The Anchor Yale Bible: Hosea (AYB)

by David Noel Freedman; Francis I. Andersen

Publisher:

Yale University Press

, 2008

Overview

Hosea is the result of a collaboration by world-renowned scholars Francis I. Andersen and David Noel Freedman. This new translation and commentary is based on one of the oldest of prophetic writings. The translation is unique in so far as the literary integrity of the text is scrupulously adhered to. For both scholars and general readers, the commentary notes contain cultural and linguistic information which sets each passage within the socio-historic context of the eighth century BC. Hebrew vocabulary, syntax, and poetic language are examined in an effort to confront one of the most obscure sections of biblical literature. Eight pages of photographs and illustrations are also included, which take readers into the wonders of the Iron Age in which Hosea lived.

Logos Bible Software gives you the tools you need to use this volume effectively and efficiently. With your digital library, you can search for verses, find Scripture references and citations instantly, and perform word studies. Along with your English translations, all Scripture passages are linked to Greek and Hebrew texts. What’s more, hovering over a Scripture reference will instantly display your verse! The advanced tools in your digital library free you to dig deeper into one of the most important contributions to biblical scholarship in the past century!

Key Features

• Offers original translations, including alternative translations, annotations, and variants
• Provides verse-by-verse commentary on the text
• Presents the reader with historical background, including analysis of authorship and dating
• Features an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary literature

Contents

• Part I: Hosea’s Marriage (Chapters 1–3)
  • Title and Hosea’s Wife and the Naming and Renaming of the Children (1:1–2:3)
  • Defection and Retribution: Reconciliation and Renewal (2:4–25)
  • Hosea and the Woman (3:1–5)
• Part II: Hosea’s Prophecies (Chapters 4–14)
  • The State of the Nation: Preface (4:1–3)
  • The State of the Nation: Priest and People (4:4–19)
  • The State of the Nation: The Leaders’ Profanity (5:1–7)
  • The State of the Nation: The Nation’s Politics (5:8–11)
  • The State of the Nation: Assyria and Yahweh’s Sentence (5:12–15)
  • The State of the Nation: Israel’s Repentance (6:1–3)
  • The State of the Nation: Yahweh’s Sentence (6:4–6)
  • The State of the Nation: The Priests’ Crimes (6:7–7:2)
  • The State of the Nation: Domestic Policies (7:3–7)
  • The State of the Nation: International Politics (7:8–16)
  • The Spiritual History of Israel: The Calf of Samaria (8:1–8)
  • The Spiritual History of Israel: Alliances (8:9–14)
  • The Spiritual History of Israel: Desolation and Prophecy (9:1–9)
  • The Spiritual History of Israel: Baal Peor and Gilgal (9:10–17)
  • The Spiritual History of Israel: Misattribution and Misuse (10:1–8)
  • The Spiritual History of Israel: Gibeah and Beth Arbel (10:9–15)
  • The Spiritual History of Israel: Childhood and Consummation (11:1–11)
  • Retrospect and Prospect: Jacob-Israel in History and Prophecy (12:1–15)
  • Retrospect and Prospect: The End of Ephraim (13:1–14:1)
  • Retrospect and Prospect: Return, Renunciation, and Restoration (14:2–10)

Top Highlights

“The Book of Hosea does not present us with finished oracular utterances, ready for public delivery; rather it offers material from an earlier stage in the process, from the actual deliberations of Yahweh in the divine council.” (Page 45)

“a promiscuous wife and children of promiscuity. Both phrases are unique, occurring only here in Hosea.” (Page 157)

“It became a second capital of the Omride dynasty, although Samaria continued to be the main center; for the political history see Alt (1954). Ahab seems to have transferred his administration there, and developed his estate by murdering Naboth (1 Kings 21) (Andersen 1966b). It was at Jezreel that Jezebel, Joram, and Ahab’s bureaucrats were murdered by Jehu. The heads of Ahab’s seventy sons were sent there from Samaria (2 Kings 9–10).” (Page 173)

“In other places in Hosea, ‘the land’ is paralleled by ‘all its inhabitants,” (Page 169)

“In favor of the authenticity of the passage and its compatibility with Hosean authorship, we observe that Hosea often sets the most opposite ideas side by side in striking contrast. Total despair alternates with unbounded hope. It is part of Yahweh’s sovereign power that he can completely reverse anything. He can change ‘my people’ into ‘not my people,’ and he can reverse the direction too. The name and relationship can be changed back again. This is Hosea’s essential theology, and Hos 2:1–2 (or 3) predicts such a future switch in the name and status of the covenant people.” (Pages 199–200)

Product Details

• Title: Hosea
• Authors: Francis I. Andersen and David Noel Freedman
• Series: Anchor Yale Bible (AYB)
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 1996
• Pages: 720

About Francis I. Andersen

Francis I. Andersen taught the Bible in Australia, the United States, and around the world before retiring as professorial fellow in the department of classics and archaeology at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Out of his pioneering work on the poetics and metrics of biblical texts, he has produced over 70 scholarly articles and many books.

About David Noel Freedman

David Noel Freedman (1922–2008) received his PhD in Semitic languages and literature from Johns Hopkins University in 1948. Distinguished author and prolific editor, D. N. Freedman contributed to the Eerdmans Biblical Resources Series and The Bible in Its World.