Did God Tell Hosea to Marry a Prostitute?

[jkalyna]

God's Word is nothing to be laughed at. This is a serious matter and an issue of morality. It is an issue of questioning the good character of our God.

2 Chronicles 36:16
"But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy."

*I'm posting a*scripture*for you to read,*Isaiah*54:17 "No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and no tongue risen up in judgement shall prevail." So don't make threats against people or me using the word of God. Do the word. YOur no where near being a*prophet, if you were, you would know the consequences of your actions, therefore I say, your yet blinded to the truth.

 

[Simona25]

To the original post:
I honestly don't see any difference between a whore committing sexual acts and a whore committing idolatry.

You are right. In paganism, there is a link between prostitution and idolatry: prostitution was part of the rituals of idol worshiping.
The book of Hosea must be understood allegorically/prophetically and not literally...

 

[posthuman]

You are right. In paganism, there is a link between prostitution and idolatry: prostitution was part of the rituals of idol worshiping.
The book of Hosea must be understood allegorically/prophetically and not literally...

i think Hosea, like all the prophets, literally did things as signs, meant to be metaphors of a greater truth.
so i believe he actually married a prostitute and took her own children into his household, and had more children by her, and she left him, and he took her back -- and all this he literally did, as a sign and metaphor to the people.

it wasn't meant to instruct us that we should all go marry prostitutes, but it was to give Israel a picture of their relationship to God from His perspective, in a way they should have been able to understand.

because he married her, he wasn't guilty of fornication to have children by her. what he did demonstrated mercy!

 

[dcontroversal]

Well maybe you should study the name GOMER and update your information dude.....serious......you should do more word studies as it will help you with your erroneous conclusions based upon English!

 

[dcontroversal]

i think Hosea, like all the prophets, literally did things as signs, meant to be metaphors of a greater truth.
so i believe he actually married a prostitute and took her own children into his household, and had more children by her, and she left him, and he took her back -- and all this he literally did, as a sign and metaphor to the people.

it wasn't meant to instruct us that we should all go marry prostitutes, but it was to give Israel a picture of their relationship to God from His perspective, in a way they should have been able to understand.

because He married her, He wasn't guilty of fornication to have children by her. what he did demonstrated mercy!

I agree as Gomer is written in a sense of completion with a passive aspect...I.E. she was completely a whore in a passive sense.....You don't get that from the English translation of her name...!

 

[Kerry]

Gomer Gooaahhlee, Good comment though Dcon

 

[Nick01]

No, no, no no.

First of all, let's get the obvious out of the way. The same word here (whoredoms) is used (Hebrew and English) in: Genesis 38:24, almost all of Ezekiel 23, and Nahum 3:4-6. The lone ambiguous counter example is 2 Kings 9:22, but that really goes to prove my point - you can't just lazily rely on a dictionary definition for an exact and exclusive sense of this word precisely because the imagery of actual prostitution is both used literally and also used as a metaphor for the unfaithfulness of Israel to God throughout the Old Testament. What matters is the sense of the text.

Secondly, the whole contour of Hosea is of God asking Hosea to do things that are types, representations of Israel's relationship to Him. So, Hosea names his children in such a way as to clearly symbolise aspects of that relationship. It is surely beyond sensical argument then that Hosea (the book) uses real/literal things as metaphors to teach about spiritual things. So, the fact that Hosea is asked to marry a prostitute would be entirely in keeping with this trend, whereas arguing Gomer was a simple idolator, with no sexual connotation, not only ignores the connotations of the words used, but, frankly, makes no sense - how could Gomer act as an idolator towards Hosea, for the purposes of metaphor, if there is no sexual imagery?

Finally this:

It says a children of whoredom. Are the children prostitutes, too? You can't have one with out the other. If you believe she was a prostitute, then you have to believe the children were, as well (Based on the language of the text).

I don't think the text actually implies that children of whoredoms means they were literally prostitutes themselves, simply that they are tainted by the sin of 'prostitution' (it's a little clearer in Hosea 2). If I said to you 'the daughter of the king', that would imply a very different kind of relationship between the subject and the object than 'the assassin of the king', even though the grammatical construction is otherwise identical. Please don't base your arguments on a superficial understanding of 17th century English.

