Beeri

Biblical Record

Beeri appears only once, in Hosea 1:1. The verse records that the word of the LORD came "unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel." Scripture says nothing about Beeri's tribe, occupation, or deeds. When he lived can be inferred only from the period in which his son, Hosea, ministered.

The same name also appears in Genesis 26:34. That man, Beeri the Hittite, was the father of Judith, the wife of Esau, and is a different person from the father of Hosea.

Significance Within Scripture

Naming a prophet's father at the opening of a prophetic book is a superscription formula found not only in the book of Hosea but also in Joel, Zephaniah, and elsewhere. The formula identifies the prophet as a historical person belonging to an actual family. The New Testament quotes the book of Hosea (for example, Romans 9:25–26) but does not mention Beeri.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

The name is reportedly often interpreted to mean "my well" or "of the well." Later rabbinic literature is said to preserve a tradition that Beeri also prophesied and that his words were incorporated into the book of Isaiah. This tradition, however, has no basis in the biblical text, and Protestant commentaries generally do not address it.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Beeri is rarely the subject of sermons or teaching in his own right. His name usually comes up only when Hosea's family background is introduced during readings of the book of Hosea or in Bible studies.