%0JITV3JO^ v^lOSANCElfj>^ o ^/5a3AiNn-3i\v ^OFCAllFOff^ o ^OFCALIFOMi^ ^WEUNIVERi-ZA iO^ ^TiHONVSOV^ ^aJAINrt-jiW^ '^.I/OJIIVD JO^ ^r ^lllBRARYQ^ ^^WEUNIVERi/^ "^/iaaAiNfl-aiW^ \^myi^ ^-j/ojiwd-jo'^ &Aavaaii-^^ ^^^Aavaani^ ^vM-llBRARY^^ \^m\i^ ^WEU^llVER5■//, o vvlOSANCEl% O %a3AiNn3\\^ ^^HIBRARY<9/^ ^^sMlIB ^«!/03l]V3JO'»^ -^.l/OJI ^,OFCAIIFO% -^WEUNIVERJ/A ^•lOSANCEl/^.' o .aOFCAIIFO/?/ja >' I f /\ r?; <>' 1 / / \ _ r-?i aOFCA1IF0% .^;OF•CAilF0M^k, ,^'rtE•UNIVERS•//, ^OAavaan-^^"^ ^^AaviiaiH'*^'^ ^riuoNvsov^^ "^/^ajAiNa-jwv vvlOSANCflfj> o ^, ^WE■UNIVERS•/A. vvlOSANCElfj-^ o ^^tllBRARYQ^^ ^llIBRARYQc^ ^TiigoNVSOl^ %a3AlNft3\V^ '^JO>' '^ '^/^a3AiNn-3W^^ ^.OFCAllFOfti^ ^OFCALIFO/?^ I ^lllBRARYGc. ^j^HIBRARYQa %0JllV3JO't^' ^JIIYDJO^" ^irtEllNIVERS'/A v^-lOSANCElfj> o "^/^ajAiNajuv ^^.OFCALIFO/?^ ^OFCAIIFO/?^ ^WEUNIVERS"//) '^nx^mm^ ^•lOSANCElfj;> o ^ %a3AiNn3WV .^WEUNIVERS//, vvlOSANCEl£n> O _ CO > ^TJiaoN-VSOl^ %d3AlN(l-3V\V 5^HIBRARY(?A, -^IIIBRARYQ^^ ^ o >■ =; o ^OFCAllFOftj^ ^OFCALIFO/?^ >- THE LITERALLY TRANSLATED, AYITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY. HEY. F. TILNEY BASSETT, M.A., SOMETIME SCHOLAR OF GONVILLE AND CAIU8 COLLEGE, CAMBKIDGE, AND SUNDAY MORNING LECTURER OF OLD •WIDCOMBE CHURCH, BATH. LOXDOX: W. MACINTOSH, 24, PATERNOSTER ROW. BATH : R. C. PEACH, S, BRIDGE STREET. iMiit. PREFACE. In giving publicity to the following translation of the Prophet Hosea, it may be well to state that the precise object the writer has in view, is to convey to the English reader the native cast and character which these prophecies present in their Hebrew protoplast ; and thus to furnish, as nearly as possible, in our own tongue a facsimile of the original. To attain this end — 1. 'J he most exact and literal rendering of the Hebrew text has been adhered to, and in a few places only has the necessity of the case introduced an exception to this rule. 2. The same word in English has been employed to reproduce the same word in the original, with the exception of some prepositions and conjunctions, and in a few other instances, where the idioms of the two languages, or other special reasons, have rendered a slight variation necessary. 3. The position of the words in the original has been preserved, it is hoped without incurring the charge of obscurity. In most versions this order of the Hebrew arrangement has been almost wantonly disregarded, so that not only has the nervous ex- pression of thought, and the point of a striking 22051S5 IV PREFACE. antithesis, been frequently weakened and lost, but the proper emphasis also, so necessary to the intelligent comprehension of Holy Scripture, been rendered uncertain, and sometimes even transferred to the wrong word. This rule also, it may be added, has been violated on but a few occasions. 4. In arranging the parallelisms and the punctuation generally, the accents which from time immemorial have been affixed to the Hebrew text, have been followed as a guide. It is to be regretted that our own punctuation supplies so few facilities for representing the complex but perfect system of Hebrew accentuation. At the utmost we can only reproduce, and even that but imperfectly, the larger and more important members of this body-guard of the sacred text, which have been compared to emperors, kings, and lords in the dominion of Hebrew literature, but those that are more feeble, but perhaps not less necessary for the exact disposition and arrangement of words in a sentence, must be lost to us, or only supplied in thought. We may listen to the word of command uttered by the leaders to their battalions, but the directions of the subalterns and sergeants to their respective companies and quaternions fail to reach our ear; to say nothing of the conjunctive accents, whose office is not to separate or disjoin, but to link and group together words in a clause — " stops to tell you to go on," as they have been facetiously defined. These minute companions of the text have PREFACE. V been duly consulted, and the hints they convey not been disregarded. Those who have studied the translations of our prophet, ancient and modern, English and Continental, will see how far the present effort has been aided by those which have gone before, and how far a servile following of authorities has been avoided. Some critics have proposed emendations of the text where the language appears to be difficult or hopelessly obscure ; these are really only so many confessions of ignorance of the meaning of the prophet, as he has been handed down to us, or exhibitions of their own ingenuity. Such liberties with God's Holy Word I emphatically repudiate. Scripture is not an enigma for theologians or critics to sit round like a party of children at a puzzle or a labyrinth, to guess at solutions or to escape by force or fraud from difficulties. Our duty is not to distort the text which Providence has preserved to us, to make it square with theories that have their birth in individual minds, and which therefore can have no weight with others who are qualified to think for themselves, or to pass off private hypotheses as ascertained truth, to impose upon the multitude, but to translate the text fairly, as it stands, and where we cannot unravel the tangled skein by the proper laws of language, to confess the difficulty, and not rudely to pull the ark to pieces and patch it up again with man's devices, in a vain endeavour to disclose and explain its mysteries. At the same time, when MSS. VI PREFACE. vary, wlien ancient versions, such as the Septuagint, Syriac, and Latin Vulgate, or the relics of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, &c., are unanimous in their testimony, or a majority of them point to a particular reading, such evidence should command, to say the least, the respect and consideration of every translator. In the notes brevity has been studied. In all difficult and disputed passages the renderings of the versions above mentioned, together with those of the Targum, have been appended to the note, by which it will generally appear — a matter of consolation if not of information to ourselves — that the texts which present difficulties to us now wore the same features in days of old, and as doctors disagree now, so they did then ; but the long lists of modern authorities, so common in works of this kind, have been purposely omitted, except when strictly necessary. Their assist- ance has, it is needless to say, been fully felt and appreciated, but there is neither pleasure nor profit to the ordinary reader to find every page encumbered with an ever-recurring pedigree of critics. It is sufficient to say that they have been for the most part consulted, their opinions severally weighed, compared, accepted, or discarded. It may be well, for the sake of the general reader, to take a brief glance at the origin and history of the ancient versions and authorities referred to in the notes. The first and most important is, beyond all question, PREFACE. Vll the version of the Septuagiiit. Various are the accounts given of the first formation of this trans- lation. Tradition and fable have been busy in spin- ning their cobwebs, to conceal the early history of this effort to clothe the Word of God in a foreign garb. Some points, however, are clear and incontrovertible ; that it was commenced in the early part of the second century B.C., (about 280;) that it w^as the work of Jews, and that the task was performed at Alexandria, and probably at the request of Ptolemy, the king of Egypt ; that it received its name either from being the work of seventy-two interpreters, as an old writer on the subject tells us, or because it was approved of by the Sanhedrin. This version was received by the Jews with great favour, and was of general use with "the dispersed among the Gentiles," from whom it passed to the early Christian Church, and was received by them as the " authorized version of the Old Testament Scriptures." During the second century of the Christian era other Greek versions of the Old Testament were made. Aquila, who was a Jew, or a proselyte to Judaism, undertook the task of translation, chiefly with a view to assist the Jews in their controversy with Christians, who pressed them closely with arguments derived from the Septuagint version. That translation, as we have seen, had been held by the Jews in the highest veneration till the Church employed its testimony polemically against the synagogue, when their love Vlll PREFACE. turned to hatred, and the Jews who, according to Philo, had kept a yearly festival in honour of its completion, now proclaimed a fast on the eighth of Thehet, for the purpose of execrating the day on which it was made. Aquila's translation was promoted to the throne from which the Septuagint had been deposed, and its ren- derings being slavishly exact and literal, so much so, as frequently to be in open violation of the idioms of the Greek language, was entitled " the Hebrew verity," and Avas read publicly in their synagogues. Theodotion also executed a translation of the Old Testament, or as some think, revised the Septuagint version with the Hebrew text. According to the testi- mony of Eusebius and Jerome, he was a member of the sect of the Ebionites Both Aquila and Theodotion are accused by Irenaeus of corrupting Messianic passages. Symmachus also put forth a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Greek language. Little is known of him, except that Eusebius states that he was an Ebionite, and Epiphanius tells us that he was first a Samaritan, then a Jew, next a Christian, and last of all an Ebionite. His translation was not so close as that, of Aquila, but rather aimed at an elegant style. There were also three other versions discovered by Origen, known as the fifth, sixth, and seventh versions. Of these, fragments only of the fifth, marked E, have come down to us of our Prophet.. Of all these translations (except the Septuagint) PREFACE. IX only portions have been preserved to us amongst the relics of Origen's Hexapla. Besides these Greek versions, the Latin Vulgate was made by Jerome, direct from the Hebrew text, (except the Psalms, which were derived, through the old Italic version, from the Septuagint,) at the close of the fourth century. This translation has passed through many revisions and editions, but still remains a valuable witness of the text of Holy Writ. The Syriac version is also a testimony of great im- portance ; for although we may not give credence to the traditions concerning it — that portions of the Old Testament were translated in Solomon's time, at the request of Hiram, king of Tyre, or that translators were sent from Palestine by the Apostle Thaddeus, or byAbgarus,king of Edessa — yet it is only right to infer that its origin is lost in the dim distance of antiquity. The Old Testament was rendered direct from the Hebrew original, according to the testimony of Bar- Hebraeus, which is confirmed by internal evidence. It is a literal and faithful translation, and perhaps the most reliable of all the ancient versions. The Targum which contains the minor prophets, known as the Targum of Jonathan ben-Uzziel, is very generally now-a-days ascribed to Joseph the Blind, who flourished in the fourth century. The work forms a running commentary on the sacred text. The rise of this system of interpretation is thought to have com- menced in the time of Ezra, at the return from Babylon, X PREFACE. when the people had become unfamiliarised with their mother tongue. It is an interesting study to examine the explanations contained in this commentary, as in many places, beyond doubt, very ancient traditional interpretations have been preserved to us. For these authorities use has been made of Tischendorf 's edition of the Septuagint ; for the other Greek versions, Montfaucon's Origen's Hexapla, (it is to be regretted that the valuable edition of Field, now in course of publication, has not yet reached our prophet;) for the Vulgate, the Paris edition of 1852 ; and for the Syriac and Targum, the Polyglot of Walton. I would now, in all humility, in attempting so difficult a subject, confess my sense of frequent failure, and lack of ability sometimes to decide between the claims of different renderings. I trust, however, that the readers of this little book will deal to me a kindly criticism, as the translation was undertaken as a vacation-task, and the notes thrown together in the midst of various compulsory avocations. May the Lord accept the feeble labours of His servant upon this portion of His inspired Scriptures, and make them instrumental in generating and quick- ening an interest in the mysteries of His Holy Word ! Bath, March, 1869. CONTENTS. PAGE Inteoduction , . . xiii Chapter 1 1 „ 11. . 