S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Hosea 11:1 states, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." Is this verse a Messianic prophecy?The context of this verse speaks of the relationship the Lord had wit...

Login or Sign Up to view the rest of this answer.

July 01 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeremiah Navi Supporter PROPHET OF GOD

I would say, yes it is a messianic prophecy. Although Hosea 11:1 had present day (at the time of it's writing and reading? The Holy Spirit affirms to us in Matthew 2:15, it was in Christ that it found it's fulfillment. 

Matthew 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

The Greek word for Fulfill, play-ro'-o, means:
" of sayings, promises, prophecies, to bring to pass, ratify, accomplish, to render full, i.e. to complete; to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim; consummate;
to make complete in every particular, to render perfect; to carry through to the end, to accomplish, carry out, (some undertaking) 
verify, be complete, end, expire, fulfill, perfect, supply"
I think it might even be significant to add, since scripture tells us Christ was the fulfillment of Hos 11:1, even ISRAEL had it's fulfillment in Christ.

November 03 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

John Appelt Supporter

Hosea 11:1, as used in Matthew 2:15, is usually considered a Messianic prophecy, but it is not. 

Hosea states that God loved Israel, who He considered as His son, and brought him out of Egypt, which refers to the Exodus.

Matthew relates the account of how the young child Jesus and His mother were taken by Joseph into Egypt until the death of Herod. Then, Matthew quotes Hosea. 

Neither Matthew nor Hosea gives any indication of any prophecy or prediction. Both passages are historical and retrospective, both looking back in history: Matthew to Hosea, Hosea to the Exodus.

Part of the problem is thinking that “fulfilled” means the prediction in the past is realized in the future. Since this is not a prophecy, but history, then it must mean something different. Fulfilling history is seeing a parallel or a corresponding event. When Matthew reached back to Hosea, he was noting a comparison. The similarity is striking. Christ came out of Egypt just as Israel came out of Egypt.

Matthew uses the word or concept of “fulfill” a number of times. The phrase seems to suggest prophetic fulfillment, but the futuristic formula does not always fit as in these examples. 

Matthew 2:17-18 connects with Jeremiah 31:15. This is not prophetic because there are different actions, outcomes, and cities.

Matthew 8:16-17 which speaks of healing refers to Isaiah 53:4 which does not speak of physical healing.

Matthew 27:9 alludes to the historical account written by Jeremiah 32:6-9.

This gives reason to think the formula used by Matthew, “that it might be fulfilled,” was not intended to be a futuristic fulfillment which it sometimes does. Rather, it establishes a connection such as a kind of confirmation or completion of a thought. Matthew uses citations from the Old Testament to strengthen his case concerning the life of Christ.

As an example, Matthew 1:22-23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 not merely to see prophetic fulfillment, but to give a confirmation of the virgin birth of the Messiah.

Also, Matthew 2:23 does not quote any particular Old Testament passage, but prophets in general said the Messiah would be despised and rejected.

The formula might be the Jewish way of thinking to connect parallel thoughts from their Scriptures. Jews were immersed in them as it was their life, their thoughts, vocabulary, and culture. It would be normal to quote or rephrase what they grew up on, just as today when people speak, their language is full of allusions to current news, fads, media, and movies. This explains why many “quotes” in the New Testament are not exact or word-for-word, leaving many commentators puzzled as to whether the New Testament writers were using the Massoretic Text or the Septuagint. The point is, they cited portions of the Word of God as their authority. 

This means the term “fulfilled” has a wider definition than just prophetic or predicted fulfillment. It can also mean a historical comparison. Hosea 11:1 is not a Messianic prophecy, but a historical comparison that confirms Matthew’s record.

October 02 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

Is Hosea 11:1 a Messianic prophecy?

Hosea 11:1 is not a direct Messianic prophecy in its original context, as it refers to Israel's exodus from Egypt. However, the New Testament, specifically Matthew 2:15, uses this verse to draw a parallel, or "type," between Israel's history and Jesus's life by having the Holy Family flee to Egypt, fulfilling the verse in a new way. It's considered a prophecy in a broader sense because it foreshadows Christ's life through a retrospective analogy, rather than a direct prediction. 

New Testament interpretation: The Gospel of Matthew applies this verse to Jesus in Matthew 2:15. After the Magi left, Joseph took the infant Jesus and his mother into Egypt to escape King Herod. When they returned after Herod's death, Matthew states this was to fulfil Hosea's words.

Note: Matthew applied the words of Hosea 11:1 ("Out of Egypt I called my son") to the child Jesus, who was taken into Egypt but was later brought back to Israel.​—Mt 2:14, 15.

Like the Israelites, the Messiah would be called out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1). Before Herod's death-dealing decree, an angel directed that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus go to Egypt. There they remained "until the decease of Herod, for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet [Hosea], saying: 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'" (Matt. 2:13-15) Of course, Jesus himself could not have orchestrated any of the foretold events associated with his birth and early life.

The historian Matthew applies the prophecy of Hosea to this occurrence, saying of Joseph: "He stayed there until the decease of Herod, for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by God through his prophet, saying: 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'"​—Mt 2:15.

NOTE: Matthew is not saying Hosea originally predicted Jesus, but that Jesus's experience in Egypt mirrored and completed a pattern established in Israel's history, showing how the Messiah fulfilled the promises made to Israel. This is a concept known as typology, where an Old Testament event or person (the "type") prefigures a New Testament one (the "antitype"). 

In summary, while the immediate historical context of Hosea 11:1 concerns the nation of Israel, the New Testament interprets the passage as a prophecy fulfilled in Christ through a divinely intended typology, where Israel's national history prefigured the life and mission of the Messiah.

1 day ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report