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THE BOOK 

THE TWELVE 

MINOR PROPHETS, 

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL HEBREW. 

WITH 

A COMMENTARY, 

CRITICAL, PHILOLOGICAL, AND EXEGETICAL. 

BY 

E. HENDERSON, D.D. 

WITH 

A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR, 
BY E. P. BARROWS, 

HITCHCOCK PKOPESSOK IN ANDOVEB THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 





WARREN P. DRAPER. 

BOSTON: W. H. HALLIDAY AND COMPANY, 

NOS. 58 AND 60 COUNHILL. 

rHILADELPHIA: SMITH, ENGLISH, AND CO. 

1868. 





Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1859, 

BY W. F. DRAPER, 
IB the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Massachusetts. 



0ELECTKOTYPED AND PRINTED 
BY W . r. 1> K A I> K It , ANDOVKR, MASS. 



PUBLISHER'S NOTE. 



THE increasing demand for the English edition of Dr. Henderson's Com- 
mentary on the Minor Prophets, suggested an application to the author for 
permission to reprint it in this country. The following note contains his 
very kind and courteous consent : 



MR. DRAPER: 

Dear Sir, 

Impressed with a sense of your honorable conduct in con- 
sulting me prior to the reprinting of a cheaper edition of my Commentary on The 
Minor Prophets, I feel no hesitation in granting you the sanction you desire, on the 
terms specified in your letter of November 4, 1856. 

I remain, dear Sir, 

Yours truly, 

E. HENDERSON", D. D. 
MORTLAKB, Surrey, Nov'r 20, 1856. 

P. S. Enclosed you will find a list of corrections, copied from my husband's 
memoranda. S. H. 



Not only have the corrections referred to been made in the present edition, 
but it was found desirable, also, to verify all the quotations in the Oriental 
languages, so that the whole work has now been thoroughly revised. This, 
with other causes, has contributed to delay the publication till the present 
time. We have to regret that, meanwhile, the venerable author has ceased 
from his labors, and passed to his reward. 

It seems fitting that a short biographical sketch of his useful and event- 
ful life should accompany this volume, as a tribute to his memory among 
those who will receive the benefits of his studies and labors, but who may not 
have access to the full biography prepared by his friends. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 



THE lamented death of the author of the present Commentary occurred 
while the plates were in process of preparation for an American edition 
of the work. It seems highly proper, therefore, that a brief sketch of 
his life and character be prefixed to it. The writer of this, not having 
access to original sources of information, has drawn his materials from 
the "Memoir of the Rev. E. Henderson," by his daughter, Thulia S. 
Henderson, which has lately been published in London. 

EBENEZER HENDERSON was born on the 17th day of November, 
1784, at Dunfermline, an ancient borough in the eastern part of Scot- 
land, situated in the county of Fife, a little north of the Firth of Forth, 
and well known as the residence of Anne of Denmark, and the birth- 
place of King Charles the First. He was the youngest son of George 
and Jean Henderson. His father was an agricultural laborer, and be- 
longed to the Secession-body of Scotch Presbyterians. " Two years at 
Dunfermline," the memoir tells us, "and one year and a half at Dun- 
duff, formed the sum-total of his schooling" in the days of his boyhood. 1 
Then, at twelve years old, it was resolved that he should be initiated 
into some trade. But it happened to him, as it has to others whom 
Providence had foreordained to fill religious and literary spheres, that 
one attempt after another proved abortive. First he was placed with 
an elder brother to learn the trade of a clock-and-watch-maker. But 
here he staid only long enough to gain such an insight into the craft 
as was afterwards of no little use to him in his missionary wanderings, 
where recourse to a professed artisan for the rectification of his time- 
piece was impossible. He was next placed as an Apprentice to a boot- 
and-shoe-maker for the space of three years. Of his progress in this 
business nothing is known. Only it is certain that "he had not yet 
found the niche in which he was to take his stand." 

l Memoir, p. 13. 



VI BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

For this a spiritual preparation was needed. This, through the grace 
of the Holy, Spirit, he received in the deep religious awakening that 
took place in connection with the labors of Robert and James Haldane, 
the latter of whom visited Dunfermline in company with Mr. Aikman. 

" A saw-pit at the top of Chalmers' Street, and an open place in 
Woodhead Street, are remembered in connection with various out-door 
preachings to an assembled multitude. Many of the ungodly were awak- 
ened, and the godly were stirred up to works of good-doing. Sunday 
Schools were established, and they rapidly flourished. Of the ' six ' 
that are recorded as having been in a prosperous state within the par- 
ishes of Dunfermline as early as 1798, there was one in which were 
enrolled the names of Ebenezer Henderson and Douglas Cusine (pro- 
nounced Cousin), the two who are remembered as having borne the 
palm for diligence and attention." 1 

This little incident shows the original aptitude of otfr author for the 
pursuits of a scholar. The precise time of his first open profession of 
religion is not known. But there is abundant evidence that from this 
period he devoted himself with all his soul to the service of Christ. The 
needful preparation for future duty was freely granted him in the Sem- 
inary in Edinburgh, which had been originated, and was still supported, 
by the generosity of Mr. Robert Haldane. The course of instruction 
was brief, extending only through two years. But this was then thought 
to be the utmost that was compatible with the urgent demand for home 
and foreign laborers. " Dr. Henderson always urged the importance of 
a prolonged collegiate course; and doubtless felt that had his own pre- 
paratory studies been of longer continuance, he might have gone forth 
better equipped for his work." 2 So speaks the memoir ; to which may be 
added, that it was only by a severe and long process of self-training, 
continued after he left the Seminary, that he was enabled to qualify 
himself for the work of a translator of the holy Scriptures, and a com- 
mentator on their contents, in which he became so distinguished. The 

class of 1803 the fifth in order of institution was the one which he 

; 

joined. We need not be surprised when we find one of his surviving 
fellow-students bearing testimony that he was at that time "more of a 
linguist than a theologian ; more given to literature than to divinity." 3 
No one can read his commentaries, so rich in oriental lore, without per- 
ceiving at a glance tfoat it was the side of sacred literature rather than of 
systematic theology to which he was drawn by the natural affinities of his 
mind. To him the memoir justly applies the remark made of one of his con- 
temporaries, the late Rev. Alexander Dewar : " He could comprehend and 

i Memoir, p. 17. 2 p. 23. 3 Rev. James Kennedy, of Inverness. 



OF THE AUTHOR. VII. 

seize the leading, features of a complicated question, though he rarely, if 
ever, dealt in barren abstractions ; strong, broad good sense was a distin- 
guishing element of his mind; he was a .man of facts and fundamental 
principles." 1 . 

In the vacations the seminary students were sent out on preaching- 
tours. We find him in the summer recess of 1804 appointed to visit 
the Orkney Islands, which lie off the northern extremity of Scotland. 
Thus was inaugurated that 1 remarkable series of northern missions to 
which the providence of God, contrary to his own original intentions, 
had appointed him. 

In the second year of his seminary life he was called to the foreign 
service, in the following way: The Rev. John Paterson, pastor of a 
church at Cambuslang, and the Rev. Archibald McLaey, pastor at ICir- 
caldy, having been invited by the two Congregational churches in Edin- 
burgh to go forth as missionary agents, resigned their charges, and came 
to Edinburgh for a brief course of preparatory study with special refer- 
ence to the service to which they had devoted themselves. Their desti- 
nation was India. But Mr. McLaey being by the circumstances of his 
family detained at home, Mr. Paterson's friends urged him to select from 
among the seminary students a man for- his colleague. As he surveyed 
the assembled class, he said of Mr. Henderson, then but twenty-one years 
of age, and with whom he had no previous acquaintance, " This is the 
man for me." Thus commenced between the tAvo missionaries a life- 
long friendship. As soon as Mr. Henderson made known his willingness 
to embark in this cause, his services were accepted, and the missionaries 
elect were set apart by the imposition of hands, with prayer and fasting, 
at an evening service in the Tabernacle, Leith Walk, on August 27, 
1805. 

But God, who understood perfectly the sphere in which these his two 
servants could best labor, had destined both to a northern instead of a 
tropical field. Here the following extract from a letter which he wrote 
on the subject some twelve years later, is perfectly in place : 

" When I originally devoted myself to the Redeemer's service, and 
entered on a course of study preparatory to engaging in it, I had no 
specific station or sphere of labor in view; but was determined, in re- 
liance on his promised grace, cheerfully to proceed to whatever place 
he should be pleased to point out to me, whether at home in my native 
country, or among the heathen in a distant land. Accordingly, when our 
dear brother Paterson requested me to accompany him to India, it was 
a matter of no great difficulty for me to give my consent to his proposal." 2 

1 Memoir, p. 25. 2 P. 37. 



VIII BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

This delightful passage shows that lie was willing to be guided. And 
let it be said, for the encouragement of all youthful candidates, that God 
will certainly guide all who are willing to be guided, into the field in 
which they can serve him to the best advantage. The two missionary 
brethren had marked out India for their field, but God sent them into 
northern Europe. 

The directors of the East India Company were at that time, as is 
well known, hostile to missionary labors among the people whom they 
ruled. Messrs. Carey and Marshman, with some coadjutors, were indeed 
carrying on their good work without molestation, but with no open saner 
tion on the part of the directors. Such a sanction the Messrs. Haldane 
openly sought for themselves and others, and were decidedly refused, 
and the door was thus closed to their intended enterprise. " The British 
possessions," says the memoir, " were not approachable by a Christian 
missionary in a British vessel. But there were Danish ships in which 
such men could embark; there were Danish settlements where they could 
effect a landing, and whence they could proceed to some neighboring dis- 
tricts, whose governors might be disposed, if not to sanction, at least to 
ignore the efforts that might be made." 1 They accordingly repaired to 
Copenhagen, in the hope of securing a passage thence to Serampore. 
But here disappointment awaited them. One vessel only was to sail 
that season, and every berth was preengaged. They offered to go in 
the steerage ; even that was full. 

Meanwhile they found all around them a field white for the harvest. 
Although as yet ignorant of the Danish language, they had already 
commenced a service in the English tongue the second Sabbath after 
their arrival. Next they procured the translation into Danish of a tract 
entitled " The One Thing Needful," and forthwith set it in active cir- 
culation. Their English congregation increased, and they had secured, 
early in November, the translation and printing of one thousand copies 
of the " Great Question Answered." Still hoping to be able the ensuing 
spring to embark for Serampore, they earnestly urged upon their friends 
at home the importance of not leaving their present field unoccupied when 
they should be withdrawn from it. In reply they received a letter inform- 
ing them that but one of the two fields, India or Denmark, could be at 
present occupied, and urging that they should consent to remain in their 
present position. They complied ; and thus they found themselves, without 
any planning of their own, inaugurated into the Danish field. The two 
friends soon separated, Mr. Paterson remaining in Copenhagen, and Mr. 
Henderson going to Elsineuf. 

l Memoir, p. 41. 



OF THE AUTHOR. IX 

At Elsineur he gave lessons, in private families and classes, in the English 
language, while at the same time he sedulously devpted himself to the 
acquisition of the Danish, and the other northern languages, which, when 
once mastered, would greatly enlarge the circle of his influence. As the 
sphere of his vision widened, he turned his thoughts towards Sweden, and 
he and his companion determined to gain satisfactory information concerning 
the spiritual condition of this kingdom,, as well as of Denmark. Mr. Hen- 
derson repaired to Helsingburgh in the southern part of Sweden, with a 
supply of religious publications. Next, he and his colleague journeyed 
through Skonen, leaving tracts at Lund and Malmo, in the hands of such 
as were likely to translate them into Swedish. After this they undertook 
an exploring tour in Denmark. Crossing the Great Belt and the Little 
Belt, they advanced as far as the Moravian settlement at Christiansfeld, in 
Schleswig. In one respect this journey was of striking importance, by 
bringing them personally into connection with the British and Foreign Bible 
Society, and also turning their attention towards Iceland. Learning that 
the Fiinen Evangelical Society was purposing to print two thousand copies 
of the New Testament for their long-neglected fellow-subjects in Iceland, 
they ventured to suggest that five thousand instead of two thousand should 
be the number struck off for the first instalment. The Danes not having 
courage for this, it was determined that assistance should be sought from 
London. The two friends accordingly wrote directly to the managers of 
the Bible Society in the British metropolis, who agreed to defray the cost 
of the additional three thousand copies. 

The war which took place in 1807 between ,England and Denmark, com- 
pelled the two missionaries to withdraw to Sweden. Mr. Henderson took 
up his residence at Gottenburgh, while Mr. Paterson proceeded to Stockholm, 
where he was eminently successful in organizing systematic efforts for the 
circulation of Swedish Bibles and tracts. The ensuing summer of 1808, the 
two friends travelled in Sweden and Lapland, inquiring into the state of the 
parishes, and scattering the seeds of divine truth. Having reached Tornea, 
at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, they entered Finland, and, turning around 
the gulf, proceeded till they were close upon Wasa, when the approach of a 
Russian army compelled them to a hasty retreat back around the head of 
the same gulf. In October they reached their respective stations, after a 
journey of two thousand three hundred miles. This tour gave them an 
affecting insight into the spiritual wants of the people. In many parishes 
there was on an average only one Bible in every eighth house, the wealthy 
and middle classes only being able to possess a copy, while the cottagers 
remained, from poverty, destitute of this treasure. 

During all Mr. Henderson's residence in Denmark and Sweden, he was, 

2 



X BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

along with his missionary labors, busily prosecuting his studies in Hebrew and 
Greek, as well as in German, Danish, and Swedish. We have already seen 
how he first became interested in the enterprise for furnishing Iceland with 
the word of God. Of the five thousand copies of the Icelandic New Tes- 
tament that had been printed, as noticed above, fifteen hundred had been 
sent off before the breaking out of the war between England and Denmark- 
The remaining three thousand five hundred were lying in store, ready for 
shipment. For some time the prosecution of the enterprise was unavoidably 
interrupted. But at last, in 1810, it seemed possible to resume it. The 
Bible Society having authorized one of the two missionaries to visit Iceland 
in person, while the other should forward the printing of the Bibles that were 
to follow, Mr. Henderson was designated for the tour in Iceland. This 
occasioned a preliminary visit to England, where he spent the summer 
of 1810 among his old friends. He returned to Sweden in October, but 
various circumstances delayed his visit to Iceland, so that he was at liberty 
to spend two years more at Gottenburgh. 

" It was early in the year 1811, and probably as the result of arrangements 
made with the Edinburgh publisher, or with some Edinburgh friend, when in 
Scotland during the previous summer, that Mr. Henderson's earliest literary 
production, the first fruits of his German studies, left the press ; viz., a trans- 
lation of Roos's ' Exposition of Daniel.' " x The rules laid down by Roos as 
canons for the interpretation of prophecy were adopted and adhered to by 
Dr. Henderson to the last ; and thus this initial work seems to have exerted 
an important influence upon him as an expounder of prophecy. 

But to return to the Icelandic Bible. Mr. Paterson was about to start for 
Russia on a Bible mission, and it became necessary, to expedite the work, 
that Mr. Henderson should obtain leave of entrance into Denmark, and then 
repair to Copenhagen, where he could urge on the printer and the reviser of 
the press in their daily work. His application the King of Denmark referred 
to the Chancery. The Chancery, after some delay, sent the petition back to 
his majesty, with a strong recommendation that it should be granted, and the 
royal assent was accordingly given. But annoying delays occurred in con- 
nection with the printing that remained to be done, as well as heavy expenses 
arising from the depreciation of the Danish currency, and the exorbitant 
war prices charged upon every article of food. 

" The two years which were thus spent by him In the Danish capital, would 
have been tedious, had there not been great facilities in that city for the con- 
tinuance of other labors. The translation of ' The Warning Voice,' and 
'The End of Time' into Icelandic, was effected beneath his eye, as also that 
*>f the 1 tract entitled ' Serious Considerations ' into Danish. In preparation for 

1 Memoir, p. 84. 



OF THE AUTHOK. XI 

his contemplated journey, he was studying the language and ecclesiastical 
history of Iceland." * 

So the memoir ; and in addition to this, it adds that he was also prosecuting 
vigorously the study of Hebrew. " A Morocco Jew," says he, in a letter 
dated Dec. 1, 1812, "who has a beautiful pronunciation, reads a Hebrew 
chapter with me the one day, and I read an English chapter with him the 
other. I begin to speak a little with him in Hebrew." 2 Having received a 
suggestion from his friend Mr. Paterson, when on a visit to him in Sweden 
in March 1814, that when his Icelandic mission was completed he " might find 
bible-work to do in the regions to the north and west of Russia," he imme- 
diately began to turn his attention to the languages of those regions. About 
the same time, also, we find that he began the study of Arabic. He speaks 
of it as " remarkably easy, the structure being so much like the Hebrew, and 
there being so many Hebrew v?ords in it." " The Grammar," he says, " will 
be an easy task. Its richness in words will be the principal difficulty." 3 

An object which Mr. Henderson earnestly desired to see effected before 
leaving the country was the organization of the earliest Bible Society in Den- 
mark. This good work he was permitted to see accomplished under very 
favorable auspices, one of the rooms of the episcopal palace being offered 
for the purpose, and the meeting being attended by several men of high, 
eminence. Soon after " tins launching of Denmark's life-ark," all the need- 
ful preparations having been at last made, Mr. Henderson embarked for 
Iceland on the eighth of June, 1814. "The freight of Bibles," says the 
memoir, " had been subdivided, and the several packages forwarded during 
the spring to seven of the principal Icelandic ports, an arrangement 
adopted by reason of the difficulty that would have attended their trans- 
mission across the interior of the island. The .treaty of Kiel, in January 
1814, had effectually done away with the restrictions and risks incident to 
the late war; and the Icelandic ship-owners had displayed a patriotic lib- 
erality in conveying the books free of expense." 4 After a five weeks' pas- 
sage, he arrived in safety at Reykjavik, on the south-western coast of Iceland, 
and was well received by Bishop Vidalin, by his step-son, Sysselmand Thor- 
grimson, by Mr. Knudsen the Danish merchant, and several men of note in 
the Icelandic metropolis. 

Mr. Henderson's printed account, entitled "Iceland, or the Journal of a 
Residence in that Island," 5 is so copious, and so well known to the public, 
that it is not necessary to enter into the details of his jburneyings. Suffice 
it to say, that in three journeys, each from Reykjavik as a point of departure, 
he explored the whole island, travelling not less than two thousand six hun- 

1 Memoir, p. 117. 3 p. 132. 5 In two vols. 8vo. Edinburgh, 1818. 

2 P. 118. 4 P. 137. 



XII BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCH 

dred miles, ascertaining the spiritual condition of the people, and everywhere 
making efficient arrangements for the distribution of the word of God. 

" In almost every hamlet there was new proof that such effort was needed ; 
in each hamlet, proof also that the effort would meet with response on the 
part of willing purchasers. Here was a parish in which a folio Bible, greatly 
injured by use, had all its defective pages accurately supplied by the pen of a 
common peasant; and there another, whose lent copy had so long been 
retained by the islanders of Grimsey, that the right of its possession had 
become a disputed point. One copy in an island ; two in a parish ; twelve 
among two hundred people ; six among two hundred and fifty ; a clergyman 
seeking for seventeen long years to possess a copy of his own, and hitherto 
unable to secure the treasure ; peasants who had offered, but offered in vain, 
to the amount of five-and-twenty shillings for a copy ; such are the inci- 
dents that crowd upon the page. The Testaments sent over in 1807 and 1812, 
were traced to their destination, but were found to have gone a very little 
way towards meeting the extensive demand. * * * The general intelligence 
of the people rendered their need of Scripture the more obvious. In a par- 
ish of four hundred, where all who were above eight years old had been 
-taught to read, there might well be a universal desire for the Book of books." 1 

In the month of July, 1815, the initial steps were taken at Reykiavtk which 
Tesulted in the formation of the Icelandic Bible Society, an institution which 
still exists, and, according to the latest communications, received several 
years since, had issued in all above ten thousand Bibles and Testaments. 
Having finished his work of exploration, Mr. Henderson sailed for Copenha- 
gen, where he arrived Sept. 6, 1815. In bringing to a close the notice of 
this visit to Iceland, it is pertinent to add, that, while zealously and energeti- 
cally .executing his commission as agent of the British and Foreign Bible 
Society, he improved every opportunity to make himself acquainted with the 
remarkable natural phenomena of that wonderful island. 

" He, in consequence, visited and inspected with ardent and indefatigable 
zeal the awfully sublime, yea, often terrific scenes, which abound in that land 
of volcanoes, in which often a strange conflict is seen between the elements 
of fire and water between boiling hot springs and all the cold and freezing 
changes of snow and ice. There we find our traveller climbing up and 
descending mountains, standing between thundering masses of melting lava 
and rushing floods, and exhibiting an indomitable courage, amounting, in the 
opinion of his hardy Icelandic guides, to almost a provocation of dangers so 
immediate and threatening, that even a spectator at a distance could scarcely 
refrain from mingled feelings of admiration of his courage and calm self- 
possession, amidst surrounding scenes of horror, and of disapproval and 

l Memoir, p. 165. 



OF THE AUTHOR. . XIII 

f 

condemnation of a spirit of presumption, exposing health and life to needless 
risk and sacrifice. * * * Yet this very boldness, nay, rashness, enabled him 
to witness and describe scenes which few, if any, of his predecessors in 
travel had dared to approach so near, and to observe so closely." 1 

It should be added that Mr. Henderson, being a good Icelandic scholar, was 
thus enabled freely to converse with all classes of the native population, from 
the learned clergy and gentry to the illiterate farmer and day-laborer. " Thus 
joyfully and manfully proceeding on his errand of mercy, he was treated by 
high and low, by the clergy and the laity, in the most respectful manner. He 
was most kindly and hospitably entertained, often accompanied part of the 
way by those who had afforded him in their houses every accommodation arid 
comfort in their power; or provided with safe guides, and dismissed with 
prayers, benedictions, and other affecting marks of the liveliest gratitude and 
Christian affection, by our Icelandic brethren, and which they desired to 
evince to one who had been sent to them from a far distant nation as a mes- 
senger of peace, and an angel of mercy, with the gift of that Holy Book, 
which had already proved to millions, and would in time to come prove to 
generations yet unborn, an inexhaustible source of the purest instruction, 
and the most solid consolation." a 

From his return to Copenhagen in September 1815, to October of the fol- 
lowing year, Mn Henderson was assiduously employed in journeying through 
Denmark and the adjacent regions of Pomerania and northern Germany, 
being, as he expressed it, " constantly on the wing." Wishing for a season 
of rest, he had already bespoken his passage to Leith, in Scotland, with the 
hope of spending some time among his friends at home, when he received 
notice of an appointment to visit St. Petersburgh, on an agency for the Brit- 
ish and Foreign Bible Society. A letter written to Mr. Paterson under date 
of October 22, 1816, gives a delightful revelation of his feelings in view of 
this sudden change in his plans, and of his whole-hearted devotion to the 
cause of Christ. He says : 

" What a complete change has instantaneously been effected in my plans ! 
I imagined my continental labors were at a close for this season ; had spent 
about eight days with my friends here in Altona ; bespoke my passage on 
board one of the smacks for Leith ; made every needful preparation for my 
departure, and was fondly dreaming of domestic enjoyments, when all at 
once I heard a voice behind me saying, ' This is the way, walk ye in it.' I 
' turned to the voice that spake unto me,' and behold, my path was plain be- 
fore me. Instead of Edinburgh, I was to regard St. Petersburgh as the place 
of my destination. On Sabbath last, after preaching my first sermon on 

1 Rev. Dr. Steinkopff, as quoted in memoir, p. 105. 

2 Dr. Steinkopff, as quoted above, p. 106. 



XIV BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

Lot's wife, I received two letters from London, one five, the other only six: 
days old, urging the necessity of my repairing without a moment's delay to 
$t. Petersburgh, with the view of strengthening your hands in the work of 
the Lord." 1 

Of course he complied without hesitation, and wrote to the committee in 
London : " Had I not come to the determination instantly to comply with 
your request, how could I have borne the cutting reflection, 'Demas hath 
forsaken me, having loved the present world ? '" 2 

In the middle of December we find him in the Russian capital, where his 
labors, after he had been duly initiated by Mr. Paterson (who was preparing 
for a temporary absence), date from about the commencement of the year 
1817. Here he entered upon " another man's line of things made ready -to 
his hand," for Mr. Paterson was an efficient Bible agent. 

" The task was multiform. It consisted in seeing to the corrections of the 
proofs as they left the press, and in superintending the town-issue of those 
Scriptures, or portions of Scripture, that were already in stock; in trans- 
mitting copies, when needful, to the associations already formed in various 
parts of the empire, and in corresponding with the Astrachan and other mis- 
sionaries about the translations or renditions that were yet needed. French, 
Greek, Moldavian, Georgian, Cahnuc, and other Bibles were in progress. 
Archimandrites and princes had to be consulted ; translators had to be con- 
ferred with ; paper, types, and binding had to be cared for ; the depot to be 
looked after ; and committee-meetings, of several hours in duration, to be 
attended." 3 

How efficient was the Russian Bible Society at this period, may be inferred 
from the fact, that in a letter dated St. Petersburgh, June 8, 1817, Dr. Hen- 
derson states that from the establishment of the society, to the present time, 
its committee had " either published, or engaged in publishing, no fewer than 
forty-three editions of the sacred Scriptures, in seventeen different languages, 
forming a grand total of one hundred and ninety-six thousand copies."* 
Much of the success of the good cause he attributes to the warm patronage 
then extended by the Emperor Alexander to the Bible cause. 

An incident that occurred during this visit to St. Petersburgh deserves a 
passing notice, as a further illustration of his self-denying missionary spirit. 
He received in January 1817 a very urgent and unexpected call to join the 
mission which had been projected by the London Missionary Society to the 
town of Irkutsk, in Siberia. Immediately he set apart a day for solemn self- 
examination and prayer with reference to his duty. The record he has left 
of this, shows how deep down into his soul the true spirit of Christianity had 
penetrated. The result of this prayerful deliberation was a decision to go on 

l Memoir, p. 205. - 2 p. 205. s p. 208. 4 p. 219. 



OF THE .-AUTHOR. 

the mission, though he thereby renounced the fondly-cherished hope of a 
visit to his native country. But scarcely was this determination formed 
before he was called to reconsider it, on account of the strenuous efibrts of 
the Bible Society to retain him in their employment ; and this cost him a 
severer struggle than the first. But, with the same simplicity of purpose with 
which he had formed the resolve to go on the Irkutsk mission, he renounced 
it, and continued his labors in the service of the Bible Society. 

During the residence in St. Petersburgh that has just been noticed, he re- 
ceived from Copenhagen a document, sealed with the triangle and the seven- 
stringed lyre of the Scandinavian Literary Society, nominating him one of 
its corresponding members. In the month of June following, a diploma was 
forwarded from Kiel, conferring upon him the title of Doctor in Philosophy. 

The return of Dr. Paterson, in August, left him at liberty to revisit his 
native land, where he arrived in December, taking Stockholm, Copenhagen, 
and other places belonging to the field of his former labors, on his route. 

The earliest news that reached Dr. Henderson upon his return to England 
was the tidings of his mother's death. His father's decease had occurred 
during his Ipelandic explorations. Repairing to Edinburgh, he wrote the 
concluding part of his work on Iceland, and superintended the printing of the 
same. In the end of April, 1818, his volumes left the press, bearing a dedi- 
cation to Prince Christian Frederic, of Denmark. So favorably were they 
received, that a second edition was soon called for, and an abridgment was 
published at a later date in the United States. 

Soon afterwards (May 19) he was united in marriage to Miss Susannah 
Kennion, the daughter of Mr. John Kennion, in whom he found a compan- 
ion of cultivated mind and congenial spirit, every way worthy of himself. 
The ensuing summer he spent in travelling for the Bible Society through 
England and Scotland. On Monday, Sept. 28, he, with his companion, set 
sail from Leith, on his third continental journey. It was intended that after 
revisiting the Hanoverian and Holstein auxiliaries, he should winter at Co- 
penhagen, then' pass, via Norway, to St. Petersburgh, and finally take up his 
abode at Astrachan, on the Caspian Sea, where rooms were already assigned 
him in the Mission House, and whither the bulk of his luggage was at once 
forwarded, to await his expected arrival. Such was the plan. He was now 
in the zenith of his popularity and influence as a Bible agent, and to human 
appearance everything promised a favorable issue. But, as in the beginning 
of his missionary career, so now he had to learn once more that God's ways 
are not man's ways. To him it happened, as it has to many other eminent 
servants of God, that, in the full tide of success, a series of reverses was to be 
encountered, by which his Christian activity should be turned into another 
channel, where, doubtless, God saw that his labors could best subserve the 



XVI BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

cause of his kingdom. When, in carrying out the plan above sketched, the 
time had arrived for his long-planned journey to Norway, he started from 
Gottenburgh on this expedition " in a small country conveyance, so low built 
that its structure naturally suggested a notion of perfect security. " It is 
hardly bigger than a wheelbarrow ; if it were upset, you could scarcely be 
hurt, was the remark casually made." 1 But he had that very day to learn that 

" Safety consists not in escape 
From dangers of a frightful shape." 

About mid-day, the little vehicle was upset, and the traveller's shoulder and 
the radius of the fore-arm were dislocated and otherwise injured. Unable to 
bear the motion of a carriage, he was conveyed to the river near by, and 
taken back along the Gotha Elf. Eventually, the bones in the fore-arm lost 
their power of flexion and rotation, and the delay which the accident had 
occasioned left no time for the journey to Norway. 

Dr. Henderson proceeded to St. Petersburgh, which place was reached on 
the llth of September, 1819. The studies which occupied the closing months 
of 1819, like those of the preceding winter at Copenhagen, consisted in the 
mastering of the Turkish, Tatar, and Persic languages, all of which would 
be needed for his anticipated Astrachan labors, upon which he hoped to enter 
the ensuing season. But a delay of a whole year was occasioned by the 
death of Dr. Paterson's wife, which made it necessary that the bereaved hus- 
band should have a temporary respite from his services at the Russian capi- 
tal. It was not till March 1821 that Drs. Paterson and Henderson could 
arrange to start with Mr. Seroff, one of the committee, on their projected 
visit of exploration. Leaving St. Petersburgh, they proceeded, by Novgorod 
and Tver,' to Moscow ; thence, by Kalouga and Koursk, to Pultawa, the field 
so fatal to the Swedish hero ; thence, by Tchernigov and Kiev, to Odessa, on 
the Black Sea. After this they made an eight days' Crimean trip, spending 
the Sabbath at Akhtiar, the modern Sevastopol. Thence they journeyed 
eastward to Taganrog, on the Sea of Azof, where Dr. Henderson was seized 
with an ague which clung to him with pertinacity during all the remainder 
of his journey. Crossing the Don, they entered Asia, and finally reached 
the long-looked-for Astrachan on the 13th of August, where a great part of 
Dr. Henderson's furniture and library were awaiting his permanent residence. 

Starting again from Astrachan, on the first of October, on their way 
towards Persia, they crossed the Caucasian mountains ; but, when they had 
advanced as far as Tiflis, their expedition was brought to a close by a differ- 
ence of opinion between them and the Bible Society, which resulted in their 
tendering their resignation as its accredited agents. This had respect to Ali 

1 Memoir, p. 239. 



OF THE AUTHOR. XVII 

Bey's Turkish version of the New Testament, with which the two friends, 
were dissatisfied on grounds the validity of which was afterwards recognized, 
-at least in a practical way, by the managers of the Bible Society. Recross- 
ing the Caucasus, and ordering the goods which had arrived at Astrachan to 
be repacked and sent to St. Petersburg!], they hastened back to the Russian 
capital, which they reached early in February '1822. Here they were imme- 
diately retained in the service of the Russian Bible Society. To this Dr. 
Henderson devoted the last three years of his residence in Russia. It was 
not long before symptoms of a deep-laid scheme of opposition to the Bible 
cause began to manifest themselves. The plot, according to Dr. Paterson, 
embraced not only Greek ecclesiastics, but others of high eminence, among 
whom he names Metternich, the great Austrian diplomatist. To trace 
the history of this conspiracy against the word of truth, would be out 
of place in the present brief notice. How successful it was in the end, we 
all know. The Emperor Alexander remained personally friendly to the 
agents ; but so limited had become the operations of the society, with no 
prospect of any enlargement in the future, that, in the spring of 1825, Dr. 
Henderson, sought and obtained, through Prince Galitzin, the emperor's per- 
mission to resign his office. No time was lost in making arrangements for the 
homeward voyage, and on the the 5th of July, 1825, he and his were safely 
landed in the British metropolis. Dr. Paterson tarried a little longer, but he 
too was compelled to withdraw ; and upon the accession of the Emperor 
Nicholas, all operations at the Bible House were speedily suspended, at least 
so far as concerned the distribution of the Scriptures to Russian subjects. 
" It only remains to be hoped," adds the memoir, " that the day may come 
when the second Alexander shall emulate the Christian graces and religious 
benevolence of the imperial relative whose name he bears ; and that the 
house of Romanoff may yet be linked with Russia's highest and best pros- 
perity." 1 

It ought to be added that, during his last three years' residence in St. Peters- 
burgh, the Ethiopic was the language to which Dr. Henderson particularly 
devoted himself. 

" Among his papers, and dated April, 1823, is a neatly-executed collation 
of St. John's Gospel, in the Ethiopic, as preserved in manuscript in the Pub- 
lic Imperial Library. His standard of comparison was the Ethiopic of the 
London Polyglott, and each instance of a various reading appears to be 
noted down in its order." 2 

But he did not content himself with being simply a student of God's word, 
and an agent for its distribution. He sought opportunity to preach it also. 
Turning his attention to the English sailors at Cronstadt, he began to preach 

1 Memoir, pp. 299, 300. 2 P. 276. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

there regularly beneath the Bethel flag, going out on Saturday and returning 
on the Monday's boat. The interest which he thus felt in seamen was cher- 
ished after his return to his native land, and he was often employed in advo- 
cating their cause on the platform or from the pulpit. 

With Dr. Henderson's return to England, his missionary labors, extending 
over a term of twenty years, were brought to a close. We are now to con- 
template him in the character of a teacher and an author. The decease of 
Rev. Dr. Bogue, in October 1826, left vacant the Theological Tutorship of 
the Missionary College at Hoxton, which was under the supervision of the 
Directors of the London Missionary Society. On the recommendation of 
several friends, Dr. Henderson was invited to take provisional charge of the 
missionary students, until some permanent arrangement could be made. Here 
he so approved himself to the Directors, that, in the following spring, they 
agreed on inviting him to accept the permanent tutorship in that institution. 
Thus, by one of those easy movements which are so characteristic of God's 
providential government, he was quietly inducted into an office for the fulfil- 
ling of whose duties he had been for years unconsciously qualifying himself. 
It was not, however, without hesitation, that he consented to occupy this re- 
sponsible situation. In a letter addressed to the treasurer of the society, 
while the question of his acceptance was still pending, he says : 

" Though I can truly say that nothing would give me greater delight than 
to be in any way instrumental in preparing missionary candidates for the 
great and weighty office towards which their attention is directed, I do feel 
the duties and responsibilities attaching to the Theological Tutorship to be of 
so very serious a nature, that I should consider it the height of presumption 
in a mere stripling like myself to think of undertaking the task. 

" Surely, my dear sir, the Directors are not aware that the course of study 
which I enjoyed before leaving Scotland was extremely limited ; and that 
during the twenty years I have spent in foreign parts, my time has been so 
completely occupied with business of an altogether desultory kind, as to pre- 
clude the possibility of my giving any attention to the study of systematic 
theology." 1 

That the objection thus ingenuously stated by him was in itself weighty, 
need not be denied. The fact, however, that he so felt its weight, is the best 
evidence that the Directors acted wisely in disregarding it. Had he been one 
of those men who are always boasting of their limited advantages in early life, 
instead of assiduously occupying themselves, as he did, in making amends for 
what was then deficient by the diligent improvement of all the means at their 
disposal, he would not have merited the confidence of the Directors. But, 
understanding that he was one who could master any subject to which he gave 

l Memoir, pp. 307, 308. 



OF THE AUTHOK. XIX 

close attention, and who would spare no pains to fit himself for the conscien- 
tious discharge of any duty he might be prevailed on to undertake, they, by 
their deputation, overcame his scruples, and induced his consent. He brought 
to his work not only a true missionary spirit, but also a rich fund of experi- 
ence. Hence he was able to enrich his lectures with apposite and forci- 
ble illustrations, which gave pointedness and weight to the maxims that he 
inculcated. First of all he sought to elevate the standard of piety among 
the missionary students. " The business," said he, " on which you go forth is 
of so unearthly a nature, ill has so immediately to do with God, the souls 
of men, and the eternal world, that except you are influenced by motives 
drawn from these sources, you must inevitably fail of becoming efficient 
laborers in the missionary field. It is not to learn languages, translate books, 
or introduce the arts and sciences of civilized life, that you go to the heathen.'. 
Whatever of this desci'iption may engage your attention, is merely subordi- 
nate and accessory. You go to instruct, to win, to save souls. To this 
everything must bend ; to this everything must be laid under contribution. 
* * * And can you possibly expect to prove successful in such an enterprise, 
to enter heartily into it, or prosecute it with enthusiasm, vigor, and persever- 
ance, if your spirit be worldly, and your affections low and grovelling ? " l 
While thus giving, as was meet, the foremost place to the culture of the 
heart, he assiduously strove to foster a taste for theological and linguistic 
acquirements. The following extracts, from the pen of one who had access to 
Dr. Henderson's class-room, will best illustrate his characteristics as a teacher : 
" As a teacher, he brought nothing into the class-room which had not been 
carefully and even elaborately prepared. * * * It was rather his intense 
application and indomitable industry, than any extraordinary talent, that 
distinguished him. If by genius is meant the undoubted possession of the 
creative or inventive faculty, then genius was not the property of my friend. 
If anything, he was rather wanting in imagination. * * # He never indulged 
much in illustration, and his illustrations never partook of the daring of 
genius. But if, on the other hand, ' genius is the instinct of enterprise,' and 
if the instinct .of enterprise is labor, then, in this sense, my honored friend 
was the possessor of this mighty gift. * * * As Dr. Henderson was not a 
man who lived without a purpose, so neither was he a man to spend his hours 
without a plan. His time was faithft lly divided ; and in each division he had 
his self-appointed round of duties and engagements, to which he devoted 
himself with unwearied and strenuous pei'severance. His lectures were the 
result of extensive reading and careful investigation. * * * He excelled in 
weighing evidence, and impressing upon it its relative value. His discrimi- 
nation was clear, and his judgment was sound. He was wholly free from 

l Memoir, p. 319. 



XX BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

theory and speculation. He dealt with fact, not with fiction. He searched 
for data, not for opinions. His conclusions rested on the most solid basis.' 
His theology was rather scriptural than scholastic ; and his prelections were 
rather practical than brilliant. * * * In the Oriental languages, and in Bib- 
lical criticism, Dr. Henderson was at home. As a philologist, he had few 
equals in this country. He composed a Hebrew Grammar of his own, and 
allowed the students to copy it piecemeal from his own manuscript ; and in 
the reading and interpreting of the Hebrew Scriptures he revelled with un- 
bounded delight. Equally wide and correct was his acquaintance with the 
cognate languages, and this knowledge eminently qualified him for a freer 
and more independent exhibition of the sacred text. 

" Himself a man of intense application and labor, and knowing from his 
own experience that there is no other path to success and to eminence, he 
loved the men who were willing to make the effort and endure the toil of an 
ascent. If he did not, like the immortal Chatham, trample difficulties under 
his feet, he could, in the exercise of a purer faith, at least smile at them. 
Sloth and sluggishness were alien to his own nature, and he had no sympathy 
with idleness in his students. * * * He had a high appreciation of merit. 
Like every one possessed of richer gifts and wider attainments, he was a man 
of generous soul ; and wherever he discovered the buddings and burstings of 
superior talent, he had at command .his word of encouragement, or his smile 
of approval. He was not lavish in his expressions of praise ; but his whole 
manner embodied more than words ; it was only in those cases in which the 
proofs of neglect and idleness were too plain to be denied, that his fine open 
brow ever became darkened with a frown, and that his utterance became 
more sharply pointed, and his words fell with a keener edge. Dr. Hender- 
son was a strict disciplinarian, and so far as his influence reached, nothing 
was allowed to invade the majesty of law. He believed in God, and there- 
fore he believed in order. Yet this never chilled those warmer charities 
which have their seat and centre in the heart." l 

After four years of labor in the Missionary College at Hoxton, Dr. Hen- 
derson received, in Feb. 1830, an appointment to the Theological Tutorship in 
the Ministerial College at Highbury. This he accepted without hesitation, 
as it opened to him a wider sphere, and he knew that the missionary direc- 
tors were contemplating the discontinuance of their institution, the number 
of missionary candidates not being such as to warrant the outlay incurred, 
and the different ministerial colleges being disposed to facilitate the entrance 
of missionary students within their walls. 

His connection with the college at Highbury was continued till the spring 
of 1850, when, upon the amalgamation of the three metropolitan colleges at 

1 Rev. Eobert Ferguson, D.D., as quoted in the memoir, pp. 323 327. 



OF THE AUTHOR. XXI 

Homerton, Coward, and Highbury, his labors as a teacher in a public insti- 
tution were brought to a close. Of his services at Highbury it is only neces- 
sary to say that they 'were of the same general character as those at Hoxton. 
" He never forgot at Highbury," says his biographer, " that he had been tutor 
at Hoxton. It was seldom that he had not missionary students in one or 
other of his classes. Over all such he kept a jealous watch, lest their pulpit 
popularity should tempt them to retract their pledge, and withdraw their 
hand from the plough. For the benefit of such, he was always ready to 
spare an extra hour, if tuition in some Oi'iental language might be of profit 
to them in their future career." 1 

Dr. Henderson's hospitalities to foreigners are well known, and remem- 
bered with great delight. Many were the literary men, especially from the 
western hemisphere, who enjoyed the pleasure of his society for a few hours 
of profitable intercourse. 

In 1852, two years after his removal from the tutorship at Highbury, Dr. 
Henderson was induced to undertake the pastorate of the Independent Con- 
gregation of Sheen Vale Chapel, at Mortlake, in Surrey. Upon the discharge 
of his pastoral duties he entered zealously, and with great delight. To preach 
Christ crucified was his chosen work, and during the whole period of his 
tutorship, he had continued it as he had opportunity. But the service evi- 
dently exceeded his present strength. In September, 1853, after having held 
the pastorate for only a year and a quarter, he was compelled to relinquish 
it, and take his place as a private member among his people. 

From this time his health and mental vigor gradually declined, till, on the 
16th day of May, 1858, he peacefully departed from this life, at Mortlake, 
the scene of his closing public labors, when he had now attained the age of 
seventy-three years. 

It remains to take a brief survey of Dr. Henderson's labors as an author, 
especially as a commentator, in which character he is best known in the 
United States. 

During his labors at Hoxton he found time to carry through the press his 
" Biblical Researches and Travels in Russia." To the Congregational Mag- 
azine he became a contributor, and occasionally furnished articles or reviews, 
drawn for the most part from materials that were lying ready for use. At 
Highbury he prepared and printed an elaborate examination of the cele- 
brated passage, 1 Tim. iii. 16. It was entitled, " The Great Mystery of 
Godliness Incontrovertible." Upon the republication, in 1833, of "Buck's 
Theological Dictionary," he prepared for it five hundred new articles, while 
the already existing notices on Christian sects were carefully brought up to 

1 Memoir, pp. 348, 849. 



XXII BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

the date of this re-issue. Abbott's " Corner Stone " underwent revision at 
his hand, and the English editions of Prof. Stewart's Commentaries also 
passed under his eye. In 1836 appeared his well-known treatise on "Divine 
Inspiration," which has passed through several editions. At a later period, 
after his labors at Highbury had been brought to a close, he superintended 
the republication of five works from the pen of the Rev. Albert Barnes, 
prefixing prefaces of his own to two of them, viz., the Commentaries on the 
books of Job and Revelation. The other works were, " Notes on the Book 
of Daniel," " The Way of Salvation," and " Essays on Science and The- 
ology." 

Passing by other works of minor importance published or edited by him, 
we come to his Commentaries. The first of these, on the Prophet Isaiah, 
appeared in the year 1840, when the author was now fifty-six years of age. 
It was the result of long, patient, earnest study. This book had sometimes 
formed the basis of his readings with the fourth year's class at college, and he 
justly felt that something further was needed in the way of elucidating it. 
Vitringa was too prolix ; Lowth far from satisfactory, and abounding in 
many needless and conjectural emendations of the text. The modern Ger- 
man commentaries were all more or less tainted with neology ; and the com- 
mentaries of Barnes and Alexander, in this country, had not yet appeared. 
It is stated by the biographer that " some four or five years seem to have 
been occupied in the actual compiling of the volume." l This commentary, 
like all the succeeding, he terms, " critical, philological, and exegetical." In 
the first of these departments, criticism of the sacred text, he steadfastly 
abides by the ordinary text, where there is no overwhelming amount of man- 
uscript evidence in favor of some other reading. In his philological remarks 
he makes an abundant yet sober use of the cognate languages, relying, first 
of all, on a collation of the several passages in which a given word occurs in 
;the sacred text, and having recourse to the cognate tongues only as a supple- 
mentary aid. In the exegetical department it is his aim to evolve the exact 
scope and force of the prophetic declarations as at first uttered, and under a 
full view of the circumstances that attended their utterance. 

The same general characteristics belong to the present commentary on 
the " Minor Prophets," which appeared next in order, in the year 1845. 
This iis the most learned and elaborate of all his works. In the wonderful 
diversity of style and manner by which each of the twelve Minor Prophets 
is so clearly distinguished from all the rest, a diversity very apparent in 
the English version, but displaying itself in its full beauty only to him who 
reads them in the original, Dr. Henderson's pen found a fine field of ex- 
ercise, which it did not fail to improve in a very thorough way. It is stated 

I Memoir, p. 390. 



OF THE AUTHOR. XXIII 

by the biographer that the popularity of this work among the students of the 
sacred text " has been fully as great as was that of his ' Isaiah,' among the 
Americans even greater." 1 This is due partly, perhaps, to its greater in- 
trinsic merit, .but still more to the paucity of commentaries on the Minor 
Prophets, that unite rich and varied learning with the pure evangelical spirit. 
. It was after his retirement from Highbury that his commentaries on Jere- 
miah and Ezekiel appeared the former in 1851, the latter in 1855. These 
are of a less elaborate character. 

" The Commentary on Jeremiah contained, as it required, a proportion- 
ately smaller number of notes than had been needful in the preceding vol- 
umes. But the notes which it did thus contain have been deemed by no 
means inferior to those of an earlier date, either in thought or expression. 
* * * The five lamentations, or elegies, of the prophet, are appropriately in- 
cluded in the work." 2 

Of the book of the prophet Ezekiel it can hardly be said that for. its 
full illustration it required fewer notes than Isaiah or the Minor Prophets. 
The brevity of Dr. Henderson's commentary on this book is ascribed in the 
biography to the fact that " the tide of life was receding, and the fulness of 
life's labors was diminishing." 3 It must not be supposed, however, that the 
matter which it contains is of an inferior quality. It embodies the results- 
mainly of his previous investigations, stated in a clear and perspicuous 
manner, though the biblical student could wish for fuller discussions of some 
points. 

To the above sketch, drawn from the materials furnished by th'e biography, 
with only here and there the addition of a passing reflection, it maybe proper 
to add, by way of independent judgment, a single general criticism on Dr. 
Henderson as an expounder of prophecy. In perusing his commentaries, not 
a few will feel that he carries to an unwarrantable extent the principle of 
restricting the prophetic declarations and delineations to specific events. This 
makes necessary the assumption of very abrupt transitions backwards and for- 
wards, where it would seem that the principle of a progressive fulfilment 
" first the blade, then the ear, after that the foil corn in the ear " would have 
the double advantage of being in harmony with all that we know of the plan 
of God's government, and also of carrying the interpreter 'consistently through 

1 Memoir, p. 417. The present is a reprint from the English edition, with the exception 
of some few corrections furnished by Dr. Henderson himself. With the exception of the 
Ethiopia, the quotations from the cognate languages with which the commentary abounds, 
as also those from the Greek and Latin,, have been corrected by a comparison with the 
original sources. 

2 Memoir, pp. 433, 434. 

3 P. 454. 



XXIV BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

passages in which the near and more remote future are manifestly blended. 
For example, in Isa. 4:1, the reference is undeniably to judgments near at 
hand ; in the verses that follow, the future glory and safety of the church are 
exhibited as following and effected by the mighty judgments of Jehovah 
cooperating with the efficacions working of his Spirit. Both passages are 
closely connected by the introductory words of verse 2 : In that day. 1 Dr. 
Henderson, in his commentary, makes a distinct chapter to begin with verse 
2, remarking that, " having depicted the wickedness of the Jews, and the 
awful judgments with which it would be punished, the prophet devotes this 
short chapter (chap. 4 : 2 6) to an announcement of the glory and felicity 
of the Church in the time of the Messiah." His note on the two introductory 
words is the following: "2. NinrL c< i'3 at or after that period. The prep. 
a does not always strictly express what is contained within any given time or 
space ; it also points out nearness, society, or accompaniment, that which is 
in connection with, or which follows upon something else. In prophetic vis- 
ion, the two states of adversity and prosperity were so closely connected, 
that one period might be said to comprehend them both." The meaning of 
t s he last clause, taken in connection with what precedes, seems to be that the 
two states of prosperity and adversity are connected to the prophet's vision, 
because he does not discern the wide interval of time which actually sepa- 
rates them. Would it not be a more exact statement to say that the prophet 
sees the two states of prosperity and adversity in connection, because they 
are thus connected in their inmost nature, being both parts of one indivisible 
whole, viz., the progress of God's people through severe discipline, to peace 
and universal victory ; that, therefore, the predicted calamities which should 
befall the Jews in connection with their first captivity, though having a true 
historic fulfilment, yet stand as the representatives of like calamities to be 
repeated in their history, and that of the Christian Church, which is their 
true heir, as often as their sins shall make it necessary ; and that the prom- 
ised future glory of God's people, though having its perfect accomplishment 
only in the latter days of the Christian dispensation, yet includes in itself all 
previous deliverances and enlargements from the prophet's day onward, even 
as the perfect day includes in itself the morning dawn which ushers it in, and 
is a part of it ? 

To take another example : Dr. Henderson rightly regards EzekiePs temple- 
vision as a symbolic representation, the model presented being ideal, not that 
of an actual structure to be literally realized in all its details in the coming 
future. But for limiting its direct reference to the resettlement of the Jews 
in their own land, and the literal restoration of their sanctuary privileges 



OF THE AUTHOR. XXV 

and sacrificial institutes in the metropolis of Canaan, he seems to have no 
food warrant. The resettlement of the land of Canaan, and the rebuilding 
of the city and temple after the captivity, were only a part, and a very small 
part, of the " good things to come " which the vision shadowed forth. Its 
fulfilment belongs to the whole history of the church from Ezekiel's day 
onward, and it will be completed only in that yet future day when God shall 
make good to the uttermost his ancient promise : " O thou afflicted, tossed 
with tempest, and not comforted ! behold I will lay thy stones with fair col- 
ors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows 
of* agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of precious stones. 
And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; and great shall be the 
peace of thy children." l Then shall the name of that spiritual city of God 
be called, in the fullest sense of the words, " THE LORD is THERE." 

Such would be the general criticism which we should offer on Dr. Hender- 
son's commentaries. At the same time we should warmly commend them to 
the diligent study of the Biblical scholar, as rich, sources of instruction and 
profit. 

l Isaiah 54: 11 13. 
4 



GENERAL PBEFACE. 



THE Minor Prophets are first mentioned as the Twelve by Jesus the Son 
of Sirach. 1 Under this designation, they also occur in the Talmudic tract, 
entitled Baba Bathra ; 2 and Jerome specifies, as the eighth in the second 
division of the sacred books of the Jews, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, 
which, he says, they call Thereasar. 3 Melito, who is the first of the Greek 
Fathers that has left us a catalogue of these books, uses precisely the same 
language. 4 That they were regarded as forming one collective body of writ- 
ings at a still earlier period, appears from the reference made by the proto- 
martyr Stephen to the Book of the Prophets, 6 when quoting Amos v. 27, 
The same style is employed by the Rabbins, who call Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezek-* 
iel, and the Twelve, the Four Latter Prophets. 6 They are also spoken of as 
one book by Gregory Nazianzen, in his poem, setting forth the component 
parts of the sacred volume. 7 

At what time, and by whom they were collected, cannot be determined 
with certainty, According to Jewish tradition, the collection of the sacred 
books generally is attributed to the men of the Great Synagogue, a body of 
learned Scribes, said to have been formed by Ezra, and continuing in exist- 
ence till the time of Simon the Just, who flourished early in the third century 
before Christ. In the opinion of many, Nehemiah completed this collection, 
by adding to those books which had already obtained a place in the canon, 
such as had been written in, or near his own times. 8 If this actually was the 
case t it cannot be doubted that he must have availed himself of the authority 
of Malachi in determining what books were' really entitled to this distinction ; 
and this Prophet, who was the last in the series of inspired writers under the 
ancient dispensation, may thus be considered to have given to the canon the 

1 Kal rcav SwSeica Trpo^jTw*' TO; off-ra b.vaia\oi SK TOV Tifirov avruv. Eccltis. xlix. 10. 

a T3> C-Stt, 

3 n&J "nri ; or, as it is generally contracted, 

* 



rcav 



. t 
5 Ko&cbs 767pcnrT(U ev Bi/3\<j> T&J> irpcHptjTwv, Actfl vii. 42. 

8 eianns Qis^aa -sans*. 



7 tlllav fjLeit elffiv 4s ypafy^v ol AciSJ 

Naoifyt re, 'Ay0/3Kowf re ical 

'Ayyaws, tlra Zaxapafas, Me,..- 

Mi'a ^e^ olSfi Carmen xxx. iii. 

" Kol wy KaTaj3a\A.oytt6>'oy f$ift\(afr}]ic'>iv t ^triffwiiyaye Ta irepl TUJ> 0ufft\eci)is Kal 

irpo<t>T]Tuv, Kal TO. TOV AaulS, Kal eTrt<TTo\as /JacriAeW irepl o.ve&ein.&Tui'i 2 Mace. ii. 13. 



XXVIII 



GENERAL PREFACE. 



sanction of Divine approbation. Within a century and a half afterwards, 
they were translated into Greek, along with the rest of the sacred books, and 
have ever since obtained an undisputed place among the oracles of God. 

To these twelve prophetical books the epithet " Minor" has been applied, 
simply on the ground of their size, compared with those which precede them, 
and not with any view of detracting from their value, or of representing them 
as in any respect inferior in point of authority. 

The books are not arranged in the same order in the Hebrew and Septu- 
agint texts, and in neither is the chronology exactly observed, as may be seen 
from the fbllowino 1 table, in which the mean time is assumed as the basis of 

D ' 

the calculation : 



HEHREW. 


LXX. 


CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. 


1. Hosea. 
2. Joel. 
3. Amos. 
4. Obadiah. 
5. Jonnh. 
6. Micah. 
7. JN'ahum. 
8. Habakkuk. 
9. Zephaniah. 
10. Haggai. 
11. Zcchariah. 
12. Malachi. 


1. Hosea. 
2. Amos. 
3. Micah. 
4. Joel. 
5. Obadiah. ' 
6. Jonah. 
7. Nahum. 
8. Habakkuk. 
9. Zephaniah. 
10. Haggai. 
11. Zecliariah. 
12. Malachi. 


1. Joel ab 


3Ut 865 B.C 

810 
790 
750 
730 
710 
630 
606 
590 
520 
520 
440 






4. Hosea 


5. Micah 


6. Nahum 


7. Zeplianiah 


8. Habakkuk 


9 Obadiah ... . . 




11. Zecliariah 


12. Malachi . . ... 





Newcome, Boothroyd, and some other translators, have adopted the order 
which appeared to them to be chronologically correct ; but in the present 
work that is retained which is found in the Hebrew Bible, and followed in the 
Vulgate, in all the authorized European versions, and in those of Michaelis, 
Dathe, De Wette, and others, simply on the ground of the facility of refer- 
ence, which the other arrangement does not afford, but which is practically 
of greater importance than any advantage derivable from the change. 

The Minor Prophets have generally been considered more obscure and 
difficult of interpretation than any of the other prophetical books of the Old 
Testament. Besides the avoidance of a minute and particular style of de- 
scription, and the exhibition of the more general aspects of events only, 
which are justly regarded as essentially characteristic of prophecy, and the 
exuberance of imagery, which was so admirably calculated to give effect to 
the oracles delivered by the inspired Seers, but which to us does not possess 
the vividness and perspicuity which it did to those to whom it was originally 
exhibited, there are peculiarities attaching more or less to each of the writers, 
arising either from his matter, or from the manner of its treatment, which 
present difficulties of no ordinary magnitude to common readers, and many 
that are calculated to exercise the ingenuity, and, in no small degree, to per- 
plex the mind of the more experienced interpreter. We are frequently left 
to guess historical circumstances from what we otherwise know of the features 
of the times, and sometimes we have no other means of ascertaining their 
character than what are furnished by the descriptive terms employed in the 
predictions themselves. Though in such cases general ideas may be collected 



GENERAL PREFACE. XXIX 

respecting the persons or things which are presented to view in the text, yet 
we want the historical commentary which would elucidate and give point to 
its various particulars. The accounts contained in the books of Kings and 
Chronicles are frequently too brief to furnish us with a key to many of the 
prophecies which were fulfilled during the period which they embrace ; while 
the pages of profane history only slightly touch, if they touch at all, upon 
events which the scope and bearing of the predictions determine to periods 
within the range of subjects professedly treated of by its authors. 

Against none of these prophets has the charge of obscurity been brought 
with greater appeai'ance of justice than against Hosea, whose prophecies are 
obviously, for the most part, mere compendia, or condensed notes of what he 
publicly delivered, though preserving, to a considerable extent, the logical 
and verbal forms which characterized his discourses. Besides a profusion of 
metaphors, many of which are derived from sources little accordant with the 
dictates of occidental taste, we find in his book a conciseness of expression, 
an abruptness of transition, a paucity of connecting particles, and changes 
in. person, number, and gender, to which nothing equal occurs in any of the 
other prophets. The visions of Zechariah also are not without their difficul- 
ties ; but these arise, not from the language, which is remarkably simple in its 
character, but from the symbols which represent certain historical scenes and 
events. 

The period of time within which the authors of the books flourished, in- 
cludes the entire prophetic cycle of more than four hundred years Isaiah, 
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, having also lived in it. It is unquestionably 
the most eventful in the history of the Hebrews. It embraces the introduc- 
tion of image-worship, and that of Phoenician idolatry, with all its attendant 
evils, among the Israelites ; the regicidal murders and civil wars which shook 
their kingdom to its centre ; the corruptions of the Jewish state in conse- 
quence of its adoption of the idolatrous practices of the northern tribes ; the 
Assyrian and Egyptian alliances ; the irruption of the Syrian, Assyrian, and 
Chaldean armies into Palestine ; the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities ; 
the Persian conquests ; the release of the Jews, and their restoration to their 
.own land; and the state of affairs at Jerusalem during the governorship of 
Nehemiah. Upon all these various events and circumstances, the predictions, 
warnings, threatenings, promises, and moral lessons, have, in a multiplicity of 
aspects, a more or less pointed and important bearing. Events subsequent 
to this period likewise form the subjects of prophetic announcement such 
as the progress of Alexander the Great; the successes of the Maccabees; the 
corruptions which prevailed in the last times of the Jewish state ; the de- 
struction of Jerusalem by the Romans ; the dispersion, future conversion, and 
restoration of the Jews ; and the universal establishment of true religion 
throughout the world. Intermingled with these topics, and giving to each a 
significance and interest which it could not otherwise have possessed, are 
some of the clearest and most illustrious predictions respecting the Messiah, 
in his divine and human, his sacerdotal and suffering, and his regal and all- 
conquering character that are to be found in the Old Testament. 



XXX GENERAL PEEFACE. 

It is impossible seriously to peruse this collection of prophetical writings 
without discovering the Omniscient Eye to which all future events, with the 
most minute of their attendant circumstances, are present ; the Omnipotent 
Arm, which, in the most difficult cases, secures the accomplishment of the 
Divine purposes ; the glorious attributes of Jehovah as the Moral Governor 
of the universe, and the special Friend and Protector of his people ; the deep 
depravity of the human heart ; the multiform phases of moral evil ; and the 
just retributions which befall mankind in the present state of existence. 
These, and numerous subjects of a kindred nature, furnish abundance of 
matter " profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in 
righteousness," which, while it is able to make "men wise unto salvation, 
through faith which is in Christ Jesus," is also admirably fitted to " make the 
man of God perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Tim. 
iii. 1517. 

The principles on which the Author has proceeded in preparing the pres- 
ent work are the same by which he was guided in composing his Commentary 
on the Prophet Isaiah. It has been his great aim to present to the view of 
his readers the mind of the Spirit as expressed in the written dictates of 
inspiration. With the view of determining this, he has laid under contribu- 
tion all the means within his reach, in order to ascertain the original state of 
the Hebrew text, and the true and unsophisticated meaning of that text. He 
has constantly had recourse to the collection of various readings made by 
Kennicott and De Rossi ; he has compared the renderings of the LXX., the 
Targum, the Syriac, the Arabic, the Vulgate, and other ancient versions : he 
has availed himself of the results of modern philological research; and has 
conducted the whole under the influence of a disposition to place himself in 
the times of the sacred writers surrounded by the scenery which they 
exhibit, and impressed by the different associations, both of a political and a 
spiritual character, which they embody. In all his investigations he has en- 
deavored to cherish a deep conviction of the inspired authority of the books 
which it has been his object to illustrate, and of the heavy responsibility which 
attaches to all who undertake the interpretation of the oracles of God. 

