The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 241

~til I more, so as to denote a storm of greatest begun. Suoh is the o:z:tension of the pun- violence. The double feminine ending is ishment. Now shall they be (rather, are re,!!'.arded by most as strengthening the then beoome) among the <ientilee as a veuol sense in this word ruphath.ah, ;ir;it;i'!'.I, ;,r;i~W., wherein is no plee.suro. 'l'ha prosperity, do. It he.th no ste.lk (m1u·gin, standing population, property, cmd oven natio1mlity, con,) : the bud ahe.11 yield no meal; better, are swallowed up-engulfed as iu soma ~1,oot brings no fruit. This is a further abyss, so as to be undiscovemble to the development of the figure. When wind is present time; while their reputation bas tbe seed sown, destruction represented by suffered so sorely that they are despised as tempest is the harvest reaped. The seed a worthless household vessel-a vessel unto sown produoes no stalk, or at least no stalk dishonour, never of much worth, but now with ~rRin in it-no stRnding corn. If the cast away as entirely unfit for use. ~eed ~hf1ot up at all, the shoot has no fruit. Ver, 9.-For they e.re gone up to A11&yria, Here the ph1y on words, of which the a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath Hebrews were so fond, is obvious-the tse- hired lovers. All their misery and mis- ,nach has no yemach; the he.Im has no fortune they have brought upon themselves, maim; the Spross no Sclwss; the corn no They have prepared this fate for them- kern. If so be it yield, the strangers shall selves, and made themselves meet for their swallow it up. 'Wben, or if, any fruit is fate. The second clause is correctly ren- attained, the in,.asion ofrapacions foreigners dered, a wild ass goes alone by itself; and swallows it up. Fir,t. then, when the wind this clause is an independent statement-not of ,·ain human efforts is the sowing, de- connected by :.i of comparison either with struction is the harvest. If the seed spring the clause preceding nor with the succeeding up at all, the ear does not fill; or if the one. Instead of saying that Ephraim, that ear should fill, there is no substance in it; ia, Israel, went up to Assyria like a stubborn or if it fill and have substance, the rapacity wild ass alone by itself, or that like a wild of hostile invaders consumes it. Tbns a ass going a.lone Ephraim hired (sued for) blight falls on all they do. Kimchi ex- lovers, the statement stands independent plains the verse fully as follows : "Because and in a measure detached, the meaning the prophet compares their works to one being that even a wild ass, stupid and stub- who sows the wind, he adds further to the born as that animal is, keeps by itself to sa.me image, and says, • It has no stalk, it secure its independence, The conduct of reaches not the time when it shall be stalk' Israel, however, appears to disadvantage in (or' standing eorn '). Now ;mp is the name contrast with that of a stupid wild ass; it is of the corn when it stands ready for the more stupid and senseless; their folly is hnrvest, from which the husbandmen (lite- seen by the comparison: it maintained its rally, 'sowers ') soon expect enjoyment, i.e. independence by going a.lone, Ephraim lost after har-est, when they shall make it into independence by soliciting help from heathen meal. Yea, even at the time they expect allies. What, then, was the object to the profit from their works, they shell have attainment of which this foolish conduct none. And he says further, 'The shoot was directed ? In other words, why did shall not produce fruit or meal,' as if he Israel go on this stupid mission to Assyria ? said, • E ,·eu should the seed spring up after What did they seek to gain by it? The the sowiug.' He thus represents in a figure third clause contains the answer : they that should tuey prosper a little in their sought help and succour from the Assyrians. works after they have begun to do evil, yet Thus the first clause, giving a reason for that prosperity will not last, and it will not their calamity, shows it was self-procured come to perfect enjoyment (beauty) like by Ephraim going up to Assyria ; the eoru which eomes to harvest and to grinding. second clause exposes the folly of such And if it should yield, strangers devour it. conduct in seeking prohibited and pernioious Perhaps for a time it may produce so as to foreign alliances ; the third clause specifies eo1De to meal, as if he said that, sbould they the precise object of Ephraim's sinful and prosper in their possessions so that e. little foolish mission, namely, the procuring of "njoywent should be accorded to them e.t succour from Aijsyri.a. The above explana- tlie first, then strangers shall come and tion, (I) which is in substance Keil'a, and devour it, and their enjoyment will not be which is a contrast between the indepen- complete." dence of the wild ass and Ephraim's servile Ver. 8.-lere.el is swallowed up. Not suing for foreign help, is, we think, simpler only shall the productions of their land be and more correct than (2) the common one, bwallowed up, but the persons of the IB- which is a comparison of the wilfulness, ratlites shall Le consumed; nor is the event waywardness, and wantonness of the wild for off in tl,e distant future, though the e.ssroaming solitarily by itself with Ephraim'& Hebrew commentators trauslate the past as wilful waywardness in going up to Assyria J,rophetic future; already has the proce111 for suc~our,, and wanto~ness m 11uing .fof OJI, vm. 1-14.J THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 2(1.