We begin Trei Asar (the Twelve Prophets), which opens with the Book of Hoshea: "The word of the Lord that came to Hoshea son of Be'eri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel." Radak opens the book by quoting: "Said David son of Joseph son of Kimchi the Sephardi - this was Radak, Rabbeinu David Kimchi - this is the book composed of twelve prophets. Our Sages of blessed memory said that they bound them together so that none of these books would be lost due to its small size, were each to remain on its own." Why do we call it Trei Asar? Why were they gathered and made, as it were, into a single book? Chazal explain: so that none of them would be lost on account of its brevity. Since these books are small - and as we will see, some are very small indeed - they bound them together in a single volume and named this collection Trei Asar, the Twelve Prophets. Radak's essential point is that this consolidation was technical. One should not imagine that some thematic link between one prophet and another placed them in a single volume; rather, it was because of the concern that they might be lost that they were compiled into one book.
The Men of the Great Assembly wrote the Book of Hoshea. The Men of the Great Assembly - Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Zerubbabel, Mordechai, and their colleagues - recorded Ezekiel, Trei Asar, Daniel, and Megillat Esther. Consequently, Hoshea, being part of Trei Asar, was recorded by the Men of the Great Assembly.
At the outset, the prophet notes the era: "The word of the Lord that came to Hoshea son of Be'eri." When was this? "In the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah" - all kings of Judah. He also mentions an additional king: "and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel." He mentions four kings of Judah and one king of Israel. Chazal ask: Why did Jeroboam son of Joash merit to be numbered alongside the kings of Judah? For as is well known, the kings of Israel were consistently wicked, whereas among the kings of Judah there were many who were righteous. Why, then, is Jeroboam son of Joash mentioned here - not to be confused with Jeroboam son of Nebat, but Jeroboam son of Joash - alongside the kings of Judah? Chazal explain: because he refused to accept lashon hara (slander). Jeroboam son of Joash possessed the merit of not accepting slander. As Scripture records: "Then Amaziah the priest of Beit-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying: Amos has conspired against you." We will see this later in the Book of Amos, in chapter 7: "Then Amaziah the priest of Beit-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying: 'Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land cannot endure all his words.' - Amos has said harsh things against you. - 'For thus has Amos said: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land.' And Amaziah said to Amos: 'Seer, go, flee to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there; but do not prophesy anymore at Beit-el, for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple.'"
Amaziah says to Amos: "Seer - you, the prophet - flee to the land of Judah, eat bread there and prophesy there, but do not return to Beit-el." Why? "For it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple" - the royal seat is there. "And Amos answered and said to Amaziah: 'I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but a herdsman and a tender of sycamore figs. And the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me: Go, prophesy to My people Israel.'" We will examine that full exchange in greater detail when we study Sefer Amos. In any case, Chazal explain that when Amaziah warned Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you" - reporting harsh accusations against him - Jeroboam replied: First, Heaven forbid that that righteous man said such a thing! He was unwilling to accept lashon hara. And second, even if he did say it, what can I do to him? The Shechinah told it to him. That is, he speaks by the word of the Lord; whatever was transmitted to him from Hashem is what he proclaims. It emerges that Jeroboam son of Joash had this merit: although he was a wicked king, he refused to accept slander, and on account of this he merited to be listed alongside the kings of Judah.