7 III 18 „ IV 22 „ V 29 „ VI 35 „ VII 40 „ VIII 46 „ IX 54 X 60 „ XI 66 „ XII 72 „ Xin 78 „ XIV 85 INTEODUCTION. 1. Birth and family. — Hosea (Saviour) was the son of Beeri, (my well.) When the name of a prophet's father is mentioned, according to Jewish criticism he is also to be esteemed a prophet. Nothing farther is known of his pedigree, except that there is a tradition of the rabbins that he was of the tribe of Issachar. 2. Office. — Hosea was a prophet to the ten tribes especially, although he does not forget to utter stern reproofs and warnings against, as well as predict future blessings to the two- tribe kingdom of Judah. It is worth}' of notice that in his preface he mentions four kings of Judah, and but one of Israel. Some have inferred from this that he properly belonged to Judah, and was sent from Judah to denounce their coming doom to the kingdom of Israel ; but it would rather appear from the internal evidence of his prophecies, that he regarded the kings of Judah only as belonging to the true and legitimate line of the royal succession, and that the schismatic separation of the ten tribes, with their man-appointed monarch, was abnormal and unrecognized by God. The king of Israel who is named seems only to have been introduced for the purpose of fixing the date of the prophecies with greater accuracy, and this partial honour may have been awarded to Jeroboam the Second, as he was the most noted of the line of Jehu, who had received a quasi-recognition of royal authority and a promise that his seed for four generations should occupy the primacy over the ten tribes, as a reward for his destruction of the ritual of Baal-worship out of Israel. 3. Tlie jieriod of his prophestjing extended over a pro- tracted period, which has been variously computed ; all agree, XIV INTRODUCTION. Y however, in assigning a long duration to our prophet's ministry. Hosea entered on his office in the time ofUzziah, king of Judah, but Uzziah was contemporary with Jeroboam of Israel for fourteen years, and survived him twenty-six years ; we must, therefore, allot at the least these twenty-six years, with probably a margin of one or two years more, to include fairly a portion of Jeroboam's life-time. Jotham reigned sixteen years, and Ahaz the same period. In the sixth year of Hezekiah the prophecy of Hosea concerning the destruction of the ten-tribe kingdom was fulfilled, (2 Kings xviii. 10,) and as there is no mention of that occurrence in the book, it is but right to conclude that our prophet had departed this life before that crisis. Thus by allotting one or two years in this reign at the close of his career and the same narrow limit in that of Jeroboam the Second, king of Israel, at its commencement, the period of Hosea's official duties cannot be reckoned under a figure a little in excess of sixty years, extending from somewhere about 784 to 722 B.C. The contemporaneous kings of Israel were Jeroboam the Second, Zachariah, Shallum,Menahem, Pekahiah,Pekah, aiid Hoshea. In this length of life and service in his Master's cause he reminds us of Elisha, who prophesied for fifty years — of Daniel, who witnessed for God during the whole extent of the Babylonish captivity — of St. John, whose apostolic labours, at the lowest computation, equalled, if not considerably surpassed, those of our prophet — and of Poly carp, who at his martyrdom confessed before the proconsul, " Eighty and six years have I served the Lord." During this long tenure of office, it will be seen that Hosea was more or less contemporary with other members of " the goodly fellowship of the pro- phets" — Jonah and Amos, who probably entered on their office before him, and Isaiah, Micali, Joel, and Nahum, who were called subsequently to him. 4. His sjiecial duties were to preach against and oppose the idolatry of the calves, set up as symbols of Jehovah by Jeroboam the First, to whose name has ever been affixed that familiar but fearful title, " who made Israel to sin," but his mission did not end here. Baal-worship, the worship of INTRODUCTION. XV the sun and heavenly bodies, (Baalim,) and the planet Venus, (Astarte,) had been established as the national religion by Ahab and Jezebel ; and although the outward worship of these gods had been demolished by Jehu, yet it was only destroyed on the surface — the ritual was gone, but the doctrine remained — the serpent was scotched butnot killed ; indeed it had rather assumed a more dangerous and deceptive form — " out of the serpent's root came forth a cockatrice " — they had put away the idol, but had transferred Jehovah to his pedestal, and treated the Lord of lords as though He had been like the gods of the heathen. They made images and dedicated them as similitudes of the G reat Unseen ; they worshipped Jehovah, but called Him Baali ; they kept His feasts, but turned them into idol-revels. Against this mixture of holy and profane — this compromise, this latitudinarianism — against this degradation of the majesty of God by associating His presence with an idol-effigy — against this combination of revelation with the corruptions of heathenism — against these archaic prototypes of Rationalism and Romanism, Hosea was a preacher and a protestant. Style of compoailion. — Hosea has ever been reckoned one of the most difficult of the Hebrew authors. His transitions are sharp and rapid, his connecting links few, his language abrupt and severe, and his figures tragic. It may be doubted whether we have his prophecies in the full form in which they were at first delivered, or whether the writings preserved to us are an epitome of longer and more explicit announcements, as is probably the case in the speeches of SS. Peter, Stephen, and Paul, in the '* Acts of the Apostles." This would account for some of the difficulties presented to us in the text — or they may be, without ab- ridgment or omission, the ipsissima verha oi owx prophet, who gave utterance to these brief but comprehensive declarations at various and long separated periods of his ministry, in the sententious and oracular form in which we now possess them. In either case, the composition pictures the prophet to our mind's eye passing through the successive ages of man and the varied experiences of spiritual life. In all the zeal of youthful XVI INTRODUCTION. ardour and jealousy for his God, rising up as a reprover and reformer ; in the fire of manhood denouncing the idolatries, in- iquities, and impenitence of the nation; — the fruitful cause of all their present sufferings and future woe; and lastly, in the calm eventide of his old age, as the veil was yet further lifted up, gilding the far-distant future of his people with many a precious promise, like the setting sun, which, after a day of storm and tempest, breaks out from behind a barrier of thunder clouds, and darts a ray of light and glory across the scene of devastation, prophetic of a " morning without clouds." The roll of Hosea is a " song of mercy and judgment." Throughout Israel's career of idolatry in former times, and continuance in unbelief in these latter days, his unfoldings reveal the sure and certain " tribulation and anguish " against " the Jew first;" and when they shall seek Jehovah their God, and Messiah their King, the " glory, honour, and peace " that are in reversion, " to the Jew first." To the backslider also amongst ourselves the same message comes home, charged alike with reproof and reprieve. Whether, therefore, we regard the contents of this book in their proper, primary, and literal reference to the nation of Israel, or make an application of them, in a figure^ to the present necessities of the Church of God, we may well lay to heart the parting words of the aged and honoured prophet — " Who is wise, then shall he luiderstand these things ; (Who is) understanding, then shall he know them ; For righteous are the ways of Jehovah, And the just shall walk in them, • But transgressors shall fall in them." t §00li 0f ilje §r0]glj^t ^mm. 1 The word of Jehovah, which was to Hoshea ,^ the Jt.x<< *'*)K2l*'^iI son of Beeri, in the chivs^ of Uzziah, Jotham, n*1^t3i ^rrM* Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah i a nd in the *t^'i') da}'s of Jeroboam /son of Joash, long of Israel. hM"lt^*^ 2 The beginning of Jehovah's speaking through' J/t^'^rm Hoshea; Then said Jehovah to Hoshea, it^^TT'^K rrirr^ '^T^K*') Go, take to thyself a wife of wantonness,^ 1. ^ " Hosea " = salvation. "Beeri" = my well. These names, like others in this prophet, are symbolical. ^ " In the days of," &c. For the duration of the period of Hosea's prophetic office, see Introduction, p. xiii. § 3. 2. 3 « Through Hosea"— literally " in " — the Spirit spoke in his heart. This form n, "i^l, is used frequently of divine communications, and is probably intended to show the in- dwelling of the inspiring Spirit, and His energizing influ- ences in the prophet's heart and mind. (See Num. xii. 6, 8 ; Hab. ii. 1 ; Zech. i. 9, &c.) ^ "A wife of wantonness" — literally " of fornications." The difficulty of this passage has been felt by all commentators, on account of its apparent violation of a divine command, (Deut. xxii. 21.) The leading interpretations are these : — (1) That it was an outward and literal act, the law being set aside by the command of the Legislator Himself. B Z HOSEA. And children of wantonness, Because ttiemndhath utterly played the wanton, Instead of (followmg) after Jehovah. 