Scripture Helps
Hosea 1–6; 10–14; Joel
The Lord commanded Hosea to marry an adulteress, and Hosea chose a woman named Gomer, who was unfaithful to him. The Lord used this marriage as a symbol to teach the Israelites about His covenant relationship with them. The Israelites were unfaithful to the Lord because they sought after false gods. Hosea warned Israel that their unfaithfulness would lead to destruction. He prophesied that in the latter days God would extend mercy to Israel when they returned to Him. Joel prophesied of impending destruction and counseled the people to gather to the house of the Lord. He further prophesied of calamities that would come upon the wicked in the last days and of the Spirit of the Lord being poured out upon all flesh. Joel foretold a great battle that would happen in the last days.
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Background and Context
Who were the “minor prophets”?
The prophets whose writings appear in the last 12 books of the Old Testament are often called the “minor prophets.” This is not because their message is less important but because their books are shorter in length than the writings of the “major prophets.”
The following chart provides an overview of these twelve prophets, including their primary audience and the approximate dates of their ministry.
|
Prophet |
Primary Audience |
Approximate Time of Ministry |
|---|---|---|
Prophet Hosea | Primary Audience Northern Kingdom of Israel | Approximate Time of Ministry Mid-700s BC |
Prophet Joel | Primary Audience Southern Kingdom of Judah | Approximate Time of Ministry Uncertain (probably somewhere between the ninth and fifth centuries BC) |
Prophet Amos | Primary Audience Northern Kingdom of Israel | Approximate Time of Ministry Mid-700s BC |
Prophet Obadiah | Primary Audience Southern Kingdom of Judah | Approximate Time of Ministry Uncertain (possibly shortly after 586 BC) |
Prophet Jonah | Primary Audience Ninevah (Assyria); Northern Kingdom of Israel | Approximate Time of Ministry 700s BC |
Prophet Micah | Primary Audience Southern Kingdom of Judah | Approximate Time of Ministry Mid-700s BC |
Prophet Nahum | Primary Audience Southern Kingdom of Judah | Approximate Time of Ministry Probably between 626 and 612 BC |
Prophet Habakkuk | Primary Audience Southern Kingdom of Judah | Approximate Time of Ministry Probably shortly before 597 BC |
Prophet Zephaniah | Primary Audience Southern Kingdom of Judah | Approximate Time of Ministry Mid-600s BC |
Prophet Haggai | Primary Audience Post-exilic Judah | Approximate Time of Ministry 520 BC |
Prophet Zechariah | Primary Audience Post-exilic Judah | Approximate Time of Ministry 520 BC |
Prophet Malachi | Primary Audience Post-exilic Judah | Approximate Time of Ministry Uncertain (somewhere between 500 and 350 BC) |
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Post-exilic refers to the period when the Jews in Babylonian exile returned to Jerusalem, reestablished their community, and rebuilt the temple.
What is the book of Hosea?
The book of Hosea contains the teachings of the prophet Hosea. His ministry took place in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the latter half of the eighth century BC. Hosea prophesied during a time of great wickedness, when Israel was close to being conquered by the Assyrian empire.
Hosea’s name means “salvation” or “Jehovah saves”—and the salvation of Jehovah is a message that is powerfully portrayed in Hosea’s account. This message is conveyed through the metaphor of marriage. Hosea’s wife, Gomer, was unfaithful to him. Through the symbols of Gomer’s infidelity and Hosea’s efforts to reconcile with her, we gain insight into the Lord’s covenant relationship with Israel. Israel’s sins can be compared to the betrayal of a spouse, and the Lord can be compared to a loving and faithful husband. This faithful husband longs for and makes efforts to persuade His unfaithful bride to return to Him.
President Henry B. Eyring explained that the book of Hosea is “a love story, … a story of a marriage covenant bound by love, by steadfast love.”
The book of Hosea can be divided into two sections.
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Hosea 1–3: The Lord’s command to Hosea to marry. The birth of the couple’s three children, Gomer’s betrayal, and Hosea’s efforts to bring her back to their covenant relationship.
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Hosea 4–14: Hosea’s prophetic warnings and promises to Israel.
Bride and Groom, by Lyle Beddes
What do we know about the Lord’s command for Hosea to marry “a wife of whoredoms”?
Scholars have long debated whether the Lord’s command for Hosea to marry “a wife of whoredoms” was literal or symbolic. Either way, the central message of the book of Hosea is not the marriage itself but what it symbolizes: the covenant relationship between God and Israel. At some point in their marriage, Gomer left Hosea and returned to a life of immorality. Gomer’s unfaithfulness to her husband symbolizes Israel’s spiritual adultery and broken covenant with the Lord.
What is significant about the names of Hosea and Gomer’s children?
The names of the three children born to Hosea and Gomer represent consequences that Israel would suffer because of their own unfaithfulness. Their first child was named Jezreel, meaning “God sows.” Jezreel is the name of the city where significant bloodshed had recently occurred. His name symbolized the judgment and scattering that would soon come upon the house of Israel. The second child was named Lo-Ruhamah, meaning “not pitied” or “not having obtained mercy,” signifying that the Lord’s compassion toward Israel would be withdrawn for a time. The third was named Lo-Ammi, meaning “not my people,” representing how Israel had broken their covenant as God’s chosen people through their unfaithfulness.
