The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 169

utwo dBys" to the two cnptivities or his people he.nd, though qnoting Aben Ezra'& comment -th11t in Egypt o.nd tho.t in BBbylon ; while with approval, inclines to the practice.I Bide "the third dBy" donotee tho third or .l?reaent of knowledge: "Let us follow on to know Romnn cBptivity, "out of which he will raise Jehove.h, exercising justice e.nd righteous- us uy nnd we she.11 live before him, so thBt we ness.': His going forth is prepared as the shnl never age.in go into captivity, but ehe.11 mormng; e.nd he she.11 oome unto 111 a.a Ii vo continua.Hy before him, while we Bin no the rain, e.a the latter e.nd former re.in unto more." Ro.ehi refers the words to the three the earth. Here, a.gain, the translation of templee-the.tofSolomon, the.t ofZerubbe.bel, the Authorized Version is susceptible of im- and the temple that is to be built by Mes- provement : hia going forth iii fi:eed aa the shh. Some of the Fe.there understand the 'fflhTning da'!D1' ; and he shall come to us a, three periods in the history of hnme.nity- the p1,entijul rain, as the latter rain which the first, under Adam, as the time of Law e.nd taatereth ( or, watering) the earth. Here we captivity to ain; the second, under Christ, e.e he.ve two beautiful :figures-the mornino- the time of the gospel and of grace ; e.nd da.wn and the fertilizing rain. The goin '::- the third, with Christ, as the time of the forth of Jehovah is represented e.s the su~ general resurrection. Theodorat and moet rising upon the earth, or rather as the dawn of the Fathers understood t)lis verse to refer which here.Ids the day. The advent of sal- to the resurrection of Obrist on the third vation to his people is identified with, or day after three de.ye' rest in the grave. symbolized by, his appearance. But the Calvin, after giving whe.t e.ppee.red to him dawn of day only brings the commencement " the simple and genuine sense" of the of salvation; its complement is found in the passage e.s applying primarily to the Jews, fruits and blessings of salvation. The root 11s we he.ve e.lree.dy seen, adds, "I do of motsa11 is zatsa, which is applied to the not deny but the.t God he.s exhibited e. re- sunrise in Gen. xix. 23, as also in Ps. xix. 7. me.rke.ble e.nd memorable instance of whe.t Parallel passages are found in Isa. lviii. 8, is here said in his only begotten Son. As " Then shall thy light break forth as the often, then, e.s dele.y begets weariness in us, moming(dawn), and thy health shall sprin;; let us flee to Christ; for, e.s it he.s been said, forth speedily ; " and Ix. 2, " The Lord sliall his resurrection is e. mirror of our life; for arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen we see in that how God is wont to deal upon thee." Further, the word nak011, with his own people: the Father did not meaning "prepared," "fixed firm," is applied restore life to Christ e.s soon e.s he we.a ta.lien to the clear bright light of morning, as in down from the cross; he we.s deposited in Prov. iv. 18, "The path of the just i.s as the the sepulchre, and he le.y there till the third shining light, that shineth more and more day. When God, then, intends that we unto the perfect (n•kon) day." The plentiful should languish for e. time, let us know that rain is that which falls after the sowing of we a.re thus represented in Christ our Hee.d, the seed in October (the beginning of the e.nd hence let us gather me.terie.ls of confi- Hebrew yee.r) and in the following months ; dence. We he.ve, then, in Obrist an illus- while the malqosh is the late or spring rain, trious proof of this prophecy.• The political which, falling in March e.nd till the middle resurrection of Israel may dimly shadow of April, precedes and promotes the· harvest. forth, by way of type, the resurrection of The LXX. translates the (1) concluding Messiah and the general resurrection of clause by veTor 1rpw,i,or o.nd &,j,,i,or errone- which he is the Firstfruits. ously, for zoreh is not a noun with b• being Ver. 3.-Then shell we know, ifwe follow understood before "earth;'' neither is it (2) on to know the Lord. This is more accurately the future Hiph., which would necessitate rendered by, let us there/ore /mow, hunt the ellipse being supplied by o.sher; it is the after the knowledge of Jehovah, the verbs Qal participle in the sense of "watering." Ge- being both cohortative and no conditional shem is "e. violent or plentiful rain," stronger particle (" if") in the second clause. The than the usual word for" rain," matar; while second clause is a more emphatic and ener- malqosh is " the late rain " which ceo.ses a getic reaffirmation of the first, urging to short time before harvest. The explano.tion active and zealous effort and steady perse- of the•• de.wn" by Aben Ezra is erroneous: verance in obtaining the knowledge of God " The intelligent man at the beginning -a knowledge theoretic, but especially knows God-blessed be he I-by his works, practice.I. Aben Ezra understands the liko the dawn of day in its going forth; but exhortation of intellectual know ledge : " To moment after moment the light increases, lmO\v Jehovah is the secret of all wisdom, until thefull truth becomes visible." Kime hi and for this alone was man created. But he more correctly explains the figure as follows: cannot know God till he has learnt many "If we shall do this, viz. follow on to kuow doctrines of wisdom, which are, as it were, the Lord, then he will be to us e.s the morn- a ladder in order to mount up to this highest ing dawn, of which the going forth is fixed step of knowledge." Kimohi, on the other [purposed by God and certllinJ as though h~ ms THE BOOK OF HOSEA. [011, VI, 1-11,