3 And he went, and took Gomer,^ the daughter of Diblaimj and she conceived and bare him a* son. 4 Then s^l Jehovah to him, (2) That the transaction was not real, but performed in a vision. (3) That the sin spoken of is used figuratively, to represent a forsaking of God and an union with idols ; that the whole nation had become " wantons " in this sense, and Hosea in consequence was simply told to marry a wife of this unfaith- ful people, and beget children who should be guilty of the same defection. (4) That nothing more is meant than a foreign wife — one not of the holy nation, but of the polluted heathen. The best way of arriving at a safe conclusion in a difficulty like this, is to consider what is required by the fact to be re- presented in the figure, and to rule accordingly. Israel is pictured as a wanton wife, and her children or people as of like character ; but Israel was chosen in purity, and her wantonness and adultery against God were sins that followed her calling. She left her first husband, and fell into sin. Then the mercy of God is represented in His taking her back after her disgrace. Hence it may be concluded that Gomer was not a disreputable person when Hosea took her, any more than her children which were yet unborn, but was guilty of defection afterwards, and the names " wife and children of wantonness " are given as the result of foreknow- ledge. This explanation obviates the difficuhy of the literal view, and introduces no fancy or force-work into the text. 3. ^ " Gomer " = completion — the filling up the measure of iniquity. " Diblaim " = a double cake of figs — emblematic of the luxury and self-indulgence of sin. CHAPTEH T. 3 Call his name Jezreel, Because yet a little wliile, JXif'^t^ And I will visit the blood of JezreeF upon the house of Jehu, 4. ^ "Jezreel." There is a paranomasia between this word and Israel. Israel had become Jezreel. Jezreel has two meanings : — (1) " God shall scatter ;" (2) " God shall sow." Thus the one word binds up in itself the curse and the blessing — the dispersion and the restoration. The context decides (as will be seen) the sense which is intended in each case. With reference to the mother, the personification of the nation, Israel is scattered because of their iniquities, but beloved for the fathers' sakes, and so when God's purposes are ripe, the punished shall be pardoned, and the banished restored ; Jezreel the " scattered," shall become Jezreel the " sown " again in their own land. We have a similar instance in the name Isaac, (laughter,) which com- prises the two opposite ideas — the smile of the sceptic, and the happiness of the rejoicing saint. Sarah's laugh of unbelief at the annunciation of his birth has found an echo in the infidel scofifs of her posterity ; and the laughter of joy at his birth, on the other hand, shall yet find its antitype when the Lord shall make " Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." ' The interpretations of " the blood of Jezreel " are various : — (1) The blood of Jezreel signifies the blood of Ahab's family, shed by Jehu, (see 2 Kings ch. x. ;) for though the slaughter was commanded by God, yet the act was executed by Jehu for his own ends.— Calvin. Pusey. (2) The various acts of cruelty committed by Jehu at Jezreel. — Neiccome. (o) Jezreel refers not to the place but to Hosea's son, and represents the godly seed, of which Jehu's posterity, being idolaters, were persecutors. — Horsley. B 2 HOSEA. And I will put an end to^ ^H^fe?L>* Kin^noms^ of the ifouse of Israel. The Pf ^ rr "1 5 And it shall, be iji tha t day ; That 1 will break the bow of Israel iJOV^ In the valley of Jezreel.^^^^*^P ' 6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter, "^D K^l An d He sa id to him , ')}p n /t3 feV H *^ i^ ^^^^ ^^^' name Lo-ruhamah ;/*^n *^ |fV [^^^^ piiied] ^ j-r- ^ y Because I will not again pity the house of Israel, j But I will utterly take away'^fT^^HJC >|C5^>' (The kingdoms) that belong to them. orT> (4) It would seem that Hosea's son Jezreel is pointed at in this place, and inasmuch as he has just been described as a son of wantonness, he could not represent the godly seed, but the idolatrous people of the nation. Now Jehu and his family had been raised to the throne to extirpate these rebels against God ; but after having executed a great slaughter, Jehu and his sons fell into equally gross idolatry, therefore the blood they shed to no purpose was required at their hands. ® " Kingdoms." The original is plural, and should be so rendered, as Israel's kingdom was constantly changing the line of succession in its rulers. 5. ^"Jezreel," — here the noted valley, or plain of Esdraelon, where it would seem that, as being the scene of frequent battles, the last decisive victory was won over Hoshea, the last Iving of Israel. 6. ^° " I will utterly take away," &c. Some render, '' that I should ever be forgiving them ; " i.e., taking away their iniquity, (so Jun. and Trem., Houbigant, Horsley, &c.) Pusey, " I will take away everything from them." It seems preferable to supply the object of the verb from the fourth verse, " kingdoms," and render as in the text. LXX., duTtTa ainij^. Syr., " Ut apcriatur intellectus ejus." Vulg., " Ad aperiendam spem." Targum, W^': "^"Tiannb , " Ad delicias animro." 1^ " Sing anthems," r\n':i'S • This translation seems most CHAPTER TI. 15 And as in the day she came up from the land of Egypt. 18 And it shall be in that day, declareth Jehovah, That thou shalt call me Ishi, [mj/ husbancT] And thou shalt not call me any more Baali.^^ [iny Baal, or lord] 19 And I will remove the names of the Baals, out of her mouth ; And they shall not be remembered any more by their name. 20 And I will make for them a covenant in that day With the beast of the field, and with the fowl of the air, And the reptile of the ground ; And the bow and the sword and the battle I will break from off the land, appropriate, because the word really implies "answering," which points to the antiphonal character of the song of triumph, as in the song of Miriam, (Ex. xv.,) referred to in this verse. It will be seen below that several of the ancient translators took this verb in the sense of humiliation. LXX., TaTTeivwOrjaeTM. Symm., KaKwO))ae7at. Thcod., aTroKpieijaeTai. Syr., " Humilietur." Vulg., " Canet." Targ., " Dedent sese ibi verbo meo." 18. ^^ The word " Baali," originally meaning "lord," or ** master," had been improperly applied to the idol. The word had been prostituted, and God would not reclaim it to His service. He would be called Ishi, "my husband" — t£'"'S j**""^ literally, " a man." It is possible that the humanity of the Messiah, the God-man, is also here referred to. (See Zech. vi. 12, and John xix. 5.) "''^'S'Zi. LXX,, BaaXe<>. Aquila, exti'i/ /if. Vulg., " Baali." So also the Syriac. Targum, "Kon servietis ultra idolia populorum," 16 HOSKA. And will cause them to rest in security. 21 And I will espouse thee to myself for ever; And I will espouse thee to myself with justice and judgment, And with grace and much pity. 22 And I will espouse ^^ thee to myself with fidelity ; And thou shalt know Jehovah. 23 And it shall be in that day I will answer, declareth Jehovah, I will answer the heavens ; And they shall answer the earth, 24 And the earth shall answer The corn, and the must and the oil ; And they shall answer Jezreel.^^ 25 And I will sow her to myself in the land, And will pity Lo-ruhamah; [the not pitied'] And I will say to Lo-ammi, Ammi art thou, \jiot my people ; my people~\ And he shall say, my God ! ^^ 22. ^^ The thrice-repeated use of the tender word'' betroth," reveals to us the love and longing of God towards His people. This threefold repetition also, taken in connection with the several modes and manifestations of the Divine love associated with each^ must have a tacit reference, as is so frequently the case in the Old Testament Scriptures, to the doctrine of the Trinity. 24. "^"^ "Jezreel " is here used in the good sense, associated with a promise of future blessings, " God shall sow," as the next verse proves. 25. '^ Observe, the reconciliation comes from God, as in Zech. xiii. 9. From Him must flow forth to us preventing grace, that we may have a good will, as well as working with CHAPTER II. 17 US when we have that good will. (Article X.) Here God renews the covenant of Ex. iii., which He had suspended in ch. i. 9, of our prophet. Now the God of Israel, who had so long hidden Himself, returns to them, and they, acted upon by His grace and love, return to Him. God and Israel are reconciled, and with Israel, all His people, children of Abraham by faith. The promise of Immanuel is thus verified. The source of happiness before the fall was that God was with man ; the prophecy of restoration to that forfeited blessing through the coming Messiah was uttered by Isaiah — " Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." The evangelist records the fulfilment of this prediction, when Christ took our nature upon Him, and dwelt on earth, and furnishes the interpretation, " God with us ; " and in Rev. xxi. 3, we have the full and final exhaustion of the same promise, expressed in the expansion of the blessed name, Ka\ avros 6 Oeos /^ler ainCbv e'ffTatf av-rwv ^eo'?, "And He Himself shall be God with them — their God." 18 HOSEA.. Chapter III. ♦ ^ 1 Then said Jehovah to me. (^ Again go, love the woman,^ Tll^^ft ^TTK Jn ^ n* K-'-'^^'^^ ^^ ^^^* spouse,^ though an adulteress ; *^ ^ T^X^ Like as the love of Jehovah for the sons of Israel, For they turn after strange gods, And are lovers of cakes of grapes.^ 2 And I bought^ her to myself for fifteen silverlings, and a homer of barley, and a lethek of barley. 1. ^ " The woman" — evidently the same Gomer who, ac- cording to the first chapter, was to be a wife of wantonness. She had gone astray from Hosea, and he was now commanded, in order to carry out the figure of God's mercy on a spiri- tually adulterous people, to love her again, and forgive her defection. ^ " Spouse," V?. — literally, friend or neighbour — but as Hosea her husband is intended, I have used the word " spouse," though perhaps rather too strong a title, as the original seems rather to point out the fact that the wife did not deserve the husband's affection, by using a far less affec- tionate word than tt?"'W , " husband." 2?~i nnnw. LXX., a7a7ra;.ffai/ TTovrjpa. And SO Syriac, "Aman- tem scelera;" reading 2?"!. Vulg., "Dilectam amico." Targ., *' Qui similes sunt mulieri charissimse suo mai'ito." ^ " Cakes of grapes " — offered to idols. Some render " flagons of wine," but see versions quoted below. Heng- stenberg derives it from tt;N, "fire;" Henderson, from WWi^ , to *' press." "^Ji?"^tt7H . LXX., ITe'/i^irtTrt aWx^ico'}. Aq., UaXata. Symm., '\Kap7rovs. Syr., " Macerata uvarum passarum." Vulg., " Vinacia uvarum." 2. * " I bought," n~i3S"l . Hengstenberg's interpretation of this word is doubtless the true one, (see *' Christology," vol. i., 189 ;) the verb mD signifies to dig, and the reference ^C<1V^» CHAPTER 11 r. 19 '^t>^^ 3 And I said to her.n^ /S ^^^^ Many da^s shalt thou wait for me, ^^L^*^ Thou shalt not play the wanton, And thou shalt not become (subject) to (any) man ; And I also (will wait) for thee. 3'fD'* 4 Because Tnanv^a^s Shall the sons of Israel y^^it, ^ (They shall have) no king, and no prince, yH") And no sacrifice, and no statue, n;j^ O And no ephod. nor teraphim.^ here is to the digging or boring the ear of a slave. The figure then is perfect. She had forfeited her claims, by joining herself to paramours. Hosea redeemed her for the price of a slave, thirty shekels of silver, half he paid in money and half in kind ; and then he bored her ear, fixed her as his for ever ; hence she was to wait long for him. Just so the Lord is noAV dealing with Israel. He has bored their ears to be His servants. His witnesses, willingly or unwillingly, and they must wait many days for Him, till He reveals Himself at His second advent, and they acknowledge Him as Lord and God. For the second D'^i^B?, the LXX., Symm., and Theod., read ol'vov. Vulg., " hordei." Syr., renders whole clause by " sesquimodio hordei." 4. ^ A remarkable prophecy, and remarkably fulfilled before our eyes. Israel has no king, and no prince of the captivity, known to be the heir of the throne, though kept from his rights by foreign dominion. They have no true and lawful worship according to the Mosaic code, neither have they any unlawful or idolatrous worship, for both the service of God and that of idols are designated in the following words. They have no sacrifice appointed by God, for those only could be offered at Jerusalem ; they have no statue, no great public idol, like the Calves or Baal. They have no ephod, in c 2 20 HOSE A. 5 Afterwards, shall the sons (^ Israel return, n*)r*"-^i^ And seek Jehovah theTr God, CinV*V^ And David '^ their king; which were the Urim and Thumniun, which in former days revealed to them the will of God on the occasion of any particular difficulty ; nor have they teraphim, " penates," " household gods," to consult on an emergency, according to the magical rites of the heathen. These words refer especially, it may be noted, to the ten tribes, and may lead us either to reject every theory of their supposed discovery, or to conclude that they returned after the Babylonish captivity, with the two tribes, and thus that the prophecy points to the whole twelve-tribe people, known now as Jews all over the world. See, for an excellent comment on this verse. Dr. M'Caul's Act Sermon before the University of Dublin. For nn!