Thy Strong Word — Hosea 1: The Unfaithful Bride and the God Who Won’t Let Go

Hosea opens with the prophet being commanded by God to marry Gomer, a promiscuous woman, as a living symbol of Israel’s unfaithfulness. Their children are given prophetic names that reflect God’s judgment—signifying the broken relationship between God and His people. Yet even amid these harsh warnings of destruction and rejection, God hints at future restoration, promising that Israel will one day be called His people again.

The Rev. Dr. David Lewis, associate professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Seminary, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Hosea 1.

Hosea tells the powerful story of a prophet commanded to marry an unfaithful woman, Gomer, as a living symbol of God’s boundless love for Israel despite its repeated betrayals. Through heartbreak and redemption, Hosea’s marriage becomes a vivid portrayal of how deeply God desires His people to return to Him, even when they chase after idols. Packed with raw emotion, prophetic warnings, and a message of divine mercy, this book captures God’s relentless pursuit and offers a stirring reminder that restoration is always possible—through Jesus–no matter how far one has wandered.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Hosea 1

1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

Hosea’s Wife and Children

²When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” ³So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

⁴And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. ⁵And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

⁶She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy,^[a] for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. ⁷But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

⁸When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People,^[b] for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”^[c]

¹⁰^[d] Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children^[e] of the living God.” ¹¹And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

Footnotes

Hosea 1:6 Hebrew Lo-ruhama, which means she has not received mercy
Hosea 1:9 Hebrew Lo-ammi, which means not my people
Hosea 1:9 Hebrew I am not yours
Hosea 1:10 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
Hosea 1:10 Or Sons

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe

Native North Carolinian Rev. Dr. Phil Booe serves pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio. His parishioners probably think he can’t teach Bible study without a mug of coffee in his hand, and he’ll always be happy to eat a plate of sushi. When he’s not shepherding his flock or teaching on the radio, you might find him watching bad movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and especially binging RiffTrax and MST3K episodes. Some day he’d love to travel to the Lutheran homeland in Germany, but for now he spends time in Minnesota with his wife, son, daughter, and cat, and looks forward to Holy Week every year.