Hosea · Chapter 13

V. 1. Ephraim-The ten tribes, of which Ephraim was the chief. Spake trembling-Humbled himself before God. Exalted himself-The kingdom flourished. When he offended-So soon as they sinned, taking Baal to be their God. He died-They lost their power and glory.

Verse 1. When Ephraim spake trembling] When he was meek and humble, of a broken heart and contrite spirit.

He exalted himself in Israel] He became great in God’s sight; he rose in the Divine esteem in proportion as he sank in his own. But this did not continue.

He offended in Baal] He became an idolater.

He died.] The sentence of death from the Divine justice went out against him.

This has been differently understood: “As soon as Ephraim spake (To your tents, O Israel!) There was a trembling or commotion: then the kingdom was exalted in Israel.” Thus taken, it refers to the division of the ten tribes from Rehoboam, son of Solomon, 1 Kings 12:16, &c., and the establishment of the kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam in opposition to that of Judah; which breach was never healed.

Verse 1. When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself — While he behaved himself submissively and obediently, and humbled himself before God, he was reckoned among the principal tribes of Israel. Here Ephraim is spoken of as distinct from the other tribes: in other places of this prophecy he is put for the whole kingdom of the ten tribes. But when he offended in Baal, he died — When he gave himself to idolatry, his strength immediately declined, and had manifest symptoms of ruin and destruction. Bishop Horsley’s version of the verse is, When Ephraim spake there was dread: he was exalted in Israel. But he offended in Baal and died — “The former part of the verse describes the consequence and pre-eminence of Ephraim in his own country, and among the neighbouring nations; the latter part, his diminution and loss of consequence by his idolatry.” The word Baal is here taken in a general sense for all false gods or idolatrous ways of worship, so as to comprehend the worship of the golden calves, though they were designed for symbolical representations of the true God.

ISRAEL’S GLORY TURNED TO SHAME, 1-16.

The beginning of a new discourse, which, according to G.A. Smith, “has every mark of being Hosea’s latest.” Whether or not this is so, it is one of the most powerful and comprehensive in the book. It opens with a reference to the tribe of Ephraim, which in the beginning occupied a position of prominence in the nation but when it apostatized from Jehovah signed its own death warrant (1). From this well-known example Israel should have learned its lesson, but it failed to do so; it persisted in shameless idolatry, therefore it will vanish like chaff before the whirlwind (2, 3). The rebellious attitude of Israel, the prophet continues, is unintelligible, since the God whom they have rejected is the God who led them from the time of the Exodus. Strange to say, the more Jehovah prospered them the more arrogant they became, the more forgetful of Jehovah; hence he will devour them like a lion (4-8). By rebelling against Jehovah Israel courted destruction, which is now inevitable. No one can prevent it, Jehovah himself can show mercy no longer (9-14). The discourse closes with a threat of utter destruction (15, 16). 1-3. Israel’s apostasy its own death warrant. Though the interpretation of verse 1 is not quite certain, that embodied in the translation of R.V. and suggested in the introductory remarks above is preferable to all others that have been proposed. Ephraim’s experience should have been a warning to the whole people. Ephraim — Not synonymous with Israel, as in practically every other case in the book, but the tribe of Ephraim. When… spake trembling, he exalted himself — If rendered thus the meaning of the passage would be, “When the Ephraimites in trembling accents responded to the divine call, they rose to the exalted position which their prophetic ancestor foreshadowed” (Genesis 49:22-26). This translation and interpretation are open to criticism on linguistic and other grounds, and there can be no doubt that R.V. has come nearer the truth: “When Ephraim spake, there was trembling.” The other tribes looked up to Ephraim with fear and trembling (Judges 8:1; 12:1; compare Genesis 49:16; Deuteronomy 33:17). He exalted himself — Not in a bad sense, “he became proud,” but, “he became a leader, a prince.” Many commentators read, with a slight alteration, “he was a prince.” He died — Loyalty to Jehovah contained elements insuring permanence; apostasy, on the other hand, contained those elements that made death and destruction inevitable (Habakkuk 2:4). As soon as Ephraim apostatized the dying process began (Genesis 2:17). He offended in Baal — Or, became guilty through the Baal (compare Hosea 10:2). He became guilty when he accepted from the Canaanites Baal ideas and allowed these to corrupt the Jehovah worship (Hosea 2:5ff.). Baal is identical with Baals in other parts of the book (see on Hosea 2:5). There may be also an allusion to the setting up of the “calves” (Hosea 8:5; 10:5) by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:29), who was of the tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26). The tribe of Ephraim, once so powerful, had become, in the days of Hosea, of little significance. The words of the prophet by no means imply that Ephraim alone was guilty, or that he alone suffered; only, in his experience the contrast between the former glory and the present oblivion illustrated most perfectly the lesson Hosea desired to teach. The experience of this one tribe should have had a wholesome effect upon the others. Not so. Now — In the prophet’s own day. They — The whole nation. Sin more and more — Or, they continue to sin (G.-K., 114m) notwithstanding the warnings.

The offense of Ephraim consisted in apostasy to the Baals; the nation as a whole gave itself to even grosser idolatry. Molten images — See on Nahum 1:14 (compare Exodus 34:17). These images may have been intended primarily to be representations of Jehovah (1 Kings 12:28). Idols — The general term for an image of a deity. According to their own understanding — Their own skill and proficiency. What, power can there be in such images? LXX. reads, and other ancient versions, in part, favor the reading, “They made them molten images of their silver according to the likeness of idols.” The work of the craftsmen — Whatever the exact reading of the preceding, this clause brings out the point of greatest importance: the images are man-made; there is nothing divine about them.

2b is obscure. Various translations, all more or less forced, have been proposed. The text may be corrupt; at any rate, many emendations have been suggested. They — The indefinite people. Say of them — Or, concerning them, that is, the idols. Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves — The kiss is the kiss of homage (Psalm 2:12; 1 Kings 19:18). Those who offer sacrifice are urged ironically to bestow the kiss of homage upon the idolatrous calves. How absurd for human beings to kiss calves! Another possible translation is suggested in the margin, “Let the sacrificers of men kiss the calves.” This rendering emphasizes even more the absurdity of the religious practices. Men they sacrifice and beasts they kiss, instead of sacrificing beasts, and kissing men. That human sacrifices were offered in Israel at this time is not definitely stated in Hosea (but compare 2 Kings 17:17); in Judah the practice was not unknown (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). A third possible translation, secured by dividing the words into two clauses, reads, “To them (the idols) they speak (in prayer).” How absurd to address prayers to the work of their own hands! “Men that sacrifice (or, sacrificers of men) kiss the calves.” Sacrificers of men is the more natural translation of the Hebrew, but the other is not impossible (G.-K., 1281). The two clauses would have to be understood as exclamations of disgust by the prophet. Which one of these interpretations is right cannot be asserted with certainty. The Hebrew is peculiar and may be corrupt. Of proposed emendations two may be mentioned. Marti, omitting several words, reads, “Sacrificers of men they are; calves they kiss.” Harper, “People sacrificing to demons; men kissing calves.” Such a condition of affairs cannot be permitted to continue. 3. Swift retribution will overtake them. This thought is expressed very emphatically by the accumulation of four separate figures, each one describing utter destruction. On the first two see Hosea 6:4. As the chaff — The threshing floors were usually located on elevations, so as to take advantage of every breeze. The grain was winnowed by throwing it up into the air with shovels. The solid grains fell back to the ground, while the chaff was carried away by the wind. The stronger the wind the more quickly the chaff vanished; a whirlwind would drive it out of sight in a very short time (Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; 41:15, 16, etc.). Smoke — It also is swiftly driven away by the breeze (Psalm 68:2). Chimney — The same word is sometimes rendered “window”; literally, lattice (see on Joel 2:9).

V. 2. Of them-Of the idols. Let the man-Let all that bring their offerings to these idols, worship and adore, and shew they do so by kissing the calves.

Verse 2. And now they sin more and more] They increase in every kind of vice, having abandoned the great Inspirer of virtue.

Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.] This was the test. If there be a Jew that pretends to sacrifice, and whose conversion is dubious, let him come openly and kiss the calves. This will show what he is; no real Jew will do this. If he be an idolater, he will not scruple. This was the ancient method of adoration. 1. They kissed the idol. 2. When the statue was too high or too far off, they presented the hand, in token of alliance. 3. They brought that hand respectfully to their mouths, and kissed it. This was the genuine act of adoration; from ad, to, and os, oris, the mouth. So PLINY, Hist. Nat., lib. xxviii., c. 1. Adorando, dexteram ad oscula referimus. And APULEIUS, Asin., lib. iv.: Admoventes oribus suis dexteram, ut ipsam prorsus deam religiosis adorationibus venerabantur. See Calmet, and see Clarke’s note on “Job 31:17”.

Verse 2. And now they sin more and more — They did not content themselves with worshipping the golden calves only, which they made to be symbols of Jehovah the true God, but made themselves images of various idols after the manner of the heathen nations; which were nothing more than merely pieces of handicraft work. They at first worshipped Jehovah under the images of the golden calves, but at last they came to worship the mere images themselves. Thus do men sink deeper and deeper into vice, folly, and ignorance, whenever they depart from the right way! Instead of, according to their own understanding, Bishop Horsley reads, In their great wisdom they made themselves images, &c., considering the words as spoken ironically. They say of them — Of the idols; Let the men that sacrifice, kiss the calves — Let all that bring their offerings to these idols worship and adore, and show they do so by kissing the calves. Among the ancient idolaters, to kiss the idol was an act of the most solemn adoration. Thus we read, 1 Kings 19:18, of all the knees which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. And so Job describes the adoration which the idolaters of his time paid to the heavenly bodies, Job 31:27. Tully mentions a brazen statue of Hercules at Agrigentum, in which the workmanship of the mouth was sensibly worn by the frequent kisses of the worshippers. And, in allusion to this rite, the holy psalmist, calling upon the apostate faction to avert the wrath of the incarnate God, by a full acknowledgment of his divinity, bids them kiss the Son, that is, worship him.

Verse 2. Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. The readings vary here. The LXX, “You must sacrifice men, for there are no more calves.” The Vulgate Latin reads, “Sacrifice the men that worship the calves.” The reading of the English is nearer the truth, and better supported by appeals to ancient customs. It is equivalent to saying, that the men who sacrificed their children had the first claim to kiss the calves. In 1 Kings 19:18, we read that God had reserved seven thousand men who had neither bowed the knee, nor kissed Baal. In Sabian worship, the hosts of heaven, being high in the firmament, the idolaters lifted up their hand, and then kissed it. Job 31:27. This custom of kissing the idol, and of kissing the hand, is named by many of the ancient writers. Cicero mentions a statue of Hercules at Agrigentum, in which the configuration of the mouth was evidently worn by the kisses of devotees. Our Dr. Smith, in his view of the manners of Italy, visited the silver statue of our lady, the holy virgin, at Loretta. The image was rather short, and one foot less than the other, which was attributed to the kisses of pilgrims and devout persons. This lady fled away a little before the arrival of the French army.

ISRAEL’S GLORY TURNED TO SHAME, 1-16.