^l3, "statue," two MSS. read nma, "offer- CQ'im T12M ^"'N . LXX., Ov^e lepajeiwi ovce ctjXwv. Symm. and 'rheod.,aVeu'E0wo kuI ai>ev Qepa({)ijx. ThcCodex Barberinus, however, Aquila, Kal /nopcpwfxaTtvv. Symm., ovce eVtXuo-ews. Theod., ovce eTTiXvo/uei^ov. Syr., " Sine induente ephod et adolente thura." Vulg., " Sine ephod et sine teraphim." Targum, " Nee non ephod, nee qui responsum reddat." 5, ^ " David " = Messiah. Wc are not to regard this name as a patronymic, as some have done, denoting the line of David's successors, nor suppose that another king will rise who shall bear that name, but must ratlier investigate the meaning of the symbolic name itself. David, signifies *' laeloved," and when our Lord was baptized, and entered, so to speak, on His spiritual supremacy, the voice from Heaven proclaimed Ilim as the " Beloved Son," the " David " that should come. Again, at the Transfiguration, when the Lord revealed the coming kingdom with its heavenly manifestations and earthly glory, the same proclamation was CHAPTER III. 21 I And revere^ Jehovah y)Z^ / fS I And His gracious one* P^TOn In the last days.a^D'-r announced from the excellent glory — *' This is my beloved Son," the true David ; "hear Him!" He is your King, obey His voice ! "^ " Revere," literally, tremble to — bs . It shall not be a fear that repels, but a fear, a holy fear, that attracts. ^ '* His Gracious One," in*it2. here, from the parallelism epexegetical, " of David their King," hence "Gracious," or " Good One," is a synonym of Messiah. Compare, for the radical passage, Ex. xxxiii. 19. (See ch. viii. 3, and xiv. 3,) &c., &c. '3^ ^M ITHD . IjXX., eKffTtjaovTat iirl ru. Kvpivo kuI eVc to?s d-,^ 1 Hear ye the word of Jehovah, O sons of Israel ; For Jehovah hath a strife^ with the inhabitants V^K ^of the land, -,^,v , ■'"' Because (there isj no truth and iio mercy, yts"^ Anfnflmowledge of God in the land. J^1»SD Q^H^K 2 Swearing and lying. And murdering and thieving, and committing adultery (are there) ; They have burst forth,^ iV^-n An? blood wit? bloSl^ ^**r^11 Ana blood witnbloo^^ commingleth. 3 Therefore mourn shall the land. And faded shall be every inhabitant of it. The very beast of the field, and the fowl* of the air, And also the fish of the sea shall perish. 1. ' ''Strife." A judicial enquiry and cause. 2. ^ *' They have burst forth." They have broken through all laws, as a swollen river bursts its banks. Every com- mandment they have violated. ^ " Blood with blood." The usual exposition of these words is that murders were so frequent that the streams of blood flowed into each other. The sin of incest seems rather to be referred to, as the climax of adultery, the last abomina- tion mentioned. This seems to be clearly the interpretation of the Tar gum. LXX., KOI a'('/iiaTa e(p' ai'fiaai ^I'ff^ovffi. Vulg., " Et sanguis sanguinem tetigit." Syr., *' Et sanguinem cum sanguine commiscuerunt." Targ., the whole passage, " Et adulteria committentes generant filios ex uxoribus proximorum suo- rum, et aggregant peccata peccatis." 3. ^ " The very beast and the fowl," ?Ti2)n — H'^nn . It is best to consider the 2 in these words as the n essentice, and to render " the very beast," &c. Thus the Syriac, " Tum bcstiee, tum volucrcs," &c. CHAPTER IV. 23 4 Yet let no man strive with, Nor rebuke. another ; And (let not) thy people (be) Strivers with the priest.'* 5 For thou shalt fall by day, And fall shall the prophet also with thee by night ; And I will annihilate^ thy mother.^ 4. ^ ** The priest," throughout Hosea, seems to mean the idolatrous priests, who led the people astray. The ordinary translation will therefore scarcely be consistent. By repeating the imperative contained in the first clause in the second, we obtain the following result. Though the whole nation is gone astray, let no man reprove his neighbour on this account; nay, more, let not the whole people arise and rebuke the idolatrous priests, for (see following verse) the Lord will take the matter into His own hands. The 3 in ''3"'~ia3 is the 3 veritatis, and not D comparationis. (See Num. xi. 1.) Vulg., " Populus enim tuus, sicut hi qui contradicunt sacer- doti." Syr., " Populus tuus seque ac sacerdos contendit." Targum, " Populus vero tuus litigat cum doctoribus suis." 5. ^ '* Annihilate." This verb is variously rendered. LXX., uy,o/a'<7«, " I made hke." Vulg., '' Tacere feci," " I have brought to silence." Syr,, '' Conticuit." Targum, *' Confusione induam congregationem vestram." ' " Thy mother." Commentators are divided. Some regard the mother-country, the Israelitish state, to be intended ; others the mother-city, and then a question arises as to whether Jerusalem or Samaria, the capital of the ten tribes, is meant. Surely, although the Israelitish nationality may lie in the background, the term ''mother" clcaily points to Gomcr, (ch. i. S.) 24 HOSEA. 6 Annihilated are my people through lack of (true) knowledge ; [lit., the knowledge] Because thou (true) knowledge hast rejected, I also have rejected thee from being priest to me, And (because) thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will forget thy sons, — even I myself. 7 According as they increased. So they sinned against me ; Their glory Into shame will I turn. 8 The sin-oifering^ of my people They devour; And upon their iniquity^ They each do set their lust. 9 And the people shall be like the priest ; And I will visit upon them their ways. And their actions will I requite to them. 10 And they shall eat, and not be satisfied. They have played the wanton, but shall not increase ; For Jehovah they have forsaken 8. ® " Sin-ofFering." The priests desire that my people may sin, that they may have abundance of sacrifices to feast on. ^ " And upon their iniquity," &c. They lift their soul or desire, i.e., they have a greedy appetite for the offerings Avhich are then brought in consequence of their iniquity. Literally, they lift — his soul. The suffix "his" shows the sin of each individual priest, as the nominative " they " the universality of the sin. A few MSS. and LXX., Syr., Targ., Vulg., and Arab., read however, Qtt^D3 , their souls. CHAPTER IV. 25 With respect to regarding (Him).^° 11 Wantonness and wine and must Take possession of (their) heart.^^ 12 As for my people, their stock ^^ they enquire of, And their staff declares to them ; Because the spirit of wantonness hath led (them) astray, And they have played the wanton by departing from their God. [lit., from under their God] 13 On the tops of the mountains they sacrifice. And on the hills they burn incense, Under the oak and the aspen and the terebinth, Because their shade is good ; Therefore, your daughters shall play the wanton, And your brides shall commit adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters because they play the wanton. Nor your brides because they commit adultery. Because they themselves with harlots go astray, 10. ^" Horsley proposes to alter the accentuation, and join " to regard " with the next verse, but such an alteration would not be in accordance with Hebrew idiom, as the verb "ittti? is not found connected with such objects as " wanton- ness," " wine," or the like. 11. " The LXX. translators make "the heart " the sub- ject, and the other nouns the object. The Syr., Vulg., and Targum support the order of the text. 12. i» " Stock "—an idol of wood. '' Staff," perhaps bearing on it the carving of some idol, or the expression may point to the ancient superstition of Rhabdomancy, or the divination by rods. 26 nosEA. And with prostitutes tliey sacrifice ; Therefore the people shall not understand, They shall be overthrown. 15 Though thou playest the w^anton, O Israel, Let not Judah be guilty ; And come ye not to Gilgal, And go not up to Beth-aven,^^ And swear ye not " Jehovah liveth." 16 Because like a restive heifer, Hestive has been Israel, Now shall Jehovah feed them. Like a sheep in a wide space. 17 A companion of idols is Ephraim, Leave (him) to himself.^* 15. ^2 "Bethel," the house of God, had become through the idolatry of the calves, " Beth-aven/' the house of vanity, or idols. LXX., o7kov ■^Oj'. Aquila and Theod., o7kov ai>io(pe\7}. Symm., o7kou aOeia^. In the Codex Barberinus, Aquila, Symm., and Theod., o7kov avw^eXov^. Syr. and Vulg., " Be- Ihaven." Targum, " Bethel." 17. ^^ " Leave (him) to himself," lb"n3n, may be taken several ways. The ordinary rendering, " Leave him alone," has strong support from Exodus xxxii. 10, where the Lord says to Moses, "^b nrT^Dil, "Leave me alone," and 2 Sam. xvi. 11, and 2 Khigs xxiii. 18. Or it may be a command to Judah — leave the idols to Ephraim, and have nothing to do with them. Or, again, it may be, " put them before him ;" he has sought unto idols, let him have his desire ; give them to him. XjXX., yit6To^09 cicwXaiu, YiCJipai fx, cO)^k* .HO O'tl^H^ QOTOrr PNr't^O'^ 1 Hear ye this, O priests, ^^^tkin T^n T i->^-,s And listen, O house of Israel, '-''*^'' )^J(/^J1 And O house of the king, hearken yeJjSC^^u) H OdS ^"^ For upon you is the judgment^ (denouncedJ i-^^-^ I^5^*^k> Because a snare have ye been on Mizpah," ., *' And a net spread out upon Tabor.^ )I3 ^'^ / 2 And the slaughter the apostates'* have made deep ; xi tA^I'l 1. ^ "For upon you is the judgment." Many interpret ^^ If^ these words to mean that the execution of judgment was / their prerogative; others, that it was denounced againsi'-Jjl /-V them, the Syriac, Vulgate, and Targum favour the former, the LXX. the latter interpretation. LXX., 11/30? lytas iari to Kpi'/Lia. Vulg., " Quia vobis judi- cium est." Syr., "Ad vos pertinet judicium." Targum, " Nunquid vestra refert dignoscere judicium." 2 " On Mizpah," n2!>ab . LXX., tv ffKOTna. Aquila, ry aKOTrevirei. Symm., TrXcna'a. Vulg., " Speculationi." Targ., " Doctoribus vestris," Syr,, " Speculatoribus." [Not re- garding it as a proper name.] ^ " Tabor," '■\'^:ir\ . LXX., eVJ to "l-ruftvpioiJ. Aquila, Symm., and Theod., eVJ eajSivp. But in the Codex Bar- berinus, Symm., eVt to opwj'. Theod., eU tov cpvf.i6u. Vulg., " Thabor." Targ., "Super montem excelsum." Syr., " Thabore." 2. 4 " Apostates," WllW. Keil and Delitzsch render this word, "excesses," making it the object of the verb. Horsley, " prickers," i.e., " hunters." Fiirst, in his Lexicon, " unjust judge." As nt^tt? , the cognate verb, is used in Numb. v. 12, «&c., of a woman proving unfaithful to her husband, there can be little doubt, as this figure is so frequent in our prophet, that this is tlie meaning here, the " apostates," i.e., forsakers of their God, have made deep, i.e., have multiplied greatly their sacrifices to their idols — the prophet does not 30 HOSEA. , , And I myself (will make deep) chastisement^ to them all. QO?^^ 'HJ^I' OK 3 I myself know Ephraim, And Israel is not hidden from me^^*^ ^^ iJ^DD^N^ For now thou hast played the wanton, O Ephraim, n'^tH rfXlJ/ '^^ Defiled is Israel. )^l^l^i 4 They will not frame their habits Qn*7}l?0 I^H^ K^ To return to their God ; ^«^,^'L»j^.'«^j>; •:y\tl^^ .For the spirit of wantonness is in their heart, But Jehovah they have not known. 