The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 107

from bis worship, notwUbstanding his amaz- feelings to the quick and pain them In the ing oondeecension and love by which he tenderest part, Their personl\l honour pl&ood himself in the rel&tion of a busb&nd would be compromised by such sco.ndo.lous tow1LmS thPm. conduct on the po.rt of thoir d&ughtors; Yer. 13.-They noriil.oe upon the topa of their family honour would be wounded nnd the mount&ina,and b111'11 inoell8e upon thehilla, the ftt.ir fo.me of posterity tarnished by under 011.lnl a.nd popla.ra 11.nd elms, beoauae the such gross misconduct on the po.rt of the shadow thereof ill good. The prophet here d&ughtern-in-lBw. The following observo.- enlarges on the sin of idol&try mentioned tions a.re m&de on the last member of this in the preceding verse, and explains fully thirteenth verse by tho Hebrew commen- bow it 8liowed itself in the public life of tbc tators: "Deca.use tho men of the house go peoph·. Two pl&ces o.re spooified as scenes out of the city to the high mountains a.nd or idolo.trous worship : one was the tops of under every green tree there to serve idols, rnonnta.ins and hills; the other under every therefore their d&ughters and dnugbters-in- green tree, here specified as oaks, poplars, law have opportunity to commit whoredom und terebinths, '\S"hctber growing alone or in and adultery" (Kimohi). To like purpose gro\'es, in vale or upland. The bills and A hen Ezrn writes: "The sense is-On the rnountB.in-tops were selected on account of , bo.re mounto.ins and so 011 the hills they their elevation, as though the worshippers eBCrifice; they say to the priests of Bo.a.I tha.t were thus brought nearer to the objects of they sho.11 sacrifice; a.nd therefore, bec&use their a,loration ; the green trees as affording the men go out of the cities in order to bu?'Q sho.de from the scorching heat of an Eo.stem incense, the do.ughters a.nd da.ughters-in-la'lt sun, secrecy for their licentious rites, and remain in the houses behind, therefore they " sort of solemn awe associated with such commit whoredom." Somewbo.t different is ~ho.dew. In snch scenes they not only slew the explan&tion of Rashi : " Because ye nsso- victims, but burnt odours in honour of their ciate for idolatry after the manner of the idols. The resemblance to, if not imitation h&o.then, a.nd the heathen associate with of, the rites of heathenism in all this is you, and ye form affinities with them, your obvions. Among the Greeks the oak was daughters a.lso who are born to you by the sacred to Jupiter o.t Dodona, a.nd among the daughters of the heathen conduct them- old Britons the Druidical priests practised selves a.fter the manner of their mothers, their superstitions in the shadow of the ,:,aks, a.nd commit whored.cm." ' The poplar again was se.cred to Hercules, Ver. 14.-I will not punish yom.' daughten affording a most grateful she.de; while in when they oommit whoredom, nor your Ezek. vi 13 we read that '' under every thick sponses when they oommit adnlter;y. The terebinth" was one of the places where spiritnal adultery of parents and husbands " they did offer .eweet savoux to their idols." would be punished by the oo.mal adultery The inveterate custom of these idolaters is of daughters and wives; sin would thus be implied in the Piel or iterative form of the punished by sin. Their own dishonour o.nd verb ; the singular of the nouns, under oak disgrace, through the Ullfaithfulness of per- and poplar and terebint:h, intimates that sons so near to them, would impress them scene after scene of Israel's sin passes with a sense of the. pishonoux done to God, under the prophet's review, each exciting the spiritual Husband of. his people; their his deep indignation ; the mention of the feeling of pa.in and ~ho.me in consequence goodly shadow seems designed to heighten would convey to them a cleB?er notion of that feeling of just indignation., as though the abhorrence which their offences had it came into competition or comparison occasioned to God. But their puuishment with '' the shadow of the Almighty," the would become more severe, o.nd their pain a.biding-place of him that "dwelleth in intensified by the Divine refusal to avenge the secret place of the Most High." them by punishing the lewdness that Therefore your daughten shall commit ea.used such dishonour. While punish- whoredom, and 7our spo'IISe■ (properly, ment would prevent the sin a.ud consequent d.aughter1-in-lau,) llhall oom.mit adnlter;y. ;,~=!l reproach, impunity, or the postponement of primarily signifies " bride," but for the punishment, would leave the offenders to go pa.rents of the bridegroom, " daughter-in- on in their couue of sin and she.me. Aben law ," its secondBry sense. The bad example Ezra comments on this fourteenth verse a.a of the parents acts upon their children a.nd follows: "'.rhe sense is-It is not to be reacts upon themselves; on their children in wondered at if the daughters commit whore- ca.ubiug bad conduct, on themselves by way dom ; for they themselves, when they go up of cl.ia.stiBementM. The pa.rents had been to the tops of the mountains to bur~ in- guilty of spiritual whoredom by their idole.- cense, eat a.nd drink with harlots and com- try ; their daughters and daughters-in-law mit whore,loui-a.11 of them. And, behold, would commit whoredom in the literal o.nd the sense is, not tha.t he shall not punj.sh aa.rnal 11ton»e. Thi11 would wolllld the parenti' them at all, but he ~peab in regard to, i.o. OJL IV, 1-19,] THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 105