How many chapters are in Hosea?
Hosea has 14 chapters and 197 verses. The King James Version text of Hosea runs 5,183 words, about 22 minutes of reading at 238 words a minute. It is book 28 of the 66 books of the Bible (28th of the 39 Old Testament books) and the 36th longest by word count.
Verses in each chapter of Hosea
The longest chapter is Hosea 2 with 23 verses; the shortest is Hosea 3 with 5.
Longest and shortest verse in Hosea
Longest: Hosea 1:10, 58 words in the KJV.
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
Shortest: Hosea 4:17, 8 words in the KJV.
Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
How Hosea begins and ends
First verse, Hosea 1:1
The word of the LORD that 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.
Yahweh’s word that came to 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.
Last verse, Hosea 14:9
Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.
Who is wise, that he may understand these things? Who is prudent, that he may know them? For the ways of Yahweh are right, and the righteous walk in them; But the rebellious stumble in them.
Hosea in our topic collections
3 verses from Hosea appear on our Bible verse topic pages, most often in these topics:
- Bible Verses About Healing (1 from Hosea)
- Bible Verses About Alcohol (1 from Hosea)
- Bible Verses About Orphans (1 from Hosea)
Hosea: common questions
How many chapters are in the book of Hosea?
Hosea has 14 chapters. The longest chapter is Hosea 2 with 23 verses; the shortest is Hosea 3 with 5.
How many verses are in Hosea?
Hosea has 197 verses in the King James Version, and the same number in the World English Bible.
How long does it take to read Hosea?
About 22 minutes at an average silent reading speed of 238 words a minute. The KJV text is 5,183 words and the World English Bible text is 5,017 words.
What is the longest verse in Hosea?
Hosea 1:10 is the longest verse in Hosea, at 58 words in the King James Version. The shortest is Hosea 4:17 (8 words): "Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone."
Compare all 66 books on how many books are in the Bible, see the Bible by the numbers, or work out how long it takes to read the Bible at your own pace.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-02.