The Lord continued to use the children’s names and their symbolic meanings throughout the second chapter of Hosea. The chapter begins with the Lord calling two of the children by new names: Ammi (“my people”) and Ruhamah (“pitied” or “receiving mercy”), implying that Israel’s covenant with Him would not remain broken forever. The Lord then describes what He will do to reestablish His covenant relationship with Israel. The chapter concludes with a powerful message. Once again alluding to the names of the children, the Lord promised: “I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.”
What does it mean that the children of Israel will be called the sons and daughters of God?
The Lord’s promise that Israel would one day be called “the sons [and daughters] of the living God” refers to the new covenant He would make with them in the future. Every person is a spirit son or daughter of Heavenly Father, but those who are spiritually reborn and make covenants with the Lord become “children of Christ.” For them, Jesus Christ becomes the Father of their new lives.
President Russell M. Nelson explained: “We are men and women of God quite precisely because we have made covenants with Him. We are of Abraham. We are children of the covenant—the Abrahamic covenant. … [We] become the chosen children of the Lord. Simply stated, all who are willing to make covenants with God and keep them are His covenant people.”
Why did the Lord say Israel would call Him “Ishi” rather than “Baali”?
Despite Israel’s consequences for their unfaithfulness, the Lord promised to restore and bless them. He said that when Israel returns, they will no longer call Him “Baali” but will instead call Him “Ishi.” While both words can mean “husband,” Baali echoes the name of the false god Baal. By calling the Lord Ishi, Israel would demonstrate a complete rejection of false gods and a strengthened relationship with Jehovah.
Gomer Rescued, by Deb Minnard
What does it mean that Israel would be betrothed to the Lord forever?
In ancient Israelite culture, betrothal was a legally binding commitment—the final step before the full union of marriage. When the Lord declared, “I will betroth thee unto me for ever,” He was promising an eternal covenant relationship with Israel.
The Lord further described this eternal covenant as being made in “righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.” The Hebrew word translated as “lovingkindness” is hesed, which is used to describe the Lord’s covenantal love, loyalty, and mercy. President Russell M. Nelson explained: “Because God has hesed for those who have covenanted with Him, He will love them. He will continue to work with them and offer them opportunities to change. He will forgive them when they repent. And should they stray, He will help them find their way back to Him.”
Why did the Lord desire “mercy, and not sacrifice”?
The Lord was not satisfied with the spiritual state of the Israelites. He told them that even though they had been consistent in performing sacrifices, they had “transgressed the covenant” and “dealt treacherously” against Him. While sacrifices were still important, the Lord placed more value on their heartfelt devotion to Him and compassion for others.
Twice during His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ quoted this statement from the book of Hosea. In each case, the Savior rebuked the Pharisees for prioritizing religious observance over repentance and loving others.
What is the book of Joel?
Joel was a prophet who preached to the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. It is unclear when his ministry took place. The book of Joel contains prophecies that were likely made after the land of Judah was afflicted with a severe drought and a plague of locusts. These prophecies tell of many signs preceding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Why did Joel exhort the people to rend their hearts instead of their garments?
After describing the devastating judgments and calamities that would come upon the land, Joel asked a significant question: “For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” The phrase “the day of the Lord” refers to a time when the Lord brings judgment to the wicked and deliverance to the righteous. Joel then urged the people to turn to the Lord with all their hearts and to “rend [their] heart, and not [their] garments.” In ancient times, tearing one’s clothes was a traditional outward sign of grief or mourning. By urging the people to rend their hearts, Joel was inviting them to repent and come to the Lord with a broken heart and contrite spirit.
What does it mean that the Lord will “pour out [His] spirit upon all flesh”?
In contrast to the calamity and destruction that Joel describes earlier, the second half of Joel 2 emphasizes the future blessings the Lord would give His people. This includes the promise that He will “pour out [His] spirit upon all flesh.”
Joel’s prophecy, like many in the Old Testament, has multiple fulfillments. Peter declared that one fulfillment took place in his time on the day of Pentecost. Centuries later, on the evening of September 21, 1823, the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith and quoted Joel 2:28–32, explaining that this prophecy “was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be.”
Reflecting on this prophecy, President Gordon B. Hinckley taught:
“From the day that [Heavenly Father] and His Beloved Son manifested themselves to the boy Joseph, there has been a tremendous cascade of enlightenment poured out upon the world. … The vision of Joel has been fulfilled. …
“There has been more of scientific discovery during these years than during all of the previous history of mankind. Transportation, communication, medicine, public hygiene, the unlocking of the atom, the miracle of the computer, with all of its ramifications, have blossomed forth, particularly in our own era.”
The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith, by Tom Lovell
Learn More
God’s love and mercy
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Patrick Kearon, “God’s Intent Is to Bring You Home,” Liahona, May 2024, 87–89
The Spirit poured out upon all flesh
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Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 93–96
Media
Music
“Come Unto Jesus,” Hymns, no. 117
“The Spirit of God,” Hymns, no. 2
Images
Savior, by Kelly Pugh