Exegesis Analysis Of Hosea 3: 1-5

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY MATTERS TO THE EXEGESIS
1. Introduction In this chapter and the next chapter, I am going to carry out an exegesis of Hosea 3:1-5. We shall thus treat the introductory matters of the subject. In this disposition, we shall examine the text of Hosea 3:1-5 in a bid to establish its starting point and ending point. Once the terminus a quo and the terminus ad quem of the passage have been properly established, the author will delve into the textual criticism of the text. A succinct exposure of the textual criticism will then logically lead us into the context of the text where we shall discuss the immediate context and the remote context. Having located the text within its context, we shall see how this text resonates with other passages found in the Old Testament, the New Testament and some

3.1 Terminus a quo The text of Hosea 3:1-5 is arguably an independent textual unit standing on its own; this is plausible because at the beginning of this chapter, there is a divine command in verse 1 “The Lord said to me again”, this is a prophetic oracle which precedes the chapter while the prophet Hosea proceeds to give his own autobiography.
In its present position, Hosea 3 presupposes the content of Hosea 1-2. In the first verse of the text, the Lord says to Hosea again. The term ‘again’ raises a whole lot of difficulties in situating the starting point of the given text under study; the impression created here that there is some sort of continuation from the previous chapters cannot therefore be taken for granted. Anderson is of the view that the language of the first two verses of the text downplays the fact that the said woman has already been mentioned before. With the beginning of Chapter three, and bearing in mind its strong echoes of Chapter one, the focus turns to Gomer and Hosea once more; there is a sudden shift of context and tone of