Hosea the prophet

JonDeere245

New member
I love the book of Hosea. His story was a wife named Gomer that was a whore (poly). He was ordered by God to marry her. He was also instructed that he would raise children that were not his. He was told to love them and raise then as his own.
I would love to hear other peoples remarks and beliefs about this story.
 
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Actually there are lots of problems with wording in the Bible. There are too many translations and opinions as to meanings. ok at the poor reputation they made for Mary Magdalene? Also Jews at the time and until the 13th Century or so were allowed to have more than one wife. We are told that if our brother dies, take his wife as our own and raise his children as our own. Also there are some tales about Poly lifestyle in The Secret Gospel of Luke, not much new under the sun
 
Well the story here is he was instucted to raise children, that are not his. Not his brothers. But by what is referred to as an unfaithful wife.
 
I'm thinking the Hosea story may have been symbolic. Hosea raises children not his own to symbolize how God will adopt believers who are not children of Israel.

Just a guess.
 
I'm thinking the Hosea story may have been symbolic. Hosea raises children not his own to symbolize how God will adopt believers who are not children of Israel.

Just a guess.

You are right, but he was ordered by God to marry Gomer. He told him she would be with other men. He instructed him he would raise them as his own.
It is a God story to me. It gives us light on just how much we can love.
 
Re:
"It is a God story to me. It gives us light on just how much we can love."

I like that interpretation.
 
Context questions

Now that you bring this to my attention, I am very interested in learning more about this anomaly in scripture. I will research it. Maybe we can both learn more about this and how it relates to poly activities.
 
It is symbolic. Hosea (whose name means salvation) is instructed by Yahweh ("the Lord") to marry a woman who has many lovers. At that time (8th century BCE), the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were constantly applying to various kingdoms, such as Egypt, for financial support and protection. The northern kingdom of Israel, where Hosea lived, was in fact ruled by Assyria at this time.

Many inhabitants of Israel and Judah worshiped local gods such as Tammuz, Asherah, and the Queen of Heaven (the "baals"), offering the "sacred raisin cakes" to them, as mentioned in Hosea. Proponents of Yahwism objected to this worship and claimed Yahweh to be the true god of the Hebrews.

Hosea's family life reflected the "adulterous" relationship which Israel had built with other gods and cultures. The relationship between Hosea and Gomer parallels the relationship between Yahweh and Israel. Even though Gomer runs away from Hosea and has sex with another man, he loves her anyway and forgives her. Likewise, even though the people of Israel worshipped other gods, and made contracts with larger empires, Hosea, speaking as Yahweh, says he still loves them and has not abandoned his covenant with them.

The book was written as an attempt to draw devotees of other gods to Yahwism, showing they would be forgiven and protected by this god.

I don't think it's much of a comment on "polyamory."
 
Thanks Magdlyn. I think polyamorists sometimes look for poly validation in the Bible when it isn't there. There's a difference between how we'd like to interpret something personally, and in this case, the accurate and objective interpretation which is what you provided. I appreciate and prefer that.
 
It is symbolic. Hosea (whose name means salvation)

And 'Gomer' means 'Completion'', which adds to the metaphoric/symbolic dimension to the story.

I don't think it's much of a comment on "polyamory."

Well, one could argue that a story of a woman having many lovers but a faithful husband could be a parable for Israel "whoring after strange gods" but still retaining the love of Yahweh, which in turn could be a parable for a woman having many lovers but a faithful husband...

Certainly, however, the adulterous woman reading is secondary to the adulterous Israel intention of the passage, which is its 'true' meaning. Just goes to show, again, that plain-reading of the Bible just does not work. It is full of allegory and parable as well as historical contexts that need to be understood.

My preferred reading of the story is pretty much the same as Magdlyn with the added extra that it was written by opponents of the royal and priestly dynasties of the dastardly northern kingdom of Israel/Samaria/Shomron by proponents of the righteous southern kingdom of Judea as a piece of work to underscore the 'turning away from God' of the kingdom and foreshadow the complete and utter destruction of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in about 750BC. The depth of distrust and dislike of the Samarian/northern kingdom by the southern Judeans is indicated by Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan.

kdt26417 said:
Thanks Magdlyn. I think polyamorists sometimes look for poly validation in the Bible when it isn't there. There's a difference between how we'd like to interpret something personally, and in this case, the accurate and objective interpretation which is what you provided. I appreciate and prefer that.

For what it is worth, I think you are right. The Bible is subject to limitless personal interpretations. While the story of Hosea and Gomer might possibly be interpreted to provide an argument for divinely sanctioned polyamory, any Christian would have to stack that particular (debatable) reference against the pretty emphatic New Testament statements referring to monogamous marriage made 800 years later. It just doesn't work (IMO).

