Ὡσηέ
Hosea
Definition
Ὡσηέ (Hosea) is the Greek form of the name of the Hebrew prophet Hosea, son of Beeri, who prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BC. His book, the first of the Minor Prophets, details his marriage to an unfaithful wife as a living parable of God's relationship with idolatrous Israel. In the New Testament, the name appears only in Romans 9:25, where Paul quotes Hosea 2:23, applying the prophet's message of restoration to the calling of the Gentiles into God's people.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Romans 9:25. Paul cites the prophet Hosea to support his argument about God's sovereign mercy in extending the gospel to the Gentiles. The usage is strictly as a proper name, referencing the Old Testament prophet and his written prophecy to make a theological point about inclusion in the new covenant.
Etymology
Ὡσηέ is a direct transliteration of the Hebrew name הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hoshea), meaning 'salvation' or 'deliverance.' The Greek form simply adapts the Hebrew sounds into the Greek alphabet, with no change in meaning. It is identical to the name of Joshua in the Septuagint (e.g., Joshua 1:1), which is also derived from the same Hebrew root.
Semantic Range
The citation of Hosea in Romans 9:25 is theologically significant, as Paul recontextualizes a prophecy originally about wayward Israel and applies it to the inclusion of the Gentiles. This demonstrates the continuity of God's saving character and the expansive nature of His mercy in the New Testament. Understanding this Greek name connects the reader directly to the Old Testament source, enriching the reading of Paul's argument about divine election and grace.
For a first-century Greek-speaking audience, 'Ὡσηέ' would have been recognized as the name of a significant Jewish prophet from the Septuagint. The cultural weight came entirely from its Jewish scriptural context, as the name itself held no independent meaning in Greek culture. Paul's use assumes his readers are familiar with the Hebrew scriptures in their Greek translation.
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous, G2424) — The Greek form of 'Joshua,' sharing the same Hebrew root ('salvation') but referring to a different biblical figure.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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