Hosea · Chapter 11

V. 1. Was a child-In the infancy of Israel. I loved him-Manifested my tender and paternal affection to him. Called my son-Adopted him to be my son, and as my son, provided for him, and brought him out of servitude. Out of Egypt-But Israel, the first adopted son was a type of Christ the first-born. And the history of Israel’s coming out was a type of Christ’s future coming out of Egypt.

Verse 1. When Israel was a child] In the infancy of his political existence.

I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.] Where he was greatly oppressed; and in this I gave the proof of my love. I preserved my people in their affliction there, and brought them safely out of it.

Verse 1. When Israel was a child, &c. — “The Israel of this chapter is the whole people, composed of the two branches, Judah and the ten tribes. But the house of Israel is the kingdom of the ten tribes, as distinct from the other branch.” — Horsley. By the time of Israel’s childhood is meant the patriarchal age, and the time of their continuance under the Egyptian bondage. Then I loved him — Manifested a tender and paternal affection to him, increasing him in numbers, wealth, and honour. And called my son out of Egypt — Namely, by Moses, whom God commanded to acquaint the Israelites that they must remove out of Egypt. Israel is called God’s son, and his firstborn, Exodus 4:22, 23; and therein was an eminent figure of the Messiah, in whom all God’s promises were fulfilled. This prophecy, therefore, is applied by St. Matthew 2:15, to our Lord’s return out of Egypt, after his being taken thither by his parents in his infancy, and kept there some time for fear of Herod. And the strict, literal sense of the words, more properly belongs to him than to Israel. And this is observable in many other prophecies, which can but improperly be applied to those of whom they were at first spoken; and, taking them in their strict, literal sense, are only fulfilled in Christ: see particularly Psalm 22:16, 18. “Although the son,” says Bishop Horsley, “here immediately meant, is the natural Israel, called out of Egypt by Moses and Aaron; there can be no doubt that an allusion was intended by the Holy Spirit to the call of the infant Christ out of the same country. In reference to this event, the passage might be thus paraphrased: ‘God in such sort set his affection upon the Israelites, in the infancy of their nation, that, so early as from their first settlement in Egypt, the arrangement was declared of the descent of the Messiah from Judah, and of the calling of that son from Egypt.’”

Verse 1. When Israel was a child I loved him. I led Joseph like a flock, by the hands of Moses and Aaron. I protected him among the kings of Canaan. I fed and multiplied him in Egypt; and when the time was come, I allowed oppression to drive him out. I sent Moses, who called my Son out of Egypt, to a land flowing with milk and honey. And as Adam was a figure of Him who was to come; so Isaac was a type of Christ, and the whole law a shadow of good things to come. I gave omen of greater good in future time; that out of Egypt I would call my Beloved Son, fully to accomplish the work of their redemption. If we allow the sneers of jews and infidels to have any weight against this quotation, Matthew 2:15, we allow them to have weight against all the shadows of the ancient law.

THE FATHER’S LOVE FOR THE PRODIGAL SON, 1-11.

Once more the prophet reverts to the early history of Israel (compare Hosea 9:10; 10:9). He points out how great, strong, and tender has been the divine love (1, 3, 4), and how unappreciative and ungrateful the chosen people (2, 7); hence justice demands the execution of judgment (5, 6). But Israel is still the son of Jehovah, and the divine compassion goes out for the prodigal (8); therefore the punishment will be tempered by mercy; and after the judgment has accomplished its disciplinary purpose, Israel will be restored to the divine favor (9-11). Verse 12 (in Hebrews 12:1) is connected more closely with chapter 12.

1. A child — The childhood of Israel is the earliest stage of its national existence, here identified with the stay in Egypt (compare Hosea 2:3; 9:10). I loved him — Or, I began to love him (compare Hosea 9:15). Called my son out of Egypt — Literally, called for my son, that is, to be my son. Out of all the nations of the earth Jehovah selected Israel to sustain filial relations to him. Other passages (Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 14:1, etc.) imply that Jehovah regarded Israel as his son even while in Egypt, not that he called him from Egypt to become his son. This seeming difference of conception has led commentators to propose various emendations. The simplest, supported in part by LXX., is to omit the preposition le. With this omission the text reads, “I called my son.” It should be noted, however, that, especially in later Hebrew, the preposition le is used to introduce the direct object (G.-K., 117n). Following this rule even the present text might be read, “I called my son.” 1b is interpreted as Messianic in Matthew 2:15.

V. 2. They-Moses and Aaron, and other prophets. Called-Persuaded, intreated, and urged by exhortations, the whole house of Israel. From them-From the prophets counsel and commands. Baalim-In the desert they began this apostacy, and held on with obstinacy in it.

Verse 2. As they called them, so, &c. — Or, The more they called them, or, they were called, so much the more they went from him; that is, the more earnestly the prophets called upon them to cleave steadfastly to the true God, (see verse 7,) the more they were bent to depart from him to the worship of idols. They sacrificed to Baalim — See note on Hosea 2:13. And burned incense to graven images — “We read frequently, in our English Bibles, of graven images, and of molten images. And the words are become so familiar, as names of idolatrous images, that, although they are not well chosen to express the Hebrew names, it seems not advisable to change them for others, that might more exactly correspond with the original. The graven image was not a thing wrought in metal by the tool of the workman we should now call an engraver; nor was the molten image an image made of metal, or any other substance melted, and shaped in a mould. In fact, the graven image and the molten image are the same thing under different names. The images of the ancient idolaters were first cut out of wood by the carpenter, as is very evident from the Prophet Isaiah. The figure of wood was overlaid with plates, either of gold or silver, or sometimes, perhaps, of an inferior metal. And in this finished state it was called a graven image, (that is, a carved image,) in reference to the inner solid figure of wood, and a molten (that is, an overlaid, or covered) image in reference to the outer metalline case, or covering. And sometimes both epithets are applied to it at once:” see Nahum 1:14; Habakkuk 2:18, and Bishop Horsley.