5 And the Glory^ of Israel testifies^ to his face ; call them sacrifices, but slaughter. See, for a like example of bitter irony, Phihp. iii. 2, where St. Paul calls the observance of circumcision, (77-t/3/To/(iy,) which was enforced by the Judaiz- ing teachers after its abrogation, tccncnofi/j. LXX., oc ch{pcvovTeUD-A^bovj^ burnt pflferings. nbn"y7 Butasfor^hem, Like Adam' have they transgressed a covenant, It was there tliey proved false to me. decreed for thee." Here evidently, from the context, in a good sense, as the stern rebukes of the prophets were for their good. This is a not unfrequent form of speech — see Rom. xi. 31, Tip f/teTe'/jw eXt'c/, "your mercy," i.e., the mercy showed to you; 1 Cor. XV. ol, m) ti)v v/ncrepaf Kavxriaiv, " by your rejoicing," i.e., by the rejoicing I have on your account. The LXX., Syr., and Targ. read, ^tscrrja , " my judgment," wnich was probably an explanatory gloss. LXX., TO Kpifia fiov. The other versions, ?} ciKaioKpiaia. Vulg., " Judicia tua." Syr. and Targ., "Judicium meum." 6. ^ " Piety." This passage derives interest and im- portance from its being twice quoted by our Lord, (Matt. ix. 9, and xii. 7.) iDn is equivalent to grace and piety, (see previous note.) True heart-religion is better than a thousand sacrifices. Pusey refers the " mercy " to the duties enforced in the second table of the law, and " sacrifice " to those of the first; he compares this text with 1 John iv. 20. Sacrifice without performance of our duties to our fellow-creatures is useless. If any reference is made to the two tables of the law, the knowledge of God would seem rather to point to the first table. 7. "^ " Like Adam," D1S3 . Clearly a proper name, not "men" generally. This latter interpretation much weakens the charge of unfaithfulness. God made a covenant with Adam, he broke it. God made a covenant with Israel, they broke that also. (Compare Job. xxxi. 33, Ps. xlix. VZ, and Ps, Ixxxii. 7.) LXX., "5s uv9pw7ros. Syr,, " Ut filius hominis." Vulg., " Sicut Adam." Targum, " Sicuti generationes priscse." Michaelis proposed the reading, -'"f^f.^, '' like Edom." 38 HOSEA. 8 As for Gilead,^ It is a city of idol makers,^ Tracked-with-heel-marks of blood .^'' 9 And as gangs lie in wait for a man. (So) a company of priests Commit murder along the road to Shechem ;'* For purposed-crime they have committed. 8. ^ " Gilead,"« e., Kamotli Gilead, a city of refuge; hence the reference in the " tracked-with-heel-marks of blood." In 2 Kinffs XV. 25, we are tokl that when Pekah killed Pekahiah, there were with him fifty men of the Gileadites, who aided him in the evil deed ; probably there is a reference here to that occurrence. 9 " Of idol makers." This rendering is to be preferred to the more vague translation of the authorised version, *' of them that work iniquity." LXX., ep^a^o/nevrj /nuTaut, an expression that indicated " idols." Vulg., " Civitas operan- tium idolum." Syi'v " Urbs ilia operantium iniquitatem." Targum, *' Vim inferentium." '" " Tracked-with-heel-marks of blood," m^j nnpv. LXX., Tapaaaovaa vcwp. Aq., Trepiica/nr^^ utto a'incno<;. Symm,, liiwKTai UTTO ai'/ncno'?. E., viroGKcXi^ovaa Km coXoCJiovovaa. Vulg., " Supplantata sanguine." Syr., " Sanguine conspersa." Targum, " Effundentium sanguinem innocentium." 9. " "To Shechem," n!22tZ7. Authorised version, "by con- sent;" margin, "with one shoulder," or " to Shechem." The last rendering is the best. The ancient versions regard the word as a proper name. This was also a city of refuge, and therefore of the priests and Levites. The charge against them is a solemn one, that these cities, which were intended to be refuges to preserve life, had been made by them snares and dens of death. LXX., S/xf/ia. Aquila, " Humcros." Symm., "Sichem." Theod., "In dorso." Syr., "Sechim." Vulg., " dc Si- chem." Targum, in P)nD , " Consensu uno." CHAPTER VI. 39 10 In the house of Israel, I have seen an awful sight; There wantonness (is found) in Ephraim, Defiled is Israel. 1 1 Also, O Judah, He hath appointed a harvest ^^ for thee, When I turn again the captivity of my people. II. ^^ "A harvest." AVhat is the meaning of this? Horsley interprets in a good sense, as a figure of the in- gathering of the faithful. Seeker and Newcorae, in a bad sense, " The time of being cut ofi", as ripe for destruction." Henderson, the punishment, in all probability, which is re- corded in 2 Chron. xxviii. 6, 8. Pusey, the restoration after the Babylonish captivity, when the kingdom of Israel sujBTered final destruction, but rich mercies were in store for Judah. This interpretation would furnish an example of the quick transitions for which our prophet is so remarkable — a sudden gleam of mercy darting out from behind the storm-clouds of judgment. On the other hand, the whole context, and the character of the passage itself, combined with the fact that all the ancient versions seem ^to favour the idea of judgment rather than of mercy, incline us to the view that as punishments have fallen upon Israel, Judah may also prepare herself for a like visitation. If we take the verb in a future perfect sense, the verse may be expounded, " when or after I shall have turned the captivity of my people," by bringing them back from Babylon, Judah by their re- jection of Messiah will bring down upon themselves the heaviest judgments, and will fall before their enemies as corn before the reaper. L/XX., Kal ^lovca, clp-^ov rpv^jau aeavTiv. Symm., x^al aoi ^\ovha awoKenai 0epia/iiO9. E.^ aWa A:rt/ ffv \ovBa irapeffKeva^e^ avrov e n*^*^ And the wickedness of Samaria; Because they have made an idol; Therefore a thief shall come (in)/ A gang shall plunder in the street. 2 x\nd they say not in their heart ;^ Q J*^ ^fy/"^ AJLtheir wickedness I remember ; Now their actions have beset them, Before my face are they. 'iSti O J^iJ7^ ^ With their wickedness they make glad the lang ; And with lies the princes. 4 All of them are adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker, He leaves off stirring (it), From (the time of) kneading the dough till it is leavened.^ 1 . ' " Shall come in," Sin"' . LXX., elaekevae-rcu. Symra., elayXOev. E., earn' evcov. Vulg., " IngrCSSUS CSt.'' Syr., " Ingrediebatur." Targum, " In domibus." 2. 2 u:idhb , hterally, " io their heart." n , " in," is found in several MSS., and is supported by Syr., Vulg. ,and Targum. 4. 3 The meaning of the comparison in this passage seems to be that the nation, as represented by its leading men, had some plan or plot in their minds, to seduce the king on some favourable occasion, such as his coronation day or his birth- day, (see Matt. xiv. 6, 7,) to consent to some act of wicked- ness — most likely to seek aid of some heathen power, Egypt or Assyria, (v. 11.) Hence they are compared (1) to adulterers, and (2) because the intensity of their desire to carry out this measure was so great, to an oven heated so fiercely that it stood CHAPTER VII. 41 5 In the day of our king/ in no need of fuel, though left ull night unfed. The baker would seem to refer to some leader of the movement, who wished to remain in the background. The fifth verse explains and applies the figure of the oven — they heated the king with wine, till he gave in to the demands of the ungodly faction. In the sixth verse the sleeping of the baker or ringleader is explanatory of the ceasing of the same person to stir the oven-furnace all night, (v. 4.) In the seventh verse the result of the manoeuvre is given us in the destruction of the rulers and princes themselves, and in the eighth verse the punish- ment of the people, who are compared to a cake in the oven which has not been turned, and is therefore burned and utterly destroyed. LXX., IlafTes jiioi^evovTe^ wv KXi'jSauo's kaiojiiei'Oi' e/^ Treyyit/ icaraKav fiaT09 awo T/y9 (pXo'^jo^, otto (prvpaaews a-recno^, ea-? tov ^v/nwOfivai av-6, E., ' ATTavTa 6«s to f.ioi-^eveiv sKTrvpovfievoi, a>s OTnaviov viro Tov ireaaovro^. ETravaino 7rpo<; dXr/oj' ij TroXts tov (pvpd/naro9 KoiPu'via?. Kai fieja fiiKpov irciaa i^v^iwOij. Syr., " Omnes principes eorum msechantur, ut clibanus ardens ad coctionem panis ; deficiet ab urbe subigens massam donee firmentetur." Vulg., " Quasi clibanus succensus a coquente; quievit paululum civitas a commistione fermenti, donee firmentaretur totum." Targ., " CEstuant instar clibani quem accendit sibi pistor quamobrem migrabunt ex civitatibus suis ab eo tempore quo subacta fuit massa antequam firmentaretur." It will thus be seen that Syr., Vulg., and Targ. take T^jr as " city," with the preposition !2,"frora the city." Horsley •T^ya , a substantive from Hiphil of -ny , " excitator," (a stoker,) a man whose business it is to stir up the fire of the oven. 5. * " Day of our king," either the day of his accession, or his birthday. There is high authority for the plural number here, " our kings," (see next page.) The king was most probably Hoshea. 42 HOSEA. The princes made (him) ilP with heat from (drinking) wine ; He stretched out his hand with blasphemers. 6 When they brought near their oven-Hke heart in their plot f All the night long their baker had slept, (Yet) in the morning It was burning like a fire of flame. 7 They are all hot as an oven, And they devour their judges ; All their kings have fallen^ There is none among them that calleth on me. 8 As for Ephraim, ^^'ith the nations he hath prostituted himself; Twenty-two MSS. and Syr. read l3'':Dba . LXX. also, y^iepai 7WU (3aa-i\euov. Theod., yfiepa jiaatXeiv^. Vulg., " Regis." Syr., " Regum." Targ., " Regem." ^ " Made him ill," ibnn . Some derive this word from bbn , to " begin," and take n'on as an infinitive mood, and render, " began to make him hot with wine." Others read HTzn , "bottle," — "made him sick with a bottle of wine." The most simple and satisfactory interpretation is that of making the king ill with fever brought on by wine-bibbing ; especially as in the seventh verse we have the cognate verb, ^n^'' , " they are hot." XiXX., 'tJl>'^ujno 01 ap-x^ovre^ Ov/xovaOm e^ oivov. Syr., " Coe- perunt magnates vino furcre." Vulg., " Cccperunt principes furore a vino." Targ., " Exorsi sunt magnates compotare cum CO vinum." 6. ^ " In their plot," C3^S3 . LXX., eV no Kinnpanaeiv uinov9. Aq., Symm., and Theod.. tvecpevcii^. Syr. and Targ., " In insidiis suis." Vulg., " Cum insidiaretur eis." 7. "^ The murders of Zachariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, and Pekah are here referred to. (See J^ Kings, xv.) CHAPTER VII, 43 Ephraim has become a cake that has not been turned. 9 Strangers have devoured his strength, Yet he hath not known (it), Also hoar hair is sprinkled on him, Yet he hath not known (it). 10 And the Glory ^ of Israel testifies to his face ; Yet they return not to Jehovah their God, And they seek Him not for all this. 1 1 And Ephraim became Like a silly dove, without understanding ; Egypt they call on, Asshur they go to.'-^ 12 As they are going I will spread on them my net, Like a bird of the air I will bring them down ; I will punish them According to the announcement '" made to their assembly. 10. 8 " Glory," see eh. v. 5. 11. ^ The history connected with this verse is found in 2 Kings xvii. 1 — 6, where we read that Hoshea, the king of Israel, made an alliance with So, king of Egypt, and thus was guilty of conspiracy against Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, who, in consequence of this defection, came up and took Samaria, and led Israel away captive ; thuSj though they called upon Egypt for assistance, yet they went to Assyria. 