The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 47

eho.mefnl things." The nature of her sh11,rne- clothing; while the oil and drinks were, tlrn ful conduct is more definitely e.nrl distinctly former for ornament, the latter for refresh- cxpreesed in the clauses which follow; e.nd ment, and so included all luxuries; thue in coneisted of severe.I particulars. 'fhere is Ps. :xxiii. 5, "Thou anointe•t my hee.d with the persistent pursuit of her lovers; then oil;" and in Pa. cii. 9, "And ming-led my the unblushing boldness with which she ,lrink [literally, 'drinks,' the eame word, 11vows her determination to continue that •kigguyar] with weeping;" also in Ps. civ. course; and next come her expectations from 15 we read of " wine that maketh glad the them. The.t give me my bree.d e.nd my we.ter, heart of mo.n, and oil to make his face to my wool e.nd my flu, mine oil and my drink shine, and hree.d which strengthened man's (margin, d1·inl,a). The original word here heart." rendered "lovers" is the Piel participle, Ver. 6.-Therefore, behold, I will hedge up which may ho.ve either its usue.l intensive thy we.y with thorns, and make a we.ll, that sense or its occe.sione.l causative sense in she Bhall not find her paths. The sudden whioh it is ta.ken by Rosenmiiller, who has"&.· change of person from the third to the me.re me facientes," equivalent to "wooers." second iY very observable. This directness It matters little which way we understand of e.ddress ie, in this instance, expressive of it. The more important point is to determine de~p indignation. She had avowed her who or what are here meant by lovers. Moat determination to pursue her evil courses commentators understand them to be those shamefully and sinfully, as if in despite and nations whose friendship Israel set such defiance of the Almighty. In deep and store by-the Assyrie.ns e.nd the Egyptians. undisguised displeasure, and with a sudden- Thus Grotius e.nd Jerome,-the latter ex- ness springing from indignation, he affirmy plains them of theAssyrians and Egyptians his determination to thwart her course of and other nations, with whose idols Israel sin and shame; as though addressing her committed fornication, and from which in personally and promptly, he said, ".Then distress they vainly hoped for help; so also thou aha.It not be able to carry out thy Kimchi, in the following comment: "By plan or accomplish thy purpose; I will see 'friends' he implies the Assyria.as and Egyp- to that." The hedge and wall are elsewhere, tians joined in alliance to the Israelites, as in Job i. 10 and Isa.. v. 5, used for pro- who delivered them from their enemies, so tection and defence, here for prevention and that they Iived safely, in return for the obstruction, and similarly in Job xix. 8, gifts (tribute) which they (the Israelites) "He hath fenced up my way that I cannot were in the habit of giving them. And as pass, and he bath set darkness in my paths ; " they lived in tranquillity in virtue of the and in Le.m. iii. 7, "He hath hedged me compact entered into with them, the prophet about, the.t I cannot get out,'' and ver. 9, represents it as if they supplied them with "He bath enclosed my ways with hewn all the necessaries of life. For with their stone, he bath made my paths crooked." help they tilled their lo.nd ,vithout fear and Thus Kimchi: "I will hedge thy way with in safety traded from country to country." thorns, so that they cannot go out of the Kimchi quotes at the same time his father's city because of the devastation ; and her (Joseph .Kimchi) interpretation: "But my lovers shall not be able to help her, and lord my father of blessed memory explained they are Assyria. and Egypt." After quoting ' after her lovers ' of the sun and moon and his father's explanation of lovers, he pro- stars, which they worshipped: while their ceeds: "So their way is as if there were in intention wo.s that they gave them their food it a thorn hedge, and thorns that she could and their sufficiency, as they said,' But since not pass through it, and could not find her we left off to burn incense to the queen of paths in which she walked." The fence heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto here is double-one a hedge of thorns, sharp, her, we have wo.nted all things, and have prickly, e.nd piercing, such as forbid her been conswned by the sword and by the forcing a way through: the other a. we.II of famine.'" 'l'his exposition of Josep_h Kim- stone that cannot be climbed, or leaped, or chi is much nearer the truth than that of otherwise got over. We need not try to his son Do.vid; it is, however, too restricted. specify the puticular circumstances the.t Tha "lovers" were the idols on which the thus hedged in and wlllled about the adul- people of the northern kingdom so dm\ted, teress-whether fightings within or foes o.nd on which they placed so much dapen- beleaguering without, whether stro.itened dence. The blessings which they vainly mee.ns or str~sij of circumsto.nces raising an expected from these idols are enumero.ted: impassable biirrier against the practice of they were-food o.nd raiment lllld luxuries ; idolatry, or an enforced conviction of its the bread o.nd water were the o.rticles of futility. "If," says Kimchi, "she seek to food, o.s it is written elsewhere, "Bread shall Assyria and Egypt, they will not give her be given him: his waters sho.11 he sure:" their friendship and their help." the wool o.nd flux were the nrntcl'inls for Ver, 7.--And she shall follow after her  THE BOOK OF HOSEA. [cu. n. 1-23.