In no instance has the theory of a double sense been permitted to exert 
its influence on his expositions. The Author is firmly convinced, that the 
more this theory is impartially examined, the more it will be found that it 
goes to unsettle the foundations of Divine Truth, unhinge the mind of the 
biblical student, invite the sneer and ridicule of unbelievers, and open the 
door to the extravagant vagaries of a wild and unbridled imagination. Hap- 
pily the number of those who adhere to the multiform method of interpreta- 
tion is rapidly diminishing ; and there cannot be a doubt, that, in proportion 
as the principles of sacred hermeneutics come to be more severely studied, 
and perversions of the word of God, hereditarily kept up under the specious 
garb of spirituality and a more profound understanding of Scripture, are 
discovered and exposed, the necessity of abandoning such slippery and un- 
tenable ground will be recognized, and the plain, simple, grammatical and 
natural species of interpretation, adopted and followed. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

HOSEA 1 

JOEL 87 

AMOS ' 123 

OBADIAH .183 

JONAH 196 

MICAH 216 

jSTAHUM . 264 

HABAKKUK 285 

ZEPHANIAH 320 

HAGGAI 340 

ZECHABIAH 354 

MALACHI . . . . , 440 



HO SEA. 



PKEFACE. 

RESPECTING the origin of this prophet nothing is known beyond what is 
stated in the title, ver. 1. If, as is now generally agreed, Jeroboam II. died 
about the year B. c. 784, and Hezekiah began to reign about B. c. 728, it would 
appear from the same verse that the period of his ministry must have em- 
braced, at the very least, fifty-six years. To some this has seemed incredible, 
chiefly on the ground that his prophecies are comprised within the compass of 
fourteen brief chapters. It must be remembered, however, that the prophets 
were not uninterruptedly occupied with the delivery of oracular matter. 
Sometimes considerable intervals elapsed between their communications, al- 
though there can be no doubt that, having once been called to the office of 
public teachers, they devoted much of their time to the instruction of the 
people among whom they lived. Besides, there is no reason for believing 
the contents of the book are all that he ever uttered. They constitute only 
such portions of his inspired communications respecting the Israelites, as the- 
Holy Spirit saw fit to preserve for the benefit of the Jews, among whose sacred.- 
writings they were incorporated. 

Hosea was contemporary with Isaiah, Micah, and Amos, and, like the last- 
mentioned prophet, directed his prophecies chiefly against the kingdom of the 
ten tribes. 

From the general tenor of his book, and from the history of the times con- 
tained in the Books of Kings, he manifestly lived in a very corrupt age. 
Idolatry, a fondness for foreign alliances, civil distractions, and vice of every 
description abounded, the impending judgments on account of which he was 
commissioned to announce. 

Though he occasionally mentions Judah, yet the entire scene is laid in the 
land of Israel, where, there can be little doubt, he lived and taught. 

With the exception of the first and third chapters, which are in prose, the 
book is rhythmical, and abounds in highly figurative and metaphorical language. 
The diction is exceedingly concise and laconic ; so much so, that Jerome justly 
describes him as " commaticus et quasi per sententias loquens." The sentences 
are in general brief and unconnected; the unexpected change of person is of 
frequent occurrence ; number and gender are often neglected ; and the sim- 
iles and metaphors are frequently so intermixed, that no small degree of at- 
tention is required in order to discover their exact bearing and force. He is 
more scanty in his use of the particles than the other prophets, which adds 
not a little to the difficulty of interpreting his prophecies. In many instances 
he is highly animated, energetic, and sublime. Of all the prophets he is, in 
point of language, the most obscure and hard to be understood. 

1 



CHAPTER I. 



This chapter contains the inscription, ver. 1 ; a representation of the idolatrous kingdom of 
Israel under the image of a female, whom the prophet was ordered to marry, but who 
should prove false to him, 2, 3 ; and of the punishment with which it was to be visited, by 
the symbolical names of the prophet's children, together with a distinct intimation that 
the kingdom of Judah should not be involved in the same destruction, 4-8. It concludes 
with a gracious promise of the joint restoration of all the tribes, and their flourishing con- 
dition in the land of their fathers, subsequent to the Babylonish captivity. 



THE word of Jehovah which was communicated to Hosea, the son 
of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, 
kings of Judah ; and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, 
king of Israel. 

The beginning of the word of Jehovah by Hosea. Jehovah said 



1. The kings here mentiqned are those 
specified in the inscription to the prophe- 
cies of Isaiah, with the addition of Jero- 
boam, the son of Joash, commonly called 
. Jeroboam the Second, to distinguish, him 
from the son of Nebat. This monarch 
carried on very successful wars with his 
northern neighbors, and recovered out of 
their hands the territories of which they 
had taken possession; but though thus 

: signally prospered, as an instrument in 
the hand of Jehovah, he was a wicked 
character, and greatly promoted idolatry 

lin Israel. See 2 Kings xiv. 23-28. 

By 15 ft, word, is meant the prophetic 
matter contained in the book. Thus the 

'Targ. ninaa cans. rrrt is commonly 
rendered " came"' in such connection, but 
it seems preferable to retain its usual sig- 
nification, only adding another verb, as 
communicated, imparted, or such like, to 

suit the English idiom. 

2. nan is equivalent to "isn and is ren- 
dered as a noun in the LXX., Targ., and 

Syr. It occurs in the absolute form 
"la^n, Jer. v. 13, with a similar reference 
to inspired matter. Some have attempted 
to show from the words nvrri ^3*1 r?r,?i 
isi'irs that Hosea was the first of the 
prophets employed to convey Jehovah's 
messages to his ancient people ; but con- 
ttrary to the import of the. words, which 



merely refer to the commencement of the 
prophecies of Hosea. For the use of the 
preposition a in such connection, see 
Numb. xii. 2"; 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. Comp. 
ej/ irpotp^Tais, Heb. i. 1. 

The transaction here described, and 
that narrated chap. iii. 1, are clogged 
with almost insuperable difficulties ; and, 
as may be expected, have given rise to 
very different modes of interpretation. 
By most commentators, the things speci- 
fied are considered to have actually taken 
place in the outward history of the 
prophet. Others, as Abarbanel, Kimchi, 
Maimonidea, Kuffinus, (Ecolampadius, 
Marckius, Pococke, and recently Ileng- 
stenberg, regard the whole in the light 
of internal prophetic vision ; while Cal- 
vin, Luther, Osiander, Rivetus, Danteus, 
Hosenmiiller, Hitzig, and others, treat it 
as a species of parabolical representation, 
in which the prophet appropriates to him- 
self imaginary circumstances, aptly fitted 
to impress the minds of those whom he 
addressed with a sense of their wicked- 
ness, and the punishment to which it 
exposed them. 

To the last of these opinions it may 
justly be objected that the language, 
"And Jehovah said to Hosea, Go," etc. 
is identical with, that used Is. vii. 3, viii. 
1, xx. 2 ; Jer. xiii. 1-7, xviii. 1, 2, xix. ; 



CHAP I. 



HO S E A. 



3 



to Hosea : Go, take thee a lewd woman, and lewd children, for 
the land hath committed great lewdness, in a state of separation 
from Jehovah. 



Ezek. iv. v. xii. xxiv. ; and in many 
other passages, which cannot without 
violence be understood parabolically. 
Not the' slightest hint is given, in the 
present case, that the circumstances are 
fictitious. Besides, it has been observed, 
that there is no instance of any of the 
prophets ever making himself the subject 
of a parable. 

The same objection lies with equal 
force against the assumption, that the 
things described were merely exhibited 
internally to the mind of the prophet. 
The Divine mandate was doubtless in- 
ternal ; but there is no intimation that 
what follows was in vision, any more 
than in the instances above quoted. On 
the contrary, it is set forth as real matter 
of fact. When internal scenic represen- 
tations were granted, the verbs r;7n or 
TiNn, to see, are always employed to de- 
scribe the experience of the persou T.ho 
viewed them, which is not the case here. 
See Is. vi. ; Jer. xxiv. 1 ; Ezek. ii. 9 
iii. 3 ; Zech. i. 8, ii. in. etc. Comp. also 
the phraseology of the Apocalypse. 

We are, therefore, shut up to the literal 
interpretation, according to which the 
transactions, though symbolical, were 
rea^ and outward in the history of Hosea. 
Those, however, who adopt this view, 
are not agreed on the subject of the 
females specified : soma being of opinion 
that only one is intended in both passages ; 
others, two ; some, that Gomer was not 
a lewd character before the prophet took 
her, but became such afterwards ; others, 
that she was originally unchaste ; some, 
as Thomas Aquinas, that he did not 
marry her at all, but merely lived with 
her as a concubine ! Lyra and Newcome 
think that nothing more is meant by " a 
wife of lewdness," than an Israelitess 
one of those who had become guilty of 
spiritual fornication or idolatry. The 
position that Hosea was commanded to 
marry an impure female cannot be sus- 
tained, for two reasons. First, the chil- 
dren were clearly those afterwards de- 
scribed as born to the prophet, and are 



spoken of as lewd as well as their mother. 
Secondly, on the supposition that Gomer 
had been guilty of acts of impurity pre- 
vious to her connection with the prophet, 
there would be no congruity in consti- 
tuting her a type of Israel, who is repre- 
sented as lewd because she had lapsed 
into idolatry, in violation of the marriage 
contract entered into at Sinai. See 
Gesen. Lex. p. 306, 2. Consistency of 
interpretation absolutely requires the 
adoption of this view of the subject, as is 
admitted both by Hengstenberg and Hit- 
zig. The objections otherwise produced 
L.J the former of these authors against the 
literal character of the transactions are 
more specious than real. Besides being 
the most obvious and natural, it has 
much to recommend it on the ground of 
the public notoriety which infidelity on 
the part of the wife of a prophet must 
have created, and its aptness to typify 
the conduct of the Israelites towards Je- 
hovah. It may indeed be said, that his 
marrying a notoriously lewd character 
must have produced a much greater sen- 
sation. True, but besides the encour- 
agement which it must have been calcu- 
lated to give to the formation of un- 
hallowed and irreligious connections, it 
would not, as was just observed, have 
been in accordance with the design of the 
transaction, which was, not to represent 
the character of the Hebrews before the 
period of their national reception into 
alliance with Jehovah, but their conduct 
as exhibited in the pages of their subse- 
quent history. The phrases Er:'3T j-t ; s, 
D*3WT ""3 s . 1? a lewd woman and lewd chil- 
dren, have the same import, and are not 
to be interpreted as if the mother alone 
were guilty, and the children merely the 
product of her guilty conduct. Comp. 
the phrase SB 3 -n^, children of trans- 
gression, i. e. transgressors. Thus as to 

..7 7 

sense the Targ. ; and the Syr. 1 A 1.SO 



'9, and children that commit lewd- 
ness- Thus also Rosenmiiller. Both are 



HOSEA 



CHAP. I. 



3 So he went and took Goraer, the daughter of Diblaim, and 

4 she conceived, and bare him a son. And Jehovah said unto 
him, Call his name JEZREEL ; for yet a little while, and I will 
avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will 

5 cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease. And it shall 
come to pass in that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in 
the valley of Jezreel. 



anticipative as to the relation of the 
prophet, though typical of what had 
already taken place on the part of the 
ten tribes. Viewed as a kingdom they 
are represented as a mother ; and as indi- 
vidual subjects of that kingdom, they are 
spoken of as her children. The plural 
r-iwr is emphatic, as D"a i n in to-jj 
D^K^'etc. Comp. d^ssiT rvn, chap. iv. 
12, and ii. 4. That they are otherwise 
to be identified appears from the use of 
rr, take, which properly applies only to 
the female, but here governs both nouns, 
as Jerome observes, a.irb KOIVOV, The 
reason of the symbolic action is assigned 
at the close of the verse the atrocious 
conduct of the Israelites in renouncing 
the pure worship of Jehovah, and ad- 
dicting themselves to idolatry. Comp. 
Lev. xvii. 7 ; xx. 5, 6 ; Hos. iv. 12. 

V?.?n ^ ie l an d> * s P ut > ky metonymy, for 
its inhabitants. The preposition pa has 
here the force of a negative, which 
strongly expresses the state of separation 
which had taken place. 

3. That the names Gomer and Diblaim 
are to be taken symbolically, as Heng- 
stenberg interprets, does not appear. 
His exposition of them is fanciful, as is 
that of Jerome, who takes pretty much 
the same view. The use of n^, to him, 
i. e. to Hosea, proves that the child was 
not of spurious origin. The word is 
wanting, indeed, in three of Kennicott's 
MSS., and one of De Rossi's, the Com- 
plut. edition of the LXX., the Itala, and 
the Arab. ; but the omission in all prob- 
ability originated in an attempt to render 
the phraseology comformable to that of 
verses 6 and 8. 

4, 5. Vs.^'iT';, Jezreel, i. e. God will 
scatter, from SnT> to scatter, disperse, as in 
Zech. x. 9 ; Targ. iw-rnsn. It was 
otherwise the proper name of a city in 



the tribe of Issachar, on the brow of the 
central valley in the great plain of the 
same name, and the royal residence of 
Ahab and his successors. It was here 
Jehu exercised acts of the greatest cruelty, 
2 Kings x. 11, 14, 17. These acts were 
speedily to be avenged in the extinction 
of the royal family, and the entire ces- 
sation of the Israelitish state. It had 
been announced to Jehu that his sons 
should occupy the throne till the fourth 
generation, 2 Kings x. 30. Two of these 
generations had passed away by the time 
of the . prophet Jeroboam being the 
great grand-son. In the following gene- 
ration, the prediction received its accom- 
plishment. By the " bow of Israel " is 
meant her military prowess, which was 
completely subdued by the Assyrian 
army. The valley here mentioned, after- 
wards called Esdraelon, was famous for 
the battles fought there from the most 
ancient times. It consists of the broad 
elevated plain which stretches from the 
Jordan to the Mediterranean, near Mount 
Carmel, and is well adapted to military 
operations. Accordingly, Dr. E. D. 
Clarke observes, " Jews, Gentiles, Sara- 
cens, Christian Crusaders, and Anti- 
Christian Frenchmen, Egyptians, Per- 
sians, Druses, Turks, and Arabs, warriors 
out of every nation which is under heaven, 
have pitched their tents upon the plains 
of Esdraelon, and have beheld the vari- 
ous banners of their nations Avet with the 
dews of Tabor and Hermon.' r It was, 
therefore, natural that the Israelites 
should endeavor to make a stand against 
the Assyrians in this valley ; but being 
overpowered by numbers were obliged to 
succumb to the enemy. Of this discom- 
fiture, and the consequent dispersion of 
the ten tribes, the name of 'the prophet's 
son was svmbolical. 



CHAP. I. 



HO SEA. 



5 



8 

9 

10 



And she conceived again, and bare a daughter ; and He said 
to him, Call her name Lo-RuHAMAii ; for I will no more have 
mercy upon the house of Israel, but will utterly take them 
away. But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and 
will save them by Jehovah their God, and will not save them 
by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by 
horsemen. 

And she weaned Lo-RtiHAMAH, and conceived, and bare a 
And He said, Call his name Lo-AMMi ; for ye are not my 



son. 



11 



people, and I will not be yours. Nevertheless the number of 
the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which can 
neither be measured nor numbered ; and it shall be, that in- 
stead of its Tiavirig been said to them, Ye are not my people, 
it shall be said to them, Ye are the children of the living God. 
Then shall the children of Judah, and the children of Israel, be 



6, 7. ntonn A, LO-RUHAMAH, i. e. 
unpitied. V VB elsewhere signifies to 
forgive ; and were the verb preceded by 
the copulative n, it might be so rendered 
here, only supplying the negative &ft 
from the preceding clause ; but as *$, but, 
excludes such repetition, the phrase must 
be rendered as in the translation. LXX. 
ai/TiTitcr<r<fy<,ews avrird^o/jitti avraits. Syr. 

>'. * I f t V IK 

iQ<s pj X,fl-k ^ ""^ Vulg. 

obliuione obliviscor eorum reading sws, 
which is found in De Rossi's MS. 596, 
at first hand, instead of s\a. The king- 
dom of Israel was never more to be re- 
stored, though, in conjunction with the 
Jews, the scattered Israelites were to 
return to Canaan after the Babylonish 
captivity, ver. 11. It was to be very 
different with the Jewish power. Though 
likewise attacked, and threatened with 
utter extinction by Sennacherib, they 
were mercifully delivered by a divine 
interposition, without all human aid. 
And though they were afterwards carried 
away to Babylon, their civil polity was 
restored, which was not the case with 
the Israelites. fi5an^. war, stands ellip- 
tically for nnrj-stJ 'tiss, warriors. 

8. The mention here made of the 
weaning of Lo-Ruhamah, seems designed 
rather to fill up the narrative, than to 
describe figuratively any distinct treat- 
ment of the Israelites. 



9. ifty N^, Lo-AaiMi, i. e. not my peo- 
ple, further sets forth the rejection of the 
ten tribes by Jehovah. Nothing could 
have been better calculated to make an 
impression upon the minds of his country- 
men, than for the prophet thus to give to 
one child after another a name strongly 
significant of the disastrous circumstances 
to which they should be reduced. Instead 
of D 5^ rpns~5iV, / will not be yours, i. e. 
your God,' Houbigant and Newcome 
would read C^TiVs fcV, / am not your 
God : but though the antithesis is com- 
mon, it admits of an ellipsis, just as in 
Ezek. xvi. 8, there is an ellipsis of 
rvsiA. Comp. Ps. cxviii. 6. The MSS. 
and versions exhibit no variation. 

10, 11. These verses contain a gra- 
cious promise of the recovery of the 
descendants of the Israelites, along with 
those of their brethren the Jews, at the 
termination of the Babylonish captivity. 
Though entirely and for ever broken up 
as a distinct kingdom, yet, during the 
period of their residence in the regions 
of the East, whither they were to be 
transported, they should greatly multiply, 

and afterwards be reinstated in the priv- 
ileges of adoption, as members of the 
theocracy. The eleventh verse teaches 
the reunion of all the tribes, and their 
return under Zerubbabel to their own 
land. That this prince is meant by the 
i> one head, must be maintained, 



6 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. II. 



gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one 
12 head, and shall come up out of the land. For great shall be the 
day of Jezreel. Say ye unto your brethren, AMMI; and to 
your sisters, Run AMAH. 



since the Messiah, who is by many sup- 
posed to be intended, is nowhere spoken 
of as appointed by men, but always as 
the choice and appointment of God, 
Ipyty land, signifies, in this connection 
the 'country of Babylon, not excluding 
those other regions of the East in which 
the descendants of the different tribes 
were found. VsS'i'P, Jezreel, is obvi- 
ously used here in a different acceptation 
from that in which it is taken ver. 4. 
That of sowing is alone appropriate. Il- 
lustrious should be the period when the 



tribes should again be sown in their own 
country. Comp. chap. ii. 22, 28 ; Jer. 
xxxi. 27. 

The principle on which part of ver. 10, 
and chap. ii. 23, are quoted, Rom. ix. 
25, 26, and 1 Pet. ii. 10, seems to be 
that of analogy. As God had taken 
pity upon the ten tribes, who had become 
heathens, as it respects idolatrous and 
other practices, so he had pitied the 
Gentiles who had been in the same cir- 
cumstances. What was said of the one 
class was equally descriptive of the other. 



CHAPTER II. 



The prophet proceeds in this chapter to apply the symbolical relation described in the pre- 
ceding. He calls the Israelites to reform their wicked conduct, 1, 2; threatens them with a 
series of calamities, the effect of which should be their repentance and return to the service 
of Jehovah, 3-15; and promises a gracious restoration to Jiis favor, and the enjoyment of 
security and prosperity in their own land, 16-23. 



1 

2 



CONTEND with your mother, contend ; 

For she is not my wife, 

Neither am I her husband : 

That she may remove her lewdness from her face, 

And her adulteries from between her breasts. 



1, 2. The individual members of the 
Israelitish state are here summoned to 
urge upon their nation the consideration 
of its wickedness in having departed 
from God. Of these the nation of the 
ten tribes was the cs, mother. Cocceius, 
Dathe, Kuinoel, and Riickert, render 13, 
that, and interpret: Argue the point 
with your nation, and show her that in 
consequence of her wicked conduct all 
relations between us have ceased. The 
casual signification of the conjunction, 
however, seems preferable. The words 



which it introduces form a parenthesis ; 
and "i&rn, which, though future, is to be 
rendered potentially : that she may remove 
connects with sai-i, contend ye. The } 
is, as frequently to be taken TeAiKtos'. 
The repetition of 9:2 n is emphatic, as 
ducite in Virgil : 

" Ducite ab urbe domum, mea earmina, 
ducite Daphnin." 

By c^snStti 1 ! D"213J, fornications and 
adulteries, are meant the tokens or -indi- 
cations of lewd character : boldness of 



CHAP. II. 



HOSEA. 



Lest' I strip her naked, 

And set her as in the day when she was born, 

And make her as the desert, 

And make her like a dry land, 

And cause her to die with thirst. 

Upon her children I will have no mercy, 

For they are lewd children. 

Because their mother hath committed lewdness, 

Their parent hath acted shamefully ; 

For she said : I will follow my lovers, 

That give me my bread and my water, 

My wool and my flax, my oil and my wine. 



countenance, and an immodest exposure 
of the breasts. Both forms are redupli- 
cate, to express the enormity of. the evil. 
What the prophet has in view is the 
reckless and unblushing manner in which 
the Israelitish nation practised idolatry. 
The LXlx. have read "35tt, "from my 
face;" improperly in this connection, 
though a similar phrase occurs elsewhere. 

3. A striking accumulation of synony- 
mous denunciations for the purpose of 
describing the state of complete desti- 
tution to which the idolatrous Israelites 
would be reduced by the infliction of 
divine judgments. They should be 
placed in circumstances analogous to 
those in. which they had originally been 
in Egypt. Comp. Ezek. xvi. 4 ; xxiii. 
25, 26, 28, 29. For "127x3 comp. Jer. 
ii. 6. 

4:. Individuals might expect that they 
woidd escape, and not be treated as the 
nation in its collective capacity; but 
Jehovah here declares, that he would 
treat them according to the demerits of 
their individual wickedness. For ^33 
fsnat comp. a^war ^.V, ch. i. 2. The 
second" noun is, as 'frequently, used ad- 
jectively. 

5. 13, since or because, and "^>, there- 
fore, v'er. .&$ correspond to each* other, 
the former marking the protasis, the 
latter the apodosis. The second -a in- 
troduces parenthetically an illustration 
of the statement made at the beginning 
of the verse, irrin is the feminine par- 
ticiple of rnn to conceive, lie pregnant, 
Comp. irni'n/Song iii. 4. According to 



the Jewish exegesis, "niYi, Gen. xlix. 26, 
is used of male progenitors. The Targ. 
and Jarchi suppose teachers to be here 
meant; but the term is merely a syno- 
nyme of ds, mother, in the preceding 
hemistich, interpreters are not agreed 
respecting the rendering of n'f "ai'n. In 
most instances in which the word occurs 
it certainly has the transitive significa- 
tion; but here the intransitive seems 
more appropriate. Comp. Jer. vi. 15, 
where it is explained by ray -asi'n "3. 
Comp. also 2"trn, Si.n, a'^rn, as Hiph. 
intransitives. Theparagogic'n in "2^, 
elongating the future, is expressive of a 
decided purpose, desire, or bent of mind ; 
it is my settled determination to follow 
those who richly supply my wants in 
return for my religious services. n-n-STS 
lovers, which is here employed meta- 
phorically to denote idols, is seldom used 
except in a bad sense. This interpretation, 
which is that of Joseph Kimchi and 
Abarbanel, is more in keeping with the 
symbolical character of the prophecy, 
than that suggested by the Targ. ^33 
J33K 1ta?i, which takes the word in the 
sense of idolaters, or idolatrous nations, 
such as Assyria, etc. Comp. as strictly 
parallel, Jer. xliv. 17-19. The lan- 
guage indicates complete alienation of 
heart from Jehovah, the only giver of 
all good, and a blind confidence in, and 
devotion to the service of idols. The 
articles specified comprehend both the 
necessaries and the luxuries of ancient 
Hebrew life, ^so, oil, is much in use- 
among the Orientals, both in its simple: 



8 



II O S E A . 



CHAP. If. 



Therefore, behold ! I will hedge up thy way with thorns, 
And will raise a wall, that she may not find her paths. 
And she shall eagerly pursue her lovers, but she shall not over- 
take them ; 

And shall seek them, but shall not find them : 
Then shall she say : I will go and return to my first husband, 
For it was better with me then than now. 

Because she knew not that it was I that gave her 
The corn, and the new wine, and the oil ; 
And furnished her abundantly with silver and gold, 
Which they made into images of Baal: 
Therefore I will take back my corn in its time, 
And my new wine in its season ; 
And I will recover my wool and my flax, 
Designed to cover her nakedness. 



state, and as compounded with other in- 
gredients. It is specially applied as 
ointment to the body after bathing. 
Comp. Psalm xxiii. 5 ; Prov. xxi. 17. 
"jl^a denotes here all kinds of artificial 
drink, being used in distinction from 
water. The Aldine edition of the LXX. 
reads 6 oivos JJ.QV ; but the usual reading 
is irdvTa. offa /not Ko\hj/' with which 
the Targ. and Syr. agree. The word 
occurs, Ps. cii. 10 ; Prov. iii. 8 ; and is evi- 
dently derived from nj/'i . Arab - Ju ; 

Eth. fl^P I to make to drink, to ivater. 

6. For TJ in tfin i the LXX. Arab, and 
Syr. read n T , but" most likely in order to 
produce uniformity in the use of the 
affix. The metaphor here employed is 
borrowed from the condition of a trav- 
eller whose progress is interrupted by a 
hedge thrown across his path, or who 
can no longer pass through the gap of 
an enclosure which used to be in his 
way ; and who is consequently reduced 
to straits and difficulties. Turned out 
of his accustomed course, he is bewil- 
dered, and strives in vain to extricate 
himself. Comp. Job xix. 8 ; Lam. iii. 
7, 9. M^7.->i wall, is pointed ri^^a, in 
the editions 'of J. H. Michaelis, and Jahn, 
and this punctuation Hengstenberg at- 
tempts, without success, to defend. The 
wall means the external hindrances which 
the captivity interposed between the ten 



tribes and the objects of their idolatrous 
attachment. 

7. Convinced by bitter experience of 
the folly of idolatry, the Israelites Avould 
renounce it, and return to the service of 
Jehovah. ~Snn is intensive, and expresses 
the ardor of the pursuit. The Yau in 
mns 1 !, marking the apodosis, points out 
the 'consequence or result of the failure 
a resolution to turn from idols to serve 
the living God. It might be rendered 
so that, but not in order t/tat, as Manger 
proposes. TN, then, designates the period 
previous to the apostasy of the ten tribes, 
when in reward for external obedience, 
they enjoyed temporal blessings Thus 
the Targ. snVe "^".n ns ": rq is 
' 



8, 9. "i and "fcjy at the beginning of 
these verses stand in the same relation 
to each other as -3 and -sV, verses 5th 
and 6th. Before Vios supply iv: . By 
V?3, Baal, the prophet means " images 
of Baal," the singular being used col- 
lectively for the plural. Comp. ch. viii. 
4, where trass y, idols, correspond to ^53 
in the present case. Hitzig would re- 
strict Ti N, understood, to 2nT, yold, sup- 
posing the golden calves set up at 
Bethel and Dan to be meant ; but, as it 
docs not appear that the name of Baal 
Avas ever applied to them, his interpre- 
tation is groundless. See chap. viii. 4; 
winch also clearly proves that by 



CHAP. II. 



HO SEA. 



9 



10 And now I will expose her vileness before her lovers, 
And none shall deliver her out of my hand. 

11 And I will cause all her joy to cease; 



we are not to understand the conse- 
cration of the silver and gold to the ser- 
vice of Baal, but the actual conversion of 
these precious metals into images of that 
idol, or at least into plating with which 
to cover such as were made of wood. 
2 Chron. xxiv. 7, to which Seeker appeals 
in favor of the former meaning of the 
phrase, is also to be so understood. The 
rendering of Gesenius, "which they 
offered to Baal," is equally objectionable ; 
the phrase ^nto3>, when thus used, being 
referred to sacrificial victims. Targ. 
Km ypjj 5i33| EPiM. Hengstenberg at- 
tempts to support the position that conse- 
cration is meant ; but his reasons are al- 
together futile. The veiy passage which 
he quotes as parallel (Ezek. xvi. 17, 18,) 
is directly opposed to his exegesis of the 
phrase. Baal was perhaps the most ancient 
of all the gods worshipped in the East. 
He was, according to Dr. Mtinter, the re- 
presentative of the sun, the generative 
power in the eastern mythology, and 
had associated with him Astartc, the 
female power, which was viewed as rep- 
resenting the moon. Gesenius, however, 
is of opinion, that under these names the 
planets Jupiter and Venus were wor- 
shipped. See on Isaiah xvii. 8. From 
the frequency with which his name oc- 
curs in compound Phoenician names, 
as Hannibal, Hasdrubal, etc., the wor- 
ship of Baal appears to have been com- 
mon among that people ; and from them, 
especially the Tyrians, it was borrowed 
by the Israelites. Mention is made of 
this idolatry in the time of the Judges, 
see chap. ii. 11, 13; iii. 7; vi. 25; it 
became prevalent even in Judah in the 
days of Ahaz; and, though abolished by 
the pious king Josiah, was revived by 
Manasseh. In Israel it rapidly gained 
ground after the introduction of the wor- 
ship of the golden calves by Jeroboam, 
and reached its height in the reigns of 
Ahab and Hosea. The verb svi', to return 
turn back, is frequently used adverbially. 
So here ^np,Vi awJs, I will again take 
away, or take back, i. e. deprive of. The 

' 2 



meaning is, that instead of reaping the 
fruits of the earth, etc. as they expected 
at the usual season, they should be trod- 
den down, consumed, or taken away by 
the Assyrian army under Shalmaneser. 
Jehovah vindicates his right to the vari- 
ous articles specified, because they had 
been bestowed by his providence ; calling 
them his, with obvious reference to vcr. o, 
in which Israel had called them hers. 
The land and all it contained were spe- 



, nudatio in ma- 



cially his. ^23; Arab. tXA2J liberates 

fait, expresses the idea of rescuing or re- 
cover in y what was unjustly held. The \> 
in m'&V denotes end or purpose, and is 
quite in its place ; so that there is no ne- 
cessity, with Houbigant, Dathc, Ilorslcy, 
Newcome, Boothroyd, and others, to 
change it into 52, out of deference to the 
LXX. who reader rod /.J; KaKvirreiv. 
8 10. JmVaa occurs only in this place, 
but is obviously equivalent to nV^.5, atro- 
cious, shameful, detestable wickedness. Targ. 
ri2Vj5 her shame, LXX. T$JZ/ aitaSrapcriav 



avrfjs', Syr. 



lum, pudenda. Castel. ; Arab. 

her nakedness. Occuring in immediate 
connection with the preceding rr,"iy, 
nudity, it conveys the superaddcd idea 
of obscenity, i. e. by metonomy, the re- 
sults or consequences of idolatrous con- 
duct, a complete destitution of all the 
necessaries of life. Comp. Jer. xiii. 26 ; 
Nah. iii. 5. This exposure was to be 
made in the very presence of the idols 
which Israel had served, none of which 
should be able to afford deliverance. By 
a prosopopoeia, the idols are first endowed 
with the faculty of vision, and then their 
utter imbecility is strikingly set forth. 
l'"S, not only signifies man, but any one, 
and is frequently used of inanimate ob- 
jects. In connection with sV, it signifies 
none. 

11, 12, explain the denouncement 
made vcr. 10. The country was to be 
desolated by the invading armies, and all 



10 



H S E A . 



CHAP. II. 



Pier festivals, her new moons, and her sabbaths, 

And all her appointed assemblies. 
12 I will also lay waste her vines and her fig-trees, 

Of which she said: They are my hire 

Which my lovers have given me : 

I will turn them into a forest, 

And the beasts of the field shall devour them. 
13. 1 will avenge upon her the days of the Baals, 

On which she burned incense to them ; 

And decked herself with nose-rings and trinkets, 

And followed her lovers, 

And forgat me, saith Jehovah. 



the festivities and seasons of religious 
observance were to cease. The different 
terms here employed are those by which 
the seasons of worship, etc. appointed 
by Jehovah in the Mosaic law, are des- 
ignated ; but it is not hence to be inferred 
that such were observed according to his 
appointment. The Israelites professed 
to worship him, but, at the same time, 
served other gods. "While from hab^t 
they continued to keep them as portions 
of time unappropriated to the ordinary 
occupations of life, they were doubtless 
converted into seasons of carnal indul- 
gence. The nouns are those of mul- 
titude, and must be rendered in the plu- 
ral. ^SA, and nssin, are likewise to be 
taken as collectives, or rather, as Horsley 
suggests, plantations of vines and fig- 
trees. These should be left uncultivated 
on the removal of the inhabitants into 
foreign regions. Comp. Is. v. 6 ; vii. 23, 
24. nrfs, like ":!"!?.> is used only of the 
hire of a harlot, and 'is peculiarly appro- 
priate in this connection. Thus Tan- 

chum 011 chap. viii. 9 ; Jjoo Lo JO 
J^aJ^f (j^o SuilUJ- Comp. Is. xxiii. 

17, 18. The wild beast is here to be 
taken literally, and not figuratively, as 
Abarbanel does, supposing the heathen 
invaders to be meant. 

13. d-^ysn, the Baals, i. e. the idols 
which they 'had set up to Baal in the 
cities and different parts of the country, 
as well as in their private houses. Hence 
the names Baal- Gad, Baal-Herman, Baal- 



meant the days specially devoted to the 
celebration of idolatrous rites. To cause 
grateful odors to ascend from the altars, 
was considered peculiarly acceptable to 
the objects of worship. It appears to 
have originated partly in the gratification 
afforded by agreeable smells, and partly 
in the custom of burning perfumes in 
rooms, etc. with a view to purify them 

from noxious vapors. DT3 and r; n Vln 
j. ...... T . ... 

appear to be employed here to denote 
female ornaments generally ; though 
strictly taken, the former commonly sig- 
nifies such rings as the oriental females 
wear in the nostril. See on Is. iii. 21. 
tt'Vrif from nVrt, to be smooth, polished; 
Arab. JL->- r ornavit monilibus mundove 

suo (mulierem,) jJjJLsk, mundo ornata, 
denotes a trinket, necklace, or the like. 
According to Firuzabad : x 



meon, 



etc. By c'^ysri t ?-"lnN, are 



J quodcunque ornamentum 

/ ' ' 

vel e metallis conflatum, vcl e lap/dibits pre- 

tiosis confectum. Rosenm. ; the Syr. and 
Targ. have pearls. That courtesans 
decked themselves with the most costly 
ornaments they could command is men- 
tioned by Juvenal, Sat. vi. : 

" Mcochis foliata parantur ; 
Emitur his quicquid gracilis hue mit- 
titis Indi." 

The prophet has in view the gay orna- 
ments in which the Israelites decked 



CHAP. H. 



H O S E A . 



11 



14 Nevertheless, behold ! I will allure her, 
And, though I lead her into the desert, 
Yet I will speak soothingly to her. 

15. And I will grant her her vineyards from thence, 
And the valley of Achor for a door of hope : 



themselves on idolatrous holidays. Their 
entirely abandoning themselves to the 
service of idols, and their dereliction of 
the God of their fathers, are brought 
forward at the conclusion of this de- 
scription of their conduct, in order to 
heighten the aggravation of their guilt, 
and render the announcement of the 
kindly disposition of Jehovah towards 
them, at the beginning of the following 
verse, the more surprising. 

14. -\D\> cannot with any propriety be 
rendered "therefore" in this connection, 
if the following words are to be regarded 
as promissory of good, and not as con- 
taining a further threatening of punish- 
ment. And that they are to be so 
regarded, the subsequent context suffi- 
ciently shows. This particle must there- 
fore possess the force of the Arab. ,jQ 

verumtamen,>but yet, notwithstanding, never- 
theless. It thus marks the unexpected 
transition from threats to promises, as 
Is. vii. 14 ; x. 24 ; xxvii. 9 ; xxx. 18, 
et freq. nhS, of which nlPBW is the 
Piel participle, signifies to open, 'be open, 
easily persuasible; hence in Piel, both in 
a good and a bad sense, to persuade, al- 
lure, prevail upon by suitable induce- 
ments. It is here necessarily to be taken 
in the sense of inducing or gaining over 
to that which is good, by the use of 
soothing and persuasive means, as the 
concluding words of the verse isns-ri 
naV.-V? abundantly prove. As the Is- 
raelites were to be forcibly removed from 
their land by the king of Assyria, there 
is a singular want of propriety in assign- 
ing to i, in rpttsVn i, its usual copulative 
power. It is obviously to be understood 
exceptively, or as introducing a kind of 
parenthetical sentence, expressive of what 
was to take place in the history of the 
ten tribes previously to their conversion 
from idolatry ; and which, though it 
might seem severe, was indispensable for 
the attainment of that object. For this 



signification of i, See Euth ii. 13 ; 1 Sam. 
i. 5 ; Eccles. ix. 16 ; Mai. ii. 14 ; and 
other instances in Nolditis, No. 46. 
Bauer thinks the desert between Assyria 
and Judea is meant, through which the 
Israelites were to be conducted on their 
release; Doderlein, Theol. Biblioth. ex- 
plains it of Judea itself, at that tune 
desolate and waste. I imagine the 
country of Babylon is intended. Jehovah 
is here said to do what he would employ 
the Assyrians in doing. For the phrase 
i*9 ^S "i3/!> see I s - xl- 2. "When re- 
duced to circumstances of affliction in the 
countries of the East, whither they were 
to be carried, Jehovah declares that he 
would administer consolation to them; 
holding out to them the cheering pros- 
pect of restoration, on their repentance 
to their native land. 

15. The Israelites had altogether for- 
feited their possessions ; nor could they 
acquire a new right to them except in 
the way of a fresh grant from the Lord. 
This grant he here promises them, as he 
had of old promised Canaan to their 
fathers when in the wilderness. D' ; W, 
thence, means, returning from the wilder- 
ness; just as ntew indicates the home- 
ward direction of the exiles. To take 
D'i'ia as a particle of time, which Gese- 
nius proposes, is less suitable. " The val- 
ley of Achor" lay in the vicinity of 
Jericho, and was noted in the sacred 
history for the judgment inflicted upon 
Achan. From Is. Ixv. 10, it appears to 
have been a fertile and pleasant region ; 
and on this account alone it is thought 
by Calvin, Zanchius, Eivetus, and others, 
to be referred to by our prophet. Most 
of the Rabbins, however, and after them, 
many Christian interpreters, consider al- 
lusion to be made to the name, which 
signifies trouble or molestation, and to tin's 
I incline. This valley had proved very 
inauspicious to the Hebrews on their 
former entrance into Canaan. They had 
been forced to turn their backs before 



12 



H S E A . 



CHAP. IL 



And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, 

Even as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 

16 And it shall be in that day, saith Jehovah, 
That thou shalt call me, Ism ; 

And shalt no more call me, BAALI. 

17 For I will take away the names of the Baals from her mouth, 
And they shall no more be remembered by their name. 

18 And I will make a covenant for them in that day 

"With the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, 
And with the reptiles of the ground ; 



the native inhabitants, and their hearts 
melted, and became as water, Josh. vii. 
5, 8, 12, 24, 26. But on their return 
from the captivity, the exiles would pass 
through it with the undisturbed expec- 
tation of a peaceable and joyful occu- 
pation of the country. By rtlfift HfiB, 
a door ofliope, is meant a hopeful entrance 
into the holy land. nrj2:s>> the LXX. 
Syr. Arab, and Symm. take in the sig- 
nification io be humbled or afflicted; and 
this idea is adhered to by Grotius, who 
combines it with that of singing : " In- 
tellige autem carmen fletus et precum ; " 
but that of celebrating the Divine good- 
ness in songs of gratitude and joy, better 
suits the connection. The ft in ntoa, as 
before observed, indicates the homeward 
direction of the exiles yet not without 
special reference to their approach to 
the valley of Achor. The point of 
comparison, as it respects the singing, 
seems to be the Song of Moses at the 
Red Sea. As the people then united 
in celebrating the goodness of Jehovah 
displayed in their deliverance, so should 
the returning Israelites do, on again 
taking possession of their native land. 

16, 17. The word ^y_ a, Baal, had orig- 
inally been used in its unexceptionable 
acceptation of husband, and is thus ap- 
plied to Jehovah, Is. liv. 5 ; but as it 
had become common in its application 
by the Israelites to the heathen deities 
which they had worshipped, and besides, 
conveyed the idea of possession and rule., 
rather than that of affection, God here 
declares that in future he would be 
called t-"S, Ish, the name more usually 
employed to express the relation of hus- 



band, and which was not liable to the 
same objections : 

" Sic mihi servitium video, dominamque 
. paratam, 
Jam mihi libertas ilia paterna vale." 

Tibullus, lib. ii. Eleg. 4. 

Before lans, two MSS. the LXX. Aq. 
Syr. insert ^ ; while two MSS., and 
originally seven more, and four printed 
editions, omit it after ''isnjptn. tr^yra, 
is not here to be taken as a plural of ex- 
cellency, but is used, according to its 
strict import, to denote the different im- 
ages of Baal worshipped by the Israelites, 
such as Baal- Gad, Baal-Ammon, etc. 
Comp. Exod. xxiii. 13 ; Zcch. xiii. 2. 
The prophecy was fully accomplished at 
the return from the Babylonish captivity. 
18. Such should be the security of the 
returned exiles under the immediate 
care and protection of Jehovah, that 
every thing capable of injuring them 
should be rendered perfectly harmless. 
The irrational animals should be re- 
strained, as if under the bond of an 
inviolable compact ; and the Assyrian 
armies should no more attack them. 
Some understand the former part of the 
verse figuratively the different creatures 
there specified denoting men correspond- 
ing to them in disposition ; but the 
language is rather to be regarded as 
hyperbolical, being merely intended to 
heighten the effect. Comp. Job v. 23 ; 
Ezek. xxxiv. 25. Before nKrjVw, supply 
'Vs. or v 38, as in chap. i. 7. Targ. '--^y 
S2nj;. "n '-natis is a pregnant phrase, 
meaning, / will bnak and remove airiit/ 
from. D^.w is here expressive of the 



CHAP. II. 



H O S 33 A , 



13 



The bow, and the sword, and the battle, I will break and remove 

from the land, 
And will cause them to recline securely. 

19 I will also betroth thee to myself forever ; 

I will even betroth thee to myself with righteousness and with 

justice, 
And with kindness, and with tender compassion. 

20 Yea, I will betroth thee to myself with faithfulness : 
And thou shalt know Jehovah. 

21 Arid it shall be in that day, 
I will respond, saith Jehovah, 



reclining posture in which the orientals 
indulge whenever they are released from 
active exertion. At the time predicted 
there would be no enemy or danger to 
break in upon their repose. 

"Ipsse lacte domum referent distenta 

capellre , 
Ubera, riec magnos metuent armenta 

leones. 
Ipsa tibi blandos fundent cunabula 

flores. 
Occidet et serpens, et fallax herba 

veneni 
Occidet, Assyrium 

amomum." 



vulgo nascetur 
Virgil, Eclog. iv. 



19, 20. to"iS' signifies to contract a 
matrimonial alliance, and is here spe- 
cially selected in order to impress the 
minds of the Israelites with a sense of 
the distinguished character of the Divine 
benignity. Though they had rendered 
themselves totally unworthy of his re- 
gard, he declares that he would treat 
them as if they had never apostatized to 
idolatry. He would form a new con- 
jugal relation, as with a female in her 
virgin state. The triple repetition of 
the verb expresses intensity of desire, 
and gives the strongest assurance to the 
party to which the promise is made. 
DVii>-5, for ever, is to be taken as Gen. 
xiii. 1'5 ; Exod. xxxii. 13 ; Is. xxxv. 10. 
The several particulars here enumerated 
further discover, by the amplification 
which they form, the great kindness of 
Jehovah to his people. By " righteous- 
ness" and '-justice," is meant every 
equitable obligation which God could 
be expected to place himself under in 



the new conjugal relation all that the 
Israelites could, possibly expect in the 
way of supply from their Divine pro- 
tector. To these, however, are added 
"kindness," and "tender compassion," 
which express the strong internal aifec- 
tion from which the former should pro- 
ceed, and the high degree of interest 
which God would take in his recovered 
people. To remove every doubt from 
their minds, he crowns the whole by a 
gracious assurance that his engagements 
should be "faithfully" performed. D'Wfjl 
lit- the bowels, but com- 



TO. 



monly employed figuratively to denote 
tender aifection or love. Horsley's in- 
terpretation of the terms in application 
to our Saviour, is, like most of his 
exegesis, in the highest degree fanciful, 
being totally unsupported by the scope 
and connection of the passage. The 
knowledge of Jehovah here predicated 
is not speculative, or a bare intellectual 
acquaintance with his character, but ex- 
perimental, or that which results from 
the actual enjoyment of his love. Instead 
of ttiny Sis, twenty-six MSS., originally 
thirteen more, now two, and perhaps 
other two, two editions, supported by the 
Vulg., read rnrr; ''is "3, i. e. they shall 
know that lam Jehovah. 

21, 22. One of the most beautiful 
instances of prosopopoeia to be found in 
Scripture. Comp. the address to the Nile 
in Tibullus, lib. i. Eleg. vii. ver. 25 : 

"Te propter nullos tellus tua postulat 

imbres, 
Arida nee pluvio supplicat herba Jovi." 

While second causes have here their 



II O S E A 



CHAP. III. 



I will respond to the heavens, 

And they shall respond to the earth, 

22 And the earth shall respond to the corn, and the new wine, and 

the oil, 
And they shall respond to Jezreel. 

23 For I will sow her for myself in the land, 
And will have mercy upon. LO-RTJIIAMAH, 
And will say to Lo-AaiMi, Thou art my people ; 
And they shall say, My God ! 



appropriate place allotted to them, as so 
many connected links in the chain of 
Divine Providence, the sovereign in- 
fluence of the Great First Cause is 
strongly asserted by the emphatic repe- 
tition of n::?s, I will respond to, or answer. 
It must, however, be observed, that this 
verb does not occur the first time in one 
of Kennicott's MSS. ; it has originally 
been wanting in another of De Rossi's ; 
and is omitted in the LXX. Syr. and 
Arab. One of De Rossi's MSS, omits 
?..?5 entirely; and another, 



the second ns.3?s originally. Vsynp, 
Jezreel, here means that ivhich God' Hath 
sown, i. e. his people whom he had scatr 
tered, but whom he would again restore 
to their native soil. Comp. chap. i. ver. 
4,. and 1 1, 

23. !) is causal, introducing a decla- 
ration which is designed to account for 
the appropriation of the name Jezreel at 
the end of the preceding verse. The 
metaphor is agricultural. The rest of 
the verse contains a repetition of what 
is promised, chap. i. 10. 



CHAPTER III. 

This chapter contains a new symbolical representation of the regard of Jehovah for his peo- 
ple, and of their condition at a period subsequent to their re-establishment in Canaan at 
the return from Babylon. ' The prophet is commanded to become reconciled to Gomer, 
though she had proved unfaithful to him, as predicted chap. i. 2, ver. 1. lie obeys the 
command, and purchases her from the individual with whom she was living in adultery, 
but stipulates that she was to wait for a lengthened period before she could be restored to 
the enjoyment of her conjugal rights, 2, 3. In the two last verses, the symbolical pro- 
ceeding is explained of a long period during which the Hebrews were to live without the 
celebration of their ancient rites, and at the same time be free from all idolatrous practices. 
The direct prediction respecting their conversion to the Messiah, ver. 5, clearly proves, that 
their condition during the present dispersion is intended. 



1 AND Jehovah said unto me : Go again, love a woman beloved 

1. "nj>, arjain, obviously refers back to occasioned nearly the same diversity of 

chap. i. 2. The transaction here com- interpretation. To me there appears no 

mantled, bearing ?o near a resemblance consistent method of explaining it but 

to what is enjoined in that chapter, has that which assumes an identity of the 



CHAP. III. 



H S B A . 



15 



by a friend, yet an adulteress, according as Jehovah loveth the 

children of Israel, though they have turned to other gods, and 

2 love grape cakes. So I bought her to my sell' for fifteen pieces 



female here specified with Gomer, whom 
the prophet had previously married. 
For, first, such construction is absolutely 
required by the analog)'. It was Israel 
that stood in the relation of wife to 
Jehovah from first to last. No other 
nation was admitted to the same relation. 
Secondly, the female is one already 
married, but who had proved unfaithful ; 
which was precisely the case with Israel. 
Thirdly, except she had been the proph- 
et's own wife, who had become un- 
faithful to him, there would be no point 
in comparing his love to her with that 
borne by Jehovah to idolatrous Israel. 
Fourthly, a command to love the wife of 
another man, who, notwithstanding her 
infidelity was still attached to her, would 
be totally repugnant to every idea of 
moral justice and propriety. Lastly, the 
command is not hjs, take, as in the for- 
mer instance, chap, i . 2, the usual formu- 
la by which marriage is expressed ; but ' 
artN, love., i. e. renew thy kindness to 
her"; receive her back into thy house 
and make kind provision for her. This 
view of the passage is decidedly adopted 
by Ewald in his Propheten des Alien 
Bundcs, recently published. 

The words sn ran 8 rt'i'K arrS ^\, 
nSKSlM, are equivalent to, "Go, love thy 
wife, to whom, though an adulteress, thou 
art attached ; " but the indefinite form 
ttlL ; , a wife, is purposely selected, instead 
of ^i-nsSj thy wife, in order to intimate 
the state of separation in which they 
lived. For the same purpose y_^ t a friend 
or companion, is used, and not wa-jj, her 
husband ; it being here employed not so 
much as a term of endearment, as indi- 
cating that, whatever might be his dispo- 
sition towards her, they were not living on 
the same terms as formerly. Comp. for 
this acceptation of "i, Jcr. iii. 26. The 
LXX. mistaking the word for yn, evil, 
and taking rons for the Benon. Fi.riis, 
render aryaTrao-w voyi]ph -, for which the 

Syr. has 



.e o 

\h A t'O, an adulterous woman who lov- 



eth evil tilings. The words nan S3 
il. w .1 rrttrj, are to be connected with" 
5>"n J-iSn 8, and not with aris. The land 
feeling of the prophet towards his faithless 
wife corresponded, as a type, to the love 
of God towards the idolatrous Israelites. 
The sentence just quoted in part, as 
well as the words n"HV;--V$ d^ss 
t^ns, form only two out 6i' numerous 
instances in which Hosea uses the lan- 
guage of the Pentateuch, as Iljivcrnick 
has shown in his Handbuch der histor- 
crit. Einlcit. in das A. T. 1 Theil. 2 Ab- 
tlie.il. p. 608. t^asj? n i?~N, have been 
variously interpreted'. LXX. jre^ora 
perk aTaQlSos or ffTa<f>lSiav^ baked meats 
ivith raisins. Aq. renders the former 
word by ira.Ka.ia, evidently reading ''B'^i. 
According to the TIexap. Syr. Theod. 

adopts the same rendering : Ofl,A S Vl \ 



Symm. iutdprovs; Vulg. 



vinacia uvarum ; Syr. 

/ 

placenta uvis passis condita. Junius, 
Tremelh'us, and others, have flagons of 
wine, as in our common version. The 
word T^ IBS is employed by Jonathan in 
his Targ. on Exod. xvi. 31, to express 
the meaning of tr* n s s , a fiat cake. The 
most probable derivation is from 'i"x, to 
press, compress ; and the meaning will 
be, pressed cakes of dried grapes. Such 
calces are highly esteemed in the East, 
on account of their sweet taste, and 
doubtless formed 'part of the offerings 
presented to idols, and afterwards eaten 
at idolatrous feasts. 

2. Because the purchase of wives was 
not uncommon, as it still is, in eastern 
countries, (See Michaelis on the Laws of 
Moses, Art. 'LXXXV. Grant's Ncsto- 
rians, p. 214; Perkins's Eight Years in 
Persia, p. 236,) most expositors have 
supposed that such a transaction is in- 
tended in this place. The fact, hoAvever, 
that the price here specified, one half in 



16 



H O S E A . 



CHAP. III. 



of silver, and for an homer and an half of barley. And I said 
unto her : Thou shalt remain for me many days ; thou sbalt not 
commit lewdness, nor become any man's ; and I also will remain 
for thee. . For the children of Israel shall remain many days 



money, and .the other half in grain, was 
the exact amount of what was allowed 
for a female slave, Exod. xxi. 32, induces 
the belief that the payment was made 
by the prophet for the liberation of his 
own wife, who had become the property 
of the person, with whom she had been 
living in adultery. The sum was too 
parsimonious to have been given as a 
dowery. The signification of buying as 
attaching to rrn3, is sufficiently estab- 
lished by Deut. ii. 6, and Job xl. 30, 

and the use of the Arab. } *$, Conj. vi. 

and viii., conduxit rem, LXX. 6/j.icr- 
&utrd[.LT)v. Hcngstenberg's attempt to 
explain it here of digging, in the sense 
of boring the ear in token of a state of 
slavery, is unsuccessful. A t]^V.> fothek, 
according to the Rabbins, contained 
fifteen seahs, or half an homer. Theod. 
yo/ubp aKfyiruv ; Symm. $v\a,Kos 
but the other Greek versions, 
half a cor, which was equal to an 
homer. The LXX. unaceoxmtably have 
jej3e\ otvov. The repetition of fnVty is 
not unusual in Hebrew, but the abbrevi- 
ated form of expression is better English. 
3. si"* properly signifies to sit, but 
likewise to dwell, remain, etc. "'iTt) !*V 
explains its meaning here to be 'a re- 
fraining from all cohabitation with others. 
^, and trViS. are correlates ; and -os t^l 
forms an antithesis ; " while I, on the 
other hand," etc. As the wife of the 
prophet was to continue for a long time 
in a state of separation equally from 
paramours and from her husband, and 
he was likewise to form no connection 
with any other woman, so the Israelites 
should long live without serving either 
false gods or Jehovah ; while, on his 
part, he would enter into no national 
relationship to any other people. This 
application of the symbol is distinctly 
marked by 13, and by the resumption of 
S-it, ver. 4. The choice of the fuller 
preposition V$, in tj"^ in preference to 
V, seems designed to express the strength 



of affection with which the symbolical 
female was still to be regarded ; conse- 
quently the powerful inclination of the 
Lord towards his unfaithful people. 

4. This verse describes a period of 
great length, during which the Israelites 
were to have no civil polity, either under 
regal or princely rule ; no sacred sacri- 
fice ; no idolatrous statue ; no mediating 
priest ; and no images or tutelary deities. 
This period cannot be that of their dis- 
persion previous to the return from 
Babylon ; for the restoration of the wife 
of the prophet prefigured the restoration 
which took place on that return, agree- 
ably to chap. ii. 19, 20, 23. It is true 
that when they were brought back alor.r; 
with the Jewish exiles, the Israelites had 
no more any civil or ecclesiastical polity 
of their own; neither did they relapso 
into idolatry: but still, as in comracr'. 
with their brethren, they were subject to 
the same political rule, and offered their 
sacrifices to Jehovah at Jerusalem, it 
follows that the days here predicted 
must be those which have succeeded to 
the times of the Asmonean dynasty, or 
the dispersion consequent upon the final 
destruction of Jerusalem. During the 
protracted period of more than eighteen 
centuries, (D"S1 fc'tt 1 ;) they have been 
precisely in the circumstances here pre- 
dicted separated ' from idolaters, and 
professedly belonging to Jehovah, yet 
never acknowledged by him in a church 
relationship. They have neither had 
a civil ruler, nor any of the consecrated 
offices and rites of their ancient econ- 
omy. Thus Kimchi on the passage, 
rn 12 lariixa; mVit*; "a* 1 ^r rVs-, 



QrT'-i'in cnVw man 21 iDfiis. 0":~ 
" And these are the days of our pres- 
ent captivity, for we have neither king 
no" prince of Israel, but are tinder the 
rule of the nations, even under the rr.le 
of their Icings and their princes." This 
interpretation, which alone suits the 
views furnished of the subject by the 



CHAP. III. 



HO SEA. 



IT 



without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, 

and without a statue, and without an ephod, and without images. 

5 Afterwards the children of Israel shall return, and shall seek Je- 



prophet, overturns the hypothesis of Dr. 
Grant, that the Nestorian Christians are 
the remains of the ten tribes. It cannot 
properly be said of them that they have 
continued Q-sn D"i, in a state of sepa- 
ration from God, for they received the 
gospel in the earliest ages of Christianity. 
Some explain nat, both of legitimate 
sacrifices and of such as were offered to 
false gods ; but the grouping of this term 
with n2S?3, a statue, as TiStJj ephod, fol- 
lowing, is with fBnP, teraphim, clearly 
shows that the prophet meant the former 
restrictively. Kimchi briefly explains : 
ty? -2^73 TIKI V>s? ft^T "p"' "without 
sacrifice to God, and without an image 
for idolatrous worship." From the pro- 
hibitidn Lev. xxvi. 1 ; Deut. xvi. 22, and 
the history, 2 Kings iii. 2; xvii. 10 ; x. 
26, 27, it is manifest that fi^Sto does not 
stand for altar, as the ancient versions 
render it, but denotes a statue or image 
of some false deity. Comp. Micah v. 13. 
niss, the ephod, was that part of the 
high priest's dress which was worn above 
the tunic and robe. It consisted of two 
pieces which hung down, the one in front 
over the breast, and the other covering 
the back, and both reaching to the mid- 
dle of the thigh. They were joined to- 
gether on the shoulders by golden clasps, 
set in precious stones, and fastened round 
the waist by a girdle. In the breast part 
was the yjjti, or pectoral, containing the 
Urim and' Thummim, by w r hich divine 
responses Avere vouchsafed to the Hebrews. 
According to the Jews, the ephod in its 
complete state ceased with the captivity : 
for they specify the TJrim and Thummim 
among the five things with respect to 
which the first temple differed from the 
second. LXX. lepareia, priesthood, 
which I doubt not the Hebrew term was 
intended metonymically to denote in this 
place, a "> ~\ V\ , the teraphim, were penates, 
or household' gods. They were used at 
a very early period, as appears from the 
history of Rachel, Gen. xxxi. 19, 30, 32, 
34, 35. Comp. 1 Sam. xix. 13; 2 
Kings xxiii. 24 ; Ezek. xxi. 21 ; Zech. 

3 



x. 2. That they were not only kept as 
tutelary deities, but also consulted for 
the purpose of obtaining a knowledge of 
future events, appeal's from several of the' 
passages just quoted. Hence the render- 
ing of the LXX. SijAcw. The etymology 
of the word is altogether uncertain. 

5. At a period still subsequent to that 
of their existence in the state just de- 
scribed, the Israelites (now amalgamated 
with the Jews,) are to be converted to 
the true worship and service of Jehovah, , 
under the spiritual reign of our Saviour, 
the promised Messiah. To him they 
will then submit themselves, and richly 
enjoy the blessings of divine grace,, 
communicated through his mediation. 
That -PI*!, David, here means neither: 
the royal house of David, nor any human . 
monarch of that name who is yet to- 
reign over the Jews, as some have im- 
agined, but the great Messiah himself,, 
appears evident from Scripture usage. 
See Is. Iv. 3, 4 ; Jer. xxx. 9 ; Ezek. 
xxxiv. 23, 24 ; xxxvii. 24, 25. As the 
name properly signifies The Beloved, it 
quite accords with 6 a.yoar^'bs, Matt. iii. 
17, and 6 T]yairi)[j.evos, Eph. i. 6. Thus 
the Targ. T ; n is srpicwVi. j!is:iat33 i y: 
" And they shall obey Messiah the Son 
of David." The following is the Rabbin- 
ical interpretation : NS^W ps "p-nas 
1M OKI rpttw TH s^n -)to as jsmicKi . 
STMB in sin [n^Bi]. "The Rabbins 
say, that He is the king Messiah ; whether 
he be of the living, his name is David, 
and whether he be of the slain, his name 
is David." Berachoth Jerus. in Raym. 
Martini Pugio Fidei, Fol. 277. See also 
the Rabbinical Commentaries on the 
above passages in Ezekiel. The use of 
Vx, in the phrase nirp-Vs tnn.S^, and 
not fa, or "'SBW, the tisual form/ is in- 
tended to show that the fear here speci- 
fied is not of the kind which " hath tor- 
ment," and which causes those who are 
under its influence to recede from its 
object, but such fear as attracts or in- 
duces them to approach to it. This the 
addition iatta Vsi "and to his good- 



H S E A . 



CHAP. HI. 



hovah their God, and David their king ; and they shall trem- 
blingly hasten to Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter day. 



ness," clearly shows. Comp. Micah 
vii. 17. As, however, the. idea of fleeing 
or hastening from danger is also im- 
plied in verbs signifying to fear, I have 
rendered the words so as to include 
both. In this way Rabbi Tanchum: 



" They shall flee to him for help from all 
that may be feared." Comp. Jer. xxxi. 
12. LXX. eKffTJia'ovrai eiri T<J> Kvptca 
Kol dirl TO?S aya&ois avrov. Ewald 
renders, und loerden beben zu Jahve wid 
.zu seinem Gute, u. s. w. ; and Hitzig 
explains, bebend in freudiger Erwartung 



werden sie herbeieilen. While on the 
one hand the Jews, under the influence 
of alarm, shall be excited to flee from 
the wrath to come, they shall be attracted 
by the display of the divine goodness in 
the mediation of Christ, to confide in 
Him for all the blessings of salvation. 
fnari irnfis, the last of the days, i. e. 
the days of the Messiah, as the Rabbins 
interpret the phrase. See on Is. ii, 2, 
where Kimchi says expressly, Cipw Vs 
IT'totttt i-iifti sin D'Wn rrnhxa *najott> 
."wherever it is said, 'In the last of the 
days,' it means the days of the Mes- 
siah." 



CHAPTER IV. 



"The prophet now addresses himself more directly to the castigation of the flagrant evils 
which abounded in the kingdom, of Israel during the interregnum -which followed upon 
the death of Jeroboam, and the reigns of Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, and Fekahiah. 
He calls the attention of his countrymen to the divine indignation, and the causes of it, 1, 
2 ; denounces the judgments which were about to be executed upon them, 3 ; describes 
their incorrigible character, especially that of the priests, 4-11; and expatiates on the 
grossness of their idolatrous practices, 12-14. A solemn warning is then given to the 
members of the Jewish kingdom not to allow themselves to be influenced by their wicked 
example, 15-19. 