12. ^^ " According to the announcement," V'CU^'D . What they have heard from me — my message to them. LXX., eV -fj (iKofj T/ys OX/yyews av-ici'. Aouila, kuto. ahoFj9 7^9 tabv , " the Most High," though such contraction is not found elsewhere. One MS. reads, bw , " God." Others take bv as an adverb, " sursum," " on high." Others, again, as a substantive, following the Vulgate, bl? , " a yoke," — the yoke of the Mosaic law. The interpretation whicn refers, b27 , either to God or His dwelling-place, which practically teaches the same lesson, is on the whole to be preferred. LXX., e«'* ovceif. Symm., e<'s TO /()) e^eiv ^vy6i>, E., ai/ev ^viov, Syr., " Obliquarunt se nulla de causa." Vulg., " Absque jugo." Targ., " Aversi sunt ut dcficerent a lege, non quod malum intulerim eis." 46 HOSEA. Chapter VIII. 1 To thy mouth a trumpet ! An eagle/ against the house of Jehovah ! Because they have transgressed my covenant, And against my law have they trespassed. 2 To me shall they cry ; " O My God,'' we know thee,— (We are) Israel.^ 3 Israel hath rejected 1. ^ "An eagle." The 3 in nti^^D, is not the D of com- parison, but rather of assertion. LXX. renders eh koXttov avjwu wi 71/ ; the sense of which is not very clear. Aq., Symm., Theod., " In gutture tuo sit tuba." Vulg., "In gutture tuo sit tuba quasi aquila." Syr., *' Os tuum ut buccina sit." Targum, "Propheta gutture tuo clamita quasi in tuba." 2. 2 " Israel." Some insert, as Houbigant, Tlbw, " God of," before Israel. If the word is referred to God, Ps. xxiv. 7, " O Jacob," would furnish a parallel. Many ancient versions omitted it altogether, (see below.) The English version regards it as a noun of multitude, the nominative case to the verb " cry," " Israel shall cry." But the position of the words is against this translation. Delitzsch takes the word in apposition to the nominative of the verb " we know thee " — we, Israel. The true bearing of the passage seems to be the same as in Matt. vii. 22, &c., *' Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name," &c. The people presume upon their pedigree from the saints of old, and hence cry in their calamity, " God we know Thee; we are Israel." This interpretation is supported by the Targum. (See below.) One ]\IS., and originally another, omit the word ^S~!tt?"» , and so also the LXX. and Syr. It is found in the Vulgate. Targum, " Quandoquidem sumus populus tuus Israel." CHAPTER VIII. 47 The Gracious One ; ^ An enemy shall pursue him.* 4 They themselves made kings,^ but not with my consent, They made princes, but I recognized them not ; With their silver and their gold, They have made themselves idols, To the end that (Israel) should be cut off. 5 (My wrath) has rejected^ thy calf, O Samaria, My wrath is hot against them ; S. ^ " The Gracious One," (see ch. iii. 5, and xiv. 2.) Some eminent Jewish commentators, and (Ecolampadius, interpret mtD , in this place of God. The word seems throughout Hosea to be a synonym of Messiah. The idea contained in the former verse, is continued in this; they pro- fessed to be the people of God ; they called Him, Lord, Lord, but did not do His will. They were forerunners of the generation that boasted, " we have Abraham to our father," but would not come to Abraham's '' seed," that they might have life. ^ " Shall pursue him," 13^"]^. . Many MSS., Syr., Targ., read ^^"^y. , " Shall pursue them." 4. 5 " They themselves made kings." The ten-tribe kingdom was but a faction against the true Hebrew monarchy of David's line. 5. " " Hath rejected," &c., -\b:iV n3T . Here is evidently a reference to the third verse ; Israel has rejected the " Gracious One," so God hath rejected her idolatry. The difficulty here lies in the subject to n3T . Fiirst, in Lex. s. v., takes " God " to be the nominative understood. The English version, Horsley, and Pusey, " Thy calf hath cast thee off; as thou hast rejected God, so thy idol rejects thee." Aquila and Theod. make it imperative, and are followed by Newcome, " Remove far from thee." The 48 HOSEA. How long, will they not embrace pure religion V 6 Because it even (came) from Israel, A smith made it, Therefore is it no God, So (into) powder ^ shall be turned. The calf of Samaria. Vulg. takes it passively. Henderson translates, " Thy calf is abominable." The antithesis, however, does not seem to be between their rejecting of God and their calf rejecting them, but rather between their rejecting of God and God rejecting their idol. It would therefore be preferable to supply the noun from the next clause, " My wrath," •'DM. LXX., aTTorpiyfrai Tou jnoaxoi' aov. Synim., (nrel3\y9y 6 juoaxo^ ffov. Aquila, a7rw6i]aov tov i.i6(Tyov aov. Tlieod., cfTroppi-^at. E., ciTToiSXijTO'i aov eariv 6 fi6a')(oova7os. LXX., Syr., Vulg., and Targum, " Memphis." ^ " Valuables," iDnss . The LXX. took this word as a pro- per name, Max^a^- Aquila and Symm., to, iTnOv/nTj/iiaTa. Syr., " Exquisitum." Vulg. and Targ,, " Desiderabile." Three MSS. read Dtt7D3b for nSDSb, " the desire of their souls," instead of " the valuables of their silver." 7. "^ " Guilty of folly," 'S:iW72 . LXX., o -nrape^ea-niicw^. Aquila, eV<'\>/-T09, Symm., ei/eo'§. Syr., " Stultum." Vulg., " Insanum." The prophet in this verse is carried on to the day, then close at hand, when the vengeance predicted should be inflicted on the apostate nation ; in that day Israel shall know by bitter experience that the false prophet, who pre- tended to a knowledge of the future, and preached " peace, peace," when there was no peace, was only an impostor and a madman. 56 HOSEA. Because of the greatness of their iniquity, And the great provocation. 8 A watchman^ (was) Ephraim with my God ; (Now) the (false) prophet is a fowler's snare in all his ways, Provocation in the house of his god. 9 They have deeply corrupted (themselves,) as in the days of Gibeah ; 8, ^ "A watchman," &c. A series of contrasts between what Ephraim was formerly, and what Ephraim became afterwards, commences here. These contrasts form texts, as it were, for the remarks which follow each, (see verses 10 and 13 ; ch. x. 1, xi. 1, xiii. 1.) In this place Ephraim is reminded of the high and holy position he held with God in the former days of his faithfulness, when he kept his eye on the law, and watched for revelations from God ; and with this is compared his present apostacy in listening to the false prophets who led the people astray into idolatry, which brought down judgments upon them. Mark the contrast between " my God," the God of the prophet Hosea, the true God, and " his god," the idol-god that Ephraim had set up and served. A few MSS. read rnb« , " his god," but it is merely an emendation to escape a supposed difficulty. The interpretations of this passage are very various. The English version renders " the watchman of Ephraim," but nS!? is not in the construct case. Some, " Ephraim is a spy with {i.e., against) my God." Others, " Ephraim is on the look-out for revelations besides those that come from my God." Others, '* Ephraim is looking out for help from my God." Others again, '^ Ephraim seeks revelations still from the God of Hosea, because he distrusts the false prophets." LXX., 'S.KOTTO'i 'EcpfHu^i fie-Tu Qcov. Syr. and Vulg., " Specu- tor cum deo meo." Targ., " Prospicicntes qui sunt ex dome Israel quo pcrmaneat eis cultus idolorum suorum." CHAPTER IX. 67 He will remember their iniquity, He will visit their sins. 10 As grapes in the desert, I found Israel, As the firstling on the fig-tree in its beginning, I saw your fathers ; But they themselves went after Baal-peor, And separated themselves to (that) shame, And became as abominable as their (idol) love. 11 As for Ephraim, Like a bird shall their glory fly away ; (So that there shall be) no birth, and no bearing, and no conception. 12 But if they rear up their sons, I will destroy them that there shall not be a man ; Thus woe also (shall be) to them when I depart from them.^ 12. ^ " When I depart from them." The readings of the ancient versions of this passage are given below. That of the LXX., followed by Theodotion, is remarkable : *' My flesh is of them." Lyra charged this as one of the passages which the Jews had altered. Rairaundus, in his " Pugio Fidei," says that whereas it should be read '^nw^. , " my flesh/' or "^Titt^n , " my incarnation," the Jews made it the same as if spelt with D instead of w , and derive it from ilD , " to turn away." Ribera refuted this notion on the score that the Hebrew was uncorrupted in the times of the Vulgate and the Targum, which are like the Hebrew text as it now stands, and also, that if it favoured anything, it would prove that Messiah would come of the ten tribes, and so support the Jewish theory of Messiah Ben Joseph, (see Pocock, i?i loco.) Dni2i mtt^n. Three MSS. have D instead of b. LXX., oap^ /Liov i^ CIV7WU. Ao., eKKXi'vai^ios fiov ott' aV7WV. Thcod., 58 HOSEA. 13 Ephraiin was planted in (his) place, Like as I have seen a rock ;^" But Ephraim Would lead out to the murderer his sons. 14 Therefore give them, O Jehovah, "What shouldest thou give ■? Give them a womb that miscarries, And breasts that are dry. 15 All their wickedness (was) in Gilgal, For (it was) there (that) I hated them, Because of the wickedness of their actions, From my house I will banish them ; " Caro mea ex eis." Vulg., " Cum recessero ab eis." Syr., " Ultionem sumpturus sum ab eis." Targ., " Cum sustulero majestatem meam ab eis." 13. ^° " Like as I have seen a rock," nii^b "TI'^M") "itE'ND . This passage has created much difficulty, both with ancient and modern interpreters, (see versions below.) Some take -11!? as a proper name, " Tyre," and others in the primary sense of " Rock." The latter seems to yield by far the most consistent meaning — whilst Ephraim was obedient to God's commandments, he was fixed like a rock in a lovely spot, and that spot the goodly inheritance that God had given him, but he would bring up his children to idolatry, and so lead them out to the murderer. What therefore will be the most fitting punishment for such an one ? — the denying him the gift of any more children, and the cutting off of those he already possesses. '21 Tl^b . LXX., et's Orjpav Trapea-rrjaav ra TeKi>a avrwv, Aq. and Symm., ^^ aKporo/nov TreCpVTev/ievrju. Theod., e«'s Trerpav 7re(pVTev- fievoL 01 viol avT)js. Vulgatc, " Tyrus erat fundata." Syriac, " Quemadmodum vidisti Tyrum." Targum, " Par erat Tyro." CHAPTER IX. 59 I will not love them any more, All their princes are rebels. 16 Smitten is Ephraim, Their root is dried up that fruit they shall not bring forth ; Even if they bear children, I will slay the beloved of their womb. 17 My God shall reject them. Because they have not hearkened to Him : And they shall become wanderers among the nations. 60 HOSEA. Chapter X. 1 A PRODUCTIVE vine (was) Israel/ (But) fruit it yields to itself ; According to the increase of his fruit, He increased altars, According to the goodness of his land, He made good idol-statues. 2 He hath divided their heart ; ^ now shall they be punished : He himself shall smite down their altars, He will destroy their idol-statues. 3 For now shall they say, There is no king to us ; For we fear not Jehovah, And (as for) the king, what shall he do for us ? 4 They speak (mere) words, They swear falsely (when) they make a covenant ;^ Therefore judgment springeth up like weeds 1. ^ "Productive," ppi:: , (see versions.) The idea of productiveness, but not for God, referring to the radical meaning of Ephraim, seems to be uppermost in the prophet's mind. LXX., evK\ijixwTovaa. Ao., evvcpo's. Symm., v\of.iavovaa, Vulg., " Frondosa." Syr., "Vitis palmitum." Targum, " Vastata." 2. 2 " Divided." There is no reason why this word should not be thus rendered literally, if we regard it as a parallel passage to " God hardened Pharaoh's heart." 4. ^ This refers to their breaking faith with Shalmaneser, through entering into alliance with So, king of Egypt; the latter compact was a false oath. CHAPTER X. 61 Along the fiuTows of a field. 