'' Hosea is the only prophet writer who came from the "Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (ca. 786-746 B.C.) and was prominent during the period of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah (Hos 1:1). Hosea was called by YHWH to prophesy about the destruction and exile of Israel at a time when Israel was in a stage of prosperity. His prophetic announcements indicate that he was active until near the fall of the Northern Kingdom (ca. 721/ 722 B.C.).

In the Book of Hosea, Israel means the ten tribes that formed the Northern kingdom and Judah means the tribes of Judah and Benjamin that formed the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom Israel is also known in various names in the book of Hosea, such as, Ephraim (4:17; 7:1) and Samaria (13:16). This Book is rich in imagery and figurative language when it comes to talking about God, Israel and their relationship to each other. The dominant metaphors used in this Book are of marriage and parenthood to explain the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Hosea described the history of Israel symbolically in chapters 1-3 and in a detailed way in chapters 4-14, with historical support. For this, he used imageries (2:2, 4:2, etc.) and metaphors (5:12;6:1;7:14; etc.). Chapters 9-10 mention all historical events in brief. Israel's life in Egypt and Exodus are described in Chapter 11.