Our Rabbis of blessed memory taught, as cited by Radak: Wherever a prophet's name and his father's name are both stated, it is known that he is a prophet the son of a prophet. If both the prophet's name and his father's name are mentioned, we know that his father was also a prophet, as with Michayahu ben Yimlah. We know that Yimlah was also a prophet, even though no prophecy of his is recorded. For it is known that there were 1,200,000 prophets, but only the forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses whose prophecies were needed for future generations were written down. Thus, one often does not find or recognize the father in any recorded prophecy, because his prophecy was not needed for posterity. In any case, whenever both his name and his father's name are given, he is a prophet the son of a prophet. If his name is given but not his father's, it is known that he is a prophet, but not the son of a prophet - his father was not a prophet. If his name and the name of his city are given, he is known to be a prophet from that city; that is straightforward. The key emphasis follows: if his name is given without the name of his city, it is known that he was a prophet from Jerusalem. When a prophet is not identified with a specific town - unlike "Jeremiah... who was in Anatot" - we immediately know he was from Jerusalem. If the city is unnamed, he is from Jerusalem. Elijah is designated the Tishbite or the Gileadite, indicating he came from Tishbeh or Gilead; had it not been mentioned, we would know he was from Jerusalem. The Sages further noted: why are both the father and grandfather sometimes mentioned? This denotes the greatness of his lineage, showing that his ancestors were even greater than those of someone whose father alone is mentioned. His family was exceptionally distinguished, which is why Scripture traces three generations: grandfather, father, and son.
As for Be'eri: Radak explains that this entire introduction serves to clarify the phrase, "The word of the Lord that came to Hoshea son of Be'eri." Who was this Be'eri? Radak explains that this is the person mentioned in Chronicles under the name Be'erah, where it states that Tiglath-Pileser exiled him, and that he was a prince of the Reubenites. That Be'eri was a great man and a prophet. "The word of the Lord that came to Hoshea" - Radak notes that his prophecies were words of rebuke to Israel and Judah, for they did evil in the eyes of Hashem throughout the reigns of all these kings.
"The word of the Lord that came to Hoshea son of Be'eri." Rashi comments: He outlived these four kings during his lifetime. That is, he lived a long life spanning all of their reigns. He lived, a king died and was replaced, and he continued living; another king was replaced, and he continued living, through yet another king. He outlived four kings. Why does Rashi say four and not five? We have Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel - five kings! Why does Rashi say four? The answer is simple: the reign of Jeroboam son of Joash overlapped with the kings of Judah. The kings of Judah reigned successively, one after the other; two do not reign simultaneously. Uzziah was not Jotham, Jotham was not Ahaz, and Ahaz was not Hezekiah. These were distinct historical eras, and Hoshea lived through all of them. This shows that the prophet lived an exceptionally long life. From this, the Sages said: "Woe to authority (rabbanut), for it buries those who hold it." Notice that these were kings; kingship is a form of authority. *Rabbanut* here does not mean the rabbinate in our modern sense, but rather high office, lordship, and positions of power, from the root *rav*, a great person. Woe to positions of power, for they bury those who hold them, cutting a person's days short.
The Malbim explains the mention of "in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash." The underlying difficulty is: why insert the king of Israel here when listing the chronological era of the kings of Judah? What place does Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, have here? The Malbim notes: I have already explained in my commentary to II Kings 15 that ever since Joash defeated Amaziah king of Judah, the kings of Judah were subjugated under the kings of Israel. Amaziah was king of Judah and Joash son of Jehoahaz was king of Israel; once Joash conquered him, the divided kingdom reached a state where Judah was subdued beneath Samaria, humbled under the hand of Samaria and Joash. Consequently, the monarchy was dated according to the kings of Israel. How long did this last? For twenty-four years, until the reign of Uzziah - which corresponds to the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam son of Joash. At that point, King Uzziah strengthened himself and reigned fully in his own right. That is, he cast off the yoke of the king of Israel and ruled independently, no longer subjugated under Jeroboam. Subjugation could mean paying tribute, being restricted from raising an army, and similar forms of vassalage imposed when one kingdom dominates another.