 

[RedTent]

I will never give up in standing for the goodness of my Lord and Savior.

I love you do that, but turning your back on learning all scripture tells you is not part of standing for the goodness of your Lord and Savior. It is learning all scripture can teach you that does that, humbly listening to all scripture not with a closed mind of "common sense" but with God sense.

You must listen to what those 70 men in 1600 said the Hebrew Bible meant and know God used them, but not to the point that you cannot learn anything beside what they said it meant. God worked with them, but they were limited and so was the English language especially in 1600. You must not put these men before your Lord and Savior, they were just men.

 

[Jason0047]

*I'm posting a*scripture*for you to read,*Isaiah*54:17 "No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and no tongue risen up in judgement shall prevail." So don't make threats against people or me using the word of God. Do the word. YOur no where near being a*prophet, if you were, you would know the consequences of your actions, therefore I say, your yet blinded to the truth.

First, I am not making threats. I post Scripture when I see when something wrong morally. Second, initially I did nothing but post Scripture and tell folks of the dangers of alcohol and you laughed as if it was some kind of party. How exactly is that my fault?

 

[Jason0047]

I love you do that, but turning your back on learning all scripture tells you is not part of standing for the goodness of your Lord and Savior. It is learning all scripture can teach you that does that, humbly listening to all scripture not with a closed mind of "common sense" but with God sense.

You must listen to what those 70 men in 1600 said the Hebrew Bible meant and know God used them, but not to the point that you cannot learn anything beside what they said it meant. God worked with them, but they were limited and so was the English language especially in 1600. You must not put these men before your Lord and Savior, they were just men.

And you must not put James Strong and his many friends who created the Strong's Concordance before Jesus Christ. You must also not put Greek scholars and your own thinking that you know Greek (When you really do not) before Jesus Christ. For only Paul and the apostles who had written the New Testament knew Biblical Greek. Nobody today really knows it with 100% certainty.

 

[Jason0047]

I mean, see how touchy this issue is with people? If it really didn't matter, then you would have moved on by now. But folks know it is wrong (deep down) to say that God told Hosea to marry a prostitute. Just as it is wrong to say that Jesus made people tipsy or drunk at wedding party with one of his miracles. God is good and He is not evil. However, many people here have everything backwards, though.

 

[oldthennew]

Jason,

we would like to call you brother, but, brothers and sisters in Christ
respect their elders and their fellow Christians, heeding when given
loving correction.

you are a 'master of defense', and showing the world a 'stubborn-spirit',
that refuses correction that is given in love by many here.
by this action, you step out of God's Order.

an example in point:

Red Tent, being your elder, has given loving correction to you,
with all due respect, and you have 'dis-respected' her with
unkind words.

we pray that you humble yourself, because,
what does our Lord require of thee?

MICAH 6:8.
He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

 

[JaumeJ]

Here below are comparatives from several Bibles of what Yahweh said to Hosea........ It is placed in languages with which I am familiar, and others for those interested.
Hos 1:2


(ASV)
When Jehovah spake at the first by Hosea, Jehovah said unto Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom; for the land doth commit great whoredom, departing from Jehovah.




(Darby)
The beginning of the word of Jehovah through Hosea. And Jehovah said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms, and children of whoredoms; for the land is entirely given up to whoredom, away from Jehovah.


(DRB)
The beginning of the Lord's speaking by Osee: and the Lord said to Osee: Go, take thee a wife of fornications, and have of her children of fornications: for the land by fornication shall depart from the Lord.


(FDB)
Commencement de la parole de l'Éternel par Osée. Et l'Éternel dit à Osée: Va, prends-toi une femme prostituée et des enfants de prostitution; car le pays s'est entièrement prostitué en abandonnant l'Éternel.


(FLS)
La première fois que l'Éternel adressa la parole à Osée, l'Éternel dit à Osée: Va, prends une femme prostituée et des enfants de prostitution; car le pays se prostitue, il abandonne l'Éternel!