2. Jehovah’s love was met with bitter ingratitude. As they called — R.V., “The more the prophets called.” The prophets is not in the Hebrew, but the Revisers were correct in supplying it as the subject (compare verse 7). Jehovah did not cease calling when the efforts of Moses proved a partial failure; he raised up prophets (Amos 2:11, 12), but the more earnestly these labored the more stubborn the resistance of the people (compare Isaiah 6:9, 10; Jeremiah 7:25, 26). Notwithstanding the people’s obstinacy, the activity of the prophets was not a failure; it resulted in the preservation of a remnant out of which might grow a new nation of God. Much did the prophets expect of this remnant, and much did it accomplish, though not all that the prophets expected. Nevertheless it prepared the way for him who alone was able to finish the work. A very slight change in the text, supported in part by LXX. and Peshitto, would give, “The more I called them, the more they went from me.” Baalim — See on Hosea 2:5. Burned incense — See on Hosea 2:13. Graven images — See on Micah 5:13. Verses 1, 2 aptly describe the religious history from the Exodus to the days of Hosea; on the one hand, the intense love and care of Jehovah, on the other, the persistent rebellion of the people.

V. 3. I taught-As a mother or nurse helps the child. Taking them-Supporting and bearing them up. They knew not-They would not see nor acknowledge me in it.

Verse 3. I taught Ephraim also to go] An allusion to a mother or nurse teaching a child to walk, directing it how to lift and lay its feet, and supporting it in the meantime by the arms, that it may use its feet with the greater ease. This is a passage truly pathetic.

Verses 3, 4. I taught Ephraim also to go — Hebrew, µyrpal ytlgrt, I directed the feet of Ephraim. In this time of Ephraim’s childhood, I supported and directed his steps, as a mother or nurse those of a child whom she is teaching to walk. Taking them by their arms — To guide them, that they might not stray from the right way; and to hold them up, that they might not stumble and fall: see notes on Deuteronomy 1:31, and 32:11, 12; Isaiah 63. Thus did God deal with Israel in the wilderness; and thus he directs and supports the steps of his spiritual Israel, amidst all their difficulties and dangers. But they knew not that I healed them — They did not acknowledge this my care over, and kindness to, them. I drew them with cords of a man — I made use of those means of drawing them to myself, which were most proper to work upon them as creatures possessed of understanding and affection. The explanation in the Chaldee is just and beautiful: “As beloved children are drawn, I drew them by the strength of love.” And I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws — Or rather, on their cheek. As a careful husbandman, in due season, takes the yoke from his labouring oxen, and takes off the muzzle with which they were kept from eating when at work; so compassionately did I give relief to, and provide sustenance for Israel. I laid meat unto them — Brought them provision in their wants. God seems here to allude to the manna and quails which he provided for his people in the wilderness.

Ver. 3. I taught Ephraim to go. I drew him with the cords of a man. Hebrews Adam, which the versions render man, a worm of the dust. As a child is led in strings, so the Lord led the Israelites by his cloud in the desert, fed them with bread from heaven, and water from the rock, and gave them the promised land. Ezekiel, in chap. 16., has the like sentiments; and kindness of this sort will even excite gratitude in a brute.

Verse 3 presents the tender care of Jehovah under the figure of a parent’s gentle dealings with his child. I — Emphatic in Hebrew; in contrast to the Baalim. Ephraim — The northern kingdom. Taught… to go — Directed their footsteps in a providential way, kept them from falling and, when they did fall, helped them to rise again. Taking them by their arms — Literally (though the Hebrew form is peculiar), he took them upon his arms. R.V., following most ancient versions, “I took them on my arms.” A climax to the preceding. I lovingly taught the young child to walk, and when he grew weary I lovingly took him upon my arms and carried him (Isaiah 63:9; Deuteronomy 1:31). They knew not — See on Hosea 2:8. That I healed them — A common figure in Hosea (Hosea 5:13; 6:1; 7:1; compare Exodus 15:26). To get the full meaning it is necessary to supply the thought, “When in their attempt to walk they fell and hurt themselves.”

V. 4. Cords of man-With such kindness as best fits and most prevails with a man. I was to them-As a careful husband-man in due season takes the yoke from his labouring oxen, and takes off the muzzle with which they were kept from eating, when at work. I laid meat unto them-Brought them provision in their wants.

Verse 4. I drew them with cords of a man] This is a reference to leading strings, one end of which is held by the child, the other by the nurse, by which the little one, feeling some support, and gaining confidence, endeavours to walk. God, their heavenly Father, made use of every means and method to teach them to walk in the right and only safe path; for, as the Targum says, “As beloved children are drawn I drew them by the strength of love.”

That take of the yoke on their jaws] I did every thing that mercy could suggest, and justice permit, to make their duty their delight and profit. There appears to be here an illusion to the moving and pulling forward the collar or yoke of beasts which have been hard at work, to let in the cool air between it and their neck, so as to refresh them, and prevent that heat, which with the sweat would scald their necks, and take off not only the hair, but the skin. I have often done this at the land ends, in ploughing, when at the turnings the cattle were permitted a few moments to draw their breath after the hard pull that terminated the furrow at either end of the field:—

And I laid meat unto them.] Giving them at the same time a bite of grass or hay, to encourage them to go on afresh. The metaphor is strong and expressive; and he who ever had or saw the management of cattle in the plough or cart must admire it. Thus God acted with the people on whose necks was the yoke of his law. How many privileges, advantages, and comforts did he mingle with his precepts, to make them at once a righteous and happy people!

Verses 3, 4. I taught Ephraim also to go — Hebrew, µyrpal ytlgrt, I directed the feet of Ephraim. In this time of Ephraim’s childhood, I supported and directed his steps, as a mother or nurse those of a child whom she is teaching to walk. Taking them by their arms — To guide them, that they might not stray from the right way; and to hold them up, that they might not stumble and fall: see notes on Deuteronomy 1:31, and 32:11, 12; Isaiah 63. Thus did God deal with Israel in the wilderness; and thus he directs and supports the steps of his spiritual Israel, amidst all their difficulties and dangers. But they knew not that I healed them — They did not acknowledge this my care over, and kindness to, them. I drew them with cords of a man — I made use of those means of drawing them to myself, which were most proper to work upon them as creatures possessed of understanding and affection. The explanation in the Chaldee is just and beautiful: “As beloved children are drawn, I drew them by the strength of love.” And I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws — Or rather, on their cheek. As a careful husbandman, in due season, takes the yoke from his labouring oxen, and takes off the muzzle with which they were kept from eating when at work; so compassionately did I give relief to, and provide sustenance for Israel. I laid meat unto them — Brought them provision in their wants. God seems here to allude to the manna and quails which he provided for his people in the wilderness.