The beginning of a new discourse, which, according to G.A. Smith, “has every mark of being Hosea’s latest.” Whether or not this is so, it is one of the most powerful and comprehensive in the book. It opens with a reference to the tribe of Ephraim, which in the beginning occupied a position of prominence in the nation but when it apostatized from Jehovah signed its own death warrant (1). From this well-known example Israel should have learned its lesson, but it failed to do so; it persisted in shameless idolatry, therefore it will vanish like chaff before the whirlwind (2, 3). The rebellious attitude of Israel, the prophet continues, is unintelligible, since the God whom they have rejected is the God who led them from the time of the Exodus. Strange to say, the more Jehovah prospered them the more arrogant they became, the more forgetful of Jehovah; hence he will devour them like a lion (4-8). By rebelling against Jehovah Israel courted destruction, which is now inevitable. No one can prevent it, Jehovah himself can show mercy no longer (9-14). The discourse closes with a threat of utter destruction (15, 16). 1-3. Israel’s apostasy its own death warrant. Though the interpretation of verse 1 is not quite certain, that embodied in the translation of R.V. and suggested in the introductory remarks above is preferable to all others that have been proposed. Ephraim’s experience should have been a warning to the whole people. Ephraim — Not synonymous with Israel, as in practically every other case in the book, but the tribe of Ephraim. When… spake trembling, he exalted himself — If rendered thus the meaning of the passage would be, “When the Ephraimites in trembling accents responded to the divine call, they rose to the exalted position which their prophetic ancestor foreshadowed” (Genesis 49:22-26). This translation and interpretation are open to criticism on linguistic and other grounds, and there can be no doubt that R.V. has come nearer the truth: “When Ephraim spake, there was trembling.” The other tribes looked up to Ephraim with fear and trembling (Judges 8:1; 12:1; compare Genesis 49:16; Deuteronomy 33:17). He exalted himself — Not in a bad sense, “he became proud,” but, “he became a leader, a prince.” Many commentators read, with a slight alteration, “he was a prince.” He died — Loyalty to Jehovah contained elements insuring permanence; apostasy, on the other hand, contained those elements that made death and destruction inevitable (Habakkuk 2:4). As soon as Ephraim apostatized the dying process began (Genesis 2:17). He offended in Baal — Or, became guilty through the Baal (compare Hosea 10:2). He became guilty when he accepted from the Canaanites Baal ideas and allowed these to corrupt the Jehovah worship (Hosea 2:5ff.). Baal is identical with Baals in other parts of the book (see on Hosea 2:5). There may be also an allusion to the setting up of the “calves” (Hosea 8:5; 10:5) by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:29), who was of the tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26). The tribe of Ephraim, once so powerful, had become, in the days of Hosea, of little significance. The words of the prophet by no means imply that Ephraim alone was guilty, or that he alone suffered; only, in his experience the contrast between the former glory and the present oblivion illustrated most perfectly the lesson Hosea desired to teach. The experience of this one tribe should have had a wholesome effect upon the others. Not so. Now — In the prophet’s own day. They — The whole nation. Sin more and more — Or, they continue to sin (G.-K., 114m) notwithstanding the warnings.

The offense of Ephraim consisted in apostasy to the Baals; the nation as a whole gave itself to even grosser idolatry. Molten images — See on Nahum 1:14 (compare Exodus 34:17). These images may have been intended primarily to be representations of Jehovah (1 Kings 12:28). Idols — The general term for an image of a deity. According to their own understanding — Their own skill and proficiency. What, power can there be in such images? LXX. reads, and other ancient versions, in part, favor the reading, “They made them molten images of their silver according to the likeness of idols.” The work of the craftsmen — Whatever the exact reading of the preceding, this clause brings out the point of greatest importance: the images are man-made; there is nothing divine about them.

2b is obscure. Various translations, all more or less forced, have been proposed. The text may be corrupt; at any rate, many emendations have been suggested. They — The indefinite people. Say of them — Or, concerning them, that is, the idols. Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves — The kiss is the kiss of homage (Psalm 2:12; 1 Kings 19:18). Those who offer sacrifice are urged ironically to bestow the kiss of homage upon the idolatrous calves. How absurd for human beings to kiss calves! Another possible translation is suggested in the margin, “Let the sacrificers of men kiss the calves.” This rendering emphasizes even more the absurdity of the religious practices. Men they sacrifice and beasts they kiss, instead of sacrificing beasts, and kissing men. That human sacrifices were offered in Israel at this time is not definitely stated in Hosea (but compare 2 Kings 17:17); in Judah the practice was not unknown (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). A third possible translation, secured by dividing the words into two clauses, reads, “To them (the idols) they speak (in prayer).” How absurd to address prayers to the work of their own hands! “Men that sacrifice (or, sacrificers of men) kiss the calves.” Sacrificers of men is the more natural translation of the Hebrew, but the other is not impossible (G.-K., 1281). The two clauses would have to be understood as exclamations of disgust by the prophet. Which one of these interpretations is right cannot be asserted with certainty. The Hebrew is peculiar and may be corrupt. Of proposed emendations two may be mentioned. Marti, omitting several words, reads, “Sacrificers of men they are; calves they kiss.” Harper, “People sacrificing to demons; men kissing calves.” Such a condition of affairs cannot be permitted to continue. 3. Swift retribution will overtake them. This thought is expressed very emphatically by the accumulation of four separate figures, each one describing utter destruction. On the first two see Hosea 6:4. As the chaff — The threshing floors were usually located on elevations, so as to take advantage of every breeze. The grain was winnowed by throwing it up into the air with shovels. The solid grains fell back to the ground, while the chaff was carried away by the wind. The stronger the wind the more quickly the chaff vanished; a whirlwind would drive it out of sight in a very short time (Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; 41:15, 16, etc.). Smoke — It also is swiftly driven away by the breeze (Psalm 68:2). Chimney — The same word is sometimes rendered “window”; literally, lattice (see on Joel 2:9).

Verse 3. Therefore they shall be as the morning CLOUD—as the early DEW—as the CHAFF—as the SMOKE] Four things, most easy to be driven about and dissipated, are employed here to show how they should be scattered among the nations, and dissipated by captivity.

Verses 3-5. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, &c. — All the comparisons in this verse are intended to express a quick destruction, or that they should soon come to nothing. Yet I am the Lord thy God, &c. — Notwithstanding thy recourse to idols, I am the Lord thy God, who delivered thee out of the bondage of Egypt. And thou shalt know — That is, thou oughtest to acknowledge; no god but me — For thou hast never yet proved, and thou never wilt prove by experience, the power and protection of any other. Those whom thou callest thy gods will be able to do nothing for thee; for there is no saviour besides me — No one who can deliver, or preserve thee from evil as I have done. I did know thee in the wilderness, &c. — That is, I acknowledged thee as my peculiar people, by my watchful care of thee. I was attentive to thee, protecting thee in all dangers, and supplying all thy wants.

ISRAEL’S GLORY TURNED TO SHAME, 1-16.

The beginning of a new discourse, which, according to G.A. Smith, “has every mark of being Hosea’s latest.” Whether or not this is so, it is one of the most powerful and comprehensive in the book. It opens with a reference to the tribe of Ephraim, which in the beginning occupied a position of prominence in the nation but when it apostatized from Jehovah signed its own death warrant (1). From this well-known example Israel should have learned its lesson, but it failed to do so; it persisted in shameless idolatry, therefore it will vanish like chaff before the whirlwind (2, 3). The rebellious attitude of Israel, the prophet continues, is unintelligible, since the God whom they have rejected is the God who led them from the time of the Exodus. Strange to say, the more Jehovah prospered them the more arrogant they became, the more forgetful of Jehovah; hence he will devour them like a lion (4-8). By rebelling against Jehovah Israel courted destruction, which is now inevitable. No one can prevent it, Jehovah himself can show mercy no longer (9-14). The discourse closes with a threat of utter destruction (15, 16). 1-3. Israel’s apostasy its own death warrant. Though the interpretation of verse 1 is not quite certain, that embodied in the translation of R.V. and suggested in the introductory remarks above is preferable to all others that have been proposed. Ephraim’s experience should have been a warning to the whole people. Ephraim — Not synonymous with Israel, as in practically every other case in the book, but the tribe of Ephraim. When… spake trembling, he exalted himself — If rendered thus the meaning of the passage would be, “When the Ephraimites in trembling accents responded to the divine call, they rose to the exalted position which their prophetic ancestor foreshadowed” (Genesis 49:22-26). This translation and interpretation are open to criticism on linguistic and other grounds, and there can be no doubt that R.V. has come nearer the truth: “When Ephraim spake, there was trembling.” The other tribes looked up to Ephraim with fear and trembling (Judges 8:1; 12:1; compare Genesis 49:16; Deuteronomy 33:17). He exalted himself — Not in a bad sense, “he became proud,” but, “he became a leader, a prince.” Many commentators read, with a slight alteration, “he was a prince.” He died — Loyalty to Jehovah contained elements insuring permanence; apostasy, on the other hand, contained those elements that made death and destruction inevitable (Habakkuk 2:4). As soon as Ephraim apostatized the dying process began (Genesis 2:17). He offended in Baal — Or, became guilty through the Baal (compare Hosea 10:2). He became guilty when he accepted from the Canaanites Baal ideas and allowed these to corrupt the Jehovah worship (Hosea 2:5ff.). Baal is identical with Baals in other parts of the book (see on Hosea 2:5). There may be also an allusion to the setting up of the “calves” (Hosea 8:5; 10:5) by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:29), who was of the tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26). The tribe of Ephraim, once so powerful, had become, in the days of Hosea, of little significance. The words of the prophet by no means imply that Ephraim alone was guilty, or that he alone suffered; only, in his experience the contrast between the former glory and the present oblivion illustrated most perfectly the lesson Hosea desired to teach. The experience of this one tribe should have had a wholesome effect upon the others. Not so. Now — In the prophet’s own day. They — The whole nation. Sin more and more — Or, they continue to sin (G.-K., 114m) notwithstanding the warnings.

The offense of Ephraim consisted in apostasy to the Baals; the nation as a whole gave itself to even grosser idolatry. Molten images — See on Nahum 1:14 (compare Exodus 34:17). These images may have been intended primarily to be representations of Jehovah (1 Kings 12:28). Idols — The general term for an image of a deity. According to their own understanding — Their own skill and proficiency. What, power can there be in such images? LXX. reads, and other ancient versions, in part, favor the reading, “They made them molten images of their silver according to the likeness of idols.” The work of the craftsmen — Whatever the exact reading of the preceding, this clause brings out the point of greatest importance: the images are man-made; there is nothing divine about them.

2b is obscure. Various translations, all more or less forced, have been proposed. The text may be corrupt; at any rate, many emendations have been suggested. They — The indefinite people. Say of them — Or, concerning them, that is, the idols. Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves — The kiss is the kiss of homage (Psalm 2:12; 1 Kings 19:18). Those who offer sacrifice are urged ironically to bestow the kiss of homage upon the idolatrous calves. How absurd for human beings to kiss calves! Another possible translation is suggested in the margin, “Let the sacrificers of men kiss the calves.” This rendering emphasizes even more the absurdity of the religious practices. Men they sacrifice and beasts they kiss, instead of sacrificing beasts, and kissing men. That human sacrifices were offered in Israel at this time is not definitely stated in Hosea (but compare 2 Kings 17:17); in Judah the practice was not unknown (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). A third possible translation, secured by dividing the words into two clauses, reads, “To them (the idols) they speak (in prayer).” How absurd to address prayers to the work of their own hands! “Men that sacrifice (or, sacrificers of men) kiss the calves.” Sacrificers of men is the more natural translation of the Hebrew, but the other is not impossible (G.-K., 1281). The two clauses would have to be understood as exclamations of disgust by the prophet. Which one of these interpretations is right cannot be asserted with certainty. The Hebrew is peculiar and may be corrupt. Of proposed emendations two may be mentioned. Marti, omitting several words, reads, “Sacrificers of men they are; calves they kiss.” Harper, “People sacrificing to demons; men kissing calves.” Such a condition of affairs cannot be permitted to continue. 3. Swift retribution will overtake them. This thought is expressed very emphatically by the accumulation of four separate figures, each one describing utter destruction. On the first two see Hosea 6:4. As the chaff — The threshing floors were usually located on elevations, so as to take advantage of every breeze. The grain was winnowed by throwing it up into the air with shovels. The solid grains fell back to the ground, while the chaff was carried away by the wind. The stronger the wind the more quickly the chaff vanished; a whirlwind would drive it out of sight in a very short time (Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; 41:15, 16, etc.). Smoke — It also is swiftly driven away by the breeze (Psalm 68:2). Chimney — The same word is sometimes rendered “window”; literally, lattice (see on Joel 2:9).

