Hosea

Chris Franke
— College of St. Catherine
"In this volume Ehud Ben Zvi reads Hosea as a book, not as a congeries of oracles. . . The strength of Ben Zvi's interpretation of Hosea is his emphasis on the cohesion of the book as a work meant to be read, reread, studied. Rather than reconstructing details of the life of Hosea the man or placing the oracles of Hosea in a particular historical setting, Ben Zvi shows that events within the world of the book lack specificity. . . In the process of rereading the book, readers can come to new insights as they reflect on YHWH's relationship to Israel through the initial period to punishment and finally to reestablishment of the relationship on more firm ground. Any lovers of bibliographies will be drawn to this book for the depth and breadth of Ben Zvi's references."

Martti Nissinen
— University of Helsinki
"Ehud Ben Zvi has written a commentary on the book of Hosea that interprets the text as a product of the postmonarchical community of Yehud. Rather than focusing on the historical prophet, it reads the book of Hosea from the point of view of the intended audience, the literate members of that community. Ben Zvi's genuinely new and important perspective makes this commentary essential reading to anyone doing serious work on this highly enigmatic prophetic book."