Verse 4 contains a new figure of the fatherly care of Jehovah. “Israel is no longer the wanton young cattle of the previous chapter (Hosea 10:11), which needs the yoke firmly fastened on the neck but a team of toiling oxen mounting some steep road.” Jehovah acted not the part of a cruel driver, but in a humane manner assisted the animal to accomplish its task. Drew — Not drove; he lent a helping hand to the weary beast. Cords of a man — Such as are adapted to a human being; these are bands (cords) of love — Used in a spirit of love. Through love he sought to control and guide. Take off [“lift up”] the yoke on their jaws — While he gladly assisted the animal, he did not — and could not — take the whole task upon himself. The yoke remained upon the animal, but he placed it so it would not press too heavily upon the neck and jaws (cheeks) and make them sore. The manner of easing the yoke to which the prophet refers is not quite clear, since we do not know sufficiently the form of the ancient yoke. I laid meat unto them [“food before them”] — Literally, and gently I laid food before them, or, better still, And I bent toward him and gave him food. The task done, plenty of food was given to the animal. Thus in an indulgent and compassionate manner Jehovah supplied the needs of his people.

V. 5. He-Ephraim. Shall be king-Shall rule them with rigour and cruelty. They refused-The reason of all is, their obstinacy in idolatry.

Verse 5. He shall not return into—Egypt] I have brought them thence already, with the design that the nation should never return thither again; but as they have sinned, and forfeited my favour and protection, they shall go to Assyria; and this because they refused to return to me. This view of the verse removes every difficulty.

Verses 5, 6. He shall not return into the land of Egypt — They were desirous of making their escape thither, and many families perhaps effected it: see note on Hosea 9:6. But it is here threatened, that the nation in a body should not be permitted so to escape. But the Assyrian shall be his king — They shall be wholly in the power of the king of Assyria, and be carried away captive into his dominions; because they refused to return — Namely, to the true worship of God, and obedience to his laws, notwithstanding the many calls, reproofs, admonitions, and exhortations given them by the prophets. Their obstinacy in idolatry is the cause of all the calamities coming upon them. And the sword shall abide on his cities — His cities shall be destroyed by the conqueror’s sword; and shall consume his branches — The lesser towns and villages. Thus the word µydb is expounded, in a marginal note of the Bishops’ Bible. It often means the arms, or principal branches, of a great tree, and is twice translated staves, Exodus 27:6. In this place some interpreters render it bars; and Abarbanel expounds it of the strong and valiant men of the nation, observing, that the chief branches of the people in a kingdom are the valiant men. Rabbi Tanchum explains it of their children; the branches, as he observes, springing from their fathers. The word, however, also signifies lies, and is so rendered Isaiah 16:6, and Jeremiah 48:30. Bishop Horsley translates it diviners, deriving it from ddb, he was solitary, because they affected a solitary, ascetic life; a sense which he thinks, of all others, most apposite to the context. He acknowledges, however, that to render it branches, limbs, or bars, is admissible, and may very well suit the place.

Ver. 5, 6. The Assyrian shall be his king— the sword shall abide on his cities. To feel the force of this prophecy, we must read the history of Israel in the book of Kings, the Chronicles, Josephus, and other Hebrew books, as Zeder ôlam, &c. Hosea prophesied during part of the reign of Jeroboam the second; and surely never were the visitations of providence more exactly painted by any historian, than they are described by this prophet. The strokes of war were so successive that the ten tribes were “cut short.” The people were slain and dispersed. Above all, from the time of Salmanezer to the days of Cyrus, which comprised about one hundred and thirty years. How then could this prophet foresee that the Assyrian monarchs would be their kings, unless inspired by the Word of the Lord, whose eyes penetrate into all futurity.

5-7. All this loving-kindness Israel met with shameful ingratitude; therefore judgment, in the form of an exile, will surely come (Hosea 8:13; 9:3). He [“they”] shall not return into… Egypt — An evident contradiction of Hosea 8:13; 9:3-6; 11:11. What we would expect is, “they shall return to Egypt.” LXX. removes this difficulty by connecting the word translated not with the preceding sentence and rendering it for him, which involves the change of one consonant without affecting the pronunciation; but this creates a grammatical difficulty in the preceding clause. Another attempt to remove the difficulty is to read 5a as a rhetorical question: “Shall they not return?” This implies the answer, “They surely shall return.” A rhetorical question, however, seems out of place, and a more natural way out of the difficulty is to omit the negative. Assyria is, as in the other passages, joined with Egypt. But — Hebrew, “and.” The exile will come because Israel failed to turn to Jehovah in repentance and obedience (compare Amos 4:6ff.).

V. 6. His branches-The lesser towns and villages. Their own counsels-Which they have followed in opposition to all the good counsels the prophets gave them from time to time.

Verse 6. The sword shall abide on his cities] Israel was agitated with external and intestine wars from the time of Jeroboam the Second. Although Zechariah his son reigned twelve years, yet it was in continual troubles; and he was at last slain by the rebel Shallum, who, having reigned one month, was slain by Menahem. Pekahiah succeeded his father Menahem, and reigned two years, and was killed by Pekah, son of Remaliah. He joined Rezin, king of Syria, and made an irruption into the land of Judah; but Ahaz having obtained succour from Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, Pekah was defeated, and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, were carried away captives by the Assyrian king; and in a short time after, Hosea, son of Elah, slew Pekah, and usurped the kingdom, which he could not possess without the assistance of Shalmaneser, who for his services imposed a tribute on the Israelitish king. Wishing to rid himself of this yoke, he applied to the king of Egypt; but this being known to Shalmaneser, he came against Samaria, and after a three years’ siege took and destroyed it. Thus the sword rested on their cities; it continued in the land till all was ruined. See Calmet.

Verses 5, 6. He shall not return into the land of Egypt — They were desirous of making their escape thither, and many families perhaps effected it: see note on Hosea 9:6. But it is here threatened, that the nation in a body should not be permitted so to escape. But the Assyrian shall be his king — They shall be wholly in the power of the king of Assyria, and be carried away captive into his dominions; because they refused to return — Namely, to the true worship of God, and obedience to his laws, notwithstanding the many calls, reproofs, admonitions, and exhortations given them by the prophets. Their obstinacy in idolatry is the cause of all the calamities coming upon them. And the sword shall abide on his cities — His cities shall be destroyed by the conqueror’s sword; and shall consume his branches — The lesser towns and villages. Thus the word µydb is expounded, in a marginal note of the Bishops’ Bible. It often means the arms, or principal branches, of a great tree, and is twice translated staves, Exodus 27:6. In this place some interpreters render it bars; and Abarbanel expounds it of the strong and valiant men of the nation, observing, that the chief branches of the people in a kingdom are the valiant men. Rabbi Tanchum explains it of their children; the branches, as he observes, springing from their fathers. The word, however, also signifies lies, and is so rendered Isaiah 16:6, and Jeremiah 48:30. Bishop Horsley translates it diviners, deriving it from ddb, he was solitary, because they affected a solitary, ascetic life; a sense which he thinks, of all others, most apposite to the context. He acknowledges, however, that to render it branches, limbs, or bars, is admissible, and may very well suit the place.