V. 4. Thou shalt know-I forbad thee to know any other God but me, in gratitude thou shouldest know no other.

Verse 4. I am the Lord thy God] This was the first discovery I made of myself to you, and the first commandment I gave; and I showed you that besides me there was no Saviour. There is a remarkable addition in the Septuagint here: “But I am Jehovah thy God, who stretched out the heavens and created the earth. And I showed them not to thee, that thou shouldest walk after them. And I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt,” &c. This might have been once in the Hebrew text.

Verses 3-5. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, &c. — All the comparisons in this verse are intended to express a quick destruction, or that they should soon come to nothing. Yet I am the Lord thy God, &c. — Notwithstanding thy recourse to idols, I am the Lord thy God, who delivered thee out of the bondage of Egypt. And thou shalt know — That is, thou oughtest to acknowledge; no god but me — For thou hast never yet proved, and thou never wilt prove by experience, the power and protection of any other. Those whom thou callest thy gods will be able to do nothing for thee; for there is no saviour besides me — No one who can deliver, or preserve thee from evil as I have done. I did know thee in the wilderness, &c. — That is, I acknowledged thee as my peculiar people, by my watchful care of thee. I was attentive to thee, protecting thee in all dangers, and supplying all thy wants.

4-8. Love — Ingratitude — Destruction. The conduct of Israel was the more shocking because Jehovah had always proved himself ready to be their helper and friend. I am Jehovah — Here the emphasis is upon the assistance rendered by Jehovah to Israel throughout their entire history (compare Hosea 12:9). Thou shalt know — Better, R.V. margin, “knowest.” The prophet appeals to present and past experiences. No god but me — Israel found no god able to help and to save besides the one who delivered them out of Egypt; the entire history revealed him and him alone as saviour and friend. Indeed, there is no other deliverer. How serious has been the mistake of the people (Hosea 2:5ff.).

V. 5. I did know-Owned, took care of, guided and supplied.

Verse 5. I did know thee] I approved of thee; I loved thee; and by miraculously providing for thee in that land of drought, I demonstrated my love.

Verses 3-5. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, &c. — All the comparisons in this verse are intended to express a quick destruction, or that they should soon come to nothing. Yet I am the Lord thy God, &c. — Notwithstanding thy recourse to idols, I am the Lord thy God, who delivered thee out of the bondage of Egypt. And thou shalt know — That is, thou oughtest to acknowledge; no god but me — For thou hast never yet proved, and thou never wilt prove by experience, the power and protection of any other. Those whom thou callest thy gods will be able to do nothing for thee; for there is no saviour besides me — No one who can deliver, or preserve thee from evil as I have done. I did know thee in the wilderness, &c. — That is, I acknowledged thee as my peculiar people, by my watchful care of thee. I was attentive to thee, protecting thee in all dangers, and supplying all thy wants.

5. The loving care of Jehovah manifested itself in a special manner during the wanderings in the desert, when hunger and thirst threatened to destroy them. I did know — The Hebrew is more emphatic: “It was I (not some other god) who knew thee.” See on Hosea 8:4; here in a favorable sense — care, protect (Psalm 1:6). Some of the ancient versions read, “I shepherded thee,” which is in accord with the figure in verse 6, Land of great drought — Or, of burning thirst (Deuteronomy 8:15; Exodus 17:1ff.; etc.).

V. 6. Their pasture-When they were come into Canaan, and had abundance of all things, they ran into luxury. Was exalted-They grew proud.

Verse 6. According to their pasture] They had a rich pasture, and were amply supplied with every good. They became exalted in their heart, forgat their God, and became a prey to their enemies. “He that exalteth himself shall be abased.”

Verses 6-8. According to their pasture, &c. — As I was their shepherd, and provided pasture for them, so they were fully fed; they had an abundant plenty of all things. And their heart was exalted — The consequence of their having this plenty was, that from thence they grew proud and high-minded. Therefore they have forgotten me — They so abused my kindness to them, as to make it the occasion of their ingratitude; “for in the pride of their heart, which the miraculous supply of their wants for so long a time produced in them, they forgot their benefactor.” Therefore I will be unto them as a lion — That suddenly seizes upon and tears his prey: that is, I will utterly consume them from being a nation, and give them up into the hands of such enemies as will show them no mercy; as a leopard by the way — That lies in wait by the way; will I observe them — Watch for them, that I may be sure to take them, or watch all opportunities to destroy them. I will meet them as a bear, &c. — In the greatest fury imaginable; bereaved of her whelps — A circumstance which adds a particular degree of fierceness. “They never venture to fire upon a young bear when the mother is near: for if the cub drop, she becomes enraged to a degree little short of madness; and if she get a sight of the enemy, will only quit her revenge with her life.” — Cook’s Voyage, vol. 3. page 307. And will rend the caul of their heart — The seat of the blood, with which wild beasts love to glut themselves. The wild beast shall tear them — The Assyrian shall prove as a wild beast to them. The word µ[qbt, here used, signifies, shall cleave them, or rip them. Bishop Horsley renders it, shall tear them limb from limb; observing, “The verb expresses a violent distraction and severing of united parts in any manner: and is to be differently rendered with regard to the particular agent and patient. When the agent is a wild beast, and the patient the beast’s prey, it must be tearing limb from limb: tearing, by itself, is inadequate.”

6. Jehovah’s care for Israel and the resulting prosperity failed to inspire gratitude; on the contrary, it made the people proud and arrogant and caused them to forget God. According to their pasture — The rich blessings bestowed upon them. They were filled — With prosperity; but they failed to recognize the giver (Hosea 2:8; 4:7; 10:1; compare Deuteronomy 8:11ff.; 31:20, etc.). The verb is repeated for the sake of emphasis. It is possible, however, that the two verb forms, with a slight change in the second, should be combined to form one expression, “They were completely filled.” Their heart was exalted — Prosperity caused pride and arrogance. Forgotten me — Arrogance led to forgetfulness of God (Hosea 8:14; Isaiah 17:10); they felt that they could get along without the divine help.

V. 7. Observe them-Watch for them, that I might be sure to take them.

Verse 7. I will be unto them as a lion] ljv shachal is supposed to mean here the black lion, frequent in Ethiopia.

As a leopard] rmn namar, so termed from its spotted skin, for to be spotted is the signification of the root.

Will I observe them] The leopard, tiger, and panther will hide themselves in thick bush-wood, near where they expect any prey to pass; and as soon as it comes near, spring suddenly upon it. To this is the allusion in the text: “By the way will I observe them;” watch for them as the leopard does. They shall be greatly harassed even on their way to Assyria, when going into captivity.

Verses 6-8. According to their pasture, &c. — As I was their shepherd, and provided pasture for them, so they were fully fed; they had an abundant plenty of all things. And their heart was exalted — The consequence of their having this plenty was, that from thence they grew proud and high-minded. Therefore they have forgotten me — They so abused my kindness to them, as to make it the occasion of their ingratitude; “for in the pride of their heart, which the miraculous supply of their wants for so long a time produced in them, they forgot their benefactor.” Therefore I will be unto them as a lion — That suddenly seizes upon and tears his prey: that is, I will utterly consume them from being a nation, and give them up into the hands of such enemies as will show them no mercy; as a leopard by the way — That lies in wait by the way; will I observe them — Watch for them, that I may be sure to take them, or watch all opportunities to destroy them. I will meet them as a bear, &c. — In the greatest fury imaginable; bereaved of her whelps — A circumstance which adds a particular degree of fierceness. “They never venture to fire upon a young bear when the mother is near: for if the cub drop, she becomes enraged to a degree little short of madness; and if she get a sight of the enemy, will only quit her revenge with her life.” — Cook’s Voyage, vol. 3. page 307. And will rend the caul of their heart — The seat of the blood, with which wild beasts love to glut themselves. The wild beast shall tear them — The Assyrian shall prove as a wild beast to them. The word µ[qbt, here used, signifies, shall cleave them, or rip them. Bishop Horsley renders it, shall tear them limb from limb; observing, “The verb expresses a violent distraction and severing of united parts in any manner: and is to be differently rendered with regard to the particular agent and patient. When the agent is a wild beast, and the patient the beast’s prey, it must be tearing limb from limb: tearing, by itself, is inadequate.”

Ver. 7. I will be to them as a lion, and as a leopard. These two wild beasts are most terrific to the traveller and the shepherd, and the more so as the leopard roars not like the lion, but leaps from his lurking place upon the unwary. In this manner the Lord would surprise the Israelites, when going to seek aid from Assyria.

7, 8. The flock, Israel, despised the good shepherd; now he will transform himself into a beast of prey seeking to devour the sheep. Lion — See on Hosea 5:14. Leopard — Mentioned on account of its fierceness (compare Isaiah 11:6). Leopards are still found in Mount Lebanon, though in small numbers. Will I observe them — R.V., “will I watch by the way,” waiting for the proper moment to spring. “It (the leopard) is specially noted for the patience with which it waits… expecting its prey, upon which it springs with deadly precision” (compare Jeremiah 5:6). Several of the ancient versions and some of the Hebrew manuscripts read, “in the way to Assyria” (Hosea 5:13; 7:12). This would require only a slight change, but the other is to be preferred, Bear — When the country was covered with more abundant forests than at present bears were more numerous in Palestine; they are still quite numerous in the wilder regions of the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, rarer in the mountains east of the Jordan, and very rare in western Palestine (compare Lamentations 3:10; Van Lennep, Bible Lands, 259ff.). Bereaved of her whelps — And therefore even more ferocious than usual (2 Samuel 17:8; Proverbs 17:12). The caul of their heart — Literally, the inclosure of the heart. In popular language probably equivalent to breast. There — In the very spot where he seizes the prey. There will be no delay. Like a lion — R.V., “lioness.” It is difficult to distinguish between the different words for lion used in Hebrew; the one used here is thought to denote the female, but this is not beyond question. The wild beast shall tear them — The beasts will assist Jehovah in despoiling Israel. “The end of the verse suggests a battlefield, where beasts of prey attack the corpses as the last avengers of God.” Certainly the whole is to be understood as a figurative description of the judgment about to fall.

Utter destruction the just punishment for Israel’s guilt, 9-16. This discourse closes with another description of the hopelessness of Israel’s condition. It has rebelled against Jehovah, who alone can save; therefore destruction has become inevitable; it has already begun and will not stop until the whole nation has been consumed. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thy help — This is one of the most abrupt sentences in the book of Hosea. On the assumption that the text is correct the abruptness has been explained as due to the profound emotion of the prophet, which caused him to break off before completing his thought. A more satisfactory rendering of the Hebrew — though several words must be supplied in the English — and in more complete accord with the context, is that of R.V.: “It is thy destruction, O Israel, that thou art against me, against thy help”; that is, by rebelling against Jehovah Israel signed its own death warrant. LXX. and Peshitto present a reading which removes in some measure the unusually elliptical character of the sentence, and adds strength to the utterance. Both read the latter part as a question: “who will be thy help?” In addition Peshitto reads the first part, “I have (a prophetic perfect) destroyed thee.” Following these translations, the whole verse may be read, “I am,” or, “he is,” “thy destruction; yea, who shall be thy helper?” This question connects naturally with verse 10. Neither king nor princes can save. Here again R.V. is to be preferred: “Where now is thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities?” According to Hosea 10:14; 11:6, the destruction will fall upon the fortresses and cities; in their distress they will need and cry for help, but in vain. The king will be powerless against the wrath of Jehovah. Verse 11 goes even further and states that the king will be entirely removed. Thy judges — Equivalent to “rulers,” as in Hosea 7:7, including “king and princes” mentioned in the last line. The second question is practically equivalent to the first. Princes — See on Hosea 3:4. Give me — Some commentators see here a reference to the demands for a king in the days of Samuel (1 Samuel 8:5ff.). It is more probable, however, that the prophet has in mind more recent events, when the people by actions rather than by word of mouth expressed their demands for new kings and placed them upon the throne (Hosea 7:3ff.; 8:4). When the calamity falls it will be seen how helpless is the king in whom they place their confidence.