/Adam
 
Interesting insights.
 
My off topic aside.

And 'Gomer' means 'Completion'', which adds to the metaphoric/symbolic dimension to the story.

Off-Topic, but I read all of the "New Posts" so I saw this line, even though I don't know anything about the bible aside from having read it many years ago and 18 years of Sunday School.

For those of us in healthcare, "Gomer" = Medical slang for a patient who "has lost--often through age--what goes into being a human being" (quote from Samuel Shem's "The House Of God"). Typically an old demented noncommunicative patient. Stands for "Get Out Of My Emergency Room". (compliments of Urban Dictionary).

I wonder how many people know the etymological meaning as opposed the The House of God meaning?:rolleyes:
 
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And 'Gomer' means 'Completion'', which adds to the metaphoric/symbolic dimension to the story.

Well, one could argue that a story of a woman having many lovers but a faithful husband could be a parable for Israel "whoring after strange gods" but still retaining the love of Yahweh, which in turn could be a parable for a woman having many lovers but a faithful husband...

Certainly, however, the adulterous woman reading is secondary to the adulterous Israel intention of the passage, which is its 'true' meaning. Just goes to show, again, that plain-reading of the Bible just does not work. It is full of allegory and parable as well as historical contexts that need to be understood.

My preferred reading of the story is pretty much the same as Magdlyn with the added extra that it was written by opponents of the royal and priestly dynasties of the dastardly northern kingdom of Israel/Samaria/Shomron by proponents of the righteous southern kingdom of Judea as a piece of work to underscore the 'turning away from God' of the kingdom and foreshadow the complete and utter destruction of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in about 750BC. The depth of distrust and dislike of the Samarian/northern kingdom by the southern Judeans is indicated by Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan.



For what it is worth, I think you are right. The Bible is subject to limitless personal interpretations. While the story of Hosea and Gomer might possibly be interpreted to provide an argument for divinely sanctioned polyamory, any Christian would have to stack that particular (debatable) reference against the pretty emphatic New Testament statements referring to monogamous marriage made 800 years later. It just doesn't work (IMO).

/Adam

Nice to meet you, Boaz. Not too many here who are interested in Biblical historical criticism, as I am.
 
Nice to meet you, Boaz. Not too many here who are interested in Biblical historical criticism, as I am.

Hi Magdlyn, its nice to meet you too. I have gone back and looked at some of your previous posts and have thoroughly enjoyed reading them.

And yeah, I enjoy Biblical criticism. Its an interesting and fascinating area of study. I never expected to be discussing it on this forum though...

/Adam
 
Hi Magdlyn, its nice to meet you too. I have gone back and looked at some of your previous posts and have thoroughly enjoyed reading them.

And yeah, I enjoy Biblical criticism. Its an interesting and fascinating area of study. I never expected to be discussing it on this forum though...

/Adam

People keep hoping and wishing modern polyamory could be condoned by a few passages in the Bible... it's never going to be.
 
Hosea helps me

As a newbie to the poly world, brought in by my new partner, I find a certain help in Hosea. Yes, this is purely an allegory about Israel's faithlessness. But the great thing about scripture, like art and poetry, is that its wisdom lies in layers that go very deep. If I have a hard time with the literal meaning, I just keep digging until it resonates with the rest of the biblical message (Love!) For me, jealousy is an archaic, primitive emotion that––much as it may have helped our cavemen ancestors––really does us no good any longer. For me it only prevents me from loving my partner fully by accepting her nature, which is deeply loving.
In Hosea, I hear God ask for our devotion and faith, but we are not cast out when our interests wander. In other words, God is at the source of all genuine interest (beauty, excitement, joy...indeed all attractors!) God is Love. If sharing is out of true love then God supports our lifestyle.
 
I have no assumptions other than what is needed for the given context (e.g., the Bible).
 
New here. Before we continue about the omnis, are we assuming God is the Judeo-Christian entity so many believe in?

This thread is about a book in the Old Testament so it would be Yahweh. It can be the Jewish god or the Christian one (which are different).

In other threads on this forum, it could be another god, but most people on this board have been raised in an Abrahamic faith, so most of the threads are about Yahweh or the Christ.
 
This thread is about a book in the Old Testament so it would be Yahweh. It can be the Jewish god or the Christian one (which are different).

In other threads on this forum, it could be another god, but most people on this board have been raised in an Abrahamic faith, so most of the threads are about Yahweh or the Christ.

Actually there is tweenty eight words for G*d in Hebrew text.
 
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