Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• Two initial woes 5:8-12
  5:8-10 The first quality that spoiled Israel's fruit was greed, an example of which Isaiah detailed (cf. Mic. 2:1). The Israelites were buying out their neighbors, as they had opportunity or made the opportunity, to increase ...
• Israel's perverse conduct 2:14-19
  Perverse conduct was the consequence of Israel's apostasy and infidelity, and it led to slavery.2:14-15 Israel was Yahweh's firstborn son, not a slave or even a home-born servant.77As such he enjoyed the special care and prov...
• Samaria's prostitution 23:5-10
  23:5-8 Oholah proved unfaithful to the Lord by lusting after her attractive neighbors, the Assyrians."The appeal, then as now, was to youth, strength, position, wealth and self-gratification; that is, the world in all its daz...
• Place of Composition
  Beside the fact that Hosea ministered to the Northern Kingdom, his reference to the king of Samaria as "our king"(7:5) seems to make his residence in Israel certain. The book never states the location of any of his preaching,...
• Theology
  The major biblical doctrines that Hosea stressed were sin, judgment, salvation, and the loyal love of God.Regarding sin, the prophet stressed the idolatry of the Israelites, which he compared to spiritual adultery. Israel had...
• Outline
  I. Introduction 1:1II. The first series of messages of judgment and restoration: Hosea's family 1:2-2:1A. Signs of coming judgment 1:2-9B. A promise of restoration 1:10-2:1III. The second series of messages of judgment and re...
• Israel's breach of covenant 4:1-3
  The Lord brought a legal charge against the Israelites for breaking the Mosaic Covenant. Again the literary form of this section is a legal confrontation (Heb. rib, cf. 2:2). The Lord stated His charges against Israel in 4:1-...
• Accusations involving ingratitude 6:4-7:16
  The Lord accused the Israelites of being ungrateful for His many blessings in the past and therefore being disloyal to Him and His covenant with them. The section primarily enumerates and illustrates these accusations, but it...
• Internal corruption 7:1-7
  This section focuses on Israel's domestic sins.7:1 The Lord longed to heal Israel, but when He thought about doing so new evidences of her sins presented themselves. The prophets He sent to them were mainly ineffective in ste...
• Reliance on foreigners 7:8-15
  This pericope condemns Israel's foreign policy.7:8 Ephraim had mixed itself with the pagan nations, like unleavened dough mixed with leaven. She had done this by making alliances with neighbor nations as well as by importing ...
• Accusations involving rebellion ch. 8
  Judgment would also come on Israel because the God's people had rebelled against Yahweh. In the previous section (6:4-7:16) accusations were more common than promises of judgment. In this one judgment becomes more prominent, ...
• Making idols 8:1-7
  8:1 The Lord commanded Hosea to announce coming judgment by telling him to put a trumpet to his lips. The blowing of the shophar announced that an invader was coming (cf. 5:8). Israel's enemy would swoop down on the nation as...
• Making treaties 8:8-10
  8:8 The prophet looked ahead to the time of Israel's judgment. The nation would be swallowed up, as when someone eats grain (v. 7). Israel would become a part of the nations having gone into captivity and lost its own soverei...
• The result: termination of festivals 9:1-6
  9:1-2 The Lord told Israel not to rejoice like other nations at the prospect of an abundant harvest; that would not be her experience. He promised to remove her grain and wine. These were threatened curses for covenant unfait...
• Judgment on Israel's political symbol 10:3-8
  10:3 When the Lord brought destruction, the people would realize that their self-appointed king had failed them and that they did not respect the Lord. They would acknowledge that no human king could help them. Hoshea would b...
• B. Another assurance of restoration 11:8-11
  As previously, a series of messages assuring Israel's judgment (6:4-11:7) ends with assurance of future restoration. God would definitely bring devastating judgment on Israel, but His compassion for the nation and His promise...
• An introductory accusation and announcement of judgment 11:12-12:2
  11:12 The Lord complained that Ephraim (Israel) had consistently lied and tried to deceive Him. He described Himself as surrounded and under attack by His own people. Wherever He looked all He saw was cheaters. Deception (Heb...
• Covenant unfaithfulness punished 13:15-16
  13:15 With the removal of God's compassion (v. 14), Israel's prosperity would end. Hosea described that change like a hot eastern desert wind sweeping over Israel and drying up all its water sources. Israel had flourished amo...
• B. A call to mourn 1:5-13
  Joel called on four different entities to mourn the results of the locust invasion: drunkards (vv. 5-7), the land (vv. 8-10), farmers (vv. 11-12), and priests (v. 13). In each section there is a call to mourn followed by reas...
• 1. Sins of the wealthy 2:1-5
  "It is in 2:1-5 that the prophet establishes the basis for the national crisis and the future collapse of the nation. It was not the imperialism of Assyria or the fortunes of blind destiny that brought the house of Israel to ...
• I. Introduction 1:1-6
  That this pericope introduces the whole book seems clear since verse 7 introduces the eight night visions that follow it (1:7-6:8). Its content is also foundational to all that follows."It strikes the keynote of the entire bo...
• 3. Conflict over Jesus' sign 12:38-45
  The fourth incident and the third type of conflict concerned a sign that Jesus' critics requested.12:38 Matthew's connective again was weak. This incident was not a continuation of the preceding controversy chronologically bu...