The tenses in verse 11 are frequentatives. Jehovah did it on more than one occasion, and he is still doing it. In Hosea 7:7, and Hosea 8:4, the prophet speaks of the frequent changes in dynasties as having been brought about by violence and assassination. This was done without consulting Jehovah and without his approval. In this verse the prophet considers the same events from a different viewpoint. He makes the additional statement that, though Jehovah was not consulted, the changes could not be made without his consent and co-operation. In one sense, therefore, the people made the kings, in another, Jehovah gave them. “God humored them; but these kings who were wrung from him (8:4) he gave them in anger; they were not kings by God’s grace, but by his displeasure.” As he gave them, so he took them away; and the anarchy and disorder following were equally due to his wrath (Isaiah 9:18ff.).

V. 8. Rent-First kill, then tear in pieces, and pull out the very heart.

Verse 8. As a bear—bereaved] This is a figure to denote excessive ferocity. See Clarke’s note on “2 Samuel 17:8”, where a remarkable instance is given.

And will rend the caul of their heart] Every savage beast goes first to the seat of the blood when it has seized its prey; as in this fluid they delight more than in the most delicate parts of the flesh.

There will I devour them like a lion] aybl labi, the old strong lion; drinking the blood, tearing the flesh, and breaking the bones to extract the marrow.

The wild beast shall tear them] Probably this refers to the chakal or jackal, who frequently hunts down the prey, which the lion takes the liberty to devour, while the jackal stands by, and afterwards picks the bones. Hence he has been called the lion’s PROVIDER, and the lion’s waiting-man.

Verses 6-8. According to their pasture, &c. — As I was their shepherd, and provided pasture for them, so they were fully fed; they had an abundant plenty of all things. And their heart was exalted — The consequence of their having this plenty was, that from thence they grew proud and high-minded. Therefore they have forgotten me — They so abused my kindness to them, as to make it the occasion of their ingratitude; “for in the pride of their heart, which the miraculous supply of their wants for so long a time produced in them, they forgot their benefactor.” Therefore I will be unto them as a lion — That suddenly seizes upon and tears his prey: that is, I will utterly consume them from being a nation, and give them up into the hands of such enemies as will show them no mercy; as a leopard by the way — That lies in wait by the way; will I observe them — Watch for them, that I may be sure to take them, or watch all opportunities to destroy them. I will meet them as a bear, &c. — In the greatest fury imaginable; bereaved of her whelps — A circumstance which adds a particular degree of fierceness. “They never venture to fire upon a young bear when the mother is near: for if the cub drop, she becomes enraged to a degree little short of madness; and if she get a sight of the enemy, will only quit her revenge with her life.” — Cook’s Voyage, vol. 3. page 307. And will rend the caul of their heart — The seat of the blood, with which wild beasts love to glut themselves. The wild beast shall tear them — The Assyrian shall prove as a wild beast to them. The word µ[qbt, here used, signifies, shall cleave them, or rip them. Bishop Horsley renders it, shall tear them limb from limb; observing, “The verb expresses a violent distraction and severing of united parts in any manner: and is to be differently rendered with regard to the particular agent and patient. When the agent is a wild beast, and the patient the beast’s prey, it must be tearing limb from limb: tearing, by itself, is inadequate.”

7, 8. The flock, Israel, despised the good shepherd; now he will transform himself into a beast of prey seeking to devour the sheep. Lion — See on Hosea 5:14. Leopard — Mentioned on account of its fierceness (compare Isaiah 11:6). Leopards are still found in Mount Lebanon, though in small numbers. Will I observe them — R.V., “will I watch by the way,” waiting for the proper moment to spring. “It (the leopard) is specially noted for the patience with which it waits… expecting its prey, upon which it springs with deadly precision” (compare Jeremiah 5:6). Several of the ancient versions and some of the Hebrew manuscripts read, “in the way to Assyria” (Hosea 5:13; 7:12). This would require only a slight change, but the other is to be preferred, Bear — When the country was covered with more abundant forests than at present bears were more numerous in Palestine; they are still quite numerous in the wilder regions of the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, rarer in the mountains east of the Jordan, and very rare in western Palestine (compare Lamentations 3:10; Van Lennep, Bible Lands, 259ff.). Bereaved of her whelps — And therefore even more ferocious than usual (2 Samuel 17:8; Proverbs 17:12). The caul of their heart — Literally, the inclosure of the heart. In popular language probably equivalent to breast. There — In the very spot where he seizes the prey. There will be no delay. Like a lion — R.V., “lioness.” It is difficult to distinguish between the different words for lion used in Hebrew; the one used here is thought to denote the female, but this is not beyond question. The wild beast shall tear them — The beasts will assist Jehovah in despoiling Israel. “The end of the verse suggests a battlefield, where beasts of prey attack the corpses as the last avengers of God.” Certainly the whole is to be understood as a figurative description of the judgment about to fall.

Utter destruction the just punishment for Israel’s guilt, 9-16. This discourse closes with another description of the hopelessness of Israel’s condition. It has rebelled against Jehovah, who alone can save; therefore destruction has become inevitable; it has already begun and will not stop until the whole nation has been consumed. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thy help — This is one of the most abrupt sentences in the book of Hosea. On the assumption that the text is correct the abruptness has been explained as due to the profound emotion of the prophet, which caused him to break off before completing his thought. A more satisfactory rendering of the Hebrew — though several words must be supplied in the English — and in more complete accord with the context, is that of R.V.: “It is thy destruction, O Israel, that thou art against me, against thy help”; that is, by rebelling against Jehovah Israel signed its own death warrant. LXX. and Peshitto present a reading which removes in some measure the unusually elliptical character of the sentence, and adds strength to the utterance. Both read the latter part as a question: “who will be thy help?” In addition Peshitto reads the first part, “I have (a prophetic perfect) destroyed thee.” Following these translations, the whole verse may be read, “I am,” or, “he is,” “thy destruction; yea, who shall be thy helper?” This question connects naturally with verse 10. Neither king nor princes can save. Here again R.V. is to be preferred: “Where now is thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities?” According to Hosea 10:14; 11:6, the destruction will fall upon the fortresses and cities; in their distress they will need and cry for help, but in vain. The king will be powerless against the wrath of Jehovah. Verse 11 goes even further and states that the king will be entirely removed. Thy judges — Equivalent to “rulers,” as in Hosea 7:7, including “king and princes” mentioned in the last line. The second question is practically equivalent to the first. Princes — See on Hosea 3:4. Give me — Some commentators see here a reference to the demands for a king in the days of Samuel (1 Samuel 8:5ff.). It is more probable, however, that the prophet has in mind more recent events, when the people by actions rather than by word of mouth expressed their demands for new kings and placed them upon the throne (Hosea 7:3ff.; 8:4). When the calamity falls it will be seen how helpless is the king in whom they place their confidence.

The tenses in verse 11 are frequentatives. Jehovah did it on more than one occasion, and he is still doing it. In Hosea 7:7, and Hosea 8:4, the prophet speaks of the frequent changes in dynasties as having been brought about by violence and assassination. This was done without consulting Jehovah and without his approval. In this verse the prophet considers the same events from a different viewpoint. He makes the additional statement that, though Jehovah was not consulted, the changes could not be made without his consent and co-operation. In one sense, therefore, the people made the kings, in another, Jehovah gave them. “God humored them; but these kings who were wrung from him (8:4) he gave them in anger; they were not kings by God’s grace, but by his displeasure.” As he gave them, so he took them away; and the anarchy and disorder following were equally due to his wrath (Isaiah 9:18ff.).

Verse 9. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself] These evils come not by my immediate infliction; they are the consequences of thy own crimes. In the above terrifying figures of the ferocious beasts, the prophet only shows what they would meet with from the hand of the Assyrians in the war, the famine, and the captivity; God being represented as doing what he only permits to be done.

But in me is thine help.] “Though thou hast destroyed thyself, yet in me alone can thy help be found”—Newcome. And others read, And who will help thee? reading ym mi, who, for yb bi, in me. Though this is countenanced by the Syriac, yet there is no evidence of it in any of the MSS. yet collated, nor do I think it to be the true reading.

Verse 9. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself — Thy sins have brought down destruction upon thee, and it is from me only thou canst expect any help, which I will in due time afford thee. The Hebrew of this verse is capable of different versions. That of the Vulgate, Destruction is thy own, O Israel: only in me is thy help, seems one of the most literal; unless, taking Ëtjv for a verb, we prefer rendering the first clause, It has destroyed thee, O Israel; that is, all that sin and folly of thine, with which thou hast been before charged. As thy own wickedness has many a time corrected thee, so it has now at length destroyed thee. Observe, reader, wilful sinners are self-destroyers; obstinate impenitence is the grossest self-murder. Those that are destroyed of the destroyer, have their blood upon their own heads: they have destroyed themselves. Observe, also, that the case of such is not yet desperate: God will be their help if they will make application to him. This is a plank thrown out after shipwreck; and greatly magnifies not only the power of God, that he can help when things are at the worst, can help those that cannot help themselves; but the riches of his grace, that he will help those who have destroyed themselves, and therefore might justly be left to perish, and even those that had long refused his help. Dr. Pocock reads this verse, O Israel, this has destroyed thee, that in me is thy help. And R. Tanchum interprets it to the same effect. They understand the sentiment to be, “that the cause of the destruction of Israel was, his presuming upon God’s readiness to help him. They hardened themselves in their corrupt practices, in the confidence that God would never give them up; that, notwithstanding the severity of his threatenings, he would interpose, as upon so many occasions he before had done, to rescue them from their enemies when things came to an extremity. The passage, thus understood is a cool reflection upon the fatal effects of God’s kindness upon the perverse minds of the Israelites.” — Horsley.

ISRAEL’S GLORY TURNED TO SHAME, 1-16.

The beginning of a new discourse, which, according to G.A. Smith, “has every mark of being Hosea’s latest.” Whether or not this is so, it is one of the most powerful and comprehensive in the book. It opens with a reference to the tribe of Ephraim, which in the beginning occupied a position of prominence in the nation but when it apostatized from Jehovah signed its own death warrant (1). From this well-known example Israel should have learned its lesson, but it failed to do so; it persisted in shameless idolatry, therefore it will vanish like chaff before the whirlwind (2, 3). The rebellious attitude of Israel, the prophet continues, is unintelligible, since the God whom they have rejected is the God who led them from the time of the Exodus. Strange to say, the more Jehovah prospered them the more arrogant they became, the more forgetful of Jehovah; hence he will devour them like a lion (4-8). By rebelling against Jehovah Israel courted destruction, which is now inevitable. No one can prevent it, Jehovah himself can show mercy no longer (9-14). The discourse closes with a threat of utter destruction (15, 16). 1-3. Israel’s apostasy its own death warrant. Though the interpretation of verse 1 is not quite certain, that embodied in the translation of R.V. and suggested in the introductory remarks above is preferable to all others that have been proposed. Ephraim’s experience should have been a warning to the whole people. Ephraim — Not synonymous with Israel, as in practically every other case in the book, but the tribe of Ephraim. When… spake trembling, he exalted himself — If rendered thus the meaning of the passage would be, “When the Ephraimites in trembling accents responded to the divine call, they rose to the exalted position which their prophetic ancestor foreshadowed” (Genesis 49:22-26). This translation and interpretation are open to criticism on linguistic and other grounds, and there can be no doubt that R.V. has come nearer the truth: “When Ephraim spake, there was trembling.” The other tribes looked up to Ephraim with fear and trembling (Judges 8:1; 12:1; compare Genesis 49:16; Deuteronomy 33:17). He exalted himself — Not in a bad sense, “he became proud,” but, “he became a leader, a prince.” Many commentators read, with a slight alteration, “he was a prince.” He died — Loyalty to Jehovah contained elements insuring permanence; apostasy, on the other hand, contained those elements that made death and destruction inevitable (Habakkuk 2:4). As soon as Ephraim apostatized the dying process began (Genesis 2:17). He offended in Baal — Or, became guilty through the Baal (compare Hosea 10:2). He became guilty when he accepted from the Canaanites Baal ideas and allowed these to corrupt the Jehovah worship (Hosea 2:5ff.). Baal is identical with Baals in other parts of the book (see on Hosea 2:5). There may be also an allusion to the setting up of the “calves” (Hosea 8:5; 10:5) by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:29), who was of the tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26). The tribe of Ephraim, once so powerful, had become, in the days of Hosea, of little significance. The words of the prophet by no means imply that Ephraim alone was guilty, or that he alone suffered; only, in his experience the contrast between the former glory and the present oblivion illustrated most perfectly the lesson Hosea desired to teach. The experience of this one tribe should have had a wholesome effect upon the others. Not so. Now — In the prophet’s own day. They — The whole nation. Sin more and more — Or, they continue to sin (G.-K., 114m) notwithstanding the warnings.

