The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 302

from the nnomnlous form of the word, which it yields II good sense. ' is rea.lly o. verb. The /O'Tm is o:i:pl11ined by Ver. 5.-The inhabita.nts of Samaria shall Aben Ezro., who calls it o.n irregular formo.- fear because of the calves of Beth-aven. tion, o.s if it were compounded of the Samaria WIIB the capital of Israel tho infinitive construct 11s inrlicutccl by the northern kingdom. Beth-el means "house ending ni-, a.nd the infinitive absolute 11B of Go_d," one~ ~ pl~e of sacrerl memnry indicated by the qamets in the first syllable; from its a.ssoc1a.tion with the history of the it is in reo.lity the infinitive absolute, a.nd patriarch Jacob; o.fterward one of the twn the irregulA.rity is owing to the a.ssono.nce centres of idolatrous worship, and herr, calkrl with karoth thence resulting. As to the Beth-aven, "house of vanity," becau,o of comtroction, it is that of the infinitive the iclola.try. The word for" calves" is in standing in place of the finite verb, of the feminine, in order to express contempt which Gesenius says, "This is frequent ... fo~ tho~e idols which Jeroboam set up. in the expression of several successive acts With this h.e.ve been compared the followin"' or states, where only the first of the verbs expressions in Greek and La.tin : 'Axa·Me~ employed takes the required form in respect ou,c fr' 'Ax<Ziol, and O 'I/ere Phrygia,, -nee enim to tense e.nd person, the others being simply Phryges ! The Hebrews ignored the exist- put in the infinitive with the ea.me tense ence of female divinities, a.s of their ten and person implied." The meaning of the names of the Deity a.11 are masculine. The cla.W1e is obviously that there was no longer feminine may also imply their weakness; o.ny respect for the sa.nctity of a.n oath : so for from helping their worshippers, their while the treaties refer to those made with worshippers were in trepidation for them, the Assyrian king, with the object of or ra.tber it, lest it should be carriecl a.way securing e.nd upholding the government. captive. Further, this so.me word is in the Thus judgment springeth up e.s hemlock in plural, to cast ridicule on it, as if mimicking the furrows of the field. The ju,Igment the plural of majesty, or rather, perhaps, to here spoken of is understood (1) by the include that of Da.n, or to intimate that Hebrew interpreters, following the Chaldee the calf of Bethel, the more celebrated Version, a.a the judgment of God e.nd conse- place, was that after which the calf of De.n quent p1lllishment of Israel because of sin; a.ad probably thoBe of other places were thus Kinchi: " Therefore there springs up fe.ahioned, espPciall y so as it is afterwards against them the ju,lgment of che.atisements referred to in the singular. Besides, a few and punishments like hemlock, which is a. -a very few-manuscripts, it is true, read bitter herb that springs up on the furrows the eingula.r, as also the LXX., which of the field.'' Some, a.gain, (2) explain it of he.a µ.ouxos, and the Syria.c; while Dathe, the decree of the kings of Israel in reference relying on these anthorities, maintains the to the worship of idols, which, like a. bitter reading to have been n~JJ1~ in the singular. herb, we.a to issue in national ruin. We Others suppose e.n ene.lle.ge of both gender much prefer (3) the more obvious sense of and number; or an indefinite generality is the ~lo.use which refers it to the perversion expre,sed by the plure.l, while for o.bstract3 of Judgment and justice. Thus Amos the feminine is need. The coming punish- addressee them as those who "turn judg- ment is costing its shadow before, so that ment to wormwood, e.nd leave off righteous. the inhabitants, perceiving symptoms of its ness in the earth," and calls on them to approach, tremble for their god of gold, now, "establish judgment in the gate;" and like themselves, in greatest jeopardy. For Ho.bo.k.kuk writes," Wrong [wrested] judg- the people thereof shall mourn over it. The ment proceedeth." It is implied in the people of Israel are now calleJ the people mention of furrows that there ha.s been of the ea.If, as once they ha.d been the people careful prepo.ro.tion for the intended crop. of Jehovah, and as Moub was called the The seed they sow is injustice; o.nd the people of Chemosh. They had chosen the plant that springs up from it is o. poison- calf for their god. Of their own free-will plo.nt-hemlock, bitter and noxious, and is they had done so, though at first enjoined eyerywhere ro.mpa.\!t. Another (4) expl11ua.- and prompted to a<lopt this course by the t1ou understands "Judgment" in the sense of mandate of their king ; they had even crime which calls on jud<>ment 0 for punish- rejoiced and gloried in it. N uw they mourn ment. The field is that of the Isro.elitish for their idol, which co.n neither help itself nation ; in a.11 the furrows of that wide field nor them. And the priests thereof tb.ll.t re- judgn:ient, tho.t is, crime, springs up as joioed on it, for the glory thereof, because it luxurio.utly and abundantly as hemlock ill dep&rted from it. AccordiP.g to this ren- 'l'he multiplication of crime in Israel, lik~ dering, the relo.ti.e must be uuckrstood 302 THE BOOK OF B'OSEA. [orr. x. 1-111.