The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 207

'I'hese no.tions, moreover, devoured their in departing from the Lord ; and at the so.me no.tione.l resources by the imposition of t!Lxes ti~e the dangerous consequences that were o.nd hostile incursions; thus the King of neither remote nor capable of being staved Syric, left "of the people to J ehoahaz only off; e.s e.lso the only poesible cure to be found fifty horsemen, e.nd ten cha.riots, o.nd ten in direct e.nd immediate return and appli- thousand footmen ; for th<> King of Syria cation to the.t God from whom they had so ho.d destroyed them, e.nd ho.d made them revolted. The"it"supplied in the Authorized like the dust by threshing;" a.go.in, when Version (I) had better be omitted; (2) the "Pul, the King of Assyria, co.me against the construction adopted by Rashi and others, l11nd," we rmd that Meno.hem gave Pnl e. who make the first po.rt of each cliwse the thouse.nd talents of silver, the.t his hand object of the second, is erroneous, as we have might be with him to confirm the kingdom shown in the preceding observations. "They in his hand. And Meno.hem exo.cted the took it not to heart that the kings of Syria money of Israel, even of o.11 the mighty men consumed them in the days of Jehoahaz" is of wealth, of e~,ch man fifty shekels of ail ver, the exposition of Rashi just referred to; to give to the King of Assyria;" then," in but that of Kimchi favours the first e.nd the days of Pekah King of Israel came correct construction, as may be inferred from Tigle.th-pileser King of Assyria, and took the worda, "And he (Israel) knows not that Ijon, and Abel-beth-me.ache.h, and Janoah, on account of his iniquity e.11 this has come and Kedesh, o.nd Razor, and Gilead, e.nd upon him, e.nd yet he turns not from his Ge.lilee, all the le.ad ofNaphte.li, and carried wickedness." them co. pti ve to Assyria.." The strength here Ver. l0.-And the pride of Israel testifieth mentioned includes e.11 those things which to his fe.oe : e.nd they do not return to the constitute the wealth and well-being of a Lord their God, nor seek him for e.ll thill country, the produce of the soil and the (amid all this). If with Keil and others (1) riches of its inhabitants. Thus Aben Ezra we understand" the pride oflsrael" to mean rightly explains this clause, referring it to Jehovah the glory of Israel, o.nd take the "the tribute which the Israelites gave to verb in the sense of" testify," the meaning Assyria e.nd Egypt, e.s is written in the Book will be the.t J ehove.h bore witness to the of Kings." Yea, grey hairs are here and face of Israel by the weakening and wasting there (margin, sprinkled) upon him. What of their kingdom, e.s portrayed in the pre- from foreign foes e.nd internal feuds, the ceding verse. We prefer (2) to understand body politic we.a manifesting unmistakable "the pride of Israel " in the sense of " the symptoms of decay e,ud decrepitude e.nd ap- haughtiness" of Israel, e.nd the verb in the proaching dissolution, just e.s grey hairs on sense of "being bumbled," e.s e.t eh. v. 5. the human body give indication of the The ree.l meaning, then, is expressed in the advance of old e,ge, with its decay of strength foUowing rendering: And the hauahtiness and nearness to the tomb. " The course of of Israel shall be humbled to his face. This nature," says Aben Ezra, "he.a sprinkled humiliation is the effect of the wasting grey hairs upon him, just e.s grey he.ir comes mentioned in the preceding verse; while the on men in consequence of the course of evidence of their humiliation is specified in nature;" this corresponds to the sentiment the succeeding verse by their resorting to of the preceding clause, for, according to Egypt e.nd repairing to Assyria. from a con- the commentator just named," the grey he.ir sciousness of their helplessness. This render- denotes the.t their power is weakened e.nd ing is countene.nced by the LXX., both here their possession perished." Yet he knoweth e.nd e.t eh. v. 5; while Rashi says, "The verb not is parallel to" And he knoweth (it) not," m]1 has the meaning of' humiliation.'" For and repee.ts the same sentiment, of courea all this. This emphasizes the obstinate blind- with emphasis. Of whe.t wus Ismel thus ness e.nd perverseness of Ephraim, when, iguomnt? Not, surely, of the declining 11mid e.11 the oe.le.mities and miseries of the state of the no.tional strength and the dece.y kingdom both with.in e.nd without, they of the no.tionnl importo.nce. After so many turned not to Jehovah to solicit help e.nd dro.ins upon I heir resources and the unsatis- delivere.nce, but ooucluded tree.ties or me.de factory position of their foreign relations, e.llie.noes with foreign nations in hope of they could not shut their eyes upon the being lifted up out of their n11tione.l iinpo- steadily and even rapidly approe.ching de- tenoe. On this Aben Ezra makes ibe cadence. But though they could not pretend judicious remark: "They turned not to ignore.nee of the fact, they remained in igno- Jehovah as paupers who ho.ve nothing more re.noo of the co.use, its consequence, and the to give foreign nations that they may help cure. Notwithste.uding the already ex- them." he.usted coudition of their country, e.nd the Ver. 11.-Ephnim e.lso is like e. silly dove process of exhaustion still going on, they without heart. The silliness of the dove, overlooked the lameutable co.use of aU, with whioh the stupidity of Ephraim is which wns their sin, ne.tione.l and individual, compared, is not manifested by its missing  206 THE BOOK OF HOSEA, [OIL VIL ,l-10.