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Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Women of the Bible: Gomer

I doubt if you have ever heard of a woman named after Gomer, a Biblical character. (There are some men, actual or fictional, named Gomer, such as Gomer Pyle, of Mayberry.) There was at least one male Gomer in the Bible, a grandson of Noah. There are good reasons for not naming a daughter Gomer today.

Hosea 1:1 Yahweh’s word that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 When Yahweh spoke at first by Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking Yahweh.”

3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son.

Part of chapter 2 of Hosea portrays Gomer as a rebel, then as received kindly by God.

Hosea 3:1 Yahweh said to me, “Go again, love a woman loved by another, and an adulteress, even as Yahweh loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods, and love cakes of raisins.”

2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley. 3 I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days. You shall not play the prostitute, and you shall not be with any other man. I will also be so toward you.”

There are several Bible stories, including this one, which compare a relationship between husband and wife with God's relationship with us. In no case, if there were problems with the relationship, was the problem God's fault.

Thanks for reading.

 

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