Based on this, the Malbim explains, one can understand why the prophecies of Hoshea and Amos state that they prophesied in the days of Jeroboam. The Malbim observes that this is otherwise perplexing. First, we never find a prophet's timeline dated by the kings of Israel; prophets are consistently dated by the kings of Judah. Second, beyond the anomaly of introducing Jeroboam, a king of Israel, if Scripture truly wished to reckon the years of his prophecy according to the wicked kings of Israel, why mention only Jeroboam? During those years, Zechariah son of Jeroboam also reigned in Israel, as did Menahem and Pekah. If you want to date Hoshea's era by the kings of Israel, you should list all who reigned in his time! The standard approach is to date by the kings of Judah, with no need to mention the kings of Israel, especially since the kings of Judah were more righteous. If you choose to mention a king of Israel anyway, list all the kings who reigned during that period. To single out only one king among them is baffling. It is true that Chazal resolved this difficulty by pointing out Jeroboam's personal merit, but the Malbim offers a historical explanation that appeals to the intellect. According to our explanation, he writes, you will understand: Jeroboam held dominion over Judah. When the kingdom of Israel subjugated Judah, there were years when Judah was subservient to him, and before Uzziah consolidated his independent rule, the entire realm was reckoned under Jeroboam's reign. It is therefore entirely fitting to list Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah alongside Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, for all of them ruled over Judah. Jeroboam conquered Judah and ruled over it during that period. When Scripture writes "in the days of Uzziah," it refers to the period after the twenty-fourth year of the joint chronology, from which point the kingdom was named after Uzziah. For twenty-four years Jeroboam held sway; then Uzziah grew strong and reigned independently, followed by Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
"The beginning of the Lord's speaking with Hoshea: And the Lord said to Hoshea, 'Go, take for yourself a woman of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land goes astray in harlotry, turning away from following the Lord.'" To understand this narrative, let us read several verses together and then examine what is taking place: "So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. And the Lord said to him: 'Call his name Jezreel, for in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass on that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.' And she conceived again and bore a daughter. And He said to him: 'Call her name Lo-ruhamah (Unpitied), for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should forgive them. But I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.' And she weaned Lo-ruhamah, and conceived and bore a son. And He said: 'Call his name Lo-ammi (Not My People), for you are not My people, and I will not be yours.'" These verses, down to the end of verse 9, give us a broad picture of the prophet's marriage to this woman called Gomer bat Diblaim. Before analyzing the narrative itself, we must examine the phrase, "The beginning of the Lord's speaking with Hoshea." What does "the beginning of the Lord's speaking" mean?
Rabbi Yochanan said: Why does it say, "The beginning of the Lord's speaking with Hoshea"? Because he was the first of four prophets who prophesied in that era: Hoshea, Isaiah, Amos, and Micah. This means that Hoshea's prophecy preceded Isaiah's, which is why Scripture says "the beginning." For did God speak first with Hoshea? From Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, until Hoshea, how many prophets were there? As the Gemara asks: Rabbi Yochanan explains that among the prophets of that era - Hoshea, Isaiah, Amos, and Micah - Hoshea was the first. "The beginning of the Lord's speaking" signifies that the initial prophecy, the first prophet among them, was Hoshea. The Malbim calculates the timeline in verse 1, demonstrating that even chronologically it is exact: Hoshea was indeed the first prophet, proven by the reckoning regarding Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel. Rashi, however, explains the plain meaning of "The beginning of the Lord's speaking with Hoshea" as: the very first utterance that the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke to Hoshea was this command. According to Rashi, the verse is not comparing Hoshea to other prophets at all; rather, it describes the first words God ever addressed to him: "The beginning of the Lord's speaking with Hoshea: And the Lord said to Hoshea, 'Go, take for yourself a woman of harlotry...'" That was the initial prophecy delivered to Hoshea.
The general thrust of what was conveyed to him was to go and take a woman notorious as a harlot, symbolizing that "the land goes astray in harlotry, turning away from following the Lord." This woman subsequently bears him children, whom he names according to the events that will befall the Jewish people. This is the explicit account in the text. We should know that there are three primary approaches to understanding this episode, which we will outline broadly before examining each in detail. The first approach is that of Chazal: everything you read here occurred literally. God commanded Hoshea to take a known harlot, giving him the instructions we will soon examine, and Chazal describe a narrative continuation beyond what is explicitly written in the verses. The second explanation is that this entire episode - "Go, take for yourself a woman of harlotry," bearing children, and so forth - occurred entirely in a prophetic vision (*mar'eh hanevuah*). It was all within the realm of "the Lord's speaking with Hoshea." God showed him a prophecy in which He commands him to take her, and in the vision he sees himself taking her, children are born, and the entire sequence unfolds. The third approach is that of Targum Yonatan: there was no command or physical action here at all; rather, it is an allegorical depiction of the nation's spiritual state. This explanation requires closer study, which we will provide shortly.
