Contradiction
When YHWH spoke first through Hoshea, YHWH said to Hoshea, “Go, take a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed harlotry, departing from YHWH.” Hosea 1:2
First – The first word in this verse is the word “first.” The word is tĕḥillâ. Perhaps a better translation of this opening phrase would be “The first time YHWH spoke to Hoshea.” We have to rearrange the words in order to make sense in English, but now you know that tĕḥillâ is in first position and therefore takes priority in the thought of the sentence. Do you find this a bit unusual?
The first time YHWH speaks to Hoshea, He asks him to do something that is completely contradictory to everything expected. Israel was in the grip of idolatry. Pagan fertility cults dominated the landscape. The ancient Canaanite religion had thoroughly infected God’s chosen people. So God calls a prophet to decry apostasy and plead for renewal. We would expect God to tell Hoshea, “Go, tell the people that they must give up their fertility cults. They must purify themselves and return to Torah morality. They must set themselves apart from this sexual debauchery.” That’s what we expect. Repent! Purify! Separate!
But what does YHWH say? He says, “Go, take a whore as your wife and have children by her.” What? Are we really supposed to believe that the first time YHWH speaks to Hoshea, He asks him to do something completely the opposite of all moral expectations? Can we really expect Hoshea to comply with this outlandish request? Does Hoshea have any credibility as a prophet in the community if his own wife is unfaithful? Just put yourself in his position for a moment. How would you respond? Would your theological sensitivity get in the way of obedience if obedience required you to set aside everything you knew about faithfulness?
What we are required to assume is this: Hoshea had a deep and abiding relationship with YHWH. In fact, his trust in YHWH was so great that he was able to obey in spite of the loss of reputation, credibility and fidelity. He was willing to be shamed for the sake of his Lord. Centuries later, another man made the same statement in actions. “I am not ashamed” fell from the lips of a man who gave up everything his culture counted valuable in order to serve his Lord. Paul only followed the footsteps of Yeshua who also set aside everything in order to serve.
How did Hoshea know that this request came from the living God, YHWH? Why didn’t he reject this command as simply temptation? Why was he certain that God Himself was asking what must have seemed morally improbable? First, Hoshea knew the voice of his Lord. First, Hoshea must have had a long history of simple obedience. Maybe the reason we find Hoshea’s actions so improbable is that we don’t understand the deeper meaning of first. tĕḥillâ diber–YWHW. The rest is commentary.
Topical Index: first, tĕḥillâ, Hosea 1:2
Skip,
This is quite an amazing story! “Go, take a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed harlotry, departing from YHWH.”
A couple of thoughts… when I first read the verse, I got the impression that Hoshea was to take the woman to be his wife and take her kids, the kids of harlotry. Was he getting more than just a prostitute for a wife, but a package deal of illegitimate children too? Yes/No?
Also, I know you wrote about God asking please – using the particle na with the verb – and that it is only used 5 times in the Old Testament when God speaks to a man and instructs him to do something that makes no rational sense whatsoever, ie with Abraham and Isaac. So, I was surprised that there is no “please” here in this verse with Hoshea. God is surely asking him to do something unthinkable because the woman is still a harlot. I wonder why there is no “na” here?
Hi John, here just my thought. I believe a harlot can repent and stop her horrible deed. As a righteous husband, one has a big chance to help and lead his wife to be a righteous woman ( remember to Rahab ) compare to : 1 Cor 7:16.
Also there are so many people who have lived in sinfull life in the past,because of the job of the Ruach HaQodesh then they repent and become the righteous ones !
But we must beware not to do wrong INTENTIONALLY, unless YHWH clearly told His servant to do a certain contradictive thing………and I believe, since all the prophets had finished their duties to speak and write the Scripture and Y’Shua had completed His duty to redeem us at Golghota, YHWH will not ask anyone to do the contradictive things any longer !
So…….let’s never do any contradictive ones …..!
Shalom,Yael
“let’s never do any contradictive ones.”
Hi Yael,
I don’t think there is a contradiction because Yahweh says:
Hosea 1:2 Go marry a whore and get children with a whore, for the country itself (Israel) has become nothing but a whore by abandoning Yahweh.
And the kids are legitimate because Hosea and Gomer are married.
But the kids have funny, prophetic, names (in my translation):
– a son named God Sows
– a daughter named Unloved
– a son named No-People-of-Mine
When Hosea’s wife is unfaithful, Yahweh says:
Hosea 3:1 Go a second time, give your love to a woman, loved by her husband but an adulteress in spite of it, just as Yahweh gives his love to the sons of Israel though they turn to other gods who love RAISIN CAKES.
I think the point is that if Yahweh tells us to do something, “ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die.”
Whatever Yahweh tells us to do is by definition good, the “right thing to do.”