(HOT)
תחלת דבר־יהוה בהושׁע ויאמר יהוה אל־הושׁע לך קח־לך אשׁת זנונים וילדי זנונים כי־זנה תזנה הארץ מאחרי יהוה׃


[SUP](INR)
Il SIGNORE cominciò a parlare a Osea e gli disse: "Va', prenditi in moglie una prostituta e genera figli di prostituzione; perché il paese si prostituisce, abbandonando il SIGNORE".
[/SUP]
[SUP](IRL)
Quando l'Eterno cominciò a parlare a Osea, l'Eterno disse ad Osea: 'Va', prenditi per moglie una meretrice, e genera de' figliuoli di prostituzione; perché il paese si prostituisce, abbandonando l'Eterno'.
[/SUP]
[SUP](ISV)
When a message from the LORD came to Hosea, the LORD told him, "Go marry a prostitute and have children with her, because the land is prostituting itself by departing from the LORD."
[/SUP]
[SUP](JPS)
When the LORD spoke at first with Hosea, the LORD said unto Hosea: 'Go, take unto thee a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry; for the land doth commit great harlotry, departing from the LORD.'
[/SUP]
[SUP](KJV)
The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
[/SUP]
[SUP](KJV+)
The beginningH8462 of the wordH1696 of the LORDH3068 by Hosea.H1954 And the LORDH3068 saidH559 toH413 Hosea,H1954 Go,H1980 takeH3947 unto thee a wifeH802 of whoredomsH2183 and childrenH3206 of whoredoms:H2183 forH3588 the landH776 hath committed great whoredom,H2181 H2181 departing fromH4480 H310 the LORD.H3068
[/SUP]
[SUP](ROB)
Începutul cuvântului Domnului către Osea. Şi a grăit Domnul către Osea: "Ia-ţi de nevastă o femeie desfrânată şi să ai copii de desfrânată! Căci iată a desfrânat pământul lui Israel, abătându-se de la Domnul".
[/SUP]
[SUP](SSE)
El principio de la palabra del SEÑOR con Oseas. Y dijo el SEÑOR a Oseas: Ve, tómate una mujer fornicaria, e hijos de fornicaciones; porque la tierra se dará a fornicar apartándose del SEÑOR.
[/SUP]
[SUP](Vulgate)
principium loquendi Dominum in Osee et dixit Dominus ad Osee vade sume tibi uxorem fornicationum et filios fornicationum quia fornicans fornicabitur terra a Domino
[/SUP]

 

[Jason0047]

No, no, no no.

First of all, let's get the obvious out of the way. The same word here (whoredoms) is used (Hebrew and English) in: Genesis 38:24, almost all of Ezekiel 23, and Nahum 3:4-6. The lone ambiguous counter example is 2 Kings 9:22, but that really goes to prove my point - you can't just lazily rely on a dictionary definition for an exact and exclusive sense of this word precisely because the imagery of actual prostitution is both used literally and also used as a metaphor for the unfaithfulness of Israel to God throughout the Old Testament. What matters is the sense of the text.

Secondly, the whole contour of Hosea is of God asking Hosea to do things that are types, representations of Israel's relationship to Him. So, Hosea names his children in such a way as to clearly symbolise aspects of that relationship. It is surely beyond sensical argument then that Hosea (the book) uses real/literal things as metaphors to teach about spiritual things. So, the fact that Hosea is asked to marry a prostitute would be entirely in keeping with this trend, whereas arguing Gomer was a simple idolator, with no sexual connotation, not only ignores the connotations of the words used, but, frankly, makes no sense - how could Gomer act as an idolator towards Hosea, for the purposes of metaphor, if there is no sexual imagery?

Finally this:


I don't think the text actually implies that children of whoredoms means they were literally prostitutes themselves, simply that they are tainted by the sin of 'prostitution' (it's a little clearer in Hosea 2). If I said to you 'the daughter of the king', that would imply a very different kind of relationship between the subject and the object than 'the assassin of the king', even though the grammatical construction is otherwise identical. Please don't base your arguments on a superficial understanding of 17th century English.

This is what I would call biased reading. Three times the word "whoredoms" appears in the verse (for three different things) that all relate to each other.

