Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
God's Judgments against the People, HOSEA II. His Promises of Reconciliuiion u-ilh Ihitn
" from her face." Her very countenance unblushingly betrayed her lust, as did also her exposed "broasts." 3. set Iier as In the day . . . bom—(Ezekiel
As the " therefore" (v. 9) expresses Israel's punisliment as the consequence of Israel's guilt, so "" therefore" here, as in V. 6, expresses, that when that punisliment lias effected its designed end, tlie hedging up her way witli tliorns, so that she returns to God, her first love, the consequence in God's wondrous grace is, He "speaks comlorlably" (lit., speaks to her heart ; cf. Judges 19. 3; Ruth 2. 13). So obstinate she is, that God has to " allure her," i. e., so to temper judgment with unlooked-for grace as to win her' to His ways. For this purpose it was necessary to " bring her into the wilderness" {i.e., into temporal want and trials)
1(5. 4 ; 2;^. 25, 2(i, 28, 29.) The day of her political "birth" was wlien God delivered her from the bondage of Egypt, and set up the tlieocracy. make Uer as a wilderness—(Jeremiah 6.8; Zephan'.ah 2.13.) Translate, "make her as the vilderness," , y.<at in wiiich she passed forty years on ler way to her goodly possession of Canaan. With this agrees the mention of " thirst" (cf. Jeremiah 2. 6). 4. Uer cliiidren—not even her individual members shall escape the doom of tlie nation collectively, for they are individufirst, to make her sin liateful to her by its bitter fruits, and God's subsequent grace the more precious to her by all.v" guilt.v. 5. I will go after—the Hebrew expresses a tetlted dftermination. lovers—tlie idols whicli Israel fancied to be the givers of all their goods, whereas God gave the contrast of the "wilderness." Jekomb makes the " bringing into the wilderness" to be ratlier a deliverance from her enemies, iust as ancient Israel was brought into the wilderness from the bondage of Egypt; to this tlie phrase here alludes (cf. v. 15). The wilderness sojourn, however, is not literal, but moral: whilst still in the land of their enemies locally, by the discipline of the trial rendering the word of God sweet to them, they are to be brought morally into the wilderness state, i. e., into a state of preparedness for returning to tlieir temporal and spiritual privileges in tlieir own land; just as the literal wilderness prepared tlieir fathers for Canaan: thus the bringing of them into the wilderness state is virtually a deliverance from their enemies. 15. from thence—returning from the wilderness. God gives Israel a fresh grant of Canaan, which she had forfeited; so of her vineyards, &c. (v. 9, 12). Achor—i. e.. Trouble. As formerly Israel, -after all these goods (d. 8-13 ; cf. Jeremiah 44. 17-19). bread and. . . water—tlie necm'ariei of life in food, wool . . . flax —clotliiiig. oil . . . drink—perfumed unguents and palatable drinlcs; the luxuries of Hebrew life. 6, 7. tUorns. . . wall—(Job 19.8; Lamentations 3. 7,9.) The hindrances wliicli the captivity interposed between Israel and her idols. As slie attributes all her temporal blessings to idols, I will reduce lier to straits in wliich, when slie in vain has sought help from false gods, she will at last seek me as her only God and Husband, as at tlie first (Isaiah
54.5; Jeremiali 3.14; Ezekiel 16.8). tbeu—before Israel's apostasy, under Jeroboam. The way of duty is hedged aborU with thorns; it is the way of sin that is hedged up with thorns. Crosses in an evil course are God's hedges to turn us from it. Restraining grace and restraining providences (even sicknesses and trials) are great blessings wlien they stop us in a course of sin. Cf. Luke 15.
tlieir tedious journey through tlie wilderness, met with the trouble resulting from Achan's crime in this valley, on the very threshold of Canaan, and yet that trouble was presently turned into joy at the great victory at Ai, which threw all Canaan into their hands (Joshua 7., 8.); so the very trouble of Israel's wilderness state will be the "door of hope" opening to better days. The valley of Aclior, near Jericho, was specially fruitful (Isaiah 65. 10) ; so "trouble" and "hope" are rightly blended in connectiou with it. sing , , . as , . , -ivhen she came . . . out of . .
