Hosea Background Hosea was a prophet who lived in the mid 8th century (788-748 BC) raised in the Northern Kingdom. Most of the other prophets near that time came from the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Jonah came from the North, but his book was more of a biography. The Northern Kingdom was in a prosperous period, but also a period of pride and Baal and other idol worship. Baal worship was attractive because you didn’t have to offer much to the religion, it was easy religion.