Abstract
In Hosea 1–3, the woman ‘Gomer’ is often read as Hosea's promiscuous and adulterous wife. In this paper I propose that the metaphor of Israel should be read as prostitute and ‘prostitute’ should be understood as an independent, strong businesswoman rather than YHWH's whoring wife. When one reads ‘prostitute’ without negative coding in Hosea 1–3, understanding of the historical and social context completely shifts.
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