1 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel ! 

For Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; 
Because there is no truth, nor kindness, nor knowledge of God 
in the land. 



1, 2. The initiatory words are those 
of Hosea, summoning attention to the 
divine message which he was commis- 
sioned to deliver. Vs")'^" 1 "33 is equivalent 
to Vs-ru; 1 ] to a, ch. v.' i ; Vsn'io 1 ; "taa^, 
ch. v. 9'; and frequently to W-jto 1 ] and 
"C'nSis; and all these different epithets 
are used of the kingdom of the ten tribes 
in contradistinction to rnin? and ma 



which designate the tribes of 
Judah' and Benjamin, a * "j signifies here 
ground of complaint, or judicial pro- 
ceeding. LXX. icpiffis. The wickedness 
which abounded is first set forth nega- 
tively, and then positively, under certain 
items ; and the infinitive absolute is em- 
ployed with great effect, as expressing 
more emphatically, by its abstract form, 



CHAP, IV. 



HO SEA. 



19 



2 There is nothing but swearing and lying, 
And murder, and theft, and adultery; 
They have burst forth, 

And blood reach eth to blood. 

3 Therefore shall the land mourn, 

And every one that dwelleth in it shall languish; 
With the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven ; 
The fishes of the sea also shall be removed. 

4 Yet let no man contend with, nor reprove another ; 

For thy people are like those that contend with the priest. 

5 Therefore thou shalt fall by day, 

And the prophet also shall fall with thee by night ; 
And I will destroy thy mother. 



the heinousness of the evils described. 
The force of this I have given in a free 
translation. Ewald improperly limits 
the signification of the verb yn2 in this 
place to the act of breaking into houses ; 
but the metaphor seems rather to be 
taken from the bursting forth of a torrent. 
which, in its progress, spreads wider and 
wider, and sweeps all before it. The 
plural form D'W'n, blood, has also a degree 
of emphasis, signifying much bloodshed. 
What the prophet means is, that murder 
was so common, that no space was left 
as it Avere between its acts. LXX. 
al/j-ara e'0' afaatri n'uryovcri. Coverdale, 
'One bloudgiltynes foloweth another. And 
Rittcrhusius powerfully in his poetical 
metaphrase : 

" - sic sanguine sanguis 
Truditur, et scelerum nullus finisve 
modusve est." 

See 2 Kings xv. ; Micah vii. 2. 

3. Comp. Is. xix. 8 ; xxiv. 4 ; Joel i. 
10, 12, VVsx, in the Pulal. Conj., is 
usually employed after VatJ, in order more 
forcibly to describe the calamitous state 
of a country, a here signifies with, ex- 
tending to, accompanied by, and includes 
what follows in the general predicate. 
Comp. Gen. vii. 21. CjtDN, is cognate 
with qqo, and signifies to gather up, 
away, back, take away, as well as simply 
to collect together, Zeph. i. 2, 3. LXX. 



a^i signifies not only what we 
call the sea, T but any lesser collection of 
water, as pools, and even rivers. See Is. 
xix. 5. 

4. Vs is here prohibitory, and not 
simply negative, as some have rendered 
it. The introduction of the sentence by 
^jj?, yet, nevertheless, is designed to show 
the hopeless character of the persons 
spoken of. All reproof on the part of 
their friends or neighbors generally would 
prove fruitless, seeing they had reached 
a degree of hardihood, which was only 
equalled by the contumacy of those who 
refused to obey the priest, when he gave 
judgment in the name of the Lord, Deut. 
xvii. 12. The passage is thus quite plain, 
and requires no transposition or emen- 
dation of the words as adopted by Houbi- 
gant, Newcome, and Boothroyd. oitt 
jriSi is the same as if it were ins CraiW 
jn'sn, Comp. VIM U'&WS, chap. v. 10) 
All the ancient versions, except the LXX. 
and Aq. read ^psy. The Hexap. Syr. has 



K\ei<j>ovffiv ; Syr. 



; Targ. 



.5 < .? 

5. By a sudden transition to the sec- 
ond person, the prophet addresses, himself 
directly to his guilty people, and predicts 
their utter destruction. nVTL Kimchi, 
Drusius, CEcolamp. Grotius, and Ewald, 
improperly render "to-day." As con- 
trasted here with r\~\, night, it is equiv- 
alent to Di-ia, by day. Comp. Neh. iv. 
16. That the article is not repeated be- 
fore n\> '\, may be owing to the common 
adverbial use of this noun without it. 



20 



HO SEA, 



CHAP. IV. 



6 My people is destroyed for lack of knowledge ; 
Because thou hast rejected knowledge, 

I will also reject thee, so that thou shalt not be a priest to me; 
Because thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, 
I also will forget thy children. 

7 According to their increase, so they sinned against me ; 
I will change their glory into shame. 

8 They devour the sin-offering of my people, 
And long for their iniquity. 



The false prophets by whom the Israelites 
had been encouraged in wicked practices 
should render them no assistance in the 
season of calamity, but should be them- 
selves involved in the same common ruin. 
>SV i n, the LXX. renders dpoiwca ; and 
several translate, " I have reduced to 
silence ; " but the verb is obviously used 
in the sense of destroying, as 553-12 is, 
ver. 6. Comp. Zeph. i. 11. By ^teN, 
thy mother, the Israelitish state is meant, 
of which the citizens were the children. 
See chap. ii. 1. Thus Kimchi, Jerome, 
Grotius, Michaelis, Rosenmiiller, and 
Maurer. Others, as Cornelius a Lapide, 
Houbigant, Capellus, Pococke, Bauer, 
and Newcome, suppose the metropolis 
to be intended. 

6. nynn '^aw, having here the article 
before the noun, and occurring in con- 
nection with hin immediately follow- 
ing, is not to be taken in the sense of un- 
expectedly, as hy-t ^35? is, Is. v. 13, but 
strictly means that destitution of the 
true knowledge of God which was the 
source of the sins now about to be pun- 
ished. This ignorance is principally 
charged upon the religious teachers of 
the nation, each of whom is directly 
addressed in PDSto insert! nt-js. Thus 
Pagninus, O sa'cerdos ; which Dathe also 
inserts in his text. The persons addressed 
pretended to be priests of Jehovah, though 
they taught the people to combine with 
his worship that of pagan deities, or at 
least that of the golden calves, which, no 
doubt, paved the way for the universal 
spread of idolatry in Israel. The position 
adopted by Horsley, that the Jewish 
high-priest is intended, does not suit the 
connection. The third N in ^s&SKN, is 
not found in a great number of 'Kerini- 



cott's and De Rossi's MSS., nor in some 
of the earlier printed editions ; in others 
it is marked as redundant, and some few 
have v-|p "JWOH. The antitheses in this 
verse are pointed and forcible. 13 is 
understood as repeated in rtsjsfji, and i 
before ftBSJs. 

7. As the priests are obviously the 
nominative to the verbs in the three fol- 
lowing verses, and form the subject of 
discourse in that which precedes, they 
must likewise be the persons spoken of in 
this. It has been queried whether the 
increase was in number, or in wealth, 
power, etc. Michaelis thinks the latter 
is meant? still the former may be in- 
cluded, in harmony with the mention 
made of their children, ver. 6. In pro- 
portion as they multiplied in numbers 
and grew in influence, they promoted the 
increase of idolatry : but the wealth and 
dignity (1123) which they acquired, and 
which they thus prostituted, should be 
destroyed by foreigners, by whom they 
would be carried into captivity, tans, 
and fiias, form a slight paronomasia. " 

8. nsafl here signifies sin-offering, as 
it frequently does in the Levitical code. 
So Kimchi ; and it is thus rendered in 

Pococke's Arab. Ms. 



1 ^X^l 

... JO LJ tiajTi 



L .>J>-9 

^^ * r 

Castalio, pia- 



culo. The priests greedily devoured what 
the people brought for the expiation of 
their sins ; and instead of endeavoring to 
put a stop to abounding iniquity, only 
wished it to increase, in order that they 
might profit by the multitude of the vic- 
tims presented for sacrifice. ciBast'S, to 
lift up the animal soul for any thing, 
means to lust after it, long, or have a 
strong desire for it, Deut. xxiv. 15 ; Jer. 



CHAP. IV. 



HO SEA. 



9 Therefore it shall be, like people, like priest ; 
I will punish them according to their ways, 
And requite them for their deeds. 

10 For they shall eat, but shall not be satisfied; 
They shall commit lewdness, but shall not increase : 
Because they have ceased to regard Jehovah. 

1 1 Lewdness and wine and new wine take away the heart. 

12 My people consult their stock; 
Their staff announceth to them : 



xxii. 27. i in toBS, is used distributively 
to express the fact that such was ths 
character of each of the priests. The 
reading Qv. ; 2a, found in ten MSS., origi- 
nally in seven more, and perhaps in one, 
and supported by the LXX. Syr. Targ. 
Vulg. and Arab., most probably origi- 
nated in emendation. Not unfrequently 
a proposition commences with the plural, 
and ends with the singular, and vice 
versd.' 

9. Comp. Is. xxiv. 2. The rank and 
wealth of the priests would not exempt 
them from sharing the same fate with the 
rest of the nation. 

10. siVssi is a resumption of JiVssv 

; IT ; * * 

ver. 8. rOTn is here used intransitively 
as in ver. 18, v. 3, and is to be under- 
stood literally of the sensual indulgences 
of the Israelitish teachers, as the verb 
s^nSi shows. For the signification to 
abound in children, as attaching to this 
verb, see Gen. xxviii. 14. Saadius, 
Arnold, (Blumen althebraisch. Dichtk.) 
and Horsley, disjoin ittti^ from the pre- 
ceding verb, and connect it with the fol- 
lowing nouns, thus : 

" They have forsaken Jehovah, 
Giving heed to fornication," etc. 

But, notwithstanding the apparent force 
of the bishop's remarks, there is some- 
thing so repugnant to Hebrew usage in 
the combination fti Tin i "p^i f-w "IKS;^, 
to observe fornication, and wine, and new 
wine, that it is altogether inadmissible. 
Though the verb "^IB may in no other 
passage take r,\r>\ for its object, yet it 
takes K-.'i "Van, lying vanities, i. e. idols, 
Ps. xxxi. 7 ; Jonah ii. 9 ; in which latter 
passage it is connected with zrj, as in 



the present case. The division of the 
words ibund in our common version is that 

of the Hexap. Syr. "-"^ * | 



, and the Slavonic ; and is ap- 

proved by Michaelis, Tingstadius, New- 
come, Dathe, Boothroyd, De Wette, 
Hitzig, and Ewald. 

11. This verse has the appearance of 
a moral adage. The influence of habits 
of impurity and intoxication in blunting 
the moral feelings, and weakening the 
intellectual powers, is a well-established 
fact in the history of man. 

" Nox et amor vinumqiie nihil modera- 

bile suadent ; 
Illapudore vacat, liber amorque metu." 

Ovid. 

" Nox, vinum, mulier ; nihil perniciosus 
adolescentulo." Plant. 

There can be little doubt that the prophet 
has specially in view the impure and 
bacchanalian orgies which were con- 
nected with the Syrian idolatry. For 
the prevalence of drunkenness in Ephraim 
see Is. xxviii. 1 ; Amos iv. 1. 

12. The LXX., and most versions 
which follow them, connect <} with nV, 
at the end of the preceding verse ; a 
mode of construction adopted by Mi- 
chaelis and Dathe, but otherwise dis- 
approved by modern translators. The 
Syr. Targ. and Vulg. divide properly. 
Hosea here adduces proofs of the mental 
hebetude to which the sinful practices of 
the Israelitish people had reduced them 
their application to their wooden idols 
and images for oracular counsel, and their 
use of rhabdomancy or divination by 



22 



HO SEA'. 



CHAP. IV. 



For a lewd spirit hath caused them ito err ; 

They have lewdly departed from under their God. 

13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, 
And offer incense upon the hills ; 

Under the oak, and the poplar, and the terebinth, 
Because their shade is pleasant : 
Therefore your daughters commit lewdness, 
And your daughters-in-law adultery. 

14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit lewdness, 
Nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery ; 

For they themselves go aside with harlots, 



rods. Leo Juda: "ligno suo oracula 
quserit." That by yy, wood, is here 
meant an. idol made of such material, 
the connection shows. Coinp. Jer. ii. 
27 : x. 8 ; Hab. ii. 19. t|*)a is properly 
a shoot or twig, then a rod, walking staff, 
etc. Occurring as it does here, in refer- 
ence to an idolatrous or superstitious 
practice, it denotes such a staff employed 
for purposes of divination. Some have 
been of opinion that it is to be taken as 
strictly parallel to yy, and that a staff is 
meant -which had the image of some god 
carved upon it ; but the use of the phrase 
iV "i n Si1> announceth, pointeth out, shows 
that a divining rod is meant. Rhabdo- 
mancy (pajSSo/uaj/Tefa) was very common 
among the ancient idolaters, as it has 
been in later times in different countries 
of the East. The ancient Arabs consulted 
their gods in this way, taking two rods, 
on one of which was inscribed God bids, 
and on the other God forbids, and drawing 
them out of the case into which they were 
put, acted agreeably to the direction 
which first came forth. See Pococke, 
Specimen. Hist. Arab. p. 327. Mai- 
monides quotes an ancient book entitled 
Siphri, in which a diviner is defined to 
be one who takes his staff, and inquires, 
Shall I go ? or, Shall I not go ? The 
Runic wands of the Scandinavian nations, 
on which were inscribed mysterious char- 
acters, and which were used for magical 
purposes, appear to have originated in 
the more ancient divination of Asia. 
d*2!)3T ri"" 1 , lit. a spirit of whoredoms, 
i. e. a powerful impetus to commit acts 
of idolatry. Instead of the simple form 
rsrn, some few MSS. the Babyl. Tal- 



mud, the Syr. Yulg. and Targ. read 
fcSFiri ; while the LXX. and Arab, read 
aynh. Tor CTT^S nnryn, comp. 
Numb. v. 19, 20 ; E/ek. xxiii. 5 ; and 
vimi>8pos, Rom. vii. 2. 

13. Mountains and hills were selected 
by idolaters on which to erect their altars, 
and offer their sacrifices, on account of 
their supposed proximity to the host of 
heaven, which they worshipped. That 
this custom was very ancient, appears 
from the prohibition, Deut. xii. 2. For 
imitating it, the Hebrews are frequently 
reproved, Is. Ixv. 7 ; Jer. iii. 6 ; Ezek. 
xviii. 11. artan, being in Piel, ex- 
presses the eagerness and frequency with 
which the Israelites offered their idola- 
trous sacrifices. They also selected groves 
of oak, terebinth, etc., for purposes of 
superstition and idolatry, under whose 
umbraceous cover they might at once be 
screened from the heat of the sun, and 
indulge in lascivious practices. The 
sacrifice of female virtue which was re- 
quired in the religious service of the 
Phoenician goddess Astarte, seems clearly 
to be referred to in this and the following 
verse. Ft:3^> LXX. \evK-r], the white 
poplar, from ^5^, to be white. 

14. Kuinoel, and others, taking &?, as 
standing for s&n, read the first part of 
the verse interrogatively, which is not 
unsupported by examples in Hebrew 
usage. It seems better, however, to under- 
stand it here as a simple negative, and 
the meaning to be that, as the parents 
and husbands indulged in the flagitious 
practices here described, Jehovah would 
not make examples of the females, or suf- 
fer them to be punished, as if they alone 



CHAP. IV. 



HO SEA. 



23 



And sacrifice with prostitutes : ; 

And as for the undiscerning people, they shall be overthrown. 
15 Though thou, O Israel, art lewd, 
Yet let not Judah "be found guilty ; 
Come ye not to Gilgal, 
Neither go ye up to Beth-aven, 
Nor use the oath, " Jehovah liveth." 

were guilty ; but would punish , with 
condign punishment their %atural pro- 
tectors, who not only abandoned them to 
seduction, but themselves rioted in the 
same wickedness. ThusMunster: "Du- 
rissime animadvertam in parentes et 
spouses, ut filiaj et sponsa? eorum punitre 
videantur esse extra prcnam." The 
transition from the second to the third 
person, for the purpose of more graphi- 
cally exhibiting the subject of discourse, 
is not without examples. See Is. xxii. 
16. The use of the separate pronoun c n , 
also adds to the emphasis of the language. 
-i-i2, in Piel, strongly marks the studied 
withdrawment of the Israelites from the 
assembled throngs, to such places as were 
devoted to scenes of impurity; while 
fiST, in the same conjugation, signifies 
in this connection, to commit lewdness as 
an act of idolatrous devotion. Between 
j-nai, and FTO'ip, there seems to be this 
difference, that the former were ordinary 
females who prostituted themselves for 
gain, but the latter those who devoted 
themselves to the service of Astarte, by 
offering their persons to be violated in her 
temples at the sacred festivals. See Sel- 
dcn de Diis Syris, Synt. ii. cap. 2, ; Her- 
odot. lib. i. cap. 199 ; Euseb. Vit. Con- 
stantin. lib. hi. cap. 35 ; Spencer de Leg. 
Heb. lib, ii, cap. 22 and 23 ; Lucian de 
Dea Syra. Of this latter term, the mas. 
D-'inp. catamites, occurs, 1 Kings xiv. 
24 ; xv. 12 : xxii. 47 ; and in the ancient 
book of Job, chap, xxxvi. 14, which 
shows at how very early a period such 
abominations obtained. It likewise occurs 
in both genders in the prohibition, Dent- 
xxiii. 18. To these practices the LXX. 
doubtless had respect in rendering the 
word TeTeAetr/Ltej/co!/, initiated. Its deri- 
vation from tin p, to be sacred, consecrated, 
or destined to the service of the temple, 
confirms our interpretation. laqV ; Syr. 



, concitavit ; Arab. *2-, conjedt 

in terrain aliquem, in Niph. to bo cast 
down, overthrown, or the like. The verb 
occurs only here, and Prov. x. 8, 10, 
where see Schultens. 

15. A solemn warning to the Jewish 
kingdom to beware of mixing itself up 
with that of Israel in the practice of 
idolatry. Here n:T, to commit lewdness, 
is again used figuratively, tss, properly 
signifies to contract guilt, or become sub- 
ject to its consequences. ViVj, Gilgal, 
was a town situated between the Jordan 
and Jericho, near the confines of the 
kingdom of Samaria. It was regarded 
as a holy place as early as the days of 
Joshua, chap. v. 15 ; and sacrifices were 
offered there to Jehovah in these of Sam- 
uel, 1 Sam. x. 8, 13 ; xv. 21, 33. In 
process of time, however, it came to be 
converted into a place of idolatrous wor- 
ship, Amos iv. 4, 5 ; Hos. ix. 15 ; xii. 
11. ";_s i-PS, Beth-aven, i. e. the house 
of vanity or idols, a name given by the 
minor prophets, by way of contempt, to 
Bethel, i. e. the house of God, a place 
sacred to true religion, in the time of the 
patriarchs, and the judges; but after- 
wards selected by Jeroboam as the princi- 
pal seat of the worship of the golden 
calves, 1 Kings xii. 29, 32, 33 ; xiii. 1 ; 
Amos iii. 14 ; vii. 10, 13 ; Jer. xlviii. 13. 
It originally belonged to the tribe of Ben- 
jamin, but was taken by that of Ephraim, 
Judges i. 22-25. That there was a city 
of the name of Beth-aven near to Bethel, 
appears from Josh. vii. 2, which may 
have suggested the appropriation of the 
name to the latter. LXX. olicov ^Zlv, 
reading -pSi the native name of Hcli- 
opolis, Aq. and Fymm. olicov avu<pe\rj ; 
Theod. olnov aSuc'ias; and with this the 



Arab, agrees 



.2 > the house 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. IV- 



16 Since Israel is refractory, like a refractory heifer; 
Jehovah will now feed them, like a lamb in a large place. 

17 Ephraim is joined to idols ; 
Leave him to himself. 

18 When their carousal is over they indulge in lewdness; 
Her shields are enamored of infamy. 



of iniquity. Comp. Amos iv. 4 ; v. 5. 
From the warning here given to the 
Jews not to participate with the Israelites 
in their idolatry, it is evident the proph- 
ecy was delivered at a time when they 
were comparatively free from that evil. 
The prohibition not to swear by the for- 
mula nirn ifi, respects the combination 
of the divine name with those of idols, or 
the profession of attachment to Jehovah, 
if the persons addressed were guilty of 
idolatry. Comp. Zeph. i. 5. That it 
was otherwise lawful to use it, appears 
from Jer. iv. 2. Comp. Deut. x. 20. 

16. The metaphor is here taken from 
a heifer that obstinately refuses to be 

., 
yoked. Thus the Syr. Lo 



For the force of "ns, comp. 

Deut. xxi. 18. The latter hemistich 
contains the language of irony . As lambs 
are fond of ranging at large, but are in 
danger of being lost or devoured, so God 
threatens to remove the Israelites into a 
distant and large country, where they 
would be separated from those with 
whom they associated in idolatrous wor- 
ship, and thus be left solitary and ex- 
posed as in a wilderness. The phrase 
arntea ny."!, to feed in a large place, is 
elsewhere used in a good sense, Is. xxx. 
23. 

17. fci'nSS, Ephraim, as the most nu- 
merous and powerful of the tribes, and 
that in which the kingdom was estab- 
lished, is put for all the ten. *i siarj, from 
I a ft, to be joined, closely united, 'adhere 
to, to be allied to by voluntary choice, 
Gen. xiv. 3. In this last sense the term 
is here used. The Israelites had volun- 
tarily addicted themselves to the service 
of idols, and thus identified themselves 
with their interests. While the word 
t"as>' idols, suggests the idea of their 
.being 'merely the fabrication of human 



labor, it also intimates the pain or sorrow 
resulting from idolatry. The root has 
both significations. i^-n|n strongly 
implies the obstinacy and incorrigible 
character of the ten tribes, and indig- 
nantly abandons them to their fate. 
They are irreclalmably devoted to the 
gods of the heathen : let them take their 
own way, and reap the consequences of 
their perverse choice. Their case is des- 
perate. Comp. Jer. vii. 16 ; Ezek. xx, 
39. Thus Tanchum, Jarchi, Kimchi. 
Calvin, Tamovius, Zanchius, Coverdale, 
Drusius, Lively, Leo Juda, Pocockc, 
Kuinoel, Michaelis, Tingstadius, New- 
come, Stuck, and Ewald. Others, as 
the Targ. Jerome, Mercer, Diodati, 

1 Grotius, Kosenmiiller, Maurer, etc., re- 
gard the words as simply containing a 
warning to the inhabitants of Judah to 
keep aloof from, and take no part in the 
idolatries of the Ephraimites. The LXX . 
etfrjKei/ eavry <riccivSa\a, reading han in 
the preterite, and supplying the idea of 
idols from the preceding part of the 
verse. 

18. Before nc, the particle cs, when, 
is to he supplied, which in poetry, ioi- 
the sake of conciseness and energy, i-> 
frequently omitted. For the acceptation 
past, passed atvay, over, etc. comp. 1 yam. 

xv. 32, Mnten IB ID. Horsley, Ewal/', 
and some others, are of opinion that n 
means vapid, degenerated, sour, etc., but 
less aptly. The meaning is, that no 
sooner were their compotations over than 
they indulged in excessive lewdness. 
Instead of SjiSO, their drink, drinking 
bout, one of De'llossi's MSS. has originally 
read O'SSiD, drunkards ; another CSS", 
their host; andoneofIvcnnicott'sn"SO!r, 
Kabcans ; but none of these variations 
suits the entire construction of the verse. 
The LXX. strangely, ^pcTicre -^avavaiovs, 
which the Arab , as usual, follows. The 
impurity in which, when iiiilaiuccl \viih 



CHAP. V. 



HOSEA. 



25 



19 The wind hath bound her up in its wings, 
That they may be ashamed of their sacrifices. 



liquor, they indulged, was most probably 
that connected with the worship of Ve- 
nus. To express the excess to which it 
was carried, the verb is first put in the 
infinitive absolute, and then repeated in 
the finite form, ten is not separately 
expressed in the LXX. the Arab, or in 
either of the Syriac versions ; though it 
cannot hence be inferred that it was not 
in the Hebrew text. It is wanting, how- 
ever, in three of Kennicott's MSS. If it 
did not originate in some copyist having 
written the two last syllables of the pre- 
ceding word over again, it must be re- 
garded as having originally formed part 
of that word in the reduplicate form 
iianmns ? in which, not only is the second 
syllable 'of the verb repeated (ter^rs), 
but the pronominal sufformative is 're- 
tained'in the middle of the word, and the 
first radical (s) rejected on that account 
in the reduplication. Such form is of 
extremely rare occurrence: "OsM-teii, 
lit. they destroy, destroy me, Ps. Ixxxv'iii, 
17, being the only other instance of the 
kind Avith which I am acquainted. In 
this way the form is partly accounted for 
by the ancient Jewish grammarian Abu- 
walid Ibn Jannahi, as quoted by Pococke. 
"What confirms this view of the redupli- 
cate form is the use of D'arrnn, a gemi- 
nation somewhat resembling ' it, by our 
prophet, chap. viii. 13. The rendering 
give ye, as if it were the imperative of 
=1> proposed by Abenezra and Kimchi, 
and adopted by our translators, is not so 
suitable to the connection. Maurer ; 
mirifice amant ignominiam: Ewald; es 



lieben lieben schmach seine Schilde. 
Kuinoel very unjustifiably omits n a rr in 
his Heb. Text. TiV|?, shamo, a collective 
abstract noun, expressive of the infamous 
acts connected with idolatrous worship. 
D"3i5a, shields, are tropicaHy used for 
princes, as the natural protectors of their 
people, here and Ps. xlvii. 10. The femi- 
nine suffix ft, refers to "7.N, understood; 
the inhabitants being meant. 

19. By an expressive figure, borrowed 
from the sudden force with which any 
thing is carried off by the wind, the 
prophet announces the suddenness and 
violence with which the ten tribes should 
be removed from their land. The com- 
bination T^~i ".?;> wings of the wind, is 
too firmly established in Hebrew usage, 
see Ps. xviii. 11 ; civ. 3, to allow either 
of the acceptations spirit or vanity being 
given to p;!i"i, or that f borders to S'333 
in this place. |-n i being of both genders', 
accounts for the masculine of the verb, 
and the feminine pron. affix. For pi-pSj 
two of De Rossi's MSS., and the Vat. 
and Alex, copies of the LXX. read nPS, 
which gives no suitable sense. In the 
distant countries of the Modes, by whom 
all image-worship was held in abomi- 
nation, the exiles would be brought to a 
due sense of the wickedness and absurd- 
ity of their conduct, i, in sit'3'.'i, is 
used re\iKus. Jer. xlviii. 13. Sacrifices 
are here put by synecdoche for the whole 
system of idolatry in which they in- 
dulged. For the reading trjhsTtete, of 
their altars, adopted by Newcome, there 
is no authority except the Targ. and t,yr. 



CHAPTER V. 



This chapter commences with an objurgation of the priests and the royal family, as the 
principal seducers of the nation to idolatry, 1, 2. Then follows a description of the un- 
blushing wickedness of the people, interspersed with denunciations of impending punish- 
ment, 3-7. The approach of the divine .judgments is ordered to he proclaimed, mid their 
certainty declared, 8, 9. The prophet then abruptly turns to the two tribes and a half 

4 



26 



I-I S E A . 



CHAP. V. 



whose guilt and punishment he denounces; yet so as to show that his predictions were 
chiefly directed against the northern kingdom, the rulers of which, like those of Judah, 
instead of looking to Jehovah for deliverance from civil calamities, applied in vain for 
foreign assistance, 10-14. The 15th verse sets forth the certainty and the beneficial effects 
Of the divine judgments. 



1 HEAR this, O ye priests I 

And hearken, O house of Israel ! 
Give ear, O house of the king ! 
For the sentence is against you, 
Because ye are a snare at Mispah, 
And a net spread upon Tabor. 

2 The apostates slaughter to excess, 

. But I will inflict chastisement on them all. 



1. Vs'YiO'; Jnia, house of Israel, i. e. the 
ten tribes. ' 'nVteri FP2, house of the king, 
i. e. the Icing 'aiid his court. From the 
rei'erences made to the idolatry and 
punishment of Judah in this and the 
following chapter, it would appear that 
the king whom Hosea had specifically 
in view was Pekah, the son of liemaliah ; 
since it was hi the reign of Ahaz, who 
Avas contemporary with him, that idol wor- 
ship was earned to such a height in that 
kingdom as to call for the calamities in- 
flicted upon it by the confederate forces 
of Israel and Syria, as well as by the 
king of Assyria. By tauten t5\> is not 
meant, as the Targ. interprets, followed 
by Abenezra, Kimchi, Abarbanel, Pag- 
ninus, Junius, Trcmellius, and others, 
that it belonged to them to know and 
execute justice, but that the judgment 
or punishment Avas directed against them. 
They had merited it, and it Avas noAV 
coming upon them. LXX. irpbs v^as 
ea-rl "rb Kpi/J.a. Thus most Christian, 
expositors. n"W, Mispah. As there 
Avere several places of this name, some 
degree of uncertainty attaches to it as 
occurring here ; but as the object of the 
prophet seems to be to set forth the 
means employed for seducing the Avhole 
of the ten tribes to idolatry, it is more 
probable that he had in his eye Mispah 
of Gilcad, on the east of the Jordan, just 
as he spccilies mount Tabor to the west 
of that river. See Judges x. 17 ; ?~i. 29. 



On both of these elevated positions false 
Avorship had been established for the pur- 
pose of ensnaring the inhabitants of the 
adjacent regions. The means employed 
to bring them over to it are compared to 
the snares and nets used for catching 
birds and Avild beasts upon the mountains. 
By metonymy, the leaders of the people 
are spoken of as such nets and snares, 
becaiise of their bad example, and the 
influence Avhich they otherwise exerted 
for evil. 

2. j-jtitte;, slaughtering, the infinitive 
absolute! with n paragogic, of Efts, to 
kill, for food or sacrifice. Here, from its 
close connection with the preceding verse, 
it has the latter signification. Some 
think murder is meant ; but this is less 
likely, though the verb is also used in 
this sense in other places. 5 p ",zy r> nt; rri % , 
lit. they deepen to slaughter, i. 'e. by "a 
peculiar idiom, they slaughter to excess, 
kill an immense number of sacrificial 
victims. Comp. n-jb if?:?.- ! Is. xxxi. 
6. D'tia?, apostates, the BeiVoni participle 
of tan 24 t turn aside, decline from the 
right way, apostatize; as D"aV, scoffers, 
from -pij, to scoff. Comp. Ps. xl. 5, 
5T5 "ts'24 those that turn aside to false- 
hood; and n'tae rnw 1 ., Ps. ci. 3. Two or 
three MSS., the edit, of Soncin., and a few 
others, have e instead of y, in our text. 

Syr. 



ajiosiasia. The idolatrous 



CHAP.. V. 



HO SEA. 



27 



3 I know Ephraim, 

Israel is not hid from me ; 

Surely now thou committest lewdness, O Ephraiin! 

Israel is defiled. 

4 They frame not their deeds 
To return to their God ; 

For a lewd spirit is within them, 
And they regard not Jehovah. 

5 The pride of Israel testifieth to his face ; 

Therefore Israel and Ephraim shall fall through their iniquity ; 
Judah also shall fall with them. 



Israelites multiplied their sacrifices in 
order that they might enjoy prosperity 
under the protection of the deities to 
whom they offered them; but Jehovah 
here declares that none of them should 
escape the punishment which he was 
about to inflict upon them. Before "nesto 
supply rpriS. The ancient versions are 
here greatly 'at fault, from their authors 
having supposed that the reference to 
hunters is still continued in this verse. 

3. Ephraim, as distinguished from 
Israel, means the tribe of Ephraim, 
from which most of the apostate kings 
sprang, and in which idolatry most 
abounded. By Israel the other nine 
tribes are meant. As having incurred 
the more aggravated guilt, the former is 
here addressed in the second person. 
Two of Kennicott's MSS. indeed, and 
one of DeHossi's, originally read nriarn ; 
and one of Kennicott's has nns tail 'for 
sost33, but both are, in all probability, 
from the hand of correctors, natn is 
here used figuratively. The polluting 
influence of the Ephraimites was felt 
through the whole nation. To express 
an assertion more strongly the Hebrews 
put it first in the form of an affirmative, 
and then in that of a negative. r!F\5>, 
now, is not without emphasis; pointing 
out. the undeniable fact that they had 
been the cause of the spread of idolatry. 
4. The language now changes to the 
plural, to express the character of the 
people generally. By some trr^Vy is 
construed as the nominative to 5;yii, and 
rendered, their deeds do not permit them, 
etc. Thus the Syr. Abenezra, Drusius, 
etc. ; and among the moderns, Horsley, 



Tingstadius. Manger, Kuinoel, Stuck, 
Maurer, and Ewald. But in order to 
establish this construction, we should 
have to read tiiit} 1 ; or criN sat} 1 ;, " per- 
mitted them," the' accusative of the per- 
son always following the verb in such 
case. See Gen. xx. 6 ; Exod. iii. 19. 
In the present instance ^Sn: is used in 
the sense of placing, ordering, framing, 
like 135*0 and irna, as it is given in the 
common version, and rendered by Tan- 
chum, Leo Juda, Mercer, Tamovius, 
Michaelis, Eosenmiillcr, Noycs, and 
Hitzig. The meaning is, that the Is- 
raelites did not reform, did not so regard 
their wicked practices as to abandon 
them and return to the pure worship of 
Jehovah. 

5. That a T\:y means to testify for or 
against any person or thing, is obvious 
from its use, Gen. xxx, 33 ; Job. xvi. 8. 
It is properly a Judicial phrase, and re- 
fers to the testimony given by a witness, 
either for or against another, according 
to circumstances. The rendering to be 
humbled, which is that of the LXX. Syr. 
Targ. Jarchi, and recently of Michaelis, 
Newcome, Noyes, and Maurer, cannot 
be philologically sustained. The addition 
ViS, to his face, gives emphasis to the 
phrase, openly, publicly, in such a manner 
that he himself may see it, without the 
adduction of further evidence. That 
jisa signifies pride, insolence, notwith- 
standing what Horsley asserts to the con- 
trary, is sufficiently apparent from Prov. 
xvi. 18, and Is. xvi. 6. I should rather 
think, however, that by the term as here 
used, we are to understand the objects of 
winch the ten tribes were proud, their 



HOSEA. 



CHAP. V. 



6 With their flocks and their herds, 
They may go to seek Jehovah, 
But they shall not find him. : 

He hath withdrawn from them. 

7 They have proved false to Jehovah ; 
For they have begotten strange children : 

Now shall a month destroy them and their portions. 



splendid or magnificent idols, etc. As 
Jehovah is spoken of as 2p_jn 'isi, the 
excellency, or boast of Jacob', Amos' viii. 
7, so the idols might be called jisa 
Vs"Vtt)i, the excellency, or proud boast of 
Israel. They gloried in them as the 
objects of their confidence and attach- 
ment. These very gods, by their utter 
impotence, bear open witness that they 
could afford no help to those who trusted 
in them ; so that their worshippers could 
not but have been convinced of their 
folly, if their hearts had not become mor- 
ally obscured by the practice of iniquity. 
The religion itself (t5i_3>, their iniquity,) 
from which they expected safety, would 
prove the cause of their ruin. The words 
are repeated with a similar reference 
chap. vii. 10. 

The concluding line of the verse con- 
tains an abrupt and unexpected appli- 
cation of the threatening to the Jews. 
As they had suffered themselves to be 
influenced by the example of the Israel- 
ites, they should also share in their 
punishment. The respective captivities 
of both are here threatened. On com- 
paring this threatening with chap. iv. 15, 
it appears to have been delivered at a 
period considerably subsequent to that 
which is there spoken of, when the evils 
of idolatry had made some progress in the 
southern kingdom. To express more 
strongly the certainty of the event, the 
verb ^stars is put in the preterite ; whereas 
it had simply been used in the future 
iViS)" 1 , in reference to the Israelites. 

B. The idolaters are here told that 
though in the hour of calamity they 
might bring their flocks and herds as 
propitiatory sacrifices to Jehovah in order 
to avert the punishment, it would be 
altogether in vain. fV rt signifies to draw 
or put off any person or thing, to 
withdraw one's self, Comp. the Arab. 



(ji/^ JL ^. salvus evasit, progressus est, 
and gJl ^. extraxit, exuit, Pococke's 

Arab. MS. has aJCjyw) *li 2(JJ! 
uO> God hath withdrawn his help 



from them. The Israelites and Jews 
could no longer reckon on the divine 
presence, and the effectual aid which that 
presence implied. 

7. The prophet seems here to allude to 
the mention made of fa Sit 'i.V^j and 
D^aT "OS, lewd children, chap, i.' 2; ii. 
4. D"-"iTi 'strange, foreign, is selected in 
order to show that the idolatry was the 
result of intercourse with foreigners. The 
verb 1J3, to act unfaithfully, is also used 
of the breach of the matrimonial cove- 
nant, Jer. iii. 20. This idea is expressed 

in the Arab. MS. of Pococke, 



- XJU f > they have broken the cove- 



& \ 

nant of God, 13 has here the signifi- 
cation of itague, and marks the conse- 
quence of the conjugal infidelity just 
specified the production of a race of 
idolaters. The relation of the words is 
well expressed by Stuck : " quoniam Deo 
infideles sunt, propterea liberos peregrines 
habent." rrSiy, noio, is here to be taken 
not as determining the exact point of 
present time, but the speedy and certain 
arrival of the event. The term 'i"ihi 
month, has greatly, and, in my opinion, 
very unnecessarily perplexed interpreters. 
Houbigant at once cuts the knot by an 
arbitrary emendation: teifi cV::s T,fy, 
omnino est legendum ^Cfin Vi^" 1 firi'") 
mine iffitur absumet rubigo. He appeals 
to the epvcrifin of the LXX. as his author- 
ity ; but epvo-tfiri signifies mildew, with 
which VtJlt, a loci<st, the word he prr- 
poscs to substitute for "i'n.has no manner 
of affinity. That the bame word which 



CHAP. V. 



H S E A . 



8 Blow ye the horn in Gibeah, 
The trumpet in Raraah ; 
Raise a shout at Beth-aven ; 
He is behind thee, O Benjamin ! 

9 Ephraim shall become desolate 
In the day of punishment ; 
Among the tribes of Israel 

I have made known that which is sure. 



is now in the Hebrew text was found in 
it in the time of Aquila, is evident from 
his rendering it veofjuqvla. Symm. and 
Theod. have (ify. Michaelis, Dathe, 
Kuinoel, and Staudlin, give to the word 

the signification of the Arab. ijtX^. 

what is new and unexpected, and explain 
it of a sudden calamity. Most moderns 
take it in the sense of new-moon, i. e. 
either at the feast of the new moon, 
v/hen the Israelites were assembled to 
worship ; or, at that time their calamities 
should commence. It seems most natu- 
ral to abide by the usual meaning of the 
term, and consider the prophet as an- 
nouncing, that within the space of one 
month they should be visited with merit- 
ed punishment. The calamity pre- 
dicted seems to have been that occasioned 
by the invasion of Tiglath-pileser, who 
ravaged the country, and carried into 
captivity the tribes of Reuben and Gad, 
the half-tribe of Manasseh, and that of 
Naphtali, besides the inhabitants of 
several cities in other parts of the 
country, 2 Kings xv. 29 ; 1 Chron. v. 26. 
That Judah also suffered on this occasion, 
see 2 Chron. xxviii. 19-21. trrfcVn 
their portions, are commonly interpreted 
to mean their possessions or property; 
but I should rather think the prophet 
has in view then 1 idols, whom they re- 
garded as the authors of their possessions 
and enjoyments. See Is. Ivii. 6, and my 
Comm. on that verse. 

8. An alarm is ordered to be given to 
the southern kingdom of the approach of 
the enemy. The verse intimately coheres 
with the foregoing, and is not to be taken 
for the commencement of a new proph- 
ecy, as Jerome, Abarbanel, Michaelis, 
Dathe, Manger, and others, supnose. 
The difference between the iBittJ and the 



seems to be, that the former was 
the 'same as the -j-jj?, horn, being made 
of the curved horn of animals, Josh. vi. 



5, 6, 8. Arab. 



lituus forami- 



nibus instructus; whereas, the latter 
was made of metal, such as the two silver 
trumpets which were employed for con- 
voking the congregation, Numb. x. 2 ; 

from -isirj, Arab. n^ in angustiam 



redegit ; angusto pectore preditus fuit, 
Gesenius considers the word to be an 
onomatopoetic, imitating the broken 
pulse-like sound of the trumpet, (hdtzot- 
z&rah,') like the Latin taratantara, and 
the German trarara. Their shape and 
size may be seen in the representations 
of the arch of Titus. Comp. Jer. iv. 5 ; 
Joel ii. 1 ; Hos. viii. 1. The LXX. ren- 
der nSJ, Gibeah, and "M*;, Ramah, 
rovs fiowobs and TUV v\^r)\wv, as if heights 
or elevated places in general were meant ; 
but they are to be taken as proper names, 
just as Beth-aven and Benjamin are. 
They both lay in the tribe of Benjamin, 
see on Is. x. 29, as did also Bethel, here 
called Beth-aven. See on chap. iv. 15. 
Before ^f^.ns subaud. 3"is, the enemy 
"is behind thee," i. e. close upon thee. 
The fifth Greek version has Kara v6rov 
ffov, to the south of thee ; but if the local 
signification were at all admissible, the 
west is the only sense in which the word 
could be understood. 

9. Having apprised the Jews of the 
danger with which they were threatened, 
the prophet returns to describe the ca- 
lamity which was to be inflicted upon 
the ten tribes ; and in the course of the 
following verses directs his discourse to 
the two kingdoms alternately. The 
nominative to rr.nfi is V"?.$> implied in 
O^lEi*/ n hi Jri, primarily means proof 



30 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. V. 



10 The rulers of Judah are like those who remove the boundary; 
I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. 

11 Ephraim is oppressed, 
He is crushed in judgment ; 
Because he consented, 

He followed the order. 
121 am as a moth to Ephraim, 

And as rottenness to the house of Judah. 
13 And Ephraim saw his sickness, 

And Judah his wound ; 



authority to have resisted; but they 
readily complied with it, and thus became 
prepared to indulge in all the gross idol- 
atries to which this worship proved the 
introduction. From the circumstance 
that the LXX. have rendered the pas- 
sage birlffu TUIV [naralaiv, after vanities, 
it has been conjectured that they read 
NVJ instead of -,s ; but it is more likely 
they intended to give the sense of the 
whole, rather than the signification of 
this particular word. They are followed 
by both the Syriac versions, and in part 
by the Targ. Jerome, on the other hand, 
has read the same letters which now stand 
in the text ; for he renders sordes, 
pointing the word 'la, and regarding it 
as merely a contracted form of 
or 'n$.'\'z,jfilthiness. 

12. The reference in-i-;?, Arab. 

moth, is to the consumption of garments, 
Ps. xxxix. 12 ; Is. 1. 9 ; in s^-i, rotten- 
ness, to that of wood. See Job xiii. 28, 
where both words occur together as here. 
The LXX. freely render the former by 
rapax^i * ne latter by icevrpov. The 
meaning is not that God was regarded 
as the moth and rottenness, i. e. with 
disgust ; but that he was the author of 
those judgments by which the idolaters 
should be consumed. 

13.' ntn, to see, has here the sense of 
feeling, experiencing, as in the phrases 
to see life, death, good, evil, etc. "ITM, lit. 
a bandage, from "m, to congress, bind as 
a wound, see Is. i. 6 ; hence, as here, a 
bandaged wound, corresponding to "Vft, 
sickness, disease, in the other member of 
the parallelism. For the use of such 
metaphors in application to the state of 



or demonstration, from j-^i, to be before 
one, be clear, obvious ; in Hiph. to place 
before one in the way of evidence, con- 
vince, convict, and then rebuke, chastise, 
punish. The word is synonymous with 
n&.IE, ver. 2. The latter hemistich of 
the verse shows that the ten tribes were 
the scene of the prophet's ministry. 
nitoS:, the feminine used for the neuter. 

10'.' By the "princes" or "rulers of 
Judah," king Ahaz and his courtiers are 
intended. For Vsaa ^:T&K::, comp. 
Deut. xxvii. 17 ; my^ V?s.> A-SW ^is* 
Prov. xxii. 28 ; xxiii. 10; 'Job xxiv. 2. 
It was reckoned a flagrant offence to re- 
move the marks by which the divisions 
of property were defined. The language 
seems to have become proverbial to desig- 
nate unprincipled conduct. What the 
prophet here reprobates appears to be the 
means adopted by Ahaz and his sup- 
porters to introduce idolatry into Judah. 
See 2 Kings xvi. 10-18. If the 3 be 
regarded as the Caph veritatis, it will 
strongly express the fact that these 
princes had actually removed the bound- 
aries which separated the true religion 
from the false. Divine judgments are 
frequently compared to the overflowing 
of water from a river. *r\ttD, to pour out, 
expresses the fulness of their infliction. 
Comp. Zeph. iii. 8. rri25>, prop, effer- 
vescence, Jloioing over, also denotes the 
greatness of the punishment. 

11. ts 5 ; K y :i ^ -i , the genitive of cause, 
broken in piacus by thcjudgment, or pun- 
ishment inflicted, is refers not to any 
divine commandment, but to the order 
issued by Jeroboam to worship the golden 
calves, 1 Kings xii. 28-33. Sxich an 
order his subjects were bound by higher 



CHAP. V. 



HO SEA. 



31 



Then Ephraim went to Assyria; 
He sent to the hostile king ; 
But he could not cure you, 
Nor remove your wound from you. 

14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, 

And like a young lion to the house of Judah ; 

I, even I will tear the prey, and depart ; 

I will carry it away, and there shall be none to rescue. 

15 I will depart, I will return to my place, 
Till they suffer punishment ; 



political affairs, comp. Is. i. 5, 6, iii. 7 ; 
Hos. vi. 1, vii. 1. After nV*?l su PP lv 
as its nominative, rnirTl : Judah, from 
the preceding part of the verse, which 
forms an alternate quatrain; the third 
line connecting with the first, and the 
fourth with the second, an^. is not a 
proper name, but an appellative, signi- 
fying one who contends, is contentious, 
hostile; ''from i* 1 *],- to strive with, quarrel, 
contend. The form is the apocopated 
future, and is contracted for rr~ 
he that acts hostilely. Tanchum 



*-o 
Oomp 



king that contended. 

i, Joiarib, Neh. xi. 5. Aq. 

Symm. e/cSi/coj/, or e/cSiKTj- 
Hjj/; Theod. icplrtiv. Jerome, ad regcm 
ultorem. De Wette, Der hb'nig der 
rachen soil. That the king of Assyria is 
meant there can be no doubt. See chap. 
x. 6. He was ever ready to mix himself 
up with the affairs of neighboring states, 
in order to extend or consolidate his 
gigantic empire, and was justly regarded 
by the Hebrews as their most powerful 
adversary. . The application made by the 
northern kingdom was that which took 
place in the reign of Menahem, when 
that monarch sent to Pul a thousand 
talents of silver for the purpose of en- 
gaging him on his behalf, 2 Kings xv. 
19. But this alliance proved of no real 
value ; for the subsidy was raised by op- 
pression, and in the course of the fol- 
lowing reign, Tiglath-pileser invaded and 
depopulated great part of the country, 
ver. 29. The embassy from the king- 
dom of Judah was that sent by Ahaz to 
Tiglath-pileser, when attacked by the 
united kings of Syria and Israel, 2 Kings 



xvi. 7, 8 ; 2 Chron. xxviii. 21. nna as 
a verb, occurs only in this place ; but a 
noun derived from it is used Prov. vii. 
22, in the sense of healing. If we may 

judge from the Syr. IV recedere, 

fugere, Aph. liberare, it properly signifies 
to remove, relieve, and so with respect to 
a wound, to heal. LXX. ov p-fi Siairavtry ', 

*-. v . o 
Syr. yONrfitl fJO, neque sanabit. 

14. No effort to recover a state of pros- 
perity while the anger of Jehovah was 
excited against them, could possibly suc- 
ceed. VrriJ, the black lion, and T'53, 
the young }ion, are frequently employee! 
to convey the ideas of strength and feroc- 
ity, Ps. xci. 13. The reduplication 13 s 
*3X is, as usual, emphatic. Comp. Is'. 
xliii. 25; xlviii. 15. r>t^ls,prey, is un- 
derstood after q*ru and SIB 3. 

1 - T IT 

15. As God's coming to a people, and 
being with them, implies their experi- 
encing efficient protection and aid, so his 
withdrawment of his presence implies the 
deprivation of these blessings, rris, like 
many other verbs, has a sensus pregnans ; 
conveying not only the idea of contracting 
guilt, but of suffering its consequences. 
The latter idea seems clearly to be con- 
veyed in this passage. The Rabbins, in- 
deed, and after them, Glassius, and many 
others, attempt to attach to the verb the 
super added signification of acknoicledging, 
which is that adopted by our translators ; 
but it is by no means supported by Lev. 
iv. 22 ; v. 5 ; Zech. xi. 5 ; the passages 
usually adduced in proof. " -35 ffifta, 
to seek the face of any one, means to 
strive to obtain his favor. See 1 Kings 



32 



H S E A . 



CHAP. VI. 



Then will they seek ray face : 

When they are in trouble, they will seek me early. 

x. 24 ; Prov. xxix. 26. The phrase prayer. Comp. Dan. ix. 3. ^ rito is 
occurs very frequently in the Psalms, in synonymous with^a, but is only used 
reference to application to Jehovah in in poetic diction. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The nation, in both its divisions, is here introduced as taking up language suitable to the cir- 
cumstances described in the concluding verses of the preceding chapter, 1-3; but however 
appropriate it was to the condition of the people, that it was not the result of sound and 
thorough conversion, appears from ver. 4, in which they are expostulated with on the 
ground of their inconstancy. Notice is then taken of the means, both of a moral and a 
punitive nature, that had been employed for their recovery, 5,6; their deceitful and wicked 
conduct, especially that of the Israelites, is placed in a strong light, 7-10; and a special de- 
nunciation of punishment is directed against the Jews, who flattered themselves with the 
hope that whatever might befall the northern tribes, no calamity would happen to them. 



1 COME, let us return to Jehovah, 

For he hath torn, but he will heal us ; 
He hath smitten, but he will bind us up. 

2 He will restore us to life after two days : 



1, 2. It has been disputed whether 
these words be those of the prophet ex- 
horting his countrymen to repent and 
turn to God, or whether they are to be 
regarded as employed by themselves to 
give expression to their feelings of peni- 
tence, their confidence in God for de- 
liverance from punishment, and their 
resolutions of amendment for the future. 
The latter appears, from the bearing of 
ver. 5, to be the preferable interpretation. 
The intimate connection of the words 
with the preceding context, and the repe- 
tition, in part, of its language, induces to 
the conclusion that the same subject is 
here continued, viz. the castigation of 
the Hebrew kingdoms on account of 
idolatry, and the effect produced by it. 
This connection the ancient versions have 
endeavored to establish by inserting a 



word corresponding to i jssV ; though it 
is not found in any Heb. MSS. From 
the apparent agreement of the language 
of ver. 2, with the circumstances of time 
connected with the death and resurrection 
of our Saviour, many interpreters, as 
Lactantius, Tertullian, Origen, Jerome, 
Augustine, Luther, CEcolampadius, Mer- 
cer, Eiberus, Tarnovius, Hammond, etc., 
have maintained that it is to these respect 
is had in the prophecy. I fully concur, 
however, in the judicious remarks of 
Calvin on this interpretation, " Sed sensus 
ille videtur mihi nimium argutus. Et 
semper hoc spectandum est nobis, ne 
volitemus in ae're ; placent argutse specu- 
lationcs primo intuitu, sed postea evancs- 
c\mt. Ergo quisquis volet proficere in 
Scripturis, semper hanc regulam tcncat, 
ut solidum sit quicquid colligit sivc iu 



CKAI>. VI. 



HO SEA. 



33 



On the third day he will raise us up, 
And wo shall live before him. 

3 Then we shall know, we shall strive to know Jehovah : 
Like the dawn, his going forth is fixed. 
Yea, he will come to us like the rain, 
Like the Latter rain, which water eth the earth. 



prophetis, sive in Apostolis." The exe- 
gesis of Grotius, Horsley, and many 
others, who regard the words as primarily 
applicable to the Jews, and secondarily, 
or allusively, to the resurrection of Christ, 
is equally unsatisfactory. The simple 
meaning of the passage is, that on their 
conversion from the service of idols to 
that of Jehovah, the Hebrews should ex- 
perience the removal of the national 
calamities with which they had been 
visited ; the nation which had been re- 
duced to a state of political death would 
be resuscitated, and enjoy a renewal of 
its former prosperity. From the meta- 
phor of disease, ver. 1, there is in ver. 2, 
an advance to that of actual death, and 
a consequent resurrection, in order to 
place their present and also their antici- 
pated condition in a more striking light. 
For the use of the latter metaphor in 
application to the national affairs of the 
Jews, see Is. xxvi. 19 ; Ezek. xxxvii. 1- 
14. iizrV.3n tias, on the third day, is 
expletive of b^w'sE, after days, i. e. two 
days ; LXX. yueret Svo fi/jLepcts. That a 
short period is meant, appears from two 
and two three being used to denote a few, 
or very few, 1 Kings xvii. 12 ; Is. vii. 21, 
xvii. 6. Comp. Luke xiii. 32, 33. The 
afflicted Hebrews confidently hoped that 
their punishment would be of brief dura- 
tion, and that God would assuredly 
restore them to the enjoyment of his 
favor. Such enjoyment is expressed by 
living T3SV> before htm, experiencing 
his presence and blessing. The phrase 
contrasts with that employed chap. v. 15, 
and indicates the result of IJB ttoja, 
there predicted. 



3. In 



."' tnere ^ a 



rise from a resolution simply to acquire a 
true knowledge of Jehovah, to a determi- 
nation to make such knowledge the 
object of earnest and unwearied pursuit. 

5 



The n of the elongated futures marks- 
this bent or inclination of mind. To 
separate the verbs, and connect the former 
with the preceding verse, as Horsley 
does, would quite destroy the force of the 
prophet's language. At the same time 
the i at the beginning of the verse is 
inferential, intimating that what follows 
would be the result of the divine inter- 
position on behalf of the Hebrew people.. 
Some few MSS. insert i before nS^na.. 
p!23, to be fixed, established, certain* 
As certain and delightful as the dawn of 
the morning would be the coming forth 
of the favor of Jehovah after the dark 
night of adversity. This beautiful meta- - 
phor is taken from the sunrise. See, for 
such application of sjsite, Ps. xix. 7.- 
The other images were peculiarly appro- 
priate in Palestine, where rain falls sel- 
dom, except in spring and autumn. At 
these seasons it is heavy, and greatly 
contributes to the fertility of the soil, on, 
which account its bestowment was re- 
garded as among the most necessary of . 
temporal blessings, and its absence a; 
source of awful calamity. The former, 
commonly called sr^, or fn.ito, the 
darting rain, from the root fiTs'fo dart, 
cast, etc.; here Q^a.^, the ram, byway 
of eminence ; the heavy, violent rain, as 
the word properly signifies. It falls 
from the middle of October till about the 
middle of December, and is called the 
early or former rain. LXX. verbs 
irp(j>i/j.os, because the Jews commenced, 
their year at that time. It prepares the 
ground for the reception of the seed. 
tti'ipVw, the latter rain, LXX. verb's 
fyifios, falls in the latter half of February 
and during the months of March and: 
April, just before the harvest ; from 
which circumstance it receives its name 
WJ5.V, signifying to gather -or collect, the 
late fruit. Comp. WpJ?, to collect, Syrv, 



34 



II S E A . 



CHAP. VI. 



4 What shall I do to thee, O Ephraim ! 
What shall I do to thee, O Judah ! 

For your goodness is like the morning cloud, 
And like the dew which early departeth. 

5 For this cause I have hewed them by the prophets, 
I have slain them by the words of my. mouth : 
Thy judgments went forth like the lightning. 

6 For I desired mercy and not sacrifice ; 

And the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings. 



(.4 n\, serotinus. Before !-i*ni supply 

* 



*4~.' That the declarations contained in 
the preceding verses are not to be viewed 
as divine promises, but express the hopes 
.and resolutions of the afflicted Hebrews, 
.appears from the affecting expostulations 
here addressed to them, and the descrip- 
tion of the temporary and evanescent 
character of their boasted reformation. 
Like a tender parent who is anxious, if 
possible, to reclaim a wayward child, Je- 
hovah asks what other means could possi- 
bly be employed for the recovery of his 
rebellious people. They had been tried 
both with mercies and judgments, but 
without effect. Comp. Is. v. 4-7. "itjn 
properly means kindness, benignity, mer- 
cy ; here piety, religion, as Is. xl. 6. 



Syr. .CkS.^0 TUi^, your goodness; Po- 
cocke's Arab. MS. JOLj^j y ur relig- 



ion. Theodoret not inaptly gives the 
meaning thus: ^ irap' vpiav yei>o/j.evi} 
jU6Ta,itc'Aeia irp6ffKaipos effri, Kal ov Siapicrjs. 
In Palestine, and other countries of the 
same latitude, the dense clouds which 
cover the heavens during the morning are 

' all gone by nine or ten o'clock ; and the 
dews, however copious, early disappear. 

n^ai'M is here, as frequently, to be taken 
adverbially ; early, in the morning. As 



the cognate Ethiop. ^ t signifies 

to carry a burden, and beasts of burden 
;are usually loaded in the morning, the 

Hebrew Du came in Hiphil to signify 
'the doing of any thing at an early hour. 
^Vn is not to be construed with fc^ti 
.but with Vta. 



5. The severity of the threatenings 
communicated through the instrumen- 
tality of the prophets is compared to the 
incisions made in stone or wood with the 
axe, and those made in the human body 
with the sword. Comp. Is. xi. 4 ; Heb. 
iv. 12. After "'Posn supply c or CHns- 
To make the pronominal affixes agree, 
the LXX. Syr. and Targ. read -tsSttJE, 
"my judgments," and so likewise Dathe, 
Kuinoel, Boeckel, Newcome, Boothroyd, 
and Ewald, instead of tptsBiw, "thy 
judgments." Vulg. judicia'tua! Hc-xap. 

Syr. y-^5 JJ=A9O. There is no variety 

in the MSS., except that one of Kenni- 
cott's, and originally one of De Rossi's, 
have ^jtiBaJM, "thy judgment," in the 
singular! 'The reference of the affix is 
to 'TJ^, ver. 4 ; and the meaning is, the 
judgments which belong to thee, which 
thou deservedst, and which were inflicted 
upon thee. The genitive is that of object. 
Comp. 'qtaS'ftt, 1 Kings xx. 40; sitsBcw, 
Jer. li. Q | and especially spteSttSta, Zeph. 
iii. 15. Thus Lyranus: "pcense tibi 
inferendse." ss|>, though future, is 
modified by the preceding preterite, and 
is to be rendered accordingly, -nis has 
here the sense of lightning, as in Job 
xxxvii. 3, 15. The LXX. Syr. Targ. 
and Arab, supply 3 before n'iS. Sudden 
and awful as the lightning were the in- 
flictions of merited punishment upon the 
idolatrous Hebrews. 

6. 16 ti means here true piety, of which 
mercy or charity is only a branch, ny n 
D n rVs corresponding to it in the second 
memb'er of the verse, likewise means a 
practical knmoledge of God, in opposition 
to that which is merely speculative. 
Comp. Jer. xxii. 16. The present is one 



CHAP. VI. 



HO SEA. 



35 



7 But they are like men that break a covenant : 
There they proved false to me. 

8 As for Gilead, it is a city of evil-doers ; 
Marked with footsteps of blood. 



of several passages in the Old Testament, 
in which the comparative worthlessness 
of ceremonial observances is taught. 
See Is. i. 11-17 ; Ps. ad. 7-9, 1. 8-23 ; 
Mic. vi. 6-8. Comp. Matt. ix. 13. 
xii. 7. 

7. Translators and commentators have 
been greatly divided respecting the pre- 
cise meaning of tins as occurring in this 
passage. Some, as Jarchi, Jerome, Leo 
Juda, Castalio, Grotius, Clarius, Manger, 
Tingstadius, Newcome, Rosenmiiller, 
Boothroyd, and Stuck, regard it as a 
proper name, and suppose the reference 
to be to the conduct of Adam in trans- 
gressing the divine commandment ; while 
Kimchi, Munster, Vatablus, Tremellius, 
Beza, Drusius, Lively, Calvin, Rivetus, 
Piscator, Zanchius, (Ecolampadius, Mer- 
cer, Lowth, De Wette, Maurer, Hitzig, 
Ewald, etc., take it to be an appellative, 
and interpret the passage of the treach- 
erous violation of contracts among man- 
kind. In favor of the former view, it is 
alleged, that it places the guilt of the Is- 
raelites in a much more aggravated light ; 
and Job xxxi. 33, Ps. Ixxxii. 7, are ap- 
pealed to in proof of a similar allusion. 
It is, however, very doubtful whether 
there be any such allusion in these pas- 
sages; and as to the force of the com- 
parison, it seems sufficiently supplied by 
supposing men in general to be under- 
stood, who break the engagements into 
which they have entered with each other. 
The Israelites had treated God as if he 
had been one of themselves, and as if the 
sanctions of his covenant were as little 
to be regarded as those of ordinary con- 
tracts were by men of unprincipled char- 
acter. If we except the three passages 
in question, it is universally admitted 
that there is no other, after the first chap- 
ters of Genesis, in which n~N is used as 
a proper name, or in which any reference 
is made to our first parent. The abso- 
lute and indefinite form too in which 
Jvia occurs, (comp. on the other hand 
<1 frp*i3 "my covenant," chap. viii. 1,) 



shows, that both this noun and the pre- 
ceding verb snay, stand in immediate 
relation to e-is, which, as very frequently, 
is a collective, and is thus used instead 
of a plural, which it nowhere exhibits. 
It may also be objected to the first men- 
tioned interpretation, that nowhere in 
Scripture is God said to have entered 
into a IV) a, or covenant with Adam. 
The obligations under which he was 
placed are represented as those of a 
msw, command or interdict, rather than 
any of 'a federal nature. D'iN3, like 
Edom, the reading proposed by Michaelis, 
has found no supporters. Before snsy, 
supply ijcs, of which there is frequently 
an ellipsis in Hebrew poetry. See Nol- 
dius, p. 103. fa, there, points graphi- 
cally to the northern or Israelitish king- 
dom as the principal scene of idolatrous 
defection, and anticipates the regions 
more specifically referred to in the two 
following verses. 

