which discuss the textual difficulties, accompany the translation of the text from Hebrew. In the detailed exegesis, special attention is given to study of the key terms theologically significant in Hos 11:1-11 against the context of the whole book. The exegesis shows that in Hos 11:8-9 it is not the repentance of Yahweh that causes the withholding of His anger against Israel, but Yahweh's constancy in His election of Israel as His son. More than a change of heart, the decision not to execute the deserved judgement witnesses Yahweh's divine nature. Special attention is dedicated to the parent metaphor employed in Hos 11:1-11. It is concluded that more than expressing the Yahweh-Israel relationship as a father-son relationship, the text speaks of it in terms of parent-child relationship. In the diachronic analysis, the author deals with the origin and formation of Hos 11:1-11.

The only consensus that has been reached on Hosea 1-3 is that it is a notoriously 'problematic' text. Sherwood unpicks this rather vague statement by examining the particular complexities of the text and frictions between the text and reader that conspire to produce such a disorientating effect. Four dimensions of the 'problem' are considered: the conflict between text and reader over the 'improper' relationship between Hosea and Gomer; the bizarre prophetic sign-language that conscripts people into a cosmic charade; the text's propensity to subvert its central theses; and the emergent tensions between the feminist reader and the text. Aiming to bring together literary criticism and biblical scholarship, this book provides lucid introductions to ideological criticism, semiotics, deconstruction and feminist criticism, and looks at the implications of these approaches not only for the book of Hosea but for biblical studies in general.

Highly regarded Old Testament scholar John Goldingay offers a substantive and useful commentary on Hosea through Micah and explores the contemporary significance of these prophetic books. This volume, the first in a new series on the Prophets, complements the successful series Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Wisdom and Psalms (series volumes have sold over 55,000 copies). Each series volume is both critically engaged and sensitive to the theological contributions of the text. Series editors are Mark J. Boda and J. Gordon McConville.

Here J. Andrew Dearman considers the historical context of the prophetic figure of Hosea, his roots in the prophetic activity and covenant traditions of ancient Israel, and the poetic and metaphorical aspects of the prophecy. This historical and theological commentary is a welcome addition to the NICOT series.