The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 138

to the feBBts to the house of the Lord; and tliat ie, of idolntriee, which impch them 1o ele.y (victims) in the ueu11l way." The blindly and resistlessly to evil, while at the revolters or apost11tes he takes to be the e0.me time it expels the knowledge of God. worBhippers of B11.&l. "They me.de deep," The first clause is differently rendered. lie e.dds in his exposition, "the snares, those The textu0.l rendering of the Authorized that e.re mentioned, th11t pBBsers-by might Version, viz. they will not frame (litomlly, not see them ; but I will ch11Btise e.ll of them gitJe, direct) their doings to turn unto their for this e,-il which they have done, since it God, denotes their total e.nd absolute rcfueo.l is not hidden from me why they have hid to repent or to bring forth fruits meet for (made) it so deep." The slaughtering is repentance. The o.ctions ore an indox of thus understood by Aben Ezra of slaying the st0.te of the heart, but neither the the sacrificial 'l'ictims. Similarly Kimchi thoughts of Israel at this time, nor their interprets thus : " He says that the revolters deeds which indicated those thoughts, were who are the worshippers of idols, who depart in the direotion of repento.nce. In heart and from the we.vs of God-blessed be he I-and life they were impenitent. This rendering from his soi·yice. like e. woman who is e. ie supported by most of the Hebrew com- revolt.er from under her husband, have made mentators. Rashi so.ye, "They forsake not deep their revolt, slaying and sacrificing to their evil way ; " Aben Ezra, "'£hey perform idols." He would understand the slaughter- not works so as to torn." Kimohi also gives ing neither of victims with Kimchi and e.n alternative sense : "Or the sense of the Aben Ezra; nor of literally slaying Israelites words is thns : They cling eo clos,ily to to prevent persons going up to Jerusalem, their evil works, that even should they for the proper seat of Jehove.h's worship; but of once conceive in their heart the idea of the destructive consequeuces which the con- turning, they immediately repent them of duct of these apostates bronght on the people. it." The marginal rendering nlso yields 11, The work of chastisement God now takes in good sense; it is, Their doings will not suffer hand in good earnest. Droppings of the (e.llow) [them] to turn unto their God. The coming shower there he.d been ; but now pronominal suffix for "them" is wanting, the full flood is to descend, for God presents yet it may be dispensed with, as the append- hi.mself to misleaders and misled alike under ing of it to "doings" e.nd ",God" makes the the sole aspect of rebuke. " I," he says, sense sufficiently explicit. It is favoured by "am cha.sti8ement" (give myself to it). A Ewald, Keil, the Te.rgum, and Kimchi, who like form of expression occurs in Ps. cix. 4, explains: "Their evil works do not allow " I am prayer; " that is, am a man of prayer, them to return to their God, as if he said, or give myself to prayer. Thus Kimchi To such elltent have they multiplied trans- explains the idiom: "The prophet says, Say gression that there is no way left them to not the.t no man shall correct and reprove return, until they receive their punishment." them, therefore they sin ; for I am the persou Such and so great was the power of their who repro,es them all, and day by day I evil habits that they could not break them reprove them, but they will not hearken to off or break away from thew by repentance; me. But raa.ni moser wants the word uh, or so intimately connected is e. change of man, e.s (in Ps. cix. 4) raani tephilah, which heart with e. change of life that, in the we Lave explained raani ish tephilah." absence of the latter, the former is impos- Ver. 3.-I know Ephraim, and Israel is not sible. According to either rendering, the hid from me. All attempts at concealment reason assigned is contained in the next are vaill, thongh sinners try ever so mnch clause : For the spirit of whoredoms is in to hid., their sins from the Divine Majesty. the midst of them, and they have not known However deep they dig downward, God will the Lord. So overmastered were they, as brillg their evil doillgs up and out to the though by Rome fiendish spirit that held liglit of day and punish them. For now, 0 them in check and exercised despotic power Ephraim, thou oommittest whoredom, and over them, that they rushed headlong down Israel is defiled. Israel is the northern the steep incline, like the Gadarene herd kingdom, and Ephraim, being the most of swine, which, when the unclean spirits powerful tribe, is often identified with Israel ; entered into them, re.n violently down a here, however, they are distinguished-Israel steep place into the see.. Neither was there is the kingdom as a whole, and Ephraim is any counteracting force to turn them back its leading tribe. This powerful tribe, ever or reverse their course. Such a force might euvio11S of Judah, was the ringleader ill the have been found in the knowledge of God, calf-woral.tip of Jeroboam and other idola- of hie covenant mercy, of hie power, love, tries; aud through Bpluaim's evil influence grace, and goodness. But this was wanting, the other tribes, and so all Isre.el, were and the absence of this knowledge e.t once defiltd. inereased their impenitence aud aggravated Ver. 4.-In this verse their evil doings their guilt. It was farael's privilege and 11rte traced to au evil spirit of whoredows, Iero.el'e duty to kuow the Lord; for ho had OIi. 'I. 1-lo.] THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 117