As I was studying for my Hosea 2 paper I came across this gem in Douglas Stuart’s commentary on Hosea-Jonah. Being raised in and currently residing in the “Bible-belt,” I thought this was great.
Orthodox Yahwism had become a small minority religion in Israel by Hosea’s time, judging from the consistently discouraging reports of its status in the historical books and the prophets. While Judah, Canaan’s “Bible-belt,” had perhaps resisted the encroachment of foreign religious practices somewhat more effectively than had the north (1:7), Israel was no place for Hosea to find a sympathetic audience. (p 10)