Ver. 5, 6. The Assyrian shall be his king— the sword shall abide on his cities. To feel the force of this prophecy, we must read the history of Israel in the book of Kings, the Chronicles, Josephus, and other Hebrew books, as Zeder ôlam, &c. Hosea prophesied during part of the reign of Jeroboam the second; and surely never were the visitations of providence more exactly painted by any historian, than they are described by this prophet. The strokes of war were so successive that the ten tribes were “cut short.” The people were slain and dispersed. Above all, from the time of Salmanezer to the days of Cyrus, which comprised about one hundred and thirty years. How then could this prophet foresee that the Assyrian monarchs would be their kings, unless inspired by the Word of the Lord, whose eyes penetrate into all futurity.

5-7. All this loving-kindness Israel met with shameful ingratitude; therefore judgment, in the form of an exile, will surely come (Hosea 8:13; 9:3). He [“they”] shall not return into… Egypt — An evident contradiction of Hosea 8:13; 9:3-6; 11:11. What we would expect is, “they shall return to Egypt.” LXX. removes this difficulty by connecting the word translated not with the preceding sentence and rendering it for him, which involves the change of one consonant without affecting the pronunciation; but this creates a grammatical difficulty in the preceding clause. Another attempt to remove the difficulty is to read 5a as a rhetorical question: “Shall they not return?” This implies the answer, “They surely shall return.” A rhetorical question, however, seems out of place, and a more natural way out of the difficulty is to omit the negative. Assyria is, as in the other passages, joined with Egypt. But — Hebrew, “and.” The exile will come because Israel failed to turn to Jehovah in repentance and obedience (compare Amos 4:6ff.).

V. 7. They-The prophets. None at all-Scarce any one would hearken and obey.

Verse 7. Though they called them to the Most High] Newcome is better: “And though they call on him together because of the yoke, he will not raise it. He shall receive no refreshment.” See the metaphor, Hosea 11:4.

Verse 7. My people are bent to backsliding from me — Many versions render this clause, Nevertheless, my people are in suspense (or hesitate) about returning to me; though they called them to the Most High — Though my prophets, and other pious persons, invited and exhorted them to return to my worship and service; none at all would exalt him — Scarce any would hearken and obey. The word him not being in the Hebrew, some versions read, None would raise himself up, or advance; that is, come forward to obey and serve me.

Verse 7 is the natural continuation of 5b, verse 6 of 5a. Some omit verse 6 as a later insertion, but without sufficient reason; nevertheless it is possible that the text has suffered in transmission. Verses 6, 7 contain an emphatic and explanatory reiteration of the thought of verse 5. Sword — The symbol of war (Ezekiel 14:17). Abide on [“fall upon”] — The literal rendering is stronger, rage in, or, whirl about in. Branches — Better R.V., “bars.” Defenses in general (compare Amos 1:5). The meaning of the Hebrew word used here is not quite certain. Because of their own counsels — Compare Hosea 10:6. Modern commentators, almost without exception, consider the text of verse 7 hopelessly corrupt. The Hebrew is awkward and obscure, and the ancient versions differ both from the Hebrew and from one another. If the text is correct the translations of A.V. and R.V. are on the whole as satisfactory as any; however, the translation of 7b may be improved by reading: “Though they call them upward, none at all will lift himself up.” There is a complete moral apathy, no one even attempts to mend his ways; and this apathy is due to the spirit of apostasy which has taken complete possession of them. They — The prophets. Called them — The people. To the most High — To higher things in morals and religion, It is not necessary even to enumerate the different attempts to improve the text of verse 7. The reconstruction by Harper may serve as an illustration of the radical character of some of these proposed emendations: “And my people having wearied me with their rebellions, unto the yoke (that is, captivity) Jehovah will appoint them, since he has ceased to love them.”

Justice demands the casting off of Israel. Will the divine love and compassion permit it? Verse 8 pictures the struggle between love and justice. The result is, in a sense, a compromise. Judgment will indeed be executed, but instead of annihilating the nation it will serve to purify it. The judgment having accomplished its disciplinary purpose, Jehovah will visit his people with salvation. How — Introduces an exclamation, not a question. Give thee up — To destruction. The parallel clause is a repetition of the same thought, for the sake of emphasis. Admah… Zeboim — Two cities near Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 10:19; 14:8), which, according to Deuteronomy 29:23, were destroyed with the cities of the Plain. In Genesis xix nothing is said concerning their overthrow (but compare verse 25). Mine heart is turned — In sympathy and sorrow (Lamentations 1:20). My repentings — Better, R.V., “my compassions.” Are kindled together — Are thoroughly aroused. G.A. Smith, “my compassions begin to boil.” The same author calls this “the greatest passage in Hosea — deepest, if not highest, of his book — the breaking forth of that exhaustless mercy of the Most High which no sin of man can bar back nor wear out.”

The outcome of the struggle is expressed in verse 9. Not return (or, turn) to destroy Ephraim — Though judgment is decreed it will not be executed in the fierceness of the divine wrath. Having chosen and trained Israel for his own purpose, Jehovah cannot now turn around and undo all his former work. Why? I am God, and not man — Jehovah is, “in the grandeur of his covenant steadfastness and long-suffering, removed to an infinite height above the vacillations and impatience of man.” The covenant was intended to be an everlasting covenant, and to it Jehovah must remain faithful. Holy One — Consequently free from the resentments of vengeance. The prophetic conception of the divine holiness is admirably expressed in the words of Kirkpatrick: “Primarily the Hebrew root from which the word is derived seems to denote separation. It represents God as distinct from man, separate from the creation which he has called into existence. Then, since limit is the necessary condition of created things, and imperfection and sinfulness are the marks of humanity in its fallen state, the term grows to denote the separation of God from all that is limited, imperfect, and sinful. But it does not rest here in a merely negative conception. It expands so as to include the whole essential nature of God in its moral aspect.… His purity and his righteousness, his faithfulness and his truth, his mercy and his loving-kindness, nay, even his jealousy and his wrath, his zeal and his indignation — these are the different rays which combine to make up his holiness.” In the midst of thee — These words affirm the close relation existing between Jehovah and Israel (compare Isaiah’s “the Holy One of Israel”). I will not enter into the city — A meaningless sentence. R.V., giving an entirely different meaning to the last word, reads “I will not come in wrath” (compare Jeremiah 15:8), which is to be preferred. Some, changing one letter, read, “I will not come to consume.”

