Jamaal Tarpeh TY 131 S1 27 February 2013 Metaphor and Simile in the Book of Hosea One of the most important

aspects of literature is the presence of metaphor and simile. The shared feature of both metaphor and simile is that they establish a connection between two different things. While both metaphor and simile create a correspondence between two things, they also possess a minor difference. A simile establishes a comparison with the words like or as. A metaphor involves a broader approach and asserts that one thing is another (Ryken 166). In the Book of Hosea, metaphor and simile abound as the prophet Hosea prophesies about the moral degradation of the Israelites. The first example of simile in the Book of Hosea occurs in Chapter 2, when a comparison is made between Israel and an arid land (Hosea 2:5). In this chapter, it is revealed that the Lord will make Israel similar to an unpleasant land. A retraction of the Lords provision for the Israelites is implied in this simile. By removing his support, the Lord will ensure that the Israelites understand the magnitude of their unideal behavior. An example of metaphor is present in Chapter 5 when Hosea compares the priests and kings to a snare (Hosea 5:1). By using a snare for comparison, Hosea indicts the leaders of Israel with misleading the people into idolatrous behavior. This behavior violates the moral principles established between the Lord and the Israelites. A final example of simile occurs in Chapter 10 when Hosea describes the corruption of the justice system (Hosea 10:4). Hosea states that lawsuits arise like poisonous weeds. This comparison denotes the corruption of the justice system and reveals it as a source of oppression. In the Book of Hosea, the use of metaphor and simile is essential to expressing the magnitude of the moral decline of the Israelites.