Sunday, July 12, 2015

Hoshea has Sources

An earlier verse of Hoshea, 2:20, reads:

וְכָרַתִּי לָהֶם בְּרִית, בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, עִם-חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה וְעִם-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְרֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה; וְקֶשֶׁת וְחֶרֶב וּמִלְחָמָה אֶשְׁבּוֹר מִן-הָאָרֶץ, וְהִשְׁכַּבְתִּים לָבֶטַח

In the light of 4:3 it is clear that עִם-חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה וְעִם-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם comes from Bereshit 2:19. The words of the third item, רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה, come from Bereshit 6:7:

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶמְחֶה אֶת-הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר-בָּרָאתִי מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה, מֵאָדָם עַד-בְּהֵמָה, עַד-רֶמֶשׂ וְעַד-עוֹף הַשָּׁמָיִם: כִּי נִחַמְתִּי, כִּי עֲשִׂיתִם

which is from J also.

It was P who rephrased Hoshea 2:20 to every beast, fowl, and creeping thing (Bereshit 1:30). Likewise, it was P who combined Hoshea 2:20 and Hoshea 4:3, to every beast, fowl, creeping thing and fish (Bereshit 9:2), and to fish, fowl, and every creeping thing (Bereshit 1:28).

In summary, Hoshea has sources in E and J, while P is sourced in Hoshea and possibly in D - Melachim (I) 5:13 and Devarim 4:17-18, which seem to derive from Bereshit 6:7 and Hoshea.