8. TJT *?a, Gilead, is the nominative ab- 
solute, and is here the designation of a 
city, in all probability Ram oth- Gilead, 
the metropolis of the mountainous region 
beyond Jordan, and south of the river 
Jabbok, known by the name of Gilead, 
Josh. xxi. 38 ; 1 Kings iv. 13. It was 
here that Jacob and Laban entered into 
a solemn covenant with each other, Gen. 
xxxi. 21, 23, 25. Burckhardt found 
ruins of cities on two mountains in that 
region, still known by the names of 
Djebel, Djelaad, and Djeladd, one or 
other of which may have been that here 
mentioned. It was one of the cities of 
refuge, Deut. iv. 43 ; Josh. xx. 8 ; but 
appears from the present passage to have 
afterwards become notorious for idolatry 
and bloodshed. Some would restrict ' 
" I 1 . 5 * "b.y s to idolaters, in imitation of the 1 
LXX. who render e'p-yafoueVi; p.a.raia; 
but it seems better to take the phrase in 
its more enlarged meaning, as including 
all manner of wickedness. Of this, 
indeed, idolatry has ever been found to 
be the fruitful parent. Various expla- 



36 



HO SEA. 



GHAP. VI. 



9 As troops of robbers lie in wait for a man, 
So is the association of priests : 
They commit murder in the way to Shechem ; 
Yea, they practise deliberate crime. 

10 In the house of Israel I have seen what is horrifying ; 
There is the lewdness of Ephraim; 

Israel is polluted : 

1 1 Also for thee, O Judah ! a harvest is appointed. 



nations of ns y have been advanced ; but 
the simplest is that which regards it as 
signifying traced, from 2pS , the heel, step, 
print of the foot, and describing the marks 
or traces of blood left by the feet of the 
murderers who resided there. Syr. 
. P y ..o . 7 v 
p,0?> {J^XaLoO, stained with blood. 

Jewish Span, immnnda de sangre. To 
what historical facts the prophet refers 
we have no information, except perhaps 
that contained in 2 Kings xv. 25, from 
which it appears that fifty of the inhab- 
itants of Gilead were implicated in the 
regicidal conspiracy against Pekahiah. 

9. DSW> Shechem, was another city of 
refuge, 'situated between Ebal and Ge- 
It still exists under the name of 



rizim 



u 



jj Nabloos, and has, from very 



ancient times been the seat of the 
religious community of the Samaritans. 
Having been for a time the residence of 
Jeroboam, 1 Kings xii. 25, its inhabitants 
became so corrupted, that the priests 
resident there banded together, waylaid, 
and murdered with impunity the persons 
who were fleeing to the asylum for refuge. 
The n in riWSw is that of direction, and 
connects in sense with til?/ The inter- 
position of the verb 5 nan? between these 
two nouns occasions no difficulty, since 
we have instances of nouns in construction 
being separated. See Gen. vii. 6 ; Is. 
xix. 8 ; Hos. xiv. 3. Our common ver- 
sion, and many others, following the 
Targ. irt C]r22, one shoulder, translate 
inwSW, with one consent, which well suits 
the connection ; but is not borne out by 
Hebrew usage the term occurring but 
once, Zeph. iii. 7, in this metaphorical 
acceptation, and then not riMS?? as here, 
but "ifiS ttTJ. ''SIT. is generally consid- 



ered to be an imitation of the Chaldee 
form of the Infin. in Piel, from ri&ri, to 
wait, lie in wait for; but it seems more 
likely to be the abbreviated form of the 
Piel Participle is rna, the w being dropped, 
as in fia/a, Eccles.' iv. 2, and in several 
instances of the Pual Participles. See 
Gesen. Lehrgeb. p. 316. &>$ ^Ti 2 . w^l 
thus form the genitive of object. Three 
MSS. substitute n for i ; and instead of 
the prepositive s, three MSS. and three 
printed editions' read 2. Before irin 
tPinf there is an ellipsis of )*, corres- 
ponding to 3 in "'sris. fitef is used to 
denote presumptuous or deliberate wicked- 
ness, from C5at ; Arab. .^^ , proposuit 

sibi, to form a purpose, lay a deliberate 

plan of action ; chiefly employed in a bad 

sense. LXX. avo^ta. Hitzig, Unthat. 

10. M 9 "i!n' > LXX. (j>pjKtiS?7, occurs 



under the forms iTnsn.yti and 
Jer. v. 30, xxiii. 14, xv'iii. 13. It is ex- 
plained immediately after of the atrocious 
idolatry which, through the influence of 
the tribe of Ephraim, had spread itself 
over the whole kingdom of Israel. 

11. For the various interpretations 
which have been given of this verse see 
Tarnovius or Pococke. Ewald is the 
only modern that adopts branch as the 
rendering of T>|*i as Kimchi proposed, 
and explains it of the introduction of 
idolatry into Judah. How Horsley could 
assert that harvest is used in a good 
sense, as an image of the ingathering of 
the people of God, is inconceivable. See 
Jer. li. 33 ; Joel iii. 13 ; Rev. xiv. 15-20. 
Nowhere in prophecy does it appear to 
be used in this sense. In all probability, 
the punishment predicted is that recorded, 
2 Chron. xxviii. 6-8. i-"? is here used 
impersonally. Instead of ^V, four MSS. 
originally two more, the Targ. and two 



GHAP. VII. 



H 8 E A . 



37. 



old editions, read *V The words -aw'a. be transferred to the following context, 

V9 W3* ^ve no meaning, if con- with which they mfl be found to be m 

nected with the preceding, which form a harmony. Thus Moerhus, Michaebs, 

concise apostrophical warning to the Jahn, Eichhorn, Kuinoel, fetuck, De 

Jewish kingdom. They must, therefore, Wette, and Boothroyd, divide. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The prophet continues his description of the wickedness of the ten tribes. Eegardless of Je- 
hovah, they persevered in falsehood and violence, 1, 2; flattered their rulers, and thereby 
obtained their sanction to their nefarious conduct, 3,5; and indulged to the utmost in 
licentiousness, 4r-7. The murder of their kings successively is predicted, and their hardi- 
hood and folly are further set forth, 7-10. The prophet next adverts to their fruitless 
application for assistance to Egypt and Assyria, and their equally fruitless, because false 
professions of return to the service of God, 11-16. . 



1 WHEN I reversed the captivity of my people, 
"When I healed Israel, 

Then was the iniquity of Ephraim revealed, 

And the wicked deeds of Samaria ; 

For they practised deceit ; 

The thief entered, 

And the banditti plundered in the street. 

2 And they considered not in their heart, 



1. Some would render 
*iK>5), "When I again lead my people 
into captivity ; " but altogether contrary 
to the established usage of the language. 
See Deut. xxx. 3 ; Ps. xiv. 7 ; Jer. xxxi. 
23 ; Zeph. iii. 20. The words are ex- 
plained by the following *ssnfc^ 'SB'Ta, 
when I heal Israel, a and 3' frequently 
alternate with each other, when used of 
the time at which any thing is done. 
The restoration here mentioned is in all 
probability that of the two hundred 
thousand Jewish captives, to which refer- 
ence is made 2 Chron. xxviii. 8-15. The 
conduct of the Israelitish rulers upon that 
occasion held out some hope of improve- 
ment in the character of the nation, and 
a consequent change in the Divine con- 
duct towards it; and this expectation 



was confirmed by a temporary cessation 
of the judgments of God, during which 
they might be said to have been healed; 
but it was soon entirely frustrated by 
the open increase of wickedness among 
them. fi^M'i has the force of then, on 
the contrary, become more manifest, etc. 
For Samaria, see on Is. xxviii. 1. Being 
the metropolis of the ten tribes, it was 
the head spring of that corruption of 
manners which overspread the kingdom. 
siai and ysiria tri'5 describe the acts of 
violence that were committed by breaking 
into and plundering private houses, and 
those which were perpetrated on persons 
in the streets. The reference is not to 
foreign enemies, as Horsley and others 
expound, but to lawless Israelites. 

2. For the phrase aVa n)ss, comp. the 



38 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. VU 



That I remembered all their wickedness: 
Now their deeds encompass them ; 
They are before my face. 

3 With their wickedness they cheer the king, 
And with their falsehoods the princes. 

4 They are all adulterers ; 

They are like an oven, heated by the baker ; 
"Who resteth from heating it, 
From the time he kneadeth the dough, 
Until it be leavened. 

5 On the day of our king, 



Arab. &Jj5 -a <JU and A 
XwwJlJ ; and our, say to one's 'self. Ps. 
xiv. 1, et freq. Instead of canV^, the 
form exhibited in the printed text, "to 
their heart," ten MSS., originally seven 
more, now one, perhaps another, and the 
Complut. Bible, read 2:3*5:3, "in their 
heart." One of De Kossi's MSS. states 
in the margin that the latter reading is 
found in other copies. It is also sup- 
ported by the Syr. Vulg. Targ. and 
Arab, versions. Both forms describe in- 
ternal or mental conversation, only V 
indicates an endeavor to persuade. So 
far were the persons spoken of from 
bringing themselves to act on the con- 
viction, that God was privy to their 
wicked deeds, that they evinced the con- 
trary disposition. Still, however, the 
phrase may best be rendered by think, 
consider, or the like. To the words 
Str'V.isSW Gn^^O, two interpretations 
have been given. They either mean, 
that the evil practices of the Israelites 
crowded round them as so many causes 
of punishment, as enemies surround and 
shut up the object of their attack ; or, 
that they crowded about them as so 
many witnesses to reveal the wickedness 
of their character. The latter would 
seem, from the following words, to be the 
true meaning. 

3. Their rulers, instead of repressing, 
took delight in the immoral and irre- 
ligious conduct of the people. 

4. In this connection, fsgJ.to is to be 
taken in its literal signification. Comp. 
Jer. ix. 1, xxiii. 10. For the conjecture 
of Stuck, that the word was originally 



i baked or cooked, there is no 
foundation. To place the violent and 
incontinent character of their lust in 
the strongest light, the prophet compares 
it to a baker's oven, which he raises to 
such a degree of heat, that he only re- 
quires to omit feeding it during the short 
period of the fermentation of the bread. 
Such was the libidinous character of the 
Israelites, that their impure indulgences 
were subject to but slight interruptions. 
Comp. aKaTcmatiaTovs apapTlas, 2 Pet. ii. 
14. my 2, in the feminine agrees with 
*i si a in, which is of common gender. The 
latter word Gesenius derives from the 
Aram, pn, to smoke, and "itis, firt. 



Comp. the Arab. \ -O and Syr. 
fornax, clibanus. The oven here referred 
to is not the pitcher-oven of the Arabs, 
but the larger kind, pretty much like our 
own, which was, as it still is, used in 
public bake-houses. MB.Ntt msi is 
elliptical for burning, having been kindled 
by the baker. Before ritett?" supply - rjs . 
The meaning is, who only ceaseth from 
heating, etc. Most interpreters take 
"V3<W in the sense of stirring, rousing up, 
etc., and apply it to the stirring of the 
fire in the oven ; but it is preferable to 

regard it as the part, of -py, Arab. A^> 

to be hot, burning ; hence in Iliph. to 
cause to burn, heat, etc. Thus the LXX. 
cbrb TTJS <j>\oybs. The interpretation from 
the city, given in the Syr. Targ. and 
Vulg. is altogether inappropriate. For 
the feminine form of the Infin. 'iiiSWh, 
Comp. r&wn, Ezek. xvi. 5. 

5. By ti'" 1 is meant a festal day ; 
either that of the king's birth, or, as the 



CHAP, VII, 



HO SEA. 



39 



The princes are sick with the fever of wine ; 
He stretcheth out his hand with the scoffers. 
6 For though they approach with their heart warm as an oven, 
Yet it is in their plot ; 
Their baker sleepeth all the night ; 
In the morning it burneth like a blazing fire. 



Targ. Jarchi and Kimchi give it, that of 
his inauguration. The preposition a is 
understood. Michaelis thinks the refer- 
ence is to the accession of a new lung to 
the throne. Instead of nsiD^W, our king, 
twenty-two MSS. and the Syr. read 
fi3"iVn our kings; LXX. ^ue/sat TUV 
fiaa-tXecuv vpwv. 'Vnn is used intransi- 
tively. The LXXV ''Syr. Targ. Vulg. 
Abarbanel, Leo Juda, Newcome, Michae- 
lis, and Boothroyd, refer this verb to the 
root V^n ; but, not to insist on its re- 
quiring in such case to be read l^nn, 
there is something so intolerably tame in. 
the rendering, " The princes began to be 
heated with wine," that it cannot be 
admitted as the language of the prophet. 
Besides, Mn would likewise require to 
be changed into ribh, which would pro- 
duce an anomalous infinitive, r.wn, bot- 
tle, less agrees with Da following 'than 

nn, heat. Comp, Arab. K^C^' XA^S*.. 

1"tt Wtt is an instance of the construct 
state with' a preposition intervening be- 
tween the nouns. Comp. ta^to isra;, 
Ezek.xiii. 2; -p^ sVl J-^jr/, Is. li" 21', 
and see Gesen. Lehrgeb. p. 67 1)'. The words 
mean the heat or fever produced by in- 
toxication. While the courtiers thus 
indulged to excess, the monarch, for- 
getting his dignity, participated in then- 
cups, and joined in their scoffs. Because 
t^rs-V occurs nowhere else, Houbigant 
would have it changed into the usual 
form b^V, most uncritically. Comp. 
pp and ysjj. Aq. x^va<r-rS>v ; LXX. 
less properly, Xoi^Siv. The reduplicate 
form is intensive, and expresses the 
awfully profligate character of the per- 
sons described. 

6. I consider the prophet to be con- 
tinuing in this verse his description of 
the abandoned courtiers, in imagery 
borrowed from that introduced ver. 4. 
In their intercourse with the monarch, 



they approached him with the wannest 
professions of loyalty ; but in private 
they were scheming how to get rid of 
him. The ringleader waited till he could 
conveniently carry the plot into exe- 
cution: and speedily they effected the 
nefarious purpose. Were it not that all 
the ancient versions render wip as a 
verb, I should have been inclined "to point 
it ia^E, and translate, "For their inward 
part i's like an oven; their heart is in 
their plot." Comp. na-iN f;tr ten]; a a, 
Jcr. ix. 7. The rendering I have given, 
however, equally suits the connection. 
Though there is no word in the text 
corresponding to "warm," its insertion 
in the translation is fully justified by the 
comparison in ^aPS, like an oven, and 
the intensitive force of syp r in Piel. That 
this verb ever signifies to make ready or 
prepare, I do not find. All attempts to 
justify the rendering of the LXX. and 



Syr. 



by the con- 



jectural readings !D*iri, la-is, and 
jJ, have proved abortive. According 



to the Hexapla, Symm. ( 



Aq. and Theod. 

read as we now do ; as did likewise the 
Targ. sia^JJhS. Crisis, their laker, 
(many MSS'. and various printed editions 
have c ri" is, which may also be regarded 
as a singular form, i taking the place of 
the third radical rr, as in other nouns or 
participles derived from verbs in "nV,) 
the Targ. and Syr. render ^nTaiili 

> 5 

\O Gl'j^oj, as if the reading were tfes, 

their anger. 'Eijjpal/j., found in the LXX. 
shows that the former must have been. 
the reading of the MS. which they used, 
as the latter could not have so easily been 
mistaken for this proper name. T.n'SS, 
which Dathe proposes, and Kiunbel 



40 



HOSEA. 



CHAP. VII. 



7 They all glow as an oven, 
They devour their judges ; 
All their kings have fallen : 

None among them calleth unto me. 

8 Ephraim mixeth himself up with the nations j 
Ephraim is a cake unturned. 

9 Strangers devour his strength. 
But he knoweth it not ; 

Yea, gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, 
Yet he knoweth it not. 



adopts into his Heb. text, nowhere occurs 
in the sense, ira, furor, eorum. By 
"their baker" seems to be meant the 
leader of the conspiracy, whom some 
suppose to be Menahem, others Shallum, 
2 Kings xv. 10-15 ; but I should rather 
infer from what is stated ver. 7, that the 
prophet includes all the conspiracies which 
took place in Israel. Having prepared 
the rest of the conspirators, he, IDce the 
baker, abided his time, when, of a sudden, 
the plot burst forth like a flame. 

7. Comp. 2 Kings xv. o53, all of 
them, corresponds to C>o> ver. 4? Itett, 1 ;. 
is the future in Kal of Dart, to be warm, 
hot, etc. The prophet still continues the 
comparison. As the fire in the oven 
devours the fuel, so the persons spoken 
of destroyed those who were in authority. 
^3 is not to be taken in the sense of fall- 
ing off or apostatizing from God, as Jer- 
ome, Ribera, Menochius, Tirinius, and 
some others interpret, but in that of fall- 
ing by the hands of murderers. This, 
!&5S, they devour, in the preceding hemi- 
stifch, shows. The source of the evil, 
however, lay in apostasy from Jehovah, 
which had reached such a height, that 
none implored the Divine aid even when 
in calamity. 

8. Ewald renders V^ari 1 ;, veraltet, 
" hath become old," which might seem 
to derive some support from the latter 
part of ver 9 ; but the verb can, with no 
propriety, be referred to any other root 

than y?3, Arab. JuJLj, madefecit, com- 



mistusfuit, Syr. 



confudit,to 



<> " ~- - v. u, WHICH see. Aiioug.li ma npusiaie 

mix by pouring, mix, confound. LXX. Israelites had abundant proof oi the 



Syr. . A x^^j. Targ. 

!| aiJ? ins. Comp. Psalm cvi. 35, where 
eyiaa.'ttQyr? 1 ; is similarly used of promis- 
cuous intercourse with idolaters. That 
such intercourse generally, including the 
adoption of their idolatrous practices, and 
not specifically the entering into leagues 
with them, is meant, appears from the 
following clause, in which, to express the 
worthlessness of the Ephraimitish char- 
acter, the people are compared to a cake, 
which, from not having been turned, is 
burnt, and good for nothing. The Arabs 
bake their bread on the ground or hearth, 
covering it with hot embers, and turning 
it every ten minutes or quarter of an hour, 
to prevent its being burnt. When neg- 
lected it is unfit for food, and is thrown 
away. Such was the state of the apos- 
tate Israelites. They had corrupted 
themselves, and were only fit for rejec- 
tion. LXX. tjKpwpias, bread baked in 
hot ashes,J3yriL, r&v thi \foois oirTo^e- 
vtav "&pT<av. 

9. o'HT, strangers, foreigners, i. e. the 
Syrians, Assyrians, etc. See 2 Kings 
xiii. 7; xv. 19, 20; xvii. 3-6. The 
state, drawing to its close, without the 
fact being observed by its citizens, is com- 
pared to a person on whose head gray 
hairs begin to make their appearance, 
without his becoming sensible of the ap- 
proach of age. 

" Sparserit et nigras alba senecta co- 
mas." Propertius. 

10-12. A repetition of part of chap, 
v. 5, which see. Though the npostate 

GVrilll4-n> Vr*^ !* i*-i/lrti-*' -nvf\n r\4- 4-\^n. 



CHAP. VH 



HO SEA. 



41 



10 The pride of Israel testifieth to his face, 
Yet they turn not to Jehovah their God, 
Nor seek him for all this. 

11 Ephraim is like a silly dove, without understanding ; 
They call in Egypt, they go to Assyria. 

12 As they go, I will spread my net upon them, 

I will bring them down like the fowls of heaven : 

I will chastise them, 

As it hath been heard in their assembly. 

13 "Woe unto them ! for they have wandered from me ; 
Destruction unto them ! for they have rebelled against me. 
Though it was I that redeemed them, 

Yet have they spoken lies against me. 

14 They cry not to me with their heart, 
But howl upon their beds : 



inefficiency of their idols, yet they re- 
turned not in the exercise of true repent- 
ance to God, who alone could deliver 
them hi the hour of trouble, but formed 
alliances with foreign powers in the de- 
lusive hope of protection. The simplicity 
of the dove is proverbial. Thus the 

Arabs, 



bly, i. e. the public congregations, to 
which the Divine messages were delivered. 
God had given them sufficient warning 
by Moses and the prophets. The versions 
vary in rendering the last word, which 
has given rise to the conjectural readings 1 
Crnx^s, CnJ>:^, and nrjss^. Aq,, 
however, renders, KO.TO. aicorjs rrjs <rwa- 



there is nothing more simple 



than the dove. The word nn'iS is here, 
however, used in a bad sense, ^as aV VS> 
without heart, i. e. without understand- 
ing, shows. The point of comparison is 
the inconsiderate flight of the dove from 
one danger into another ; from the alarm 
which makes her leave her abode for the 
net of the fowler. Such would be the 
case with the Israelites. Jehovah had 
distinctly announced to them, that for- 
eign alliances would prove their ruin; 
yet they heedlessly rushed into destruc- 
tion. inss stands either for SI-ITS 8 or 
T!^V. The spreading of the net refers 
to the taking of birds that are on the 
ground ; the bringing down, to those 
that are in the air, by the use of missile 
weapons. Instead of the Hiphil o~i t> * s, 
which occurs only here, the Soncin. edit. 
of the Prophets, and some few MSS. 
read tifcrN_ in Piel, which may also be 
interpreted causatively. cl")"?^ SW.V2 , 
lit. according to the report to their assem- 

6 



13. That i', sis denunciative and not 
plaintive, the following -& plainly shows. 
113 is often used of the flight of birds 
that wander from their nest, see Prov. 
xxvii. 8 ; Is. xvi. 2 ; Jer. iv. 25 ; and is 
here employed with reference to the silly 
dove, ver. 12. The redemption from 
Egypt, and that which, in numerous in- 
instances, they afterwards experienced, 
Jehovah adduces in aggravation of their 
guilt. Their preferring the service of 
idols to that of the true God, was not 
merely a practical denial of his all-suffi- 
ciency, but a violation of the solemn 
pledge which they had given of undi- 
vided obedience to his law, when, as 
stated, chap. vi. 1-3, they professed to 
return to him. 

14. When pressed down by the calam- 
ities which their sins had brought upon 
them, they cried to God for deliverance, 
but without any genuine repentance or 
sincere resolution to obey him in future. 
tniasste Vy, upon their beds, i. e. in the 
night-season, when their anxiety pre- 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. YII. 



For the sake of corn and new wine they assemble ; 
They rebel against me. 

15 Though I instructed them, and strengthened their arms, 
Yet they devised evil against me. 

16 They may turn, but it is not to the Most High ; 
They are like a deceitful bow ; 

Their rulers shall fall by the sword, 



vented them from sleeping, i 
the LXX. reading in-pari 1 ], render /carV- 
refiivovTo, they cut themselves, supposing 
that in token of grief, or like the mad- 
dened priests of Baal, 1 Kings xviii. 28, 
they inflicted wounds upon their bodies. 
This is also, in all probability, what the Syr. 

J7 

translator intended by A A.A.-vA V/i 

But though iiTrurv; is found in 'six 
MSS. has been in eight more originally, 
and is the reading of two early editions, 
one of which is the Soncin. of 1486, it 
is not sufficiently supported to wan-ant 
its adoption into the text. The Targ. 
Abul-walid, ' Jarchi, Abenezra, Kimchi, 
Munster, Piscator, Leo Juda, Junius, 
Tremellius, Boothroyd, Eesenmiiller, 
Maurer, and Gesenius, support the text- 
ual reading, and render congregate. This 
decidedly agrees better with the follow- 
ing -a sj-nb^. Instead of returning to 
Jehovah, the Israelites assembled before 
their idols to propitiate them by sacri- 
fices, in order to obtain a fruitful harvest. 
Lee renders, they become withdrawn, 
withdraw themselves, i. e. for idolatrous 
purposes. To mark more strongly the 
atrociousness of their apostasy, ^"against 
me," is employed, instead -"Stew, of "from 
me," the preposition that otherwise fol- 
lows -i 9 ft, Avhich is frequently used of 
apostasy from God to idolatrous practices. 
The whole phrase is in this case best ren- 
dered by rebel against, as in our common 
version. 

15. ^ft^ does not signify to bind, but 
to chastise or instruct. The LXX. in- 
stead of rendering the last words of the 
preceding verse, have eirutieiiSniffav. Po- 
cocke's Arab. MSS. oot>! bL. Those 

whose character is here described, had 
been instructed not only by words, but 



also in a more severe manner, by the 
judgments which had been inflicted upon 
them; but that the former kind of in- 
struction is meant, seems clear from the 
phrase yiiT pin, to strengthen the arm, 
i. e. to impart strength or power for the 
performance of any undertaking. Comp. 
Ezek. xxx. 24, 25, where both the im- 
partation and the deprivation of such 
power are mentioned. What the yi, evil, 
or wickedness was, which they cogitated, 
is not specified ; but it most likely con- 
sisted in some new idolatrous alliance, 
such as that with Egypt, referred to in 
the next verse. LXX. irovripa ; Targ. 
Jttra, evil things. 

*16. \y N\> W>'i n , " convcrtimt sc ad non- 
summum, i. e. ad non-dcum, collect, non- 
deos, i. e. ad deos fictos, vanos." Maurer. 
Thus also Gesen. in voc. \y_. Comp. for 
the use of this idiom, Is. x. 15, note. 
Hosea, who is fond of brevity, uses here 
and chap. xi. 7, Vs, instead of the longer 
form IvVy, Most High. Kametz is used 
instead of Pattach, on account of the 
accent. Arab. *JLc altus, cxcelsus fuit, 
to be high in dignity. ^Jl_. artus, 
Pococke's Arab. MS. in chap. xi. 7. 
-JlsJ! ; Syr. jc^l^ God; one of 

iJe Rossi's MSS. Vs. What the apos- 
tate Israelites worshipped, so far f:om 
being the Most High, was the direct 
opposite wood or stone, the produce of 
the earth. The LXX. 



els oi/aej/, and Syr. jj 



to the same effect, though giving 

the sense rather than an exact translation. 
The Latin translation of the Pyr. milla 
cle caiisa, is quite ciTcnconri. Jlnrt mod- 
ems, less aptly, take V V in its adverbial 



GHAP. VIE. 



II S E A . 



43 



On account of the insolence of their language : 
This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. 



acceptation, and render, they return not 
upwards ; which yields, however, nearly 
the same meaning. Thus Rosenmiiller, 
Winer, Manger, Stuck, and others. New- 
come's conjectural emendation, Vs i" 1 &?, 
that which cannot profit, has not heen 
approved ; while the translation of Dathe, 
Pwnitentiam agunt, sed non sinceram, 
though approved by Kuinoel, Tingstadius, 
and others, is not borne out by Hebrew 
usage. r^ton ii'i'j?. some renders slack 
bow, supposing that its inutility, owing to 
the absence of elasticity, is what is in- 
tended ; but/afoe or deceitful better suits 
the connection, and Ps. Ixxviii. 57 ; and 
the reference is to something faulty in 
the construction of the bow, which causes 
it to shoot or throw out the arrow wide 
of the mark. Root rtfcn, Arab. 



jecit, projecit ; to throw, shoot, etc. "There 



seems no ground for the opinion of Ge- 
senius, that the phrase is used poetically 
for treacherous bowmen, who feign fight 
in order to deceive. The Israelites hypo- 
critically pretended to turn to Jehovah, 
but their actions took a different direction. 
Comp. rp53"i. "Vila's, a deceitful tongue, 
Ps. cxx. 2, 3. The insolence (Aq. arid 
Symm. e'jujSpfyojinj',) of their language 
doubtless consisted in their proud boast 
of Egypt as a source of protection from 
the Assyrian invasion, which God was 
about to bring upon them. fciyV, their 
derision, i. e. the subject of derision to 
the Egyptians, to whom they should in 
vain apply for help. Comp. 2 Kings 
xvii. 4 ; Is. xxx. 1-7, though the latter 
passage is immediately directed against 
a contemporaneous application on the 
part of the Jews. 



CHAPTER YIII. 



The prophet announces the sudden irruption of the Assyrians,!; by whom the Israelites 
were to be punished, on account of their hypocrisy and apostasy, 2, 3; their illegitimate 
government, and their idolatry, 4. He then exposes the folly of their idolatrous confi- 
dence, and predicts their captivity, 6-10; remonstrates with them for their devotion to 
the worship of idols, in opposition to the express and numerous prohibitions of the evil 
contained in the divine law, 11, 12; and insists that their pretended service of Jehovah, 
while in reality they forgot him, so far from being of any avail to them, would only bring 
destruction upon them, 13, 14. 



1 Put the trumpet to thy mouth ; 

"Like an eagle against the house of Jehovah;" 



1 . It is not unusual for the prophets 
without naming the invading foe, to 
announce his approach. See Is. xiii. 2. 
The words is ! ^srr-Vs., to thy palate 
the trumpet I are singularly abrupt, and 



indicate the suddenness of the threatened 
invasion, ^ft, palate, is here, as Job 
xxxi. 30, Prov. viii. 7, put for the moiith. 
Comp. chap. v. 8. The LXX. (els /,-<&- 
TTOJ/ avrcav, &s 77) ) appear to liuve read 



44 



HOSEA. 



CHAP. VIII. 



For they have transgressed my covenant, 
They have rebelled against my law. 

2 They may cry to me : " O my God ; 
We Israel acknowledge thee." 

3 Israel hath rejected what is good; 
The enemy shall pursue him. 

4 They made kings, but it was not from me ; 



1BV& Dph Vs which makes no sense. 
The following words rrtn? tP2rV -1538:3, 
which contain the announcement, are 
equally abrupt. The point of compari- 
son is the rapidity of flight for which the 
eagle is celebrated, and which is fre- 
quently employed to denote the speedy 
approach of an enemy. Comp. Deut. 
xxyiii. 49 ; Jer. iv. 13, xlviii. 40 ; Lam. 
iv. 19. vtisr FP3, the house of Jehovah, 
cannot here mean the temple at Jerusa- 
lem, which is otherwise so designated, 
since the threatenings are specially de- 
nounced against the kingdom of the ten 
tribes. It must, therefore, be taken to 
denote the people of Israel, the whole 
nation viewed as the family or church of 
God. Comp. chap. ix. 15 ; Numb. xii. 
7 ; Heb. iii. 2 ; just as the Christian 
church is called the house of God. 1 Tim. 
iii. 15, and of Christ, Heb. iii. 6. Eor 
TP'-D lias, comp. chap. vi. 7. The 
nominative to lias? they have trans- 
gressed, is nin" 1 . In" 1 3 1 the family ', i. e. 
the members of the church, of Jehovah. 
The Israelites had violated the obligations 
of the theocracy. JrP")3 and miiaare 
synonymous. 

2. sipST" 1 is the future used potentially 
and not with irony. ">iTf ^s, " O my God," 
is construed as a distributive with the 
plural verb each of the persons spoken 
of being regarded as using the language. 
Inattention to this has led the Syrian 

y y 
translator to render, ,* *V O our God. 

\ 



Vsnto 1 ;, Israel, is in apposition with 
5p2j?Ty ^oe acknowledge thee, and not 
the nominative to i)pj> n, from which it is 
too far removed. It is entirely omitted 
in the LXX. Syr. and Arab, as it is in 
one of Kennicott's MSS., and originally 
in one of De Rossi's Vs")? ^'is, ' 



of Israel, the conjecture of Houbigant, is 
unnecessary. The present position of the 
word is more in keeping with the style 
of Hosea, and the use of it well agrees 
with the vain confidence which the un- 
believing Israelites were ever prone to 
place in their relation to the patriarchs. 

3. hit, Arab. .Xjv, con-upturn fuit 

u '' 

etfcetuit, to be corrupt, loathsome, and to 
reject as such. To treat as loathsome 
what was truly excellent, such as the 
worship of God and the practice of re- 
ligion, argued an awfully depraved state 
of moral feeling. The use of Vsi^ii 
Israel, finely contrasts with that macl'e 
of it in the preceding verse, a'sta, good, 
is, by Jerome, Abenezra, Kimchi, and 
others, taken for God himself, who is 
described as a'-totel aits, good and doing 
good, Ps. cxix. 68. Deuni summum 
bomim, OEcolampadius. It seems, how- 
ever, to be used in a more general accep- 
tation. Before a^s there is an ellipsis 
of the illative p^. Forty-seven of De 
Rossi's MSS. and two more by correc- 
tion ; eight of the most ancient, and 
sixty-two other editions ; the Syr. Vulg. 
and Targ. read iS 1 ?-^ instead of iS'i'V, 
exhibited in the Textus Receptus. 'S'ee 
De Rossi's Scholia Critica. 

4. Some think the kings and princes 
here referred to were Shallum, Meiiahem, 
Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea, and such of 
their partisans as were invested with au- 
thority ; but from the allusions made in 
the following verses to the origination of 
image worship in Israel, it is more prob- 
able that the entire series of Israelitish 
kings and rulers is intended. Though in 
the providence of God, and agreeable to 
the declaration of Ahiah the prophet, 
the ten tribes revolted from the house of 
David, and set up a separate and inde- 



CHAP. VIII. 



HOSEA. 



45 



They set up princes, but I acknowledge them not : 

Of their silver aud their gold they have made for themselves idols, 

In order that they may be cut off. 

5 Thy calf, O Samaria! is abominable; 
Mine anger burneth against them : 

How long shall they be incapable of purity ? 

6 For it came from Israel, 



pendent kingdom, yet they were actuated 
merely by rebellious motives, and had no 
regard to a divine sanction, 1 Kings xi. 
31-39, xii. 20. 5>!^, signifies not only 
to know, but also to approve of that 
which is known, reyard, allow, own. 
Job. ix. 21, xxxiv. 4 ; Ps. i. 6, et freq. 

LXX. /col ovic ejvc!>piffav /JLOI. Syr. jjo 

Y 
. A i^ Vnoj and did not acquaint me, i. e. 

held no communications with me upon 
the subject. The Heb. however, will not 
bear this interpretation, i in both cases 
before y&>, has the force of a relative, 
which must either be adopted in transla- 
tion, or the personal pronoun must be 
supplied. Eor their conversion of their 
silver and gold into idols, comp. chap, 
ii. 8. "\y.K^> does not appear ever to 
be taken in ' a retrospective sense, and 
so to be referred to what goes before, but 
is always used with direct reference to 
what follows. Irns?. IJfttV is, therefore, 
to be rendered, in order that they may be 
cut off; not so that they shall, etc. Comp. 
Jer. vii. 10, xliv. 8. In all such cases 
the preposition is employed to give pecu- 
liar emphasis to the subject. The Israel- 
ites could not seriously, or in reality, have 
intended their own destruction, but they 
acted as if they had ; and it would as- 
suredly overtake them. The nominative 
to rn a ; may either be Israel, understood ; 
or it may have respect to the people col- 
lectively. 

5. The calf of Samaria was not any 
set up in that city, but that set up at 
Bethel with another at Dan, or both, if 
we take the noun as a collective, which 
its inhabitants, and those of the country 
generally, worshipped. The metropolis 
appears to be used here by synecdoche for 
the whole land occupied by the ten tribes ; 



but, at the same time, there can be little 
doubt that its inhabitants were pre-emi- 
nent in their devotion to idolatry. ftar, 
is used in its primary acceptation, to be 
loathsome, abominable. See on ver. 3. 
Such construction is preferable to that 
which would make tfe. AS the accusative 
to hit, assuming nirP.'u^erstood to be 
the nominative, or that in our common 
version, which makes it the nominative, 
and Samaria in its pronominal reference 
the accusative. The introduction of the 
worship of the golden calves by Jeroboam, 
in imitation of Apis, at Memphis, and 
Mnevis, at Heliopolis, which he must 
have seen during his residence in Egypt, 
paved the way for the imitation and 
adoption of the gross idolatries practised 
by the Phoenicians, Syrians, and Chal- 
deans. nin 1 ; tjS ri"jn, the anger of Je- 
hovah burneth, is an anthropopathic mode 
of expression of frequent occurrence in 
the Hebrew Scriptures, denoting the un- 
conquerable opposition of God to all moral 
evil, and the severity of the punishment 
with which it is visited. C2, against 
them, i. e. the Israelites who worshipped 
the golden calves. ^V> ^> iriW 13> 
j i )ij?3, how long shall they be incapable of 
purity ? i. e. how long shall they be ob- 
stinately attached to the impure service 
of idols, and reject the means by which 
they might be recovered from its stain 
and punishment. 

6. The golden calf had its origin in Israel: 
it was not made by any of the surround- 
ing idolaters. The i in mn i is emphatic. 
r^Ti* 1 t'SS'iB, shall be or become flames, 
i. e. shall be burnt, fstj'i? is a aVaf 
\ey. and has no root in Heb.'; but comp. 

the Arab v_ ,MJU, accenditignem, \^JJ*AJ&. 

ardor, flamma. As the calf was made 
by man, so it should by man be converted 



46 



HOSEA. 



CHAP. VUL 



The carpenter made it ; 

It is not God : 

Surely the calf of Samaria shall become flames. 

7 Because they have sown wind, 
They shall reap the whirlwind. 
They shall have no stalk ; 

The growth shall produce no grain ; 
Should it peradventure produce it, 
Strangers shall swallow it up. 

8 Israel is swallowed up ; 

They are now among the nations, 
Like a vessel in which is no delight. 

9 For they went up to Assyria, 
Like a solitary wild ass : 
Ephraim hath given the hire of love. 



into fuel for the flames. It consisted, in 
all probability, of wood, thickly overlaid 
with gold. "When taken as a present to 
the king of Assyria, (see chap. x. 6,) in- 
stead of being worshipped or held in 
respect, it would be stripped of the gold, 
and consigned to the flames. The LXX. 
followed by the Arab. Horsley, and New- 
combe, improperly translate 13 

& T$ 'lffpa.T}\, jL)t*wwt 9 

and join the words to those'bf the preced- 
ing verse. 

7. nfjsne is the emphatic form of 
nSIO, a tornado, whirlwind. Leo Juda, 
magnum turbinem. Comp. nJito*^, Exod. 
xv. 16; nr;jn:?, Ps. iii. 3. The nomina- 
tive to iV is Wnto?' understood ; but iff 
is best to take it collectively, in harmony 
with the plural of the preceding verbs. 
Observe the paronomasia in 1*93 SiTaX 
JiwftT: ''s'i\. The Israelites should be 
unsuccessful in all their undertakings ; 
and whatever partial gains they might 
acquire, would be eagerly seized by the 
Assyrians. 

8. What Hosea had just foretold is 
here realized in prophetic vision. He 
sees them in a state of exile the objects 
of contempt to their oppressors. Comp. 
Jer. xxii. 28. 

9. 10. nVv, to go up, is elsewhere used 
of foreigners coming to the land of Israel ; 



but is here employed with singular pro- 
priety of the Israelites going to Assyria,' 
to intimate their depressed condition, and 
then- acknowledgment of the superiority 
of the Assyrian power. The reference is 
not to their going into captivity, but to 
the embassy which they sent for the pur- 
pose of obtaining aid from that quarter. 
IVJJtJ stands for m IttN, the n of direction 
being omitted. The point of comparison 
in the " wild ass " is his untractableness, 
and his disposition to take his own way, 
in consequence of which he forsakes the 
society of others, and loves the solitari- 
ness of the desert. Sec Job xxxix. 5-8. 
Thus it was with Israel. Despite of all 
the councils and warnings given them 
by the prophets, they persisted in enter- 
ing into foreign alliances. ri:tn, to give 
presents, hire, etc. is purposely chosen, to 
convey the idea of a violation of the 
marriage contract by unlawful commerce 
with another party the derivatives 
15M$ and nsfii;-, properly denoting a gift 
or reward given to a whore. See on 
chap. ii. 12. The aggravation of the 
evil is signified by representing the female 
as offering these rewards to her paramours 
to induce them to commit lewdness, in- 
stead of her being prevailed upon by 
presents made hy them. Comp. Ezek. 
xvi. 33, 34. Though in Hiphil, the 
verb has here the same signification as in 



CHAP. VIII. 



HO S:E A. 



10 Yet though they have hired among the nations, 
I Avill now gather them. ; 

And they shall suffer in a little 

By reason of the tribute of the king of princes. 

11 When Ephraim multiplied altars to sin, 



Kal. CTntt s, lit. loves, a plural not in 
xise in English. Jerome, who renders, 
numera dederunt amatoribus, either read 
tJia ns -which is found in one of De 
EossiVMSS., or he took G^rrs? in a 
concrete sense, as our translators appear 
to have done, for which there is no neces- 
sity. Instead of win 1 ; at the beginning 
of ver. 10, two of De Rossi's MSS. the 
LXX. Syr. "Vulg. Targ. and Arab, read 
siJtr, as if from -jina ; according to which, 
the Israelites are represented as delivered 
over to, or placed in the power of the 
nations. The fifth Greek version, how- 
ever, has a\Aa Kal brav [iiffSHaffriTai eSb/Tj, 
which is preferable, as it is most likely 
that the prophet repeated the verb he had 
just used, and as the other rendering is 
less suited to the connection. riPJJ), now, 
i. e. shortly. Comp. tara immediately 
after. The suffix in ciap.s, "I will 
collect them," belongs to tp^sri, the na- 
tions, and not to the nominative to tiSfii, 
or the Israelites, yap is used in Piel 'in 
a bad as well as in a good sense. Comp. 
Ezek. xvi. 37. Thus Kimchi and Abar- 
banel. Instead of affording any assistance, 
the Assyrians would be collected against 
the apostate Israelites, invade their land, 
and cany them into captivity. Into that 
state of suffering, imposed upon them by 
the king of Assyria, they were shortly 
to be brought, as a punishment for their 
idolatrous desertion of the true worship 
of God. C^to tjV. 7 ?. fc'fteW ta V?T\ 
has been variously interpreted. G'esenius 
renders, " and they (the hostile nations,) 
shall presently set them free from the 
burden of the king, i. e. from his oppres- 
sive yoke ; " but without any suitable sense 
the whole passage being of a commin- 
atory nature, and not promissory of good. 
Vnn, the Hiph. of VVtt, has nowhere 
the signification of loosing or setting free. 
Nor is there any propriety in taking it in 
the usual sense of beginning, and so con- 



struing it with toSJto, as if the latter word 
were the infinitive of the verb tssw, to 
be diminished. The ancient versions refer 
to'Vsh, as the root, in the sense of wait- 
ing, desisting from, etc. LXX. KOTrd- 
Symm. nevovviv. Theod. Sia- 



Aefyotm. Syr 



. 
\ 



Yulg. quies- 



cent. And in this reference I concur, 
especially as ten MSS. and forty-four 
editions, read ?Vn fl l without the Dagesh 
in the Lamed ; only I would abide by the 
signification, to be in pain, affliction, 
which is that given to the verb in our 
common, version. Such construction alone 
suits the connection. By some d"nto 
tj^w are considered to be an instance of 
asyndeton ; and twenty-one MSS. and 
originally ten more, the LXX. Aq. Syr. 
Vulg. Targ. and Talm. Babl. supply the 
copulative i before D^to. So Kimchi, 
Mercer, Piscator. Grotius, Houbigant, 
Dathe, Michaelis, Kuinoel, Newcome, 
Tingstadius. It has been doubted, how- 
ever, whether, according to this resolution 
of the word, they should be referred to 
the native king and princes, or to those of 
Assyria. Some, as Maurer, take them 
to be the nominative to ? }> rj * \, and make 
the sense end with srK, the burden or 
tribute, supposing the heavy taxes imposed 
by the Israelitish rulers to be intended. 
The best sense is brought out by reading 
ti"Va; TfV.5?. ul construction, the king of 
princes, and applying the phrase to the 
king of Assyria, who had many kings 
and princes subject to his sway. Comp. 
Is. x. 8. Thus Pococke's Arabic MS., 
Leo Juda, Drusius, Jun. and Tremel., 
Piscator, Eichhom, Bocckel, Goldwitzer, 
Hitzig, and Ewald. The N'STW., burden, 
was the tribute exacted by Mcnahem, 
and paid to Pul, amounting to a thousand 
talents of silver, 2 Kings xv. 19-22. Comp. 
Sfcja vlfir., tribute money, 2 Chron. xvii. 11. 
T H. By multiplying altars, in opposi- 



48 



HOSEA. 



CHAP. VIII. 



They became to him altars to sin, 

12 I may prescribe for him the numerous things of my law ; 
They are treated as a strange thing. 

13 As for my sacrificial, offerings, 
They sacrifice flesh and eat it ; 
Jehovah accepteth them not : 

He will speedily remember their iniquity, 
And will punish their sin : 
They shall return to Egypt. 



tion to the express prohibition, Deut. xii. 
13, 14, the Ephraimites not only con- 
tracted great guilt, but paved the way 
for the introduction of other sins. Syr. 
o r .o o .r 
\ft'*> \ n l A |JI * "> cnmen ingens. 

There is an easy but beautiful variation 
in the repetition of the words. As used 
the second time, two n possesses consider- 
able emphasis. Comp. for a similar in- 
stance of varied repetition, Is. xxvii, 5. 
It shows how much the mind of the 
prophet was affected by the wickedness 
of his people. Some suppose that there 
is a play upon the double meaning of 
!St3 M as signifying to sin, and to lie pun- 
ished for sin, just as our Lord uses vetcpoi 
in two senses, Matt. viii. 22 ; but the 
second signification cannot attach to the 
verb in this connection. 

12. aisisSi Kerianss, is continuative 
and potential, and is equivalent to, I have 
prescribed, I still prescribe by my proph- 
ets, and I may go on prescribing ; it will 
be of no avail. Keri tan in many MSS. 
''Sin, the plural of in, which is properly 
the infinitive of 32 n, to be great, numer- 
ous, etc. Here the idea of number is 
evidently designed to express the abun- 
dant provisions God had made in his 
written law, and its enforcement by the 
prophets, against the commission of idol- 
atry. According to the Chethiv ian, 
we should render, " I may prescribe to 
him my laws by myriads ; " Ewald, by 
thousands;" Hitzig, by ten thousands, 



Aq. 



The Syr. 



. 
JL-OIP. 



Targ. 



meas. 



O. Vulg. multiplies leges 
Pococke's Arab. MS. 



vdpovs- 

, statutes, 



Symm. irTwjfrosi/^utwjuoi;. t 
are understood, ya ft signifies not only to 
think, regard, etc., but also to treat in a 
manner corresponding to the estimation 
in which a person or thing is held. Tan- 



XxJ| 2OJO J' they reject them like a 

strange thing to which no regard is paid. 
13. n sniri T12T form the nominative 
absolute. T i'nnsn'mi/ gifts, or offerings, 
i. e. such as they professedly offer to me. 
The word is contracted for lanar^, and 
is derived from srL^, to give. It seems 
preferable to abide fiy this usual signifi- 
cation of the verb, which it has likewise 
in Aramaic, Arabic, and Ethiopic, than 
to follow Kimchi, who refers the noun 
to a root ansn, to which he assigns the 
signification to burn, scorch, roast; or 
Ewald, who, appealing to the Chald. 

arisn, and the Arab, ^jfc and 



renders, raw offerings, 'arjan s a more 
choice term for Si'ihiW, or nissjJq. For 
the reduplicate form, comp. onans , 
chap. iv. 18 ; which word the LX5L 
Syr. and Targ. appear to have followed 
in this place ; of which Hitzig seems to 
approve. Aq., observant of the gemina- 
tion, renders, frvtrias <j>epe <t>fye frvtridfovcriv. 
Symm.SWas&ra\A.^Aow. Theod. ^va-lav 
/j.eTa<j>opui> &vfflcura.v. Jehovah rejected 
the sacrifices that were offered, not ac- 
cording to his own appointment, but to 
gratify the carnal appetite of the wor- 
shippers. Reference is had to the sacri- 
fices offered to him, as represented by 
the golden calf. In Ds"i $> is a meiosis. 



CHAP. IX. 



II O S E A . 



14 Because Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and built temples, 
And Judah hath multiplied fortified cities ; 
Therefore will I send a fire into his cities ; 
And it shall consume the palaces of each. 



HP?, now, is here used in the sense of 
speedily, shortly. From the references 
made chap. ix. 3, 6, xi. 11, it is clear 
that the last clause of the verse predicts 
the actual return of a number of the 
Israelites to Egypt, whither, in all prob- 
ability, they fled when the kingdom was 
broken up by the Assyrians. The threat- 
ening pointedly reminded them of the 
depressed condition in which their ances- 
tors had been in that country. Comp. 
Deut. xxviii. 68. The LXX. add, K al 
ei> 'Affffvpiois aKa&apra (jxiyovrai ', but the 
words are wanting in the Aldine edition, 
and in seven MSS. They have evidently 
found their way into the text from chap, 
ix. 3, where they stand in accordance 
with the reading of all the Heb. MSS. 
14. i in ns>'0s;> marks the protasis ; in 



^wn the apodosis. The fiftsirj were 
doubtless idolatrous temples erected' after 
the models of those in use among the 
Syrians and Phoenicians. See, for the 
word, my note on Is. vi. 1. Though 
idolatry had not made the same progress 
in Judah, the inhabitants nevertheless 
evinced a want of confidence in Jehovah 
by fortifying a number of cities, to which 
they trusted for defence. The masculine 
suffix in I'nya refers to Judah; the fem- 
inine in rp'riiiitt'its to each of the cities, 
taken singly. Kwald strangely asserts, 
that the words of this verse appear to 
have been inserted from some book of 
Amos no longer in existence ! Compare,, 
however, for the latter distich, Jer. xlix. 
27; Amos i. 4, 7, 10, 12, 14, iL 2, 5;. 
and see note on Amos i. 4. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The prophet checks the propensity of the Israelites to indulge in excessive joy on account of ' 
any partial, relief from their troubles, 1 ; predicts the failure of the crops, etc. in consequence 
of the Assyrian invasion, 2; their removal to Egypt and Assyria, where they should have 
no opportunity, even if they were inclined, to serve Jehovah according to their ancient 
ritual, 3-5; and the hopelessness of their returning to enjoy the property they had left be- 
hind, 6. He then announces the certain infliction of the divine judgments, and points 
out the true character of the false prophets, by whom the people had been led astray to 
their ruin, 7, 8. Illustrative references are next made to the early history of the Hebrew 
nation, accompanied with appropriate comminations couched in varied forms, in order to, 
render them more affecting, 9--17. 



1 CAKRY not thy joy, O, Israel ! to exultation, like the nations, , 



! "^"H n)sto!py-*K, h't. rejoice not Vulg. read Va ^, exult not; but con- 
to exultation. The LXX. Syr. Targ. and trary to the ttsus loguendi, which requires 

7 



50 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. IX. 



For thou hast lewdly departed from thy God ; 
Thou hast loved the hire, 
On all the corn floors. 

2 Neither the floor nor the vat shall nourish them; 
And the new wine shall fail therein. 

3 They shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah, 
But Ephraim shall return to Egypt, 

And in Assyria, they shall eat what is unclean. 



the verb following Vi$ to "be in the future 
tense, as Seeker properly observes. Some 
find in the comparison " like the nations," 
an imitation of their idolatrous festivi- 
ties ; but the language is rather predictive 
of the joyless condition to which the Is- 
raelites were to be reduced. While those 
by whom they were surrounded and 
especially their Assyrian invaders, should 
indulge in unrestrained mirth, they should 
experience affliction and sorrow. There 
is most probably a reference to the joy 
^occasioned by the league entered into 
with Pul, by which peace seemed to be 
secured. Their joy was to be of short 
duration, and therefore required to be 
moderate. Instead of ftegs, thirteen 
MSS., originally five more, one by cor- 
rection, and five editions, read fteSSi 
" among the nations," of which Hosen- 
miiller, following Abarbanel, approves. 
The prophet adds the reason why they 
should have no cause for exultation 
their abounding idolatries, by which they 
incurred the judgments of God. These 
idolatries they carried to such a pitch, 
that they erected shrines at their thresh- 
ing floors, in. order to offer at them the 
oblations of then- grain. The crops were 
considered to have been bestowed by the 
idols in compensation for the worship 
rendered to them, (see chap. ii. 5, 12, 13;) 
and are therefore spoken of as "ji^s, a 
meretricious reward, 

2 . For B rii 3 , in reference to the failure of 
the productions of the earth, see Hab. iii. 
17. The verb properly signifies to lie, de- 
ceive, etc. ; figuratively, to fail. Twenty- 
six MSS., originally sixteen more, and 
perhaps two, three editions, with the 
support of the LXX. Syr. Targ. and 
Vulg. read ta, in them, i. e. them, the 
Israelites, instead of frS, in her, the re- 



ceived reading. It is, however, too plainly 
an emendation to entitle it to adoption. 
Nothing is more common than for our 
prophets to use first a plural, and then a 
singular suffix of the same subject : ac- 
cording to the rule laid down by Tan- 
chum, that when in a continued discourse 
a nation or people is spoken of, either in 
the feminine affix agreeing with n*i5>, con- 
gregation, or the masculine agreeing with 
fcy, people, may be used ; as also, that 
the singular may be used of them, viewed 
as a body, and the plural, when they are 
regarded as consisting of distinct individ- 
uals. See in Pococke. At the same 
time it is better in a translation to render 
them alike, as in the ancient versions just 
quoted. 

3. Canaan was called T^T,^ y^is, the 
land of Jehovah, because he had appro- 
priated it for an inheritance to those whom 
he had chosen to be his peculiar people. 
It was his gift to Abraham and his pos- 
terity, to be enjoyed by them on condition 
of their fidelity in his service. For this 
end he attached to it his special blessing, 
Deut. xi. 10-12. Comp. Jer. ii. 7, xvi. 
18; Ezek, xxxvi. 20. The return to 
Egypt being here mentioned in connec- 
tion with an exile in Assyria, proves that 
it is to be taken literally, and that it is 
not designed to express a servitude similar 
to that of Egypt. See on chap. viii. 13. 
The fulfilment of this prediction in the 
history of the ten tribes, is nowhere 
mentioned in Scripture. No doubt the 
number that fled to Egypt was small, 
compared with the body of the nation 
carried into the Assyrian exile. By 8)2 la 
is meant prohibited food, meats pro- 
nounced unclean by the Mosaic law. 
Comp. Ezek. iv. 13. To such necessity 
should they be reduced as captives. 



CHAP. IX. 



HO SEA. 



51 



4 They shall not pour out wine to Jehovah, 
Neither shall their sacrifices please him ; 

They shall be to them as the bread of mourners, 

All that eat thereof shall be unclean : 

For their bread shall be for themselves ; 

It shall not come unto the house of Jehovah. 

5 What will ye do on the day of assembly ? 
On the day of Jehovah's festival ? 

6 For, behold'! they go away from destruction, 

But Egypt shall gather them, Memphis shall bury them ; 

As for their coveted treasuries of money, nettles shall possess them ; 

Thorns shall be in their tents. 



4. ^ea is used of the pouring out of 
wine for'a libation, Gr. ffirevSeiv. Exod. 
xxx. 9. 3*y>, properly to mix, mingle, 
came to signify, sweet, agreeable, pleasing, 
from the circumstance, that what was 
pleasant to the taste, often consisted of 
mixed ingredients. D^sis ktlV.' bread, 
mfood of sorrows, i. e. such as'was eaten 
by mourners for the dead, and conse- 
quently regarded as unclean, on account 
of the contact in which they were sup- 
posed to come with the dead body. See 
Numb. xix. 14, 15, 22 ; Jer. xvi. 7, 8 ; 
Ezelc. xxiv. 17 ; Hagg. ii. 12, 13. In- 
stead of feasting upon the sacrifices as 
their fathers had been accustomed to do, 
when they slew them according to the 
law, which was always an occasion of 
joy, they should be placed in circum- 
stances in which no such sacrifices could 
be offered, and no such feasts enjoyed. 
Their food should all be common 
tew:\,/or their soul, or life, i. e. merely 
for its sustenance ; not fit to be presented 
to the Lord. Thus Schmidius, Grotius, 
and others. 

5. In captivity they would find it im- 
possible to observe their solemn feasts 
a great aggravation of their punishment 
Conrp. chap. ii. 11. The exposition of 
Jarchi, Abenezra, Kimchi, Mercer, Capito, 
and others, according to which, the day 
of punishment, represented under the 
idea of sacrifice, is meant, cannot be sus- 
tained. 

6. The prophet here specially describes 
those Israelites who should take alann at 
the invasion of the country by the As- 



syrians, and flee for safety into Egypt. 
They imagined that their stay there would 
only be temporary ; but it is predicted 
that they should no more return to their 
possessions, and be buried in their fathers' 
sepulchres, but should die in the land, 
and have their interment among the 
mummies of Egypt. For Memphis as 
the great necropolis of that country, see 
my note on Isaiah xix, 13. yajJj to 
gather, is here used in reference to the 
removal of the soul at death, into the 
world of spirits, and is equivalent to 
t|t-JM Numb. xx. 26, or the full phrases 
'teSJVs C)bJ*a, and vintes *> tiDxa, to 
be gathered to one's people or fathers, 
which is always spoken of as something 
different from death and burial. Comp. 
Jer. viii. 2 ; Ezek. xxix. 5, in which latter 
passage t]&N> and "2j; f are used as syn- 
onymes. According to the signification 
of the cognate Arab. verb. t\ajJf cepit, 
apprehendit manu rem, it conveys the 
idea of God's taking away the soul. 

Hence the phrase xAJ|x,aAJ> mortuus 

' 

est, literally, God took Mm ; and /y^ A ? 
simply, mortuus est (ad Dei misericordiam 
delatus). Freytag. "When it is said that 
Egypt should gather and Memphis bury 
the Israelitish fugitives, the meaning is 
that they should be removed out of this 
world, and that their bodies should be 
buried there. The personification is em- 
ployed, as usual, for the sake of effect. 
TtthU, desire, covetonsness ; that which 
is the object of desire, w7iat is covefablg, 
coveted, from "ittrt, to desire, covet. As 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. IX. 



7 The days of punishment are come, 
The days of retribution are come ; 
Israel shall know it : 
The prophet is foolish, 
The man of the spirit is frantic, 
Because of the greatness of thy punishment, 
And because the provocation is great. 



the verb tun^ has a plural suffix, this 
noun is here to be taken as a collective, 
and rendered in the plural. The idea of 
treasury is supplied by the connection. 
C] 3 is used generally of money, as in most 
other places, when ant, gold, is not com- 
bined with it. Targ. YittSto r->!Mn. I-PS, 
the house of their desirable money. "Symm. 
TO, 4tri&v(j,'f]/j.aTa TOV apyvplov avruv- 
Others, less aptly, explain the words of 
houses, palaces, etc. adorned with silver. 
On leaving those treasures which they 
could not carry with them, the Israelites 
would naturally bury them in the earth, 
which accounts for the very significant 
phrase, " the nettles shall inherit them." 
For the combination 'aJiwj? ort'i/cj? and 
mn, comp. Is. xxxiv. 13. The whole 
verse is miserably translated by the LXX. 
7. nTp2, visitation, punishment. Comp. 
Is. x. 3 ;'"'l Pet. ii. 12. iiyn, skill know 
experimentally. By the jon's is obviously 
to be understood in this place, the false 
prophet or prophets by whom the people 
of the ten tribes were seduced from the 
right worship of Jehovah, who taught 
them to worship the golden calves, and 
otherwise encouraged them in their idol- 
atrous practices. Thus Pococke's Arab. 
MS. S-O C.cX.Jt ne that pretends 

to prophesy ; "and Kimchi, *iJ;'B "^"^i, 
tying prophets. With this, the phrase 
ri!)in'!J' 1 S, the man of the spirit, is syn- 
onymous ; one pretending to inspiration, 
or professing to deliver oracles under the 
influence of a divine effiatus. LXX. 

av&pwiros d irvevfiarotpopos. Syr. | *. 

, P> <* . P . f ^ 

|4*O9 fflLO ( A *L*" > ^? the man that is 

clothed, or endued with the spirit, only 
adding by way of explanation, but er- 

.0 > o 

roneously,] _^^_^ A A-* of folly. Comp. 



Mic.ii. 11. rvn tiV" 1 WIN; 1 Cor. xiv. 37. 
6? TIS Soicei jrpo<t>7iT'r]S elvai ) irvevfiaTiicbs ; 
2 Pet. i. 21, faro itvev/jiaros ayiov <j>ep6/j.et'oi ', 
and see my Lectures on Divine Inspira- 
tion, p. 25. ys,vft insane, frantic; Arab. 

xs>jw locutMS fuit rhythmice, to speak 

iii an impassioned manner, like an in- 
spired poet ; hence, from the violence of 
the gesticulations, tones, etc., to act like 
a madman, to be mad, insane. Comp. 
Jer. xxix. 26, where y.vrw i; %i s and 
sailrw are synonymous. The meaning 
is, that the pretenders to inspiration, by 
whose false predictions of uninterrupted 
prosperity the people had been deluded, 
should be convicted of folly, and reduced 
to a state of absolute frenzy by the inflic- 
tion of the divine judgments upon the 
nation. Hosea introduces this declaration 
respecting the Israelitish prophets paren- 
thetically, thereby giving force to his 
own prediction of impending calamity. 
The affix in ^5:1* refers to Vs-va \ , to 
whom the prophet turns in the way of 
direct address. I'll? means here, not the 
crime, but its punishment. Comp. for 
this signification of the term, Is. v. 18, 
and my note there. In nani subaud, 
"O, because. The adjective nai, is here 
placed before its substantive for the sake 
of emphasis. See on Is. liii. 11. From, 
the use of b^'tf in the sense of hatinff, 
evincing hostility, etc., there can be little 
doubt that the derivative t-,'ct3\u'}s, which 
occurs only in this and the following 
verse, has the signification of hostility, 
provoking conduct, provocation. That of 
snare or trap, which Gesenius assigns to 
it, is not borne out, even by the Syriac 

Vi-A-fl 7 which signifies vinxit, compe- 

j 
divit, but not to ensnare. Comp. the 

Arab, ^l tt_... odes gladii; acutiores ef 
T^^' 



CHAP. IX. 



HOSEA. 