5 For the calves * of Beth-aven, The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear ; For its people shall mourn for it, And its priests^ for it shall leap in agony,* (Even) for its glory, because it is departed from it/ 6. * " For the calves," mb^rb . LXX., tu ^loVx^ tov oIkov "Qv. Aq., T«9 c«/ia\e<9, Syr., " Vitulum Bethaven." Vulg., " Vaccas Bethaven." Targ., " Vitulos in Bethel." ^ " Priests," Chemarim, priests of Baal. Various deriva- tions of this word have been suggested. Kimchi and Gesenius explain them as "black ones," from ij^-^, to "burn," be "scorched" — be "black," referring to the black dress worn by them. It would seem more likely, that as they were priests of the sun, the name was derived from the heat of that orb ; they were those that were warm with the rays of their god — ever serving in his presence. The word occurs in two other places in Scripture, 2 Kings xxiii. 5, and Zeph. i. 4. In the former of these the LXX. has ol xfty^P'/t ; in the latter, twj/ iepewv ; in our passage, koOw'^ ■jrapeTrik-pavav avrou. The Vulgate has " Aruspices " in 2 Kings, and " CEditui " in the two other places. Newcome compares the Latin Camillus, the " Minister Flaminum." ^ " Leap in agony." It seems best to take ib'^i'* in its primitive sense, " to leap," and not in its secondary sense, of "leaping with joy." Compare the actions of the priests of Baal when Elijah held his controversy with them, (1 Kings xviii. 26 — 28.) We have a prophecy here that these calves, the fruitful source of Israel's idolatry, should be taken away as spoil by the king of Assyria. lb'':!'' . LXX., dTTixapoovTai. Vulg., " Exultavcrunt." Syr., " Gestient." Targ., " Exultabant." ~ " From it," I2!2a . LXX., ott avTod. Syr. and Vulg., " Ab eo." Targ., " Ab eis." 62 HOSEA. 6 Also as to itself, to Asshur it shall be carried, As an offering to the king that loves strife ; ^ Shame shall Ephraim receive, And Israel shall blush at his own counsel. 7 Annihilated from Samaria is her king ; Like the foam^ on the face of the waters. 8 And destroyed shall be the high-places of Aven, The sin of Israel, The thorn and the thistle, Shall come up upon their altars ; And they shall say to the mountains, Cover us, And to the hills, Fall on us. 9 Ever since the days of Gibeah, Hast thou sinned, O Israel ; There they took their stand, The battle against the sons of iniquity Did not overtake them in Gibeah.^" 6. ^ " Jareb." See note on chap. v. 13. m"* . LXX. and Syr. take this as a proper name. Aq., hiKu'^ovjL. Symm., vTrepjaaxoovn. Vulgato, " Ultori." Targ., " Qui veniet punitum eos." 7. ^ " Foam," ^-p- Interpreters differ much about this word. Symm., the Vulg., and the Targ. translate " foam," in which they are followed by the English version, and many modern commentators. The LXX. and Syr. and many critics of note, as Maurer, Delitzsch, Sec, translate it "splinter," comparing nQ!ip, in Joel i. 7. After all that has been said, the figure of " foam " seems most appropriate, and may fairly be deduced from the same root, as the spray is a portion broken or separated from the water. LXX., (fyj'v'-iai'oi'. Symm., tV/^c/ifiei'o. Aq., Symm., and Theod., " In funi- culis hominum." Vulg., " In funiculis Adam." ^ The D in >a'^"iD3, is the particle of assertion. For the doctrine of the passage, see Matt. xi. SO. ^ " I held out." ^i:''! , fut. apoc. Hiphil of n^^. So Symm. CHAPTER XI. 69 5 He shall not return to the land of Egypt, But it is Asshur (that shall be) his king ; Because they refused to return (to me). 6 And brandished shall the sword be in his cities, And shall consume his defenders^ and devour (them) ; Because of their counsels. 7 And my people (shall be) in doubt about their revolting from me,^ aud Syr. Delitzsch and Fiirst regard it as the adverb " gently," (see 2 Sara, xviii. 5.) In the LXX., the latter part of this verse reads Knl eao/uu av7o7, cvvrjaofiai avTit\ Symm., ** Et putaverunt quod im- ponerem jugum super maxillam eorum, et declinavi ad euni cibos." Vulg., " Et ero eis quasi exaltans juguni super maxillas eorum : et declinavi ad eum ut vesceretur." The Syriac and Targ. support the Hebrew text. 5. From 2 Kings xvii.4,we learn that king Hoshea secretly conspired against the king of Assyria, and sent messengers to So, king of Egypt; and this treachery seems to have brought on the final catastrophe of Samaria. This alliance with Egypt is the matter under reproof and rebuke in this verse. 6. 8 " Defenders," nn2 , literally, "bars" or "barriers ; " used here for the idols whom they had chosen for their defence, and trusted in as a shield or a stronghold, (seech, iv. 18.) V12. LXX., cV Ta?s x^P*^'^ ainou. Symm., " Brachia illius." Vulg., "Electos ejus." Syr., " E manibus." Targ., " Proceres." 7. ^ This clause, >nm27ttb C'Nibn "^^371, has been differ- ently rendered: — " My people are bent on apostacy from me." — Keil and Delitzsch. 70 HOSEA. And to the High One'*' shall they cry. He shall not at all lift them up. 8 How shall I yield thee, O Ephraim, (How) abandon ^^ thee, O Israel, How yield thee as Admah, (How) set thee as Zeboim 1 Changed in me is my heart, Altogether stirred up are my compassions. 9 I will not accomplish the heat of my wrath, "]\[y people shall hang in doubt, because of their turning avray from me." — Newcome. " My people shall hang in anxious suspense till my returning." — Horsley. Hengstenberg, " Veracity of the Pentateuch," vol. i., p. 127, has pointed out the connection between this passage and Deut. xxviii. 66, the only two places where this verb is spelt with the K . This reference is clear, and the sense is, " ]\Iy people shall be in doubt and anxiety, as the con- sequence of apostacy from me " — the suffix being objective, as is frequently the case. LXX., "^f" o Aftos UV70V eTriKpefid/xevo^ eV T?y5 kutoikuis ainoi'. Syr., " Populus meus haesitat in redeundo." Vulg., " Populus meus pendebit ad reditum meum." Targ., ** Populus meus ha^sitat se convertere." >» " High One," h^ . See ch. vii. 16, for the different interpretations of this difficult word. LXX., 6 0c OS. So also Syr. Vulg., "Jugum." Targ., *' In infirmitatem gravcm." 8. " "Abandon," "fi^aw. The word is used here in the same sense as in Gen. xiv. 20. The old versions mostly took it in the sense of " shielding," connecting it with pX3 . LXX., vTrejHKnrtu^ rrou. Aq., oTrXiv kvk\w(Xiv ae. Svmm., eiccicaio (Xt. Thcod,, n(j)oTr\iX(o ac. Vulg., " ProtCgam tc." Syr., " Juvarcm tc.'' Targ.. " Extcrminabo tc." CHAPTER XI. 71 I will not return to destroy Ephraim ; For God am I, and not man, In the midst of thee the Holy One, Therefore I will not come against the city.'^ 10 After Jehovah shall they go, As a lion He shall roar ; When He shall roar, Then shall (His) sons flutter from the west. 1 1 They shall flutter like a sparrow from Egypt, And like a dove from the land of Asshur ; And I will make them dwell in their own houses, Declareth Jehovah. 9. '2 " Against the city." I am the Holy One in the midst of thee ; I will not come against my dwelling-place. This seems to be the meaning of this passage. All the ancient versions read thus. T'^i is generally, however, interpreted " in wrath," from 1137 . Fiirst gives both renderings of this passage. Vitringa has suggested a clever escape from the difficulty — by reading "T'rD , (or perhaps as in text, T^j7a, taking n as heth esse?itice,) and rendering, " as an enemy," n>V = IV . i^V^ . LXX., e/s TTo'X/i/. And so Syr., " Urbem." Vulg., " Civitatem." And so Targ. 10. CD £"^32 . LXX., TCKi^a vSarwv. Vulg., " Filii maris." Syr., " Pavebunt filii populum." Targ., "Ab occidente." 12 HOSEA. Chapter XII. 1 Surrounded me with lies hath Ephraim, And with deceit the house of Israel ; And as for Judah, he moreover strayeth^ from^ God, And from the Holy One^ (who is) faithful.* 2 Ephraim feedeth on wind, 1. ^ " Strayeth," l") . The rabbies derived this word from m~) , " to rule," hence this translation is found in Luther and the English version. The Vulgate reads '* descendit/' as if from "?")'» . INIodern critics derive the word from in , " to ramble" or "^ stray." {Comp. Gen. xxvii. 40; Ps. Iv. 3; Jer. ii. 31.) The context in the third verse shows that this meaning is not only more correct grammatically, but is the only consistent one. 2 " From/' literally, " with," C37 , i.e., " from with," D3?a . The leading idea is that of reference — gone astray with reference to God. 3 " Holy One," C'^tE'np , literally, " Holy ones" — a plural title of God, as in Josh. xxiv. 19 ; Prov. ix. 10. Plural nouns and adjectives are frequently attributed to God, (see Ps. Ixxviii. 25 ; Mai. i. 6, &c. 4 "Faithful," pS3, is singular, referring nevertheless to " Holy Ones " (see, for similar example, Ps. vii. 10.) Mark the accumulation of the attributes of God — " God the mighty," bN ; " God the Holy," n^w^ip ; "God the faithful," ps3 . The rendering of this difficult verse is thus given by the ancient authorities : — LXX., kuI 'lovca i/vf e^i'ic uinov'} o Oeo?, Kai 6\uo , "He shall be." This seems referred to by St. John, Rev. i. 8, o wu Km 6 iji> Kal o epxa^icuov^ " He that is, and that was, and that is to come;" and Heb. xiii. 8, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, CHAPTER XII. 75 7 Therefore do thou to thy God return, Piety and judgment keep, And hope in thy God continually. to-day, and for ever." Modern critics take the word to be the oki future form of the verb, ^^^1, or nin^ ^ " He shall be," or in an indefinite sense, " He is." The expanded form is given us in Ex. iii. 14, ^^.<7^. "^^'^ '^v'?'?, " I am who am," i.e., the self-existent. LXX., 67a- el/nt 6 wv. Vulg., " Ego sum qui sum." Others have insisted on the strictly future sense of the word, "He shallbe," and compare with it theNew Testament, o €pxdfievo9, " He that should come." (See, for able articles on the subject, Hengstenberg's "Veracity of the Pentateuch," Smith's " Dictionary of the Bible," &c.) ^ " Sabaoth." There is much difficulty in explaining this word — more familiar in its translated form, " hosts." (1) It may be that all created worlds — the armies of the skies — are intended. This is clearly the meaning of the word where it occurs for the first time, (Gen. ii. 1.) (2) It may refer to the armies of Israel, which are called, Ex. xii. 41, 7\^w mw2!J, "the hosts of the Lord." (o) It may comprehend both ; in the sense that whatever things are created, whatever powers there be, whether in heaven or in earth, material or immaterial, angelic or human, Jehovah is the God of them all. (4j It may be a title of God, in apposition to the other name or names with which it stands associated, explanatory of the executive omnipotency of the Divine Being — as " Elohim " represents the concentration and seat of all powers, so " Sabaoth " all the manifestations of the majesty and mightiness of God. The reader will not fail to note that all these titles of deity are here attributed to the Angel of the Covenant, of whom Jacob said in the ground-text of our passage, " I have seen God," (Gen. xxxii. 30.) It is worthy of remark that the title, " Lord of Hosts," is not found in the books of Moses, Joshua, Judges, or Buth. It first appears in 76 HOSEA. 8 Canaan!^" In his hand are balances of deceit ; To oppress he loves. 9 Then said Ephraim, Surely I have v/axed rich, I have acquired wealth for myself; In all my labours, They shall not find in me Iniquity which is sin." 10 But I myself am Jehovah thy God, From the land of Egypt ; Again I will make thee dwell in tents As in the days of the festival. 11 And I spoke to the prophets, And I myself the vision multiplied ; And by means of the prophets I uttered parables. [lit., hy the hand~\ 12 Surely Gilead is iniquity ; Yea, vanity ^^ have they become: In Gilgal, oxen they sacrifice, the books of Samuel. It is twice found in the New Testament in its untranslated form, (Rom. ix. 29 ; Jas. v. 4.) 