14-18, "I will arise, and go to my father," so here, "I will go, and return," &c. ; crosses inboth cases being sanctified to produce tliis effect. 8. slie did not know that I not the idols, as she thought: the "lovers" alluded to in
V. 5. wliicli tUey prepared for Baal— i. e., of which they made images of Baal, or at least the plate-covering of them
(ch. 8. 4). Baal was the Pliffinician sun-god : answering to tlie female #.?tarte, the moon-goddess. The name of the
Egypt—it sliall be a second exodus song, such as Israel sung after the deliverance at the Red Sea (Exodus 15.; cf. Isaiah 11. 15, 16); and "the song of Moses" (Revelation 15.
Idol is IVcind in the Phoenician Hannibal, Hasdrubal. Israel borrowed it from the Tyrians. 9. my corn . . . my wool . . . my flax—in contrast to "nj bread . . . niwool
2, 3) sung by tliose who through the Lamb overcome the beast, and so stand on tiie sea of glass mingled with fire, emblems of fiery trial, such as that of Israel at the Red Sea. 16. Ishi . . . nomore Baall " my Husband . . . no more my Lord." Affection is the prominent idea in " Husband ;" rule, in "Lord."' The cliief reason for the substitution of Husband for Lord appears next verse, viz., Baali,. . . Oil/ flax," &c. (ti. 5). Cf. also i). 21-23, on God as the great First Cause giving these through secondary instruments In nature. " Return, and take away," is equivalent to, " I will take back again," viz., by sending storms, locusts, Assyrian enemies, &c. "Therefore," i. e., because slie did not acknowledge me as the Giver, in the time tliereof—in the harvest-time. 10. lewdness — rather, "the shame of lier nakedness:" laying aside the tigvire, " I will expose her in her state, bcre/l of every necessary, before her lovers,"' i. e., the idols (personified, as if tliey could tlie Hebrew for my Lord, liad been perverted to express the images of Baal, whose name ought not to be taken on their lips (Exodus 23. 13; Zechariah 13. 2). 17. Baalim see), who, nevertheless, can give her no help. " Discover" f)iM?-aZ, -expressing the various images of Baal, which, according to tlie places of their erection, received various names, Baal-gad, Baal-ammon, &c. 18. for tliem — for their benefit, covenant . . . with the beasts — not to hurt them (Job 5. 23). They shall fulfil the original law of their creation by becoming subject to man, when man is appropriate to stripping off the self-flatteries of her hypocrisy. 11. Ixer feast-days—of Jeroboam's appointment, distinct from the Mosaic (1 Kings 12. 32). However, most of the Mosaic feasts, " new moons" and " sabbaths" to Jehovah remained, but to degenerate Israel worship was a weariness; they cared only for the carnal indulgence on them (Amos 8. 5). 13. my rewards—my hire as a harlot (Isaiah 23. 17, 18). lovers— idols, destroy . . . vines . . . make . . . forest—(Isaiah 5, 6; 7. 23, 24.) Fulfulfils the law of his being by being subject to God. To be realized fully in millennial times (Isaiah 11. 6-9). break tlie bow. . . oiit of the earth—rather, " out of the ipirtd i. e., 1 will break and remove war out of the earth (Psalm
46. 9); and "out of the land" of Israel first (Isaiah 2. 4; Ezekiel 39. 9, 10; Zechariah 9. 9, 10). lie down—a reclining posture is the usual one with Orientals when not in action, safely — (Jeremiah 23. 6.) 19, 30. "Betroth" is thrice repeated, implying the intense love of God to His people; at\d perhaps, also, the three Persons of the Triune God, severally engaging to make good the betrothal. Tlie marriage covenant will be as it were renewed from the beginning, on a different footing; not for a time only, as before, through the apostasy of the people, but " forever" through the grace of God writing the law on their hearts by the Spirit of Messiah (Jeremiah 31. 31-37). righteousness . . Judgmentin rectitude and truth, loving-klndnesa, &c.—hereby God assures Israel, who might doubt the posfilled in the overthrow of Israel by A.ssyria (ch. 9. 4, 5). 13. days of Baalim—the days consecrated to the Baals, or various images of Baal in different cities, whence the names Baal-gad, Baal-hermon, &c. decked Iierself with earrings—rather, nose-rings (Isaiah 3. 21 ; Margin, Ezekiel
16. 12), with which harlots decked themselves to attract admirers: answering to tlie ornaments in which the Israelites declted themselves on the idols' feasts, forgat me— worse than the nations which had never known God. Israel wilfully apostatized from Jehovah, wliom she had known. 14. Therefore— rather, Nevertheless. [Henl>ER3&».] English Version gives a more lovely Idea of God. Th.1t which would provoke all others to unappeasable wrath, Israel's perversity and consequent punishment, is niade a reason why God should at last have mercy on her.
