Woman’s body: Rereading Hosea 2 from a feminist perspective and its contribution to sexual violation in Maluku

Abstract

The politicisation of the woman’s body is a critical issue both in biblical times and today. The objectification of women’s bodies is intensifying in both public and private spheres. Within patriarchal constructs, the woman’s body is negatively politicised as minor, silent, objectified, instrumental and sinful. Metaphorically, Hosea 2 portrays women’s bodies as political entities, sites of andocentrism that are accused, humiliated and ultimately rehabilitated. Ironically, the gender differentiation in the text – represented by God’s masculinity and Israel’s feminisation – contributes to the distortion of women’s rights. The main objective of this study is to reread Hosea 2 by deconstructing masculinist claims that objectify women’s bodies and reimagining these bodies in the context of sexual violation in Maluku. Employing a qualitative approach, this article explores feminist interpretations alongside Walter Brueggemann’s concept of prophetic imagination in rereading Hosea 2. Based on Brueggemann’s framework, the implications of an inclusive reading involve formulating new visions and advocacy for women’s bodies through alternative consciousness, prophetic criticism and prophetic energising. Therefore, rereading the text from feminist perspectives is essential to affirm, liberate, celebrate and honour women’s bodies in the contemporary context of Maluku.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This study demonstrates the intersections between feminist studies and biblical studies. Using a feminist hermeneutic lens, it presents a new understanding of the woman’s body. This research is interdisciplinary, as the authors apply the feminist lens to interpret an Old Testament narrative. It aims to enhance feminist-theological discourse in the local context, specifically in Maluku.