The offense of Ephraim consisted in apostasy to the Baals; the nation as a whole gave itself to even grosser idolatry. Molten images — See on Nahum 1:14 (compare Exodus 34:17). These images may have been intended primarily to be representations of Jehovah (1 Kings 12:28). Idols — The general term for an image of a deity. According to their own understanding — Their own skill and proficiency. What, power can there be in such images? LXX. reads, and other ancient versions, in part, favor the reading, “They made them molten images of their silver according to the likeness of idols.” The work of the craftsmen — Whatever the exact reading of the preceding, this clause brings out the point of greatest importance: the images are man-made; there is nothing divine about them.

2b is obscure. Various translations, all more or less forced, have been proposed. The text may be corrupt; at any rate, many emendations have been suggested. They — The indefinite people. Say of them — Or, concerning them, that is, the idols. Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves — The kiss is the kiss of homage (Psalm 2:12; 1 Kings 19:18). Those who offer sacrifice are urged ironically to bestow the kiss of homage upon the idolatrous calves. How absurd for human beings to kiss calves! Another possible translation is suggested in the margin, “Let the sacrificers of men kiss the calves.” This rendering emphasizes even more the absurdity of the religious practices. Men they sacrifice and beasts they kiss, instead of sacrificing beasts, and kissing men. That human sacrifices were offered in Israel at this time is not definitely stated in Hosea (but compare 2 Kings 17:17); in Judah the practice was not unknown (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). A third possible translation, secured by dividing the words into two clauses, reads, “To them (the idols) they speak (in prayer).” How absurd to address prayers to the work of their own hands! “Men that sacrifice (or, sacrificers of men) kiss the calves.” Sacrificers of men is the more natural translation of the Hebrew, but the other is not impossible (G.-K., 1281). The two clauses would have to be understood as exclamations of disgust by the prophet. Which one of these interpretations is right cannot be asserted with certainty. The Hebrew is peculiar and may be corrupt. Of proposed emendations two may be mentioned. Marti, omitting several words, reads, “Sacrificers of men they are; calves they kiss.” Harper, “People sacrificing to demons; men kissing calves.” Such a condition of affairs cannot be permitted to continue. 3. Swift retribution will overtake them. This thought is expressed very emphatically by the accumulation of four separate figures, each one describing utter destruction. On the first two see Hosea 6:4. As the chaff — The threshing floors were usually located on elevations, so as to take advantage of every breeze. The grain was winnowed by throwing it up into the air with shovels. The solid grains fell back to the ground, while the chaff was carried away by the wind. The stronger the wind the more quickly the chaff vanished; a whirlwind would drive it out of sight in a very short time (Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; 41:15, 16, etc.). Smoke — It also is swiftly driven away by the breeze (Psalm 68:2). Chimney — The same word is sometimes rendered “window”; literally, lattice (see on Joel 2:9).

V. 10. Thy king-I would have been thy king to govern and save thee, but thou refusedst me in both: yet I will be thy king to punish thee. Thy judges-Where are they now? And princes-Necessary to assist the king.

Verse 10. Give me a king and princes?] Referring to the time in which they cast off the Divine theocracy and chose Saul in the place of Jehovah.

Verses 10, 11. I will be thy king — I would have been thy king to save and govern thee, but thou refusedst me in both respects: yet I will be thy king to judge me and punish thee. The LXX. and all the ancient versions interpret the clause differently, and give the interrogative, Where? Where is thy king now, that he may serve thee? They seem to have taken the word yha, I will be, for hya, where, by a transposition of letters, as the same word is used again, verse 14. Bishop Horsley understands the words in the same sense, and reads, Where is thy king? Where now is he? To save thee forsooth in all thy cities — and thy judges? — “This vehement, re-doubled interrogation,” says he, “seems to suppose a denial, on the part of the Israelites, of the helpless, ruined state, asserted in the former verse, as the consequence of God’s withdrawing his protection. Do you deny this? Do you pretend that you have still means of defence, hope of deliverance? You rely upon the policy or prowess of your monarch. Where is he, this wise and mighty king? Tell me in what quarter? Your judges, your provincial rulers, where are they? Let us see what deliverance this king and these rulers can effect.” The words seem to be spoken with a reference to the Israelites desiring a king to be set over them, instead of continuing under the theocracy, or the immediate government of God, who raised them up from time to time, as he saw most fit for them, defenders and protectors, and endued them with extraordinary abilities for the purpose. But the Israelites foolishly thought they should thrive better under a kingly government, such as the rest of the nations around them were under, which is expressed in the latter part of this verse, Of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes — That is, a king and such principal officers as he shall appoint. This is what is meant by the word judges in this verse. I gave thee a king in mine anger — Being angry at your sins and provocations, I gave you a king at first, and have since suffered you, by seditions and conspiracies, to change your kings according as you pleased, whereby your state hath received more and more damage, and now I will take away your present king by the hand of the Assyrians.

ISRAEL’S GLORY TURNED TO SHAME, 1-16.

The beginning of a new discourse, which, according to G.A. Smith, “has every mark of being Hosea’s latest.” Whether or not this is so, it is one of the most powerful and comprehensive in the book. It opens with a reference to the tribe of Ephraim, which in the beginning occupied a position of prominence in the nation but when it apostatized from Jehovah signed its own death warrant (1). From this well-known example Israel should have learned its lesson, but it failed to do so; it persisted in shameless idolatry, therefore it will vanish like chaff before the whirlwind (2, 3). The rebellious attitude of Israel, the prophet continues, is unintelligible, since the God whom they have rejected is the God who led them from the time of the Exodus. Strange to say, the more Jehovah prospered them the more arrogant they became, the more forgetful of Jehovah; hence he will devour them like a lion (4-8). By rebelling against Jehovah Israel courted destruction, which is now inevitable. No one can prevent it, Jehovah himself can show mercy no longer (9-14). The discourse closes with a threat of utter destruction (15, 16). 1-3. Israel’s apostasy its own death warrant. Though the interpretation of verse 1 is not quite certain, that embodied in the translation of R.V. and suggested in the introductory remarks above is preferable to all others that have been proposed. Ephraim’s experience should have been a warning to the whole people. Ephraim — Not synonymous with Israel, as in practically every other case in the book, but the tribe of Ephraim. When… spake trembling, he exalted himself — If rendered thus the meaning of the passage would be, “When the Ephraimites in trembling accents responded to the divine call, they rose to the exalted position which their prophetic ancestor foreshadowed” (Genesis 49:22-26). This translation and interpretation are open to criticism on linguistic and other grounds, and there can be no doubt that R.V. has come nearer the truth: “When Ephraim spake, there was trembling.” The other tribes looked up to Ephraim with fear and trembling (Judges 8:1; 12:1; compare Genesis 49:16; Deuteronomy 33:17). He exalted himself — Not in a bad sense, “he became proud,” but, “he became a leader, a prince.” Many commentators read, with a slight alteration, “he was a prince.” He died — Loyalty to Jehovah contained elements insuring permanence; apostasy, on the other hand, contained those elements that made death and destruction inevitable (Habakkuk 2:4). As soon as Ephraim apostatized the dying process began (Genesis 2:17). He offended in Baal — Or, became guilty through the Baal (compare Hosea 10:2). He became guilty when he accepted from the Canaanites Baal ideas and allowed these to corrupt the Jehovah worship (Hosea 2:5ff.). Baal is identical with Baals in other parts of the book (see on Hosea 2:5). There may be also an allusion to the setting up of the “calves” (Hosea 8:5; 10:5) by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:29), who was of the tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26). The tribe of Ephraim, once so powerful, had become, in the days of Hosea, of little significance. The words of the prophet by no means imply that Ephraim alone was guilty, or that he alone suffered; only, in his experience the contrast between the former glory and the present oblivion illustrated most perfectly the lesson Hosea desired to teach. The experience of this one tribe should have had a wholesome effect upon the others. Not so. Now — In the prophet’s own day. They — The whole nation. Sin more and more — Or, they continue to sin (G.-K., 114m) notwithstanding the warnings.

The offense of Ephraim consisted in apostasy to the Baals; the nation as a whole gave itself to even grosser idolatry. Molten images — See on Nahum 1:14 (compare Exodus 34:17). These images may have been intended primarily to be representations of Jehovah (1 Kings 12:28). Idols — The general term for an image of a deity. According to their own understanding — Their own skill and proficiency. What, power can there be in such images? LXX. reads, and other ancient versions, in part, favor the reading, “They made them molten images of their silver according to the likeness of idols.” The work of the craftsmen — Whatever the exact reading of the preceding, this clause brings out the point of greatest importance: the images are man-made; there is nothing divine about them.

2b is obscure. Various translations, all more or less forced, have been proposed. The text may be corrupt; at any rate, many emendations have been suggested. They — The indefinite people. Say of them — Or, concerning them, that is, the idols. Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves — The kiss is the kiss of homage (Psalm 2:12; 1 Kings 19:18). Those who offer sacrifice are urged ironically to bestow the kiss of homage upon the idolatrous calves. How absurd for human beings to kiss calves! Another possible translation is suggested in the margin, “Let the sacrificers of men kiss the calves.” This rendering emphasizes even more the absurdity of the religious practices. Men they sacrifice and beasts they kiss, instead of sacrificing beasts, and kissing men. That human sacrifices were offered in Israel at this time is not definitely stated in Hosea (but compare 2 Kings 17:17); in Judah the practice was not unknown (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). A third possible translation, secured by dividing the words into two clauses, reads, “To them (the idols) they speak (in prayer).” How absurd to address prayers to the work of their own hands! “Men that sacrifice (or, sacrificers of men) kiss the calves.” Sacrificers of men is the more natural translation of the Hebrew, but the other is not impossible (G.-K., 1281). The two clauses would have to be understood as exclamations of disgust by the prophet. Which one of these interpretations is right cannot be asserted with certainty. The Hebrew is peculiar and may be corrupt. Of proposed emendations two may be mentioned. Marti, omitting several words, reads, “Sacrificers of men they are; calves they kiss.” Harper, “People sacrificing to demons; men kissing calves.” Such a condition of affairs cannot be permitted to continue. 3. Swift retribution will overtake them. This thought is expressed very emphatically by the accumulation of four separate figures, each one describing utter destruction. On the first two see Hosea 6:4. As the chaff — The threshing floors were usually located on elevations, so as to take advantage of every breeze. The grain was winnowed by throwing it up into the air with shovels. The solid grains fell back to the ground, while the chaff was carried away by the wind. The stronger the wind the more quickly the chaff vanished; a whirlwind would drive it out of sight in a very short time (Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; 41:15, 16, etc.). Smoke — It also is swiftly driven away by the breeze (Psalm 68:2). Chimney — The same word is sometimes rendered “window”; literally, lattice (see on Joel 2:9).

V. 11. A king-Such as Shallum, Menahem, Pekah.

Verse 11. I gave thee a king in mine anger] Such was Saul; for they highly offended God when they clamored to have a king like the heathen nations that were around them.

