Meaning & use
Hosea
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Meanings
proper nounproperreligion
A Hebrew prophet of the eighth century BCE, who told the Israelites to return to God.
Grammar: Always capitalized, with no article: Hosea warned the people.
Hosea spoke to the northern kingdom of Israel about faithfulness.
In the story, Hosea marries a woman who leaves him.
Many sermons quote Hosea on mercy.
proper nounproperreligion
The book of the Old Testament that records this prophet's messages.
Grammar: Used as a book title: Hosea comes before Joel.
Patterns
- the book of Hosea
Our study group is reading Hosea this month.
Hosea is the first of the twelve minor prophets.
She marked a verse in Hosea.
Common combinations
- the book of Hosea
- The book of Hosea is short but powerful.
- the prophet Hosea
- The prophet Hosea lived about 2,700 years ago.
- Hosea chapter
- Turn to Hosea chapter 11.
- in Hosea
- There is a passage in Hosea about love.
Word family
Commonly confused: Hosea or Joshua?
Hosea vs Joshua
Joshua is a different biblical figure, though the Hebrew names are related.
Practice
How is the name Hosea usually pronounced in English?
Choose one answer.
The usual English pronunciation is hoh-ZAY-uh, stressed on the second syllable. The other options do not match standard usage.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Hosea”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.