The book of Hosea consists of fourteen chapters, which was the record for a minor prophet until Zechariah tied it a couple centuries later. During the time of the Minor Prophets, the nation of Israel had divided into two separate countries, each with its own government: Israel, the northern country consisting of ten tribes, and Judah, the remaining two tribes in the south. It’s like what would have happened to the United States if Lincoln said “Whatevs” after Fort Sumter, except in ancient Israel both countries were cool with slavery.
According to the opening verse, Hosea prophesied during the reigns of a several kings of Judah or one king of Israel. Of course, if the Christian interpretation is right and the Minor Prophets are one long prediction of Jesus, it would have been much more impressive to say that Hosea prophesied from roughly 780 BC to the beginning of the next century.
Many scholars think that prophesying for eighty years sounds like a bit of a stretch.
Spoiler alert: the name Hosea means “Yahweh saves.”
Hosea has issues. Prostitution, adultery, graphic imagery and jealous revenge are recurring themes in the book, so hide your kids, hide your wife, ‘cuz they’re sexin’ everybody in here.