53 



10 



Ephraim expeoteth help from my God ; 

The prophet is a fowler's snare in all his ways : 

The cause of provocation in the house of his god. 

They have deeply corrupted themselves, 

As in the days of Gibeah ; 

He will remember their iniquity, 

He will punish their sins. 

I found Israel, like grapes in the desert ; 
Like the first early fruit of the fig tree, at its commencement, 



fervidiores hominum. LXX. fiavla. ; Aq. 
f^K&ff-nffis ', AAA e(co-To-ts; all of which 
convey the idea of great excitement, and 
yield support to the interpretation I have 
given. The idolatrous practices of the 
Israelites are meant, by -which they pro- 
voked the righteous indignation of Jeho- 
vah. 

8. tnnSN iB.te, are not in construction, 
and to be 'rendered as in most versions, 
" the watchman of Ephraim," to justify 
which construction various modes of 
exegesis have been resorted to ; among 
others that of Horsley, who would have 
the watchman to be Elijah. Nor can 
the rendering of Ewald be sustained, 
who gives the passage, Ein Spdher ist 
Ephraim gegen mein Gott. " Ephraim 
is a spy against my God." When CJ> 
signifies against, it follows verbs of more 
active import. E. schaut nach Weissa- 
ffungen aus neben meinem Gott ; " Eph- 
raim looks for prophecies besides my 
God," the rendering of Hitzig, is 
equally objectionable. I quite agree with 
Gesenius and Lee, in assigning to nss: 
in this place the signification of looking 
out, expecting, as in Ps. v. 4 ; Lam. iv. 
17, in Piel. b, loith, is used elliptically 
for CStt, from with, i. e. from. A sim- 
ilar ellipsis undeniably occurs Job xxvii. 
13. Vs-e? san d-JK-pVn r>\, this is 
the portion of the wicked man from (fty, 
ioith,) God, as appears, not only from the 
synonymous phrase ^aB, "FROM the 
Almighty," in the corresponding hemi- 
stich, but from the actual use of \"a,from, 
in the parallel passage, chap. xx. 29. 
"What the prophet asserts is, that the 
Ephraimites indulged in expectations of 
good from Jehovah, notwithstanding their 
dereliction of his worship hi its pure and 



legitimate forms, and their adoption of 
the idolatrous practices of the heathen 
around them. In this they were encour- 
aged by the false prophets, who caught 
them by their ensnaring doctrines, as is 
declared immediately after. nKU'-aa is 
here used in the same acceptation 'as in 
the preceding verse, only there is a me- 
tonymy of the effect for the cause. By 
'pn'Vs rr i 3, "the house of his sod," is 

T ,,, .i 7 * 

not riieant the temple or people of the 
true God, but the temple or temples in 
which the false worship was performed, 
which the prophets here reprobated were 
specially active in promoting. 

9. iinry:; iiprayr:, an instance of the 
constructio asyndeta. The former of the 
two verbs is to be rendered adverbially. 
For its use before infinitives, see on chap, 
v. 2. Mercer, " Quam corruptissimi 
sunt." sii-ifri may either be taken in- 
transitively, or nsT'S'TT, dr^s-iiV"^ y, or 
* .. .. . - v .. . -. 

the like, must be supplied. So great was 
the depravity evinced by those whose 
conduct the prophet here describes, that 
it could only be paralleled by the atroc- 
ity of the inhabitants of Gibeah, specified 
Judges xix. 22-30. 

10. Vs^b" Israel, here means the 
ancestors of the Hebrew nation. It has 
been asked, " How could God be said to 
find the Hebrews in the wilderness, since 
he conducted them into it from Egypt ? " 
To remove the difficulty, some very un- 
warrantably explain the wilderness of 
Egypt itself; but others connect D^53 ss 
ISTtea, like grapes in the desert, arid 
explain SSM of finding by experience, 
trial, etc. Such they were, proved them- 
selves to be, in my judgment. And this 
seems to be the proper division and inter- 
pretation of the words At the same 



HOSE A. 



CHAP. IX. 



I regarded your fathers ; 

But they came to Baal-peor^ 

And separated themselves to the object of shame ; 

They became abominable, like the object of their love. 

11 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away, like a bird; 
There shall be no birth, no womb, no conception. 

12 Yea, though they should rear their children, 
I would take them away from among men ; 
But woe to them ! when I depart from them. 



on account of the suffix. Vulg. facti sunt 
abominabiles sicut ea, quee dilexerunt. 
The Hebrews became as abominable as 
the impure idol whose rites they cele- 
brated. ynpto sin yip*; "iaisn, he that 
serveth an abomination, is himself an 
abomination. Kimchi's MS. note in Po- 
cocke. 

11, 12. C "}> Ephraim, is of the 
nominative absolute, which gives promi- 
nence to the name, and its signification. 
As for Ephraim, (Q^lSt;,, from n"i5, to 
be fruitful Gen. xli. 52,) such may he 
his name, but, etc. "lias, glory, is in 
contrast with f~v;3, shame, in the preced- 
ing verse. The lewd and idolatrous con- 
duct of the Israelites should meet with a 
fit retribution. Instead of having an 
increase of children, that might grow up 
and become the glory of the land, those 
who might now be accounted such should 
speedily be removed into Assyria, and 
there would be nothing but sterility to 
characterize the nation. The preposition 
to, prefixed to the three last substantives, 
is privative in signification, "tsa, womb t 
stands here for pregnancy, or for the foetus 
in the womb. The order of the words 
presents an instance of the gradatio in- 
versa. S-rsw, among men, as ^s^P TfteN 
b^-aw, " n thy mother shall be childless 
among women," 1 Sam. xv. 33. Ewald 
and Hitzig translate I'-wtos, ivlien I look 
away from, them, contending that we 
should read to instead of to ; but no MS. 
is thus pointed, and the present punctu- 
ation is so far supported by the LXX. 

<rap fiLov, i. e ""^toa), Aq. Vulg. and 



time la'jto y?.t*3 N5a occurs in. reference 
to the same 'subject, Deut. xxxii. 10, 
Where the verb must be taken in the 
sense of reaching with sufficient aid. 
Comp. the Eth. MJ/^ (\ \ venti; Arab. 

L^JO perduxit, tractavit, negotium ; and 
chap. xiii. 5 ; Jer, xxxi. 2. The point 
of comparison in the verse is the delight 
with which a traveller enjoys grapes found 
in a desert, in which they were unex- 
pected, and where they served most op- 
portunely to quench his thirst ; or the 
early fig, which is accounted a great del- 
icacy in the East. "When Jehovah entered 
into covenant with the people of Israel 
at Sinai, they were regarded by him with 
delight, being free from idolatry, and 
engaging to adhere to his service. Comp. 
chap. xi. 1 ; Jer. xxxi. 3. The scene, 
however, was soon changed, nten, itti, 
these very persons. At Baal-peor, they 
proved faithless, and indulged in the very 
atrocities of which their posterity were 
guilty in the days of the prophet. For 
the transactions referred to, see Numb. 
xxv. l-o. Priapism, which Hosea justly 
characterizes as in the highest degree 
abominable, was the worship peculiarly 
acceptable to the god of Peor. See Cal- 
met and Winer in voc. "it.5 signifies 
to separate one's self from any person or 
thing, and also, followed by V, to separate 
tit devote one's self to some religious object. 
Hence the substantive vts, a Nazarite, 
it a consecration, nwa is' the abstract 
for the concrete, and denotes the obscene 
or shameful idol which the Moabites 
worshipped, n^ssj!^, lit. abominations, 
but used here adjectively, loathsome, 
abominable, cans is properly the sub- 
stantive, 3r;i< the points being changed 



Targ. Three MSSVand one edit, have 
"yea, to which ^.sitoa is doubtless here 
equivalent. Many Instances occur of 
the substitution of o for e, and vice versa- 



CHAP. IX. 



HO SEA. 



55 



13 I see Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place ; 
But Ephraim shall bring out his children to the murderer. 

14 Give them, Jehovah ! what wilt thou give ? 
Give them a miscarrying womb, and dry breasts. 

15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal; 
Surely I have hated them there : 

On account of the wickedness of their deeds, . 
I have driven them out of my house ; 
I will love them no more : 
All their princes are rebels. 

16 Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up; 
They shall produce no fruit : 



The meaning is, when I withdraw my 
protection from them ; no longer showing 
them any favor, but delivering them over 
to their enemies. For the abortive at- 
tempt of Lyra to prove a corruption of 
the passage by the Jews, and to palm 
upon the rendering of the LXX. 77 aa.p 
(j.ov e avT&v, the doctrine of the incar- 
nation of the Messiah, see Pococke. 

13. After fjiss supply 'h'w, from 
the following "i i^^ "^Nl "ij?l?5' Though 
StjO commonly governs the accusative, 
yet," in Ps. Ixiv. 6, it is followed as here 
by the dative, without any difference of 
signification. LXX. s Stripav, reading, 
nils, instead of ite. Aq. Symm. aicp6- 
TO/UOI/ ; Theod. irerpav ; Arnoldi, and 
after him Hitzig, would derive "lis from 
the Arab, ^ ^o as signifying the Palm ; 

but it only signifies the root of that tree, 
or describes it as small in size, an accep- 
tation which would ill suit the present 
connection. Ewald renders, Bild, image 
or likeness. The point of comparison is 
the beautiful situation of Tyre. See 
Ezek. xxvii. 3, xxviii. 12, 13. The no- 
tion of planting seems to have been sug- 
gested by the name of Ephraim. See on 
the preceding verse. The territory occu- 
pied by that tribe, and several of the 
other nine, was distinguished for its beauty 
and fertility; and the prosperity of its 
inhabitants, who traded extensively with 
the Phoenician ports, was only surpassed 
by Tyre herself. Yet the fruit of this 
lovely region was only to be produced in 
order to its being destroyed. The inhab- 



itants were to be slain in great numbers 
with the sword. The V before the infin- 
itive in sostaV, is future in signification, 
indicating what was about to be, or would 
be done. 

14. These words strongly mark the 
effect produced upon the mind of the 
prophet by the contemplation of the wick- 
edness of his people. In holy ardor of 
soul, he feels himself excited to impre- 
cate what he had predicted ver. 11. 
Some, less appropriately, render nw , not 
as an interrogative, but as signifying that 
which, i. e. give them whatever thou 
wilt. Barrenness was accounted a great 
misfortune among the Jews. 

15. For Gilgal, see on chap. iv. 15. 
Being one of the chief places of idolatrous 
worship, the wickedness of the nation 
might be said to be concentrated in it. 
When God is represented as hating the 
wicked, it must be understood in regard 
to the odiousness of their moral character, 
and his infliction of positive punishment 
upon them on account of it. Hitzig 
considers tssto to be here used inchoa- 
tively. For the sense in which r^a, 
house, is to be taken, see on chap. viii. 1- 
Hatred and love are contrasted as here, 
Mai. i. 2, 3. In fci-nto drr^to is & 
paronomasia. 

16. The figurative language here em- 
ployed is suggested by the meaning of 
the name Ephraim, as inverses, 11, 13. 
Titos ^ is in the future, while nsn and 
\B2i are in the preterite, to mark the 
state of unfruitfulness as following upon 



56 



HOSEA. 



CHAP. X, 



Yea, though they should beget children, 
I will kill the beloved of their womb. 
17 My God will abhor them, 

Because they have not listened to him : 
They shall be wanderers among the nations. 



the injury done to the tree. The resolu- 
tion of the figure in the latter half of the 
verse possesses much force. Most of the 
MSS. and some few editions read, with 
the Keri, ^a instead of i*>3 , which occurs, 
however, before a verb, Job xli. 18. For 
ja, comp. on T^j-itt, ver. 6. 



17. Though the pronominal affix in 
iri^x is omitted by the LXX. and Arab, 
and "one of Kennicott's MSS., it is, in 
such connection, more in the style of 
Hosea than Qiri^s. The dispersion of 
the ten tribes is here expressly predicted. 



CHAPTER X. 



In this chapter the prophet continues to charge the Israelites with idolatry, anarchy, and 
want of fidelity, 14. He expatiates -with great variety on the judgments that were to 
come upon them in punishment for these crimes, 5-11 ; and then abruptly turns to them in 
a direct hortatory address, couched in metaphorical language, borrowed from the mode of 
representation which he had just employed, 12. The section concludes with an appeal to 
the experience which, they had already had of the disastrous consequences of their wicked 
conduct. 



ISRAEL is a luxuriant vine ; 

He putteth forth his fruit ; 

According to the increase of his fruit, 

He increased altars ; 

According to the excellence of his land, 

They prepared goodly statues. 



1. The wickedness which manifested 
itself in idolatry, etc. is here traced to the 
abuse of the prosperity which God had 
conferred on the Israelites. Instead of 
spending the bounties of providence for 
the glory of God, they appropriated them 
to idolatrous uses, and that in proportion 
to the abundance of their bestowment. 
^ultus fudit,fcacundus fuit, 



multum pluviam demisit, florere ccepit 
planta, is here used to express the luxu- 
riance of the vine, and not, as in our 
common version and some others, its un- 
irurtfulness. The idea of emptying, which 
the verb also has, derived from, that of 
pouring out entirely or abundantly the 
contents of a vessel, does not suit the 
present connection. LXX. evK\-niJ.arov<ra., 



CHAP. X. 



HO SEA. 



5T 



2 Their heart is divided, they shall now be punished : 

He will cut off their altars, he will destroy their statues. 

3 Surely now shall they say : We have no king ; 
For we fear not Jehovah : 

As for the king then, what can he do for us ? 

4 They utter empty speeches ; 
Swearing falsely, making covenants ; 
Therefore judgment blossoms like the poppy 
On the ridges of the field. 



or, as in other copies, eytchriiMTovffa. Aq. 
&vvSpos. Symm. vMnavouffa. Vulg.fron- 
doso. Comp. Gen. xlix. 22 ; Ps. Ixxx. 
9-11; Ezek. xvii. 6. In every other 
instance "jSA is construed as a feminine; 
but here the masculine name ^snaPi 
Israel, required it to be taken as of that 
gender. JTiUJ, to resemble, be equal to, 

sufficient; in Piel, like the Eth. [((DP, 
to bring to maturity, produce fruit. iV> , 
in the phrase i Vri-i/a? , is pleonastic, as 
i* 1 iV-"^n, etc., but may here be rendered 
as a possessive pronoun. 

2. p*j_h is here to be taken intransi- 
tively, as in our common version, and 
refers, not to any difference of opinion 
among the Israelites respecting the claims 
of their numerous idols, but to their in- 
sincerity in the service of Jehovah, 
professing to worship him, while they 
likewise addicted themselves to the 
worship of idols. Thus Tanchum : 

J.&S.J [--'*-? !*> 
" their mind 



1*4 



and. their understanding, and their opin- 
ion are divided, while they associate 
others with God." The acceptation to be 
smooth, which some propose, is to be re- 
jected, on the ground that, though the 
verb is used in this signification of the 
tongue, it nowhere is of the heart. For 
the meaning of tiws , see on chap. v. 15. 
The nominative to siin, He, is t^riVs, 
God, in \riVx, chap. ix. 17. Jehovah'is 
here said to do, what he would effect by 
means of the Assyrians, 5jis is properly 
a sacrificial term, signifying to cut off 
the head of a victim, by striking it on the 
neck ; hence, to drop as blood from the 

8 



place thus struck ; and to drop generally. 
It is here, with much force, used metony- 
mically, in application to the destruction 
of the altars on which the animals were 
offered. Ewald renders, Er wird Hire 
altar e enthaupten ; "he will decapitate 
their altars." For the distinction between 
mifi2T>3 and niaato , sceoii chap. iii. 4. 
fiPg,' now, in this and the following verse, 
has the signification of soon, speedily. 

3. The language of desperation is here 
put into the mouth of the apostate Israel- 
ites, at the time of the infliction of divine 
judgment. Their king, to whom they 
had naturally looked for protection, was 
removed ; they had forfeited the favor of 
God, who was now become their enemy ; 
and, therefore, it was vain to expect help 
from an earthly monarch. Some think 
the prophet refers to the time of anarchy 
during the interregnum, between the 
murder of Pekah and the accession of 
Hoshea. 

4. "i an 12^ , lit. to speak a word, or 
speech, i. e. what is merely such ; empty, 
false pretences. Comp. the Lat. verba 
dare. The prophet begins with the finite 
form of the verb, and then, for the sake 
of more specific description, changes it 
for the infinitive. Comp. Is. lix. 13. 
For nfts, as an absolute infinitive, in- 
stead of ri'^s, comp. i-nirs , Is. xxii. 13 ; 
i^si, chap. xlii. 20. rrns, covenant, 
is here used as a collective lioun, and is 
to be rendered in the plural. Whether 
the false swearing and the entering into 
covenants refer to the conduct of the 
Israelites in regard to each other, or 
whether they respect their conduct in 
reference to foreign powers, has been dis- 
puted. The latter would seem to be the 
more probable, since it is the making of 



58 



HOSE A. 



CHAP. X. 



6 For the calves of Beth-aven, 

The inhabitants of Samaria shall be in fear ; 

The people thereof shall mourn on account of it ; 

The priests thereof shall leap about on account of it 

On account of its glory, 

Because it hath departed from it. 
5 It shall itself also be carried to Assyria, 

A present to the hostile king : 

Ephraini shall take disgrace, 

And Israel shall blush for his own counsel, 



covenants and not the breaking of them, 
of which the prophet speaks as something 
criminal. He seems to have in his eye 
the historical circumstances narrated 2 
Kings xvii. 4. By taSipw is meant the 
divine judgment which was to be inflicted 
upon the people of Israel. So Jarchi, 
JVSSTiBi p-nD' 1 '' ittsiaw. This he com- 
pares to the rapid and luxuriant growth 
of the poppy, which overruns the fields, 
and is destructive as a poison. Celsius, 
in his Hierobot. supports the common 
rendering hemlock, as the signification of 
ttiish ; but that of poppy, proposed by 
Gesenius, is preferable, both to such con- 
struction of the term, and to that of 
colocynth advanced by CEdmann, or that of 
lolium or darnel suggested by Michaelis. 
The term is usually rendered poison in 
our common version ; sometimes gall. 
LXX. &ypu(ms. fc'K^Si rather signify 
the ridges between the furrows than the 
furrows themselves. See Pococke. 

5, 6. In these verses the object of idol- 
atrous worship is spoken of, now in the 
plural, and now in the singular number, 
which Hit/ig accounts for on the ground, 
that though the Israelites might have 
multiplied golden calves, that set up by 
Jeroboam would still be held hi peculiar 
honor. Four MSS. have fi^y , calf, in 
the singular, which is also the 'rendering 
of the LXX. Syr. and an anonymous 
Greek version in the Hexapla. This 
reading is very uncritically adopted by 
Kuinoel, Dathe, Newcome, and some 
other modems. For ^-.t? !">"3, Beth- 
aven, see on chap. iv. 15. jsu; is a col- 
lective. The nominative to the pronom- 
inal affixes in i*\>y , :/25>, T-IKS, etc. is 
the Vr.y , calf of Jeroboam, singled out 



from the rest.. < ito3>, its people, those 
devoted to its worship. Comp. Numb. 
xxi. 29. fnfcs is only used in Hebrew 
to designate idolatrous priests, and occurs 
but twice besides, viz. 2 Kings xxiii. 5 ! 

^ 
Zeph. i. 4 ; but in the Syriac ) V^n - 

Itumro, signifies a priest of the true God. 
as well as one engaged in the service of 
idols. Gesenius derives the noun, from 
"1533 , to burn, be scorched, black, suppos- 
ing the reference to be to the black dress 
of monks or ecclesiastics ; but this seems 
too modern to be entitled to adoption. 
The derivation of Iken, in his Dissert, de 
Ccmarim, who refers the word to the 
Persic ^AJ sacrum magorwn ignicolarum 

cingutum, of which frequent mention i:; 
made in the Sadder of Zoroaster, is much 
more natural. Comp. the Chald. N-iKp 
*r,Kp. , a belt or girdle. Some think 'the 
Lat. 'camillus, an inferior order of priests, 
who attended upon and assisted the fla- 
mens, is derived from this root. Ewald 
renders the word by Pfaffen, which is 
used of priests by way of contempt, in 
German. Those who render iiV'i" 1 , they 
rejoiced, which is the usual signification 
of the verb, supply -MS before it ; but 
the Vau conversive connects it so closely 
with Vas , as to render such supplement 
inconsistent with the construction. It is, 
therefore, better to revert to the primary 
signification of ^ia , to move about, leap, 
dance, or the like. Comp. the Arab. 

iji ^ circumivit. Such Avould be the 
? 

excitement of the idolatrous priests at the 
capture of then: God, that they wouM 
leap about in a state of desperation, hTe 
those of Baal, 1 Kings xviii. 20. The 



CHAP. X. 



HO SEA. 



59 



7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off; 

He is like a chip upon the surface of the water. 

8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, are destroyed ; , 
Thorns and thistles shall grow upon their altars : 

They shall say to the mountains, Cover us; 
And to the hills, Fall upon us. 

9 Since the days of Gilead, thou hast sinned, O Israel ! 
There they remain : 

Shall not the war against the unjust overtake them in Gilead ? 



glory of the idol consisted in its' ornaments, 
wealth, etc. 'ilriS CS is emphatic: itself 
also, i. e. the idol or golden calf. For 
the meaning of an 11 , Jareb, see on chap. 
v. 13. The worshippers of the golden 
calf would be ashamed of him, when 
they found that, instead of protecting 
them, he was himself carried into cap- 
tivity. That ns'ia is not to be changed 
into na W2 , and rendered in a sound sleep, 
as Horsley does, nor into W.S3 , in this 
year, with Michaelis, the parallelism suf- 
ficiently shows. 

7. For the sake of emphasis, "pito is 
put absolutely. The whole phrase is 
equivalent to the king of Samaria, etc. 
That Vila "7 a agrees with SS^M, and not 
with -^-iwa, the gender shows. tjsj? 
has nowhere the signification of foam or 
scum. It is derived from Cjsp, Arab. 

L ,_.,r^,. i ' fregitt to cut, cut off, and signi- 
fies any chip or small fragment of wood. 
Comp. rjSsjJ , a fragment, Joel i. 7. 
Arab. LjLv/AJs fractus aborts rarmis, 
tcnuitas arboris. LXX. <>6- 



IN 

Knvov. Syr. ^1 festticam. The com- 

parison of the king to a small chip of 
wood, which cannot resist the force of the 
current, is very beautiful and forcible. 
Spuma, which is the rendering of the 
Targ. Jerome, Symm. Abulwalid, Tan- 
chum, and many moderns, is less apt, 
even if it could be philologically sus- 
tained. 

8, TIN, Avon, is an abbreviation of the 
full form, 1/.S T .-2 , Beth-aven, or Bethel. 
f'Stsl-i , the occasion of sin to Israel. See 
ver. 10. In the midst of the calamities 
that should come upon the people, death 



would be preferable to life. Comp. Rev. 
vi. 15, 16. 

9. That reference is here made to the 
transactions recorded Jud. xix. xx., there 
can be no doubt. The prophet declares 
that as a nation his people had all along, 
from the period referred to, evinced a 
disposition to act in the same rebellious 
and unjust manner as the Gibconites had 
done. Comp. chap. ix. 9. The words 
1"T23> Dttji there they remain, continue, 
persist, graphically express the character 
of the inhabitants in his day. The Gib- 
eonites are still, what they have ever been, 
a wicked and abandoned people. They 
are here singled out as a fit specimen of the 
whole nation; and are called mVs ' 135, 
sons of wickedness, to mark the enormity 
of their conduct. Instead of mVs* , the 
Brixian edition, thirty-nine MSS. origi- 
nally seventeen, and perhaps a few more, 
have ri^lS , the common form, which is 
supposed to have been changed by a 
simple transposition of the letters. Albert 
Schultens, however, in Ms notes ad Harir. 
i. p. 15, justifies the present reading by 
deriving it from the Arab. IJLe. modum 
excessit, extulit se ; and Michaelis, in his 
Suplem. by referring it to the Syriac, 

N-A.^1 and tne Etn - U A0 * fi dem 
fefellit, perfidus fuit. Comp. ^q, MJ * 
O A(J)-i Hex tyrannns, scelcstus. 



t 



t boni, 

sceltts, perversitas. That the Targumist 
read the text as it now stands is clear 
from his rendering the word 'p"Vo , they 
ioent up. The words nya.'n r:<*-xQ i?V 

somewhat 



60 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. X. 



10 My desire is to punish them ; 

The nations shall be collected against them, 
When they are bound for their two iniquities. 

11 Ephraim is a well-trained heifer, loving to thresh; 
But I will pass on beside her fair neck ; 

I will place a rider on Ephraim : 

Judah shall plough, 

And Jacob shall break the clods. 



involved, but the meaning is obvious. 
Destruction should assuredly overtake the 
wicked Israelites, t, the verbal suffix in 
tA'tePi, is anticipative of mV? 'oa. sV 
stands for y&n , the interrogatory 'nega- 
tive. 

10. 'Ji-Hsa , the LXX. have read irisa ; 
rendering 1 it 7)A$e ; or, according to the 
Alexandrian MS. and the editions of 
Aldus and Breitinger, i]\&ei>. Of this 
Houbigant, Dimock, Newcome, Tings- 
tadius, and Boothroyd, approve, and adopt 
it as an emendation ; but contrary to all 
other authority, ancient or modern, and 
without necessity, a prefixed is the Beth 
Essentice, indicating the substantive char- 
acter of the affection. See my note on 
Is. xxvi. 4. rA#,tobestronglypropcnse, 
desire greatly, ^expresses the irresistible 
inclination of infinite purity to punish 
sin. Dnsx is the future in Kal of -iDi , 
to chastise,' punish, compensation having 
been made for the first radical i , by in- 
serting Dagesh in the t>. d^&s the 
infinitive of n6S , to bind, bind as a pris- 
oner or captive, which is the sense in 
which the word is here to be taken. 
nna^s has occasioned great variety of 
interpretation. Michaelis translates it 
plough- shares, attempting to derive it 
from the Arabic. Jarchi, Lively, and, 
among the moderns, Ewald, render eyes, 
" before their two eyes," i. e. openly ; but 
the word is always written t"S"S when 
applied to real eyes, and only n i iS > >>: 
when applied to fountains or artificial 
eyes. Some translate habitations; but 
most, furrows, which is the rendering 
adopted by Abenezra, Kimchi, Abulwalid, 
Tanchum, Mimster, Vatablus, Zanchius, 
etc., after the Targum some expound- 
ing the passage one way, and some 
another. The only satisfactory exegesis 



is that founded on the Ken, dri3\3> 
for their two iniquities, i. e. the two golden 
calves which Jeroboam had erected, and 
which proved the source of all the evils 
which they had afterwards committed. 
They had many other idols, but these 
were the principal ; and they are called 
iniquities by a metonymy of the cause 
for the effect. Comp. ver. 8, where 
irstafi , sin, is similarly applied. This 
reading is in the text of a great many 
MSS. and is expressed in all the ancient 
versions. 

11. The general meaning of this verse 
seems to be, that the Ephraimites had 
been accustomed in the plenitude, of their 
power to crush and oppress others, espec- 
ially their brethren of the two tribes; 
but they were now themselves to be 
brought into subjection to the king of 
Assyria, by whom they should be placed 
in circumstances of great hardship in 
foreign countries. The metaphors are 
agricultural. For t:i-, to tread or beat 
out the corn, partly by the feet of oxen, 
and partly by sledges with instruments 
adapted to the purpose, see on Is. xxviii. 
27, 28. The i in 'pans, is paragogic, 
as ifnasn and IPSSJJK, Jer. xxii. 23; 
"!a:i^ chap. li. 13, though in these pas- 
sages it has been left unpointed by the 
Masoretes. See Ewald, 406. The form 
is otherwise the participle i-sn x. Vy "!= 
signifies here to pass on beside one, as the 
driver does beside an ox in the yoke. 
Thus Jehovah would, in his providence, 
lead forth the Israelites, frona the midst 
of their prosperity, to the toils and hard- 
ships of captivity. fjlBN -"-s lit. 
/ will cause to ride Ephraim, meaning I 
will place a rider upon him a conqueror, 
who shall lead him forth from his land. 
Thus Calvin, Zanchius, Lyra Tarnovius, 



CHAP. X. 



HOSE A. 



61 



12 Sow to yourselves for righteousness : 
Reap according to piety ; 

Break up for yourselves the fallow ground : 

For it is time to seek Jehovah, 

Till he come, and teach you righteousness. 

13 Ye have ploughed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; 
Ye have eaten the fruit of falsehood : 

Because thou trustedst in thy way 
In the multitude of thy mighty ones. 



Eosenmiiller, and Ewald. The judgments 
of God were not, however, to be confined 
to the northern kingdom: the southern 
should also be involved in them. In 
short, they should overtake the whole pos- 
terity, of Jacob. The prediction was ful- 
filled during the two captivities. *iV > in 
Vp iys*. > is pleonastic. 

12.' Continuing his agricultural meta- 
phors, the prophet here abruptly calls 
upon the nation to reform its manners. 
C5-s is the Dat. commodi. V in rip-jaV 
points out the end or object to be obtained 
by sowing. Sow what will produce the 
fruits of righteousness. The second im- 
perative is here equivalent to the future : 
" Sow, and ye shall reap ; " or the sub- 
junctive, " Sow, so that ye may reap." 
That -ton , piety or goodness t is to be 
referred, not to God, but to man, its being 
parallel with nj?ns , righteousness, man- 
ifestly proves. To change rsn into ngn > 
and join this word with -pa , preceding, 
as Newcome, following the LXX. and 
Arab., does, is unauthorized and inept. 
The Israelites had long neglected Jehovah: 
it was now high time to return to his fear ; 
and though they might not meet with 
immediate tokens of his favor, they were 
to persevere in seeking him, in the assur- 
ance that he would be gracious to them. 
Such is the force of iy_ , until. This favor 
was to be manifested by his coming and 
communicating to them instruction re- 
specting the only righteousness which 
could avail the guilty at his bar. That 
the words C5^ pnu n-ni^n are not to be 
rendered he will grant you' suitable rain, 
but, he will teach you righteousness, and 
that they contain a prophecy of the advent 
and prophetical office of the Messiah, has 
been maintained by Jerome, and many 



other interpreters. In support of the 
rendering, He will teach you righteousness, 

f 7 
may be adduced the Syr. |^| 



, 
m .^Vi.n A.O n "i \ 

* = I \ > 

come and show to you his righteousness ; 

Pococke's Arab. MS. s\_<> J \\ 

wlXxjf *5cXCvO till he come and 

guide you to righteousness. The Targ. 
to the same eifect, ''h' 1 !". "V^" 1 1?3 
"jiS*: TI-! ww he shall'be revealed, and 
shall bring righteousness to you; Vulg. cum 
venerit qui docebit vos justitiam. Thus 
also Dathe, Hitzig, Winer, and others. 
Kimchi remarks, f: rs ittmn ts to"! 
tsns nil 11 ! sai sin IMSWI imiri r.yr? 
pis , there are those (of the Habbins) who 
expound, If ye seek the Lord, to know his 
law and his commandments, he will come 
and teach you righteousness. And Aben- 
ezra asserts the same, in nearly the same 
words. Such construction of the passage 
seems, from the preceding use of np"is , 
to be more apt, than to take pn.is abso- 
lutely for rrjiTs**, in due proportion, ad- 
equately, fully, according to the claims or 
necessities of your condition. See on 
Joel ii. 23. 

13. Instead of following such a course 
as that to which they had just been ex- 
horted, the Israelites had pursued one 
directly opposite, and now reaped the 
disastrous consequences. The same met- 
aphors are here continued. vJrp ""i, 
fruit of falsehood, seems rather to mean 
the effects of their false and hypocritical 
conduct in professing attachment to the 
true God, while they addicted themselves 
to the worship of other deities, than fal- 



HOSE A. 



CHAP. X. 



14 Therefore a tumult shall arise among thy people, 
And all thy fortresses shall be destroyed, 
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel in the day of battle : 
When the mother was dashed in pieces with her children. 



lacious and disappointing results. See- 
ker would read ^asna , in thy chariots, 
instead of ^snna', 'in thy way, on the 
LXX. & ap/idffi '(Tov, which reading is 
found in Compl. Aid. Barb. Reg. Latid. 
Cyrill. Ital. Ambros. Arab. Slav. Hexap. 
Syr. and a Copt. MS. ; and Kuinoel has 
actually adopted it into his Hebrew text. 
It is, however, unsupported by any Heb. 
MSS., or any of the ancient versions, and 
is justly to be rejected. Four MSS., 
originally two, tha Syr. and Targ. read 
^pS/173 , in thy ways. The way of the 
Israelites was the wicked course of con- 
duct which they had -adopted in opposi- 
tion to the will of God. Karachi : 
Sttnn ria-.Ksm ny-in "pi, the way of 
wickedness and bad religion. The Vat. 
copy of the LXX. has v a/tapT^/uao-f aov. 
Comp. Is. Ivii. 10; Jer. ii. 23. 

14. The prophet now denounces a 
severe threatening against his rebellious 
countrymen, foreshowing that they should 
be involved in all the horrors of war. 
QSJ; n , with s epenthetic, after the man- 
ner of the Arab. j^/oLs or ^ may be 

regarded as merely a mater lectionis. 
Some lew MSS. and some others in the 
margin, read CJ5 1 ! . Twenty-four MSS., 
one originally, lour of the early editions, 
and all the ancient versions, read ^fwva 
thy people, instead of ^"BVa , thy 'peo- 
ples. For minor varieties in the readings, 
see Kennicott and De Rossi. The nom- 
inative to TSI* is Vs, taken as a collec- 
tive, comprehending the whole. That 
psV^, Sfi'tlman, and Vsa-ii* r^a , Beth- 
Arbel, are proper names, is now univer- 
sally admitted. The best interpretation 
of them is that given by Tanchum : 






r^ 



JUb 



A** 



i for 



Shalman, it is a proper name, and is said 
to stand for Shalmanassar, king of As- 
syria, only it is abbreviated ; and perhaps 
Shalmanssar is compounded of two names, 
one of which is omitted because it was 
well known : and Arbel is the name of a 
city, and is said to be that which is called 
Arbel at the present day." The abbrevi- 
ation of proper names is not uncommon 
in Scripture, as sin 1 ' 3 3, Coniah, for 
pS'ifp, Jehoiachin, etc. It was this 
monarch that besieged Samaria for the 
space of three years, and took it in the 
ninth of Hoshea, is. c. 722, carrying the 
king and most of his subjects into exile. 
2 Kings xvii. 1-6. To this interpreta- 
tion it has been objected that our prophet 
wrote before the time of Shalmancser, 
and therefore could not sp n ak of his des- 
troying Arbel as something that had 
already happened. It must, however, be 
recollected, that though Hosea prophesied 
before the time of that king, he contin- 
ued to deliver his predictions as far down 
as the time of his successor Sennacherib, 
and must, therefore, have been well ac- 
quainted with the previous Assyrian 
invasions. With respect to Vs2"} r^3, 
or, as some MSS. read, ^ais, Beth-Ar- 
iel, commentators are divided in opinion. 
Some think that the Assyrian city Arlela, 
situated between the Lycus and the Tigris, 
celebrated for the victory obtained there 
by Alexander the Great over Darius, is 
meant ; but it is far more probable that 
the prophet refers to the 'ApfrhXa of 1 
Mace. ix. 2, which Josephus places near 
Sephoris in Galilee; Eusebius, in the 
plain of Esdraelon. Of the battle here 
mentioned, no account indeed is given 
either in sacred or profane history ; but 
as the contemporaries of Hosea arc sup- 
posed to have been acquainted with it, 
there is reason to believe that it took place 
on the invasion of the kingdom of Israel 
by the Assyrian army. The ancient 



CHAP. 



HO SEA. 



63 



15 Thus shall he act towards you at Bethel, 
On account of your flagrant wickedness : 
In the morning shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off. 



versions of this clause of the verse are 
more or less at fault ; but have afforded 
abundant scope for the exercise of emen- 
datorial criticism. See Newcome, who 
renders, Like the destruction of Zalmunna 
by the hand of Jerubbaal; and supposes 
the reference to be to Jud. viii. Vs* here 
signifies with, in the sense of being super- 
added. See Gen. xxviii. 9. xxxi. 50. 

15. The nominative to rtto3> is Shalman 
in the preceding verse, or perhaps rni-P , 
Jehovah, understood, but not ^s nr, 
Bethel, as in our common version, since 
this does not so well agree with what fol- 
lows. The words contain a special pre- 
diction against Bethel, where the wick- 
edness of the Israelites had been most 
conspicuously exhibited. b~fi?"i r"S"i > 
lit. the wickedness of your wickedness, 
\. e. your excessive, or most flagrant wick- 
edness. A rare example of a noun put 
in construction with itself repeated in 
the singular, in order to form the super- 



lative degree. There is no necessity with 
Newcome, to resort to emendation. In- 
stead of "irnas , " in the morning," fif- 
teen MSS., and perhaps one more, six 
originally, the Proph. of Soncin. 1486, 
the Venet. edit, of 1818, in the margin, 
and the Vulg. read -irri's, "like the 
morning." Were the following verb 
fiKT to be taken in the sense of resem- 

1 T 

bling, being like, etc., the latter reading 
might possess some claim on our atten- 
tion ; but as the idea of being destroyed 
best comports with the connection, that 
of the Textus Heceptus is preferable. 
The difference of reading has arisen from 
the similarity of the letters a and s. 
The reference is to the suddenness with 
which Hoshea was to be seized by the 
king of Assyria, and an entire end put 
to the regal dignity. See 2 Kings xvii. 
4. The doing of anything early or soon 
is frequently expressed by its being done 
in the morning. 



CHAPTER XL 

To aggravate his representations of the guilt of the Israelites, the prophet adduces the divine 
benefits conferred upon them from the earliest period of their history, 1 4. lie then 
threatens them with unavoidable punishment on account of their obstinacy, 5, 6; but, all 
of a sudden, introduces Jehovah, compassionating his rebellious children, and promising 
them a restoration from their captivity in foreign lands, 711. 



1 WHEN Israel was a child, I loved him, 
And called my son out of Egypt. 



1. That these words relate to the na- 
tion, of Israel being a description of 
what Jehovah had done for it ages before 



no person who impartially examines the 
preceding and following context, can for 
a moment call it in question. Nor but 



the prophet wrote, and not a prophecy for their having been applied by the Evan- 
of any future event, is so evident, that gelist Matthew (ch. ii. 15.) to our Lord's 



64 



HOSEA. 



CHAP. XL 



2 According as they called them, they went from their presence, 
They sacrificed unto Baals, 

And burned incense to graven images. 

3 Though I taught Ephraim to walk, 
Taking them by their arms, 

Yet they knew not that I healed them. 



return from Egypt, would it ever have 
been imagined that they had or could 
have had any other reference. It is only, 
therefore, with respect to such application 
that any difficulty can exist respecting 
their exegesis ; and, in my judgment, 
there appears to be nothing in the N. T. 
application beyond the mere appropria- 
tion of the language of the prophet, for 
the purpose of giving to Jewish readers 
a more vivid impression of the strikingly 
analogous circumstances of the sojourn 
of our Saviour in Egypt, and his return 
from it, to those of the ancient Israelites. 
The Evangelist does not affirm, that the 
words as used by Hosea were a prophecy 
of Christ ; he only adduces them, to 
show how aptly they described the his- 
torical event which he was narrating, 
just as he does Jer. xxxi. 15, in applica- 
tion to the murder of the infants at Beth- 
lehem, and Ps. Ixxviii. 2, in application 
to our Lord's teaching in parables. " He 
must be a stranger to the Hebrew writers, 
that does not know, that nothing is more 
common among them than such accom- 
modations of the text upon all occasions. 
They abound in such applications ; I may 
say their Midrashim do very much ex- 
ceed in them." Kidder's Demon, of the 
Messiah, Pt. II. p. 216. " Parodiarum 
in N. T. omnia sunt plena, e. g. Matt. 
ii. 15 and 23, ubi impleta dicuntur Scrip- 
turce turn etiam, cum nulla historica aut 
typica est impletio, sed analogica tan- 
turn." Hottinger in Primit. Heidelberg, 
p. 80. See Surenhusii. $ifi\os KoraXXijy, 
p. 338. Home's Introd. vol. ii. pp. 341, 
342. Robinson's Greek Lex. in Ivat, C. 
2, d. Instead of ^52 V , the LXX. appears 
to have read va^'s ; but instead of vu 
reKva avrov, Ms children, which is their 
reading, that of Aq. Symm. Theod. the 
Slavon. and Matthew, agree with the 
Hebrew text. The Hebrew people are 
also called the son of God in the same 



figurative sense, Exod. iv. 22, 23. The 
early period of their existence is frequently 
represented as their youth. See Is. liv. 
13 ; Jer. ii. 2, iii. 24, 25, xxii. 21 ; Hos. 
ii. 15. 

2. The use of the verb fcnp , to call, 
in the preceding verse, suggested the idea 
of the subsequent messages which had 
been delivered to the Israelites by the 
prophets, to which Hosea now appeals, 
in order to contrast with the means which 
had been employed for their reformation, 
the obstinate character of their rebellion. 
Before $&?. subaud. "iJN , to corres- 
pond to -j3 T Thus the 'LXX. Ka &' &s> 
The nominative is the prophets, under- 
stood. The very presence of the proph- 
ets being an annoyance to them, they 
withdrew from it, that, unmolested, they 
might indulge in idolatry. 

3. *vp*i"iP , an instance of the Tiphil 
conjugation', equivalent to Hiphil in sig- 
nification, and, in all probability, formed 
by hardening the preformative rt into r. 
Indeed, one of De Rossi's MSS. reads 
"pH'on instead of ip\s-iP . There 
exist 'only two other instances in the 
Hebrew Bible, viz. n^ttl^n , Jer. xii. 5, 
and nni*!> xxii. 15,' if 'tSijTiisiSS}, 
xxv. 34, 'is not to be so taken. ' Compare 
the Shaphel Conjugation in Syriac, in 
which language this very verb occurs in 

t* V 

the form \ j-t. See Knos Chrest. 

Syr. p. 112. It is a denominative from 
Van , the foot, and signifies to cause, or 

teach to use the feet, or walk. Syr. and 

/r> y 
Targ. ^j^55 M^.SI, I led, only the 

latter paraphrases, ] H^V? "SV'^ S2S.1 
rrnST ''Knj^.. , and I led, etc. by an 
angel sent from my presence. The use 
of the personal pronoun 15354 before the 
verb gives additional force to the lan- 
guage. nV in hp r is the infinitive used 
as a gerund, as in Ezek. xvii. 5; Both 



Cn.u>. XL 



H S E A . 



65 



4 I drew them with the "bands of man, 
With the cords of love ; 

I was also to them as those who lift up the yoke from their neck, 
I held out meat to them, I made them eat. 

5 They shall not return to the land of Egypt ; 
Assyria shall be their king : 

Because they would not be converted. 

6 The sword shall be whirled in their cities, 
It shall destroy their barriers, and devour, 
Because of their devices. 



the suffixes Q and i refer to Ephraim. 
See on chap. ix. 2. Four MSS. for 
VrVy'-iT > "his arms," read 'rVsni, "my 
arms," which is also in another originally, 
and now in another, and in the Soncin. 
edition of 1486. It is also supported by 
the LXX. Syr. Vulg. Another MS. 
reads Crt'iS-iT, but they are all correc- 
tions of the original, and are only to be 
tolerated in translation. The metaphor 
taken from teaching children to walk is 
continued, as those who do so take hold 
of their arms to keep them from falling 
while they move their feet. It beauti- 
fully expresses the condescension of God 
to the circumstances of his people, and 
the kind care which he exercised over 
them. Comp. Deut. i. 31, xxxii. 11. 
His healing them, refers to his recovering 
them from the calamities w r hich they had 
brought upon themselves by their sins. 

4. tfS n Vsri, the bands of man, are 
explained by the parallel phrase niJi::.? 
fiarts , cords of love, L e. humane, gentle, 
persuasive methods, such as men gener- 
ally employ when they would induce to 
action. There seems to be still a reference 
to the case of children, who, when taught 
to walk, are not only held by the arms 
.but also by soft cords or leading-strings, 
. are led about, or drawn in a gentle man- 
.ner by those who have the care of them. 
The terms, however, naturally suggesting 
the idea of the ropes by which oxen are 
bound and led about, the metaphor is 
immediately changed into one borrowed 
from agricultural life, "nil Vy 'I'-IW:D 
does not mean to remove the yoke en- 
tirely, but to raise it from the neck and 
cheeks of the animal, so as to allow it 
freely to eat its food. This better suits 



the following connection than the idea 
of taking the yoke off any place that 
may have been galled by it, in order to 
afford relief. The Vy, yoke, not only 
included the piece of wood upon the neck,, 
by which the animal was fastened to the- 
pole, but also the whole of the harness 
about' the head, which was connected 
with it. The yokes used in the East are- 
very heavy, and press so much upon the- 
animals, that they are unable to bend', 
their necks. II-SN tssti. Ewald renders,. 
und sanft gegen ihn, " aiad gently towards . 
him," etc. ; but it is preferable to take 
tatj as the apocopated future in Hiph. of 
fit) 3 , to stretch out, extend, reach any 
tMny to another. The verse sets forth . 
the kind relief afforded to the Hebrew 
nation in Egypt, and the provision with 
which they were miraculously supplied '. 
in the wilderness. 

5. Svi", to turn, return, which is used, 
at the beginning of the verse in its proper 
acceptation, is employed at the close 
metaphorically to express conversion to 
God. The Israelites seem to have been 
very generally inclined to migrate for a 
time to Egypt, in order to enjoy the pro- 
tection of its monarch ; the prophet as- 
sures them that they should ' not carry 
their purpose into effect, but that they 
should be subject to the Assyrian rule, as 
a punishment for refusing to listen to the 
calls given them to repent and turn from < 
their idolatries. 

6. Most of the Kabbins take V'-n in 
the sense of resting, remaining ; but it 
seems preferable to adopt the signification 
to turn, be turned, ex. whirled about, as a 
sword when >it is brandished or when it 
is employed in cutting down the enemy. . 



9 



HOSEA. 



CHAP. XL 



7 For my people are bent upon defection from me ; 
Though they call them to the Most High, 

Yet none of them will exalt him. 

8 How shall I give thee up, O Ephraim? 
How shall I deliver thee over, O Israel ? 
How shall I make thee as Admah ? 
How shall I make thee as Zeboim ? 

My heart is turned within me ; 

All my feelings of compassion are kindled. 

9 I will not execute the fierceness of my anger ; 
I will no more destroy Ephraim ; 



Oonip. the Arab. iji_". conversa fuit 
res. V. se utmoertit ; versus mutatusque 
.fuit. o^ia , barriers, Gesenius and Lee 
take metaphorically, as denoting chiefs 
or princes. 

7. CitjtiVtn == oyiVtJ , which one of De 
Hossi's MSS.' reads originally, the Pahul 
Part, of rrVn > to hang, used here meta- 
phorically in the sense of bending, or 
bemff propoise to anything. The idea of 
doubt or suspense, which some attach to 
the word in this connection, ill agrees 
with the character of the Israelites as 
otherwise depicted in this book. r.Mlsw 
is always used in a bad sense, defection 

apostasy, etc. Comp. chap. xiv. 5. The 

suffix in ^rpwhs is to betaken passively; 

defection which has me for its object, and 
cannot with any propriety be rendered 
as by Horsley, "my returning." For 
^y ^s, ad summtim, see on chap. vii. 
16; and for iiS'iJ? 1 ' > on ver. 2. After 

'Da;-, "it, supply "^if-is, Mm, from Vy , the 
. Supreme, preceding. Jehovah had been 
degraded by his being worshipped through 
the medium of images, and having idols 
associated with him ; yet none of his 
apostate people were inclined to raise him 
from this degradation, by rejecting them 

and celebrating His praise, as the sole 
and glorious object of adoration. Po- 

-cocke's Arab. MS. 

xUl *-wf Ovrf*O A-^-ko, there icas 

not one of them that glorified the name 

of God. -TCP with a negative is to be 
^rendered not one ; without it, all alto- 
gether, wholly, as in the following verse. 



8, 9. Now follows one of the most 
affecting instances of the infinite tender- 
ness of the divine compassion to be found 
in Scripture ; the point of which is en- 
hanced by its being introduced immedi- 
ately after a description of the odious 
conduct of the Israelites. It is, as Bishop 
Lowth characterizes it, exquisitely pa- 
thetic. The repetitions and synonymous 
features of the parallelism greatly add to 
the effect. The words belong to the 
period after the subjugation of Samaria, 
and the carrying away of the Israelites 
by Shalmaneser, 2 Kings xvii. 5, 6, xviii. 
9-12. They were designed to inspire 
the captives with hope in the mercy of 
God, and thus lead them to true repent- 
ance. ^f:Siss , the LXX. render virep- 
cunriu ffov ', Aq. oir\w KVKX<acra <re ', Vulg. 
protegam te , deriving the idea from the 
signification of the substantive "jaja , a 
shield ; but it is used of delivering over 
enemies, Gen. xiv. 20. Symm. &c5cy<ra> 
<re. Before ^KP'IBS: is an ellipsis of *j-s* , 
which had already been twice repeated. 
The destruction of Admah and Zeboim 
is only referred to as an example in one 
other case, viz. Deut. xxix. 23, and then 
in connection with Sodom and Gomorrah. 
To the awful catastrophe recorded Gen. 
xix. the sacred writers frequently appeal, 
in order to produce a sense of the evil of 
sin, and the severity with which it de- 
serves to be punished ; or when they 
would convey the idea of complete and 
irretrievable ruin. Comp. Is. i. 9, xiii. 
19; Jer. xlix. 18; Lam. iv. 6; Amos, 
iv. 11 : Matt. x. 15 ; 2 Pet. ii. 6; .Tndo 
7. Some would render "2 s ? " rn:, 



CHAP. XL 



HO SEA. 



For I am God and not man, 
The Holy One in the midst of thee ; 
I will not come in wrath. 

10 They shall follow Jehovah, when he roareth like a lion ; 
When he roareth, the children shall hasten from the s.ea. 



*' my heart is turned against me," i. e. 
my pity rises in overpowering opposition 
to the determination to which I had come 
to inflict punishments ; but the phrase- 
ology will scarcely bear such construction, 
though it cannot be questioned, that it is 
designed to express a powerful inward 
revolution. Comp. i^ iwftln.~r;, Ps. 
xlii. 6, 12, xliii. 5 ; Tim ^5| ttEtqf?ri, 
cxlii. 4 ; isn ''a*; ''Vs, Jer. viii. 18; "in 
all which passages the preposition con- 
veys the idea of mental contiguity, near- 
ness, in, within, as ^anpa ">a^ ^Bns , my 
heart is turned "WITHIN me, Lam. 'i. 20, 
incontostably shows. Prom the connec- 
tion in which it occurs, in the last cited 
passage, it is obvious the phrase is there 
designed to express great mental distress. 
1W.S is used in Niphal, of the stirrings of 
natural affection, Gen. xliii. 30 ; 1 Kings 
iii. 26. The idea seems to be derived 
from the commotion produced by the 
kindling of a fire, and the heat or warmth 
in which it results. Tanchum explains 
the word by .^.Uo concitatus fuit. LXX. 

ffw&apaxSm, or, as in the Complut. 
SieTapdx&r]- t^tt^na , the same in effect 
as Q-wrn , compassion, feelings of tender 
pity and affection. Targ. ''torn, my 
compassions. It is derived from ana , to 
be inwardly affected, whether with grief, 
pity, consolation, or anger. In the idea of 
displeasure with one's self, has originated 
the signification, to repent, which accounts 
for the renderings, /j.e-ra/j.e\eia, pocnitudo, 
repentings, etc. See my note on Is. i. 
24. The language is in the highest de- 
gree anthropopathical. The 9th verse 
contains a declaration of the purpose of 
God founded upon his compassion, and 
quite in keeping with the manner in 
which expression had just been given to 
it. avtf in ITitjV aws 4& is, as fre- 
quently to be taken adverbially. The 
captivity was the last judgment that Avas 
to come upon the ten tribes as a pun- 



ishment for their idolatry. The render- 
ing, "I will not enter into the city," 
affords no suitable sense, and would re- 
quire the article Ta , as indeed, one of 
De Rossi's MSS. reads. Bishop Lowth's 
translation, "though I inhabit not thy 
cities," (Lectures, vol. ii. p. 38.) is equally 
unsatisfactory with the interpretation of 
Jerome and Castalio : I am not like those 
who dwell in cities ; living after human 
laws, and deeming cruelty to be justice. 
Such construction Maurer states to be 
in his opinion " artificiosior quam ele- 
gantior. I, therefore, adopt the interpre- 
tation hinted at by Jarchi, and since ap- 
proved by Schroeder, Seeker, Dathe, Man- 
ger, Tingstadius, Eichhorn, De Wette, 
Noyes, Boothroycl, Gesenius, Maurer, and 
Ewald, which takes -py not in the sense' 
of city, but of anger or wrath ; compar- 

ing the Arab. A$ ferbuit astu dies. 

Comp. Jer. xv. 8 ; Hos. vii. 7 ; and -\y , 
an enemy, 1 Sam. xxviii. 16 ; Ps. cxxxix. 
20. The words are thus strictly parallel, 
and synonymous to urn fc*>i , and not 
man. The derivation from ou to 



which Michaelis assigns the signification 

angry. Sou ira in Deo, Orient. Bib. 
~ 



Pt. XIX. p. 9, is less appropriate, though 
the sense which he gives is the same. 

10, 11. These verses contain gracious 
promises of the return of the Israelites to 
the true worship and service of God, and 
their restoration to their own land from 
the different places in which they had 
been scattered during the captivity, f^rr 
rnn 1 ? ""ins* , to walk after Jehovah, is 
always used in the religious sense of ad- 
dicting one's self to his worship, and keep- 
ing his commandments, and is not to be 
interpreted, as Hitzig does, of a mere fol- 
lowing of providence by taking advan- 
tage of the opportunity that would be 
afforded of returning from Babylon. So 
the Targ. ivj swfiMS ^ra , after the 



68 



H S E A 



CHAP. XII. 



11 They shall hasten, like a sparrow, from Egypt, 
And like a dove, from, the land of Assyria : 
And I will cause them to dwell in their own houses, 
Saith Jehovah. 



worship of Jehovah. For the contrary, 
see ver. 2. As )xga , to roar, like the 
lion, always conveys the idea of terror or 
awe, it cannot be here applied either to 
any invitation to the Jews as a people, 
or to the preaching of the gospel gen- 
erally ; but must be referred to the awful 
judgments which God executed upon 
Babylon, Egypt, etc. through the instru- 
mentality of Cyrus and his successors; 
thereby opening the way for the libera- 
tion of the Israelites who were found 
in these countries. Comp. Is. xxxi. 4 ; 
Jer. xxv. 30 ; Joel iv. 16 ; Amos i. 2, iii. 
8. By fa a , sons, or children, are meant 
the Israelites, who had been for a time 
rejected, but were again acknowledged 
in that character, because they were to 
be reinstated in the privileges of adoption. 
Comp. chap. i. 10. -nln is here preg- 
nant with meaning signifying to come 
or hasten under the influence of great 
agitation. The idea of trepidation, though 
implied, and connecting well with that 
of the roaring previously mentioned, is 
not so prominent as that of quick or nim- 
ble motion. Excited to the utmost by 
the revolutions of empires, which allowed 
them to take possession of their native 
country, they would use all haste in re- 
pairing thither. LXX. ^/fa-r^troi/Tat ; but 
in the following verse d/cTreVeow rot. Syr. 



\ 



shall move or be moved. 



' Sic Lat. trepidare etiam sumitur pro- 
festinare, observantibus Bocharto in Hie- 
roz, et Schultensio in Animadverss. philol. 
ad. Is. xix. 17." Winer, in voc. The 
same idea of velocity is further carried 
out by comparing the return of the Is- 
raelites to the flight of birds remarkable 
for their swiftness, "ites is here used 
not in its generic sense of bird, but spe- 
cifically of the sparrow, as the use of 
nil" 1 , dove, immediately after, shows. 
The QI , sea, is the Mediterranean, or 
the islands and other maritime regions in 
the west. Kimchi, ^"iS'Ksr; , the west ; 

Pococke's Arab. MS. ol'^s*- ,.wo 
y^!uJf from the isles of the sea. Comp. 

Is. xi. 11-16 ; a passage strictly parallel, 
only including the Jews as well as the 
Israelites. The three quarters of the 
globe here specified embrace all the coun- 
tries mentioned by Isaiah ; and as the 
ten tribes form the subject of Hosea's 
discourse, the present prophecy furnishes 
an additional proof of their return also, 
after the Babylonish captivity. To argue, 
therefore, from this passage, that they 
are still in existence, and are yet to be 
restored in their tribal capacity, is her- 
meneutically unwarranted. ^^ in the 
phrase trains V? > instead of a , seems 
to have special reference to the custom 
of the Orientals, who enjoy their time 
upon, rather than in their houses. 



CHAPTER XII. 



This chapter commences with renewed complaints against both Ephraim and Judah, more 
especially against the former, 1, 2. The conduct of their progenitor Jacob is then adduced 
in order to excite them to apply, as he did, for the blessings which they required, 3, 4; to 
copy which they are further encouraged by the unchangeable character of Jehovah, 5, 0. 
The prophet next reverts to the deceitful and hypocritical character of the ten tribes, not- 
withstanding the numerous means that had been employed to promote true piety, 7 10; 
renews his castigation of their idolatrous practices, 11 ; again appeals to the- kindness of 



CHAP. XII. 



HO SEA. 



69 



God to the nation in its obscure origin in the person of Jacob, 12, 13; and denounces anew 
the judgments that were to be inflicted upon it, 14. 



1 EPHEAIM hath encompassed me with falsehood, 
And the house of Israel with deceit ; 
And as for Judah, he is still inconstant with God, 
Even with the Holy Ones. 



1. The LXX. Vulg. Targ. and our 
common version join this verse to the 
preceding chapter ; but improperly there 
being no connection whatever with the 
previous verses, whereas it is manifest 
from the renewed reference to Judah, 
ver. 3, that the three verses intimately 
cohere. The proper exegesis of this verse 
depends upon the signification assigned 
to n , and the consequent application 
of IBSO. That the former cannot gram- 
matically be referred either to TT-I or 
!Tn, to subdue, bear rule, or to -ini, to 
descend, as Jerome renders it, is now 
agreed on all hands ; and -there is no 
alternative left but to derive it from mn, 
which occurs only in three other passages, 
viz. one in Kal, Jar. ii. 31, and twice in 
Hiph. Gen. xxvii. 40, and Ps. Iv. 3. In 
the two first, the ideas of becoming or 
being unfaithful, rebelling, wandering at 
large, are obviously conveyed. In the 
third, the verb is applied figuratively to 
an agitated or unsettled state of mind, to 
which the notion of wandering seems 
much more natural, than that of mourn- 
ing, which is that expressed by our trans- 
lators. Thus also the derivative -i>nto 
may best be rendered rircumvagatio, 
erratic, Lam. i. 7, iii. 19. Compare the 



Arabic i> 



s. 



), qucesivit pabulum; 



ultra citroque ivit ; mobile fuit; discurrit 
hue illuc muli er apudvicinassuas. \ ^ 
locus, quo in pascuis cameli modo prode- 
unt modo retrocedunt. Eth. 



persequi, insim-exit, etc The significa- 
tion dominatur, which has been given to 
|T n , is altogether gratuitous. The mean- 
ing of the prophet will, therefore, be, that 
Judah or the inhabitants of the southern 
Hngdom acted with vacillancy in regard 



to Jehovah. So far were they from ad- 
hering steadfastly to his covenant, and 
seeking their happiness in obedience to his 
will, that they resembled animals that 
are dissatisfied with their pasture, break 
loose, and run wildly up and down in 
search of what is more agreeable to their 
appetite; or like a female who, discon- 
tent at home, seeks for satisfaction by 
gadding about among her neighbors. The 
description applies to the state of things 
among the Jews towards the end of the 
reign of Jotham, and during that of 
Ahaz, who introduced a Syrian altar, 
and other idolatrous objects, by which the 
people were tempted to infidelity towards 
Jehovah, but had not yet altogether re- 
nounced his service. Hence the force 
of -is, yet, still. Though the idea of 
hostility implied in the verb would not 
justify the use of the preposition, e y , with, 
taken as in the phrases ej> tnVa, Cy 31*1 , 
to fight with, contend with ; yet it well 
agrees with its use after verbs of acting 
towards, or in reference to any one, such 
as t:> ttsn, d 3 'its rrips, etc. Thus 
Schroeder, Dathe, Eichhorn, De Wette, 
Boothroyd, Kuinoel, Gesenius, No-yes, 
Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald. Such con- 
struction of the passage is fully borne 
out by ver. 3, which cannot be consist- 
ently interpreted, if Judah were here 
represented as faithfully maintaining the 
principles of the theocracy. But if the 
signification which has been given to 11 
be alone justifiable, then it is evident 
"p3K5 , faithful cannot apply to Judah, but 
must be taken as qualifying f^np , the 
adjective noun immediately preceding. 
To this it cannot be objected, that the 
one is in the plural, while the other is in 
the singular ; for we find a precisely sim- 
ilar combination in j?-<7S C\HVs, the 



70 



HO SEA, 



CHAP. XIL 



2 Ephraim feedeth upon wind, 
He pursueth the east wind ; 

Every day he multiplieth falsehood and violence; 
Yea, he maketh a covenant with Assyria, 
And oil is carried into Egypt. 

3 Jehovah hath also a controversy with Judah, 
And he will punish Jacob, according to his ways ; 
According to his deeds, he will recompense him. 

4 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, 
And by his strength he strove with God ; 



righteous God, Ps. vii. 10. 
the Holy Ones, cannot here be applied 
either to human saints, or to angels, but 
must be interpreted of God himself, the 
law of parallelism clearly requires. Comp. 
Josh xxiv. 19, sin fciUH]? tnriVs ; Prov. 
ix. 10, riiia ftthp n^'; xxx.' v 3, ny-ri 
y-is tntiij?.' Kimchi himself allows that 
DTimp.' must be so understood in this 
place. Between the inconstancy of the 
Jews, and the faithfulness of God, the 
contrast was placed in a very striking 
point of view. They had never known 
him to fail in giving effect to any of his 
promises ; while they, on the contrary, 
had all along shown more or less of a 
fickle and roving disposition. The ancient 
versions exhibit considerable diversity of 
rendering in this place ; but none of them 
suggests a meaning preferable to that 
just given, or warrants any alteration in 
the reading of the Hebrew. 