Blbllity of their restoration to His favour; low, sunk, and
/sracCs Condition in Iheir Dispersion. HOSEA III, IV. GcxTs Jvdymenls Denounced upon them.
wrought pieces which hung down, the one in front over Ine breast, tlie other on tlie back, to the middle of the thigh ; joined on the shoulders by golden clasps set in onyx stones with the names of tlie twelve tribes, and fastened round the waist by a girdle (Exodus 28. 6-12). The common ephod worn by the lower priests, Levites, and any person performing sacred rites, was of linen (2 Samuel 6, 14;. 1 Chronicles 15.27). In the breast were the Urim and Thummim by whicli God gave responses to the Hebrews. The latter was one of tlie five things which the second temple wanted, and which the first had. It, as representing the divinely-constituted priesthood, is opposed to the idolatrous "teraphim," as "sacrifice" (to Jehovah) is to " an (idolatrous) image." "Abide" answers to " thou Shalt abide for me" {v. 3). Abide in solitary isolation, as a separated wife. The teraphim were tutelary household gods, in the shape of human busts, cut off at the waist (as the root of the Hebrew word Implies) [Maurer], (Genesis 31. 19, 30-35). They were supposed to give responses to consulters (2 Kings 23. 24 ; Margin, Ezekiel 21.
nnwortliy as thou art. I will restore thee from a regard to my own " loving-kiudiiess," not thy merits. 'ZO. faitlifulucss—to my new covunautof grace with thee ^.^ Thessaloiiians 5. 24; Hebrews 10. 23). ai. In that day—of grace to Israel, lieavens . . . hear the earth—personification. However many l)e the intermediate instruments, God is tlie Great First Cause of all nature's phenomena. God had threatened (v. 9) He would take bach His coi-n, His wine, &o. Here, on the contrary, God promises to hearken to the skies, as it were, supplicating Him to fill them with rain to pour on the earth; and that the skies again would hearken to the earth begging for A supply of the rain it requires ; and again, that the earth would hearken to the corn, wine, and oil, begging it to bring them forth; and these again would hear Jezreel, i. e., would fulfil Israel's prayers for a supply of them. Israel is now no longer "Jezreel" in the sense, God will scattek (ch. 1. 4), but in the ncnse," God will plant " (oh. 1. 11). 33. 1 will sow her —referring to the meaning of Jezreel (v. 22).
CHAPTER III.
21 ; Zechariah 10. 2). Saul's daughter, Mlchal, putting one In a bed, as if it were David, proves the shape to have been that of a man. 5. Afterward-After the long period
Ver. 1-^. Israel's Condition in their present Dispersion, SUBSEQUENT TO THEIR RETURN FROM BABYLON, SYMBOLIZED. The prophet Is to take back his wife, though unfaithful, as foretold, ch. 1. 2. He purchases her from her paramour, stipulating she should wait for a long period before she should be restored to her conjugal rights. So Israel is to live for a long period without her ancient rites of religion, and yet be free from idolatry; then at last she shall acknowledge Messiah, and know Jehovah's goodness restored to her. 1. Go yet— "Go.
(" many days," v. 4) has elapsed, return-from their idols to "their God,'' from yhom they had wandered. David tlieir king—Israel had forsaken the worship of Jehovah at the same time that they forsook their allegiance to David's line. Their repentance towards God is therefore to be accompanied by their return to the latter. So Judah and Israel shall be one, and under "one head," as is also foretold, ch. 1. 11. That representative and antitype of David Is Messiah. "David" means The Beloved. Cf. as afltain," referring to ch, 1. 2. [Henderson.] a woman purposely indefinite, for thy wife, to express the separation In which Hosea had lived from Gomer for her unfaithfulness, beloved of her friend—used for " her hmband," on account of the estrangement between them. She was.to Messiah, Matthew 3.17; Ephesians 1.6. Messiah is called David (Isaiah 5.5. 3, 4 ; Jeremiah 30. 9; Ezekiel 34. 23,
24; 37.24, 25). fear the Lord and his goodness— !. e. tremblingly flee to the Lord, to escape from the wrath to come; and " to His goodness," as manifested in Messiah, which attracts them to Him (Jeremiah 31. 12). The " fear" still beloved of her husband, though an adulteress; just as God still loved Israel, though idolatrous (Jeremiah is not that which " hath torment" (1 John 4. 18), but reverence inspired by His goodness realized in the soul (Psalm
3. 20). Hosea Is told, not as in ch. 1. 2, "take a wife," but "love" her, i.e., renew thy conjugal kindness to her. who look to other gods i. e., have done so heretofore, but henceforth (from the return from Babylon) shall do so no more (v. i). flagons of wine—rather, pressed cakes
130. 4). tlie latter days—those Of Messiah. [Kimchl]
CHAPTER IV.
