The prophet Hosea begins with a reference to Jacob's return to Mesopotamia for a wife. This verse connects the Torah selection to the reading from the prophets.

Hosea speaks out against the idolatry of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The prophet poetically calls the nation, "Ephraim", the most powerful of the northern tribes. The poetic rebuke of the nation is assertive and harsh. "They shall be as the morning cloud and as the dew that early passes away." The prophet warns of the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. "Samaria shall bear her guilt for she has rebelled against her G-d."

However, the prophet offers the possibility of repentance. The Hebrew word for "return", "shuv" is the source of the concept of "teshuva". These verses are also read on "Shabbat Shuvah", the Shabbat before Yom Kippur. The prophet speaks of the beauty of spiritual renewal. "I will be as the dew to Israel. He shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon."

Hosea calls for justice. "For the ways of the L-rd are right, and the just do walk in them."