Thursday, May 11, 2023

Yahweh as אִישִׁ֑י Ishi in Hosea 2:16

 In Hos 2:16 (v. 18 in the Hebrew), we read:

 

And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

 

Commenting on the use of אִישִׁ֑י Ishi for Yahweh, Hans Walter Wolff wrote:

 

The change of address from one to the other should be understood in terms of the metaphor of marriage Hosea uses. “My husband” (אִישִׁ֑י) is apparently an endearing expression; it addresses the husband as one who belongs to and who even enjoys a deep personal relationship with the “wife” (אִשָּׁה). (2:9, Gen 2:23f; cf. Gen 29:32, 34; 20:15, 20; 2 Sam 14:5; 2 Kgs 4:1) On the other hand, the address “my lord,” “my Baal” (בעלי) emphasizes the legal position of the husband as lord and “owner” of the wife. This is not necessarily a correspondingly genuine and personal devotion to her as his wife. (Ex 21:22; Dtn 22:22; 24:2; cf. Gen 20:3) Hence, this saying announces that Israel will not just respect Yahweh somewhat reluctantly, since he is its legal lord, but it knows itself to be placed in a completely new, loving relationship with him. In addition to the primary sense of the saying, there is a punlike polemic against the cult. The word for “Lord” in this parable is the same Hebrew word that denotes the Canaanite god, Baal. This undertone is intentional. It presupposes the existence of a syncretism in which Yahweh was worshipped as Baal. (Hans Walter Wolff, Hosea [Hermeneia—A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible; Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974], 49)

 

Further Reading:

 

Hans Walter Wolff, "Yahweh as Baal" and the use of in Hosea 2:16 בַּעְלִֽי Baali

Blog Archive