Equip: Resources on the Book of Hosea

The Book of Hosea is one of the 12 books of the Minor Prophets. It records the words and ministry of an eighth-century B.C. prophet named Hosea who was sent by God to the northern kingdom of Israel. Hosea has the distinction of being the only native of the northern kingdom of Israel whose writings are included among the Minor Prophets.

As a pastor I have preached sermons and led Bible studies from the Book of Hosea. As a professor, I also regularly teach about this important prophetic book as part of my Old Testament survey courses. Here are the resources I have found most helpful in my study of the Book of Hosea.

The New American Commentary: Hosea, Joel by Duane A. Garrett

Duane Garrett serves as chair of the department of Old Testament at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the professor of Old Testament interpretation, a position he has held at Southern since 2004.

Prior to Southern, he served on the faculty of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Bethel Seminary, Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary, Mid-America Baptist Seminary and Korea Baptist Seminary. He also serves as general editor for The Archaeology Study Bible from Zondervan Press.

Garrett provides important and helpful background information at the beginning of this volume related to the historical background of the Book of Hosea, its authorship and compilation, the Hebrew text of the book, and its imagery, style and literary background.

He also provides an excellent survey of various scholarly approaches used to analyze the structure of the book. Garrett proposes his own rhetorical structure for Hosea based on the three children of Gomer.

The volume contains a full exposition of every verse using the NIV text. The work is organized logically using Garrett’s rhetorical structure.

While the main text of this commentary is accessible to all readers, there are also extensive footnotes and references to other resources for those who would like to dig deeper.

The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VII by Leander E. Keck, senior editor

The New Interpreter’s Bible has been written by a stellar cast of authors. It is accessible and helpful to Christians who want to study the Bible for teaching and preaching.

In regard to Hosea, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VII includes the work of Gale E. Yee, who wrote “The Book of Hosea: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections.”

Yee is Nancy W. King Professor of Biblical Studies emerita at the Episcopal Divinity School in Claremont, Calif. She has published numerous books and papers related to the Hebrew Bible and has served in various leadership roles with the Society of Biblical Literature, including as its president in 2019.

In her introduction, Yee provides important insight into the structure and theological themes of Hosea, its authorship and the context of this eighth-century B.C. prophet. Yee also shares insights related to the collection and editing of the prophecies of Hosea.

Finally, she addresses issues related to ancient Israelite marriage, Hosea’s metaphorical use of marriage, and the consequent theological problems that arise from his metaphorical use of marriage. The bibliography at the end of the introduction points the reader to other good resources for further study.

The commentary uses both the NIV and New Revised Standard Version Bible texts. It includes important insights from Hebrew accessible to all readers.

At the end of each major section within the commentary, Yee provides insightful reflections that help the reader apply the text to contemporary needs.

Honorable mention

David Allan Hubbard’s Hosea in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries provides a succinct treatment of Hosea.

Hubbard provides a general introduction that addresses the prophecy of Hosea, its place in the canon, date, setting, unity and composition, literary forms, and its overall message. Hubbard’s commentary is thorough and serves as a good resource for a pastor or teacher.

Bill Bryan is the pastor of Abingdon Baptist Church in Abingdon, Va. He is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity), Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry), and B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary (Ph.D. in Old Testament Literature). He teaches in the masters and Doctor of Ministry programs of B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University. The views expressed in this resource article are those of the author.