symbollco.lly, e.s tl10 fulfilment of the pro- the true Shepherd ofisrael, may dennt.e thci r phot's vivid picturo. Wo must look to gospel restor!ltion out ot a.II tho countries of tlu•ir times o.nd gospel scenes for the re11lize.tion of dispersion to their ancient territory, a.gain the l(lorinus promise under consideration. become their own land, and their nwn in J owish interpreters themsAl ves refer it to the perpetual po_ssessfon. Thus the Targum times of Messil\h, Thus Kimehi so.ys, "This understands 1t of the land of the, ,Jews' cap- shull tnko pl11Ce in the gathering together of tivity; likewise Kimchi: "They shall go up tho exiles in the d,ws of the Messiah,for unti:, out of the land of their captivity to their the second house there went up only Judah own land; for the land of Israel is higher and Benjamin that had been exiles in than all lands, and he that goeth thither Babylon; nor were the children of Judah goeth up, e.nd he that goeth out of it goeth e.nd the children of Isrnel g11thcred together; down." 'fhe initial and typical fulfilment and they she.11 make for themselves one we.a the return of Judah, joiued by many head,-this is the King lllessie.h ;" similarly, Isra.elites;out of Babylon under Zerubbabel. in the 'llletsude.th David,' by Altschul, we The final fulfilment me.y be the restoration read on this passage, " They ahall be gathered of the Jews, converted and believing in together: this will come to pass in the days of Messiah, under Divine guidance, to their the Messiah. One head: this is the King own land. (2) If, on the other hand, the Messiah. .And they shall come up ; out of the place of the preceding ve:rse be Palestine, lands of the captivity they shall go up unto the land of their rejection and subsequent their own land." We cannot possibly mis- recognition as the sons of God. the going up te.ko the objects of this prophecy; they are may refer to the going up of the inhabitants expressly declared to be "the children of of both kingdoms to J ernse.lem, the dwelling- Judah e.nd tbe children of Israel "-the two place of their common king of David's line ; distinctive branches of the Hebrew race, the not in the sense or going up, e.s Ewald and two constituent elements of the Jewish others understand it, to do battle in order to nationality, and comprehending the whole widen the boundaries of their native lanJ natural posterity of J srael. There can be and make room for the returning exiles. just as little doubt about the prime.ry and (3) But whether the plac1, be the country of proper application of the prophecy to the Palestine or the lands of their dispersion, conversion of the people of the Jews. For the going np may be nnderstood spiritually a. time they were not to be the people of of their coming up to join themselves to thn God; but the testimony of the prophet to Church, or rather to the Church's Head, as their a.gain becoming the sons of the living under the old economy the tribes of Israel God is quite unmistakable, They shall went up out of all parts of the lo.nd to appoint themselves one head. " The pro- worship at Jerusalem. It will thus apply phet," says Calvin, " has, by the expression, properly enough to their spiritual journey characterized the obedience of faith; for it onward and upward to the hea.venly Canaan. is not enough that Christ should be given For great sho.11 be the day of Jezreel The as a King, and set over men, unless they also names of the prophet's children were names embrace him as their King, and with rever- of ill omen-God's sowing in the sense of ence receive him. We now learn that, when God's scattering, Not-my-people, ~ot-pitied; we believe the gospel, we choose Christ for now the evil is eliminated, the meaning of our King, as it were, by a voluntary consent." ihe second and third is reversed, and the The words are adopted by both Peter and first is read in a new signification, so that Paul: the former (1 Pet. ii. 10) employs Not-my-people becomes My people, Vo.pitied them as an appropriate description, in Old becomes Pitied, God's sowing is no longer Testament language, of the h11ppy change God's scattering but God's growing. 'l'he of condition consequent on the knowledge curse is thus changed into a blessing; great, of the truth ; the latter (Rom. ix. 25) quotes then, shall be the day so signalized by Di vine them more formally in an extension of their goodness, so glorious in Divine grace, ll.Jld su meaning beyond their primary import, and conspicuous for the wonclrous works of the proper and liternl application to the Jews, covenant-keeping God. Most of the older as an exemplification of the principle of interpreters take Jezreel here, lL8 in vers. 4 once not my people, now my people. In this and 5, equivalent to "scattered of God." extension of their meaning they embrnce, no Aben Ezra says, "But the iniquity of the doubt, the Gentiles, though not the objects house of Israel is punished. And behold, originally and chiefly contempl!lted in the it is all said by way of reproach, not prophecy. (1) If the place mentioned in the praise." previous verse be the plaoe or lands of their Ch. ii. 1.-Say ye 1111to your brethren, dispersion, on the change indicated taking Am.mi; and to your sisters, RuhDJD.S.!l. place, namely, their conversion to Christ as Divine mercy being now receive,!, th<J re- King, then their coming up out of tht1 land cipients are urge,l to extend to each otho,· under the sole headship of the Son of D,wid, the right hand of fellowship, exhorting oue 10 '£HE BOOK OF HOSEA. [CH, I, 1-11
Rnother, encouraging one another, oon:11.rm- a son and & daught.er, thoJirophot therefore ing eRoh other in the faith, and tnututillv adds, • your brothe?B an your 11Bt.er1 '" provoking e&Ob other to love and good (Kimohi). worb. " Booall88 the comparison dea.la with