Commentary on Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah and Nahum John Calvin (continued)
MINOR PROPHETS
the perverseness of ungodly men, proceed from this, --- that they see not the name of God, that they understand not that it is his name.
He afterwards adds, Hear ye the rod, and him who proclaims it to you By rod he means threatening; as though he said, --- ``Your arrogance in mocking God shall not go unpunished, as though his voice were an empty sound: there is then no reason for you to deceive yourselves with the hope of impunity; for God will avenge the contempt of his word.'' Now the Prophet's design was, to denounce an approaching vengeance on those who came not willingly to God, and received not his word with genuine docility of mind. Whenever, then, men despise the voice of God, as though it proceeded only from a mortal being, on such Micah denounces an impending vengeance; for the contempt of his word is a thing intolerable to God. This is the reason why he immediately adds, after having complained of the contempt of his word, that vengeance was not afar off; Hear ye then the rod, and who declares or testifies concerning it
This last clause ought to be especially noticed; for the ungodly are not terrified when God declares that he will be an avenger, because they think not that they must give an account of their life, or they look only on mortal man, ``Ah! who speaks?
Is he indeed our God? Is he armed with celestial power? Do we not see a mortal man and one like ourselves?'' We daily see that the ungodly do thus cast away every fear, and willfully harden themselves against God's judgments. It is not then without reason that the Prophet bids the Jews seriously to consider who testifies of the rod; as though he said, --- ``I indeed confess that I am a mortal man, but remember who has sent me; for I go not forth as a private individual, nor have I presumptuously intruded into this ofÏce; but I am armed with God's command; nay, God himself speaks through my mouth. If then ye despise me, the Lord is present, who will vindicate his own commands for he will not suffer himself to be despised in his servants though they may be contemptible according to the flesh, he will yet have the reverence which it deserves to be paid to his word.'' We now perceive the real meaning of the Prophet. It now follows ---
Micah 6:10-11
10. Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
10. Adhuc an sunt in domo impii thesauri impietatis? Et modius macilentus deterestabilis (vel, provocans iram?)
11. Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?
11. An justificabo stateras impietatis, et sacculum ponderum doli?
Interpreters differ as to the word {,}האשeash: some think that it ought to be read
with an addition of two letters, and render it, ``Is it yet man?'' But this would render the passage abrupt. Others translate, ``Is there yet fire?'' As though it was {,}אשash; and they suppose that wealth, wickedly and unjustly got, is so called, because it consumes itself. But as this is against what grammar requires, I am more inclined to take their view, who think that {,}האשeash, is to be taken here for {,}היש
JOHN CALVIN
eish, 248 , aleph being put for jod: and they rightly consider that the sentence is to be read as a question, Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the ungodly? If this view be approved, then we must consider the Prophet as proposing a question respecting a thing really monstrous, --- How can it be that treasures, gathered by plunder and wickedness, still remain with you, since ye have been so often warned, and since God daily urges you to repentance? How great is your hardness, that no fear of God lays hold on your minds? But the meaning would not be unsuitable were we to regard God as a Judge examining them concerning a matter unknown, Are there still the treasures of impiety in the house of the ungodly? that is, ``I will see whether the ungodly and wicked hide their treasures:'' for God often assumes the character of earthly judges; not that any thing escapes his knowledge, but that we may know that he is not precipitant in deciding a question. This view, then, is by no means inappropriate, that is, that God here assumes the character of an earthly judge, and thus speaks, ``I will see whether there are still treasures concealed by the ungodly; I will search their houses; I will know whether they have as yet repented of their crimes.'' thus, then, may be understood the words of the Prophet, Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the ungodly? For God, as I have already said, shows that he would know respecting the plunders and the various kinds of cruelty which they had exercised.
He then adds, Is there the bare measure, that is, a measure less than it ought to be, which is detestable? 249 Then he says, Shall I justify? etc. 250 This verse is connected with the last, and is added as an explanation. For God having come forth as a Judge, now shows what sort of Judge he is, even one who is not biased by favor, who does not change his judgment, who shows no respect of persons. But men, for the most part, greatly deceive themselves, when they transform God according to their own will, and promise to themselves that he will be propitious to them, provided they only make false pretensions to him. God then here declares, that he differs widely from earthly judges, who now incline to one side and then to another, who are changeable, and often deviate from the right course: but, on the contrary, he says here, Shall I justify wicked balances? shall I justify weights of fraud, or deceitful? that is, ``Shake off all those delusions by which ye are wont to deceive yourselves; for I do not change either my nature or my purpose; but according to the true teaching of my Law, I will punish all the wicked without any respect of persons: wherever wickedness and iniquity are found, there punishment will be inflicted.''
We now then understand how these two verses harmonize together. God shows that he will be a judge, and then, that he differs from men, who often change, as it has been said, in their decisions.
I will mention another meaning, which will perhaps be preferred by some. The 248One MS. Has {,{הישwhich no doubt is the true reading. The Septuagint has {μηπυρ}, which seems to have no sense whatever. Many copies have ,{}האישand this is the reading followed by Junius and Tremelius, and their version is this, --- Has any one still the house of a dishonest man? The treasures of dishonesty? And the small detestable ephah? --- Ed.
249Literally it is, "And the ephah of detestable scantiness?" Marckius renders the words, "Et ephah tenuitatis abominabilis?" Henderson, "And the accursed scanty ephah?"
250{.{האזכהIt is not true what Henderson says, that the verb {}זכהis not used transitively. See Psalm 73:13; Proverbs 20:9
Jerome renders the phrase, numquid approbabo? Our own version is no doubt correct. --- Ed.