Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Ood's Judgments n(/ainsi Israel. HOSEA V. An Exhortation to Judah to Repent,
Though Israel's ten tribes Indulge in spiritual harlotry, at least thou, Judah, who hast the legal priesthood, andthe temple rites, and Jerusalem, do not follow her bad example. Gllgal—situated between Jordan and Jericho on the confines of Samaria; once a holy place to Jehovah (Joshua 5. 10-15; 1 Samuel 10.8; 15.21); afterwards desecrated by idolworship (ch. 9. 15; 12.11; Amos 4. 4; 5.5; cf. Judges 3. 19, Margin). Bctli-aven i. e., the house of vanity or idols: a name substituted In contempt for Beth-el, i/te house of God; once sacred to Jehovah (Genesis 28. 17, 19;
Not regularly constituted, but still bearing the name, whilst eonfouiniiiig the worship of Jehovah and of the calvt's'in Beth-el (1 Kings 12. 29, 81). I will . . . forget thy children—not only those wlio then were alive should be deprived of tlie priestliood, but their children who, In the ordinarjcourse, would have succeeded them, should be set aside. 7. As they were increased— in numbers »Dd power. Cf. r. 6, " thy cliildren," to which their "increase" in nitmhera j-efers. so they sinned—(Cf. ch. 10. 1 and 13. 6.) will I change their glory into shame i.e., I will strip them of all they uow ylory in (their numbers and power), and give them s/iame instead. A just retribution: as Ihey changed their glory into shame, by idolatry (Psalm 106. 20; Jeremiah 2. U ; Romans 1.23; Philippians
35. 7), but made by Jeroboam the seat of the worship of the calves (1 Kings 12. 28-33; 13. 1; Jeremiah 48. 13; Amos
3. 14; 7. 13). " Go up " refers to the fact that Bet!i-el was on a hill (Joshua 16. 1). nor swear, The Lord llveth This formula of oath was appointed by God Himself (Deuteronomy 6. 13; 10. 20; Jeremiah 4. 2); it is therefore here forbidden not absolutely, but in conjunction with idolatry and falsehood (Isaiah 48.1; Ezekiel 20. 39 ; Zephaniali 1.5). 16. backsliding—ZmniJate, "Israel Is refractory, as a refractory heifer," viz., one that throws the yoke oflT her neck. Israel had represented God under the form of "calves" (1 Kings 12. 28); but it Is she herself who is one. lamb in a large place—not in a good sense, as Isaiah 30.
3. Ij). 8. eat . . . sin of niy people i. e., the sin offerings (Leviticus 6. 26; 111. 17). The priests greedily devoured them, set their heart on tltelr Iniquity — lit., lift up the animal soul io, i. e., lust after, or strongly desire. Cf. Margin, Deuteronomy 21.15; Psalm 21. 4 ; Jeremiah 22.
27. The priests set their own hearts on the iniquity of the people, instead of trying to suppress it. For the more the people sinned I he more sacrltlcial victims In atonement for sin tlie priests gained. 9. like people, like priests—they are one in guilt, therefore they shall be one in punishment (Isaiah 21. 2). reward them
23. Here there is irony : lambs like a large pasture; but it is not so safe for them as a small one, duly fenced from wild beasts. God will " feed " them, but it shall be with the " rod " (Micah 7. 14). It shall be no longer in the narrow territory of Israel, but " in a large place," viz., they shall be scattered in exile over the wide realm of Assyria, a prey to their foes, as lambs, which are timid, gregarious, and not solitary, are a prey when scattered asunder to wild beasts. 17. Gphraim—the ten tribes. Judah was at this time not so given to Idolatry as afterwards. Joined to itlols—closely and voluntarily ; identifying themselves with them as a whoremonger becomes one flesh with the harlot (Numbers 25. 3; 1 Corinthians 6. 16, tlielr doings—in homely phrase, "pay them back In their own coin" (Proverbs 1. 31). 10. eat, and not have enough—just reti ibution on those who "eat up (greedily) the sin of my people" (v.S; Micah 6.14; Haggai 1.6). whoredom, and . . . not increase lit., break forth: used of giving birth to children {(Jrenesis 2tJ. 11, Margin; cf. Genesis 38. 2!)). Not oulj' their wives, but their concubines, shall be barren. To be childless was considered a great calamitj' among the Jews. 11. A moral truth applicable to all times. The special reference here is to the licentious orgies connected with the Syrian worship, which lured Israel away from the pure worship of God (Isaiah
