Hosea was the first of all the writing prophets, somewhat before Isaiah. And he is the most obscure of all, which arises from his concise and sententious style, peculiar to himself. He continued very long a prophet; the Jews say, he prophesied near fourscore and ten years. So that he foretold the destruction of the ten tribes, when it was at a great distance; and lived himself to see and lament it. The scope of his prophecy is, to reprove sin, and denounce judgments against a people that would not be reformed. Many passages in the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, seem to be borrowed from it.