2. By "the wind," and "the east 
wind," are meant empty, unsatisfying 
and pernicious objects. Such were the 
idolatrous confidence and foreign alliances 
of the Israelites. D'nft , the LXX. ren- 
der Kaitffwv, the Arab. AfcwJ! the 



Samoom, or scorching wind, called the 
"east wind," because it blows from the 
desert to the east of Palestine. See on 
Is. xxvii. 8. In proportion to the insin- 
cerity and faithless conduct of the nation 
was the destruction which it brought 
upon itself. Such conduct was specially 
exhibited in the leagues that were formed, 
and the friendships that were entered into 
with the two most powerful of the an- 
cient monarchies. ">;> oil, was one of 
the most valuable productions of Canaan, 



and formed a profitable article of export- 
ation. It is here spoken of as a present 
sent to the king of Egypt, doubtless 
among other costly articles, with a view 
to obtain a favorable hearing to the em- 
bassy which was despatched to secure 
his aid against the Assyrians. 

3. "Judah" and "Jacob" stand for 
the two kingdoms respectively, the latter 
name denoting the ten tribes, as Is. xvii. 4. 
The declaration here made manifestly 
shows, that in ver. 1 the conduct of Judah 
is to be viewed in an unfavorable light. 
At the same time the language of both 
verses in reference to that power is not 
so strong as that which is employed re- 
specting Israel. 

4, 5. Having introduced the name of 
Jacob in reference to his posterity, Hosea 
adverts to three interesting incidents in 
his personal history, with the view of 
encouraging his countrymen to apply 
themselves with all assiduity to the ser- 
vice of God, who alone could, and would 
extricate them from the calamitous cir- 
cumstances into which their sins had 
brought them. Though a y , from which 
the name ajpl-'l, Jacob, is derived, Arab. 

^i^b^p. 6 vestigia sequufus fuit, a calco 

venit, etc. signifies to come behind any 
one, take him by the heel, trip, circumvent, 
etc., it is obviously used here in a good 
sense, to denote the supernatural indica- 
tion which his taking his brother Esau 
by the heel afforded of the superiority, 
which, in the course of divine providence, 
he and his posterity were to obtain. Gen. 
xxv. 22, 23, 26. To this eifect the Targ. 



Ti IfiS T)S , was it not said of Jacob before 



xn. 



HO SEA. 



71 



5 Yea, lie strove with the Angel and prevailed ; 
He wept and made supplication to him ; 
He found him at Bethel, and there he spake with us ; 



he was lorn, that he should be greater 
than his brother? The Israelites were 
reminded of the promise, " The one peo- 
ple shall be greater than the other peo- 
ple ; " and had they acted on the faith 
of it, they would have found that, with 
Jehovah on their side, they were not only 
stronger than the Edomites, but even than 
the Assyrian power itself. The idea of 
power having thus been suggested to the 
mind of the prophet, he was reminded 
of the remarkable occurrence which took 
place at Peniel, when Jacob wrestled with 
the divine messenger of the covenant, 
and prevailed, m to , to put forth power, 
exercise rule as a prince, or commander, 
the verb from which Vs/ito 11 , Israel, the 
other name of Jacob, is 'derived, is that 
employed Gen. xxxii. 29, whore the lan- 
guage is nearly identical with that used 
in these two verses. In the resumption 
of the subject, ver, 5. "itoi is employed, 
which, though equivalent to nito in sig- 
nification, must be referred to the root 
-fito. Oomp. Jud. ix. 22, and Hos. viii. 
4. i 4 ,!* properly signifies manly vigor - 
Here Tjs^tt, the Angel, corresponds to 
D n p^K, God, ver. 4, and designates the 
UNCREATED ANGEL, of whom we read 
so frequently in the Old Testament, to 
whom, as here, names distinctive of Deity 
are ascribed, and who is represented as 
possessing the divine attributes. See on 
Is. Ixiii. 9, and Dr. M'Caul's Observa- 
tions appended to his translation of Kim- 
chi on Zechariah, chap. i. V$ specially 
points to the Angel as the object towards 
whom the' conflicting efforts of the pa- 
triarch were directed. Of the circum- 
stances of his weeping and malting sup- 
plication, no particular mention is made 
in Genesis, but they may be regarded as 
implied in the words, " I will not let thee 
go, except thou bless me." The struggle 
was not merely corporeal, it was also 
mental. The outward conflict was only 
a sign of that which was internal and 
spiritual. The prophet, as in the former 
reference, leaves the Israelites to make 
the application. If they would only now 



redeem their character as descendants of 
Israel, and show that they were entitled 
to the name, by sincerely and earnestly 
engaging in supplication to the God of 
their ancestor, they too should prevail, 
and obtain every necessary blessing. The 
third reference is to the narrative Gen. 
xx viii. 11-22, which contains an account 
of the scene at Bethel, and the promises 
which God then made, not to the patri- 
arch only, but also to his posterity. The 
nominative to t<r , lie found, is God, 
and not Jacob, as Abenezra, Ta7ichum, 
and several others have attempted to 
maintain. The meaning is, that J chovah 
afforded to the solitary traveller the gra- 
cious aid which his exposed situation ren- 
dered desirable. Vsjr 1 ^ , Bethel, is here 
the accusative of place, and is used with 
singular effect, in reference to the con- 
trasted appropriation of it by the patri- 
arch, and by his apostate posterity. The 
LXX. not perceiving this, have rendered 
it dittos v fiv , the hoiise of On, as elsewhere 
in this book. siSteS, "with us," Aq. 
Synam. Theod. Syr. Tanchum, Abul- 
walid, and several moderns, render as if 
it were \izy , " with him ; " but there is 
no variety of reading in the MSS., and 
tii is nowhere used of the third person 
singular. The LXX. have irpbs avrobs , 
to them, as if they had read tws , which 
so far as pronunciation is concerned, goes 
to confirm the Masoretic punctuation. 
That the prophet here speaks per Kotvc&triv, 
identifying himself and his contempora- 
ries with their progenitor, in whose loins 
they may be said to have been, when he 
received the gracious promises which re- 
lated not to himself only, but also to his 
posterity, is the interpretation advocated 
by Manger, Horsley, Hitzig, Maurer, and 
RosenmUller. Comp. Ps. Ixvi. 6 ; Heb. 
vii. 9, 1 0. On the other hand, Ewald, 
following Jarchi and Joseph Kimchi, ren- 
ders the words usteS; "13.T. > h e w ^ speak 
with us, in the future, and considers the 
prophet to be announcing, that God would 
renew his communications at Bethel, pro- 
vided the Israelites returned to obedience. 



HOSE A 



. CHAP. XII. 



6 Even Jehovah the God of hosts : 
Jehovah is his memorial. 



But though this seems less entitled to 
adoption, it cannot be denied that his 
design in the adduction of this instance 
was to lead his people to repentance, in 
order that they might inherit the prom- 
ised blessings. 

6. i in niiT 1 ! is expletive. Ewald 
strangely gives to the combination the 
form of an oath : " bei Jahve," explain- 
ing it in his note, "wahr ist das bei 
Jahve," By Jehovah it is true! The 
incommunicable name is here introduced 
for the express purpose of showing that 
He who had made promises respecting 
the posterity of Jacob, would not prove 
unfaithful to his word. While ''riVs 
riifcOi:?! , the God of hosts, LXX. flavro- 
Kpdru'p, conveys the idea of supreme and 
infinite power by which he is able to 
carry all his purposes into effect, his pe- 
culiarly distinctive name fiin? , conveys 
that of immutable constancy', and, by 
implication, fidelity to his promises. Some 
refer the word to the root run , to exist, 
be ; but that it is to be derived from the 
cognate and more ordinary verb of exist- 
ence nTi , appears evident from Exod. 
iii. 14, Vhere, in the explanation of the 
name, the form of the future is not n in if. 
but rP.M$. But as i is nevertheless 
inserted in nSn? , which also retains >, 
preformant of T the third person singular, 
it is impossible not to acquiesce in the 
opinion, that the noun is made up of 
rpn , He was, rnn , He is, and rrrp , 
He will be, "What confirms this hypothe- 
sis, is the peculiar designation of God, 
Rev. i. 4, 8. 'O &v KCL\ 6 %v Kal 6 <?p%(fu.e- 
vos, Ho that is, and that was, and that is 
to come, which is merely a translation 
into Greek of these different forms of the 
verb. See Pococke on Joel i. 19. In 
this derivation Abenezra and other Rab- 
bins concur ; and, accordingly the second 
article of the Jewish creed concludes with 
the words nin rpn isvTtN nnV sim 
nTPI , " And he alone is our God ; HE 
WAS, HE is, and HE SHALL BE." It is 
a coincidence in no small degree remark- 
able, that this threefold description of the 
-divine existence obtained both among the 



ancient Egyptians and Brahmins. On 
the Sai'tic temple of Isis was the inscrip- 
tion, 'Ey<& elfj.i itav rb yeyovbv KO! 'bv not 
1/ibv ireirXov ovtiets irsa 
" I am all THAT WAS, 
AND is, AND SHALL BE, and no mortal 
hath ever uncovered my veil.' ' Plutarch 
de Iside. In the Bhagavat the Supreme 
Being thus addresses Brahma : " Even 
I WAS at first, not any other being ; THAT 
WHICH EXISTS unperceived ; Supreme : 
afterwards I AM THAT WHICH is; and 
HE WHO MUST EEMAIN am I." Asiat. 
Researches, vol. i. p. 245. Comp. Zeus %v 
Zeus to"ri ' Zeus efffferai* S> [ieyd\f Ze. 
"Zeus was; Zeus is; Zeus shall be; O great 
Zeus ! " Pausan. Phoc. x. 12. "Whether 
the name fi in ? was in use before the time 
of Moses, has "been, and still is matter of 
dispute. That the patriarchs were un- 
acquainted with it, has been concluded 
from Exod. vi. 3, where God declares, 
that the name under which he revealed 
himself to them was ins Vs , GOD 
ALMIGHTY, but that he was not known 
to them by his name nSni, JEHOVAH. 
Since, however, we meet with this name 
not only in the history of the patriarchs, 
but also expressly employed by them- 
selves, as in Gen. xv. 2, xvi. 2, xxii. 14, 
xxiv. 3, xxvii. 7, xxiii. 20, 21, etc. it seems 
undeniable that they were acquainted with 
it ; so that what is meant by the words 
tnV wi'ii tiV r;irr i5s i i':j,is, that God 
had not caused them to experience the im- 
port of his name nirp, JEHOVAH. For 
this signification of the phrase o^ 1 "T > 
to know a name, or, to know, comp. Is. 
Iii. 6, Ixiv. 1 ; Jer. xvi. 21. It had 
special reference to something future 
the fulfilment of the promises which he 
had given them ; and as these promises 
began to be fulfilled when he interposed 
for their deliverance from Egypt, there 
was singular propriety in its being selected 
as the name by which Moses was to an- 
nounce him to his people, on opening his 
commission to them. The same futurity 
of reference may be said to have contin- 
ued to attach to it all along till the advent 
of Messiah, in whom all the promises are 



CHAP. XIL 



HOSEA. 



73 



7 Thou, therefore, return to thy God; 
Observe mercy and judgment, 
And wait continually on thy God. 

8 As for Canaan, deceitful balances are in his hand ; 
He loveth to oppress. 

9 Ephraim saith, Surely I am rich, 
I have acquired wealth ; 

In none of my labors am I chargeable with guilt. 



yea and amen, 2 Cor. i. 20 ; just as it is 
still prominently exhibited in 'O epx^vos, 
THE COMING ONE, of the Apocalypse, 
which obviously respects the revelation 
of the Lord from heaven to fulfil the 
mystery of God. Such interpretation 
alone goes to fully justify the emphatic 
statement made in the text of our prophet, 
'-iST nivr 1 , compared with Exod. iii. 15, 
i^'n'^V "nST nt, in which the Most 
High declares, that this name was to 
be employed for the purpose of perpetu- 
ating the knowledge of his character with 
respect to promised blessings. Comp. 
also Ps. cxxxv. l'3. That it should have 
come into oral disuse among the Jews, 
could only have originated in a feeling 
of superstitious veneration, which led 
them to regard it as too sacred to be pro- 
nounced without profanation. The ear- 
liest trace of such superstition is thought 
to be found in the words, Ecclesiasticus 
xxiii. 9, bvo^affia, rou aylov (vh ffwe&urSris, 
" use not thyself to the naming of the 
Holy One ; " but Philo de Nomin. mutat. 
makes express mention of it. Whenever 
the Jews meet with it hi the text, they 
read 'a 'is., LOUD, instead of it, except 
when it follows "ins, in which case 
they point it rnn?, and read ann . '?. 
GOD. Some are of opinion, that the 
present punctuation ttin? is merely that 
of "'sns, the simple Sheva tailing the 
place of Hateph-Patach, which only 
occurs in connection with gutturals ; but 
the employment of the two first syllables 
with precisely the same points in the 
formation of compound proper names 
manifestly goes to show that our present 
pronunciation is correct. Compare y 'a vi i 
tn (*<-?, Tr^ri";, etc. The change of 
the Segol into Kamefcz may be accounted 
for on the ground of the grave manner 

10 



in which the final syllable required to be 
accented, if it was not intended to stand 
for the second vowel of the preterite rr tt . 

7. An exhortation to duty derived from 
what God had been, and would still, in 
accordance with the significant aspect of 
his name, in continuance be, to those who 
served him in sincerity. 

8. "?22, Canaan, is the nominative 
absolute, introduced abruptly lor the pur- 
pose of graphically describing the real 
character of the Ephraimites. The word 
may, indeed, be rendered merchant, but 
then to-'s, man, must be supplied; ^s 
"lSr5 , a man of Canaan, meaning a mer- 
chant the inhabitants of that country 
being the celebrated merchants of antiq- 
uity. The prophet seems rather to place 
the names of Canaan and Israel in an- 
tithesis ; in which there is great point, as 
the Israelites were accustomed to hold 
the Canaanites in the utmost contempt. 
Comp. Ezek. xvi. 3. Horsley renders 
a trafficker of Canaan, which weakens 
rather than strengthens the antithesis. 
The fraudulent practices of merchants 
were quite proverbial among the Jews. 
" As a nail sticketh fast in the joinings 
of the stones, so doth sin stick close be- 
tween buying and selling." Ecclesiasti- 
cus xxvii. 2. 

9. The character assumed in the pre- 
ceding verse is here directly applied, only 
the ten tribes are represented as nattering 
themselves that they had employed no 
illegal means in acquiring their affluence. 
18 W* , they shall find, is used imperson- 
ally, "py is employed to denote the act 
of distortion or iniquity, Ntoli its guilt 
or culpability. The words literally ren- 
dered arc, with respect to all my efforts, 
they shall not f.nd attaching to me iniq- 
uity which is sin; and the meaning is, 



PI S E A 



CHAP. XII. 



10 Yet I, Jehovah, am thy God from the land of Egypt; 

I will still cause thee to dwell in tents as on feast days. 
Ill have spoken to the prophets, 

I have multiplied visions ; 

And through the prophets I have used similitudes. 



might be punished. " The merchant 
imagines that it is not possible to get 
through business without some deceit; 
but he takes care not to commit any gross 
or deadly act of delinquency, hoping that 
God will not be strict in regard to the 
rest." Michaelis. 

10. Commentators have been greatly 
divided in opinion as to whether these 
words are to be taken as a promise, or as 
a threatening. Those who take the latter 
view interpret the living in tabernacles 
of such a life as those lead who have no 
settled habitations, like the Israelites in 
the wilderness, or like those who assem- 
bled at the annual festivals, and who 
could only be accommodated in tents 
without the city. But, though such ex- 
egesis might at first sight seem to suit 
the connection, yet there is something so 
forced in comparing a state of captivity 
to that of the Hebrew nation during the 
celebration of the most joyful of all their 
festivals, that I am compelled to regard 
the verse as containing a promise of what 
God would still do for the Israelites on 
their repentance and reformation. Those 
who are familiar with the sudden and 
abrupt transitions which abound in Hosea, 
and the frequency with which he inter- 
mingles promises with threatenings, will 
not be surprised at this unexpected assur- 
ance of the divine clemency. The argu- 
ment is this : the Israelites have indeed 
acted a most wicked and deceitful part, 
and justly deserve to be forever cast off 
from all participation in my favor ; but I 
am still, what I have been from the begin- 
ning of their history, their covenant- God, 
and will yet cause them to renew their 
joy before me. That they were not to 
enjoy any such privilege in their apostate 
condition is taken for granted. The 
promise was fulfilled on the return from 
the captivity. 

1 1 . Jehovah adduces a further proof of 
the kindness of his disposition towards 
the nation the abundant means of 



instruction which he had afforded them ; 
while at the same time, the language is 
so worded as to draw their attention to 
the messages which the prophets had 
delivered. These messages contained the 
most powerful dissuasives from idolatry, 
and the greatest encouragements to 
cleave unto the Lord. Vs> m "tona-i 
fis'qarHsy , following a verb of an- 
nouncement, is equivalent to V^i t> and 
is not to be pressed so as to make it sig- 
nify the coming down or resting of inspir- 
ation upon the prophets. Comp. Job 
xxxvi. 33. LXX. irpbs irpo^^Tay. If 
Hosea was one of the earliest of the He- 
brew prophets, whose books are now in 
our hands, reference must here be had to 
those who had nourished before his time, 
such as Ahijah the Shilonite, Shemaiah, 
Iddo, Azariah, Hanani, Jehu, Jahaziel, 
Eliezer, Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah, Joel, and 
Amoz, not to include the hundred proph- 
ets of the Lord whom Obadiah hid in a 
cave, after Jezebel had put a number to 
death. Not only had Jehovah made 
numerous communications of his will 
through the instrumentality of these 
messengers, but he had employed such 
modes in making these communications 
as were calculated at once to gain and 
secure attention. For I'lfrt , see on Is. i. 
1. Mte"i$ from rito'n , to be like, resemble ; 
in Piel, to liken, employ, similes, or com- 
parisons ; or, in general, to use figura- 
tive language. In such language, includ- 
ing metaphor, allegory, comparison, pros- 
opopoeia, apostrophe, hyperbole, etc., the 
prophets abound. They accommodated 
themselves to the capacity and under- 
standing of their hearers by couching the 
high and important subjects of which 
they treated under the imagery of sensi- 
ble objects, and invested them with a 
degree of life and energy which could 
only be resisted by an obstinate determi- 
nation not to listen to religious instruc- 
tion. Though n's"*? is in the future 1 , it 
borrows its temporal signification from 



CHAP. XII. 



HOSEA. 



75- 



12 Verily Gilead is iniquitous, 
Surely they are false : 

In Gilgal they sacrifice oxen; 
Their altars are like the heaps 
On the ridges of the field. 

13 Jacob fled to the country of Syria; 
Israel served for a wife ; 

And for a wife he kept the flocks. 

By a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up from Egypt, 



And by a prophet he was kept. 



14 



the two preceding verbs, >| Fn2'} and 
irnann > which are in the preterite. 

12. 'ns is not used here as a particle 
expressing doubt : it rather expresses the 
certainty of what is affirmed, as "rjs fol- 
lowing, evidently shows. The two places 
here mentioned were celebrated in the 
history of the Hebrews : Gilead, on 
account of the solemn agreement which 
Laban and Jacob entered into there with 
each other; and Gilgal, on account of 
the general circumcision of the people, 
and the solemn observance of the pass- 
over when they had passed over Jordan. 
They are adduced by the prophet to re- 
mind the Israelites of the sacred obliga- 
tions under which they lay, and the 
sacred character which, as the peculiar 
people of God, they ought ever to sustain. 
Pointing, as it were, to the heap of stones 
which Jacob had erected in testimony of 
the transaction between him and Laban, 
Hosea asks, Is Gilead the scene of iniq- 
uity ? Are its inhabitants actually wor- 
shippers of idols ? And then he fear- 
lessly charges them with idolatry. Both 
jns and sito are specially used of idols, 
iri order to 'express their nothingness and 
vanity. The abstract stands for the con- 
crete. By ny^5> Gilead, is meant not 
merely the place, but its inhabitants. 
Comp. for the wickedness of the Gilead- 
ites, chap: vi. 8. VsVa , Gilgal, had also 
become desecrated by idolatrous practices, 
chap. iv. 15, ix. 15, which abounded to 
such an extent, that the number of the 
altars was like that of the heaps of stones 
which have been collected and left in 
various parts of the ridges of a field. In 
t2"sa, heaps, comp. Josh. vii. 26, there is 
an obvious reference to the name Vji^a. 



Both are derived from V^A , to roll, roll 
stones, etc. For ti'v iJsVlfii comp. chap. 
x. 4. 

13, 14. The argument of both these 
verses is the same, though it is only in. 
the latter that it is expressly stated, viz. 
the divine goodness in preserving Jacob 
and his posterity. God was with the 
patriarch^ according to his promise, and 
protected and prospered him all the time 
he was in servitude in Padan-aram ; and 
he likewise delivered his descendants from. 
Egyptian bondage, and conducted them 
safely to the land of Canaan, d^s , 
Aramcea, Syria, the high country, from 
t?"i , to be high ; here specially the region 
between the Euphrates and the Tigris, 
called on this account, triHi fit? Aram 
of the two rivers, LXX. Meo-oTroTo/Ja, 
Mesopotamia. Being lower than the 
rest of Syria on the west, it is here called 
fi-iia , .field, which corresponds to jrig, a 
level or plain, Gen. xlviii. 7 ; hence 
Padan-aram. ittto , to keep, 5s used 
without Tsis , sheep, in the sense of keep- 
ing a flock. See Gen. xxx. 3 1 ; 1 Sam. 
xvii. 20. To the verb as thus employed 
in its literal acceptation, ver. 13, the fig- 
urative use in nw3 ,ver. 14, corresponds. 
The church of God is frequently com- 
pared to a flock. The N-na , prophet, 
here referred to was Moses, who was so 
/car' QoxW' See Exod. iv. 15, 16 ; 
Numb. xii. 6-8; Is. Ixiii. 11, 12, The 
repeated reference to the Hebrew legisla- 
tor in this character, was evidently in- 
tended to impress the minds of the Israel- 
ites with a conviction of the necessity of 
attending to the messages which the Lord 
sent to them by his prophets. 



T<5 



II O S E A. 



CHAP. XTTT. 



15 Ephraim hath given most bitter provocation, 
Therefore will his Lord leave his blood upon him ; 
And bring back upon him his reproach. 



15. tif-iyiwsi, lit. bitterness, i. e. most 
bitter, or bitterly. The object of provo- 
cation is not expressed, but that it is 
Jehovah is clear from the following clause. 
The blood of Ephraim. was, in all prob- 
ability, that of human victims which had 
been shed in the service of Moloch, v: 'is, 
his Lord, is improperly applied by ifors- 
ley to the king of Assyria. By ^ns-i n , 



his reproach, is meant the disgraceful 
conduct of the ten tribes in abandoning the 
true God, as unworthy of their service, 
and transferring it to idols. i 1 3 '-> s is the 
nominative to uiita 1 ; as well as to n^tto , 
and in our language the corresponding 
term Lord requires to be used before the 
former, and understood before the latter 
of the two verbs. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



After contrasting the prosperity of the tribe of Ephraim, during the period of its ohedience 
to the divine laws, with the adversity which it had suffered in consequence of idolatry, 1, 
the prophet proceeds in the same manner, as in the preceding chapter, to intermingle 
brief descriptions of sin and guilt, 2, 6, 9, 12 j denouncements of punishment, 3, 7, 8, 13, 
15, 16; and promises of mercy, 4, 9, 14. 



1 WHEN Ephraim spake, there was tremor ; 
He was exalted in Israel ; 
But he offended through Baal, and died. 



1. Ephraim means here the tribe prop- 
erly so called, in distinction from the 
other tribes of Israel, mentioned imme- 
diately after. Such was the power and 
influence which it originally exercised 
over the rest, that they showed it the 
utmost deference, ririn , a &ira% \ey6- 

fjLsvov, but obviously cognate with tola;?. , 

ft 
Jer. xlix. 24, Syr. jA^^j Targ. Nfj'rn, 

fear, trembling. In Pococke's Arab. 
MS. the words are rendered 



wj , ^-^ w ^ en Ephraim spake, 

trembling fell ^lpon men. And ?o Tan- 
chum, 



the mean- 



ing is, that men revered him, and trem- 
bled at his word. The same construction 
is adopted by Jerome, Kimchi, Abarbanel, 
Munster, Vatablus, Clarius, Drusius, 
Lively, Grotius, Bivetus, Tingstadius, 
Dathe, Kuinoel, Horsley, De "Wette, 
Maurer, Noyes, and Hitzig. It is im- 
possible to approve the translation of 
Ewald : " Wie Efraim redete Empo- 
rung, es aufruhr machte in Israel," 
When Ephraim gave utterance to sedi- 
tion, it produced rebellion in Israel. 
Neither M-n nor s\o3 admit of being so 

** \ IT 

translated. To take pf"i adverbially, 
and render it tremblingly, or trembling, 
as in our common version, though it 
affords an apt sense in itself, is less suited 



. XIII. 



HOSE A. 



2 And now they continue to sin, 
And make for themselves molten images, 
Idols of their silver according to their skill,' 
All of them the work of artificers ; 
The men that sacrifice, say of them, 
Let them kiss the calves. 



to the connection. K'IJS occurs in the 
sense of elevating one's self, Ps. Ixxxix. 10 ; 
Nah. i. o, or being exalted. Hence sv taa , 
a prince, a. in .^33 , has the force of, 
in imion with, in the matter of, and 
marks the participation of the Ephraim- 
ites in the service of Baal, finw , to die, 
is here to be taken in a civil or political 
sense ; to lose one's influence, become 
subject to misery, punishment, etc. It 
forms an antithesis to N'aa , to be exalted. 
No sooner did the Ephraimites forsake 
the true God and take up with idols than 
he inflicted judgments upon them, by 
which their power was weakened, and at 
last became entirely extinct "ex quo 
peccavit, nulla jam est autoritate in pop- 
uloDei." (Ecolampadius. "VitaEcrum- 
nosa et tristis pro morte censetur ; idcirco 
exules mortui dicuntur, et exilium sep- 
ulchri nomine notatur, Ezech. cap. 37." 
Bivetus. 

2. This verse sets forth their persever- 
ance in idolatrous practices, notwith- 
standing the chastisements with which 
they had been visited. Cts 'tta'j, the 
LXX. "Vulg. Jarchi, Abenezra, Abarba- 
nel, Tanchum, Calvin, Piscator, Leo Juda, 
and among the moderns, Schmid, J. II- 
Michaelis, llorsley, Hitzig, Stuck, and J". 
Pr. Schroder, render sacrifice, or sacrifi- 
cors of men, on the principle, that the 
presentation of human sacrifices is meant. 
This, however, was called in question by 
Kimchi, who explains, fc^Nar; frs *sa 
mt*J , the men who come to sacrifice. To 
the same effect Munster, Piscator, Junius 
and Tremelius, Bivetus, Mercer, Glassius, 
Lively, Drusius, Bochart, our own and 
most of the authorized versions, Lowth, 
Newcome, Boothroyd, Noyes, De Wette, 
Gesenius, Maurer, and Ewald. The rule 
of syntax laid down by Gesenius respect- 
ing this mode of construction, Lehrgeb. 
p. 678, is, that when a genitive following 
an adjective is a noun of multitude, or 
of the plural number, such adjective is 



particularly used in poetry for the pur- 
pose of designating those of the mul- 
titude to which the specified quality 
belongs. Instances are Isaiah xxix. 19, 
Q"jx o'ras, the poor of men, i. e. 
those of men who are poor; Micah 
v. 5, Cns ^OS, the anointed of men, 
i. e. such of men as are anointed. So 
in the present case, d~X n ftpT sacri- 
jicers of men, i. e. those of, or among 
men that sacrifice, which is merely a 
periphrasis for priests. Although, there- 
fore, it is a fact, that the ten tribes did 
sacrifice their children to Moloch, 2 Kings 
xvii. 17, it would be more than precarious 
to draw any such inference from the pres- 
ent passage, especially as the prophet men- 
tions the calves, of whose worship human 
sacrifices, so far as we know, formed no 

part. V'p?? c " Vl?. ^ ti lem ki ss the calves. 
It was customary for idolaters to give 
the kiss of adoration to the objects of 
their worship. This was sometimes done 
by merely touching the lips with the 
hand, to which reference is made Job 
xxxi. 27. Comp. Lucian irepl OpX'fia'fcos 
i. p. 918, edit. Bened. Minutius Felix, 
cap. 2, ad fin, Apuleius Apol. p. 496. 
At other times the idol itself was kissed 
by the worshippers. Comp. 1 Kings xix. 
18. Thus Cicero tells us, that at Agri- 
gentum in Sicily there was a brazen 
image of the Tyrian Hercu-lcs whose 
mouth and chin were worn by the kisses 
of his worshippers " non solum id ven- 
erari, verum etiam osculari solebant." 
Act. ii. in Verrem, lib. iv. cap. 43. Noth- 
ing is more common in the Russian 
churches than for the devotees to kiss the 
picture of the virgin, or of St. Nicholas. 
The construction of the words f n tr:V 
"ip'i"; fVftg. tn^ -rja'T nr^KN is some- 
what difficult. As usually divided they 
are interpreted thus : they, i. e. the Eph- 
raimites, say of them, the images, let the 
Pacrificers kiss the calves ; but it is better 
to take nnjj "'O- 2 .'' 1 ' the sawificers, as iii 



78 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. XHL 



3 Therefore shall they be like the morning cloud, 
And like the dew which early departeth, 

Like chaff blown by a whirlwind from the threshing-floor, 
And like smoke from the window. 

4 Yet I, Jehovah, have been thy God from the land of Egypt, 
Thou knewest no God besides me ; 

Nor was there any Saviour besides me. 

5 I regarded thee in the wilderness, 
In the land of burning thirst. 

6 As they were fed, so were they satiated; 

They were satiated, and their heart was lifted up ; 
Therefore they forgat me : 

7 So that I became to them as a lion, 

I watched for them as a leopard by the way, 

8 I met them as a bear bereaved of her cubs, 



apposition with and exegetical of dn 
ta'nws, they say, i. e. they, the men that 
sacrifice, say to the people, let them kiss 
the calves. While the priests presented 
the sacrifices, they encouraged the wor- 
shippers to come forward and kiss the 
objects of their adoration. 

3. Comp. chap. vi. 4. -p^, the thresh- 
ing floor, being an open area, generally 
on an eminence, was peculiarly exposed 
to the wind, which carried off the chaff, 
on its being trodden out, or separated 
from the grain, fia'nis, Aq, airb Ka.ra.p- 
f>d.KTov, which Jerome explains, " foramen 
in pariete fabricatum per quod fumas 
egreditur;" Symm. oirTjs, oirij, an orifice; 
Theod. ttcmov8ox7)i>, a hole for the passage 
of smoke. It is very common in the 
East for the light to be admitted, and the 
smoke to make its escape by the same 
passage or orifice in the wall. The idea 
of a speedy removal is that conveyed by 
all the images here employed. 

4. Comp. chap. xii. 10. The long 
addition in the LXX. is totally unsup- 
ported, and was most probably inserted 
in that version by some scholiast. 

5. Here *P"";^ , / knew, contrasts with 
yitn in the preceding vorse, only it is to 
be taken in the sense of knowing effect- 
ively, taking notice of, caring for. Comp. 
Amos iii. 2. l^i^^p, lit. thirsfiness, 
grett thirst, extreme drought, from nxV , 
Arab. (^j^J sitivit, Comp. 3nV , to burn, 



Arab. . >-ff> arsit, sitivit, siti, arsit. 

Munster renders, " terra siti ardente." 
Comp. Deut. viii. 15. 

6. Qrjijj'ites, according to their feed- 
ing, i. e. in proportion to their enjoyment 
of the provision which I made for them, 
feeding them with manna from heaven, 
and afterwards abundantly supplying 
their wants. It is equivalent to, " as 
they were fed." For the rest of the verse 
comp. Deut. xxxii. 13-15. 

7, 8. i in TICO is inferential, showing 
that what follows was the result of what 
is stated in the preceding verse. The 
context requires the verb to be taken in 
the past time. The images here employed 
are of freqxient occurrence. Comp. Job 
x. 16 ; Ps. vii. 2 ; Is. xxxviii. 13 ; Lam. 
iii. 10. "iteS , the leopard, so called from 
his spots or streams. Arab. . j macul- 

?*' 

ostis fuit, maculis punctisve respersns 

fiat; pardus. See Jer. xiii. 23, tjkrt^n 
rtnhsnsn. "ittS. The leopard is noted 
for his 'swiftness, ferocity, and especially 1 
his cruelty to man. He lurks in the 
dense thicket of the wood, and springs 
with great velocity on his victim. With 
respect to the bear, Jerome remarks, 
" Aiunt, qui, de bestiarum scripsere na- 
turis, inter omnes feras nihil esse ursa 
ssevius, quum perdidcrit catulos vcl in- 
dignerit cibis." 2^7 being of common 
gender, the participle^? 3-3 is put in the 



XIII. 



HO SEA. 



79 



And rent the caul of their heart ; 

I devoured them there, as a lioness ; 

The wild beast rent them in pieces. 
9 O Israel ! Thou hast destroyed thyselfj 

Nevertheless in me truly is thine help. 
10 Where is thy king now ? 

That he may save thee in all thy cities ; 

And thy judges, of whom thou saidst, 

Give me a king and princes, 
111 gave thee a king in mine anger, 

And took him away in my wrath. 



masculine, though the female bear is 
meant. Comp. e^aan ii3iSi*>N, Ps- 
cxliv. 14. I'IAO is the'' pericardium, or 
membrane which contains the heart in 
its cavity, and is thus fitly called its 
enclosure. For -iris , / watched, sixteen 
of De llossi's MSS. T and one in the mar- 
gin, three ancient editions, and twenty- 
four others, the LXX. Syr. Vulg. and 
Arab, read "irjjs, Assyria, which some 
prefer, on account of the number of lions, 
panthers, tigers, etc. with which the re- 
gions of southern Asia abound. The 
text would then read, as a leopard, in 
the way to Assyria; but the common 
reading is more in accordance with the 
spirit of the passage. 

9. ^rna, I take to be a noun with 
the suffix, thy destruction! i. e. the de- 
struction is thine own ; thou hast brought 
it tipon. thyself by thy sins. It is, there- 
fore, equivalent to " thou hast destroyed 
thyself," and cannot be better rendered. 
Thus the Vulg. Perditio tua, Israel. 
Dathe, Ipsiestis o Israelite! exitiivestri 
causa. Some, however, as Kimchi, sup- 
ply \**y-,the calf; others, ^S^W. thy 
king, from the following verse';' others, 
some other noun ; and take Tft-u to be 
the third person singular of PieK Comp. 
for the form cV;3, Deut. xxxii. 35 ; na'n , 
Jer. v. 13; "12^1, Hos. i.2; "itap , Jer. 
xliv. 2 1 . Newcome unwarrantably adopts 
the rendering of the Syriac, " I have de- 
stroyed thee." Most of the moderns 
give a hostile sense to the a in the fol- 
lowing ^7.7 y a "3 , against 'me, against 
thy help but, considering how frequently 
declarations of kindness are mixed up 
with charges of evil, and that some verb 



denoting rebellion would be required to 
support such construction, it seems pre- 
ferable to give to 13 the common adver- 
sative signification of yet, nevertheless, 
and to regard the a in tp.!S>a as tne ^ et ^ 
Essentice, which renders the phrase much 
more emphatic than the pronoun, or the 
substantive verb would have done. It 
is equivalent to, In me is thy real help. 
Other sources may be applied to, and 
they may promise thee assistance; but 
from me alone efficient aid is to be ex- 
pected, and in me it is to be found. So 
our translators. See on Is. xxvi. 4. 
This exegesis is strongly supported, if not 
rendered absolutely necessary, by the 
pointed interrogations in the following 
verse. The LXX. vis /BojjS-^creJ ; turn- 
ing 13 into i , and omitting the second 

Thus also the Syr. 

is in. all probability a me- 
where '! It is thus ren- 
Syr. Vulg. Targ. 

Abulwalid, Tanchum, Luther, Drusius, 
Mercer, Osiander, Pxivetus, Castalio, and 
by most modern expositors. It is also so 
taken by Gesenius, Lee, "Winer, and 
Fiirst ; and alone suits the connection. 
Comp. in support of this interpretation, 
the combination si as nsjs , Jud. ix. 38 ; 
Job xvii. 15 ; Is. xix 12. One of Ken- 
nicott's MSS. and perhaps another, one 
of De llossi's in the margin, read VISK 
instead of ^ns , though probably by cor- 
rection. Another of De llossi's has a 
note in the margin, stating that the word 
is so explained. The i ^y/rai' 1 } is pleo- 
nastic, except it be regarded as introduc- 
ing the apoclosis. -jps is so intimately 
connected with the past transactions im- 



a altogether. 



10, 11. 

tathesis for ri" 
dered by the' 



, 
LXX. 



80 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. XIIL 



12 The guilt of Ephraira is bound up, 
His punishment is laid up in store. 

13 The pangs of a woman in labor shall come upon Mm ; 
He is an unwise son, 

Otherwise he would not remain long 

In the place of the breaking forth of children. 

14 I will deliver them from the power of Sheol ; 
I will redeem them from death : 



plied in ^-TiSS} PnN, thou saidst, give 
me, that, though future in form, it can- 
not with any propriety be rendered oth- 
erwise than in the preterite. Some refer 
the circumstances here mentioned to the 
selection and removal of Saul ; but it is 
more in keeping with the specialty of the 
prophet's address to consider the king to 
be Jeroboam and his successors in the 
regal dignity ; and that the removal re- 
gards the frequent changes which took 
place in the history of the Israelitish 
kings, which proved a source of great 
calamity to the nation. See 2 Kings xv. 

12. The metaphors are here borrowed 
from the custom of tying tip money in 
bags, and depositing it in some secret 
place, in order that it might be preserved. 
The certainty of punishment is the idea 
conveyed by them. Cornp. for the former, 
Job xiv. 17 ; and for the latter Deut. 
xxxii. 34, Job xxi. 19. 

1 3 . Another in stance of two metaphors 
closely connected, the transition from the 
one to the other of which is, in the man- 
ner of the Orientals, rapid and unexpected. 
See Dathc's very judicious note. It is 
not unusual in Scripture to compare the 
calamities of a people to the sorrows of 
childbirth. In addition to this the dan- 
ger and folly of Ephraim in protracting 
repentance, in the midst of the afflictive 
circumstances in which he was placed, is 
fitly compared to the extremely critical 
condition of a child on the point of being 
born, but, owing to the want of strength 
on the part of the mother, or other causes, 
is detained in its passage from the womb. 
The LXX. ovros 6 vl6s aov & fj>p6i>i/j.os has 
doubtless originally been ovros 6 v!6s ou 
<t>p6viu.os. "O introduces the contrary of 
the preceding proposition, and is used 
elliptically for the sentence, " For if it 



were not so," etc. It may best be ren- 
dered into English by othenoise, else, or 
the like. f\y, time, is here to be taken 
adverbially, in the sense of for a time, 
long, etc. Winer, aliquod tempus t ali- 

quamdiu. Comp. the Arab. yO when 

used in opposition to i"xi' "isfn, the 

>' " ' ' 

os uteri. Comp. 2 Kings xix. 3 ; Is. 
xxx vi. 3, Ixvi. 9. Without a national 
iraXifyevecrla, no prosperity could be ex- 
pected. It was for the Israelites by true 
repentance to accelerate and ensure their 
deliverance from threatened destruction, 
and their enjoyment of a new period of 
peace and happiness. 

14. The ideas of Sheol and Death were 
naturally suggested by the perilous cir- 
cumstances described in the preceding 
verse. Extinction as a people is there ap- 
prehended. Here it is viewed as having 
already taken place ; and a gracious prom- 
ise is given of the restoration of the Is- 
raelites, and the complete destruction of 
the enemies by whom they had been car- 
ried into captivity. "i , from the hand, 
n common Hebraism for from the power. 
n"2 properly signifies to redeem, or buy 
loose, by the payment of a price; VgAf 
to avenge the murder of a relative, and 
also to recover or redeem property by re- 
payment. Both verbs, however, are used 
in a more extended signification, and 
especially in reference to the deliverance 
of the Hebrews from Egypt, and from 
the captivity in Babylon. That Visa, 
Sheol, and r-.-K, Death, are here to be 
taken in a figurative sense, with applica- 
tion to the state of the Israelites in the 
Assyrian and Babylonish captivity, de- 
prived as they were of all political exist- 
ence, and subject to the most grievous 



CHAP. XIII, 



HOSEA. 



81 



Where is thy destruction, O Death ? 
Where is thine excision, O Sheol ? 
Repentance is hid from mine eyes. 



calamities, the exigency of the passage 
imperatively demands. Comp. Is. xxvi. 
19. .Respecting 17-1$ interpreters are far 
from being agreed. Symm. the Vulg. 
Coverdale, Drusius, Tingstadius, Horsley, 
Dathe, luiinoel, De Wette, Noyes, Ros- 
enmiiller, Hesselberg, and Maurer, take 
it to be the first person future of the sub- 
stantive verb rrn , to be; whereas the 
LXX. Aq. the* fifth edition, (Paul, 1 
Cor. xv. 55,) Syr. Arab. Abulwalid, 
Tanchum, Junius and Tremellius, Mer- 
cer, Newcome, Boothroyd, Ewald, and 
Ilitzig, consider it to be used as in ver. 
10, for nN TTOV, where? With the latter 
authorities I concur, partly on the ground 
that it is not likely the prophet would 
employ the same word in the same form 
in two different acceptations in verses 10 
and 14: ; and partly because I find IHN 
nowhere used absolutely as an apocopated 
future ; but always with the Vau con- 
versive prefixed. See for the full form 
n".n54, chap. xiv. 6. To which add, that 
the interrogation is more in keeping with 
the animated style of the passage. In- 
stead of the plural ^"l^n , thy destruc- 
tions, one hundred and twenty-two MSS. 
originally five more, now two, and four 
of the early editions read ^"nSn, thy de- 
struction in the singular. Van, Arab. 
O t>j death ; specially the plague, pesti- 
lence ; the awful destruction of human 
life effected by it. Hence the LXX. 
mostly render it Sfdvaros ; here 5i/cij, but 
in all probability originally viK-n, for which 
Paul reads vittos, only transposing vinos 
and Kevrpov, by which latter term the 
LXX. render t3J5, excision, cutting off, 
destruction. The cause of this transpo- 
sition is obvious. The apostle had just 
quoted the passage in Isaiah, agreeably 
to the version of Theodotion, in which 
vlitos occurs, whereby he was reminded 
of the same words as occurring in Hosea, 
and, under the influence of strong emo- 
tion, he commences his quotation with 
vixos prominently in his mind. Olshau- 
scn thinks vlxosis a later form for J//KTJ. 

11 



Boot ntaj; , Arab. <_^tnV to cut, cut off, 

destroy. That -on is the genuine read- 
ing, and that "p"^ , a goad, which some 
would substitute for it, in order to make 
the Hebrew correspond to nevrpov, is to 
be rejected, may very conclusively be 
gathered from the similar occurrence of 
the words iin and 2t>j? together, Pe. 
xci. 6. Comp. Deut. xxxii. 2i. The- 
import of this animated apostrophe, as 
used both by Jehovah in the prophet, and 
by the apostle, is, "Where are now the 
effects of the destructive influence which 
you have exerted ? Your victims are- 
recovered from your dominion : they are 
alive again, and shall no more be subject 
to your power. The speakers place them- 
selves as it were in the period after the- 
resurrection : the former in that after the 
restoration from Babylon ; the other in : 
that after the literal restoration of the- 
dead to life at the last day. Both look 
back, and triumphantly exult over the- 
conquerors. With respect to the appro- 
priation of the words by the apostle in 
reference to the doctrine of the final res- 
urrection, it appears to be made, not in 
the way of proof, but merely to give ex- 
pression, in the triumphant language of 
the prophet, to the animated feelings, 
which had taken possession of his breast. 
His direct quotation in the way of argu- 
ment is made from Is. xxv. 8, and con- 
sists of the words Kareirdbr) 6 SdvctTos els 
VIKOS. It would, therefore, be improper 
to identify the subject of which he treats . 
with that treated of by our prophet. 
"Neque enim ex professo semper loccs. 
adducunt apostoli, qui toto contextu ad ' 
institutum quod tractant pertineant : sed 
interdum alludlmt ad ramm verbum 
duntaxat, aliquando aptant locum ad sen- 
tentiam per- similitudinem, aliquando 
abhibent testimonia. Atqui satis con- 
stat, Paulum. illo 15 cap. 1 ad Corinth . 
non citasseprophetse testimoniam ad con- 
firmandum illam doctrinam de qua dis- 
scrlt." Calvin in loc. See also Horsley's ; 
critical note. 12 , LXX. ira 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. XTTT. 



15 Though he be fruitful among his brethren, 
Yet an east wind, a wind of Jehovah, 
Shall come up from the desert, 

And dry up his fountain ; 

And his spring shall become dry : 

He shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. 

1 6 Samaria shall be punished, 

Because she hath rebelled against her God : 

They shall fall by the sword-; 

Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, 

And their pregnant women shall be ripped up. 



Syr. 






Vulg. comolatio ; but re- 



pentance better suits the connection. It 
expresses the immutability of the divine 
purpose, which had the deliverance of 
his people for its object. Comp. Rom. 
xi. 29. Horsley strangely refers the re- 
pentance to man, and not to God. 

15. This and the following verse set 

: forth the devastation and destruction of 
the kingdom of the ten tribes, which was 
to precede the deliverance promised in 
that which precedes. While the promise 
was designed to afford consolation to the 
pious, and encouragement to the penitent, 
the threatening was equally necessary for 
the refractory and profane, ssin, he, 

refers to Ephraim, ver. 12. N-nsi an 
O7ra Ae-y. but obviously equivalent to 
rns^, the Hiphil of rrnB , to be fruitful. 
It is here used with special reference to 
the name of CP IB s, being the root whence 
it is derived, and not improbably exhibits 
t* instead of n , because it forms the first 
letter of the noun. The tribe of Eph- 
raim was the most numerous in regard to 
population, and was for a time in the 
most nourishing circumstances. That 
such is the signification of the verb, and 
that it is not to be rendered divide or 

. separate, as in the ancient and several of 
the modem versions, nor act like a wild 

ass, which others exhibit, appears from 
the mention of a spring and a fountain, 
which naturally suggests the idea of a 
tree, the roots of which are plentifully 
supplied by their water. For O"^p , see 

on chap. xii. 2, and Is. xxvii. 8. run 

.r.Srr, like a'n';$ 'i-s, Job. i. 19, is the 



genitive of cause, a wind caused, sent by 
or proceeding from Jehovah; not " a great 
wind," as some interpret. The Assyrian 
army is meant. DSia" 1 Sin, He, i. e. 
the Assyrian, couched under the meta- 
phor of the destructive wind, shall plun- 
der every valuable article belonging to 
the Israelites. 

16. [Chap. xiv. 1.] This verse begins 
the following chapter in. the Hebrew 
Bible, but it more intimately coheres with 
the preceding context. D'gRW, LXX. 

i^awm^ffeToi, Vulg. pereat. The word 
signifies to be guilty of crime, and to be 
treated as guilty, to suffer punishment, be 
punished. Samaria as the metropolis, 
and the source of all the calamities which 
were coming upon the Israelites, is put 
as representing the whole nation ; but 
not to the exclusion of the peculiarly 
severe punishment which the inhabitants 
of that city had to expect, rrra , some 
render to embitter, provoke bitterly; but 
rebelling, resisting, striking against any 
one, are the ideas more properly conveyed 
by the verb. Thus the LXX. b.vr4artt 
irpbs rbv &ebv avrT/s- The addition of 
the affix inrpriVN, "her God," gives 
great emphasis in such connection. Comp. 
chap. xii. 10, xiii. 4. The aggravations 
of sin are increased by the relations sus- 
tained by the sinner. For the conclud- 
ing portion of the verse, comp. 2 Kings 
viii. 12, xv. 16 ; Amosi. 13. That such 
cruelties Avere not unknown among other 
nations, see Iliad vi. 58; 



?' ftvTiva. yaarepi 
Kovpov i6vra. (pepoi, jiwjS' o's 



XIV. 



HO SEA. 



and Horace, Carm. iv. Ode 6. The con- grammar, and may have heen occasioned 
struction Wfc'z'* pri'i-'nn is ad sensum, by the form of SEn? immediately pre- 
though not according to the strict rule of ceding. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



This chapter contains an urgent call to repentance, the supplication and confession expres- 
sive of which are put in a set form of words into the mouths of the penitents, 13. To 
encourage them thus to return to God, he makes the most gracious promises to them, 47,- 
their entire abandonment of idolatry is then predicted, and the divine condescension and 
goodness are announced, 8; and the whole concludes with a solemn declaration, on the 
part of the prophet, respecting the opposite consequences that would result from attention 
or inattention to bis message. 



RETURN, Israel! to Jehovah thy God; 
For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. 
2 Take with you words, and return to Jehovah ; 
Say to him, 

Forgive all iniquity, and graciously receive us, 
Then we will render to thee the calves of our lips. 



1, 2. The n of direction in the im- 
perative toiiBJ is, as usual, intensive, 
marking a strong desire on the part of 
the speaker that the action expressed by 
the verb might take place. For the 
emphasis attaching to the affix in ^psVis, 
" thy God," see on chap. xii. 16. stoi 
*p5! is a phrase of such frequent occur- 
rence with the meaning to pardon iniq- 
uity, that it is surprising how Horsley 
could insist upon its meaning to " take 
away the sinful principle within us the 
carnal heart of the old Adam." His 
construction of aits fij? , " accept as good, 
what, so regenerate, we shall be enabled 
to perform," though sound divinity, is 
equally indefensible on the ground of 
philology, rnu is used adverbially, be- 
niyne, in bonam partcm ; and the mean- 
ing is, graciously receive us back into thy 
favor. With respect to the interposition 
of the verb stesn, between Vb and -py, 
it may be observed, that it is not a soli- 
tary instance of such construction. See 
on Is. xix. 8, and comp. Job xv. 10. 



ti'n.S , calves or buttocks, used here met- 
aphorically for victims, sacrifices. The 
word occurring in the absolute form, 
some render }U'^''B fnB, bullocks our 
lips, as if the two nouns were in apposi- 
tion ; but there are instances of nouns 
thus put, which cannot be explained 
otherwise than in the construct, as to 
sense. Thus Deut. xxxiii. 11, farito 
Ttop , the loins of those who oppose him ; 
Jud. v. 13, C5> 6i-j -^s, the princes of 
the people; Prov. xxi'i. 21, rTcs 6*"jteN 
words of truth. Gesenius supposes the 
governing noun to be mentally repeated, 
and that the full form would be f-iB, 
iiS^lnBto "nS, buttocks, the buttocks' of our 
lips. Such construction in full he ad- 
duces in the instance Exod. xxxviii. 21, 
nmyn IS'i'W "Sttten, the tabernacle, the 
tabernacle 'of testimony. Some would 
change Si-iB into ing, fruit, on the ground 
of the reading found' in the LXX. avrair- 
oSoSfiei' (capirbi/ xciXecoi' TJ/J.WV, which is fol- 
lowed by the Ryr. and Arab, and is sur- 
poscd to have been borrowed by the apostle, 



84 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. XIV. 



3 Assyria shall not save us , 
"We will not ride upon horses ; 

Neither will we say any more, " Our gods," 

To the work of our hands : 

For by thee the destitute is pitied. 

4 I will heal their apostasy ; 
I will love them freely ; 

For my anger is turned away from them. 

5 I will be as the dew to Israel ; 



Heb. xiii. 15. There is, however, no 
variety in the Hebrew MSS. ; while the 
Targum. and all the other authorities sup- 
port the textual reading. The LXX. 
have committed a similar mistake in ren- 
dering n"n2 , her bullocks, rovs Kapirovs 
UVTTJS, her 'fruits, Jer. 1. 27. The con- 
jecture of Pococke, that they used Kap- 
n-bs in the sense of fcapira^a, which they 
employ to express SACRIFICE, oblation, 
etc., is less probable. See the important 
note of Horsley. The prophet's meaning 
is, We will render, in grateful return for 
thy forgiving and restoring mercy, the 
only sacrifices worthy of it our tribute 
of thanksgiving and praise. For such 
use of C s>;a , to requite, render back, comp. 
Ps. Ivi. 12, ^V r^."P.W C5WS, I will ren- 
der thanks unto thee : so that the con- 
struction proposed by some, "we will 
offer the sacrifices which our lips have 
vowed," cannot be regarded as unexcep- 
tionable, even if it were in keeping with 
the spirit of the passage. The only par- 
allels fully corresponding to it are Ps. li. 
15-17, Ixix. 31, 32. 

3. Three of the sins to which the ten 
tribes were specially prone are here im- 
plied : dependence upon the aid of the 
Assyrians ; application to Egypt for horses 
in direct violation of the divine command, 
Deut. xvii. 16; Is. xxxi. 1; and idol- 
atry. These they now forever renounce, 
and avow their determination henceforth 
to trust in Jehovah alone; adding as the 
reason of such determination, the expe- 
rience which they had had of the divine 
favor in time of need, -luls is here used 
in a causal sense, because for, forasmuch 
as. Comp. Gen. xxxi. 29 ; Eccles. iv. 
9. C^.r;^ , orphan is applied in this place 
metaphorically to the unprotected and 



destitute circumstances in which the Is- 
raelites had been, while in a state of 
separation from the Lord. 

4. Dnavi'tt is not, with Horsley, to 
be rendered " 'their conversion," but their 
apostasy. See on chap. xi. 7. >"i"J?r 
lit. spontaneousness, wulingnesg, is use'd 
adverbially for willingly, liberally, freely. 

It is derived from a-ja, Arab. t_jju 

instiyavif, impulit, ad aliquid; agilis in 
conficienda re promptusque vir; gcnero- 
sus ; and is expressive of the free, un- 
merited, and abundant love of God 
towards repentant sinners, ? 3 te , ' from 
him," i. e. Israel, the collective noun, 
ver. 2, resolved by the Syr. Lat. and 
other translators into a plural. 

5, 6. The love of God to his people, 
and its effects in their happy experience, 
are here couched in similes borrowed 
from the, vegetable kingdom. The dew 
is very copious in the East, and, by its 
refreshing and quickening virtue, sup- 
plies the place of more frequent rains in 
other countries. Kimchi thinks that the 
constancy with which the dew falls is 
the point here more specially referred to, 
and to which the divine blessing is com- 
pared. n 3 5; TO , lilies, abound in Palestine, 
even apart from cultivation. There are 
two kinds ; the common lily, which is 
perfectly white, consisting of six leaves, 
opening like bells ;. and what the Syrians 



call 



royal lily, 



VIA 

the stem of which is about the size of a 
finger in thickness, and which grows to 
the height of three and four feet, spread- 
ing its flowers in the most beautiful and 
engaging manner. Comp. iJatt. vi. 29. 
To these productions the moral beauty 
of regenerated Israel is very aptly com- 



GHAP. XIV. 



HOSE A. 



85 



He shall blossom as the lily, 
And strike his roots like Lebanon. 

6 His suckers shall spread forth, 

And his beauty shall be as the olive tree, 
And his fragrance as Lebanon. 

7 They that dwell under his shade shall revive as the eorn, 
And shoot forth as the vine : 

Their fame shall be as the wine of Lebanon. 

8 Ephraim shall say, 

What have I any more to do with idols ? 



pared. For Lebanon, see on Is. x. 34. 
The mountain stands here by metonymy 
for the trees which grow upon it, such as 
the celebrated cedars, whose roots striking 
far in depth and length into the ground, 
give them a firmness which no storms can 
shake. The ideas of strength and sta- 
bility are those conveyed by the simile, 
whether we refer the roots to the trees, 
or, metaphorically, to the mountain it- 
self; but the amplification in the follow- 
ing verse renders the former the prefer- 
able construction. f)Vn isoften used, not 
merely of continued, but of increased 
action, and here denotes to spread out as 
the suckers or small branches of trees. 
The olive is frequently referred to, on 
account of its beautiful green, and the 
pleasing ideas associated with its produce. 
Though the former only is expressed, yet 
the idea of fragrance is implied, only it 
is with the strictest propriety extended 
in the following clause to the whole of 
Lebanon, on account of the number of 
odoriferous trees and plants with which 
it abounds. In these verses, the render- 
ing frankincense, which Newcome prefers 
to Lebanon, is not to be admitted. The 
stability, extension, glory, and loveliness 
of the church of God are forcibly set 
forth. 

7. The Israelites are represented as 
again enjoying the protection of the Most 
High, and affording the most convincing 
proofs of prosperity. atti is used as aux- 
iliary to vp n ; both verbs, in such connec- 
tion, signifying nothing more than revive, 
thrive again, or the like. The pronomi- 
nal affix in i^s , his shade, refers to Je- 
hovah ; but in insi , his celebrity, fame, 
to Israel, understood, as before, collec- 



tively, but best rendered in the plural. 
*i^sa '^tti' 1 , the construct with the pre- 
position, as in in "O.itt , Ps. ii. 12. Mod- 
ern travellers concur in their high com- 
mendations of the excellence of the wines 
of Lebanon. Von Troil, in particular, 
says, " On this mountain are very valu- 
able vineyards, in which the most excel- 
lent wine is produced ; such as I have 
never drunk in any country, though in 
the course of fourteen years I have trav- 
elled through many, and tasted many 
good wines." 

8. Several interpreters take Q^lSN to 
be in the vocative sense, but, as it seems 
harsh to refer the words immediately fol- 
lowing to Jehovah, it is better to regard 
it as a nominative absolute, and to supply 
*m JO thus : As for Ephraim the tribe 
distinguished above all the rest for its 
addictedness to idolatry, and the fit rep- 
resentative of the whole people his 
language in future shall be, etc. For >*>, 
to me, the LXX. read iV> , to him, which 
facilitates the construction, and is adopted 
by Ewald, but without sufficient author- 
ity- h ?S > I> is no * without emphasis in 
this connection, in which mention is 
made of idols. *ya signifies to view ivith 
regard and care, care for, watch over. 
Every provision should henceforth be 
made for the protection and prosperity 
of restored Israel, irjiia, the cypress, 
with all its tall and fair ever-green ap- 
pearance, not being a fruit-bearing tree, 
it is added with singular effect, that in 
this respect there existed a difference be- 
tween the object and the subject of the 
metaphor. The children of Israel should 
not only enjoy protection and refreshment 
as the result of the divine favor, but rich 



86 



HO SEA. 



CHAP. XIV. 



I have answered him, and will regard him ; 
I am like a green cypress ; 
From me thy fruit is found. 

Who is wise, that he may understand these things; 
Prudent, that he may know them ? 
For the ways of Jehovah are right ; 
The righteous shall walk in them ; 
But the rebellious shall stumble in them. 



supplies of spiritual provision for their 
support. Such supplies were to be found 
in God alone. Manger thinks there is 
here a dialogistic parallelism, which he 
exhibits thus : 

EPHRAIM. What have I further to do 
with idols ? 

. GOD. I have answered him, and will 
regard him. 

EPHRAIM. I am like a green cypress. 

GOD. From me is thy fruit found. 

9. These words form an epilogue or 
conclusion to the whole book. The in- 
terrogation is employed for the purpose , 
of excitement and to give energy to the 
truths conveyed. It is worthy of remark 
that this is the only verse in which the 
prophet uses o^j?ns> the righteous, or 



any synonymous term, in the course of 
his recorded prophecies. So awfully de- 
praved were the times in which he lived, 
that the very character had disappeared. 
The contrasted characters and states of 
the godly and the wicked are pointed and 
affecting, "sj^n , to walk, signifies here to 
go forward prosperously ; V>zJ3, to stumble '> 
so as to fall to one's injury and utter ruin. 

" anfractu et liberam ab omni 

Hanc Justus teret, hoc semper se in calle 

tenebit, 
Felicique gradu ad requiem contendat 

amicam. 
At defectores videos impingere in iis- 

dem, 

Exitiumque sibi factis properare scelestis." 
Rittershu&ius* 



JOEL. 



PREFACE. 

WE possess no further knowledge of Joel than what is furnished by the 
title of his book, or may be gathered from circumstances incidentally men- 
tioned in it. That he lived in Judah, and, in all probability, at Jerusalem, we 
may infer from his not making the most distant reference to the kingdom of 
Israel ; while, on the other hand, he speaks of Jerusalem, the temple, priests, 
ceremonies, etc. with a familiarity which proves them to have been before his 
eyes. 

With respect to the age in which he flourished, opinions have differed. 
Bauer places him in the reign of Jehoshaphat ; Credner, Winer, Krahmer, 
and Ewald, think he lived in that of Joash ; Vitringa, Carpzov, Moldenhauer, 
Eichhorn, Holzhausen, Theiner, Rosenmuller, Knobel, Hengstenberg, Gcsen- 
ius, and De Wette, in that of Uzziah; Steudel and Bertholdt in that of Hez- 
ekiah,; Tarnovius and Eckermann assign the period of his activity to the days 
of Josiah ; while the author of Sedar Olam, Jarchi, Drusius, Newcome, and 
Jahn, are of opinion that he prophesied in the reign of Manasseh. The most 
probable hypothesis is, that his predictions were delivered in the early days 
of Joash ; that is, according to Credner, B. c. 870 865. No reference being 
made to the Babylonian, the Assyrian, or even the Syrian invasion, and the 
only enemies of whom mention is made being the Phoenicians, Philistines, 
Edomites, and Egyptians, it seems evident that Joel was unacquainted 
with any but the latter. Had he lived after the death of Joash, he could 
scarcely have omitted to notice the Syrians when speaking of hostile powers, 
since they not only invaded the land, but took Jerusalem, destroyed the 
princes, and carried away immense spoil to Damascus, 2 Chron. xxiv. 23, 24. 
The state of religious affairs as presented to view in the book is altogether in 
favor of this position. No mention is made of idolatrous practices ; while, on 
the contrary, notwithstanding the guilt which attached to the Jews, on account 
of which Jehovah brought judgments upon the land, the principles of the 
theocracy are supposed to be maintained ; the priests and people are repre- 
sented as being harmoniously occupied with the services of religion ; and 
Jerusalem, the temple and its worship, appear in a flourishing condition. Now 
this was precisely the state of things during the high-priesthood of Jehoiada, 
through whose influence Joash had been placed upon the throne. See 2 Kings 
xi. 1 7, 18, xii. 2-16 ; 2 Chron. xxiv. 4-14. It will follow that Joel is the oldest 
of all the Hebrew prophets whose predictions have come down to us. 