Let us begin with the approach that maintains this entire episode took place in a prophetic vision. Ibn Ezra opens his commentary with the words of the author, Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra: "Far be it, far be it, that God would command someone to take a woman of harlotry and bear children of harlotry!" The principle that "it is enough for a servant to be like his master" does not apply here, for straying from God is an allegory, whereas in man it is a physical act. "What seems correct in my eyes," writes Ibn Ezra, is that one cannot say, "Just as Israel strayed from God, so should the prophet do likewise." Far be it from us to interpret this literally! Rather: "What seems correct in my eyes is that this prophet saw in prophetic visions, in a night vision, that God said to him, 'Go, take for yourself a woman of harlotry,' and he went and took her" - all within the vision of prophecy. He took a known woman, and she conceived and gave birth, all within the prophetic vision. Ibn Ezra says this is the true meaning of the verses. Do not be surprised by this, just as Scripture states regarding Moses: "If there be a prophet among you... I the Lord make Myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream." Similarly, regarding Isaiah: "My servant Isaiah walked naked and barefoot." Do you imagine this happened literally? Not at all! Why would the prophet walk naked on account of Cush and Egypt? Rather, in a prophecy he saw himself walking naked and barefoot. The same applies to Ezekiel: "Take a brick," "lie on your left side," "take wheat," and the matter of shaving the beard - all these symbolic actions took place in visions of prophecy. He adduces further proofs, but according to Ibn Ezra, the entire episode transpired in a prophetic vision. Radak likewise writes that this whole matter occurred in a prophetic vision, serving as a parable for the Jewish people who stray after false gods, as it says: "for the land goes astray in harlotry, turning away from following the Lord."
Another approach is that of Chazal. Rashi cites: "'Take for yourself a woman of harlotry' - our Rabbis explained this literally, because Hoshea said of Israel: 'Exchange them for another nation.'" To understand what our Rabbis meant, we must look at the extended discussion in the Gemara in Tractate Pesachim (87a). Rashi quoted only a single sentence from the broader passage, so let us examine the full narrative as the Gemara details it: "'The word of the Lord that came to Hoshea... in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.' Four prophets prophesied in one era, and the greatest among them was Hoshea, as it says: 'The beginning of the Lord's speaking with Hoshea.' Did God speak first with Hoshea? Were there not many prophets from Moses until Hoshea? Rabbi Yochanan said: He was the first of four prophets who prophesied in that era - Hoshea, Isaiah, Amos, and Micah. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Hoshea: 'Your children have sinned.' Hoshea should have replied: 'Master of the Universe, they are Your children, the children of Your beloved ones, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! Extend Your mercy to them!' This is what God anticipated the prophet would say. Not only did Hoshea fail to say this, but he replied: 'Master of the Universe, the entire world is Yours; exchange them for another nation!' What is the problem, Master of the Universe? If they cause trouble, there is a trade-in option: swap the old for the new, zero mileage! Why tolerate trouble? Exchange them for another nation! The Holy One, blessed be He, said: 'What shall I do with this elder? I speak to him in this manner expecting a compassionate plea, and his response is to tell Me to exchange them for another nation?' God said to him: 'Go, take a harlot and father children of harlotry, and afterward I will tell you to send her away. If you are able to send her away, I too will cast off Israel.' As it says: 'And the Lord said to Hoshea: Go, take for yourself a woman of harlotry and children of harlotry.' And it is written: 'So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim.'" Who was this woman Gomer? Chazal offer a homiletical exposition, which we will examine shortly when we reach the text of the verse.
