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Introduction
to Hosea
INTRODUCTION TO HOSEA
This
book, in the Hebrew Bibles, at least in some copies, is called "Sopher
Hosea", the Book of Hoses; and, in the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions,
"the Prophecy of Hoses": and, in the Syriac version, "the
Prophecy of Hoses the Prophet". It is the first of the twelve lesser
prophets, so called, not because they were of less value, credit, and
authority, than the other prophets; but because of their smallness in bulk; and
which, as Kimchi says, upon the authority of their Rabbins, were put together
in one book, that no one of them might be lost, because of their smallness; and
JosephusF1Contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 8. reckons them but as one book;
and they are quoted in the New Testament under the name of the Book of the
ProphetsF2Acts vii. 42. . This prophet was one of them, and
therefore placed here; though, as Kimchi, in his preface to this book, and R.
David GanzF3Tzemach David, fol. 12. 2. , observe, his prophecy was
before the prophecy of Isaiah; and yet he was not the first of these minor
prophets, as to order of time; not only Jonah, but Joel and Amos, were before
him; and so they are placed by some writers; according to Mr. WhistonF4Chronological
Tables, cent. 7. , he began to prophesy about the year of the world 3196 A.M.
and 808 B.C. Mr. BedfordF5Scripture Chronology, B. 6. ch. 2. p. 645.
places him in 804 B.C. His name is the same with Joshua and Jesus, and
signifies a saviour; and he was not only, as all the true prophets of the Lord
and faithful ministers of the word are, the means and instruments in the hand
of God of saving people; but he was a type of Christ the Saviour, as well as
prophesied concerning him, and salvation by him. Of his parentage, and the time
of his prophesying, see Hosea 1:1, by which
it appears that he lived in several reigns, and to a very great age. He chiefly
prophesied against the ten tribes of Israel; reproved them for their sins;
exhorted them to repentance; threatened them with destruction in case of
impenitence; and comforted the truly godly with the promise of the Messiah, and
of the happy state of the church in the latter day. His style, is short and
concise; in some places sententious, and without connection, obscure and
difficult of interpretation; and in others very pathetic and moving. Of the
divine inspiration and authority of this book there is no room to doubt; since
passages out of it are quoted and referred to by Christ and his apostles; by
Christ himself, Matthew 9:13 1 Peter 2:10 There
are some things said of the descent, death, and burial of this prophet, not to
be depended on. Pseudo EpiphaniusF6De Prophet. Vit. &c. c. 11.
and IsidorusF7De Vita & Mort. Sanct. c. 41. say he was of the
tribe of Issachar, and born in Belomoth or Bethlemoth; and that he died in
peace, and was buried in his own country; but, according to a tradition of the
JewsF8, he died in Babylon, and was buried in Tzapheth, a city in
upper Galilee; but all this is uncertain, and not very probable, and is of no
importance to be known.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called
unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.