V. 8. Give thee up-To utter destruction. Admah and Zeboim were two of the four cities which were destroyed with fire from heaven. My repentings-Not that God is ever fluctuating or unresolved; but these are expressions after the manner of men, to shew what severity Israel had deserved, and yet how divine grace would be glorified in sparing them.

Verse 8. How shall I give thee up] See Clarke’s notes on “Hosea 6:4”, where we have similar words from similar feeling. Mine heart is turned within me] Justice demands thy punishment; Mercy pleads for thy life. As thou changest, Justice resolves to destroy, or Mercy to save. My heart is oppressed, and I am weary with repenting—with so frequently changing my purpose. All this, though spoken after the manner of men, shows how merciful, compassionate, and loath to punish the God of heaven is. What sinner or saint upon earth has not been a subject of these gracious operations?

Verses 8, 9. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim — To utter destruction? God’s mercy is here pathetically described as contending with his justice, to show that he does not willingly destroy, or even afflict, or grieve, the children of men, Lamentations 3:33. How shall I make thee as Admah? &c. — How shall I give thee up to a perpetual desolation? Admah and Zeboim were two cities which were wholly destroyed, together with Sodom and Gomorrah. My heart is turned within me — Or, upon me; so Horsley. My repentings are kindled together — Not that God is ever fluctuating or unresolved; but these are expressions after the manner of men, to show what severity Israel had deserved, and yet how divine grace would be glorified in sparing them. Thus God’s compassion toward sinners is elsewhere expressed by the sounding, or yearning, of his bowels, Isaiah 63:15; Jeremiah 31:20; a metaphor taken from the natural affection which parents have for their children. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger — I will not punish to the utmost strictness of justice; I will not return to destroy Ephraim — I will not carry it so far as to make a second destruction of Ephraim; so as to cut off those who escaped the first infliction of my punishments, and thereby wholly destroy them. Conquerors, that plunder a conquered city, carry away the wealth of it, and, after some time, often return to burn it. God will not thus utterly destroy Israel. For I am God, and not man — Therefore my compassions fail not; the Holy One in the midst of thee — A holy God, and in covenant, though not with all, yet with many among you, and present with you to preserve a remnant to be my faithful servants. And I will not enter into the city — As an enraged enemy to destroy your cities, as I did Sodom.

Verses 8, 9 are in the highest degree anthropomorphic; but it is not proper to infer from this poetic portrayal that Hosea thought of Jehovah as being fickle, and subject to the same mental or spiritual processes as man. He simply attempted to describe vividly and forcibly the love and compassion of Jehovah, the depth of which had been impressed upon him by his own domestic experience; and this he could do only by comparing divine emotions with human emotions, and describing them in language familiar to his hearers.

V. 9. Return-Conquerors that plunder the conquered city, carry away the wealth of it, and after some time return to burn it; God will not do so. Not man-Therefore my compassions fail not. The holy One-A holy God, and in covenant, though not with all, yet with many among you. Enter into the city-Utterly to destroy thee, as I did Sodom.

Verse 9. I will not execute] Here is the issue of this conflict in the Divine mind. Mercy triumphs over Judgment; Ephraim shall be spared. He is God, and not man. He cannot be affected by human caprices. They are now penitent, and implore mercy; he will not, as man would do, punish them for former offenses, when they have fallen into his hand. The holy place is in Ephraim, and God is in this holy place; and he will not go into the cities, as he did into Sodom and Gomorrah, to destroy them. Judgment is his strange work. How exceedingly affecting are these two verses!

Verses 8, 9. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim — To utter destruction? God’s mercy is here pathetically described as contending with his justice, to show that he does not willingly destroy, or even afflict, or grieve, the children of men, Lamentations 3:33. How shall I make thee as Admah? &c. — How shall I give thee up to a perpetual desolation? Admah and Zeboim were two cities which were wholly destroyed, together with Sodom and Gomorrah. My heart is turned within me — Or, upon me; so Horsley. My repentings are kindled together — Not that God is ever fluctuating or unresolved; but these are expressions after the manner of men, to show what severity Israel had deserved, and yet how divine grace would be glorified in sparing them. Thus God’s compassion toward sinners is elsewhere expressed by the sounding, or yearning, of his bowels, Isaiah 63:15; Jeremiah 31:20; a metaphor taken from the natural affection which parents have for their children. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger — I will not punish to the utmost strictness of justice; I will not return to destroy Ephraim — I will not carry it so far as to make a second destruction of Ephraim; so as to cut off those who escaped the first infliction of my punishments, and thereby wholly destroy them. Conquerors, that plunder a conquered city, carry away the wealth of it, and, after some time, often return to burn it. God will not thus utterly destroy Israel. For I am God, and not man — Therefore my compassions fail not; the Holy One in the midst of thee — A holy God, and in covenant, though not with all, yet with many among you, and present with you to preserve a remnant to be my faithful servants. And I will not enter into the city — As an enraged enemy to destroy your cities, as I did Sodom.

Verses 8, 9 are in the highest degree anthropomorphic; but it is not proper to infer from this poetic portrayal that Hosea thought of Jehovah as being fickle, and subject to the same mental or spiritual processes as man. He simply attempted to describe vividly and forcibly the love and compassion of Jehovah, the depth of which had been impressed upon him by his own domestic experience; and this he could do only by comparing divine emotions with human emotions, and describing them in language familiar to his hearers.

V. 10. They-The remnant shall hear and obey the Lord. Like a lion-The word of the Lord, so saith the Chaldee, shall roar as a lion. Christ is called, The lion of the tribe of Judah: and when he cried with a loud voice, it was as when a lion roared. The voice of the gospel was heard far, as the roaring of a lion; and it was a mighty voice. Tremble-The spirit by its power awakening them to a sight of sin, shall make them fear and tremble. From the west-From the ends of the earth.

Verse 10. They shall walk after the Lord] They shall discern the operations of his providence, when,

He shall roar like a lion] When he shall utter his majestic voice, Cyrus shall make his decree. The people shall tremble—be in a state of commotion; every one hurrying to avail himself of the opportunity to return to his own land.

