1:1 Hosea introduces his prophecy, naming himself as God’s messenger. His name probably means “He [God] has saved.”

Uzziah . . . Jeroboam. Whereas four kings of Judah are named, Uzziah (also called Azariah, 792–740 b.c.), Jotham (750–735 b.c.), Ahaz (735–715 b.c.), and Hezekiah (715–686 b.c.), the only northern king recorded is Jeroboam II (c. 793–753 b.c.). Perhaps the writer thought that the northern kings who reigned between Jeroboam II and the fall of the north in 722 (four were assassins) were not worthy of mention.