he was the son of Beeri, for the transactions of the first three
chapters may be best understood as symbolic acts seen only in vision.
See above, Chap. 22, No. 17. For any thing that appears to the contrary,
he was of Israelitish descent. As it is generally agreed that Isaiah
began to prophesy in the last year of Uzziah's reign, or but a few years
before his death, while Hosea prophesied in the reign of Jeroboam II.,
the great-grandson of Jehu (2 Kings 14:23), who died about twenty-six
years before Uzziah, it follows that Hosea, though partly contemporary
with Isaiah, was called to the prophetical work at an earlier period. If
we suppose him to have commenced prophesying two years before the death
of Jeroboam, and then add the twenty-six remaining years of Uzziah's
reign, the sixteen of Jotham, the sixteen of Ahaz, and two of the first
years of Hezekiah, we shall have a period of sixty-two years. To Israel
this was a calamitous period, embracing four usurpations and murders of
the reigning sovereigns, and three invasions of the Assyrians. See the
history in 2 Kings 15:8-31, and 17:1-6. In the last of these Hosea, king
of Israel, became tributary to Shalmaneser, king of Assyria; but he
proved unfaithful to his master, and sought the alliance of So, king of
Egypt. 2 Kings 17:4. For this the Assyrian king besieged him in Samaria,
and after a siege of three years, took him with the city, and put an end
to the kingdom of Israel in the fifth year of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
Hosea seems to have closed his writings when Hoshea was seeking the help
of Egypt, while he had at the same time a covenant with Assyria (12:1),
consequently somewhere early in Hezekiah's reign.

4. Hosea's style is very concise and sententious, and his diction
impresses even the casual reader as original and peculiar. A remarkable
feature of his book is the constancy with which he sets forth the
relation of Israel to Jehovah under the figure of the marriage-covenant;
thus making unfaithfulness to God, and especially idolatry and
idolatrous alliances, to be spiritual adultery and whoredom. This fact
affords a key to the interpretation of the first three chapters, where
the nature of the transactions requires that we understand them not as
historic events, but as prophetic symbols occurring only in vision. The
remaining eleven chapters contain perhaps a summary of the prophet's
discourses to the people, written by himself near the close of his
ministry. The