fanciE>d plenitude of power WM unable to quenoe or concomitant of irrellgion and of protC'Ct or help them, and that bco,rnse they false religion, instancing their doccptivo hR<l r<'i<"<',ted JchovRh and cRst aeide hie dealing iu the common affairs of life and fear. 'I'lw point of time denoted by "now" their perjury in publio compacts or cove- is ,,ither when they soe destruction before nants, ll.ll also their general unrighteousness. their eyes, or when ll!l'ael is already in cap- Ho threatens to destroy their idols to the tivity. Rnshi explRins it in t.hc former distress of their worshippers and ministering t>en~e : "When destruction shall rome upon priests as well as of their ohief oitv. Ho them. they i,hall say, •We ha,e no king,' that threatens further oo oause their oalf-idols to is, onr king on whom we set onr hopes when be carried into captivity, pouring shamo we B1Lid, ' Our li.n11: shall go out before us and e.nd contempt on their enterprises; to cut fight our battles,' affords us no help what- off their king; to leave the places of their e,er." Kirnchi expl1tins similarly, but fixes idol-worship desolate, filling the people the "now" in the time of the Captivity: with distreBB e.nd despair because of all •· Nnw, when the, shall be carried out of their their sins. They have spoken words, swear- land. they shall recognize and say, 'We have ing falsely in me.king a oovena.nt. In this no king;' the explanation is, as if we had no fourth verse the prophet deplores the ab- king among us, for there is no strength in him sence of truth, fe.ithfulness, and loyalty to to deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, duty. This expression, "they have spoken as we thought when we asked for a king words," is generally understood to signify who should march e.t our head e.nd fight our (a)"emptywords,'' "false words," only words battles. God-blessed be he 1-wasour King, e.nd no more, like the Le.tin 'Verba alicui nnd we needed no king, and he it was that dare. Thus their vain, deceitful, lying delivered us out of the hand of our enemies words in private transactions o.nd common when we did his 'ITilL" Aben Ezra and e.1fe.irs of everyday life would correspond others understand it as the expression of a t.o their perjury in public treaties e.nd cove- "·ild licence on the part of Israel, recklessly nants. Their words were deceitful and giving vent to an anarchical and atheistic their oaths falsehood. In their ordinary spirit : "As soon as their heart was di,·ided business transactions they used words, tliey had no wish t.o have a king over them, empty words, words without truth, corrn- and had no fear of Jehovah; therefore they sponding thereto; in international concerns had no fear, and every one did what wu they had pursued the same course of falsi- right in his own eyes." This exposition fying and covenant-breaking. After entering neglects the note of time, as also the causal into a.n engagement with the Assyrian king p:i.rticle that follows. They bethought them- Shalmaneeer, they made a covenant with selves that. as they had not fee.red Jehovah, So King of Egypt, e.s we read in 2 Kings but neglecte::I his Le.w, the king which they xvii. 4, " And the King of Assyria found had demanded could do them no good. conspiracy in Hoshee. : for he had sent "What," they aaked, "can the kiug do for us? messengers to So King of Egypt, e.nd He has no power to deliver us, since God is brought no present to the King of Assyria, angry with us, for we have sinned ngainst as he had done year by year." In this him?" Such is the confession of Israel in latter case they acted as covenant-breakers, captivity. Pusey remarks in reference to and at the same time contravened the Divine this : "In sin, e.11 Israel he.d asked for a comma.nd, which forbade them entering into king, when the Lord we.s their King; in sin, covenants with foreigners. The first clause, Ephraim had made Jeroboam king; in sin, however, is understood by some (b) in the t!Jei.r sub,,equent kings were made, without senseof"deliberating," ThusKimchi under- the counsel and advice of God; and now, as stands it, erroneously referring it to J ero- the close of e.11. they reflect how fruitle1Js it boam e.nd his countrymen; thus: "Jeroboam all was." and his companions took counsel what they should do in order to strengthen the govern- Yer. 4.-God, by the prophet, had charged ment in his hand, and they deliberated (or Israel with fruitlessness, or with bringing held consultation) that the people should forth fruit to themselves; with perverting not go up to Jerusalem to the house of the the bonntiee of his providence in promoting sanctuary; and for this purpose they bound idolatry ; with their division of bee.rt, or themselves by oath e.nd me.de a covenant. .ltceitfulneas of heart. He had e.1so But their oath we.s a vain one, beoause their tl,rc,atened to plllllilh them for their sin, oath was intended to frustrate the words of e.nd to depriv1< t!Jem of the means of sinning the Law and the command of God, and to l,y destroying the instruments thereof, and make images for their worship." The words to prevent their obtaining any help from their king, proving to them the folly of N\~ ni':>~ have been explained by some (1) depending on him. He now proceeds, in as" oa1hs of vanity," that is, oaths by vanity tht• e.n_d following verses (4-8), to point or an idol, as an oath of Jehovah is e.n oath out theu moral corruption, the UBual conse- by Jehovah, n\':,~ being taken for e. noun in OH, X. 1-15,] THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 301
the plural : (2) as predicate, while the a. lnxn!ious no_xfous growth in some large following words supply the subject; thus : f!flld, 1s the idea. thus conveyed. This "their covena.ntcontraots are oaths of vanity." explanation has the appeo.ranco o.t Jenst of 'l'his mistRko of taking r,i~M for a. noun a.rose bemg somewhat strained aud forced tho1l"h 0