The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 335

ond perished in one common cola.mity. In the oitiee of the plain for their entire and Deut. xxix. 28 these cities ore oil nomed, final ruin; or, (b) if the alternative render- though Aclmoh ond Zeboim ore not men- ing be preferred, he would not come into tioned by nome in the norrotive of the burning wrath. The fiery he11t or fierceness coto.strophe contained in Genesis. Though of God's wroth tends to destruction, not the Isroel bod been os guilty and deserving of amendment of the impenitent. The ex- wrath oa these, God expresses strong reluc- pression, " I will not return," mriy also be tance to deliver them over into the hands understood as equivalent to (1) "I will not ond power of their enemies, or to give them turn from my pity and promises;" or, "I up to destruction. His heort revolted at will not turn away from lsrael; ·• but (2) it the thought, and turned a.side from the suits the context better to translate on the fierceness of his anger, though so fully de- principle of two verbs expreReing one idea in served, into the direction of mercy; a new e. modified sense, i.e. "I will not return to tUin woe given to his feelings in the direc- destroy," that is, " I will not again destroy tion of compassion. All his relentings or Ephraim." Jerome's explanation favours repentings together-one and all-yearned the first, and is, "I will not act according to or were at once a.roused. Repenting on the the fury of my anger, nor change from my port of God is an expression suited to h umon clemency to destroy Ephraim; for I do not comprehension, implying no chonge of pUI• strike to destroy for ever, but to omend ... pose on the side of God, hut only a change for I am God and not man. Man punishes of procedure consistent with his purpose of for this purpose of destroying ; God chas- everlasting love, "The Low speaks in the tises for the purpose of amending." As language of the sons of men." God, his purpose of mercy was cha.ngeleBB; Ver. 9.-I will not exeoute the :fleroe- as the Holy One in Israel, he was infinitely ness of mine anger, I will not return to pUie and absolutely perfect, "the Father of destroy Ephraim. The promise of this verse lights, with whom con be no va.riation, is in harmony with the spirit of compassion neither sha.dow that is cast by turning." expressed in the preceding. It is at once The meaning (1) already given of coming the effect and evidence of that feeling of into the city is supported by ancient ver- Divine· compassion. God would neither sions, Hebrew expositors, and some of the execut:i the burning hea.t of his wrath, for ablest Christian commentators; yet (2) we so the words literally mean, nor destroy prefer that which understands ,.l! in the Ephraim utterly, or age.in any more as for- sense of "the heat of wrath," deriving merly. The historic event referred to may it from "TIJ7, effervescence, which is that be the destruction effected by Tiglath- given in Keil's translation. There is (3) pileser, ally of Ahaz King of Juda.h against an explanation strongly advocated by Bishop Peka.h King of Israel and Rezin King of Lowth and adopted by Rosenmiiller. It is Syria, when he carried away captive the as follows in the words of the bishop : inhobite.nts of Gilead, Galilee, and N aphtali, " Jerome is almost singular in his explana- as we read in 2 Kings xv. 29, "In the days tion : • I am not one of those who in- of Pekah King of Israel came Tiglath- habit cities; who live according to hlllDon pileser King of Assyria., and took Ijon, laws; who think cruelty justice.' Castalio and .Ahel-beth-maachah, and Janoo.b, and follows Jerome. There is, in fa.et, in the Kedeeh, and Hozor, a.nd Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them latter member of the sentence, ,::i 'tttt~, e. cnptive to Assyria.." But while this is pro- p1nallelism and synonym to •tt '~ in the bably the prima.ry allu~iou, there is _an former. The future 'tt has a freqnentative ulterior reference to the futUie restoration power (see Ps. xx.ii. 3 and 8), 'I am not of Israel. l!'or I am God, and not man; a.ccnstomed to enter a. city : I am not an the Holy One in the midst of thee : and I inhabitant of a city.' For there is a beau- will not enter into the city (or, come into tiful opposition of the different parts: 'I burning wrath, Keil). A reason is here am God, and not man.' This is amplified assigned for the exercise of the Di vine com- in the next line, and the antithesis a little miseration just expressed ; this reason is varied : 'I am thy God, inhabiting with God's covenant of everlasting love. He is thee but in a peculiar and extraordinary God, and must be measured by a Divine man~er not in the manner of men.' No- standard-not man, . implacable and re- thing i think, can be plainer or more vengeful ; though his people's provocation ele"a~t than this." The bishop's renderinf,;" li11d been grievous, God was in the midst of of the whole verse is- them as their Goel, long-suffering and ste11d- " I will not do oocording to the fervour of fast to hie covenant of love and purposes of my wrath, meroy. He would not enter (a) into the I will not return 1 to destroy Ephraim : city as au enoruy, and for the purpose of utter destruotion, as he had entered into 1 A beautiful Hebraism to express tbe  .136 'l'HE IlOOK OF HOSEA. [ell, XI, 1-12,