Demonstrating again how Hosea is “closely
linked to Deuteronomy,” Hosea 11:8 compares Israel to two of the four cities of
the plains, Admah and Zeboyim (cf. Gen 14:8), named in Deuteronomy 29:22. The
parallel is striking because Hosea references only the more obscure towns and
does not mention their two infamous neighbors (Sodom and Gomorrah). Since
Deuteronomy 29 and Hosea 11 are the only two OT passages (part from Genesis
14:8-9) that reference the two lesser-known communities, Hosea is likely
intentionally alluding to Deuteronomy 29. In the earlier passage, God predicted
that he would one day destroy the nation of Israel as he did the four wicked
cities in Genesis 19. Similarly, in the Song of Moses, God that the nation’s “vine
comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah” (Deut 32:32).
However, in Hosea 11:8, God says that he cannot ultimately leave Israel like Sodom
and Gomorrah. When the destruction predicted in Deuteronomy 29:22 occurs, this
cannot be the end of Israel’s story because of his promises to the patriarchs.
This matches Deuteronomy 32:36’s statement that God will “relent concerning his
servants.” . . . rather than saying Matthew is using Hosea 11 typologically it
might be better to say that Matthew is pointing to a typology that was
already within Hosea 11 (exodus and new exodus). (Ryan E. Meyer, “This
Generation” in Matthew 24:34 and the New Exodus [Studies in Judeo-Christian
Thought Monograph Series 2; El Cajon, Calif.: SCS Press, 2025], 99-100, italics
in original)
