The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 102

to thiA sonse, It is usrd in the Prophet and not thr.,w the hlBme on othen; but Jereminh; and it explnins itself in liko thia renrlering is not ton,ihle nor cBpe.bl'l nf mnnnor in one of these two ways." With being supporte,\ by such Bn expression ~" tbo mourning of the lnncl the dwellers there- ish b•ish. The correct rendering (2) is in languish. Nor is this longuishingconclition rather, only /,et no man ,trive (with them), confi11ecl to rational beings; it comprises the anfl let no man -reprlYlle th-,m. This impon, irrationnl as well, ancl the.t without excep- (n) that ree.soning with them would be use- tion. The clominion assignee! me.n at tho less, e.ncl reproof thrown away, in eonsP,- beginning over the whole creation of Goel is qnence of the desperate obstinac.y of thrH" here revereecl in the ce.se of Iera.el ; while the offenders : or (b) that they were so self-wil I,, l clenunciation of wrath hoe th11.t reverse.I for that they wonlr\ not e.llow e.ny one to re- its dark baokground. The terms of the prove them for their conduct. The rendering· dominion to man by the Creator are, "He.ve (1) is fe.vourecl by Kimchi: "Let a man not dominion over the fish of the sco., and over strive, nor reprove his fellow for his wicked- the fowl of the air, and· over every living ness, for it profits him not, because he also thing that moveth upon the earth;" but in cloes evil like him." The fa.et often ex- this clenuncie.tion these terms e.re reversccl perienced in a sea.son of public calo.mity, and ree.d backwe.rds, being, " with the beBSts that every one comes forth as a corrector of of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; morals, e.nd transfers to his neighbour the yee., the fishes of the sea a.lso." 'l'hus all Clluse of such calamity, Hitzi~ illustrates hy nature, ine.nimate and anime.te, and all crea- the following words of Curtius: "Quod in tion, rational and irre.tional, are involved in e.dversis rebus fieri solet, alius in a\ium cul- the consequences of Isre.el'e sin. The par- pam transferebat." The explanation (2, b), ticles "yee., even," precedii;ig "the fishes of which is pretty much that of Ewa.Id, is sup- the sea" (such as the See. of Ge.lilee or other ported by the comments of Rashi e.nd Aben inle.nd seas and rivers), show the entirely Ezra. The former explains: "Ye warn th" unexpeotecl as well e.s uµusue.l nature of the true prophet.a age.inst striving with you a.u,l event. The Chaldee paraphrases the cle.use against reproving you;" the latter: "Ther" as follows: "And even the fishes of the see. is no one that strives with another or re- shall be diminished in number, on e.ceount of proves him: and yet it was the right of the their (Israel's) sins." Ee.rth refuses susten- priest to reprove Israel ; but now they turn ance to me.n and beast, no longer yielding to reprove the priest, for he e.lso is wicked grass for the cattle or herb for the service of in his works." But (3) Pnsey's rendering, man; the we.tere of the see., being lessened by though only a slight modification of the clrought or becoming putrid by stagnation, preceding, conveys a different sense. It is no longer supply their accustomed quota of "Only men let him not.strive, and let not fishes for hume.n food. An illustration of man reprove," which he explains as follows: the literal sense he.a been quoted by Rosen- "God had taken the controversy with bis miiller and Pusey from Jerome. It is the people into his own hands; the Lord, he following: "Whoso believeth not that this said (ver. 1), had a controversy (rib) with befell the people of Israel, let him survey the inhabitants of the land. Here he forLids Illyricum, let him survey the Thraces, Mace- man to intermeddle; ma.n let him not donia, the Pa.nnonias, and the whole land strive (he again uses the same wore!). The which stretches from the Propontis and people were obstinate and would not hear; Bosphcrus to the Julian Alps, and he will . . . so God bids man to cee.se to speak in experience the.t, together with man, all the bis Ne.me. He himself alone will implend creatures also fe.il, which afore were nourished them, whose pleading none conld evade or by the Cree.tor for the eervioe of man." The contre.dict." The rendering (2) is, in our Ze before ,n is explained by Abe.rbe.nel in the opinion, deciJedly entitled to the preference sense of through, as though the inhe.bitants both on the ground of simplicity and agree- would be sle.in by wild beasts : by Hitzig ment with the following clBuse. That clause, as extending to; by Keil as of in enumera- for thy people are as they thBt Btrive with tion. It is simply with. Ver. 4 looks like the priest, is thought by Abarbanel to an interjected clause, coming in the middle allude to the opposition of Korab anil his of the enumeration of Divine judgments; company to Ae.ron the high priest, as re- and the purpose is not so much to justify corded in Numb. xvi., cmd referred to in the severity of those judgments e.s to inti- Ps. cvi. In tho former passage, at the mate their inefficacy, owing to the incor- eleventh verse, it is asked, "Aud what is rigible character of the people. There is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?" while (\) the renclering of the Authorized Version, in the fatter, at ver. 16, we read the state- Yot let no man strive, nor reprove another. ment: "'!'hey envied !\loses ll.lso in the 'l'his seem~ to show tbat mutunl reproofwo.s camp, nnd All.ron the :;niut of the Lord." out of place1 since oue was as bad RB another; Thi• o.llusion, by which tho [sraelites of the or that every ~me we.e to look to his own sins, prophet's day were comparell to tlle Korab-  100 THE BOOK OF HOSEA. [oll. IV. 1-19.