Reading for July 17th

Read Hosea 4.11-19
God prosecutes Israel for heretical worship, employing the image of prostitution
introduced in chs. 1-3.
In verse 13 since mountains (Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion) and trees (Josh 24.26) are associated
with authentic Israelite worship, Hosea appears to be criticizing the worship of other gods at
these sites (as in Deut 2.2) rather than these natural features themselves.
In verse 14 the term temple prostitutes translates the Hebrew word "qedeshot," literally
"holy women."
Partly because of the images of prostitution in the context, scholars have suggested that
these women may have been practicing ritual sex in sacred fertility rites.
But the Hebrew term does not suggest this in itself, and there is very little concrete
evidence of such practices in the biblical world.
In verse 15 Gilgal likely refers to a religious sanctuary marking the site near Jericho
where Israel entered Canaan (Josh 4.19-20).
Beth-aven, literally "house of worthlessness," appears to be a scornful name for Bethel
("house of God"), one of the key northern religious shrines (1 Kings 12.26-30).
Comments or Questions...