Gomer

September 29, 2017

Hosea buys a prostitute (Hos 3:2-3: 3)

“So,

I bought her

For fifteen shekels

Of silver,

As well as a homer

Of barley,

With a measure

Of wine.

I said to her.

‘You must dwell

As mine

For many days.

You shall not play

The prostitute.

You shall not have

Intercourse

With a man.

Nor will I have

Intercourse with you.’”

Is Hosea buying back Gomer or another woman? The assumption is that this is Gomer, the original prostitute. He purchased her like a slave. It is not clear who he bought her from. Nevertheless, he paid 15 silver shekels, approximately a little over $3,000.00 for her, as well as some barley and wine. Hosea laid down some conditions for his newly purchased sex slave. She could not be a prostitute. She would not have intercourse with any man, not even himself. This would seem to indicate that women needed to control their sexual urges more than men, which seems unrealistic.

September 28, 2017

The punishment for Israel (Hos 2:13-2:13)

“‘I will punish her

For the festival days

Of the Baals.

There she burned

Incense to them.

She decked herself

With her ring,

With jewelry.

She went after

Her lovers.

She forgot me.’

Says Yahweh.”

The “her” here is clearly Israel in this oracle of Yahweh. Israel had prostituted itself by running to the false idol Baal gods. Yahweh was going to punish the people of Israel, because they were burning incense to these gods on the festival days of Baal. Israel, like Gomer, decked herself out with a ring and jewelry. When she sought her idol lovers, she forgot Yahweh.

September 27, 2017

The necessities of life (Hos 2:8-2:9)

“She did not know

That it was I

Who gave her

The grain,

The wine,

The oil.

I lavished upon her

Silver,

With gold,

That they used for Baal.

Therefore,

I will take back

My grain,

In its time.

I will take back

My wine,

In its season.

I will take away

My wool,

With my flax,

That were to cover

Her nakedness.

The prophet Hosea, like Yahweh, had given Gomer, like Israel, grain, wine, and oil. Silver and gold also came from him. Then they, the Israelites, like Gomer, used these precious metals on Baal. Therefore, he was going to take back his grain and wine at the right time in the season. He also was going to take back his wool and flax that she had used as clothing to cover her naked body. It was a sign of reproach to have a naked body.

September 27, 2017

No pity for the children (Hos 2:4-2:5)

“Also,

I will have no pity

Upon her children,

Because they are children

Of whoredom.

Their mother

Has played the whore.

She conceived them,

But she has acted shamefully.

She said.

‘I will go after

My lovers.

They give me

My bread,

My water,

My wool,

My flax,

My oil,

My drink.’”

The prophet Hosea also has no pity on his or her children since they were considered the children of a prostitute. She conceived them and bore them, but she had acted shamefully. She went after her lovers in order to get bread, water, wool, flax, oil, and something to drink, basically the necessities of life. Obviously, Gomer, the prostitute, was the Israelite people, who sought their lovers among the various fertility Canaanite gods and Baals.

September 27, 2017

The breakup (Hos 2:2-2:3)

“Plead with your mother!

Plead!

She is not my wife!

I am not her husband!

She should put away

Her whoring

From her face.

She should put away

Her adultery

From between her breasts.

Otherwise,

I will strip her naked.

I will expose her

As in the day

She was born.

I will make her

Like a wilderness.

I will turn her

Into a parched land.

I will kill her

With thirst.”

Now the prophet Hosea really tore into Gomer. He told the children that Gomer was not his wife and that he was not her husband. Gomer had to stop her whoring ways. She continued to commit adultery, although she bore 3 children. Hosea had a punishment for her. He was going to strip her naked, so that she would be like the day she was born. He was going to turn her into a wilderness or a parched land. He was going to kill her with thirst. I guess that there was no reconciliation here. The verse numbering system is not the same here for various bibles, since the Bible of Jerusalem has this at the end of the chapter.

September 26, 2017

The second son was called Lo-ammi (Hos 1:8-1:9)

“When Gomer

Had weaned Lo-ruhamah,

She conceived again.

She bore another son.

Yahweh said.

‘Name him Lo-ammi!

You are not my people!

I am not your God!’”

After Gomer had weaned her daughter Lo-ruhamah, the not loved or not pitied one, she conceived and bore another son. This time his name was to be Lo-ammi, meaning not my people. In very strong terms, Yahweh said that the Israelites were not his people. He was not going to be their God.

September 26, 2017

The daughter was called Lo-ruhamah (Hos 1:6-1:6)

“Gomer conceived again.

She bore a daughter.

Then Yahweh said to Hosea.

‘Name her Lo-ruhamah!

I will no longer

Have pity

On the house

Of Israel!

I will no longer

Forgive them.’”

