Names in the Bible: Hosea

The name of the Hebrew prophet Hosea (8^th Century BC/BCE, ca. 780-725) is derived from the Hebrew word for “salvation.”  Hosea and his adulterous wife, Gomer, are seen by biblical interpreters as symbolic of Yahweh and Israel.  Just as Gomer ran away to another man, God declared that Israel was chasing after other gods.  The gods were affluence, Canaanite religions, sexual immorality, drunkenness, and magical practices.

Hosea named his daughter Lo-ruhama, meaning “not pitied.”  His son he named Lo-ammi, meaning “not my people.”  Both names expressed God’s displeasure. With Israel.

What happened next is also symbolic of God and Israel.  Hosea brought Gomer back and with love and patience, restored her to her proper place.  He remained true to her in spite of her unfaithfulness.  His love was redemptive.

Christians believe that what is taught of God and Israel speaks also to them, those grafted into the tree.  The relationship between redeemed man and God is seen as an ideal marriage.  Because of our limited ability to understand, God speaks to us in powerful symbols we can understand.

The names Joshua (Hebrew: Yehoshua) and Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua) are derived from the same word as Hosea/Hoshea and ultimately mean “Yahweh is salvation.” 

Religious Place Names

Iosepa, Hawaii, USA: “Iosepa” is the Hawaiian language version of the name “Joseph.”  The town is named for Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons).

Mahabarata, Nepal: Named for the Mahabarata, one of the ancient Sanskrit language holy books of Hinduism.

Tewin, England: Named for the Norse god, Tyr (aka: Tiw) plus “ing,”  “a meadow.”  Tyr was the Norse god of single-handed combat and victory.

Thundersley, England: From the Old English, Thunor’s leah (Sacred grove of Thunor).  Thunor was a variant name of Thor, the Norse god of thunder.

Shiloh, Tennessee, USA: Named for the ancient Ephraimite city of Shiloh, located about 12 miles northeast of Bethel, in the land of Canaan..  Judges 21:19.  The modern name of ancient Shiloh is Khirbet Seilun in the West Bank..  A “khirbet” is a “ruin on a hill.”

The Saddest Day in Jewish History

When Moses sent the twelve spies into Canaan, only two, Joshua and Caleb, came back with a positive report.  God declared that that present generation would not enter the Promised Land and that the day, the ninth of Av, would become one of crying for their descendents. (Numbers 13 and 14.)

The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC/BCE occurred on Tisha b'av, the ninth day of the month of Av (Hebrew Calendar).

The destruction of the Second Jewish Temple by Rome in 70 AD/CE occurred on the ninth of Av.

The Romans put down the Bar Kochba Revolt and destroyed the city of Betar in 132 AD/CE, on the ninth of Av.  Over 100,000 Jews were killed.

In 133 AD/CE, on the ninth of Av, the Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple.

The expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290 and from Spain in 1492 by King Ferdinand, the declaration of the First Crusade, the outbreak of World War I, and the deportation of Warsaw's Jews to the Treblinka Death Camp are all sometimes associated with the 9th of Av but did not occur on that day.  The Warsaw deportation is the closest to the correct date, beginning as it did on the 10th of Av.

Tisha B'Av is an annual fast day in Judaism.  Observant Jews do not eat, drink, work, bathe, wear leather shoes, or have sex on this day because it is a day of mourning.