The narrative in Chapter 3 shares a thematically identical structure to that of chapters 1-2 except that it is given in the first person rather than the third and utilizes different terminology to convey the same ideas. What has burdened the interpreters of this chapter is whether or not the woman in question is Gomer and even whether chapter 3 is parallel to chapters 1-2 at all. It seems if we follow the text chronologically that we are left with, not Hosea acquiring Gomer for the first time, having children, separating due to her adulterous ways, but reacquiring her post-unfaithfulness to him. This is the first time that the term adultery is used in the book[1]. Some argue that this needs to be a new woman since the children are not named but the parallel symbolism of Israel/Gomer and Hosea/Yahweh is still in place hence it would be a strange deviation from the entire argument to suddenly move to another lady to communicate the same symbolism.
Continue reading “The Book of Hosea: Chapter 3”
