The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 206

"to call on the Ne.me or JehovA.h," whioh is retribution, thorefore, when God gave them rather to re,·<:>ren<:>e and worship JC1hovab. over into the hand of those hcttLhen peoples 2. The word j'1 is more poetic than t:iic~, to WI\Ste their resources 1111d leave them though the meaning of both is "jndging," the ehom of their strength. The sel'ond clause latter probably derived from npr, to set, then is the counterpart of this; euctly liko the to set right, defend. S. Their not calling peoples su hseq uontly brought from Assyri11, unto God is well explained by Kimchi as and planted in the ll\nds of the dispossessed follows: " Also they (the people) had fallen Israelites, they worshipped the Lord, but by the hand of their enemies, the kings of served their owu gods-they were neither the Gentiles; but, notwithstanding this, no true worshippers of Jehovah norout-und-out one among them calls to me. They should followers of Baal. In religion they were have thought in their heart, There is no mongrels-inconsistent 11nd worthless hy- power in the band of our king to help us out brids; they were, in foct, wh11t Calvin in of our distress; we will turn to Jehovah, for rather homely phrase says of them," neither he will be our Helper." This verse is not flesh nor fisli." The comment of Kimohi so difficult as the three preceding; we pro- is concise as it is clear: "The prophet means ceed, therefore, iu regular order to the uen. to say, He (Israel) mixes himself among the peoples ; though God-blessed be he I-sepa- rated them from them, yet they mix them- Ver. 8.-Ephraim, he h&th mixed himself selves among them and do according to amo:ng the people; Ephraim is a oa.ke not their works." His explanation of the second turned. The people of the northern king- clause is not so satisfactory when he says, dom had fallen away from Jehovah, and " As a cake which is baked upon the coals; mixed themselves with the heathen nation- if they do not turn it, it is burnt below and alities. They resembled a cake which, not baked above, so is tile counsel that is through neglect of turning, wae burnt ou not right when they do not turn it from the one side and raw on the other. The best side to side ( sense to sense) until they bring commentary on the first clause of this verse it upon their wheels (into action). So is found in Ps. cvi. 35, 36, and 39 ; they (thoughtless and hasty) is Ephraim in his de- " were mingled among the heathen, and termination to serve the calves and other gods learned their works. And they served their without proving and choosing what is good." idols : which were a snare unto them. . . . (2) Other explanations need only be referrer! Thus were they defiled with their own to in order to be rejected, as (1) that of works, and went a-whoring with their own Rashi, who is followed by Grotius. He inventions." The second clause is well ex- takes the verb in the future sense: "Ephraim plained by Bishop Horsley ae follows: " One in exile shall be mixed among the peoples." thing on one side, another on the other; But it is obviously the present, not the bnmt to a coal at bottom, raw dough at the future time, that is intended-the present top. AD apt image of a character that is all sin, not its future punishment. There is inconsistencies. Such were the ten tribes of (2) the explanation of Aben Ezra, followed the prophet's day; worshippers of Jehovah by Eichhorn and Maurer, referring to the in profession, but adopting all the idolatries alliances or treaties which the northern of the neighbouring nations, ia addition to kingdom formed with their neighbours to their own semi-idolatrv of the calves." repel their enemies, and by which the re- Similarly, the Geneva Bible has, "Baked sources of the land were consumed; while on one side and raw on the other, he is the second clause, (a) according to Aben neither tlmiugh hot nor through cold, but Ezra, refers to the over-hastiness ail!l partly a Jew and partly a Gentile." Je- thoughtlessness with which Israel proceeded hovah had chosen Israel out of the nations in their resolutions; and, (b) according to of the earth, and given them a special con- Maurer, Jerome, and Theodoret, it signifies stitntion. Tl,e object of this segregation what is spoiled, ill-advised, and worthless. was that Israel should be 11, peculiar people Ver. 9. - Strangers have devoured his and a holy nation. Thus distinguished, they strength, and he knoweth it not. Israel's were to dwell alone; but, ungrateful for this intercourse with other nationalities could high disLinction., and unmindful of their not Lut issue in disaster; a specimen of higl, destiny, they mingled with the nations, that disaster is !Jere gi\'en. As the Greeks learned their heathenish ways, and wor- called all who did not speak the Greek lan- shipped their hateful idols. Thus they for- guage, whether they were savage or civilized, feited their theocratic pre-eminence. While barberians, so Israel called ull foreigners, it was their privilege as well as duty to whether near or far off, strangers. The tollow the precepts of Jehovah, and serve foreign nations here meant were those with him with undivided aft"ection, they fell away which Israel had entered into treaties or from his storvict nnd adopted the idolatries formed alliances, in coutmveution of the 11,nd habits of the heatheu; it we.s ouly a just constitution which God had given them, OH. VII, 1-16.] 'rH I~ BOOK OF HOSEA. 205