"And she conceived and bore him a son. And the Lord said to him: Call his name Jezreel..." She conceived again and bore a daughter, and God told him to name her Lo-ruhamah, for He would no longer have compassion. Then another son was born, and God told him to name him Lo-ammi. After two sons and a daughter were born to him, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Hoshea: "Should you not have learned from Moses, your teacher? As soon as I spoke with him, he separated from his wife." And in Moses' case, she was a righteous woman! God said to him: "Separate yourself from her." All the more so here, with a woman who is hardly a great prize: separate yourself from her! Hoshea replied: "Master of the Universe, how can I divorce her? I have children from her; I cannot put her out or divorce her!" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "If you, whose wife is a harlot and whose children are born of harlotry - so that you do not even know whether they are yours or fathered by others - feel such attachment that you cannot send them away (for with such a woman, nothing is certain; go take a DNA test!), then what of Israel, who are My children, the offspring of My cherished ones, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? They are one of the four possessions I acquired in My world: the Torah is one possession, as it is written, 'The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way'; heaven and earth are one possession, as it is written, 'Possessor of heaven and earth'; the Beit HaMikdash is one possession, as it is written, 'This mountain which His right hand possessed'; and Israel is one possession, as it is written, 'This people whom You possessed.' They are My acquisition, children of the holy Patriarchs, and they are definitely My children - unlike your children, whose paternity is uncertain. And yet you told Me to exchange them for another nation? How could you say such a thing?"
This entire ordeal was an educational process for the prophet, bringing him to realize that his attitude had been flawed. Once Hoshea realized he had sinned, he arose to pray for mercy upon himself. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Before you plead for mercy upon yourself, plead for mercy upon Israel, for I have decreed three decrees against them on your account!" In other words, God told him: You are still acting improperly. First you acted improperly by saying "Exchange them for another nation," and now you act improperly by seeking mercy for yourself because you spoke out of turn. The proper course now is to speak correctly - and what does that mean? Pray for mercy for Israel! That is what you must do right now. Hoshea immediately prayed for mercy, annulled the decrees, and began to bless them, as it says: "And the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea." That is the very next passage: immediately following the episode of Lo-ammi and the rebuke described in the Gemara, Hoshea blesses Israel: "And the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea... and it shall come to pass that instead of that which was said to them, 'You are not My people,' it shall be said to them, 'Children of the living God.' Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together... and I will sow her unto Me in the land, and I will have compassion on Lo-ruhamah, and I will say to Lo-ammi, 'You are My people.'"
According to this second explanation, everything recounted here actually occurred in reality, in order to demonstrate to the prophet how difficult it is for a person to detach himself even from someone who is far from righteous. How much more difficult is it, so to speak, for the Master of the Universe to sever ties with His children, the offspring of His beloved ones! Hoshea's words thus warranted criticism from the Almighty. That is the second explanation. The third approach is that of Targum Yonatan, which presents an entirely novel interpretation, explaining the verses homiletically rather than literally. Targum Yonatan translates: "The beginning of the word of the Lord with Hoshea" - *sharyut* means beginning, *pitgama* means speech. "And the Lord said to Hoshea: Go, prophesy against the inhabitants of the errant city" - *karta ta'avata*, the abhorrent city whose residents commit transgressions - "who continue to add sins; for the inhabitants of the land stray from the service of the Lord." Rashi explains that while we might read "take for yourself a woman of harlotry" as an instruction to marry her - either literally as Chazal explain, or in a prophetic vision as Ibn Ezra maintains - Targum Yonatan reads "take" (*kach*) as "learn" or "receive." "Take for yourself a woman of harlotry" means: go receive a prophecy concerning people steeped in harlotry, and teach them to repent. Go prophesy against the inhabitants of the errant city who commit acts of harlotry. When the verse says, "for the land goes astray in harlotry," we might understand it in the future tense, but Rashi explains that God is describing an existing reality: they are currently straying and distancing themselves from the service of Hashem, like a faithless woman wandering from her husband. Therefore, take this lesson to heart and rebuke this woman of harlotry and these children of harlotry, for you see that the land has strayed into abominable deeds; you must deliver a prophecy to rebuke them. That is the meaning according to Targum Yonatan. The commentators note that this is a fitting interpretation. Radak concludes: "Yonatan translated the matter allegorically, and his interpretation is correct." In other words, Radak affirms that Yonatan's allegorical reading is valid, according to which there was no actual command to marry anyone, even in a vision.