The delivery of his prophecy was occasioned by the devastations produced 
by successive swarms of locusts, and by an excessive drought which pervaded 
the country, and threatened the inhabitants with utter destruction. This 



88 PBEFACETOJOEL. 

calamity, however, was merely symbolical of another, and a more dreadful 
scourge the invasion of the land by foreign enemies, on which the prophet 
expatiates in the second chapter. In order that such calamity might be re- 
moved, he is commissioned to order an universal fast, and call all to repent- 
ance and humiliation before God; to announce as consequent upon such 
repentance and humiliation, a period of great temporal prosperity ; to predict 
the effusion of the Holy Spirit at a future period of the history of his people ; 
to denounce judgments, against their enemies ; and to foretell their restoration 
from the final dispersion. 

In point of style Joel stands preeminent among the Hebrew prophets. He 
not only possesses a singular degree of purity, but is distinguished by his 
smoothness and fluency ; the animated and rapid character of his rhythmus ; 
the perfect regularity of his parallelisms ; and the degree of roundness which 
he gives to his sentences. He has no abrupt transitions, is everywhere con- 
nected, and finishes whatever he takes up. In description he is graphic and 
perspicuous ; in arrangement lucid ; in imagery original, copious, and varied. 
In the judgment of Knobel, he most resembles Amos in regularity, Nahum in 
animation, and in both respects Habakkuk ; but is surpassed by none of them. 
That what we now possess is all he ever wrote, is in the highest degree improb- 
able : on the contrary, we should conclude from the cultivated character of 
his language, that he had been accustomed to composition long before he 
penned these discourses. Whatever degree of obscurity attaches to his book, 
is attributable to our ignorance of the subjects of which it treats, not to the 
language which he employs. 



CHAPTER I. 

After summoning attention to the unexampled plague of locusts with which the country had 
been visited, 2 4, the prophet excites to repentance by a description of these insects, 5 7, 
and of the damage which they had done to the fields and trees, 8 12; calls the priests to 
institute a solemn season for fasting and prayer, 13, 14; and bewails, by anticipation, a 
more awful visitation from Jehovah, 15, while he further describes the tremendous effects 
of the calamity under which the country was suffering, 1620. 



1 THE word of Jehovah which was communicated to Joel, the son 

of Pethuel : 

2 Hear this, ye aged men ! 

Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land ! 
Did such as this happen in your days, 
Or, in the days of your fathers ? 

3 Tell your children of it, 

And let your children tell their children, 
And their children another generation. 



! '$ ^'rj TS?$ "V"il 15 1 ! > the usual 
introductory formula employed to express 
the communication of divine revelations 
to the prophets, or the divinely inspired 
matter which they were commissioned to 
teach. Comp. Hos. i. 1 ; Me. i. 1 ; Zeph. 
i. 1; Mai. i. 1. The name W/ii, Joel, 
Jerome interprets ap^^vos, id est incip- 
iens, referring it to the verb Vs" 1 , which 
signifies to begin; but that he\vas not 
ignorant of another derivation is evident 
from his commentary, in which, after 
giving incipiens, .he adds, vel est Deus. 
It is, however, beyond all doubt com- 
pounded of tiSrP , in one of. its more con- 
tracted forms, and Vs , and signifies, Je- 
hovah is God. Who VsnrB, LXX. 
Bo&ourjA, Pethuel, the father of our 
prophet was, we are not informed. The 
introduction of his name was necessary 
in order to distinguish the present Joel 
from others of the same name, and can- 
not be admitted in proof of his having 
been a prophet or some person of emi- 
nence. It was common among the 
Hebrews, as it still is among the Orient- 
als, to add the name of the father to that 
of the son. 

12 



2, 3. These verses contain an animated 
introduction to the following subject. 
ns*T , properly this, the feminine accord- 
ing to the Hebrew idiom being used for 
the neuter, but it occurs hefe elliptically 
for ^.NTS , like this, such, the like, and 
refers to the astounding calamity of the 
locusts about to be described. y&a and 
pTsn. frequently occur as parallel 'initi- 
atives' in Hebrew poetry. See Gen. iv. 



23 ; Deut. xxx. 
latter verb, 



1 ; Is. i. 2. For the 
jjri is sometimes used. 
See Is. xxviii. 23; Mic. i. 2. D S :^T is 

! ; 

here to be understood, not in the official 
sense of elders, but in that of aged men, 
as the connection shows. Those who 
were most advanced in years, and might 
be expected to have their memories stored 
with ancient occurrences, ai'e appealed to 
for a parallel to the case referred to. 
Comp. Deut. xxxii. 7 ; Job. xxxii. 7. 
hinsj is often used in the sense of ances- 
tors, forefathers. n in rpVs, like p;Nt, 
refers to the plague of locusts. c-sa ^ja, 
cJiildren's children, is not unfrequent, but 
the language here employed by Joel is 
cumulative beyond example. 

" Et nati natorum, et qui nascentur 



90 



JOEL. 



CHAP. I. 



4 That which the gnawing locust hath left, 
The swarming locust hath devoured : 
And that which the swarming locust hath left, 



ab illis." JEneid iii. 98. 

Kal iraiSes tralficaV) rot Kev ;u.6T<$jncr&-e 

ytvtavrai. Iliad, xx. 308. 

4. The plague, which occasioned the 
following discourses of the prophet, is 
now described in terse, though repetitious 
terms. This verse may be considered as 
the text on which he afterwards expati- 
ates. Interpreters have found great diffi- 
culty both in determining the precise 
signification of the several terms employed 
to describe the scourge, and the light in 
which it was designed to be understood. 
While some are of opinion that different 
kinds of insects are meant, most are 
agreed in considering locusts to be in- 
tended. Yet here again discordant views 
obtain : some insisting on different species 
of locusts, and others on different states 
of the same species. Credner, for in- 
stance, in a work on our prophet, full of 
erudition, considers dta to be the migra- 
tory locust ; rrsns the young brood ; p^_ 
the young locust 'in the last state of trans- 
formation; and'^bh the perfect locust. 
The locust belongs to the genus of insects 
known among entomologists by the name 
of grytti, which includes the different 
species, from the common grasshopper to 
the devouring locust of the East. The 
largest of the latter is about three inches 
in length ; has two antennae, or horns, 
about an inch long, and two wings, 
which, with their cases, are applied ob- 
liquely to the sides of the body when in 
repose. The feet have only three joints, 
but are six in number. The two hind 
ones are imich larger than the rest, and 
are formed for leaping. The locusts are 
of different colors, brown, gray and spot- 
ted. In all stages, from the larvae to the 
perfect insect, the locusts are herbivorous, 
and do immense injury to vegetation. 
The subject so for as it occurs in Scripture, 
may be said to have been almost exhausted 
,by the learned Bochart, in his Hierozoi- 
con, Pars Post. Lib. iv. cap. i. viii. 
The fourth chapter he specially devotes 
to the explanation of the passages in 



Joel. See also (Edmann's Vermischte 
Sammlungen, and Credner's Joel. The 
first name, CTS, occurs only here and 
Amos iv. 9, and is rendered by the LXX. 
Kd/Airrj ; and by the Vulg. eruca, cater- 
pillar. This interpretation is supported 
by the Targ. i^rn , the crawling insect, 
by which, however, may be meant the 
locust in its wingless state. The Syr. 

.0 > O 

renders the word by j^7o AiV locusta 
non alata. It is evidently derived from 
the same root with the Arab. ^ ~^ res- 



ecuit, amputavit ^'<\j^>. secans ; Eth- 
^H^" excidit, abscidit; Syr. Sol_ 

incidit ; Talmud. bfA, amputavit; and 
expresses the knawing or cutting action 
of the sharp teeth of the locusts on the 
leaves, and even the bark of trees. Comp. 
Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. ii. cap. 29 : omnia 
vero morsu erodentes. rta^sj is the gen- 
eric name of the locust, so called from 
the almost incredible numbers which breed 
in different parts of the East ; being de- 
rived from mn , to multiply, bo numerous, 
etc. Comp. Jer. xlvi. 23, naiste iSI, 
more numerous than the locusts. From 
its migrating in swarms it is called by 
Forskal gryllus gregarim, and by Lin- 
nffius, gryllus migratorius. By the LXX. 
the word is rendered seventeen times 
by aKplsy the common locust ; thrice by 
Ppovxosy the unwinged locust, which 
browses on the grass ; once by e'ptnj3ij, 
mildew; and once by oTreAaySoy, the 
young or small locust. That ns'ns is 
generic, appears from Lev. xi. 22, 'where 
we read, 'jjitt'b ma/nsri , the locust accord- 
ing to its species. The third name, pV.?. 
from pV , equivalent to pj;^ , to lick, des- 
ignates the locust as licking off the leaves, 
and whatever is green on the trees, grass, 
etc. This derivation is preferable to that 
proposed byMichaclis, who refers the word 

to the Arab. / H_L propcravit, volubilis 



CHAP;. I . 



JOEL. 



91 



The licking locust hath devoured ; 

And that which the licking locust hath left, 

The consuming locust hath devoured. 



fuit, or (aJL>, albus fuit, and thinks 
that the chafer is meant. In Nah. iii. 
16, it is represented as winged, and in 
Jer. li. 27, it is described as nS , rough, 
bristly, terrific. LXX. fipovxos four 
tunes ; aicpls thrice. V^rt , the remain- 
ing term comes from VbFi, to consume, 
devour. LXX. ppovxos, or 



. o > y 

Vulg. rubigo, mildew: Syr. jjo.?. 

o 6' 

which Risius, the Archbishop of Damas- 
cus, describes as resembling the locust, 
only differing from it, inasmuch as it 
never migrates, and confines its ravages 
to the fruits and herbs, but leaves the 
trees untouched. It is also noted for the 
noise which it makes at night. A com- 
parison of the different passages in which 
these names occur, renders it more than 
probable that they are here employed by 
the prophet, not with any reference to 
the species into which the locusts may be 
scientifically divided, but to designate 
four successive swarms, according to cer- 
tain destructive quah'ties, by which, as a 
genus of insects, they are distinguished, 
and thereby to heighten the terror which 
his description was intended to produce. 
Just as Job accumulates the terms 
n n ns, V>lyJ> d^sa, "a^ and toa^, 
chap. iv. 10, 11, with a similar view. 
They are rather poetical synonymes, than 
distinctive of different species. At all 
events, that locusts are meant, may be 
inferred from the facts, that wherever pV^ 
occurs, with the exception of a single 
passage, it occurs along with nans ; and 
that nans, which Moses uses hi describ- 
ing one of the plagues of Egypt, Exod. 
x. 10-20, is not only employed by the 
Psalmist, Ixxviii. 46, cv. 34, but also 
^SIT. and pV 1 ., as synonymous terms, for 
the sake of variety. Add to which that 
the verb ^on from which Vbrt is derived, 
is employed to express the action of the 
nans, Deut. xxviii. 38 , nansn naV.on.i, 
"the locust shall consume it." In. the 
translation I have given the meaning of 



the several names in terms expressive of 
the qualities suggested by each. The 
passage might otherwise be rendered with 
Noyes : 

" That which one swarm of locusts left, 

a second swarm hath eaten ; 
And that which the second left, a third 

swarm hath eaten ; 
And that which the third left, a fourth 

swarm hath eaten." 

It is a question of greater importance : 
Are the statements of Joel in the first 
and second chapters to be understood 
literally of these insects, or figuratively 
of enemies that were to invade and lay 
waste the Holy Land ? The latter is the 
more ancient opinion. It is that of the 
Targum, the Jews whom. Jerome con- 
sulted, and Abarbanel ; and is, with vari- 
ous modifications, adopted by the follow- 
ing Christian interpreters : Jerome, Eph- 
raim Syrus, Theodoret, Cyril of Alexan- 
dria, Hugo de St. Vincent, Ribera, San- 
chez, a Lapide, Luther, Grotius, Markius, 
Bertholdt, Theiner, Steudel, and Hengs- 
tenberg. On the other hand, Abenezra, 
Jarchi, Kimchi, Lyranus, Vatablus, Joh 
Schmidius, Jahn, Eichhorn, Rosenmuller, 
von Coelln, Justi, Credner, and Hitzig, 
maintain that the language is to be un- 
derstood literally of locusts. This inter- 
pretation has certainly much in its favor, 
and if it could without violence be ap- 
plied throughout, might fairly be adopted. 
But the announcement of a second and 
more awful judgment, chap. i. 15, ii. 1, 
2 ; the distinct recognition of a foreign 
rule, ii. 17 ; and the assignment of the 
North as the native country of the enemy, 
ii. 20 ; present insuperable obstacles to its 
adoption. See on these verses. There 
seems no possibility of effecting a consist- 
ent interpretation on any other principle 
than that laid down and defended by 
Cramer, Eckermann, and Holzhausen, 
viz : that in the first chapter, Joel describes 
a devastation of the country which had 
been effected by natural locusts ; but 
predicts in the second its devastation by 



92 



JOEL. 



CHAP. X 



5 Awake, ye drunkards ! and weep ; 
Howl, all ye drinkers of wine ! 

On account of the sweet wine, 

For it is made to cease from your mouth. 

6 For a nation hath come up upon my land, 
Mighty and innumerable ; 

Their teeth are the teeth of a lion; 
They have the grinders of a lioness. 



political enemies, in highly-wrought met- 
aphorical language, borrowed from the 
scene which he had just depicted. 

5. Y">pn the Hiph. of "pp, is here 
used, like the cognate root yp_!J, Gen. ix. 
24, in the sense of awaking from a sleep 
occasioned by wine. Since, however, the 
persons addressed had been deprived of 
the means of intoxication, the prophet 
is rather to be understood as borrowing 
the term from the state in which they 
had too often been found, t *n *, 3 ':; being 
parallel with "^ *tyo , drinkers of wine, 
does not here mean persons actually in- 
toxicated, but such as were in the habit 
of using intoxicating liquors, and by 
implication, to excess. Thus Kimchi : 
T^a i-rviTT? f'VintT tjis, ye who are 
accustomed to make yourselves drunk with 
wine. It is derived from 'nS'a , to drink 
to the full. Arab. JC*/ implemt, vas, 



such they are known to be very destruc- 
tive. Comp. Theocrit. Idyll. 5, 108, in 
which a shepherd beseeches them not to 
injure his vines : 

'Auplties, &s rbv 



ebrius fuit. Hence "ow , strong, or in- 
toxicating drink, whether wine itself, or, 
more commonly, liquor resembling wine, 
which is distilled from barley, honey, or 
dates, and sometimes mingled with spices, 
By {res , is meant the fresh wine, or 
juice of the grape, or other fruit, which 
has just been pressed out, and is remark- 
able for its sweet flavor, and its freedom 
from intoxicating qualities. R,. tti> , to 
tread, tread down, or out. Targ. ^^ 
ni53 , pure wine. It differs from tti^ft") 
inasmuch as the latter term is confined 
to the juice of the grape ; and being 
derived from ttH^ , to take possession of, 
indicates that however new, it had already 
obtained an inebriating quality. The 
locusts are here represented as specially 
attacking and destroying the vines and 
other fruit-trees, from the produce of 
vhich these wines were prepared. To 



Mr) /tew \w/3c<re<Ti3-e T&S a/nre'Aas* eVri y&p 

&&M. 

Jrn3 properly signifies to (nit, cut off, but 
here, as wine is the subject spoken of, it 
must be taken in the sense of destroying, 
or causing to cease. 

6. i'>p , nation, especially used of for- 
eign, barbarous and profane nations, and 
here selected on purpose to express the 
number and hostility of the locusts, and 
at the same time to prepare the minds of 
the Jews for the allegorical use made of 
these insects in chap. ii. If it had not 
been for some such end, the prophet might 
have adopted the term ej>, people, which 
Solomon applies to the ants, Prov. xxx. 
25, 26, and which would equally have 
conveyed the idea of multitude. Comp. 
chap. ii. 2. This metaphorical use of 
the term is common in the classics. See 
instances in Bochart and Gesen. Heb. 
Lex. in voc, iia. The Arabs employ 

Xof in a similar way. V>J> n*5J> is used 
in a hostile sense of an army, Is. vii. 1 ; 
but here figuratively of the locusts. In 
"> 12*1 is, "my land," the pronominal affix 
belongs to Jehovah, not to the prophet. 
Comp. Is. xiv. 25 ; Jer. xvi. 18 ; Ezek. 
xxxvi. 5, xxxviii. 16. Joelii. 18. b?-", 
strong, powerful. The strength of the 
locust consists in the immense numbers, 
which, forming themselves into compact 
bodies, darken the air, and advance for- 
ward, one swarm after another, attacking 
whatever comes in their way. They may 
well be described as *iSte -i-s", , innw- 

f 



CHAP. I. 



JOEL. 



93 



7 They have laid waste ray vine, 
And broken down my fig-tree ; 

They have completely stripped it, and thrown it down ; 
Its branches they have left white. 



merdble. All who refer to them, both 
in ancient and modern times, speak of 
them in the same language. 



Ayatharc, v. 27. 

" ImmensEB locustarum multitudines." 
Orosius, v. 11. Shaw speaks of " infi- 
nite swarms following each other," Bar- 
row states that those which he saw in 
South Africa, might literally be said to 
cover the ground for an area of 2000 
square miles. A later writer in the Cape 
Town Gazette, describes a cloud of them 
as passing before him in a, train of many 
millions thick, and about an hour in 
length ; and mentions further that, though 
millions perished in consequence of at- 
tempts made to destroy them, then 1 num- 
ber appeared nothing decreased. And 
Dr. Bo-wring states in his Report, that 
some years ago the army of Ibrahim 
Pasha, in the attempt to extirpate an 
immense swarm, gathered up no less than 
65,000 ardebs, equal to 325,000 bushels 
of English measure ! How appropriate 
the name "2ns ! What is innumerable 
is frequently compared to them by the 
sacred writers. See Jud. vi. 5, vii. 12 ; 
Ps. cv. 34; Jer. xlvi. 23; Nah. iii. 15. 
fr i s\ir*ja, teeth, Gesenius considers as 
standing by transposition for rv.yn^Ta, 
and derives the noun from an obsolete 
root ysn ^ , to bite ; but it may more prop- 
erly be referred to the Arab. AJL), longum 



fuit, and denotes the grinders or jaw- 
teeth of animals. The metaphor, how- 
ever, has no respect to the size of the 
teeth of lions, but only to the terrible and 
complete destruction which they effect. 
Pliny, speaking of the locust, says: 
" Omnia morsu erodentes et fores quoque 
tectorum." According to Fabricius, in 
his Genera Insectorum, p. 96, the teeth 
of the locust are three-forked and sharp. 
The same metaphor is used Rev. ix. 8, 
at/Tat/ us KZQVTW ij 



7. For the pronominal reference ia 
3&4 and ijn:Npi', see on is'iij in the pre- 
ceding verse. The vines and fig-trees 
might be called Jehovah's, because, in a 
special sense, the land on which they 
grew was his. The vine has, from time 
immemorial, abounded in Palestine. It 
often grows to a great size, and produces 
grapes of corresponding bulk. Schulz 
describes one at Beitshin, near Ptolemais, 
the stem of which was about a foot and 
a half in diameter, its height was about 
thirty feet, and by its branches and branch- 
lets, which had to be supported, it formed 
a hut upwards of thirty feet broad and 
long. The clusters of these vines are 
so large, that they weigh ten or twelve 
pounds, and the berries may be compared 
with our small plums. When such a 
cluster is cut off, it is laid upon a board 
about an ell and a half broad, and three 
or four ells long, and several persons seat 
themselves about it to eat the grapes. 
Rosenmuller, In Bib. Cab. vol. xxvii. p. 
223. Comp. Numb. xiii. 23, 24. Pal- 
estine was equally celebrated for its fig- 
trees, which are not reared in gardens, as 
with us, but grow spontaneously in the 
open country. The figs were not only 
eaten fresh, but also preserved for food. 
Csitoi to put, is often used with nouns 
instead of the simple forms of the verbs 
to which the nouns are related. r;3sp , 

breakage. Arab. L Q ^ V freait. L_ o.^^/vs 

a branch broken off from a tree. See on 
Hos. x. 7. LXX. ffvyK\a<rfj.6s, Compl. 

K\acrfj.6s. Syr. 



-O O 



1*1 e< concissio, di- 
> 

mihio. The locusts not only consume 
the fruit and leaves of the trees, but strip 
them of the veiy bark. " Nee culmus, 
nee gramen ullum remaneat, et arbores 
frontibus et cortice tanquam vestibus nu- 
datse, instar truncorum alborum conspici- 
antur." Ludolf, Comment, p. 178. 
tf'Vf 1 * s nere taken in its proper causa- 
tive ' signification. What they do not 



94 



JOEL. 



CHAP. 1. 



8 Lament, as a virgin girded with sackcloth, 
On account of the husband of her youth. 

9 The offering and the libation, 

Are cut off from the house of Jehovah : 
The priests howl, the ministers of Jehovah. 

10 The field is laid waste, 
The ground mourneth ; 
For the corn is laid waste, 



devour, they so injure that it falls off the 
tree, fuinto, branches, properly the 
intertioining tendrils of the vine, from. 
into, to interweave. The vine, being the 
more valuable of the two kinds of trees, 
the suffix refers back to it ; and the fig- 
tree is treated as subordinate, wa^n , 
they have made or left white. 

8. The land, under the metaphor of a 
female, is here addressed. >*>? is the 
second person feminine of the Imperative 
in Kal of nVs, which usually means 
to swear, call" on God as witness ; but 
here it takes the signification of the Syr- 



iac 



Iji 

ri > 



ululavit, deploravit. 



KOS; and for the application of avfy to 
one only betrothed, Matt. i. 19. Accord- 
ing to the Roman law, consensus facit 
nuptias. 

9. To a pious mind the gloomiest view 
of external calamities will be taken from 
their influence upon the cause of God. 
The cessation of the usual solemnities of 
the temple worship, occasioned by the 
destruction of 'the fruits of the earth, 
must have occasioned great grief to the 
religious Jew. Jerome and others think 
that as the priests would be deprived of 
their regular support, by the cessation of 
the offerings, they mourned on that ac- 
count ; but of this I should say with 
Maurer, " "Vates hie non videtur cogi- 
tasse." tthSto, stands here for offerings 
in general, whether bloody or unbloody, 



vlulatus, lamentum. The deri- 
vation from Vs, God, in the sense God comp. Gen. iv. 4; LXX. 
have mercy, is less natural. One of Ken- even when restricted in its signification 
nicott's MSS. reads ->Vas. LXX. tfp^- 
vi\aov. A countiy is frequently said to 
mourn, when it is subject to devastation. 
See Is. xxiv. 3 ; Jer. iv. 28, xii. 4 ; Hos. 
iv. 3. -rk W3 , a virgin, a young woman, 
affianced to a husband, and, in this sense, 
viewed as married to him. The idea of 
the strength of youthful affection, is that 
designed to be conveyed by the passage. 
In proportion to the force of such affec- 
tion, would be the excessive degree of 
grief for his loss. Holzhausen thinks 
that she would also grieve rpV;i ns V? , 
on account of her virginity, and compares 
Jud. xi. 38 ; but this the text does not 
suggest. LXX. i/i<5ju,</>T). Compl. irap&fvos. 
"Wrapping oneself in sackcloth was atoken 
of deep mourning. Vya , properly lord, 
master, possessor ; and secondarily hus- 
band, because in the East, wives were, 
and still are, considered as the property 
rather than the companions of their hus- 
bands. Comp. the Greek niiptos ywai- 



to meat offering, such as consisted of 
meal, salt, oil, and incense, the proper 
sacrifices. Dinar, are understood, as 
they were always 'connected with them, 
except in the case of the sin and trespass- 
offerings. The libation, or drink-offering, 
was called *[&?. n account of its being 
poured out, from the root t)ts , to pour. 
From the circumstance that Joel prefixea 
the article to firib, priests, but not to 
D*">5K, husbandmen, and fto-i's, vine- 
dressers, Credner argues that he must 
cither have been personally related to 
them, or that prophets and priests must 
have been more closely united at the time 
he wrote than afterwards. Comp. mrj S!i, 
ver. 13, ii. 17. d"r."is , ministers, is 
a more dignified official term than c i -ra g, 
servants, which is employed to denote 
common slaves, as well as persons in 
more elevated situations about a king. 

10-12. The prophet enters here more 
minutely into a description of the clevas- 



CHAP. I . 



JOEL. 



95 



The new wine is dried up, 
The oil languisheth. 

11 Be ashamed, ye husband.men ! 
Howl, ye vine-dressers ! 

On account of the wheat and the barley ; 
For the harvest of the field hath perished. 

12 The vine is dried up, 

And the fig-tree languisheth ; 



tation occasioned by the locusts. 
new wine, which is already in a state of 
fermentation, and so intoxicating ; from 
i r , to take possession of anything. See 
on ver. 5, where it is distinguished from 

6"t5S. "Syr. j ^AJijVn. sic dictum, 



quod so possessorem hominis facit, ejus 
cerebrum occupando, ut ille non amplius 
sui compos sit. Sic Arab, vinum dicitur 

&AAJYU a captivando, et \vJLfrj a tenendo 

et vinctum habendo." Winer in voc. 
rn. fold, and vos-s., ground, are syn- 
onymes ; but differ iii this respect, that 
the former denotes the open, free, uniri- 

closed part of a country, Arab. 



cxtendit, dilatavit ; the latter, the rich 
red soil which is particularly fit for cul- 
tivation. Hence rnteri 'i'"N, a. man of 
the field, means a hunter, Gen. xxv. 27 ; 
nttis~ &*$, a man of the ground, an ag- 
riculturist. Root CIS , to be red. The 
land is here, as frequently in the He- 
brew prophets, made the subject of per- 
sonification. Some would render t qin, 
as applied to the new wine, to be 
ashamed : but occurring as it does in 
parallelism with VVttN, to droop, lan- 
guish like plants, it is better to retain 
the primary motion of ttJ3^ to become 
dry, dry up. Both \u*Tja and "ins/i stand 
for the vine and the olive tree, from 
which the wine and oil are obtained. In 
the second instance ^"sin takes the sig- 
nification of ttj'fl, to be ashamed, being 
another form of the Hiphil for lii^ri. 
Both are used intransitively. The LXX. 
retaining the signification of tarn, im- 
properly render efrpa,v&T)trav yeupyoi. 



pte 1 -), the pomegranate tree, is indigen- 
ous in Palestine in Syria, and is reck- 
oned one of its noblest botanical produc- 
tions. It grows to the height of twenty 
feet, has a straight stem, spreading 
branches, lancet-formed leaves, with 
large and beautiful red blossoms. The 
fruit is of the size of an orange, brown 
in color, and affording a highly delici- 
ous and cooling juice. It is also planted 
in gardens, and in the courts of the 
houses ; and its fruit is greatly improved 
by cultivation. It is still one of the 
trees most frequently seen in those coun- 
tries. So celebrated were the dates of 
Palestine, that Pliny, speaking of the 
flaw , date, or palm-tree, says, " Judaea 
vero inclyta est vel magis palmis." It 
was adopted as a symbol of the country 
in coins struck under Vespasian and 
Domitian ; and is frequently referred 
to in the Old Testament. It sometimes 
reaches the height of an hundred feet, 
is remarkable for its straight, upright 
growth, and forms one of the most 
beautiful trees in the vegetable king- 
dom. The fruit, which grows in clust- 
ters under the large leaves, is of an ex- 
ceedingly sweet and agreeable taste, and. 
as an article both of sustenance and 
traffic, is of great value to the inhabi- 
tants. In Abyssinia, the natives extract 
a juice from it which they manufacture 
into a spirituous liquor resembling cham- 
pagne. Its importance is here signifi- 
cantly expressed by the particle ta be- 
ing used intensively before it. l-iiSP, 

Arab. \A$) the apple-tree. Rosen- 

miiller derives the word from hE3. to 
breathe, and in this Gesenius concurs, 
supposing the fragrant breath, i. e. smell 



9G 



JOEL. 



. I. 



The pomegranate, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, 

All the trees of the field are withered ; 

Yea, joy- is withered away from the children of men. 

13 Gird ye, and mourn, O ye priests 1 
Howl, ye ministers of the altar ! 
Enter, spend the night in sackcloth, 
Ye ministers of my God ! 

For the offering and the libation 

Are withholden from the house of your God. 

14 Appoint a sacred fast, proclaim a day of restraint; 
Assemble the elders all the inhabitants of the land, 



or scent, to have originated the name. 
The former of these writers adopts the 
opinion of Celsius, that the quince tree 
is specially intended ; but as the Arabs 

include under --Ufli) oranges, lemons, 

peaches, apricots, etc,, the Hebrew term 
is likewise in all probability generic in 
its signification. To give to his de- 
scription the utmost latitude, Joel adds, 
rnkri "^ ?~V3 > all the trees of the field, 
i. e. as Jerome explains "omnia ligna, 
vel infructuosa, vel fructifera ; " and, to 
bring it more home to the feelings of his 
countrymen, he represents the conse- 
quence to be, the entire removal of their 
joy. Some improperly limit jVsw to 
the joy of harvest. The construction 
"5M sj-airti to dry away from, is what 
is usually termed pregnant, and more 
forcibly expresses the removal of the ob- 
ject on which the verb terminates. 

13. The prophet now addresses him- 
self to the priests, and calls them first 
to personal mourning, and then, in the 
following verse, to institute a sacred fast, 
in order that such mourning might be 
general. After vwtt supply with the 
Syr. pr, as in one of Kennicott's MSS., 
or Qifv, as in one of De Rossi's. Both 
forms occur in connection with the verb, 
which is not here to be restricted to mere 
girding, but rather signifies to wrap 
round one. Comp. Jer. iv. 8 ; Is. xxii. 
12. nSO primarily to smite, strike, then 
to strike the breast, in token of mourning. 
See on Is. xxxii. 12. The LXX. always 



render it by KJirretr&ai, except in two 
instances, in which they give it by 
K\aieii>, to weep. For 113753 
COmp. ol vif SvfficurTijptcp 
1 Cor. ix. 13. Some think that ssa, 
come, is to be taken idiomatically as a 
particle of exhortation, like ^ before 
another verb, and appeal to chap! iii. 13, 
for another instance in our prophet. 
As however, the verb is, to say the 
least, not necessarily to be so under- 
stood in that passage, and as mention 
is made of the altar, immediately before, 
it appears more proper to take it in the 
sense of entering, i. e. into the court of 
the temple, where, in the more imme- 
diate presence of Jehovah, the priests 
were to bewail their sins, and those of 
the people. Thus the LXX. el<re\&ere, 
and Kimchi, nso &a-\"*n ira isa, en- 
ter ye the house of God, and there mourn. 
p^ or "\ib, signifies to spend, or remain 
over the night, and retains this signi- 
fication in the present passage, though, 
from the connection, it is obvious not 
one night only, but many nights are 
meant. The priests were not only to 
wear the habit of mourning during the 
day, they were also to remain in it all 
night. Ahab is said to have lain in 
sackcloth, when he humbled himself 
before God, 1 Kings xxi. 27. LXX. 
VTrvtacrare. 

14. sHp, to hallow, consecrate; to 
Jceep holy ; to appoint sacred or religious 
services ; here, to institute a sacred fast 
by fixing the time and circumstances, 
and preparing the people for its proper 



CHAP. I. 



JOEL. 



97 



To the house of Jehovah your God, 
And cry unto Jehovah. 

15 Alas for the day ! 

For the day of Jehovah is near, 
And cometh as a mighty destruction 
From the Almighty. 

16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes ? 

Are not joy and gladness from the house of our God. ? 

1 7 The seeds are "become dry beneath their clods ; 



observance. The Pual participle is used 
even of warriors ; see on Is. xiii. 3. The 
interpretations of the Rabbins, Jarchi 
and Kimchi, li-vatn, and Abenezra, 
WSn, are defective, by leaving out the 
idea of sacredness, which the verb al- 
ways conveys. fi"i:sa>. restraint, or be- 
ing held back or prevented from labor : 
Qii, day, or period, understood. See on 
Is. i. 13. The Jews were to abstain from 
their worldly avocations, and spend the 
portion of their time thus consecrated 
to the immediate and solemn duties 
of humiliation, confession, and prayer. 
ft^j^Ti elders, in this connection, might 
be taken in an official sense, denoting 
those holding office among the people, 
who were expected to take the lead, and, 
by their example, to excite others to en- 
gage in the religious solemnities ; but a 
comparison of this verse with chap. ii. 
15, in which " children " and " suck- 
lings are mentioned, would rather require 
us to understand the term as referring to 
age. The central point of convocation 
was the temple the special theocratic 
residence of Him whose wrath was to 
be deprecated, and his mercy implored. 



to cry out, 



pst, Arab. 



cry earnestly for help. LXX. 

eKrecois. " Ardentissimas fundite pre- 

ces." Rosenmuller. 

15. Joel now exclaims, QV'V ^ns , 
alas ! for the day ! " O infaustum et 
tristissimum ilium diem ! " Rosen- 
miiller. To give intensity to the ex- 
clamation, the LXX. have the triple 
of/j.01, oi/j.01, ottwi. That the wn 1 ! B'I'S 
day of Jehovah, i. e. the period of pun- 

13 



ishment, does not mean that of the 
plague of the locusts, but a more awful, 
period still future, the term ainj? , near, 
at hand, which is never used to denote 
the actual presence of anything, but its 
speedy approach, sufficiently proves. 
What the Jews were then suffering 
was only a prelude to still more dread- 
ful calamities. For iTJpa 4is, which, 
forms an elegant paronomasia, s'ee on Is. .. 
xiii. 6, where the same form occurs. . 
The 3 is, as there, the Caph vcritatis,. 
and expresses the greatness of the evil... 

16. The verb m& is understood in, 

" T 

the latter hemistich. The annual fes-- 
tivals were occasions of great rejoic- 
ing. See Lev. xxiii. 40 ; Deut. xii. 
12, 18. 

17. This, and the three following 
verses, describe the drought which was 
simultaneous with the judgment of the 
locusts. It exhibits the singular phe- 
nomenon of four aTraf Aey^uem within 
the short space which it occupies. For 
the elucidation of way, some compare 
the Chaldee icg, to rot, but it is with . 
more propriety referred to the Arab. . 

jLMJLftj siccus fuit; and so is of the 

same signification with "6*." ,to be dry, 
dried up. Thus Abulwalid. By the 
desiccating influence of the heat, the 
seeds that had been sown in the ground 
would lose all their moisture, and perish. . 
That in '17 S3 mean seeds or grains of 
corn, etc. seems satisfactorily determined . 





by the use of the Syr. j 



gramim, 



Matt, xiii; .31 ; John xii. 24 ; 1 Cor. xv. . 



98 



JOEL. 



CHAP. I. 



The granaries are desolate, the store-houses are destroyed, 
Because the corn is withered. 

18 How the cattle mourn ! 

How the herds of oxen are perplexed ! 

Because they have no pasture ; 

Yea, the flocks of sheep are destroyed. 

19 To thee, Jehovah ! I cry, 

For fire hath consumed the pastures of the desert, 
And a flame hath burnt all the trees of the field. 



37, in the Peshito ; and the signification 
of T-I, to separate, an action which 
takes place when, in sowing, the hus- 
bandman scatters the seed in distinct 
To the same effect Tanchum, 

S^JsJtJt V>-*^ t 

grains 



grains. 



prepared for sowing, so called because 

they are scattered in the ground. FiSH.Va , 

clods, or lumps of earth. Comp. the 

.Arab. I_?-LJ^*-' gleba terra ; itOy 
o i terra diversa varia. Thus also 

* t\f*\_^*") 

, yj ^? signifies a mark on the body, 

occasioned by the contracting or drying 
up of the skin, and resembling a round 
lump of earth or dung. riinJtoJa is 

.synonymous with n'nsN , granaries; 
and, according to the force of the local 
.to prefixed, signifies places or houses 
containing store rooms, or granaries, in 
which grain was deposited. The Dagesh 
-in the second w is euphonic. The 
simpler form rnvw, occurs Hag. ii. 19 ; 
and both are to be referred to the root 
'"iW, to gather, collect. For the diver- 
.sified and unsatisfactory renderings of 
.the ancient versions, see Pococke in loc. 
The verbs tws; and D"in are here to be 

T T 

taken in the sense of being left or neg- 
lected like places that have been laid 

waste or destroyed. 

18. Tpa, in Niphal, expresses the per- 
.plexity to which any one is reduced who 

does not know how to extricate himself 
.from difficulty. The brute creation are 



graphically represented as being in this 
condition from the total failure of pas- 
turage. The c^ before jsa'n':?. is in- 
tensive ; even the sheep, which subsist 
on herbage unsuitable for the oxen, are 
deprived of food. As the idea of pun- 
ishment is conveyed by the verb tsj&c , it 
was in all probability used by the pro- 
phet, in order to teach the Jews that 
innocent creatures are involved in the 
consequences of guilt incurred by trans- 
gressors. Comp. Exod. xii. 29 ; Jonah 
iii. 7. 

19. It is not unusual for the Hebrew 
prophets to give expression to their own 
feelings, while describing the judgments 
that were brought upon their country. 
Comp. Is. xv. 5, xvi. 11, xxi. 3, 4, xxii. 
4 ; Jer. xxiii. 9. It has been questioned 
whether the "fire" and "flame" are 
here to be taken literally of the actual 
burning of the grass, which often hap- 
pens in extreme heat, or whether they 
are used figuratively of the heat itself. 
The former is more probably the mean- 
ing, rms, -Kimchi explains, mwipM 
SWIM, grassy places, places of pastur- 
age; hence pasturage itself. It is de- 
rived from rni, to be pleasant, (comp. 
f-ifia ) to dwell : but signifying in this 
connection the green, grassy spots, so 
eagerly desired by the cattle, and pleas- 
ant both to man and beast. From the 
circumstance that such places would 
naturally be selected for occupancy by 
tents, dwellings, etc. the word came also 
to signify habitations. Comp. the Arab. 

-I diversatus fuit, hospitio excipit : 
L>0, mansio, sedes commorationis. 



CHAP. II. 



JO EL. 



99 



20 The very beasts of the field look up to thee, 
Because the streams of water are dried up, 
And fire hath devoured the pastures of the desert. 



20. A I , Arab. 



Eth. 



^ 

ascendit : to look up with panting or 
earnest desire. Arab. &--. f } inclinatio. 

propensio in rem. The word beautifully 
expresses the natural action of animals 
parched with thirst, and deprived of all 
supply of water. They hold up their 
heads, as if their only expectation were 
from the God of heaven. LXX. &/e- 
jSAeTjw. Comp. Ps. xlii. 2, where the 
force of D'IIQ II^BS Vs> is lost by the 
rendering of our common version, "after 



the water-brooks." It should be at or 
beside, as the Psalmist evidently intended 
to represent the deer standing on the 
brink of the channels in which water 
usually flowed, but which had become 
dry. To their pitiable condition he com- 
pares his own circumstances when de- 
prived of the usual means of spiritual 
refreshment. The idea of their crying 



to God, which the Syr. 



and the 



Rabbins attach to the word, is derived 
from such passages as Job. xxxviii. 41 ; 
Ps. civ. 21, cxlvii. 9, rather than from 
anything expressed by the word itself. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE prophet reiterates his announcement of the approach of a divine judgment more 
terrific in its nature than that of the locusts, but employs language borrowed from the 
appearance and movements of these insects, in order to make a deeper impression upon 
his hearers, whose minds were full of ideas derived from them as instruments of the 
calamity under which they were suffering, 1-11. He then summons anew to humilia- 
tion and repentance, 12-17 ; giving assurance that on these taking place, Jehovah would 
show them pity, destroy their enemy, and restore them to circumstances of great tem- 
poral and religious prosperity, 18-27 ; and the chapter concludes with a glorious promise 
of the abundant effusion of the influences of the Holy Spirit in the apostolic age, 28, 29, 
and a prediction of the Jewish war, and the final subversion of the Jewish state, 30, 31, 
in the midst of which such as embraced the worship and service of the Messiah should ex- 
perience deliverance, 32. 



1 BLOW ye the trumpet in Zion ! 

And sound the alarm in my holy mountain ! 

1. To give the greater effect to the ing. The persons addressed are the 
alarm here commanded to be sounded, priests, on whom it devolved to blow 
Jehovah himself is introduced as speak- with trumpets. 77 <rd\Triy opyavov 



100 



J DEL. 



CHAP. II. 



Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble ; 
For the clay of Jehovah cometh ; it is near. 
2 A day of darkness and gloom, 

A day of clouds and dense obscurity ; 

Like the dawn spread over the mountains 

A numerous and mighty people : 

None such have ever been, 

Neither shall there ever be after them, 

During the years of successive generations. 



Philo de Septenario. They 
Avere to warn all of the threatened judg- 
ment. Comp. chap. i. 15, where the 
prophet anticipates what is now about 
to be the subject of a special descrip- 
tion. 

2. Synonymes are here accumulated 
to give intensity to the expression of the 
thought. The awful calamity which 
was to come upon the Jews is set forth 
tinder the metaphor of darkness, which 
is of frequent occurrence in the Hebrew 
Scriptures, when sufferings and misery 
are the subjects of discourse. Comp. 
Is. viii. 22, Ix. 2 ; Jer. xiii. 16 ; Amos 
v. 18 ; Zeph. i. 15. In the present 
instance, however, there was a singular 
propriety in adopting the language, since 
the prophet was just going to introduce 
an allegory founded upon the fact, that 
swarms of locusts had come over the 
land, and intercepting, by their density, 
the light of the sun, had occasioned an 
universal darkness. See on ver. 10. 
Some interpreters have stumbled at the 
apparent incongruity of comparing the 
coming affliction with the ~\rw, aurora, 
since the idea usually suggested by the 
figurative use of that term is Joy, or 
prospei'ity ; but as this idea is not ex- 
clusively conveyed by the use of it, as 
it is also employed to express the cer- 
tainty, Hos. vi. 3, and suddenness of 
anything, Hos. x. 15, so here the ob- 
vious points of comparison are merely 
the suddenness and extent of the chnnge 
produced by the diffusion of the rays 
of light, without any reference to the 
nature of the change itself. 

Joel now proceeds to introduce and 



describe the hostile army of the Assy- 
rians in the same terms in which he had 
metaphorically described the locusts, 
chap. i. 6 ; only exchanging ^n, nation, 
for cy , people, which is also used of 
foreign and idolatrous nations, Numb. 
xxi. 29 ; 1 Chron. xvi. 20 ; Jer. xlviii. 42. 
In this description, he not only transfers 
the metaphor back to the proper subject 
from which it was taken, but converts it 
into an allegory, and at considerable 
length, and in the most minute manner, 
exhibits the invasion, the formidable 
character, and the ravages of the bar- 
barian foe. So perfectly is the allegorical 
veil woven throughout, that most com- 
mentators have been able to discover 
nothing more than natural locusts in the 
passage. At the time in which the 
prophet delivered his message the locusts 
covered the land ; they were before his 
eyes; the idea of them had so taken 
possession of his mind, that, considering 
the striking resemblance which they 
bore to an invading army, nothing was 
more natural than to exhibit the latter 
in sensible images taken from the scene 
by which both he and his hearers were 
surrounded. And, accustomed as they 
had been to the parabolic style of pro- 
phecy, they could have been at no loss 
to discover, that when in this part of 
his discourse he appeared to speak of 
locusts, it was not natural but political 
locusts he had in view. While the de- 
cidedly future aspect of the calamity, 
chap. i. 15, ii. 1, proves that it had not 
taken place at the time the words were 
delivered, a comparison of the language 
in the concluding part of verse 2, with 



CHAI>. II. 



JOEL. 



101 



3 Before them fire devoureth, 

And behind them a flame burneth ; 

Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, 

But behind them a desolate wilderness : 

And there is no escape from them. 
i Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, 

And they run like horsemen. 



that employed chap. i. 2, equally proves 
that a plague of locusts could not have 
been intended. We must, therefore, 
with the alteration of a single word, 
adopt the language of Jerome, " dum 
locustas legimus, Assyrios cogitamus" 
That the Assyrian invasion under Sen- 
nacherib, and not that of the Chaldeans 
under Nebuchadnezzar, is meant, ap- 
pears from the emmense number of the 
army, its entire destruction in the land 
of Palestine, and there being no refer- 
ence whatever to the captivity in Baby- 
lon, the omission of which is unimag- 
inable, on tho supposition that the lat- 
ter of the two invasions was intended. 
The army of Sennacherib must have 
been the largest that ever entered Pa- 
lestine, since only that division of it 
which invested Jerusalem, amounted to 
nearly 200,000 men, Is. xxxvii. 36. It 
\vas marching forward to the conquest 
of Egypt, and, like a swarm of locusts, 
covered the whole land. All the fortified 
cities of Judah were taken, Is. xxxvi. 1 ; 
the cultivated fields and vineyards were 
trodden down or consumed, xxxvii. 30 ; 
and nothing short of utter destruction 
seemed to await the inhabitants. The 
design of the Divine Spirit, to whose 
infinite mind the future event was 
present, in dictating the prediction in 
the language here employed, appears to 
have been, to deepen the impressions 
produced by the plague of locusts, and 
thereby to excite to that repentance and 
amendment of life, which alone could 
secure to the Jews the continuance of 
their national blessings. 

3. A description of the desolate state 
to which Judea was to be reduced, in 
language borrowed from that given of 
the drought, chap. i. 19. V3SV, before 



him, and I'nhS, behind Mm, are used to 
express universality ; ubicunque. Comp. 
1 Chron. xix. 10. This construction is 
confirmed by what follows : -tpV.S C3. 
i> HlnTi""^, and there is no escape from 
them, or, more literally, in reference to 
them, ills ^.2 properly signifies those 
who have escaped in the war ; who have 
not been killed, or taken prisoners ; but 
it is also used of fruits of the earth 
which have not been destroyed, Exod. 
x. 5. The contrast between the beauty 
of Paradise and the desolation of a des- 
ert, is exquisitely forcible and affect- 
ing. 

4. The allegory now becomes special 
and minute in its features, which are 
selected from the phenomena and opera- 
tions of an invading army, the subject 
of which it is to be understood ; but 
having the invasion by the locusts as its 
basis, and therefore presenting these 
prominently to view, and comparing 
them to the army, which is thus stu- 
diously concealed. On this principle 
there is no difficulty in accounting for 
the particle of comparison, so liberally 
used in this and the following verses. So 
strong is the resemblance of the head of 
the locust to that of a horse, that they 
are on this account called cavalettes by 
the Italians. This feature Thcodoret 
thus notices : e)f ns &Kpiftias HariSoi T}\V 
Kf<{>a\^v TTJS aKplSos, a(t>6Spa TT? rov 
'iirirov towvtav evp^trei. In Kev. ix. 7, 
the locusts are compared to horses har- 
nessed for battle : TCI fytotcfyiara TWIT 
iticpiScav 8/j.ota 'lirjrois tjroifj.afffj.evois els 
ir6\e/j.ov. Such comparison is very com- 
mon among the Arabs. The point of 
comparison in the second member of 
the parallelism, is the swiftness with 
which cavalary advance to the attack. 



102 



JOEL. 



CHAP. II. 



5 They bound like the rattle of chariots on the tops of the mountains ; 
Like the crackling of the flame of fire devouring the stubble ; 
Like a mighty people arranged for battle. 

6 Before them the people tremble ; 
All faces withdraw their color. 

7 They run like mighty men ; 
They scale the wall like warriors ; 
They all march in their courses, 
They break not their ranks. 

8 They press not each other : 
They march on, each in his path ; 
Though they fall among the missiles, 
They break not up. 

9 They run eagerly through the city ; 
They run upon the wall ; 



5. I^TI is used of the rapid and bound- 
ing course of chariots over a rough sur- 
face, Nah. iii. 2. See also Rev. ix. 9. 

" per purum tonantes 
Egit equos volucremque currum." 

Horace, Carm. i. 34, 7. 

" vacuos dat in aera saltus 

Succubiturque alte, similisque est cur- 
rus inani." 

Ovid. Metam. ii. 165. 

Speaking of the noise made by a swarm 
of locusts, Forskal says: "Transeuntes 
grylli super verticem nostrum sono 
magnse cataractse ferebant." To the 
same effect Morier: "On the llth of 
June, while seated in our tents about 
noon, we heard a very unusual noise, 
that sounded like the rustling of a great 
wind at a distance. On looking up, we 
perceived an immense cloud, here and 
there transparent, in other parts quite 
black, that spread itself all over the sky, 
and at intervals shadowed the sun." It 
is however, not improbable, that the 
sound here referred to is that produced 
by the large hind legs of the locust in 
leaping. The comparison at the end of 
the verse, is to the clashing of arms, and 
the shouting of an army on the point of 
engaging in battle. 



6. s*sTP they tremble, from Vlh, to 
turn round, twist one's self, writhe with 

pain; then to tremble. Arab. 



m'ed. Wau, to be turned. 

ruddiness of countenance. Arab, *[j, 

(estuavit, efferbuit. "iTiKS V^pj to with- 
draw their ruddiness, or color, i. e. to 
change color, grow pale with terror. 
Nah. ii. 11. Comp. t]&3, to turn pale. 
The ancient versions concur in rendering 
the words, every face like the blackness of 
a pot; deriving the last word from "ftE; 
hence isnS, pot, without t*. Of the 
terror inspired by locusts, we cannot 
have a better proof than the Arabic 



proverb: 



more 



terrible than the locusts. 

7-9. Here the description quite excels 
in the graphic. The comparison to war- 
riors is admirably carried out. First, 
their rapid advance upon the city is 
specified ; next, their scaling the walls 
in the most regular order ; then their 
consentaneous encounter with the troops 
of defence, their invulnerability, their 
progress through the streets, their climb- 
ing the walls, and entering the win- 
dows of the houses, are set forth in terms 



CHAP. n. 



JOEL. 



They go tip into the houses ; 
They enter the windows like a thief. 



of singular and appropriate beauty. 
taa, Arab. Joxfr, fidit, vulneravit, 



-i fissus, has here the significa- 

tion of breaking up the order or regu- 
larity with -which a body of troops pro- 
ceed when marching to the attack. 
Abenezra and Kimchi compare j-fl y , to 
to pervert, turn aside which comes nearly 
to the same thing. LXX. 



Syr. 






Gesenius thinks the 



verb is here used in a sense cognate with 
the significations in Kal and Hiphil, to 
give or take a pledge ; but the idea of 
exchange, change, is not clearly brought 
out. The regular military order with 
which the locusts advance, has been fre- 
quently described. ' AfiacrlXevTov yap 
i) aicpls, effrparevei uei> jap e/bs 
evrdicrus Ke\eixrfj.aTOS' <t>a.a\ 8e aitras 
ffToij(rio}>v levai, teal &s Iv raet SAirraff- 
frat, Kal TjKtffTa iJ.et> aTrococrijii^etr&ai, irep- 
lerrei 8e OUTUS a\\-{]\as, &ffavel Kal 
dSeAxfial, <l>i>(rec0s avrrjs J3paj3euot5<njs -rb 
<t>i\d\\-n\ov. Cyril. The testimony of 
Jerome, as an eye-witness in Palestine, is 
peculiarly valuable : " Hoc nuper in hac 
provincia vidimus. Quum enim locus- 
tarum agmina venirent, et aerem, quo 
inter ccelum et terram est, occuparent 
tanto ordine ex dispositione jubentis Dei 
volitant, ut instar tesserularum, quse in 
pavimentis artificis figuntur manu, suum 
locum teneant, et ne puncto quidem, ut 
ita di'cam, ungueve transverso declinent 
ad alterant,." Morier also remarks on 
those which he saw : " They seemed to 
be impelled by one common instinct, 
and moved hi one body, which had the 
appearance of being organized by a 
leader." Comp. Prov. xxx. 27, V? tlV.'?. 
i>3 fs'n 8S} nanijV, there is no king to 
the locusts, yet they go forth, all of them 
dividing, i. e. themselves into regular 
companies or swarms, with all the dis- 
cipline of a well-ordered army, pn-i, 
signifies so to press upon one as to com- 
pel him to move from his place. Not- 



withstanding the immense crowds of the 
locusts, not only does none of them break 
the ranks by deviating from the straight 
course which they pursue, but none 
forces his fellow from his rank. Their 
watchword may be said to be onward; 
for they never turn back. If they enter 
houses, they go straight through them, 
and out at the opposite side. Thus 
Abulphargius relates in his Chron. Syr. 
p. 134 : "postquam a latere meridionale 
domos intraverant, a latere septemtri- 
onale egrediebantur. (l Vw . properly means 
any missile weapon thrown at an en- 
emy, from hV$> to send or cast forth ; 
but if is also frequently used of the 

sword. Comp. the Arab. ^JLvw^ arma. 

"ii'3, is of somewhat difficult determi- 
nation. The ground idea seems to be 
that of mediation, a being, or doing any- 
thing between two; hence T^a V^srjn_, 
to make supplication for any one, i. e. by 
interposing between him and the party 
to whom the supph'cation is addressed. 
To this the signification derived from the 

Arab. Juu> post, nearly approximates, 

as occurring in the Hebrew. Betiueen, or 
among, will suit most of the passages in 
which the word occurs. See Winer and 
Credner. Taking Tfeg as a collective 
noun, the meaning of hV^I " I ?2 ^ w ill 
be to fall among the missiles, i. e. to light, 
or come down among them ; and referring 
W^a*' to the whole swarm, what it ex- 
presses is, that they are not broken up, 
or interrupted in then: course. Compare 
a similar use of ija'JJ, to breaJt, Dan. xi. 
22. "P5J3 , in the city, i. e. any city or 
town that may lie in their way. Cred- 
ner's appeal to chap. iv. [iii.] 17, in proof 
that Jerusalem is specifically meant, can- 
not be sustained, since that part of the 
prophecy relates to a totally different sub- 
ject. The scene is rather the land of 
Judah, with its fortified cities, which 
were overrun and plundered by the As- 
syrian troops. 



104 



JOEL. 



CHAP. II. 



10 Before them the earth trembleth, 
The heavens shake, 

The sun and the moon are darkened, 
And the stars withdraw their shine. 

11 Jehovah uttereth his voice before his army; 
Surely his camp is very large ; 

Surely it is mighty, executing his order ; 

Surely the day of Jehovah is great, and very terrible : 

Who can endure it ? 

12 Now, therefore, saith Jehovah, 
Turn ye to me with all your heart, 

And with fasting and weeping and mourning ; 

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, 
And turn to Jehovah your God ; 

For he is pitiful and compassionate, 



10, 11. Though the language here 
employed may in part admit of a literal 
application to the obscuration of the air 
by the locusts, yet it is, as a whole, to be 
regarded as a specimen of the highly 
wrought hyperbolical, which forms one 
of the more distinguishing features of 
Hebrew poetry, rrirr V.p, the voice of 
Jehovah, is here, as frequently, thunder, 
and not any word of command, as some 
have imagined. Com. Exod. ix. 23, 
29, 33 ; Ps. xviii. 14 ; Ps. Ixxvii. 18, 19. 
The locusts are called the VTI, army of 
Jehovah, with further reference to the 
numbers and power of an army. One of 
the laws of Mohammed is thus expressed : 



t aJUj, Ye shall not Ml the 
locusts, for they are the army of God 
Almighty. Damir. And 4 



Lord of the locusts, is one of the names 
of God among the Mohammedans. The 
entire description closes with the brief 
but pointed interrogation, 55 V^. ^> 
Who can endure it ? to which the im- 
plied answer is, None. Comp. Mai. iii. 
2, is'ia O^TS bsVsa *>5M, and Jer. 
x. 10, to't o^a iiV-s? t&. 

12. Jehovah himself is here intro- 



duced, urging the necessity of immediate 
humiliation. nP)S~ai'!> is intensive. The 
1 is that of consequence, deducing an 
argument from what had preceded ; DS 
is augmentative and emphatic, as usually 
in Joel ; and nPS has special reference 
to the existing circumstances of the 
persons addressed, and the instant atten- 
tion which the divine message required. 
The combination marks strong feeling in 
the speaker, and the urgent nature of 
the subject to which it is introductory. 
It is to be connected with ITJ> !r;, and 
not with rilrp. dss. 

13. The prophet resumes his address, 
and founds upon the call of Jehovah, 
contained in the preceding verse, an 
exhortation to sincere inward repentance, 
which he supports by encouragements 
deduced from the benignity of the divine 
character. Rending the garments was 
usual on occasions of great mourning, 
see Gen. xxxvii. 29, 34 ; 1 Sam. iv. 12 ; 
1 Kings xxi. 27 ; Ezra ix. 3, 5 ; Is. 
xxxvii. 1. This custom obtained not 
only among the Hebrews, but also among 
the Babylonians, Persians, Egyptians, 
Greeks and Romans, nynn , is neither 
the plague of locusts, nor the invasion of 
the Assyrians, but the calamities in gen- 
eral which God brings upon mankind. 
This interpretation the preceding con- 
text requires. 



CHAP. H. 



JOEL. 



105 



Long-suffering, and of great mercy, 
And repenteth of the evil. 

14 Who knoweth ? He may turn and repent, 
And leave a blessing behind him 

An offering and a libation, 
For Jehovah your God. 

15 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, 
Appoint a sacred fast ; 
Proclaim a day of restraint. 

16 Assemble the people : convene a sacred assembly; 
Collect the aged ; gather the children, 

And those that suck the breasts ; 

Let the bridegroom come forth from his chamber, 

And the bride from her nuptial bed. 

17 Between the porch and the altar, 

Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep ; 

And let them say, Have pity, O Jehovah ! upon thy people, 



14. The question y-jV 1 ^n, who knoweth, 
while it suggests the idea of the great- 
ness of the sin to be pardoned, also con- 
veys that of the possibility of such par- 
don, 

" - aAA' 6Tt Kal vvv, 

Tavr' elirois 'A^tX^t Sd'typovi, aftcs 



It's 8' olS' ft Kev of, crliv 8a.i/j.oi>i, 

optvais, 
Ilapetircij/ ,- " 

Iliad, xi. 789. 

God's leaving a blessing behind him, 
presupposes his return to visit his people 
in mercy. The first-fruits of prosperity 
are due to Him through whose blessing 
it is conferred. 

15, 16. Comp. ver. i. and chap. i. 14. 
Here the distribution into classes is more 
minute than in the latter of these pas- 
sages. The mourning was to be uni- 
versal. The ntt, was the bridal couch, 
richly provided with a canopy, curtains, 
etc. Root tjn, to cover, protect. See 
for the force of the reference to the last 
class mentioned, Deut. xxiv. 5. 



17. 



Arab. 



prior, anterior ; 



the Trpovdos, or porch, before the temple, 
more strictly taken. It was an hundred 

14 



and twenty cubits high, twenty broad 
from north to south, and ten long from 
east to west. The iTSTW, altar, was that 
of burnt-offering in 'the court of the 
priests. Here, with their backs toward 
the altar, on which they had nothing to 
offer, and their faces directed towards 
the residence of the Sheldnah, they were 
to weep, and make supplication on be- 
half of the people. G^A aa Vi'K*;, Jar- 
chi, Seeker, Michaelis, Rosenmiiller, Justi, 
Credner, Winer, Gesenius, Maurer, Noyes, 
Hitzig, and Ewald, render, that the na- 
tions should make a proverb of them ; but 
such construction is totally unauthor- 
ized by Hebrew usage. In upwards of 
fifty instances, in which a Vi'tt occurs 
in the Hebrew Bible, it is never once used 
in the sense of employing derision, or 
satirical language, but uniformly in that 
of likening, or of exercising rule or do- 
minion. In fact, the verb is nowhere 
used either with or without the prepo- 
sition in the signification of deriding. It 
is the noun alone that is thus employed 
in the forms Vi'ssV -,: , r^r; , tr:;, irsn , 
to be, set, give, etc. to a derision. Ezek. 
xvi. 44, forms 210 exception. The ancient 
versions all agree in the translation, that 
the heathen should rule over them. LXX. 



TOV Kardp^ai 



Targ. isV^"^. 



106 



JOEL. 



CHAP. 



And deliver not thine heritage to reproach, 
That the nations should rule over them. 
Why should they say among the people, 
Where is their God ? 

18 Then Jehovah will be jealous for his land, 
And take compassion upon his people : 

1 9 Yea, Jehovah will answer, and say unto his people, 
Behold ! I will send you the corn, 

And the new wine, and the oil, 

And ye shall have abundance thereof: 

And I will no more deliver you to reproach among the nations. 

20 I will also remove the Northern from you, 
And drive, him into a dry and barren land ; 



Tina. Syr. 

Vulg. ut dominentur eis na- 



tiones. Hexap. Syr. 



Thus also Kimchi, 

Abenezra, Leo Juda, Junius and Tre- 
mellius, Jewish-Spanish, Lyranus, Dru- 
sius, Calvin, Newcome, Dathe, Booth- 
royd, and Hengstenberg ; and there 
does not appear to be any reason why it 
could ever have been rendered other- 
wise, but for the influence of the hypo- 
thesis, that the preceding part of the 
prophecy relates to locusts, and not to 
political enemies. "Ideo ridiculum est 
quod multi putant context! sermonem 
de locustis : illud prorsus alienum est a 
Prophetsu mente." Calvin, in loc. 

18. N3p T , Arab. \Jy vafde rubuit ; in 

Piel ssp , to be jealous, from the redness 
or flush by which the face is suffused, 
when a person is under the influence of 
passion. 

