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Osee

Chapter 1 · Douay–Rheims / Challoner

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Chapter I · Location 1 of 14

Chapter 1 · Open to read

From Osee · Douay–Rheims / Challoner (1749–1752)

How do the children’s names lead from judgment to the closing promise?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Osee’s marriage and named children signify Israel’s estrangement, followed by an innumerable reunited people.

Chapter breakdown

The word of the Lord comes to Osee, Beeri's son, in the days of Juda's kings Ozias, Joathan, Achaz and Ezechias and Israel's king Jeroboam, son of Joas. The Lord tells him to take a wife of fornications and have children of fornications, because the land will depart from the Lord through fornication. The edition explains that the wife has been given to fornication and represents God's dealings with offending Israel; the children's designation comes from their mother's character, perhaps also their own wicked dispositions.

Osee takes Gomer, Debelaim's daughter, and she bears him a son. The Lord commands the name Jezrahel: in a little while he will visit Jezrahel's blood upon Jehu's house, end the kingdom of Israel's house and break Israel's bow in Jezrahel's valley. Gomer next bears a daughter called Without mercy, explained in the note as Lo-Ruhamah. The Lord says he will no longer add mercy to Israel but utterly forget them, while saving Juda by the Lord their God rather than bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen. After the daughter is weaned, Gomer bears a son called Not my people, or Lo-ammi: they are not his people, and he will not be theirs.

The closing promise says Israel's children will be innumerable as sea sand. Where they were called not his people, they will be called sons of the living God. Juda and Israel will gather, appoint one head and come up out of the land; great is Jezrahel's day. The edition identifies the true Israelites with the Church of Christ's children, the one head with Christ and Jezrahel with the seed of God. The chapter does not narrate the particular killings at Jezrahel, identify Gomer's third child as her final child or give additional marriage customs.

The story inside

Jezrahel accompanies the announced judgment upon Jehu’s house. Without mercy contrasts Israel with Juda’s promised saving by God. The edition identifies the one head as Christ and explains Jezrahel as the seed of God.

Lessons worth keeping

  1. 1
    Jezrahel accompanies the announced judgment upon Jehu’s house.
  2. 2
    Without mercy contrasts Israel with Juda’s promised saving by God.
  3. 3
    The edition identifies the one head as Christ and explains Jezrahel as the seed of God.

Test your recall

What follows the declaration Not my people?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

  1. Lines 99202–99211

    1:2. The beginning of the Lord’s speaking by Osee: and the Lord said to Osee: Go, take thee a wife of fornications, and have of her children of fornications: for the land by fornication shall depart from the Lord. A wife of fornications.... That is, a wife that has been given to fornication. This was to represent the Lord’s proceedings with his people Israel, who, by spiritual fornication, were continually offending him.—Ibid. Children of fornications.... So called from the character of their mother, if not also from their own wicked dispositions.
  2. Lines 99216–99221

    1:4. And the Lord said to him: Call his name Jezrahel: for yet a little while, and I will visit the blood of Jezrahel upon the house of Jehu, and I will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. 1:5. And in that day I will break in pieces the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezrahel.
  3. Lines 99229–99231

    1:7. And I will have mercy on the house of Juda, and I will save them by the Lord, their God: and I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen.
  4. Lines 99249–99254

    1:11. And the children of Juda, and the children of Israel, shall be gathered together: and they shall appoint themselves one head, and shall come up out of the land: for great is the day of Jezrahel. One head.... viz., Christ.—Ibid. Great is the day of Jezrahel.... That is, of the seed of God; for Jezrahel signifies the seed of God.

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