Ver. 1-19. Henceforth the Prophet Speaks Plainlt and without Symbol, in Terse, Sententious Propositions. In this chapter he reproves the people and priests for their sins in the interregnum which followed Jeroboam's death; hence there is no mention of the king or his family; and in v. 2 bloodshed and other evils usual in a civil war are specified. 1. Israel—the ten tribes, controversy—judicial ground of complaint (Isaiah 1. 18; Jeremiah 25. 31; Micah 6. 2). no . . . knowledge of Ood —exhibited in practice (Jeremiah 22.- l(i). 3. they break out—bursting through every restraint, blood tonelieth blood— bloods. One act of bloodshed follows another without any interval between (see 2 Kings 15. 8-16, 25; Micah 7.2). 3. land . . . langnish—(Isaiah 19. 8; 24.4; Joel 1. 10, 12.) sea—including all bodies of water, as pools and even rivers (Note, Isaiah 19. 5). A general drought, the greatest calamity in the East, is threatened. 4. let no man . . . reprove—Great as is the sin of Israel, it is hopeless to reprove them; for their presumptuous guilt of dried grapes; such as were offered to Idols (Jeremiah 7.
18). [Maurbr.] 3. I bought her—The price paid is too small to be a probable dowry wherewith to buy a wife from her parents ; but it is just half the price of a female slave, in money, the rest of the price being made up in grain (Exodus 21. 32). Hosea pays this for the redemption of his wife, who has become the slave of her paramour. The price being half grain was because the latter was the allowance of food for the slave, and of the coarsest kind, not wheat, but barley. Israel, as commilling sin, was the slave of sin (John 8. 34 ; Romans 6. 16-20 ; 2 Peter 2. 19). The low price expresses Israel's worihlessness. 3. abide for me —separate from intercourse with any other man, and remaining for me who have redeemed thee(cf. Deuteronomy
21. 13). so will I also be for thee remain for thee, not taking any other consort. As Israel should long remain wittiout serving other gods, yet separate from Jehovah; 60 Jehovah on His part, in this long period of estrangement, would form no marriage covenant with any other people (cf. V. 4). He would not immediately receive her to marriage privileges, but would test her repentance and discipline her by the long probation; still the marriage covenant would hold good, she was to be kept separated is as great as that of one who refuses to obey the priest when giving judgment in the name of Jehovah, and who therefore is to be put to death (Deuteronomy 17. 12). They rush on their own destruction as wilfully as such a one. thy people—the ten tribes of Israel ; distinct from Judah for but a time, not divorced (Isaiah 50. 1); in God's good time she shall be restored. 4. The long period here foretold was to be one in which Israel should have no civil
(v. 1). 5. fall in the day—in broad daylight, a time when an attack would not be expected {Notes, Jeremiah 0. 4, 5; polity, king, or prince, no sacrifice to Jehovah, and yet no
15. 8). in . . . night—no time, night or day, shall be free from the slaughter of individuals of the people, as .well as of the false prophets, tliy mother-the Israelitish state, of which the citizens are the children (ch. 2. 2). 0. lack of knowledge—" of God" {v. 1), i. e., lack of piety. Their Ignorance was wilful, as the epitliet, "my people," im-
Idol, or false god, no ephod, nor teraphim. Exactly deBcribing their state for the last eighteen centuries, separate from Idols, yet without any legal sacrifice to Jehovah, whom they profess to worship, and without being acknowledged by Him as His Church. So Kimchi, a Jew, explains It. The ephod was worn by the high priest above the tunic aud robe. It consisted of two finely 652 plies; they ought to have known, having the opportunity, as the people of God. tliou—O priest, so called,