הוֹשֵׁעַ

𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏

Hoshea

H1954 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ישע to deliver, to save, to rescue

Definition

Personal name, meaning 'Yahweh delivers' or more generally 'deliverance' in the sense of rescue or salvation. Used as the proper name of several individuals in the Hebrew Bible, including a prophet and kings or leaders.

Semantic Range

personal name (Hoshea/Hosea), one who brings deliverance, expressions of deliverance or salvation; used of various individuals in Israelite history, especially a prophet (Hosea), a king (Hoshea), and other leaders

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew verb יָשַׁע (y-sh-ʿ), meaning 'to deliver, save, rescue.' הוֹשֵׁעַ is most likely a shortened form, or a hypocoristic (theophoric) name based on a causative or emphatic construction, with implied subject (Yahweh or the deity as deliverer).

Historical & Contextual Notes

הוֹשֵׁעַ designates multiple figures, most notably (1) Hoshea, son of Nun, who is better known as Joshua (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ), leader of the Israelites after Moses; (2) Hoshea, last king of the northern kingdom of Israel. The prophet Hosea (author of the book of Hosea) also bears this name. The spelling emphasizes the concept of deliverance, though the specific saving agent is not always stated (as in Joshua's longer name, which combines the divine element יהו/יהוּ). In later Jewish and Christian literature, some of these figures are referenced using Hellenized or Latinized forms (e.g., Osee). English translations sometimes use 'Hoshea' and sometimes 'Hosea'; clarity often depends on context and tradition. Across biblical periods, personal names derived from roots of salvation were common, reflecting either hoped-for divine favor or testimony to an individual's experience or theophanic event.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from יָשַׁע; deliverer; Hoshea, the name of five Israelites; Hosea, Hoshea, Oshea.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ישע (y-š-ʿ) — to deliver, to save, to rescue

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1955 הוֹשַׁעְיָה Yahweh has saved
H3091 יְהוֹשׁוּעַ in YHWH-saves
H3442 יֵשׁוּעַ to Yeshua
H3443 יֵשׁוּעַ and Yeshua
H3444 יְשׁוּעָה my deliverance

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1954-02 הוֹשֵׁ֥עַ hoshea HNp Hoshea Yahweh-delivers 8
H1954-03 לְ/הוֹשֵׁ֥עַ lehoshea HR/Np of Hoshea to Yah-delivers 5
H1954-01 בְּ/הוֹשֵׁ֜עַ behoshea HR/Np through Hosea in Deliverance 2
H1954-04 וְ/הוֹשֵׁ֥עַ vehoshea HC/Np and Hoshea and Deliverance 1

Occurrences in Scripture

16 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1954-02 Numbers 13:8 הוֹשֵׁ֥עַ hoshea HNp Hoshea Yahweh-delivers
H1954-03 Numbers 13:16 לְ/הוֹשֵׁ֥עַ lehoshea HR/Np Hoshea to Yah-delivers
H1954-04 Deuteronomy 32:44 וְ/הוֹשֵׁ֥עַ vehoshea HC/Np and Hoshea and Deliverance
H1954-02 2 Kings 15:30 הוֹשֵׁ֣עַ hoshea HNp Hoshea Yahweh-delivers
H1954-02 2 Kings 17:1 הוֹשֵׁ֨עַ hoshea HNp Hoshea Yahweh-delivers
H1954-02 2 Kings 17:3 הוֹשֵׁ֨עַ֙ hoshea HNp Hoshea Yahweh-delivers
H1954-01 2 Kings 17:4 בְּ/הוֹשֵׁ֜עַ behoshea HR/Np in Hoshea in Deliverance
H1954-03 2 Kings 17:6 לְ/הוֹשֵׁ֗עַ lehoshea HR/Np of Hoshea to Yah-delivers
H1954-03 2 Kings 18:1 לְ/הוֹשֵׁ֥עַ lehoshea HR/Np Hoshea to Yah-delivers
H1954-03 2 Kings 18:9 לְ/הוֹשֵׁ֥עַ lehoshea HR/Np of Hoshea to Yah-delivers