The Malbim explains that whenever Scripture uses the phrase *dibber b'-* ("spoke with" or "in") rather than *dibber el* ("spoke to") - as in "The beginning of the Lord's speaking *with* Hoshea" (*be-Hoshea*) - it denotes the Holy Spirit speaking within the prophet for his own sake. When God speaks *el* (to) someone, it is for the benefit of others; but when God speaks *b'-* (in/with) someone, as in *dibber Hashem be-Hoshea*, it pertains to Hoshea himself, addressing matters necessary for the prophet's own spiritual development. This was not a mission directed toward the entire nation, but an address directed at the prophet personally. We must understand a fundamental principle: as mentioned earlier, there were 1,200,000 prophets whose prophecies were not recorded for posterity. A common misconception exists that a prophet is simply someone whom the Almighty contacts in order to guide, notify, inspire, or direct the nation. People mistakenly assume that all 1,200,000 prophets rebuked the nation, but because their words were not needed for future generations, they went unrecorded. This is an error. Prophecy in its essence was never primarily intended for the public. A prophet receives prophecy from Hashem for his own personal spiritual elevation. As the Mesillat Yesharim explains, the ultimate rung of spiritual ascent - following watchfulness, alacrity, cleanliness, and the other levels - is Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit). When a person elevates and sanctifies himself, he reaches a stage where the Holy One, blessed be He, communicates with him. Divine communication represents an intimate connection with spirituality and advancement in the service of God. Then, because this individual has achieved such proximity to the Master of the Universe and attained an elevated state of Divine Providence, Hashem may employ him to convey messages to the people. A communication channel already exists. Yet the prophecy was not initiated merely for the nation's sake; the prophet achieved prophecy as a result of his own spiritual perfection. In certain specific cases, such as Jeremiah, God states, "Before I formed you in the belly I knew you... a prophet to the nations I appointed you." Ordinarily, however, prophets were individuals who elevated themselves until they merited a direct relationship with the Master of the Universe, Who guided them in personal conduct and divine service. Their secondary role was that if a message needed to be communicated to the people, Hashem conveyed it through them. The word *navi* (prophet) derives from *niv sefatayim* (speech of the lips), signifying one who receives Divine speech and with whom the Holy One, blessed be He, communicates.
Returning to our text: the Malbim explains that "the Lord's speaking with Hoshea" indicates speech directed at Hoshea's own needs, rather than a mission to the nation. That is why it says *be-Hoshea* rather than *el Hoshea*. Additionally, the Malbim notes that the preposition *b'-* can connote a grievance or complaint. He cites several examples, such as "we have spoken against the Lord and against you" (*dibarnu va'Hashem u-vach*), where speaking *in/against* someone denotes censure and rebuke. Thus, speaking *in* someone either means speaking for the prophet's personal sake, as in "the Spirit of the Lord spoke in me" (*dibber bi*) or "in a dream I will speak with him" (*adabber bo*), or it signifies words of rebuke. The Malbim explains that both meanings apply here: "the Lord's speaking with Hoshea" was both for the prophet's own spiritual correction and an expression of grievance and censure. God addressed Hoshea with stern words: you have acted improperly, and you must repent for what you said. Second, it was for his personal sake, rather than a prophecy to be delivered to the nation; it was a private lesson directed at the prophet himself.
From this confrontation arose God's command to Hoshea: "Go, take for yourself a woman of harlotry." The Malbim explains that this dispute directly relates to the command that follows. If Scripture says "the Lord spoke with Hoshea," what was that stern prophecy and rebuke about? What did God address to him personally? Chazal deduced the nature of that dialogue from what immediately follows: "Take for yourself a woman of harlotry." From this command, we understand what the contention was about, and where the censure lay. Chazal derived that Hoshea had argued that the Holy One, blessed be He, should exchange Israel for another nation. Hoshea did not want to go on God's mission to rebuke them. As the Malbim explains, delivering God's mission is an absolute duty incumbent upon prophets. When God sends a prophet, he cannot refuse; a prophet who suppresses his prophecy is liable to death at the hands of Heaven. He must deliver what was given to him, as we see in the case of Jonah, who was pursued because a prophet must proclaim what God commanded. Hoshea, however, was reluctant to go and rebuke Israel, saying to the Almighty: "Master of the Universe, they have corrupted their ways - abandon them!"
