The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 305

long.ir; or rathor th1m the enemies should atroyed, because of their sin, the ton tribes 8ee them in their ehrune. Ab"'n :Ezra makes of lsrRcl, persisting in the so.me or similar "eltan '' the subject of "shall B&y," IL8 if it am, haye m:,t yet been resisted with any suoh were the wi8h of the e.ltars to be oovered ~xtermmRtmg war. ,Jehovah nnnouncos hie that thev rnRY never more be seen, Theo- mtentron now to ,·isit them with punish- doret considers the sense of the pneea.go to ment Rnd. severest chastisement for all. be that the multitude of onl,uuities in the The meamng which Koil aims at may be wa.r occasioned by hoeUJe invasion would be better brought out by rendering tho latter so grc,.. t that there would be no one who olauso intorT?g~tivo!y; thus: "There they would not prerer being overwhelmed in an e1?od - pere1strng 1D the criminality of enrthquRke or by the sudden fall of the ~1!1eah - shall t~ere not overtake them, mouu ln ins, rather than endure the calamities hv1ng a.e they do m Gibeah, the war which inflicted by the enomies. Similarly, but exte~minated the ohildren of crime?" It is more onncieely, Jerome says, "'fhey are adm1ttod that -iov may hare been the mea.n- more willing to die than see the evils that ~ng o_f " persovel'ing; ·• but a better sense (3) bring doath." 18 garne,l by Wiineohe referring the eubjeot Ver. 9.--0 Iarael, thou hast sinned from of 1"10].l to tho Benjamites; the suffix ol CJ•i,n the daYB of Gibea.h. Two expla.nntione given of this clause-namely, that whioh under- ~ the '.1Sw :J:i, or" children of iniquity," that stands, min compamtively, that is, "more 1s, th~ir gmlt:i: tribesmen in Gibeab; taking than "-their sine were greater tho.n those of the mtermed1ate olauee parenthetioally ; the Benjamitcs in the days of Gibeah ; and e.nd ,ov with Sv to "stand in defence of·" that which refers the sin here spoken ofto the t~ns : " Since the days of Gibeah hast th~u appointment of Saul, who W&S of Gibea.h of smne~, 0 Isre.el: there they (the Benje.mites) Benjamin, to be king-must be unhesitatingly stood m defence of the children of iniquity, rejected. The sin of the men of Gibee.h that the war might not reach them in wru; the shameful outrage committed on the Gib03;h.''. This gives e. satisfactory sense, Le,·ite·a concubine by the men of Gibee.b, e.nd rntimates that. by e. long-continued which "ith its consequences is recorded in course of iniquity and crime, the Ephra.imites Judg. xiL e.nd :a:. That sin became pro- were preparing themselves for a fearfnl fate. verLial, overtopping, as it did, all ordinary Al~eady from days long gone by grievoUB iniquities by its shameless atrocity e.nd ~ilt cleaved to them; thus in the days of heinousness. By a long-continued course of ~!be~h they (the Benje.mites) stood by their sin, even from ancient days, Ephraim has m1qu1tous brethren that the battle in Gibeab been preparing for a. fearfnl doom. There might not reach them. As this was before they stood : the battle in Gibeah aga,illst the the disruption, the Benje.mites were po.rt e.nd children of iniquity did not overtake them. parcel of Israel here represented by them. This portion of the verse is not a little per- ~4) Rosenmiiller's explanation is the follow. plexing, e.nd in consequence hes ea.lied forth mg: "They (the Benje.mites) survived (,;i)?, considerable divel'8ity of exposition. There opposed to ,;itt, e.s in Ps. cil. 27) being is (1) that which is implied in the Autho- se'l'erely punished, though they did not rized Version, viz. "there they stood," smitten entirely perish, six hundred being left to twice but not destroyed. chastened but not revi'l'e the tribe." But a still severer punish- lilied, the battle in Gibeah against the ment a.waits the Israelites (the person being children of iniquity did not overtake them che.ngcd from the second to the third, and then so BB utterly to destroy them, but it tho prophet addressing himself to hearer or shall overtake them now. Or if the verb reader): not the war waged in Gibea.h ( or " o\'ertake," which is future, be strictly on account of the crime committed there) rer,dcrt:d, the meaning is-Not a battle like against the children of iniquity she.II overtake that iu Gibea.h against the chil<lren of them, but a far more deadly and destructive iniquity shall overtake them, but one much war. The word m,v is by metathesis for more 8anguinary and tnrible, resulting, not n,111 as n, 1.11 for n1111, commotion ; :iitl:> for in tile rt:duction of a. Ei.ngle tribe to six hundred men, but iu tbe extirpation of ten ~9?~ itl~i;;, ; and for ;,"~7?11',· • ., tribes. (2) Tl1at of Keil and others, though Ver. 10.-lt is in my desire that I should ll'lt the: same, is similar. It iB : "There, in ohe.etise them ; and the people ahall be (fiL;,ab, did they remain, persevering in the gathered against them. This is better tre.ns- Mh of Gibt:ah, and yet the war in Gibeah lated thus: When I desire it, then (vav of ugainst the 8inners has not overtaken them." the apodosis) shall I chastise them ; and the 'J'hio makeo the meaning of the prophet to be poople, shall be gathered against them. that since the days of Gibeab the Israelites 'fhis expresses God's determination to persevered iu the Hame or like sin a.e the punish sin and vindicate his justice as the (;ibn1.hites; and, though the Gibeahitee infinitely Holy One. It means, not only wer., so severely punished, actually de- that bis desire to punish them does exist, 011. x. 1-16.J THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 305