The Penn's Grove record., 1891-05-08
LESSON SURROUNDINGS.

CoNTEMPoRANEoUs HISTORY. - The
prophet Amos lived when Jeroboam Ii
was king of Israel and Uzziah king O.
Judah. The prophet Hosea began to
prophesy during the time of those
kings, and continued until the days oil
Hezekiah, king of Judah. In the open.
ing verse of the prophecy Hos. l y,
no mention is made Of any other king
of Israel than Jeroboam, but the -four
kings of Judah are named. This does
not prove that Hosea lived in Judah,
but is probably due to the unsettled
condition of the northern kingdom,
though there may be in this a recogni-
ton of the true theocratic succession
in Judah.
1t is probable that Jeroboam's reign
was nearly over when Hosea appeared
as prophet, since the book contains no
reference to the prosperity of that per-
iod. His work must have been finish
ed before the destruction of Samaria
in the sixth year of Hezekiah, so that
he could not have lived long after that
reign began. Hosea therefore imme-
diately followed Amos, and was a con-
temporary of Isaiah lisa. l ~ in his
earlier years. The period of Hosea's
activity is variously reckoned, accord
ing to the chronology adopted, from
sixty or seventy years to less than
thirty (see below. His name means
"God is help" or ''help," and is more
correctly "Hoshea." OF his life moth
ing is known, except on the theory that
chapters l 30 and 3 1-5 are histor-
zeal, and not figurative, statements.
While the prophecies refer almost ex-
clusively to Israel, the book was soon
known and recognized as prophetic in
the southern kingdom.
The northern kingdom. during the
activity of Hosea, who has been called
the Jeremiah Of Israel, was at its worst,
externally and internally, the history
agreeing with the prophecy. Jero-
boam's splendid reign was followed,
according to the usual chronology, by
an interregnum of ten or eleven years.
Iachariah, his son, reigned but six
months, being slain by the usurper
Shallum, who af err one month, was put
to death by Menahem. This tyrant
reigned ten years, and became tribut-
airy to Pull, king of Assyria. His son,
Pekahlah, succ, eded him, but WA slain,
after two years, by his general, Peksh.
Shortly after this, Uzziah died. The
twenty years reign of Pekah was full
of misfortune. Iiglath-P ileser H.,
king of Assyrla, conquered the larger
part of his dominions, carrying away
many of the inhabitants into captivity.
Another i~nterregnum (of nine years. is
assumed at this time, to give room for
the long reigns of contemporary kings
of Judah, Ahaz beginning to reign in
the seventeenth year of Pekah. The
last king of Israel was Hoshea, who
seems to have been the creature of the
But he sought alliance with
So Tor Shabaka), king of Egypt, and
was therefore imprisoned by Shalman-
eser, the king of Assyria, who besieged
Samaria for three years, and finally de-
it. The prophet probably died
after.
Meanwhile, in Judah, Uzzish was for
time a leper, punished for his at
to burn incense in the sanctuary.
His son lothian succeeded him (pro-
badly acted as regent for a long time
the death of his father. His
reign was prosperous, but the high
places remained. Ahaz, his son, was
idolatrous. Entering into alliance with
Tiglath-P ileser, when passed by the
and ~Israelits, he helped to
the conquest of the northern
kingdom, and also corrupted the wor-
o. ae temple IN imitation of for
eign usages. Hezekiah succeeded his
IN the third year of Hoshea's
and his history will be studied
in subsequent lessons.
PLACES. -Samaria, Eeth-el, to which
the names Beth-ayen and Aven are APP
piled meaning ''house of nothing
ness" or ''nothingness'). Beth-arbel
is supposed to he Irbid (AIbelal, not
far from Tiberias; but others think it
was the city on the Tigris.
TME.-It is impossible to fix the
dates with any accuracy. Assuming
that the beginning should be placed IN
the second year before the death of
Jeroboam H., and the end in the Sec
ond year of Hezekiah, the usual chron-
Dlogy would give us from b. Z. 1856 TO
b. G. 725. This is reckoned from b.
q. I'll as the date of the fall Of Sam
aria. PROBES or Davis, who places the
of Samsria in b. q. 722. shortens
the period considerably. He makes