Took him away in my wrath.] Permitted him and the Israelites to fall before the Philistines. Others think that Shalmaneser was the king thus given, and Hoshea the king thus taken away.

Verses 10, 11. I will be thy king — I would have been thy king to save and govern thee, but thou refusedst me in both respects: yet I will be thy king to judge me and punish thee. The LXX. and all the ancient versions interpret the clause differently, and give the interrogative, Where? Where is thy king now, that he may serve thee? They seem to have taken the word yha, I will be, for hya, where, by a transposition of letters, as the same word is used again, verse 14. Bishop Horsley understands the words in the same sense, and reads, Where is thy king? Where now is he? To save thee forsooth in all thy cities — and thy judges? — “This vehement, re-doubled interrogation,” says he, “seems to suppose a denial, on the part of the Israelites, of the helpless, ruined state, asserted in the former verse, as the consequence of God’s withdrawing his protection. Do you deny this? Do you pretend that you have still means of defence, hope of deliverance? You rely upon the policy or prowess of your monarch. Where is he, this wise and mighty king? Tell me in what quarter? Your judges, your provincial rulers, where are they? Let us see what deliverance this king and these rulers can effect.” The words seem to be spoken with a reference to the Israelites desiring a king to be set over them, instead of continuing under the theocracy, or the immediate government of God, who raised them up from time to time, as he saw most fit for them, defenders and protectors, and endued them with extraordinary abilities for the purpose. But the Israelites foolishly thought they should thrive better under a kingly government, such as the rest of the nations around them were under, which is expressed in the latter part of this verse, Of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes — That is, a king and such principal officers as he shall appoint. This is what is meant by the word judges in this verse. I gave thee a king in mine anger — Being angry at your sins and provocations, I gave you a king at first, and have since suffered you, by seditions and conspiracies, to change your kings according as you pleased, whereby your state hath received more and more damage, and now I will take away your present king by the hand of the Assyrians.

Ver. 11. I gave thee a king in mine anger. This may allude to Saul; but it may also allude to Hoshea, whose name is delicately omitted. He ascended the throne in a storm, and in his ninth year Samaria was utterly destroyed.

ISRAEL’S GLORY TURNED TO SHAME, 1-16.

The beginning of a new discourse, which, according to G.A. Smith, “has every mark of being Hosea’s latest.” Whether or not this is so, it is one of the most powerful and comprehensive in the book. It opens with a reference to the tribe of Ephraim, which in the beginning occupied a position of prominence in the nation but when it apostatized from Jehovah signed its own death warrant (1). From this well-known example Israel should have learned its lesson, but it failed to do so; it persisted in shameless idolatry, therefore it will vanish like chaff before the whirlwind (2, 3). The rebellious attitude of Israel, the prophet continues, is unintelligible, since the God whom they have rejected is the God who led them from the time of the Exodus. Strange to say, the more Jehovah prospered them the more arrogant they became, the more forgetful of Jehovah; hence he will devour them like a lion (4-8). By rebelling against Jehovah Israel courted destruction, which is now inevitable. No one can prevent it, Jehovah himself can show mercy no longer (9-14). The discourse closes with a threat of utter destruction (15, 16). 1-3. Israel’s apostasy its own death warrant. Though the interpretation of verse 1 is not quite certain, that embodied in the translation of R.V. and suggested in the introductory remarks above is preferable to all others that have been proposed. Ephraim’s experience should have been a warning to the whole people. Ephraim — Not synonymous with Israel, as in practically every other case in the book, but the tribe of Ephraim. When… spake trembling, he exalted himself — If rendered thus the meaning of the passage would be, “When the Ephraimites in trembling accents responded to the divine call, they rose to the exalted position which their prophetic ancestor foreshadowed” (Genesis 49:22-26). This translation and interpretation are open to criticism on linguistic and other grounds, and there can be no doubt that R.V. has come nearer the truth: “When Ephraim spake, there was trembling.” The other tribes looked up to Ephraim with fear and trembling (Judges 8:1; 12:1; compare Genesis 49:16; Deuteronomy 33:17). He exalted himself — Not in a bad sense, “he became proud,” but, “he became a leader, a prince.” Many commentators read, with a slight alteration, “he was a prince.” He died — Loyalty to Jehovah contained elements insuring permanence; apostasy, on the other hand, contained those elements that made death and destruction inevitable (Habakkuk 2:4). As soon as Ephraim apostatized the dying process began (Genesis 2:17). He offended in Baal — Or, became guilty through the Baal (compare Hosea 10:2). He became guilty when he accepted from the Canaanites Baal ideas and allowed these to corrupt the Jehovah worship (Hosea 2:5ff.). Baal is identical with Baals in other parts of the book (see on Hosea 2:5). There may be also an allusion to the setting up of the “calves” (Hosea 8:5; 10:5) by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:29), who was of the tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26). The tribe of Ephraim, once so powerful, had become, in the days of Hosea, of little significance. The words of the prophet by no means imply that Ephraim alone was guilty, or that he alone suffered; only, in his experience the contrast between the former glory and the present oblivion illustrated most perfectly the lesson Hosea desired to teach. The experience of this one tribe should have had a wholesome effect upon the others. Not so. Now — In the prophet’s own day. They — The whole nation. Sin more and more — Or, they continue to sin (G.-K., 114m) notwithstanding the warnings.

The offense of Ephraim consisted in apostasy to the Baals; the nation as a whole gave itself to even grosser idolatry. Molten images — See on Nahum 1:14 (compare Exodus 34:17). These images may have been intended primarily to be representations of Jehovah (1 Kings 12:28). Idols — The general term for an image of a deity. According to their own understanding — Their own skill and proficiency. What, power can there be in such images? LXX. reads, and other ancient versions, in part, favor the reading, “They made them molten images of their silver according to the likeness of idols.” The work of the craftsmen — Whatever the exact reading of the preceding, this clause brings out the point of greatest importance: the images are man-made; there is nothing divine about them.

2b is obscure. Various translations, all more or less forced, have been proposed. The text may be corrupt; at any rate, many emendations have been suggested. They — The indefinite people. Say of them — Or, concerning them, that is, the idols. Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves — The kiss is the kiss of homage (Psalm 2:12; 1 Kings 19:18). Those who offer sacrifice are urged ironically to bestow the kiss of homage upon the idolatrous calves. How absurd for human beings to kiss calves! Another possible translation is suggested in the margin, “Let the sacrificers of men kiss the calves.” This rendering emphasizes even more the absurdity of the religious practices. Men they sacrifice and beasts they kiss, instead of sacrificing beasts, and kissing men. That human sacrifices were offered in Israel at this time is not definitely stated in Hosea (but compare 2 Kings 17:17); in Judah the practice was not unknown (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). A third possible translation, secured by dividing the words into two clauses, reads, “To them (the idols) they speak (in prayer).” How absurd to address prayers to the work of their own hands! “Men that sacrifice (or, sacrificers of men) kiss the calves.” Sacrificers of men is the more natural translation of the Hebrew, but the other is not impossible (G.-K., 1281). The two clauses would have to be understood as exclamations of disgust by the prophet. Which one of these interpretations is right cannot be asserted with certainty. The Hebrew is peculiar and may be corrupt. Of proposed emendations two may be mentioned. Marti, omitting several words, reads, “Sacrificers of men they are; calves they kiss.” Harper, “People sacrificing to demons; men kissing calves.” Such a condition of affairs cannot be permitted to continue. 3. Swift retribution will overtake them. This thought is expressed very emphatically by the accumulation of four separate figures, each one describing utter destruction. On the first two see Hosea 6:4. As the chaff — The threshing floors were usually located on elevations, so as to take advantage of every breeze. The grain was winnowed by throwing it up into the air with shovels. The solid grains fell back to the ground, while the chaff was carried away by the wind. The stronger the wind the more quickly the chaff vanished; a whirlwind would drive it out of sight in a very short time (Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; 41:15, 16, etc.). Smoke — It also is swiftly driven away by the breeze (Psalm 68:2). Chimney — The same word is sometimes rendered “window”; literally, lattice (see on Joel 2:9).

V. 12. Is bound up-As sins unpardoned; for to loose sins is to forgive, and to bind sins is to charge them upon the sinner, Matthew 16:19. Hid-Not from God, but laid up with God against the day of recompense.

Verse 12. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up] It is registered in my court of justice; the death warrant is in store, and will be produced in due time. Though there be not at present the judgment inflicted which such glaring transgressions demand, yet it will surely come. Such crimes cannot go unpunished.

Verses 12, 13. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up — This verse may be better rendered, The iniquity of Ephraim is treasured up, his sin is laid up — That is, laid up in my memory, as that which ought to be punished at a proper time. The sentence is manifestly equivalent to that expression in Job 14:17, My transgression is sealed up in a bag; that is, thou keepest an exact account of it, as men do of money which they seal up in a bag, to be forthcoming on a proper occasion. To the same purpose are those words, Deuteronomy 32:34, Is not this laid up in store for me, and sealed among my treasures? To me belongs vengeance, &c. The sorrows of a travailing woman — Grievous sorrows, or pains, shall come upon him — Great calamities are often compared to the pains of child-bearing. He is an unwise son: for he should not — Or rather, else he would not, stay long, &c. — As a child, if it could be supposed to have understanding, would deliver itself out of the womb, and not tarry there to the manifest danger of itself and the mother; so if Ephraim or Israel had acted wisely, they would have prevented their approaching destruction by a speedy reformation. Horsley’s version is, He is of the thoughtless race, for it is the critical moment, when he ought not to stand still; the children are in the aperture: Hebrew, in the breach. “They are actually passing through the opening of the parts distended by the throes of labour. It is the very moment when the pains must terminate in the delivery or the death of the woman. A proverbial expression, for a crisis of extreme danger and doubtful catastrophe: see Isaiah 37:3. At such a moment as this, thoughtless Ephraim is supine and unconcerned.”

Verses 12-16 do not contain a promise, as is sometimes asserted, but an additional threat. Bad as is the present confusion, severer judgments are yet to come. Ephraim — The northern kingdom. Iniquity… sin —

Synonyms. Bound up… hid — R.V., “laid up in store” — Also synonymous expressions. The case is closed, all the evidence is in, and carefully preserved. Nothing will be overlooked on the day of reckoning. With this record of iniquity before him, what can Jehovah do but allow justice to have its way? Sorrows (better, pangs) of a travailing woman — A common figure of extreme anguish and distress (Micah 4:9; Isaiah 13:8; 21:3, etc.). Ephraim is likened to the mother who is in the pangs of childbirth, but unable to bring forth and thus to put an end to the suffering. In the very next line the prophet changes the figure and likens Ephraim to the child about to be born. His folly is delaying the birth and is responsible for the continued suffering. Again and again the prophet shows that, whatever calamity may come, Israel alone is to blame for it. Unwise — Though aware of his duty in the matter, he failed to do his part. The exact translation of 13b is uncertain: For he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children — R.V., “for it is time he should not tarry in the place… “; margin, “when it is time, he standeth not in… “ It may be difficult to decide between these and similar translations suggested, but the point of the argument is easily seen. Ephraim prevented the birth at the proper moment, either by not presenting himself for birth at the proper time or by retarding the process. By his attitude he increased the pain and endangered the life of both mother and child, in this figure one and the same person. Applied to the history of Israel, the figure illustrates the folly of the people, manifesting itself in their failure to heed the warnings and exhortations of the prophets. The latter pictured the possibilities of a new life, and set forth the manner of entering into it; but Israel stubbornly refused to enter in, and thus came to the very verge of destruction.

