Metaphors in the Book of Hosea

Abstract

Abstract Hosea is marked by some of the most diverse, tensive, unusual, memorable, and provocative metaphors in the Hebrew Bible. This chapter surveys some ways Hosea scholars have interacted with metaphor theory and the textual metaphors of the book. It provides a tour of Hosea’s metaphors by engaging with networks of metaphors, each spanning multiple chapters, and providing selected examples of how they function to subvert and supplant the Israelite perception of reality. The sexual and marital metaphors of Hosea 1–4, for instance, attempt to shame Israel’s male leadership into conformity to Yhwh’s instructions. The metaphors of Hosea 13–14, on the other hand, depict Israel’s death and resurrection using polemically appropriated imagery from Yhwh’s rivals. This undermines Israel’s need for any alternative to Yhwh (since this God can do it all), while predicating their restoration on Yhwh’s loyalty to Israel and inviting their reciprocation.