Verses 10, 11. They shall walk after the Lord — The remnant shall hearken to God’s call, and shall comply with his commands, when he shall convert them by the powerful preaching of his gospel, and the efficacious influence of his grace. He shall roar like a lion — That is, he will show terrible signs of his anger, and then they will fear and obey him. God’s voice is elsewhere compared to the roaring of a lion, because of the terror which accompanies it: see the margin. The Chaldee says, The word of the Lord shall roar as a lion, and the words may be interpreted of the powerful voice of the gospel, sent forth, and sounding all over the world, and calling sinners to repentance. “The most learned commentators agree,” says Bishop Horsley, “that this roaring of the lion is the sound of the gospel; and that the subject of this and the following verse is, its promulgation and progress, the conversion of the Gentiles, and the final restoration of the Jews. ‘Clara et maxima voce predicabit evangelium,’ With a loud and most powerful voice shall he preach the gospel, says Piscator. And to the same effect Rivetus and Bochart. As a lion, by its roaring, calls animals of its own kind to a participation of the prey; so Christ, by the powerful voice of the gospel, shall call all nations to the fellowship of eternal life. — Livelye. The preaching of the gospel, reaching the remotest corners of the earth, is frequently represented under the image of the loudest sounds. And this loudness of the sound alone might justify the figure of the roaring lion. But a greater propriety of the figure will appear, if we recollect, that the first demonstrations of mercy to the faithful will be, the judgments executed on the anti-christian persecutors; to whom the sound of the gospel will be a sound of terror.” When he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west — The word wdrjy, rendered, shall tremble, describes the motion which a bird makes with its wings when it flies. Dr. Waterland renders it, shall come fluttering, and Bishop Horsley, shall hurry. The primary sense of the passage may be, that at this efficacious call of God, the remnant of Israel, who shall be accounted his children, and heirs of the promises made to their fathers, shall come in haste from the several places of their dispersions, and particularly from the western parts of the world, (see Zechariah 8:7,) called the sea in the original, and expressed in Isaiah by the islands of the sea: see Isaiah 11:11, and 24:14. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt — That is, fly with haste, as above. As a dove out of the land of Assyria — Great numbers of the Jews were exiles in Egypt and Assyria; and therefore, when the restoration of the Jews is spoken of, Egypt and Assyria are mentioned as countries from whence a great number of them should return. And I will place them in their houses — I will bring them back to their own country and habitations, like as the stork returns to her nest, and the dove to the dove-cot. This prophecy may be considered as receiving its completion in part when some of the Israelites, being recovered to the worship of the true God, returned to Judea with the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, brought back to their own land from their captivity in Babylon. But the full accomplishment of it will not take place till the latter days, when the fulness of the Gentiles being brought in by the preaching of the gospel, all Israel shall be saved. Thus Bishop Horsley. These verses “contain a wonderful prophecy of the promulgation and progress of the gospel, and the restoration of the race of Israel. The first clause of the tenth verse states generally that they shall be brought to repentance. In what follows, the circumstances and progress of the business are described. First, Jehovah shall roar; the roaring is unquestionably the sound of the gospel. Jehovah himself shall roar; the sound shall begin to be uttered by the voice of the incarnate God himself. The first effect shall be, that children shall come fluttering from the west; a new race of children, converts of the Gentiles.” For, “it is remarkable, that the expression is neither their children, nor my children, but simply children. The first would limit the discourse to the natural Israel exclusively; the second would be nearly of the same effect, as it would express such as were already children at the time of the roaring. But the word children, put nakedly, without either of these epithets, expresses those who were neither of the natural Israel, nor children at the time of the roaring, but were roused by that sound, and then became children, that is, adopted children, by natural extraction Gentiles.” These shall come “chiefly from the western quarters of the world, or what the Scriptures call the west; for no part, I think, of Asia Minor, Syria, or Palestine, is reckoned a part of the east, in the language of the Old Testament. Afterward the natural Israel shall hurry from all the regions of their dispersion, and be settled in their own dwellings. It is to be observed that the roaring is mentioned twice. It will be most consistent with the style of the prophets to take this as two roarings; and to refer the hurrying of the children from the west to the first, the hurrying from Egypt and Assyria to the second. The times of the two roarings are, the first and second advent. The first brought children from the west; the renewed preaching of the gospel, at the second, will bring home the Jews. And perhaps this second sounding of the gospel may be, more remarkably even than the first, a roaring of Jehovah in person.” With this verse the chapter is closed in the Hebrew text and the Syriac version, and the following verse is given to the next chapter. But the division of the LXX., Vulgate, and Chaldee, which our public translation follows, seems preferable.

10, 11. No promise is made that judgment will be withheld entirely. It must come, but it will not result in destruction. When it has accomplished its purpose the divine mercy will again manifest itself in the home-gathering of the dispersed exiles. They shall walk after Jehovah — Can, in this connection, mean only that when he gives the signal they will readily respond. Roar like a lion — That is, with a powerful voice. Not as in Hosea 5:14; 13:7, but to summon the scattered people (Isaiah 11:12; 27:13; 49:22). When the signal is heard the exiles shall tremble [“come trembling”] — Though they recognize the call as the call of love, they tremble before the majesty and power of the caller (compare Hosea 3:5). The children — In Hebrew without the article, “sons” or “children”; only those whom he may acknowledge as sons (verse 1; 1:10). From the west — Literally, from the sea, the Mediterranean, which is west of Palestine; perhaps equivalent to “the islands of the sea” (Isaiah 11:11). Hosea expects the Israelites to go into exile to Assyria and to Egypt (verse 11), that is, to the south and east. Only in this passage he introduces a third place of exile. This peculiarity leads some to change the text so as to read, “from their captivity.” Bird… dove — Ordinarily the flight of birds represents swiftness (Psalm 55:6; Isaiah 60:8). If so here, come trembling cannot be a correct reproduction of the prophet’s thought. “A thrill of eagerness doubling the speed of motion is what is meant”; equivalent to they shall come swiftly (see the comparison in Hosea 7:11). I will place them — For the promise to re-establish Israel in the old home see also Hosea 2:23.