Death seems inevitable unless a skillful physician can be secured. In Israel’s crisis Jehovah alone can bring relief. Will he interfere? Verse 14 supplies the answer. This verse has received all kinds of interpretations. Broadly speaking, the different views may be grouped under two heads: (1) those interpreting verse 14 as a promise; (2) those interpreting it as a threat, continuing the threats of verses 9-13. The former interpretation finds its chief support in the use made of the passage in 1 Corinthians 15:55. But, New Testament usage does not decide finally the primary meaning of an Old Testament passage (compare Hosea 11:1, with Matthew 2:15); and there can be no doubt that the demands of the language and of the context are best satisfied by the second interpretation. If this interpretation is accepted, 14a as well as 14b must be read as a question. With either interpretation the translation of 14b in R.V. is to be accepted instead of A.V. If the interpretation of verse 14 as a threat is correct the verse must be translated, “Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” The first two are rhetorical questions. Ephraim had endangered his life in spite of the physician’s advice. Shall Jehovah now rescue him from impending death? The answer in an emphatic No! He rather encourages death and Sheol to do their worst. I will be thy plagues;… I will be thy destruction — Better, R.V., “Where are thy plagues?… where is thy destruction?” Bring them hither! You shall have unhindered sway. Repentance shall be hid — I will show no compassion (Amos 7:8). Verses 15, 16 expand the threat of destruction.

The interpretation just suggested is certainly more in accord with the general argument of the prophet than that which sees in verse 14 a promise. The latter view, which is based upon the translation of R.V. — that of A.V. is universally admitted to be incorrect — assumes between verses 13 and 14 an abrupt change of sentiment; verse 13 pictures Ephraim at the point of death, but the divine father heart cannot endure the prospect of dissolution. His compassion in aroused, and in 14a he promises deliverance from death and Sheol. Having reached this decision, he turns to these powers and asks triumphantly, “Where are now your plagues and destruction?” They can do no more harm, since Jehovah has taken the part of Israel. The last clause is a promise that Jehovah will not change his mind concerning the promise just made. Ransom… redeem — Not simply deliver. Death is so certain of its victim that it will not let go without a ransom. Grave — Better, with R.V., “Sheol,” the place of departed personalities (Habakkuk 2:5; Isaiah 5:14). Both Paul (1 Corinthians 15:55) and Hosea call upon death and Sheol to do their worst, but there in a difference between the two. Hosea is in earnest because he can see only darkness and gloom beyond. Not so Paul; he defies their powers because he was acquainted with Him who brought immortality to light.

V. 13. The sorrows-The punishment of his sins will overtake him suddenly, with great anguish. An unwise son-A foolish son, who endangers himself and his mother. He should not stay-As a child that sticks in the birth, so is Ephraim, one while will, another while will not return to God; and thus dies under the delay.

Verse 13. The sorrows of a travailing woman] These judgments shall come suddenly and unavoidably.

The place of the breaking forth of children.] As there is a critical time in parturition in which the mother in hard labour may by skilful assistants be eased of her burden, which, if neglected, may endanger the life both of parent and child, so there was a time in which Ephraim might have returned to God, but they would not; therefore they are now in danger of being finally destroyed. And, speaking after the manner of men, he must be deemed an unwise son, who if he had power and consideration, would prolong his stay in the porch of life, where he must necessarily be suffocated; so is Ephraim, who, though warned of his danger, having yet power to escape, continued in his sin, and is now come to destruction. I could illustrate the allusion in the text farther, and show the accurate propriety of the original; but the subject forbids it.

Verses 12, 13. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up — This verse may be better rendered, The iniquity of Ephraim is treasured up, his sin is laid up — That is, laid up in my memory, as that which ought to be punished at a proper time. The sentence is manifestly equivalent to that expression in Job 14:17, My transgression is sealed up in a bag; that is, thou keepest an exact account of it, as men do of money which they seal up in a bag, to be forthcoming on a proper occasion. To the same purpose are those words, Deuteronomy 32:34, Is not this laid up in store for me, and sealed among my treasures? To me belongs vengeance, &c. The sorrows of a travailing woman — Grievous sorrows, or pains, shall come upon him — Great calamities are often compared to the pains of child-bearing. He is an unwise son: for he should not — Or rather, else he would not, stay long, &c. — As a child, if it could be supposed to have understanding, would deliver itself out of the womb, and not tarry there to the manifest danger of itself and the mother; so if Ephraim or Israel had acted wisely, they would have prevented their approaching destruction by a speedy reformation. Horsley’s version is, He is of the thoughtless race, for it is the critical moment, when he ought not to stand still; the children are in the aperture: Hebrew, in the breach. “They are actually passing through the opening of the parts distended by the throes of labour. It is the very moment when the pains must terminate in the delivery or the death of the woman. A proverbial expression, for a crisis of extreme danger and doubtful catastrophe: see Isaiah 37:3. At such a moment as this, thoughtless Ephraim is supine and unconcerned.”

Verses 12-16 do not contain a promise, as is sometimes asserted, but an additional threat. Bad as is the present confusion, severer judgments are yet to come. Ephraim — The northern kingdom. Iniquity… sin —

Synonyms. Bound up… hid — R.V., “laid up in store” — Also synonymous expressions. The case is closed, all the evidence is in, and carefully preserved. Nothing will be overlooked on the day of reckoning. With this record of iniquity before him, what can Jehovah do but allow justice to have its way? Sorrows (better, pangs) of a travailing woman — A common figure of extreme anguish and distress (Micah 4:9; Isaiah 13:8; 21:3, etc.). Ephraim is likened to the mother who is in the pangs of childbirth, but unable to bring forth and thus to put an end to the suffering. In the very next line the prophet changes the figure and likens Ephraim to the child about to be born. His folly is delaying the birth and is responsible for the continued suffering. Again and again the prophet shows that, whatever calamity may come, Israel alone is to blame for it. Unwise — Though aware of his duty in the matter, he failed to do his part. The exact translation of 13b is uncertain: For he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children — R.V., “for it is time he should not tarry in the place… “; margin, “when it is time, he standeth not in… “ It may be difficult to decide between these and similar translations suggested, but the point of the argument is easily seen. Ephraim prevented the birth at the proper moment, either by not presenting himself for birth at the proper time or by retarding the process. By his attitude he increased the pain and endangered the life of both mother and child, in this figure one and the same person. Applied to the history of Israel, the figure illustrates the folly of the people, manifesting itself in their failure to heed the warnings and exhortations of the prophets. The latter pictured the possibilities of a new life, and set forth the manner of entering into it; but Israel stubbornly refused to enter in, and thus came to the very verge of destruction.

Death seems inevitable unless a skillful physician can be secured. In Israel’s crisis Jehovah alone can bring relief. Will he interfere? Verse 14 supplies the answer. This verse has received all kinds of interpretations. Broadly speaking, the different views may be grouped under two heads: (1) those interpreting verse 14 as a promise; (2) those interpreting it as a threat, continuing the threats of verses 9-13. The former interpretation finds its chief support in the use made of the passage in 1 Corinthians 15:55. But, New Testament usage does not decide finally the primary meaning of an Old Testament passage (compare Hosea 11:1, with Matthew 2:15); and there can be no doubt that the demands of the language and of the context are best satisfied by the second interpretation. If this interpretation is accepted, 14a as well as 14b must be read as a question. With either interpretation the translation of 14b in R.V. is to be accepted instead of A.V. If the interpretation of verse 14 as a threat is correct the verse must be translated, “Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” The first two are rhetorical questions. Ephraim had endangered his life in spite of the physician’s advice. Shall Jehovah now rescue him from impending death? The answer in an emphatic No! He rather encourages death and Sheol to do their worst. I will be thy plagues;… I will be thy destruction — Better, R.V., “Where are thy plagues?… where is thy destruction?” Bring them hither! You shall have unhindered sway. Repentance shall be hid — I will show no compassion (Amos 7:8). Verses 15, 16 expand the threat of destruction.

The interpretation just suggested is certainly more in accord with the general argument of the prophet than that which sees in verse 14 a promise. The latter view, which is based upon the translation of R.V. — that of A.V. is universally admitted to be incorrect — assumes between verses 13 and 14 an abrupt change of sentiment; verse 13 pictures Ephraim at the point of death, but the divine father heart cannot endure the prospect of dissolution. His compassion in aroused, and in 14a he promises deliverance from death and Sheol. Having reached this decision, he turns to these powers and asks triumphantly, “Where are now your plagues and destruction?” They can do no more harm, since Jehovah has taken the part of Israel. The last clause is a promise that Jehovah will not change his mind concerning the promise just made. Ransom… redeem — Not simply deliver. Death is so certain of its victim that it will not let go without a ransom. Grave — Better, with R.V., “Sheol,” the place of departed personalities (Habakkuk 2:5; Isaiah 5:14). Both Paul (1 Corinthians 15:55) and Hosea call upon death and Sheol to do their worst, but there in a difference between the two. Hosea is in earnest because he can see only darkness and gloom beyond. Not so Paul; he defies their powers because he was acquainted with Him who brought immortality to light.

V. 14. Ransom-By power and purchase, by the blood of the lamb of God, and by the power of his Godhead. Them-That repent and believe. From the grave-He conquered the grave, and will at the great day of the resurrection open those prison-doors, and bring us out in glory. From death-From the curse of the first death, and from the second death, which shall have no power over us. Thy plagues-Thus I will destroy death. I will pull down those prison-walls, and bring out all that are confined therein, the bad of whom I will remove into other prisons, the good I will restore to glorious liberty. Repentance shall be hid-I will never, as a man that repenteths, change my word and purpose, saith the Lord. What a glorious promise is this, which is interposed in the midst of all these judgments!

Verse 14. I will ransom them from the power of the grave] In their captivity they are represented as dead and buried, which is a similar view to that taken of the Jews in the Babylonish captivity by Ezekiel in his vision of the valley of dry bones. They are now lost as to the purpose for which they were made, for which God had wrought so many miracles for them and for their ancestors; but the gracious purpose of God shall not be utterly defeated. He will bring them out of that grave, and ransom them from that death; for as they have deserved that death and disgraceful burial, they must be redeemed and ransomed from it, or still lie under it. And who can do this but God himself? And he will do it. In the prospect of this the prophet exclaims, in the person of the universal Redeemer, “O death, I will be thy plagues;” I will bring into thy reign the principle of its destruction. The Prince of life shall lie for a time under thy power, that he may destroy that power.

O grave, I will be thy destruction] I will put an end to thy dreary domination by rising from the dead, and bringing life and immortality to life by my Gospel, and by finally raising from the death the whole human race in the day of the general resurrection.

lwav sheol, which we translate grave, is the state of the dead. twm maveth, which we translate death, is the principle of corruption that renders the body unfit to be longer the tenement of the soul, and finally decomposes it. Sheol shall be destroyed, for it must deliver up all its dead. Maveth shall be annihilated, for the body shall be raised incorruptible. See the use which the apostle makes of this passage, 1 Corinthians 15:54, 55; but he does not quote from the Hebrew, nor from any of the ancient versions. He had to apply the subject anew; and the Spirit, which had originally given the words, chose to adapt them to the subject then in hand, which was the resurrection of the dead in the last day. Instead of Ëyrbd debareycha, thy plagues, one of my oldest MSS., ninety-six of Kennicott’s and thirty-two of Deuteronomy Rossi’s, have Ërbd debarcha, thy plague, that which shall carry thee off, as the plague does them who are affected by it. To carry off, carry away, is one of the regular meanings of the verb rbd dabar.

Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.] On these points I will not change my purpose; this is the signification of repentance when attributed to God.

Verse 14. I will ransom them from the power of the grave — If we apply this promise to Ephraim, or the Israelites spoken of before, it may signify, that though they should be in never so desperate a condition, God would in due time deliver them out of it: see the like expressions, Psalm 30:3, and 71:20, and 86:13. But there is a more sublime and spiritual sense contained in the words, as appears by the following clause. O death, I will be thy plagues — It is usual for the prophets, when they foretel temporal deliverances, to be carried away by the influence of the prophetic spirit, to predict the greater mercies and deliverances which belong to the gospel state: so here the prophet takes occasion, from foretelling temporal mercies, to enlarge his views, and set forth that great and final deliverance of the faithful from the power of sin and death, which shall be completed by Christ, when he shall swallow up death in victory, 1 Corinthians 15:54 1 Corinthians

Ver. 14. I will ransom them from the power of the grave. Of the words sheol and hades, which mostly denote the state of the dead, we have already spoken. See Job 26:4. Psalm 9. 16. Isaiah 30:33.—I will redeem them from death. Maveth, corruption; the former word regards the soul, the latter the body. The same ideas are resumed in Revelation 20:13, 14.