19, 20. In the former of these verses, 
respect is had to the removal of the 
calamity, from which the Jews were 
suffering at the time the prophecy was 
delivered ; in the latter, that of the 
foreign enemy by whom the country was 
to be invaded, The article is placed 
before p^ 'ii-iT}, and "ins 1 *, to give 
them prominence, as the principal objects 



which had suffered from the locusts, and 
which were now to be restored. The 
term "Otesn. , the Northern, Northlander, 
or, as Cdverdale renders, Him of the 
North, is of prime importance in the 
interpretation of the prophecy. It has 
been urged against its having any refer- 
ence to the locusts, that they visit Pales- 
tine from the south, and not from the 
north ; but this objection can scarcely be 
regarded as valid, since, though they do 
not usually come from that quarter, yet 
they may be carried by a south wind 
across Arabia Deserta, and then, when 
to the north of Palestine, be driven south, 
or south-west into that country. That, 
however, which determines the question, 
is the addition of the patronymic > to 
"p.Bs , indicating that the North was not 
merely the quarter whence the subject of 
discourse came, but that its native country 
lay to the north of Palestine : just as 
'SW^Wfi , the Temanite, means the South- 
ern, or he who dwells to the right of Pal- 
estine ; i"ispa t a native Egyptian; in 



Arabic 



, a Meccite, 



Medinite, i. e. a native or inhabitant of 
Mecca and Medina. Now it is agreed 
on all hands, that the native country of 
the locusts is the regions of Arabia, the 
Lybian deserts, and the Sahara of Egypt ; 
so that according to the usus loquendi, 
they cannot be meant by the term here 
employed. Indeed, so much has this 



GHAP. II. 



JOEL. 



107 



His van towards the Eastern sea, 

And his rear towards the "Western sea ; 

And his odor shall corne up, 

And his stench ascend, 

Because he hath done great things. 



been felt by some of those who have ad- 
vocated the hypothesis, that locusts are 
intended, that they have been under the 
necessity of having recourse to far-fetched 
expedients, in order to support it. Justi, 
contrary to all analogy, proposes to ren- 
der, " the locusts that march northwards." 
or to explain the term north of what is 
dark, hostile, or barbarous ; which con- 
struction of the meaning is, in part, 
adopted by Hitzig. Maurer, on the other 
hand, setting aside these and other me- 
thods, has recourse to the Arab. ..jJLo 

deposuit excrementum, and thence deduces 
for ijiEi: , the signification of stercoreus, 
or, in case this derivation should not be 

approved, to .wfljuy. decorticare radendo, 

and considers the reference to be either 
to the injurious influence of their dung 
OH the trees, herbage, etc., or to their 
stripping them of then- verdure. 

On the supposition that by 'SiBsn , the 
Northern, the Assyrians are meant, every 
difficulty vanishes. And that they may 
with the strictest propriety be so termed, 
is proved by Zeph. ii. 13 : " And he 
will stretch out his hand ^S's ^3> , upon 
the North, and destroy Assyria, and will 
make Nineveh a desolation, and dry as a 
wilderness." The Jews were accustomed 
to call Assyria and Babylonia the North, 
and the North country, because they lay in 
that direction from Palestine. " Quaeres, 
quisnam hie Aquilonaris? S. Hieron. 
Theodor. Hemigius, Albertus et Hugo 
accipiunt Sennacherib, quern Dominus, 
longe fecit a Jerusalem : quia dum earn 
obsideret, angelus Domini una nocte per- 
cussit centum octuaginta quinque millia 
militum, itaque earn fugere compulit. 4 
Reg. xix. 35." A Lapide. 

The geographical specification which 
follows in the verse is designed to express 
the universality of the destruction of the 



Assyrians. They were to be dispersed 
in every other direction but that from 
which they had come. By :-t|-T! fc" n , 
the Eastern Sea, is meant the Asphaltic 
lake; byynlTSn C-TT. , the Western Sea, 
the Mediterranean ; and by n-js y?.S 
ntt'DO!), a dry and desolate land, the 
deserts of Arabia. Literally the words 
OKn^n, and vnf]Sn, signify what is 
before and behindhand are applied geo- 
graphically in reference to the Orientals 
reckoning the different quarters according 
to the positions of front and rear, right 
and left, while they face the east, which 
is with them the principal point of the 
compass. The language of the prophet 
is figurative, the metaphor being still 
boiTowed from the locusts, which perish 
when blown by a storm into the sea, or 
the sandy desert. Jerome refers to a 
similar scene, which literally happened 
when he was in Palestine. " Etiam 
nostris temporibus," he says, " vidimus 
agmina locustarum ten-am texisse Ju- 
daeam, quee postea vento surgente in 
mare primum et novissimum precipitata 
sunt." And he immediately adds, what 
illustrates the statement of Joel relative 
to the ascending of the stench : " Cum- 
que littora utriusque maris acervis mor- 
tuorum locustarum quas aquae evomuer- 
ant, implerentur, putredo earum et fetor 
in tantum noxius fuit, ut aeram quoque 
corrumperet, et pestilentia tarn jumen- 
torum, quam hominum gigneretur. tnaB 
and qtej/ace and end are here used in 
the military sense of van and rear, and 
cannot, without violence, be interpreted 
of the swarm of locusts, and a brood 
which succeeded them. M2lj.'-i is a 
Aey. comp. fi3X , to be foul, putrid, 



to stink. Arab. XiSXJLO} sordes. Giv- 

ing an account of the locusts, Thcvcnot 
says, " They live not above six months, 
and, when dead, the stench of them so 



108 



JOEL. 



CHAP. It 



21 Fear not, O land! rejoice and be glad, 
For Jehovah doeth great things ! 

22 Fear not, ye beasts of the field ! 

For the pastures of the desert spring up, 

For the tree beareth its fruit ; 

The fig-tree and the vine yield their strength. 

23 Rejoice, ye sons of Zion ! and be glad in Jehovah your God ; 



corrupts and infects the air, that it often 
occasions dreadful pestilences." The con- 
cluding words of the verse convey the 
idea of moral agency, and can with no 
propriety be interpreted of the locusts. 
LXX. ej.ed\we rcb 




he exalted himself in acting. The phrase 
is obviously used here in a bad sense, and 
indicates the pride of the Assyrians ; 
comp. 2 Kings xxi. 6, where nrssV.nsnn, 
a similar idiom, occurs. As employed in 
the following verse of our prophet, it is 
placed in antithesis with the sense in 
which it is here used, and is to be dif- 
ferently understood : viz. of the great 
things that God would do for his people, 
comp. Ps. cxxvi. 2, 3. 

21-23. In these verses there is a 
beautiful gradation. First, the land, 
which had been destroyed by the enemy, 
is addressed in a prosopopoeia ; then the 
irrational animals which had suffered 
from the famine ; and lastly, the inhabi- 
tants themselves. All are called upon 
to cast off their fears, and rejoice in the 
happy change which Jehovah would 
effect. Desolation, barrenness, and fam- 
ine, would disappear, and times of pros- 
perity and happiness return, -ftis "OS , 
Sons of Zion, properly the inhabitants of 
Jerusalem, but here evidently used to 
denote those of the land generally, of 
which Jerusalem was the metropolis, and 
Zion the centre of religious influence. 
nj*-^ --VIM, is rendered in the Targ. 
terrs lissBsw, your teacher in righteous- 
ness ; which Abarbanel explains, twm 
nn i-V" 1 "pi- rs nirio rrfcKn ^V 
"lEy "IBS ncywn rsi. And he is 
the king Messiah, who shall teach them 
the way in which they shall walk, and 



the works that they should do. The 
same, or a similar construction of the 
words is found in the Vulg. Hufinus, 
Jarchi, Pagninus, Minister, Leo Juda, 
Castalio, the Jewish-Spanish, Remigius, 
Hupertus, Vatablus, Ribera, Mercer, 
CEcolamp., Luther, and most of the early 
Lutheran interpreters ; and, among the 
modern, Pick and Hengstenberg, the 
latter of whom contends for it at con- 
siderable length, and decidedly considers 
the passage to be one of 'the Messianic 
prophecies. That rrvite signifies teacher, 
is beyond all doubt, see 2 Chron. xv. 3 ; 
Job xxxvi. 22 ; Is. ix. 15, xxx. 20 ; and 
from the occurrence of the word in this 
place in connection with -pis, righteous - 
ness, which is so frequently referred to 
the Messiah both in the Old and New 
Testaments, there is something very 
plausible in the application of the term 
to him who is specially called by Malachi 
np"S 1SW3, THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 

" T ', W 

chap. iv. 4, i. e. the author of that illu- 
mination of knowledge which has right- 
eousness for its object. To such interpre- 
tation, however, there appeal- to me to be 
the following insuperable objections : 
First, it is repugnant to the circumstances 
of the context ; " non videtur tameii 1'crre 
hunc sensum circumstantia loci." Calvin; 
who says of the reason adduced in support 
of it, that it would be out of place to give 
such prominence to merely temporal 
blessings : " sed ratio ilia est himis iri- 
gida ; " and goes on to show that, in ac- 
cordance with the custom of the pro- 
phets, Joel begins with these inferior bless- 
ings, and afterwards, in ver. 28; proceeds 
to treat of those which are spiritual. Sec- 
ondly, the repetition of the same term, 
rryiw, immediately after, where, as all 
allow, it must be taken in the accepta- 
tion of rain. And thirdly, the pecul- 



CHAP. II. 



JOEL. 



109 



For lie giveth you the former rain in clue measure ; 
Yea, lie causeth the heavy rain to descend for you 
The former and the latter rain as before : 
24 So that the floors shall be full of grain, 



iar force and coherence of the words, 



rr^ten ns, and anpVw-l . 

The emphasis given to rn iw, by prefixing 
not only the article n, but also the de- 
terminating particle ns , shows that the 
prophet had some immediate and definite 
object in view, which we cannot imagine 
to have been any other than the autum- 
nal rain, which was indispensable any 
year, and more especially after such a 
season of drought, to prepare the ground 
for nourishing the seed. It must have 
been an object of universal and anxious 
desire, and has, in consequence, a high 
degree of importance and prominence 
allotted to it in the text. See on the 
force of 1-18 the Lexicons of Lee and 
Gesenius. The same consideration will 
accoxmt for the form, and the particular 
signification of njjnaV in this place, 
The V is to be taken adverbially, as point- 
ing out the rule or measure according to 
which the rain was to be ~^-tu , so that 
the meaning will be, in just quantity, 
adequately, in the proportion suitable to 
the exigency of the case, pns , the root 
from which this noun is derived, signifies 
to be just, right ; to come up to certain 
claims, to be what a person or thing ought 
to be. Comp. Lev. xix. 36, where jp7.s 
is used of weights and measures that 
were exact, or came up to the demands 
of the law. Some propose to render 
rp"ir.V , bountifully, but this would give 
the Chaldee rather than the Hebrew sig- 
nification. Ewald translates, the early 
rain for justification, and explains it of 
the Jews being again accounted right- 
eous by God. To the objection of Hcngs- 
tenburg, that if rvylw in the first half of 
the verse does not designate a different 
divine benefit from rnitt in the second, 
an idle tautology will ensue, it is only 
necessary to reply, that the words occur 
in parallelism, and that in the second 
instance M^iM is merely a resumption for 
the sake of dividing the Kja mentioned 



immediately before into its two regular 
divisions, the former and the latter. The 
term elsewhere used for the former or 
autumnal rain, which falls from the 
middle of October until the middle of 
December, is fin'ii, lit, waterer, being 
the Benoni Participle of n~P , to dart, 
cast, or scatter, as drops of water, rrvlto, 
however, which is the Hiph. Participle 
of the same verb, does occur in the same 
acceptation, Ps. Ixxxiv. 7. Comp. my 
note on Hosea vi. 3, where ripVja, the 
latter or vernal rain is also explained. 

The reading rin.i% which is found in- 
stead of the former n*7.i , in twenty-three 
MSS., originally in eleven more, now in 
three, in the Jerusalem Talmud, and as 
JKeri in the margin of two of De Rossi's 
Codices, is in favor of the rendering 
rain, which is that of all the early ver- 
sions, but may possibly have originated 
in emendation. With respect to the 
latter occurrence of the word, there is no 

variety of reading, til, Arab. ^.^tea. 

corpus, et omne id quod Ion gum, largum 
ct profundum est ; Chalcl. the body : ap- 
plied to such rain as is heavy, or violent, 
and pours down as it were in a body. 
The verbs 1^3 , and ini- 1 !, are prophetic 
futures. To render ",is;s-i2 , in the first 
month, would involve a contradiction, 
since only one of the two rains could 
happen in that month. It seems, there- 
fore, necessary to suppose an ellipsis of b, 
the participle of comparison, and read 
"Vi'S"i t 23 , as formerly, or as in former 
times. Comp. Jer. i. 22 ; Jer. xxxiii, 11, 
where n:V;s'ia& is similarly used ; and 
for -jVi-S"! , in the sense of former, 1 Sam. 
xvii. 30 ;'Hagg. ii. 3. Thus the LXX. 
Syr. Vulg. Arab. One of Kcnnicott's 
MSS. and perhaps another, reads TT^S-O. 
The ellipsis of b is not infrequent in the 
Hebrew Scriptures. 

24. Here the happy results of the 
plentiful and seasonable rains are set 



110 



JOEL. 



CHAP. II. 



forth. The i in s5553!), is consequential. 
^n, comp. the Arab. . 



And the vats shall run over with new wine and oil. 

25 Thus he will make good to you the years 
Which the swarming locusts hath devoured, 

The licking locust, the consuming locust, and the gnawing locust, 
My great army which I sent against you. 

26 And ye shall eat plentifully and be satisfied, 
And praise the name of Jehovah your God, 
Who hath dealt wondrously with you : 
And my people shall never be ashamed. 

27 Then shall ye know, that I am in the midst of Israel, 
And that I, Jehovah, am your God, and none else ; 
And my people shall never be ashamed. 

28 And it shall come to pass, afterwards, 
That I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ; 



evils sustained by the ravages of the 
locusts ; it was to extend to those which 
both the Assyrians and the Chaldeans 
were to inflict upon the nation. This 
interpretation is confirmed by what im- 
mediately follows respecting the out- 
pouring of the Holy Spirit. By God's 
being in the midst of his people, is 
meant the special manifestation of his 
presence in the communications of his 
favor. The resumption of ijs in ^ss.l, 
forms a beautiful anadiplosis. 

28, 29. The prophet now proceeds to 
predict the impartation of richer gifts in 
future times than those temporal bless- 
ings which had just been promised to 
the Jews, "p nrjN, afterward, LXX. 
fjierh ravra, Hengstenberg would place 
in antithesis with -pss-ia , ver. 23, which 
he renders first; but the latter phrase 
has reference to what had already taken 
place, and was not future to the time of 
the prophet. "p.."" 1 "!.-^ though indefinite, 
is nearly equivalent in force to rrnnS 
fc'Wfc , Is. ii. 2, as appears from its hav- 
ing been rendered by the apostle Peter 
eV TOIS tffxdrcus TJJUE'PCUS, in the last 
days. Jarchi, toV TWS in futurity; 
Abenezra, s-iSiasn liNT Vs sV^n "i 
"ft ts -iws -,rrsn w 
rrnnsa trw pn "p 
d'Wn. "Rabbi Jeshua saith, All this 
is a prophecy of the future ; and Rabbi 
Moses the priest saith, If so, why does 
he say after this ? but it is the same as, 



vii. Conj. impulsus fuit, fluxit, to cause 
to flow, or run over. For aj??., see on 
Is. v. 2. 

25. That the prophet has here in -view 
the plague of locusts described hi chap. i. 
cannot well be doubted. The names, 
though placed in a different order, are 
identical with those there specified. 
They are called God's great army, a 
name still given to them by the Arabs. 
See on ver. 11. Though the scourge 
lasted only one year, yet as they not 
only destroyed the whole produce of 
that year, but also what was laid up in 
store for future years, there is no im- 
propriety in the plural form of C^sa, 
years. The term ft used metonymically 
for the produce and supply of years. 
The loss of these Jehovah promises to 
recompense or make good by not only 
furnishing the Jews with an abundance 
of temporal enjoyments, but affording 
them the delightful experience of his 
presence and favor as their covenant 
God. This promise is amplified in 
verses 

26, 27, In which the future prosperity 
of the Jewish church is described in 
terms, which obviously characterize the 
period which succeeded that of the 
Babylonish captivity. The divine re- 
compense was not merely to cover the 



CHAP. IL 



JO EL. 



Ill 



And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 
Your old men shall dream dreams, 
Your young men shall see visions ; 
29 And even upon the male and the female servants 
I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 



and it shall come to pass in the latter 
days ; " in which interpretation Kimchi 
concurs, adding, ir - -* -^i. 



imton 



nst '"ins* Vns 



Kirn i-,y 

rim -psn ns^w 15 -ittsa huown 
mrp r-.K , " Because it is said, And ye 
shall know that I am in the midst of you. 
What he says is, Now ye know, but 
not with a perfect knowledge, for ye 
will again commit- sin before me ; but 
after this knowledge there shall come a 
time when ye shall know me with a 
perfect knowledge, and shall sin no 
more, namely, in the days of the Mes- 
siah." That the two phrases are iden- 
tical in meaning, clearly appears from 
a comparison of Jer. xlviii. 47, with 
xlix. 6. See on Is. ii. 2. "rjgo signifies 
to pour out, to communicate in a plentiful 
and abundant manner, and is here used 
with the greatest propriety to denote the 
larger and richer supplies of divine in- 
fluence, which were to be afforded to 
the church under the gospel dispensation. 
trn, spirit, means here the influences and 
gifts of the Holy Spirit, as in numerous 
other passages, in which the Spirit is 
said to be put, given, etc. ; and these 
communications are described in lan- 
guage which shows that they were both 
to be more general and more special in 
their character. In- a more general 
point of view, they were to be 'bestowed 
upon "lisa V3 , all flesh, i. e. mankind 
generally, without distinction of nation or 
country. To restrict this phrase to the 
Jews, as is done by Abenezra, Kimchi, 
Albo, Ilitzig, and others, is irreconcilable 
with Scripture usage, according to which 
it constantly signifies mankind gener- 
ally, or the whole human race; just as in 



humamim genus, and Adam is called 
j the father of flesh, i. e. of 



mankind. Credner would have the 
phrase to include the animal creation, 
than which no construction could be 
more preposterous in such connection, 
or more at variance with other passages 
in which the communication of the in- 
fluences of the Spirit are limited to the 
human family. The influence, of which 
universality is here predicated, is the 
saving energy which is exerted by the 
Holy Spirit, in commencing, carrying, 
on, and consummating the work of 
grace in the souls of men. It accom- 
panies the presentation of divine truth 
to the mind, and removes the obstacles 
which the force of innate depravity 
opposes to the reception of the gospel. 
See my Lectures on Divine Inspiration. 
pp. 525-530. Besides the influence 
which was thus to be vouchsafed for the 
purposes of salvation, the prophet spe- 
cifies that which should be more limited 
in its communication, consisting in the 
miraculous endowment of a certain 
number of Jews, of different classes 
and conditions, with the knowledge of 
divine things, and the ability infallibly 
to communicate them to others. The 
persons on whom these gifts were to be 
conferred are their " sons and daugh- 
ters ; " their " aged men," and their 
" youths ; " their " male " and " fe- 
male servants ; " terms which are mani- 
festly designed to teach that their 
bestowment was to embrace persons of 
different classes, ranks, and conditions 



.Arabic, 



an( ^ > 



signify homo, 



of life. 83 3 g , Arab. LAJ indicavit, an- 
nunciavit, Eth. jC\C\ * locutus est, 
*\*1 PIP vaticinatus est, pradixit, is 
used not merely to denote the foretelling 



112 



JOEL. 



CHAP. II. 



30 And I will show prodigies in the heavens and in the earth, 
Blood and fire, and columns of smoke. 

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, 
And the moon into blood, 



of the future events, but to express the 
giving of utterance to divine truth under 
a miraculous impulse, or the pretending 
to such impulse, whether the utterance 
was made in the way of direct com- 
munication, as was the case when the 
prophets addressed their hearers, or by 
the rehearsal or singing of sacred hymns 
under extraordinary divine impulse, as 
when Miriam sung at the Ked Sea, 
Exod. xv. 20, 21 ; or when the sons of 
the prophets and Saul prophesied, 1 Sam. 
x. 5, 6, xix. 20-24. Comp. Acts xix. 6, 
xxi. 9 ; 1 Cor. xi. 4, 5, xiv. 1, 5, 6, 22, 
24, 31, 39 ; which passages furnish strik- 
ing illustrative examples of the fulfil- 
ment of the prophecy of Joel. See also 

1 Chron. xxv. 1-3 ; and Mede's works, 
Book I. Discourse xvi. That we are 
fully warranted to interpret it of the 
extraordinary supernatural gifts which 
were vouchsafed in the apostolic age, is 
placed beyond doubt by its allegation by 
Peter, in justification of the phenomenon 
which took place on the day of Pente- 
cost. TOVT6 effri, this is the fact pre- 
dicted by Joel, Acts ii. 16. The quo- 
tation was the more apt, since the words 
of the prophet had just been read in the 
pentecostal service of the Synagogue. 
See my Biblical Researches and Travels 
in Russia, p. 326. ri'w'in , dreams, and 
Jn'fl ">}!"!. t visions, belonged to the different 
modes 'in which God revealed his will 
to the prophets. Numb. xii. 6 ; 1 Sam. 
xxviii. 6, 15 ; Jer. xxiii. 25-28 ; Dan. 
vii. 1, 2. See my Lectures on. Inspi- 
ration, pp. 147-165. Though no ex- 
press mention is made of dreams in the 
apostolic writings, yet repeated reference 
is to visions. See acts ix. 10, 12, x. 3, 
17, xi. 5, xvi. 9, xviii. 9, xxvi. 19 ; 

2 Cor. xii. 1 ; Rev. ix. 17. T;T , and even, 
indicates a rise in the prophecy, which 
was intended to exclude none, not even 
the lowest and most despised " servants," 
from a participation in the large bestow- 



ment of divine influence. In beautiful 
harmony with this feature of the pro- 
phecy is the special recognition of ot 
TTTtoxol, the poor, in the New Testament. 
The repetition^! !i-i n&* 'fiS'asI will pour 
out my Spirit, shows, that the influence 
of which, in general, they were to be 
partakers, was not merely that which 
consisted in the miraculous gifts, but alsq 
that ordinary and saving influence which 
is experienced by all believers. What 
incontrovertibly proves that the prophecy 
includes both a more ordinary, and a 
more extraordinary or miraculous divine 
agency, is the extension given to it by the 
apostle Peter, Acts ii. 38, 39 ; where he 
teaches that it was to comprehend " all 
that are afar off," i. e. the Gentiles, 
" even as many as the Lord oxvr God 
shall call." 

30, 31. In connection with this period 
of the rich enjoyment of divine influence, 
Joel introduces one of awful judgment, 
called as usual n JM" 1 Si" 1 , the day of Jeho- 
vah, the precursors of which he describes 
in very alarming language. That the 
destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish 
polity is intended, most interpreters are 
agreed ; but there exists a diversity of 
opinion respecting the character of the 
language, some taking it literally, as 
setting forth physical prodigies, such as 
those which Josephus relates to have 
taken place before the destruction of 
Jerusalem, and tremendous massacres 
and conflagrations in different parts of 
the country ; while others maintain 
that it is symbolical, and consequently 
is to be figuratively explained. The 
latter position is more in accordance 
with the style of prophecy, in which we 
not only find a fixed set of symbols, but 
also, very frequently, an accumulation 
of images is introduced for the purpose 
of producing a more powerful effect on 
the mind. See on Is. xiii. 10, xxxiv. 
35. The heavens and the earth, 



CHAP. II. 



JO EL. 



113 



Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come. 
32 And it shall come to pass, 

That whosoever shall call upon the name of Jehovah shall be 

delivered : 
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be the escaped, 



therefore, mean the political world, with 
its civil and religious establishments ; 
the sun and moon, the higher and supe- 
rior ruling powers ; while the other 
images are employed to denote the 
disastrous prognosticatory changes that 
were to happen in relation to both. 
Comp. Matt. xxiv. 29 ; Markxiii. 24, 25 ; 
Luke xx. 25-27, where the subject is 
the same as that exhibited by Joel, and 
the symbolical language in a great mea- 
sure parallel. Similar images are used 
by pagan writers, when describing the 
forerunners of civil wars, as, for instance, 
Lucanus, Pharsal. lib. ver. 629 : 

" Super igne minaces 

Prodigiis terras implerunt, aethera, 

pontum. 
Ignota obscurse viderunt sidera noc- 

tes, 
Ardentemque polumflammis, coeloque 

volantes, 
Obliquas per inane faces, crinemque 

timendi. 
Sideris, et terris mutantem regna 

cometen. 
Fulgura fallaci micuerunt crebra se- 

reno, 
Et varias ignis denso dedit ae're for- 

mas." 

t-S-jB'itt, prodigies, whatever objects are 
unusual, portentous, or miraculous, in 
their character. The word is most prob- 
ably a derivative from n B i , Arab. Conj . iii. 

*>; eminuit, to be conspicuous, admi- 
rable, wonderful. LXX. reparo. It 
frequently occurs in combination with 
SiitiS (njjuera, signs. ri i nto.''P} , only occurs 
once besides, and, as here, in construc- 
tion with T^y, viz. Song iii. 6 ; where, 
however, nineteen MSS. and originally 
another read ni-nan , without the Yod, 
which is doubtless' the more correct or- 
thography, the Yod having been inserted 

15 



as a help to the pronunciation. There 
can be little doubt that it is derived from 
"iJ3Jn , to be erect, whence "iP T the palm- 
tree, from its tall and erect growth. 
Comp. the Chaldee mP, a column of 

smoke; ifla'>P., Arab. v^fllji and 
H s ol3j turris ; and *iten , to rise like- 

a column. The phrase will, therefore,. 
be equivalent to yiy ^"vtais, , of which we' 
have the singular y^y tnteJ? , Jud. xx. 40. 
LXX. &T[j.lSa. KOOTVOV ; but in Song iii. 6, 
ffreKe-)cn nairvov. Vulg. vaporem fumi^ 
Targ. *)Sfn V^* 3 " 1 * columns of smoke, the - 
singular of which is used Jud. xx. 40.. 

Tano.: aouSJ 



pillars of smoke ascending up. Those > 
who are familiar with the account given.. 
by Josephus of the disorders, convulsions,. 
excesses, and rebellions, which preceded. 
the subversion of the Jewish state, will. 
readily admit, that the figurative lan- 
guage here employed most appropri-- 
ately sets forth the awful circumstances, 
of the inhabitants of Palestine at that 
period. To render more prominent the. 
tremendous nature of the final judg- 
ment of the Jews, when their city and: 
polity were destroyed, it is not merely 
called rnrp nv, but Vron rnn? c^ 
Si'sr 1 !, the great and fearful day oj 
Jehovah ; terms which are employed \ 
by the prophet Malachi, iv. 5, (Heb. 
iii, 23,) in reference to the same 
event. 

32. The phrase n^n 1 ) O^S s^f?, usually 
means to evoke Jehovah according to his 
true character, and designates such as 
he would regard in the light of accep- 
table worshippers ; but 1 on comparing- 
the quotation of the words with direct 
reference to our Saviour, Rom. x. 13, 
\vith Acs> ix... 14, ,l.Cor. i...2, it appears 



114 



JOEL. 



CHAP. II. 



According as Jehovah hath promised, 
Together with those that are left, 
Whom Jehovah shall call. 



to be here employed as a periphrasis for 
those Jews who should embrace the faith 
of the Messiah, and render to him as 
r;irr?, Jehovah, the same supreme worship- 
which had been rendered to God by their 
pious ancestors. From the passage just 
quoted from the Acts, it is clear that the 
disciples of Christ were characterized as 
invohers of his name, i. e. as his wor- 
shippers, before they were called Chris- 
tians. The prophecy contains a gracious 
promise, that, however terrible might be 
the final catastrophe in which the un- 
believers should perish, provision would 
be made for the safety of those who be- 
lieved in the Messiah. And church his- 
tory records its fulfilment ; for, on the 
approach of the Roman army, the Chris- 
tian inhabitants of Jerusalem took to 
flight, in compliance with the Saviour's 
warning, and retiring to Pella, on the 

eastern side of the river Jordan, found 
there a safe asylum, while the devoted 

city was being besieged and destroyed. 
oil fj.ev ctAAcfc Kal TOV KO.OV TTJS. v 'lepo- 

-Tjtr/as, Kara. TWO. ^pTjer/ibv 
Sofa'/xois Si* aTroKa\v\^ecas 
irpb TOV iro\e/jLov, /jteravaffTrjvcu 
r-Tjs ir6\ews, Kal TWO- T/JS irepaias ir6Kiv 

oiKeiv iceKe\evff{j.ei'ov. IleAAcw avfty bvo- 
[j.a,ovffiv' ev fi T&V els Xpurrbv irem- 
ffrevn6rcav airb rys 'lepou(ra\})fjL fjLeTUKiff- 
fievcav, K. T. A. Euseb. lib. iii. cap. v. 
nta^Vs , is a collective noun, signifying 
those wlio have escaped; in other words, 
f] 4v 'lepoffoKiifiLois ^K/cXijerfo, "'the church 
in Jerusalem" as Eusebius phrases it in 



ras 



the above quotation, who not only made 
their escape from the impending calamity, 
but from the " untoward generation " to 
which they had belonged, Acts ii. 40; 
Is. iv. 3 ; so that the meaning is, not that 
there should continue to be deliverance 
for those who remained in Zion and Je- 
rusalem during the infliction of the 
punishment, but that those who resided 
there should make their escape from it; 
having previously been delivered from 
the condition of those on whom it was 
inflicted. The words rrin* -iij 
refer to the promise just made. 
together with those, that have been left, 

from nn'ic , Arab. t>*CCj aufugit, vaga- 



twquefuit, 



k 



*Cj 
. and 



u, aufu- 



ffens, to flee, make one's escape, survive 
a slaughter, or any other calamity. The 
reference seems not to be to converted 
Gentiles, as Schmidius, Michselis, Holz- 
hausen, and others interpret, but to those 
Jews who did not perish in the national 
judgments, but were called into the 
church of Christ. Nnj5 , as employed in 
the last clause of the verse, signifies to 
call, in the sense of effectually prevailing 
upon any one to choose and participate 
in the blessings of the divine kingdom. 
Comp. KaXeu, as used by Paul, Rom. 
viii. 28, 30, ix. 24 ; 1 Thess. ii. 12. 
sn'p, the Participle here denotes the 
future. 



CHAP. 



JOEL. 



115 



CHAPTER III. 



IN this chapter the prophet returns from the parenthetic view which he tiad' exhibited of 
the commencement of the Christian dispensation, and the overthrow of the Jewish polity, 
to deliver predictions respecting events that were to transpire subsequent to the Baby- 
lonish captivity, and fill up the space which should intervene' between the restoration of 
the Jews, and thel first advetit of Christ. He announces the judgment to be holden on 
their enemies after the return to Judea, 1, 2; specifies the reasons why they were to be 
punished, and expressly mentions by name the neighboring nations of Tyre, Sidon and 
Philistia, 3-6: promises the restoration of those Jews whom these states hud sold into 
slavery, while they are threatened with slavery in return, 7, 8 ; summons the nations to 
engage in the wars in Which they were to be destroyed, 9-15; show's", that since these con- 
vulsions were brought about by the providence of Jehovah, whose earthly throne was at' 
Jerusalem, his people had no ground for alarm, and would experience his protection, 16, 
17; predicts times of great prosperity to them, 18; and concludes' with special denuncia- 
tions against Egypt and Idumea, with whose fate is placed in striking contrast the pro- 
tracted existence of the Jewish polity, 19-21. 



1 FOR, behold ! in those days, and at that time, 

When I shall reverse the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 

2 I will gather all the nations, 

And bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, 
And will plead with them there, 



1, 2. tonri MM rttenrr b-wa, is a 
double mode of expression, employed to 
give greater prominence to the period. 
That the " days and time" here specified, 
are not identical with the period spoken 
of in the last five verses of the preceding 
chapter, is evident from their being con- 
nected by the relative conjunction nws , 
with the following words, which relate 
to the restoration of the Jewish state. 
13, at the beginning of the verse, is pro- 
perly rendered for, and refers back to 
chap. ii. 21-27, in which verses times 
of great temporal prosperity are prom- 
ised to the Jews. With this prosperity 
was intimately connected the punishment 
of the nations by which they had been 
afflicted ; and, accordingly, such punish- 
ment forms the subject of the present 
chapter. Instead of zn-JN , the Keri sub- 
stitutes rsvi'K , in which it is supported by 



twenty-five of Kennicott's MSS. ; but 
the frequent occurrence of niato avcJ , in 
which the Kal form is to be taken causa- 
tively, shows that there was no necessity 
for the emendation. See Ps. xiv. 7, 
liii. 7, cxxvi. 7 ; Is. lii. 8. Some in- 
terpret the phrase of a general restora- 
tion to circumstances of prosperity, with- 
out any reference to previous circum- 
stances of actual captivity, as in the case 
of Job xlii. 10 ; but considering its 
common application to the return from 
Babylon, and the express mention of the 
scattering of the nation among the 
heathen, ver. 2, it seems more natural to 
refer it to the same event in this place. 
That the restoration of the Jews from 
their present dispersion is meant, and 
that the judgments to be inflicted on the 
nations are those which are predicted, 
JRev. xvi. 14) 16,. is rendered impossible 



11:6 



JOEL. 



CHAP. III. 



On account of ray people, and Israel mine inheritance, 
Whom they have scattered among the nations, 
And have divided my land ; 

3 And have cast lots for my people, 
And given a Tboy for an harlot, 
And sold a girl for wine, 

That they might drink. 

4 And truly, what are ye to me, Q Tyre and Zidon ! 



by the introduction of the Tyrians, Si- 
donians, Philistines, etc. verses 4 and 19, 
since these states all received their punish- 
ment prior to the advent of Christ. By 
taS'i'Vi" p5?.y, the valley of JehoshapJiat, 
some understand the narrow valley 
through which the hrook Kedron flows, 
between the city of Jerusalem and the 
mount of Olives. To this valley or glen, 
in which is the celebrated burying-place 
of the Jews, the Rabbins have appro- 
priated the name, and maintain, that in 
it the final judgment of the world is to be 
held ; a conceit in which they have 
been followed by many Christian writers, 
as well as by the Mohammedans. Others 
suppose it to be a designation of the valley, 
otherwise called fiSna p^y , the valley of 
blessing, 2 Chron. xx. 26 ; but as neither 
of these localities at all comport with the 
magnitude of the subject treated of by 
the prophet, we have no alternative but 
that of considering the words, not as 
constituting a proper name, or the name 
of any specific locality, but as symbolical 
in their import, and designed to charac- 
teri2e the theatre of the bloody wars 
that took place after the Babylonish cap- 
tivity, by which the hostile nations con- 
tiguous to Judea had signal vengeance 
inflicted upon them. They literally sig- 
nify, the valley where Jehovah judgeth, 
and mean the scene of divine judgments. 
The term valley appears to have been 
selected on account of such locality 
being mentioned in Scripture as the 
usual theatre of military conflict. This 
view of the subject is supported by the 
Targ. in which the words are not re- 
tained, but translated SD-W .v.te *,*, 
the plain of the distribution of judgment, 
and by the translation of Theodot. T^V 



rijs tcpiffews. The nations to be 
punished are restricted, ver. 2, to such 
as should have scattered the Jews, and 
occupied their land. Comp. chap. ii. 17. 
3. The Jews were frequently treated 
in the most ignominious manner by their 
enemies. Such conduct is here affect- 
ingly set forth. That it was customary 
to cast lots for those who were taken 
captive, see Obad. ver. 11 ; Nah. iii. ]0. 
The giving of a boy for a whore, does 
not mean the exchange of the one for 
the other, but the payment of the captive 
for an act of sensual indulgence ; just as 
the selling of a girl for wine, means 
giving her in compensation for a draught 
of it. Comp. Gen. xxxviii. 17 ; comp. 
also Deut. xxii. 18, where niit ISJis, the 
hireofawhore, is coupled with 2^3 TR, 
the price of a dog ; and the Arabic prov- 



erb, 






j the son f a 



whore hired with oil. Meid. xciv. Char- 
den mentions that when the Tartars came 
into Poland, they carried off all the chil- 
dren they could, and, finding at length 
that they were not redeemed, sold them 
at the low price of a crown. In Min- 
grelia, he adds, they sell them for pro- 
visions, and for wine. 

4. Among the nations bordering on 
the country of the JCAVS, which had ren- 
dered themselves particularly obnoxious 
to the divine wrath, were those on the 
west, for which see on Is. xxiii. and 
xiv. 28. iy CPs r; Da-j , and truly what 
are ye to me ? Think ye that I make any 
account of you ? or that ye can succoss- 
fully oppose yourselves to me ? The 
interrogation is altogether different in 
meaning, as it is in form, from the idiom 



CHAP. HI. 



JOEL. 



117 



And all the coasts of Philistia ? 

Will ye retaliate upon me ? 

If, indeed, ye retaliate upon me, 

Speedily and swiftly I will bring your retaliation 

Back upon your own head. 

5 Because ye have taken away my silver and my gold ; 
And my goodly objects of delight 

Ye have carried into your temples ; 

6 And have sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem 
To the sons of the Javanites, 

That they might be removed far from their, own border. 

7 Behold ! I will arouse them from the place 
Whither ye have sold them ; 



tsl?i i?~n) what have we in common? 
with which Kimchi compares it. ni^A > 
circuits, districts. Comp. Josh. xiii. 2, 
where the word is rendered coasts in our 
version. They were properly provinces, 
of which there were five in number, each 
governed by a "p.6 , prince, or lord. Vs, 
all, before iri^i , expresses contempt. 
CN, is not here correlate with fn, in Vlte.'jn, 
but puts a fresh case for the sake of ar- 
gument. The case supposed, however, 
was true in fact. The interrogative n as- 
sumes here the form of the article, as in 
several other places. See on Amos v. 25. 
VA , signifies to do good or evil to any one ; 
then to recompense him, either with good 
or evil ; to reward, retaliate. The mean- 
ing here seems to be, that if these bor- 
dering states, taking advantage of certain 
untoward circumstances in the history of 
the Jews, attempted to revenge the vic- 
tories gained over them by the latter, 
they should be dealt with in the way of 
divine retaliation. Jehovah here speaks 
of what was done to his people as done 
to himself. Comp. Zech. ii. 8 ; Matt. 
xxv. 40. nnn.W ^J5, is an asyndeton. 
Comp. Is. v. 26, where the order of the 
words is reversed. 

5. As in the preceding verse God had 
identified himself with his people, so here 
he speaks of their property as his. Some 
suppose the precious vessels belonging to 
the temple to be intended by ^witte 
O^bn, but the articles of private property 



most highly esteemed by the Jews are 
more probably meant ; since it does not 
appear that ever the enemies specified by 
Joel plundered the temple at Jerusalem, 
though express mention is made of the 
plunder of the royal palace by the Phi- 
listines, etc., 2 Chron. xxi. 17. Comp. 
Hos. xiii. 15 ; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 19. It 
was customary to hang up or deposit in 
the idolatrous temples, as presents dedi- 
cated to the gods, certain portions of the 
spoils taken in war. Arrian, ii. 24. Cur- 
tius, iv. 2. 

6. t n i 1 s yi *; 3 , the sons of the Javanites, 
i. e. the Grecians. Comp. ules 'AXKJWJ/, 
of Homer ; and see on Is. Ixvi. 19. 
Credner, Hitzig, and some others, think 
that the prophet refers to Javanites of 
Arabia Felix, mentioned Ezek. xxvii. 19 ; 
but the reasons they adduce in favor of 
their opinion are insufiicient to establish 
the point. In Ezek. xxvii. 13, Javan is 
mentioned, along with Tubal and Me- 
shech, as trading in the persons of men 
with the merchants of Tyre. Slavery 
formed an important article of Phoenician 
commerce, and equally so of that carried 
on by the Greeks, to whom the formef 
might easily convey the Jewish captives. 
So famous did the island of Delos become 
as a slave mart, that sometimes 10,000 
were bought and sold in a single day. 

7, 8. n'SS'-p, Sabeans ; Pococke's Arab- 



MSS. 



, the people oj 'Jemen. 



118 



JOEL. 



CHAP. Hi, 



And bring back your retaliation 
Upon your own head ; 

8 I will sell your sons and your .daughters 
Into the hand of the sons of J.udah, 

And they shall sell them to the Salbeans, ,to a distant nation ; 
For Jehovah .hath /spoken at. 

9 Proclaim ye this among the nations j 
Prepare war ; rouse the mighty ; 

Let all the warriors Approach ; let them come up. 

10 Beat your coulters into swords, 
And your pruning-hooks into spears ; 
Let the feeble say, I am mighty. 

11 Hasten and come, all ye nations around, 



See on Is. Ix. 6. As the Sabeans traded 
with India, it is not improbable that 
p i fn , distant, may be designed to include 
that part of the East ; though it is said 
of the Queen of Sheba, that she came 
K T> Trepdruv rjjs yrjs, Matt. xi. 42. 
This prophecy was fulfilled before and 
during the rule of the Maccabees, when 
the Jewish affairs were in so nourishing 
a state, and the Phrenician and Philistine 
powers were reduced by the Persian 
arms under Artaxerxes Mnemon, Darius 
Ochus, and especially Alexander and his 
successors. On the capture of Tyre by 
the Grecian monarch, 13,000 of the in- 
habitants were sold into slavery. When 
he took Gaza also, he put 10,000 of the 
citizens to death, and sold the rest, with 
the women and children, for slaves. 
Favorable, on the other 'hand, as he 
was to the Jews, there can be no doubt 
that he ordered the liberation of such of 
them as were captives in Greece. 

9. ncT, this, refers to what immediately 
follows : the assembling of the different 
nations, in order to engage in the wars 
in which, in succession, they were, as 
political states, to be subdued and perish. 
yj-rirt , is not simply to prepare, as Kimchi 
explains it, but to prepare by the use of 
religious rites and ceremonies, .such as the 
heathen employed when they undertook 
a military enterprise. 

10. Here a state of things is presented 
to view, directly the opposite of what 



was to exist in the days of the Messiah, 
Is. ii. 4 ; Micah iv. 3. Such was to be 
the extent of the conflict, that, in the 
lack of a sufficient number of arms, the 
ordinary implements of 'husbandry would 
be converted into weapons. 

" squalent abductis arva 

colonis, 

Et curva? rigidum falces confiantur in 
ensem." 

Virgil. Geary, i. 507. 

" Sarcula cessabant, versique in pila 

ligones, 
Pactaque de -rastri pondere cassis 

erat." 

..Ovid. Fast. i. 699. 

11. VW, a &ro Aey. in all probability 
the same in signification with an ft, to 
hasten. The ancient versions follow the 
LXX., who render, <rwad/>o/eor&e. 

Arab. lu/Lft, vitam duyit, vixit ; hence 

the idea of liveliness, activity, agility, .etc. 
f\ rt: 71 , is the Imperative in Hiphil of n Fp , 
to descend, go or come down. The place 
whither, is the scene of warfare, .the 
valley of Jehoshaphat, implied in rrtoss, 
which with the .n is frequently the same 
in signification with a. The abrupt 
transition to Jehovah has a powerful 
effect. "Whatever might be the individual 
views of those engaged in the conflict, 
they were the instruments .of Divine 



CHAP. HI. 



JO EL. 



119 



And gather yourselves together ; 

Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah 1 

1 2 Let the nations be roused, let them come up 
To the valley of Jehoshaphat ; 

For there I will sit to judge all the nations around. 

13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe ; 
Come, descend, for the -wine-press is full, 
The vats run over ; 

For their wickedness is .great. 

14 Multitudes! multitudes 
In the valley of decision ! 

For the day of Jehovah is near, 



wrath, and are on this account called the 
" mighty ones " of Jehovah. Comp. Is. 
x. 5-7. 

12. To give prominence to the in- 
terest which God had in what was to 
take place, the metaphor is here changed 
into that of a judicial process, in which 
he acts as judge, and gives a just deci- 
sion against the enemies of his people. 
For tss'ihrp ptov, see on ver. 2. Here, 
as in that 'verse, the nations to be pun- 
ished were those a^Sto , circumjacent to 
Judea. 

13. The prophet now employs meta- 
phors taken from the harvest and the 
vintage, which strikingly express the 
havoc and destruction effected by war : 
the one denoting the slaughter or cutting 
down of armies, and the other the effu- 
sion of their blood. The same images 
are similarly employed, Is. xvii. 5, 6, 
Ixiii. 2 ; Lam. i. 15 ; and especir-Iy 
Rev. xiv. 14-20. V^W, a sickle, Arab. 



sV-wo, Syr. jj._Lo. In Arab, the root, 
signifies to out. The sickles of 



the East, as represented on Egyptian 
monuments, pretty much resembled ours, 
only some of them were smaller, and 
liad more the appearance of a Icnife 
hooked at the end. rn , from "n-v to 
descend, some take to be used here in the 

acceptation of the Arab. _i>\. calcamt, 
Thus the LXX. TrcwetTe. But as in 



order to tread the grapes it was necessary 
to go down into -the wine-press, it seems 
better to abide by the ordinary significa- 
tion of the Hebrew verb, and to consider 
the action of treading to be implied, 
rather than expressed. At the close of 
the verse the metaphor is dropped, and 
the cause of the thing signified is boldly 
presented to view. 

14. O"'2Wri O"27H multitudes, multi- 
tudes, a Hebraism for immense multitudes. 
This rendering is preferable to that of 
tumults. In the preceding verses, the 
nations are called upon to assemble, and 
here the prophet, beholding them con- 
gregated in obedience to the summons, 
breaks out into an appropriate exclama- 
tion in regard to their number, yvilt, 
Piscator, the Geneva English, Calvin, 
Leo Juda, Michielis, Justi, Holzhausen, 
and Credner, take in the sense of thresh- 
ing. Kimchi, Tanchum, Abulwalid, 
Newcome, and some others, render ex- 
cision ; but the LXX. Theodot. Syr. 
Targ. Theodoret, Dathe, Kosenmuller, 
Gesenius, Hitzig, Maurer, Ewald, and 
Purst, translate the word by decision or 
judgment, which seems more in keeping 
with the name of the valley, and the 
idea of a judicial process, set forth ver. 
12. Comp. for the acceptation to de- 
termine, decide, as attaching to the verb 
yin, 1 Kings xx. 40; Is. x. 22. The 
meaning is the decision or doom of the 
nations to which the prophecy refers. 
The repetition of ysnhn pKS; , heightens 
the effect. 



120 



JOEL. 



CHAP. 



In the valley of decision. 

15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, 
And the stars shall withdraw their shine. 

16 For Jehovah shall roar out of Zion, 
And utter his voice from Jerusalem, 

And the heavens and the earth shall shake ; 
But Jehovah is a refuge for his people, 
A stronghold for the sons of Israel. 

17 And ye shall know that I Jehovah am your God, 
Dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain ; 

Then shall Jerusalem be holy ; 
Foreigners shall invade her no more. 

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, 
That the mountains shall drop new wine, 
And the hills shall flow with milk, 



15. A figurative mode of representing 
the removal of the political rulers of the 
world. Comp. chap. ii. 10, 31. 

16. These words, as Chandler properly 
remarks, seem to intimate very plainly, 
that at least part of the judgments here 
threatened to be exerted upon the 
neighboring nations, should be executed 
by the Jews themselves. They doubtless 
refer to the victories obtained by Matta- 
thias, and his sons the Maccabeans. As 
king of the Jewish nation, Jehovah had 
his residence in Jerusalem, whence he 
caused his power to be exerted to the 
discomfiture of his enemies, and the de- 
liverance and protection of his people. 
Comp. Ps. xviii. 13; Hab. iii. 10, 11. 
Kgo , to roar, is properly used of the lion, 
but is metaphorically applied to God, to 
express the terrible majesty with which 
he encounters his foes. Comp. Jer. 
xxv. 30 ; Amos i. 2. iii. 8. 

17. yn, is here, as in Is. Hi. 6. lx. 16 ; 
Hos. ii. 20, to be taken in the accep- 
tation of experiencing, knowing by ex- 
perimental proofs of the divine kindness. 
This the Jews did in the deliverances 
effected on their behalf, after the return 
from the captivity, especially on the 
death of Antiochus Epiphanes, and in 
the enjoyment of their national and re- 
ligious privileges, till the termination of 



their polity. That the strong language 
at the close of the verse does not imply 
a state of immunity from invasion, to 
which there was absolutely to be no end, 
will appear on comparing Is. Iii. 1, and 
Nah. i. ] 5. See my note on the former 
of these passages. From the death of 
Antiochus till the coming of the Messiah, 
no hostile power should take possession 
of the holy city. To express the perfect 
immunity from idolatry, by which Jeru- 
salem should be characterized, la^p, holi- 
ness in the abstract, is used. Comp. 
Obad. 17. By tnif, strangers, or bar- 
barians, foreign enemies are meant. 

18. A splendid figurative represen- 
tation of the extraordinary prosperity 
to be accorded to the Jewish people 
after the destruction of their enemies. 



Thus Tanchum in Pococke, 






me- 



taphorical language, denoting abundance 
of plenty and blessings." Comp. Is. 
xxx. 23-25, xliv. 3, and especially Amos 
ix. 13. 

" Flumina jam lactis, jam flumina nec- 

taris ibant, 

Flavaque de viridi stillabant ilice mella." 
Ovid. Metam. i. 111. 



CHAP. HI. 



JOEL. 



121 



And all the channels of Judah shall flow with water, 
And a fountain shall go forth from the house of Jehovah, 
And water the valley of Acacias. 

19 Egypt shall become desolate, 
And Edom a desolate wilderness, 

For the violence done to the sons of Judah, 
Because they shed innocent blood in their land. 

20 But Judah shall be inhabited for ever, 
And Jerusalem to successive generations. 

21 And I will regard their blood as innocent, 



Kal Tore )) x a P a " [neyaKiiv frebs av- 

Spdcri Swfffi 
Kal yap yrj ical SevSpa /fed &<mera 



Aiaffovcriv napitbv -rbv a.Xi}&ivbi> a 

iroicri 
Ofvov Kal yu.eA.iTos -yfajicecas, \SVKOV re 



Kal ffirov, Sirep effri Pporoiis 
atramuv. 

Sibyl. Orac. 



St the valley of Shittim, i. e. 
Acacias. There was a place of this name 
in the country of Moab, Num. xxv. 1, 
xxxiii. 49 ; Josh. ii. I ; but most inter- 
preters think that the valley is meant 
through which the Kidron flows to the 
Dead Sea. Consistency of interpretation 
requires us to understand this part of 
the verse figuratively of the most desert 
and arid spots, such as the acacia is fond 
of. Fertility was to go forth from the 
presence of Jehovah into the whole land. 
Viewed in this light, there is no incon- 
gruity in representing the water as ex- 
tending even across the Jordan, however 
impossible it might be as a physical phe- 
nomenon. Comp. Ezek. xlvii. 1-12 ; 
Zech. xiv. 8. 

19. The wrongs done to the Jews 
by the Egyptians and Idumeans, which 
the prophet here declares were to be 
avenged, were those committed at dif- 
ferent times after the captivity. Pales- 
tine suffered greatly during the wars 
between the Syrian and Egyptian kings, 
especially in the reign of Ptolemy Epi- 
phanes, when they exposed themselves 

16 



to the indignation of that king by 
siding with Antiochus the Great. In 
the time of Cleopatra also, her son La- 
thyrus gained a victory over the army 
of Alexander Janneus, in which the Jews 
lost upwards of thirty thousand men ; 
and who, to increase the terror of his 
name, massacred the women and children, 
cut their bodies in pieces, and boiled the 
flesh. The Idumeans, though less for- 
midable, never omitted any favorable 
opportunity that offered of showing their 
hostility to the Jews. The condition to 
which both these countries were speedily 
reduced, and in which they have re- 
mained to the present day, verifies the 
prediction here delivered. Instead of 
riWC'i'V , a number of MSS. exhibit the 
synonymous rittffiVi. rnnrn W3 Own, 
the violence of the sons of Judah, is the 
Genitive pf object, meaning the violence 
done to them. Comp. Obad. 10. n"p3 is 
spelt K h j53 here and Jonah i. 14 ; but in 
the present text, nine of Kennicott's 
MSS. and four of De Rossi's, with eight 
more originally, read ip:. Among these 
are four Spanish MSS., two of which 
De Rossi characterizes as accuratissimi. 
The pronominal affix in QST^, refers to 
the Jews spoken of immediately before. 

20. MJP, is used passively, as in Is. 
xiii. 20. oV i5> and -irn 111, are to be 
limited by the subject to which they are 
predicated. Thus the state of desolation 
during the seventy years' captivity in 
Babylon, is said to be cV.'iy, for ever, 
Jer. xviii. 16. 

21. In the words 'jr^a sV Cnn T!*^:^. 



122 



JOEL. 



CHAP, 



Which I have not regarded as innocent ; 
Aad Jehovah shall dwell in Zion. 



there is an ellipsis of IBS , after btt'n , the 
affix in which refers to the Jews, not to 
their enemies. Almost .all the inter- 
preters have stumbled at isn j?s , the verb 
here employed, but they have generally 
got over the difficulty, by giving to it the 
signification of ''Foa^a , I have avenged 
a signification which nowhere attaches to 
it in the Hebrew Bible. For the dif- 
ferent explanations see Pococke. npi, 

Arab. _ftj 5 purus, mundusfuit, ii. and 



iv. mundavit. Syr. in Pael, sacrificavit, 
Kbavit. In Niph. the Heb. verb, signifies 



to 'be morally -pure, 4o -be free from pun- 
ishment ; in Piel, as here, to regard, pro- 
nounce^ or treat as innocent, to pardon- 
The words were doubtless suggested by 
K^p.s ft in the preceding verse, and are 
to be rendered, J will regard their blood 
as innocent, which I have not regarded as 
innocent ; i. e. I will pardon those whom 
I have treated as guilty. My people, 
whom I have punished on account of 
their apostasies, I will henceforth regard 
with favor and love. The affix 'fc in 
OWT , corresponds to the same in tea "IN, 
ver. T 19. ^a, the Participle used with 
futurity of signification. 



A M S 



JPREFAGE. 

AMOS, (Heb. bStoSji burden, a word purely Hebrew, vand not of Egyptian 
origin, and the same as Amasis or Amosis, .as Gesenius conjectures,) was, 
as -we learn from the inscription, a native of Tekoah, .a small town in the 
tribe of Judah, at the distance of about twelve miles south-east of Jerusalem- 
The country round being sandy and barren, was destitute of cultivation, 
and fit only to be occupied by those addicted to pastoral life. Among these 
our prophet was originally found ; and, though it was counted no disgrace 
in ancient times, any more than it is at the present day in Arabia, to follow 
this occupation, kings themselves being found in it, (2 Kings iii. 4,) yet there 
is no reason to suppose that Amos belonged to a family of rank or influence, 
but the contrary. No mention is made of his father ; but too much stress 
is not to be laid upon this circumstance. That he had been in poor circum- 
stances, however, appears from the statement made chap. vii. 14 ; from 
which also it is incontrovertible, that no change of circumstances intervened, 
which may be supposed to have been more favorable to mental culture, -but 
that he was called at once to exchange the life of a shepherd for that of a. 
prophet. 

Though a native of the kingdom of Judah, he discharged the functions of 
; his office in that of Israel a fact which is to be accounted for, not, as Ber- 
tholdt conjectures, on the ground of some personal relations, but by an ex- 
press Divine commission to occupy it as the scene of his labors. Eichhorn 
ingeniously supposes the reasons of his selection to have been, that the ap- 
pearance of a foreign prophet was much more calculated to excite attention 
than that of a native, and that such a prophet was more likely to command 
respect than any belonging to a kingdom in which impostors and fanatics 
abounded. 

The time at which he prophesied is stated in general terms, chap. i. 1, to 
have been in the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II., king 
of Israel, the former of whom reigned B. c. 811-759, and the latter n. c. 
825-784, but in which of these years he was called to the office, and how long 
he continued to exercise it, we are not told. Even if any dependence could 
be placed upon the Jewish tradition, Joseph. Antiq. ix. 10, 4, and Jerome 
on Amos i. 1, that the earthquake mentioned here, and Zech. xiv. 5, took 
place when Uzziah attempted to usurp the sacerdotal functions, we should 
still be unable to fix the exact date, since it is uncertain in what year the at- 
tempt was made. 

That he was contemporary with Hosea, appears not only from the dates 



124 PREFACE TO AMOS. 

assigned in both their books, but from the identical state of affairs in the 
kingdom of the ten tribes, which they so graphically describe. Whether he 
flourished also in the days of Isaiah and Micah cannot be determined. 

As we have already found, from the prophecy of Hosea, idolatry, -with its 
concomitant evils, effeminacy, dissoluteness, and immoralities of every des- 
cription, reigned with uncontrolled sway among the Israelites in the reign of 
Jeroboam the son of Joash. It is chiefly against these evils that the denun- 
ciations of Amos are directed. 

The book may properly be divided into three parts : First, sentences pro- 
nounced against the Syrians, the Philistines, the Phoenicians, the Edomites, 
the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Jews, and the Israelites, chapters i. and ii. 
Second, special discourses delivered against Israel, chapters iii.-vi. Third, 
visions, partly of a consolatory, and partly of a comminatory nature, in 
which reference is had both to the times that were to pass over the ten 
tribes, previous to the coming of the Messiah, and to what was to take place 
under his reign, chapters vii.-ix. 

In point of style, Amos holds no mean place among the prophets. The 
declaration of Jerome, that he was imperitus sermonie, has not been justified 
by modern critics. On the contrary, it is universally allowed that, though 
destitute of sublimity, he is distinguished for perspicuity and regularity, em- 
bellishment and elegance, energy and fulness. His images are mostly orig- 
inal, and taken from the natural scenery with which he was familiar ; his 
rhythmus is smooth and flowing ; And his parallelisms are in a high degree 
natural and complete. In description, he is for the most part special and 
local ; he excels in the minuteness of his groupings, while the general vivid- 
ness of his manner imparts a more intense interest to all that he delivers. 
In some few instances, as in chapters iv. vi. and vii. the language approaches 
more to the prose style, or is entirely that of narrative. 

From chap. vii. 10-13, it appears that the scene of his ministry was Bethel. 
Whether he left that place in consequence of the interdict of Amaziah, the 
priest, we know not. According to Pseudo-Epiphanius, he afterwards re- 
turned to his native place, where he died, and was buried with his fathers ; 
but no dependence can be placed on the statement. 



CHAPTER I. 

AFTER a chronological and general introduction, ver. 1, 2, this chapter contains a heavy 
charge, accompanied with denunciations, against the Syrians of Damascus. 3-5; the 
Philistines, 6-8 j the Phoenicians, 9, 10; the Idumeans, 11, 12; and the Ammonites, 
13-15. 



1 THE words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoah, 
which he saw concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah, king of 
Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of 
Israel, two years before the earthquake. 



1. With the exception of the book of 
Jeremiah, that of Amos is the only one 
of the prophets commencing with "nan, 
" The words of ." Comp. however, 
Hag. i. 12. The meaning is, the subjects 
or matters of oracular communication 
which he was employed by the prophetic 
Spirit to deliver, and which were now, 
under the influence of the same Spirit, 
committed to writing. Their divine ori- 
gin is clearly determined by what is add- 
ed,nm "its, "which he saw," i.e. which 
were supernaturally presented to his men- 
tal vision. See on Is. i. 1. The preposi- 
tion a in D- -1^3 2 , does not denote dis- 
tinction, intimating that Amos was great- 
er in point of wealth or respectability 
than the rest of the shepherds, as Kimchi 
would have it, but simply that he was of 
their number ; he belonged to their con- 
dition of life, and followed their occu- 
pation. The phrase tr~i?i)2 i"^n ex - 
presses, in fact, nothing more than rt"n 
1J53. Comp. for similar usage 1 Sam. 
xix. 24 ; Ps. cxviii. 7 ; and the Arabic 

.^. l. 1J" occurs only 



supposed to denote the shepherd or keeper 
of a species of sheep and goats, distin- 
guished by certain marks, and to be de- 
rived from nj3 i , to prick, or mark with 
punctures, and so to distinguish by such 
marks. By others, it is more properly 
referred for illustration to the Arab. 



j{3 genus ovium deforme ct brevipes, 
and t>Loj, ovium, JJu ? appcllatarum 



pastor. From the disesteem in which 
such animals were held, arose the proverb, 



,.wO WtXJ ; 



more vile than the 



here, and 2 Kings iii. 4. By some it is 



NIKAD. At the same time, as their wool 
was valuable, they were kept in great 
numbers. In both instances in which 
the term occurs, it seems to be used in a 
more general acceptation. Aq. &/ TTOIIJ.- 
yorp6fj>ots ; Symm. and the fifth edit. 
iv Tins iroi/jLeffiv. The explanation of 
Cyril is not inept : 'A/uws yeyovev atVoAos 
av-hp Kal iroifj.evmo'ts &e<ri re 8e vopois 
evreStpa.fi.fn4voS' The LXX. &/ 'A/c;ca- 
pelfj., mistaking it for the name of a 
place where they supposed the prophet to 
have been when he received his Divine 



AMO S. 



CHAJP. L 



And he said : 

Jehovah roareth from Zion, 
And uttereth his voice from Jerusalem; 
The pastures of the shepherds mourn, 
And the summit of Carmel withereth. 

Thus saith Jehovah : 
For three transgressions of Damascus, 



communications. The ruins of sSfctt 
Arab. e Jii'. TeM' o> Dr. Robinson 



found covering an extent of four or five 
acres OH an elevated hill, not steep, but 
broad at the top, about two hours distant 
from Bethlehem. On approaching, it, he 
describes the landscape as rocky and 
sterile, yet rich in pasturage, as was tes- 
tified by the multitude of the flocks. 
(Palestine, ii. pp. 181, 182.) The sur- 
rounding region, especially that in the 
direction of the Dead Sea, is called 
13 in , 2 Chron. xx. 20, and f) Ipe^oy 
1 Mace. ix. 33. In this pas- 
turing district, our prophet originally 
tended his nodes, and collected the syca- 
more figs. For the dates here specified, 
see the Introduction. The prophecy is 
specially directed against Israel, or the 
kingdom of the ten tribes, though that 
of Judah, and likewise several foreign 
states,