Most recent commentators consider verses 10, 11 later additions, because

(1) they are thought to be out of harmony with verse 9 where the withdrawal of judgment is announced, while in these verses a dispersion is presupposed; (2) the verses contain expressions foreign to Hosea. To these verses are sometimes added verses 8, 9, in part, or even entire. The chief objection to these two verses is that they contain a promise which, it is said, weakens the preceding threat. In reply it may be said (1) verses 8, 9 do not imply a complete withholding of judgment; (2) the only peculiar expression is “from the west” (verse 10); (3) a promise does not necessarily weaken a previous threat. It would do so only if the promise were unconditional. Hosea believes that the divine favor may be regained; but he makes it perfectly clear that it can be done only on condition of sincere repentance (14:1-3). As soon as the conditional character of a promise is recognized, the promise, far from weakening a threat, may become a strong incentive to repentance, to avert the fulfillment of the threat. Hence it will be seen that the objections raised against the originality of these verses are not conclusive.

CONDEMNATION OF ISRAEL’S FAITHLESSNESS; EXHORTATION TO

REPENTANCE, Hosea 11:12-12:6.

The following appears to be the most probable interpretation of this exceedingly difficult section, Hosea 11:12, begins a new series of indictments. Israel proved false to Jehovah when it entered into covenants with foreign nations (Hosea 11:12; 12:1). If the references to Judah are original they cannot be interpreted as a eulogy of Judah, for north and south were equally guilty. The three incidents in the life of the patriarch Jacob are mentioned in order to present in glaring colors the contrast between the ancestor so anxious for the divine blessing and the descendants so indifferent to Jehovah (2-5). If they would only turn to the God of Jacob he would surely have mercy upon them (6).

V. 11. They shall tremble-At their return into their own land, some shall hasten, yet with solicitude, out of Egypt, whither they fled for shelter; others like doves shall hasten out of Assyria, but with fear and trembling. I will place them-A seasonable and comfortable promise.

Verse 11. They shall tremble as a bird] Those of them that are in Egypt shall also be called thence, and shall speed hither as a bird. Those in Assyria shall also be called to return, and they shall flee as doves to their windows. All shall, in the fulness of time, return to their own land. And, I will place them in their houses, saith the Lord.] They shall have their temple once more, and all their holy ordinances.

Verses 10, 11. They shall walk after the Lord — The remnant shall hearken to God’s call, and shall comply with his commands, when he shall convert them by the powerful preaching of his gospel, and the efficacious influence of his grace. He shall roar like a lion — That is, he will show terrible signs of his anger, and then they will fear and obey him. God’s voice is elsewhere compared to the roaring of a lion, because of the terror which accompanies it: see the margin. The Chaldee says, The word of the Lord shall roar as a lion, and the words may be interpreted of the powerful voice of the gospel, sent forth, and sounding all over the world, and calling sinners to repentance. “The most learned commentators agree,” says Bishop Horsley, “that this roaring of the lion is the sound of the gospel; and that the subject of this and the following verse is, its promulgation and progress, the conversion of the Gentiles, and the final restoration of the Jews. ‘Clara et maxima voce predicabit evangelium,’ With a loud and most powerful voice shall he preach the gospel, says Piscator. And to the same effect Rivetus and Bochart. As a lion, by its roaring, calls animals of its own kind to a participation of the prey; so Christ, by the powerful voice of the gospel, shall call all nations to the fellowship of eternal life. — Livelye. The preaching of the gospel, reaching the remotest corners of the earth, is frequently represented under the image of the loudest sounds. And this loudness of the sound alone might justify the figure of the roaring lion. But a greater propriety of the figure will appear, if we recollect, that the first demonstrations of mercy to the faithful will be, the judgments executed on the anti-christian persecutors; to whom the sound of the gospel will be a sound of terror.” When he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west — The word wdrjy, rendered, shall tremble, describes the motion which a bird makes with its wings when it flies. Dr. Waterland renders it, shall come fluttering, and Bishop Horsley, shall hurry. The primary sense of the passage may be, that at this efficacious call of God, the remnant of Israel, who shall be accounted his children, and heirs of the promises made to their fathers, shall come in haste from the several places of their dispersions, and particularly from the western parts of the world, (see Zechariah 8:7,) called the sea in the original, and expressed in Isaiah by the islands of the sea: see Isaiah 11:11, and 24:14. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt — That is, fly with haste, as above. As a dove out of the land of Assyria — Great numbers of the Jews were exiles in Egypt and Assyria; and therefore, when the restoration of the Jews is spoken of, Egypt and Assyria are mentioned as countries from whence a great number of them should return. And I will place them in their houses — I will bring them back to their own country and habitations, like as the stork returns to her nest, and the dove to the dove-cot. This prophecy may be considered as receiving its completion in part when some of the Israelites, being recovered to the worship of the true God, returned to Judea with the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, brought back to their own land from their captivity in Babylon. But the full accomplishment of it will not take place till the latter days, when the fulness of the Gentiles being brought in by the preaching of the gospel, all Israel shall be saved. Thus Bishop Horsley. These verses “contain a wonderful prophecy of the promulgation and progress of the gospel, and the restoration of the race of Israel. The first clause of the tenth verse states generally that they shall be brought to repentance. In what follows, the circumstances and progress of the business are described. First, Jehovah shall roar; the roaring is unquestionably the sound of the gospel. Jehovah himself shall roar; the sound shall begin to be uttered by the voice of the incarnate God himself. The first effect shall be, that children shall come fluttering from the west; a new race of children, converts of the Gentiles.” For, “it is remarkable, that the expression is neither their children, nor my children, but simply children. The first would limit the discourse to the natural Israel exclusively; the second would be nearly of the same effect, as it would express such as were already children at the time of the roaring. But the word children, put nakedly, without either of these epithets, expresses those who were neither of the natural Israel, nor children at the time of the roaring, but were roused by that sound, and then became children, that is, adopted children, by natural extraction Gentiles.” These shall come “chiefly from the western quarters of the world, or what the Scriptures call the west; for no part, I think, of Asia Minor, Syria, or Palestine, is reckoned a part of the east, in the language of the Old Testament. Afterward the natural Israel shall hurry from all the regions of their dispersion, and be settled in their own dwellings. It is to be observed that the roaring is mentioned twice. It will be most consistent with the style of the prophets to take this as two roarings; and to refer the hurrying of the children from the west to the first, the hurrying from Egypt and Assyria to the second. The times of the two roarings are, the first and second advent. The first brought children from the west; the renewed preaching of the gospel, at the second, will bring home the Jews. And perhaps this second sounding of the gospel may be, more remarkably even than the first, a roaring of Jehovah in person.” With this verse the chapter is closed in the Hebrew text and the Syriac version, and the following verse is given to the next chapter. But the division of the LXX., Vulgate, and Chaldee, which our public translation follows, seems preferable.