17). Idols—the Hebrew means also sorrows, pains, implying the pain which idolatry brings on its votaries, let hira alone—leave him to himself. Let him reap the fruits of his own perverse choice: his case is desperate: have ymn nothing to say to him (cf. Jeremiah 7. 16). Here v. 15 shows the address is to Judah, to avoid the contagion of Israel's bad example. He is bent on his own ruin ; leave him to his fate, lest, instead of saving him, thou fall thyself (Isaiah 48. 20; Jeremiah 50. 8; 51. 6, 45; 2 Corinthians
2S. 1,7; Amos 4. 1). take away the heart i.e., the understanding; make men blind to their own true good (Ecclesiastes 7. 7). 13. Instances of their understanding ("heart") being "taken away." stocks-wooden idols (Jercmiali 2.27; Habakkuk 2. 19). staff—alluding to divination by rods (Notes, Ezekiel 21. 21, 22). The diviner. Bays RosEXMULLER, threw a rod from him, which was stripped of its bark on one side, not on the other: if the bare side turned uppermost, it was a good omen; if the side with the bark, it was a bad omen. The Arabs used two rods, tlie one marked God bids, the other, God forbids; whichever came out first, in drawing them out of a case, gave the omen for, or against, an undertaking, declareth —i. e., is consulted to infoi'm them of future events, spirit of whoredoms—a general disposition on the part of all totvards idolatry (ch. 5. 4). en--go astray from the true God. from under tlteir God—they have gone away from God under whom they were, as a wife is under the dominion of her husband. 13. upon . . . mountains—high places Were selected by idolaters on which to sacrifice, because of their greater nearness to the heavenly hosts which they worshipped (Deuteronomy 12. 2). elms— rather, "terebinths." [Maureb.] sliadow . . . good— screening the lascivious worshippers from the heat of the sun. daughters . . . commit whoredom . . . spouses
6. 17). 18. Their drink is sour—metaphor for utteidegeneracy of principle (Isaiah 1. 22). Or, unbridled licentiousness; not mere ordinary sin, but as abandoned as drunkards who vomit and smell sour with wine potations. [Calvin.] Maubeb not so well translates, "When their drinking is over, they commit whoredoms," otz., in honour of Astarte (V. 13, 14). her rulers—Israel's ; lit., shields (cf. Psalm 47. 9). with shame . . . love. Give ye—(Proverbs
30. 15.) No remedy could be effectual against their corruptions, since the very rulers sold justice for gifts. [Calvin.] Maubeb translates, " The rulers are marvellously enamoured of shame." English Version is better. 19. Israel shall be swept away from her land (v. 16) suddenly and violently as if by " the wings of the wind " (Psalm 18. 10; 104. 3; Jeremiah 4. 11, 12). ashamed . . . of their sacrifices—disappointed to their shame in their hope of help through their sacrifices to Idols.
. . . adultery—in the polluted worship of Astarte, the Phcsnician goddess of love. 14. I will not punish . . . daughters1 will visit with the heaviest punishments " not " the unchaste " daughters and spouses," but the fathers and husbands; for it is these who "themselves" have set the bad example, so that as compared with the punishment of the latter, that of the former shall seem as nothing. [Munster.] separated with whores—withdrawn from the assembly of worshippers to some receptacle of impurity for carnal connection with whores, sacrifice with harlots—they commit lewdness With women who devote their persons to be violated in honour of Astarte. (.So the Hebrew for "harlots" means, as distinguished from "whores.") Cf. Numbers 25. 1-3; and the prohibition, Deuteronomy 23. 18. not understand— ^Isaiah 44. 18; 45. 20.) shall fall—shall be cast down. 15.
CHAPTEK V.
Ver. 1-5. God's Judgments on the Priests, People, AND Princes of Israel fob their Sins. Judah too being guilty shall be punished; nor shall Assyria, whose aid they both sought, save them ; judgments shall at last lead them to repentance. 1. the king—probably Pekah; the contemporary of Ahaz, king of Judah, under whom first Idolatry was carried so far in Judah a.s to call for the judgment of thejoint Syrian and Israelite Invasion, as also that of Assyria. Judgment is towards you—t. p., threatens you from God. yehavebeenasnareon Itllzpah . . . net. . . upon Tabor—As hunters spread tlielr net and snares on the hills Mizpah and Tabor, so ye have snared the people into Idolatry, and made them your prey by injustice.