Oh death, I will be thy plagues. Our version follows Junius and Montanus. The LXX have dikh sou, thy revenge; but St. Paul prefers nikh, victory. The words that follow are in unison. Mortality shall be swallowed up of life. A fine allusion to the serpent, who does not, like the beasts, masticate his food, but swallows his prey. Thus death shall be no more. Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. These abrupt transitions from words of mercy to those of vengeance, were probably occasioned by the arrangements of the parchments. The prophets in modesty wrote merely what they had from the Lord; and suppressed an infinity of enlargements, which arose in their own minds.

Verses 12-16 do not contain a promise, as is sometimes asserted, but an additional threat. Bad as is the present confusion, severer judgments are yet to come. Ephraim — The northern kingdom. Iniquity… sin —

Synonyms. Bound up… hid — R.V., “laid up in store” — Also synonymous expressions. The case is closed, all the evidence is in, and carefully preserved. Nothing will be overlooked on the day of reckoning. With this record of iniquity before him, what can Jehovah do but allow justice to have its way? Sorrows (better, pangs) of a travailing woman — A common figure of extreme anguish and distress (Micah 4:9; Isaiah 13:8; 21:3, etc.). Ephraim is likened to the mother who is in the pangs of childbirth, but unable to bring forth and thus to put an end to the suffering. In the very next line the prophet changes the figure and likens Ephraim to the child about to be born. His folly is delaying the birth and is responsible for the continued suffering. Again and again the prophet shows that, whatever calamity may come, Israel alone is to blame for it. Unwise — Though aware of his duty in the matter, he failed to do his part. The exact translation of 13b is uncertain: For he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children — R.V., “for it is time he should not tarry in the place… “; margin, “when it is time, he standeth not in… “ It may be difficult to decide between these and similar translations suggested, but the point of the argument is easily seen. Ephraim prevented the birth at the proper moment, either by not presenting himself for birth at the proper time or by retarding the process. By his attitude he increased the pain and endangered the life of both mother and child, in this figure one and the same person. Applied to the history of Israel, the figure illustrates the folly of the people, manifesting itself in their failure to heed the warnings and exhortations of the prophets. The latter pictured the possibilities of a new life, and set forth the manner of entering into it; but Israel stubbornly refused to enter in, and thus came to the very verge of destruction.

Death seems inevitable unless a skillful physician can be secured. In Israel’s crisis Jehovah alone can bring relief. Will he interfere? Verse 14 supplies the answer. This verse has received all kinds of interpretations. Broadly speaking, the different views may be grouped under two heads: (1) those interpreting verse 14 as a promise; (2) those interpreting it as a threat, continuing the threats of verses 9-13. The former interpretation finds its chief support in the use made of the passage in 1 Corinthians 15:55. But, New Testament usage does not decide finally the primary meaning of an Old Testament passage (compare Hosea 11:1, with Matthew 2:15); and there can be no doubt that the demands of the language and of the context are best satisfied by the second interpretation. If this interpretation is accepted, 14a as well as 14b must be read as a question. With either interpretation the translation of 14b in R.V. is to be accepted instead of A.V. If the interpretation of verse 14 as a threat is correct the verse must be translated, “Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” The first two are rhetorical questions. Ephraim had endangered his life in spite of the physician’s advice. Shall Jehovah now rescue him from impending death? The answer in an emphatic No! He rather encourages death and Sheol to do their worst. I will be thy plagues;… I will be thy destruction — Better, R.V., “Where are thy plagues?… where is thy destruction?” Bring them hither! You shall have unhindered sway. Repentance shall be hid — I will show no compassion (Amos 7:8). Verses 15, 16 expand the threat of destruction.

The interpretation just suggested is certainly more in accord with the general argument of the prophet than that which sees in verse 14 a promise. The latter view, which is based upon the translation of R.V. — that of A.V. is universally admitted to be incorrect — assumes between verses 13 and 14 an abrupt change of sentiment; verse 13 pictures Ephraim at the point of death, but the divine father heart cannot endure the prospect of dissolution. His compassion in aroused, and in 14a he promises deliverance from death and Sheol. Having reached this decision, he turns to these powers and asks triumphantly, “Where are now your plagues and destruction?” They can do no more harm, since Jehovah has taken the part of Israel. The last clause is a promise that Jehovah will not change his mind concerning the promise just made. Ransom… redeem — Not simply deliver. Death is so certain of its victim that it will not let go without a ransom. Grave — Better, with R.V., “Sheol,” the place of departed personalities (Habakkuk 2:5; Isaiah 5:14). Both Paul (1 Corinthians 15:55) and Hosea call upon death and Sheol to do their worst, but there in a difference between the two. Hosea is in earnest because he can see only darkness and gloom beyond. Not so Paul; he defies their powers because he was acquainted with Him who brought immortality to light.

V. 15. He-Ephraim. His brethren-Either the rest of the tribes, or the nations who by league are become as his brethren. An east-wind-An enemy as pernicious to his estate as the east-wind is to fruits. Of the Lord-A mighty enemy, called here the wind of the Lord, the usual superlative in Hebrew. The wilderness-Which lay south-east from Canaan. The south-east winds in that country were of all, most hot and blasting. He-The Assyrian army. Shall spoil-Shall carry away all desirable vessels and furniture.

Verse 15. Though he be fruitful] ayrpy yaphri; a paronomasia on the word אפרים ephrayim, which comes from the same root hrp parah, to be fruitful, to sprout, to bud.

An east wind shall come] As the east wind parches and blasts all vegetation, so shall Shalmaneser blast and destroy the Israelitish state.

15:54. That St. Paul understood the words in this sense appears from the next verse of the same chapter, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? which is almost an exact quotation of the Septuagint translation of this passage of the prophet. For the word yha, which we translate, I will be, is rendered by them, where, as it also signifies, verse 10th of this chapter. The apostle, indeed, seems to have quoted the text from his memory, and therefore rather gives the sense than keeps exactly close to the letter of it. Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes — I will never alter my purpose concerning these mercies prepared for my people. Verse 15. Though he be fruitful among his brethren — The name Ephraim denotes fruitfulness, and this tribe answered its name, being the most numerous of all the ten tribes. An east wind shall come — The east wind was often pestilent and destructive in Judea and the countries about it; therefore this expressed that destruction was coming upon Ephraim and likewise pointed out the quarter from whence it was to come, namely, from Assyria, which lay eastward of Judea. It is called the wind of the Lord, in the next words, because the destruction which the king of Assyria was to make of Ephraim was to be brought about by the divine will and providence. It is said to come up from the wilderness, because the way of the Assyrian army to Samaria lay through the desert part of Syria. His spring shall become dry, &c. The Assyrian king being spoken of as an east wind, which in those countries is very hot and drying; therefore the destruction, or desolation he was to make, is described by drying up the springs and fountains. He shall spoil the treasure — The same enemy shall plunder all their treasures and take away their rich and costly furniture, as the word ylk is translated, Nahum 2:9.

15, 16. Whatever the prosperity in the past, whatever the condition in the present, the future has only destruction in store. He — Must be the entire nation. Fruitful — A play upon Ephraim, for its Hebrew equivalent and the original of fruitful are similar in sound (Genesis 49:22; Hosea 8:9). Among his brethren — This translation requires that he be interpreted of the tribe Ephraim, his brethren being the other tribes; but the context makes this impossible. For this reason many modern commentators favor the reading, “among the reed grass” (Genesis 41:2, 18), which is found in a few Hebrew manuscripts and was accepted as original by a few early Jewish scholars. The word translated reed grass is an Egyptian loan word; this fact, and its similarity in Hebrew to the original for brethren may account for the confusion. Whether this reading is accepted or not, Israel is pictured as a flourishing plant with every prospect of bearing plentiful fruit. East wind — It will swiftly destroy the prospects (Hosea 12:1). Wind of Jehovah — So called because Jehovah uses the wind as an instrument of judgment. Spring… fountain — From it the plant draws moisture and nourishment. In the case of Israel, the resources needed for success. If the reading “reed grass” is correct, it may be an allusion to Israel’s dependence upon Egypt; at any rate, the “east wind” seems to be a figure of the Assyrian conqueror, who comes from the east (Isaiah 21:1). That a foreign invasion is in the prophet’s mind in made clear in the last clause of verse 15, which describes the calamity without the use of a figure. He — Emphatic in Hebrew. The enemy described as east wind. All pleasant [“goodly”] vessels — All articles of value (Nahum 2:9; Jeremiah 25:34). Verse 16 (Hosea 14:1, in the Hebrew) is the final summing up. Samaria — The capital represents the whole nation. Shall become desolate — R.V., more correctly, “shall bear her guilt” (Hosea 10:2), which consists in rebellion against Jehovah (Hosea 7:14; Isaiah 1:2). Shall fall by the sword — Compare Hosea 11:6. The most horrible cruelties of ancient warfare shall be visited upon them (Hosea 10:14; Amos 1:13; compare Psalm 137:9; 2 Kings 15:16). Indeed, a horrible fate is awaiting the apostate children of Jehovah.

Verse 16. Samaria shall become desolate] This was the capital of the Israelitish kingdom. What follows is a simple prophetic declaration of the cruelties which should be exercised upon this hapless people by the Assyrians in the sackage of the city.

HOSEA

Verse 16. Samaria shall become desolate, for she hath rebelled, &c. — The prophet foretels the final destruction of Samaria, for her idolatry and other impieties, by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria. Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, &c. — These were the barbarous practices of conquerors when they took cities by storm, or put all to the sword without distinction of age or sex: see the margin.

15, 16. Whatever the prosperity in the past, whatever the condition in the present, the future has only destruction in store. He — Must be the entire nation. Fruitful — A play upon Ephraim, for its Hebrew equivalent and the original of fruitful are similar in sound (Genesis 49:22; Hosea 8:9). Among his brethren — This translation requires that he be interpreted of the tribe Ephraim, his brethren being the other tribes; but the context makes this impossible. For this reason many modern commentators favor the reading, “among the reed grass” (Genesis 41:2, 18), which is found in a few Hebrew manuscripts and was accepted as original by a few early Jewish scholars. The word translated reed grass is an Egyptian loan word; this fact, and its similarity in Hebrew to the original for brethren may account for the confusion. Whether this reading is accepted or not, Israel is pictured as a flourishing plant with every prospect of bearing plentiful fruit. East wind — It will swiftly destroy the prospects (Hosea 12:1). Wind of Jehovah — So called because Jehovah uses the wind as an instrument of judgment. Spring… fountain — From it the plant draws moisture and nourishment. In the case of Israel, the resources needed for success. If the reading “reed grass” is correct, it may be an allusion to Israel’s dependence upon Egypt; at any rate, the “east wind” seems to be a figure of the Assyrian conqueror, who comes from the east (Isaiah 21:1). That a foreign invasion is in the prophet’s mind in made clear in the last clause of verse 15, which describes the calamity without the use of a figure. He — Emphatic in Hebrew. The enemy described as east wind. All pleasant [“goodly”] vessels — All articles of value (Nahum 2:9; Jeremiah 25:34). Verse 16 (Hosea 14:1, in the Hebrew) is the final summing up. Samaria — The capital represents the whole nation. Shall become desolate — R.V., more correctly, “shall bear her guilt” (Hosea 10:2), which consists in rebellion against Jehovah (Hosea 7:14; Isaiah 1:2). Shall fall by the sword — Compare Hosea 11:6. The most horrible cruelties of ancient warfare shall be visited upon them (Hosea 10:14; Amos 1:13; compare Psalm 137:9; 2 Kings 15:16). Indeed, a horrible fate is awaiting the apostate children of Jehovah.