Ver. 11. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt. They shall come to Zion, and fly as a dove out of Assyria. The word tremble is not found, except in modern versions. Isaiah says they shall fly as doves to their windows: Isaiah 60:2. So also shall the gentiles come to the gospel light.

10, 11. No promise is made that judgment will be withheld entirely. It must come, but it will not result in destruction. When it has accomplished its purpose the divine mercy will again manifest itself in the home-gathering of the dispersed exiles. They shall walk after Jehovah — Can, in this connection, mean only that when he gives the signal they will readily respond. Roar like a lion — That is, with a powerful voice. Not as in Hosea 5:14; 13:7, but to summon the scattered people (Isaiah 11:12; 27:13; 49:22). When the signal is heard the exiles shall tremble [“come trembling”] — Though they recognize the call as the call of love, they tremble before the majesty and power of the caller (compare Hosea 3:5). The children — In Hebrew without the article, “sons” or “children”; only those whom he may acknowledge as sons (verse 1; 1:10). From the west — Literally, from the sea, the Mediterranean, which is west of Palestine; perhaps equivalent to “the islands of the sea” (Isaiah 11:11). Hosea expects the Israelites to go into exile to Assyria and to Egypt (verse 11), that is, to the south and east. Only in this passage he introduces a third place of exile. This peculiarity leads some to change the text so as to read, “from their captivity.” Bird… dove — Ordinarily the flight of birds represents swiftness (Psalm 55:6; Isaiah 60:8). If so here, come trembling cannot be a correct reproduction of the prophet’s thought. “A thrill of eagerness doubling the speed of motion is what is meant”; equivalent to they shall come swiftly (see the comparison in Hosea 7:11). I will place them — For the promise to re-establish Israel in the old home see also Hosea 2:23.

Most recent commentators consider verses 10, 11 later additions, because

(1) they are thought to be out of harmony with verse 9 where the withdrawal of judgment is announced, while in these verses a dispersion is presupposed; (2) the verses contain expressions foreign to Hosea. To these verses are sometimes added verses 8, 9, in part, or even entire. The chief objection to these two verses is that they contain a promise which, it is said, weakens the preceding threat. In reply it may be said (1) verses 8, 9 do not imply a complete withholding of judgment; (2) the only peculiar expression is “from the west” (verse 10); (3) a promise does not necessarily weaken a previous threat. It would do so only if the promise were unconditional. Hosea believes that the divine favor may be regained; but he makes it perfectly clear that it can be done only on condition of sincere repentance (14:1-3). As soon as the conditional character of a promise is recognized, the promise, far from weakening a threat, may become a strong incentive to repentance, to avert the fulfillment of the threat. Hence it will be seen that the objections raised against the originality of these verses are not conclusive.

CONDEMNATION OF ISRAEL’S FAITHLESSNESS; EXHORTATION TO

REPENTANCE, Hosea 11:12-12:6.

The following appears to be the most probable interpretation of this exceedingly difficult section, Hosea 11:12, begins a new series of indictments. Israel proved false to Jehovah when it entered into covenants with foreign nations (Hosea 11:12; 12:1). If the references to Judah are original they cannot be interpreted as a eulogy of Judah, for north and south were equally guilty. The three incidents in the life of the patriarch Jacob are mentioned in order to present in glaring colors the contrast between the ancestor so anxious for the divine blessing and the descendants so indifferent to Jehovah (2-5). If they would only turn to the God of Jacob he would surely have mercy upon them (6).

V. 12. Ephraim-Most of the people of Israel. With lies-Play the hypocrite with me still. Judah-The two tribes. Yet ruleth-While idolaters are slaves to the devil, the true worshippers of God, like princes, rule with God. Faithful-Retains purity, at least truth of worship, and comparatively is faithful. Judah adheres to God’s holy prophets, priests, and other saints of God.

Verse 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lies] I think this verse does not well unite with the above; it belongs to another subject, and should begin the following chapter, as in the Hebrew.

Judah yet ruleth with God] There is an allusion here to Genesis 32:24, where Jacob, having “wrestled with the Angel,” had his name changed to Israel, one that rules with God. That glory the Israelites had lost by their idolatry; but Judah still retained the true worship, and alone deserved the name of Israel.

Bp. Newcome translates this clause thus:—

“But hereafter they shall come down a people of God, even a faithful people of saints.”

Even allowing this to be the most correct view of the original, I do not see what we gain by this change.

HOSEA

Verse 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lies — Ephraim and Israel are hypocrites; they promise much and perform nothing; they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. But Judah yet ruleth with God — Judah kept close to that kingly government which God had settled in David’s family, and faithfully observed those ordinances which God had given to his people, here termed saints, as they are also Deuteronomy 33:3; and else where a holy nation, and peculiar people. This seems to relate to the times of Hezekiah, who restored the pure worship of God in Judah; at which time the ten tribes were flagrantly wicked, and wholly addicted to an idolatrous worship. Instead of saints, Bishop Horsley reads, holy ones, and interprets the expression of the persons of the Trinity. His translation of the verse is, “Ephraim hath compassed me about with treachery, and the house of Israel with deceit. But Judah shall yet obtain dominion with God, and shall be established with the holy ones.” He considers the expression, shall obtain dominion, &c., as “a promissory allusion to a final restoration of the Jewish monarchy;” and the remaining clause, shall be established, &c., as signifying “either the constancy of Judah’s fidelity to the Holy Ones, or the firmness of the support which he shall receive from them.” And he thinks that “by the use of this plural word, Holy Ones, the prophecy clearly points to the conversion of the Jewish people to the Christian faith.”

12. Compasseth me — The lies were so numerous that Jehovah could see nothing else; they surrounded him completely. Lies [“falsehood”]… deceit — Practiced not against one another (verse 7), but against Jehovah. A condemnation of their foreign policy (Hosea 7:11; 10:4, 13). Ephraim… House of Israel — The northern kingdom. 12b is of uncertain meaning. But Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints — Margin, “with the most holy,” that is, God; R.V., “with the Holy One” (see on verse 9). This translation makes 12b a eulogy of Judah, which is thought to be better than Israel. Such sentiment seems out of place here (Hosea 12:2; see also on 1:7). The Revisers, conscious of this difficulty, offer in the margin the alternative reading, “and Judah is yet unsteadfast (faithless) with God, and with the Holy One who is faithful.” This is certainly to be preferred; otherwise 12b must be regarded as a later addition. Yet — The faithlessness has continued for a long time, and still there is no sign of improvement.