Imagery of Love in the Old Testament: A Socio- Rhetorical Reading of the Book of Hosea

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

The Old Testament prophets constantly speak of God's love in terms of justice, compassion, judgment, etc. Yet in the book of Hosea the theme of personal love husband-wife, father-son, healing love is very clearly defined and appears to be given a strong emphasis when God speaks of His relationship with His people through the Sinal covenant. The researcher is interested in pursuing this theme. The researcher argues that while many authors have studied Hosea, the use of the personal love theme by examining the character of God as shown in the three personal love metaphors in the book has not been studied. Questions) about the nature of this relationship remain to be explored is it is a legal covenant type love or is there some deeper motivation that guides God to act in the way He does? The researcher explores the idea that the reason God kept His side of the covenant in spite of Israel's backsliding is because the stakes were higher. He wants to send a message to the other nations. The researcher wants to unravel how the rhetorical imagery reveals this unstated purpose. By probing these questions the researcher evaluates Hosea's special contribution as God's chosen messenger to the understanding that Israel had of its unique covenantal relationship to God and its role in reaching out to the other nations.

**Contents and Sample Pages**