God’s Court Case with People and Priests (4:1-10): The redactor of Hosea’s book summarized the prophet’s message for us by collecting together the material in chapters 1–3 and placing it at the beginning of the work. The redactor’s intention with such a collection was that we read chapters 4–14 in the light of that introductory summary.

With chapter 4, however, we begin an examination of the separate oracles delivered by the prophet. But they too have been arranged by a redactor, and that constitutes a difficulty for their interpreter, because the separate oracles have been strung together in a sequence that often defies clear division.

How, for example, can we determine the original separate units of chapter 4? Only at 4:1 and 5:1 do we have clear indications of the beginnings of oracles. N…