Hoshea essentially said: Leave them be! All this arose because he did not want to carry out God's mission to rebuke them. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Since you refuse to go and rebuke them, and I refuse to cast them away, you shall experience what I experience. Place yourself in My position! What is that position? "Take for yourself a woman of harlotry..." Now you find yourself in the very same situation. On the one hand, what can you say to her? You knew what she was from the beginning - a woman of harlotry! On the other hand, you cannot divorce her, for you have children with her. God said: If you will not go on My mission, step into My shoes. See for yourself the reality, so to speak, in which the Master of the Universe stands.
This is what the verse means by "Take for yourself a woman of harlotry" (*eshet zenunim*). The Malbim explains that this refers to a woman notorious for promiscuity. "Children of harlotry" (*yaldei zenunim*) means that she already had children born of promiscuity, which in itself proved her reputation. This mirrors what Scripture says of Tamar: "Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot, and also, behold, she is with child by harlotry" (*harah liznunim*) - her pregnancy was outward proof of her prior promiscuity. The Malbim explains the distinction between *zenut*, *zenunim*, and *taznut*: *zenut* is the standard term; *zenunim* denotes a woman whose promiscuity is public knowledge, which is why Scripture says "she is with child by harlotry" (*zenunim*) and "let her remove her harlotries (*zenuneha*) from her face," indicating public notoriety, including having children from various men; while *taznut* refers to enticing others into promiscuity.
Thus, explains the Malbim, God told him: "Take for yourself a woman of harlotry and children of harlotry." In an additional explanation, the Malbim notes that "children of harlotry" means that the children you father with her will be deemed children of harlotry, since you can never be certain they are truly yours, given her established promiscuity. To this God adds: "for the land goes astray in harlotry, turning away from following the Lord." The congregation of Israel stands in the role of an unfaithful wife straying after idolatry, and what she bears is born in harlotry. What does this mean? Their offspring follow in their footsteps: when they raise the next generation, they educate them to turn away from Hashem, raising them with heretical ideas, idolatry, and denial of God. Yet despite this, I maintain My bond with this faithless wife, Knesset Yisrael; I do not cast the Jewish people away from before Me. God said to Hoshea: You, too, must do the same.
The Malbim continues: If you question this based on the difficulty raised by Ibn Ezra and others - how could the Holy One, blessed be He, command a prophet of God to marry a harlot (which led Ibn Ezra to conclude it was a vision and Targum Yonatan to explain it as a parable)? - the Malbim answers that there is no absolute contradiction here, because Hoshea was not a kohen. A harlot (*zonah*) is forbidden to a kohen, but she is not forbidden to a regular Israelite; as an Israelite, Hoshea was not halachically prohibited from marrying such a woman. Furthermore, consider Joshua, who married Rahab, about whom the Sages said that all the rulers of the world had frequented her. While one can distinguish that case because she had converted, creating an entirely new legal status, we still see that despite a prior tainted past, such a reality exists. Do not be astonished, then, that God gave the prophet such an instruction.
You might argue: even if not technically forbidden, it remains unbefitting for a prophet! True, says the Malbim, but at times the Almighty commands a prophet to do things that seem unbefitting as a temporary injunction (*hora'at sha'ah*). For example, God commanded Ezekiel to shave the edge of his head and his beard with a razor; Elijah offered sacrifices on Mount Carmel during a period when private altars (*bamot*) were forbidden; and Gideon was commanded to take his father's bull that had been fattened for idolatry and offer it on God's altar, an act that involved ten apparent prohibitions. All of these were commanded as temporary measures. Here, too, the Malbim concludes: do not wonder at this command, for it was a temporary injunction (*hora'at sha'ah*) designed to teach a crucial lesson.