Hosea 1:2
"The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD."

Let's break this down and replace it with a different word that is similar. The Lord said to Hosea,

#1. Take unto thee a wife of __(idolatry)___.
#2. and children of ___(idolatry)_____.
#3. for the land hath committed great ___(idol worship)___, departing from the Lord.

See how the sentence makes sense?

Now, lets try this with your version and insert a completely different word altogether.

#1. Take unto thee a wife of __(sad clowns)___.
#2. and children of ___(sadness)____.
#3. for the land hath committed great ___(sorrow)___, departing from the Lord.

 

[Jason0047]

Jason,

we would like to call you brother, but, brothers and sisters in Christ
respect their elders and their fellow Christians, heeding when given
loving correction.

you are a 'master of defense', and showing the world a 'stubborn-spirit',
that refuses correction that is given in love by many here.
by this action, you step out of God's Order.

an example in point:

Red Tent, being your elder, has given loving correction to you,
with all due respect, and you have 'dis-respected' her with
unkind words.

we pray that you humble yourself, because,
what does our Lord require of thee?

MICAH 6:8.
He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

First, Correction is in the eye of the beholder or in one's interpretation of God's Word. Also, Elihu (who was younger) corrected Job (who was older). Second, elders would have to be a part of a body of believers where upon we agree upon certain fundamental things within the Bible. Third, just because you are old (and are a self professing believer) does not mean you have spiritual knowledge, etc. Fourth, I do not believe the correction was loving but it is an attack upon my very faith in God's Word.

 

[Jason0047]

First, Correction is in the eye of the beholder or in one's interpretation of God's Word. Also, Elihu (who was younger) corrected Job (who was older). Second, elders would have to be a part of a body of believers where upon we agree upon certain fundamental things within the Bible. Third, just because you are old (and are a self professing believer) does not mean you have spiritual knowledge, etc. Fourth, I do not believe the correction was loving but it is an attack upon my very faith in God's Word.

For when I first accepted Christ, I already knew early on from reading that the KJV was the preserved Word of God for our day. But one day, my faith was challenged. Some guy wrote an article and said there was an error in the KJV. For a moment, my faith felt like it was almost shattered, but I had seen too much and experienced too much with Christ to go back. So I took it by faith that God's Word was true (despite the supposed contradiction). And you know what? Many years later, the Lord gave me the answer to that supposed contradiction. My point being is that if you are attacking the KJV, you are attacking the very core and foundation of my faith. For faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

 

[Jason0047]

That's why I believe the KJV is correct and the Modern Translations are wrong about this passage in Hosea. The Modern Translations change the passage to make God look like the bad guy. But this is wrong, though.

Side Note:

Now, if you believe it isn't wrong for God to tell Hosea to marry a prostitute, then you need to show us in Scripture how it is not wrong on a moral level.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

There is no private interpretation of scripture. It says what it says and either you believe or you do not.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

That's why I believe the KJV is correct and the Modern Translations are wrong about this passage in Hosea. The Modern Translations change the passage to make God look like the bad guy. But this is wrong, though.

Side Note:

Now, if you believe it isn't wrong for God to tell Hosea to marry a prostitute, then you need to show us in Scripture how it is not wrong on a moral level.

Is the sin on the cheater or the one cheated on?

 

[JaumeJ]

There would have to be much conjecture in explaining why God commandmed Hosea to marry a prostitue.

Hosea is a prophet. The wife was taken from whoredom, thus she became his wife to imitatate for the Children of Israel how they had been playing the whore with stone and stock.

It is quite possibel after becoming the wife to Hosea she was repented also of her former life, but then, who really knows either way.

We know grace was availed to those who believed God by the writings of prophets, including David and Solomon. From the Old Testament, God's grace is fresh every morning. From the Psalms, Palm 32 where mention is made of some whose iniquity is not held against them, the guilt of their iniquity that is.

God's mind is not the mind of any man other than Jesus Christ, and I know God is always good. God cannot be immoral. Also, it is written, paraphrased with understanding God will justify the ungodly.

Good is good all of the time, I know, and all know because He is our Dad............