Hosea 2:4-15 teen die agtergrond van Israelitiese regsgebruike

Hosea 2:4-15 against the background of Israelite legal practice

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of composition of Hosea 2:4-15. It is argued that the passage was stylised as a complaint lodged by the prophet against his ex-wife. She is brought before the judges on a charge of adultery. Hosea 2:4-10 is translated in the pluperfect since it refers to the prophet's expectations in the past and the attempts made by him to save his marriage (2:4b-7, 8-9a, as well as his wife's reaction to htese efforts (2:7b-c, 10). In 2:11 the expected sentence is presented in court, while 2:12-15 represents the sentence imposed. In the final sentence (2:12-15), which is a concentric composition, it becomes clear that the prophet's charges against his ex-wife actually represent Yahweh's charges against Israel. The article finally compares Hosea 2:4-15 with Isaiah 5:1-7 and 2 Samuel 12:1-12 and argues that the same literary device is employed by a prophet in all three instances.