8. ^° *' Canaan." A striking apostrophe. Not Israel, but Canaan ; not a prince with God, but a dishonest merchant, degenerated into the evil practices of those he was com- missioned to destroy. 9. ^' That is, wrongdoing, specially with reference to idolatry and the gains which accrued to them through alliance with heathen nations, which can be charged as deserving punishment. 12. ^2 " Iniquity," ^is, and " vanity," SltT, refer to the idols of the place. (Sec ch. vi. 8.) CHAPTER XII. 77 Also their altars are like heaps,'' On the furrows of the field. 13 And Jacob fled to the field of Aram ; And Israel toiled for a wife, And for a wife he tended (slieep). 14 And by a prophet,'^ Jehovah brought up Israel from Egypt ; And by a prophet, was he tended. 15 Ephraim hath provoked most bitterly ; [lit., bitternesses] And his blood upon him his Lord'^ shall leave, And his disgrace shall requite unto him. '^ " Heaps," D'^b^ . The suitability of this figure -will be apparent when it is remembered that Gilead, or Galeed, i.e., " the heap of witness," was the place where Jacob and Laban made covenant with each other, (see Gen. xxxi. 47,) and Gilgal the place where the heap of stones taken from the river's bed was set up for a memorial of the passage of Jordan, (Josh, iv. 19 — 24,) and where the people renewed their allegiance to the Lord by the rite of circumcision, and where the Lord rolled away the reproach of Egypt from them, (Josh. v. 2 — 9 ;) but now, alas ! in these very places, the altars dedicated to their idols are like heaps on the furrows of the field. 14. ^* " A prophet." Moses. (See Deut. x-sdii. 15.) 15. ^* "His Lord" is the subject of both the verbs, " leave " and " requite." God's calling of Jacob and the patriarch's simple reliance upon God throughout his career, are brought into sharp contrast throughout this chapter with the unbelief and degeneracy of his posterity. 78 HOSEA. Chapter XIII. 1 When Ephraim spoke, (there was) reverence/ He exalted himself in Israel ; But he became guilty with Baal and died. 2 And now they sin yet more, [lit., add to siii] And make for them a cast, Out of their silver, by their skill (they make) idols, The work of smiths it is entirely ! To the people they say, [lit., to theni] (Even) the men who sacrifice,^ The calves let (the crowds) adore. 1 ^ " There was reverence," r\m . This is the only place where this word occurs ; its interpretation is consequently very difficult. It is generally referred to the Aramaean, tDtDi, (Jer. xlix. 24,) by most commentators, ancient and modern. Hengstenberg translates the passage, " When Ephraim uttered perversity, then he bore his sin in Israel," &c. LXX.^ Kara tov Xo'^ov '^(ppaijLi ciKuiwfiaTa eXa^ev avro'i ev Tip 'IcrpayX, kui eOero aVTUTtj ^daX Kai arreOave. Aq., 4'ptK'yp' eXa^ev avTo's. Symm. and Theod., " Tremorem," Vulg., " Loquente Ephraim, horror invasit Israel." Syr., '' Dum loqueretur Deus, Aphrem tremebat." Targ., " Cum loquitur nonnuUus de domo Ephraim tremor apprehendit populos." 2. ^ " Men who sacrifice" — literally, " sacrificers of men;" which may either mean those who offer human sacrifices — this view is taken by the LXX., Vulg., and many Jewish and Christian critics — or, " those of them who are appointed to offer sacrifices," (see, for the same construction, Isa. xxix. 19; Micah V. 4.) This latter interpretation is to be preferred, as human sacrifices were not offered to Baal. The sense of the passage is this, they made a calf, and those men whose office is to sacrifice, i.e., the idolatrous priests, say, " Let the people CHAPTER xiir. 79 3 Therefore shall they be like a cloud of the morning, And like dew which goes early away, As chaff which is whirled from the floor, And as smoke from the loop-hole/ 4 But I myself (am) Jehovah thy God, From the land of Egypt ; And a God besides me thou knew est not, And no other Saviour (was there) but myself. 5 I knew thee in the wilderness, In the land of (great) drought [droughts] 6 According to their pasture,* so were they satisfied ; worship the calves " — " worship," literally, " kiss " — this throws ridicule and satire on their folly. IjXX., 'Ai'70< Xe^/ovat Ovffcne ai'dpivwov^, /iioa^ot '-jap enXeXonraai. Aq., /ioVxoys Kcna(pi\ovvre9. Symm., " Immolate, homines vitu- los adorate," ^loa^ov^ TrpoaeKwljame. Vulg., " His ipsi dicunt immolate homines vitulos adorantes." Syr., " Dicebant eis prophetse, O qui sacrificatis homines et vitulum osculamini." Targ., " Pseudoprophetse sacra celebrant operi manuum hominis, boves immolant vitulis." 3. ^ " Loop-hole," or " window." The houses having no chimneys, the smoke made its escape by the lattice or orifice, which served the double purpose of emitting the smoke and admitting light. p2Q — V!2D . LXX., us x'^*'''* — "0' f'i^wi'09. The other versions, a"? (ipaxi"1 — XaiXcnn. Vulg., " Pulvis ex area." And similarly Syr. and Targ. n^lNa ^ll^iyDI. LXX., fc«< us- ar/iU's utto faK-pviw. Theod., OTTO Kn7rvo^6K>]9. Symm., " De foramine." Syr., " Fumus e fenestra." Vulg., " Sicut fumus de fumario," and so Targum. 6. * " According as they were fed," 2n"^37"ia3 . LXX., Ka-ra ras uofia2, as having the same force. The two prepositions are employed to give a special force to the assertion, " The CHAPTER XIII. 81 10 Where' is tliy king, piitlicc, [or, / will he, thy king.~\ To save thee in all thy cities ; And (where are) thy judges, Of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes. 11 I give® thee a king in my anger, And take (him) away in my outbursting wrath. destruction which thou art suffering is aU thy own. It is I, and I only, that am thy real helper." LXX., T7 lia(p6ofia aov 'lapiujX t/v jSotjOt'jffei. Syr., " Perdidi te, O Israel, quis auxiliaretur tibi." Vulg., " Perditio tua, Israel, tantummodo in me auxilium tuum." Targum, " Vos depravatis — domus Israel — Verbum meum fuit vobis prsesidio." 10. ''' " Where." The English version takes this word, ''HS , to be the future of nTF, " I Avill be," but renders in the margin, " where." This translation yields no sense, and is in violation of the accents, as it connects SlCM with the following word, which is separated from it by the accent Zakeph-katon. It is better to translate the word, with most modern critics, " where," regarding it as a variety of "^s or rT'W- The form ^nw only occurs in this place and twice in verse 14. s^2S is like the Greek t^otc and Latin " tandem " — " prithee." \"IN. LXX., TToD. Vulg., " Ubi." And so Syriac and Targum. 11. ^ " I give," ]ns , and '• I took away," npM . The use of the future or indefinite tense here implies that this giving and removing of their king was a continued act on the part of God. Not only does the statement call to mind the Divine dealings with Saul, but probably the thought uppermost in the prophet's mind was the violent death that had befallen so many of Israel's kings at this G 82 HOSEA. 12 Stored up is the iniquity of Epliraim, Treasured is his sin. 13 The pangs of a travailing woman shall come upon him ; He is a son by no means wise, For he should not linger a long time, Whilst in the act of being born.^ 14 From the hand of Hades I will redeem'" them, From death I will avenge them ; Where" (are) thy plagues, O death. Where thy sting, O Hades, Compassion (on them) shall be hid from my eyes. period. Zachariah had been murdered by Shallum, Shallum by Menahem, Pekahiah by Pekah, and Pekah by Hoshea, who was now on the eve of being carried away captive by the king of Assyria, 12. See Deut. xxxii. 34. 13. ^ The sense of this verse is that as conversion is compared to a new birth, both in the individual (see John iii. 3) and in the whole creation, (see Matt. xxiv. 8, orig.,) so after all the judgments that have been poured out on Ephraim to bring about his conversion to God, he ought not to linger in the c'ourse of regeneration, but hasten to enter into life, the new life of a restored and reconciled child of God. 14. ^0 " Redeem," niD , *' avenge," bsa . The first verb refers to redemption by purchase, the second to redemption by avengement. The one represents the right, the second the assertion of the right. Christ was the Hedeemer of His people, m^ , on the cross ; He will be their Avenger, bwa , at His second coming. 11 « Where." This is the same word as in verse 10. The LXX., Aquila, Syr., E., and Arabic, backed up by the quofntion by St. Paid, 1 Cor. xv. 55, take this word as CHAPTER XIII. 83 15 Though he amongst (his) brethren be fruitful,'^ There shall come an east wind, a wind of Jehovah, From the wilderness arising, stated above, (verse 10,) in the sense of " where." The Vulgate, Symm., and English version, supported by Tavguni, as the future of the verb n^n , *' to be," " I will be." One thing seems certain, that the same meaning must belong to the word here as in the tenth verse, and as no other meaning but " where " will suit the context there, so it seems right to conclude that this is the true interpretation in both places. There is a chronological connection between the restoi'atiou of Israel and the resurrection of the dead, (see Dan. xii. 1, 2 ;) hence we may trace one out of many causes for the em- ployment of language which may refer to either or include both. TIN. L/A.X TToi' y ciKtj aov. Aquila and E., ttou elaiv oi \65'' ; and the following sentences then form a dialogue between the sinner and the Saviour. Ephraim confesses and renounces his sin. God says that He has heard his prayer. Ephraim, instinct with grace and new life, replies, "I am like a green cypress ;" to which, with evident allusion to the fact that the cypress produces no edible or useful fruit, God answers, " From Me thy fruit is found." It is grace that works in man the fruits of the Spirit ; so that good works in the believer are not his own works, but the works of God the Holy Ghost within him, and the confession of every child of God who CHAPTER XIV. 91 10 "Who is wise, then shall he understand these things ] (Who is) understanding, then shall he know them"? For righteous are the ways of Jehovah, And the just shall walk in them. But transgressors shall fall in them. bringeth forth much fruit, will be that of David, when he offered abundantly, " Of thine own have we given thee." LXX., Tiij 'Ec^pa'tfi Ti avriv en Kai cldwXoii. Syr., ** Quid mihi amplius cum idolis ?" Vulg., " Ephraim quid mihi ultra idola ?" Targ., " Quid ad nos ultra servire idolis ?" " Answered," ^iT'iy. It will be seen that the LXX. and Syriac take the verb H^V in the sense of " humiliation," as they do in ch. ii. 17, where " answering each other " seems to be the clear interpretation of the word. LXX., iraTreivwaa. So Syriac, " Humiliavi." Vulgate, " Exaudiam." Targ. supports the translation of the text. 10. " Righteous are the ways," &c. Mark the reference to Deut. xxxii. 4. The concluding chapters of Deuteronomy have a striking affinity to the closing chapter of our prophet. Thus with a solemn charge and a personal application does our prophet close his roll, in which, though " there are many things hard to be understood," though the text may have been frequently obscure, the construction intricate, and the figures enigmatical, and as a consequence, critics and com- mentators at fault and variance with each other, yet the purport of the prophecy as a protest against idolatry in every shape, and as an assurance of God's love for His people, even when His hand is charged with the heaviest punish- ment, cannot be mistaken by the pious and prayerful student. May the wisdom which unlocks the mysteries of the kingdom, and the grace which leads the just along the path of light and life, be vouchsafed abundantly to the reader ! 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