Hosea 4 And 11, And The Structure Of Hosea -- By: John Goldingay
Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 71:2 (NA 2020)
Article: Hosea 4 And 11, And The Structure Of Hosea
Author: John Goldingay
TynBull 71:2 (2020) p. 181
Hosea 4 And 11,
And The Structure Of Hosea
Summary
Hosea 4:1–3 pronounces an indictment on the entire world as a way of getting home a message to Ephraim. It opens a series of biddings in 4:1–9:9 that seek to get Ephraim to face the facts about itself and about the danger it is in. Hosea 9:10–13:16 [14:1] then comprises a series of reminders of past and present realities in the relationship between Israel and Yahweh. Within it, 11:1–11 is not a self-contained pericope marking mercy’s final victory over wrath, but part of 11:1–12:1 [2], which continues to urge Ephraim to choose between doom and hope.
1. Introduction
It is a commonplace of Hosea studies that 4:1–3 is the opening of a major section of the book and that 11:1–11 is the close of a major section – indeed, these two passages are commonly seen as the beginning and end of the book’s great central section.1 I argue here that the assumption about 4:1–3 is correct, but that the interpretation of the passage and the way it relates to what follows needs reconsideration; that 11:1–11 is neither a self-contained pericope nor a conclusion and that its interpretation also needs reconsideration; and that these reconsiderations lead to a more illuminating understanding of the structure of Hosea as a whole.
TynBull 71:2 (2020) p. 182
2. Hosea 11:1–11
It will be convenient to look at the two passages in reverse order. Two factors generate the belief that 11:1–11 is the conclusion of a major section. One is that it closes with the expression נְאֻם־יְהוָה (ne’um yhwh, Yahweh’s declaration); this expression is assumed to mark the passage as a conclusion.2 Yet it is the fourth occurrence of נְאֻם־יְהוָה in Hosea (see 2:13, 16a, 21a ...
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