# Amor em Ruínas: Israel's historical and political context

> To understand Amor em Ruínas, we must travel back centuries to the political crises, material prosperity and spiritual weakness of Hosea's Israel.

URL: https://blog.univervideo.com/amor-em-ruinas-o-contexto-historico-e-politico-de-israel?lang=en
Idioma: en
Publicado em: 2026-05-21
Autor: Editorial team
Categoria: Amor em Ruínas

To understand *Amor em Ruínas* and the political context of the time, let us travel back centuries…

**Hosea's** story takes place in one of Israel's most turbulent periods. The prophet lived during the eighth century BC, an era marked by **opulence** and **lust**, and conversely by **social inequality** and **political violence**. The people were spiritually **far from God**, yet politically they **appeared** stable.

The Bible names the kings on the throne at the time in Hosea 1:1: *“The word of the Lord that came to Hosea… in the days of **Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah**, kings of Judah, and in the days of **Jeroboam**, son of Joash, king of Israel.” (Hosea 1:1)*

While the Kingdom of **Judah** in the south had some **stability** under kings such as Hezekiah, the Kingdom of **Israel** in the north faced a major **political crisis**. ⚔️

During the time of **Jeroboam II**, in Samaria (Israel's capital), there was great **material** prosperity and **territorial expansion**, but under **his** rule, **idolatry** and social **injustice** took **root**. As a result, **corruption** grew stronger as **morality** **degenerated**.

![WhatsApp Image 2026-05-21 at 12.06.13 PM.jpeg](https://blog.univervideo.com/imagens/strapi-5f62187cc291a55a.jpg)

*| King Jeroboam II seated on his royal throne.*

All this was reflected in how the people treated their **relationship** with the **Creator**, abandoning past **teachings** and becoming **intoxicated** with the **idolatry** of the time.

Hosea denounced this practice: *“Only **swearing falsely**, **lying**, **killing**, **stealing** and **committing adultery** prevail…” (Hosea 4:2)*

After **Jeroboam II's death**, the political situation **worsened** further. Israel entered a period marked by **conspiracies**, **coups** and the **assassination** of kings: **Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah** and **Pekah** (2 Kings 15:10-25), names you 🫵 will **see** and **follow** in full in *Amor em Ruínas*. 😎 (Let me say now: this is **not** a spoiler; it is all in the **Bible** 😉)

Alongside its internal crisis, Israel also lived under **pressure** from the **Assyrian** Empire, the **largest** and most **powerful** of its time, which conquered various neighboring nations through **territorial expansion** and **military strength**. Consequently, **smaller** kingdoms lived under the **tension** of Assyrian wars and invasions.

Faced with these threats, the kings of the time relied on **political alliances** with other peoples, such as Egypt, instead of **trusting** in **God's Covenant**. *“For Ephraim is like a naive dove, without understanding; they call upon Egypt, they go to Assyria.” (Hosea 7:11)*

In this **political** and **historical** setting, amid **spiritual weakness**, God raised up **Hosea**, the man who **wrote** what **He wept**. His personal life became a **symbol** of the relationship between the **Creator** and His **creation**, showing that despite **unfaithfulness** and **contempt**, His **love** **remains** there.

*Amor em Ruínas* | Premieres **July 24**, only on UNIVER Vídeo. 🪻