Gomer once again became pregnant. This time she bore a daughter. Yahweh spoke directly with Hosea. This daughter was to be named Lo-ruhamah, another symbolic name that means not pitied or not loved anymore. Then Yahweh explained that he was not going to have pity on the house of Israel any more. He was not going to forgive them for what they had done.

September 26, 2017

The son of Hosea is called Jezreel (Hos 1:3-1:5)

“Gomer conceived.

She bore him a son.

Yahweh said to him,

‘Name him Jezreel!

In a little while,

I will punish

The house of Jehu

For the blood of Jezreel.

I will put an end

To the kingdom

Of the house of Israel.

On that day,

I will break

The bow of Israel

In the valley of Jezreel.’”

Gomer then conceived and bore a son. Yahweh, spoke directly to Hosea. He told him to name his son, Jezreel, meaning that God sows. All the children of this union between Hosea and Gomer will have symbolic prophetic names. In a little while, Yahweh was going to punish the house of Jehu, who had been king nearly a century earlier in 841-814 BCE. The current king of Israel, King Jeroboam II (783-743 BCE) was a descendant of King Jehu. Jezreel was also the name of the royal palace where King Jehu had killed the descendants of King Omri (885-874 BCE). The dynasty of King Jehu actually ended with the son of King Jeroboam II, King Zachariah in 743 BCE, after the death of King Jeroboam. Yahweh also said that the house of Israel would come to an end, which it did in 724 BCE. Thus, Yahweh was going to break the bow of Israel in Jezreel, the northern royal palace. Jezreel was also the name of the valley of Megiddo. The so-called history of the northern Israelite kings, especially King Jehu, can be found in 2 Kings, chapters 9-10.

June 24, 2017

The allies of Gog (Ezek 38:5-38:6)

“Persia,

Cush,

Put,

Are with them.

All of them

Have shields

With helmets.

Gomer

With all its troops

Are with them.

Beth-togarmah,

From the remotest parts

Of the north,

Are with them,

With all its troops.

Many people

Are with you.”

Yahweh, via Ezekiel, listed the allies of Gog. Ezekiel seemed to remind Gog who was on his side. Persia was an ally. Cush or Ethiopia was also on his side. Put or Libya was also with him. Of course, they all had their shields and helmets. Also with Gog were the people of Gomer, who was the biblical son of Japheth, the son of Noah, with his army. Beth-togarmah, the horse traders with Tyre from chapter 27, from the remote north, was also with Gog. Once again, these northern countries had lots of people in their armies.

October 19, 2014

The descendents of Japheth (1 Chr 1:5-1:7)

“The descendents of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The descendents of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah. The descendents of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.”

Now the main reference point will be chapter 10 of Genesis, explicitly explaining how the earth was populated. Here they are called the descendents of each one, not just their names. Who are these people? Japheth is usually listed as the 3rd or youngest son of Noah, but here he comes first, as in Genesis, chapter 10. Generally speaking, he is considered the father of the Indo-Europeans, the Japhetic race, as if all Europeans were the same. He had 7 sons but the children of only 2 are given here, Gomer and Javan, as in Genesis, chapter 10. The eldest son Gomer has 3 mentioned children, while Javan has 4 mentioned children. According to Josephus (37-100 CE) and Isidore of Seville (560-636 CE), who tried to pinpoint these peoples, Gomer was the source of the Galatians, Gauls, and Celts. Among Gomer’s 3 sons, the Ashkenaz have been associated with Armenian, Slavic, and Germanic roots. Also the Jewish group of central Europe had this name of Ashkenaz. Diphath was named Riphath in Genesis, chapter 10, a possible confusion between the Hebrew dalet (d) and resh (r).  He has been associated with the Greeks and the Celtics. Togarmah, the 3rd son of Gomer is usually associated with Anatolia, the Turks, or the Caucasus. Magog, the 2nd son of Japheth, has been associated with the Scythians around the Black Sea, as well as the Goths and the Celtics. No children are listed for him or Madai, the 3rd son. He is usually linked to Iran and Medes, the Persian area. More information about these children can be found in the Book of Jubilees (160-150 BCE) a 50 chapter work that combines Genesis with Moses, recently found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The 4th son Javan lists 4 children. Javan is considered to be the source of the Greek people or the Ionians. His sons have a variety of sources along the Mediterranean Sea. Elishah and Kittim have been associated with Cyprus, while Tarshish with southern Spain, and Rodanim with the island of Rhodes. Tubal has been associated with the Basques or the Iberians in Spain. Meshech has been associated with the Cappadocians or the Muscovites. Tiras has been identified with the Etruscans of Rome and Greece. Although many people have tried to identify where the ancestors of people have come from, the ancient sources, such as the Book of Jubilees, Josephus, and Isidore of Seville, seem as reliable as any in developing the perceived folklore about these people.