The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 367

~Rvorl' (J11R. xxx. Hi)." Thn 11ccrmrl polnt of his h"nd and the love of oppreArrion in hi1 tho voreo haa 1111 lnetrndive pnrallal In heart. The worrl K'naan eom"ltimf!A de- Mic,ih vi. 8, "Whr1t ,lr:,th tl,o L<ml rnr1nire noU'is Canaan, the BOD of Hnm, and e.nceetor oftheo, bot to tlo jurrt.ly, and to lovo mfffey, or tho Ce.naanitieh nation; eometimeB the nnd to walk humbly with thy Ood?" Jn lantl of Canat.11n, or lowle.nrle (from J)l:>, bow rogn.rd to the wnltlng upon Uod, of which the knee, -yov11, -yv11, -yr,,n,.,,.,,v, t7em.i,• knoo; th" lnat clause epcaka, Aben F~zra hM the then "to be low" or" depresAP,1! ") e.,, oppnsed pithy remark, "Depend not up<m thy riche11 to c.1.i,, or" hlghla.nde" (from or,, to be high); nor thy strength, for the strength thou eornetimes Plwmfoia, th,i northern pnrt of hr1clet from him, nlso the rich/le." Kimchi Cana.an; e.leo, from the Ce.ne.e.nites nr Phceni- comments on the aamo more fully, Ba foll owe: cio.ns ha.vini been fa.moos as merchantH, e. " On this condition thou c11n1t rest and not man of Canaan, 01' any =rehant, eo ,Joh xl. be afraid of the enemy, if thou wilt observe 30 e.nd Prov. :uxi. 24, juet as Ktt•di Chal- to do mercy and judgment: for hia con- dman is applied to an Mtrologcr. At tho ditiona are ns he so.id, 'I o.m the Lord time of Hosea, the Fhamicie.ns wer0 tl,o which exerciae loviog-kindnese, judgment, great merchants who had the oommerce of and rightcouRneee in the earth: for in these the world in their hand. Co.no.an is thus e. things I delight, se.ith the Lord.' And figurative designation of Ephraim in their although he does not mention righteousness degenerate condition aa indica!R,d by the here, yet he has snid in another place, fa.lee be.lances and love of oppression. The • Keep ye juclgrnont, o.nd <lo justice [litere.lly, verse is well explained by Theodoret: "And •righteousness'].' And he says here, 'And thou, Ephraim, imitnting (I) the UJiclr,ednP,1!8 wo.it upon thy Uod continue.Uy;' now it is of Canaan, haat an unjust ha.le.nee of mind: rightcousnese and c,quHy the.t thon we.itest thou despisest justice, thou greedily de- on thy Goel continue.Uy. And even when airest uoj ast power, thou a.rt high-minded in thou sho.lt ho.ve great poseession and riches riches, and dost arrogate. to thyself very and wealth, thou ehalt say to thyself, 'It is much in prescribing and determining the all from him; thou sho.11 remember bim con- conditions thereof." Re.shi more briefly tinuall v and we.it on him, as he says in the remarks, "Ye depend upon your wealth Law (Dcu_t. viii. 18), 'Thou she.It remember because ye a.re merchants e.ud defraud; and the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth of your riches ye sa.y, • Yet I have become thee power to get wealth; not like Ephraim, rich, o.nd eho.11 not serve the Holy One;'" who says, • I am bQOC>me rich, 1 ho.ve found while Kimchi marks the contrast between me out subst1mce.'" The Beptue.rnt he.s Israel as he ought to be and Israel as he tn,(•, equivalent to" dre.w near to,' having o.ctually is, thllS: "But thou a.rt not so probably reacl :i71-:i instead of ~~- (i.e. pro.cti<ring love and righteoosuesa), but Vere. 7-14 coo.to.in o. fresh deacription of thou art like the Ce.naanite, i.e. as (2) t!II! IHrael'a apostasy. To this the prophet is merchant, in whoee hand is the deceitful led by the preceding train of thought. balance.'' The character of the Phamician When he co.lied to mind the ee.rneatnesa of trader is thllS given in the' Odyeeey ' - tho patriarch to obtain the blessing, the " A fa.lee Phcenicie.n of insidious mind, sincerity of his repentance, a.ad the evi- Vers'd in vile arte,e.nd foe to humankind.'' dences of conversion, consisting in mercy and judgment e.ud constant waiting on God, But, in addition to secret fraud, open vio- ho looke a.round on Israel, e.nd finding those lence is here charged age.inst Israel. virtues conspicuous by their absence, he Ver. 8.-And Ephraim ■aid, Yet I am repeats the story of their degeneracy. beoome rioh I have found me out 111b■tanoe. Ver. 7.-He is a meroha.nt (margin, Ca.- Ephraim id this verse boasts of his richee, naan), the bale.noes of deoeit are in hil though procured by fro.ad and :violence, hand : he loveth to opprea1. This verse ia while he maintains at the same time the.t more exactly rendered, Canaan iB he, in hie he he.s not aiuned thereby so as to expose hand are the balance, of deceit ; he lot1eth to himself to punishment or deserve severe oppreu. •J;low tho sons he.ve degenerated reprehension. The particle 711 has two from tha sire I No longer do we see Jacob prinoipal meanings: (a) "surely" and (b) wrestling in/rayer with the angel of the "only." In the former sense the clnlllle (l) covenant, e.n knightr.d in the field with iiiay allude to the injonction contained in tho no.me of Israel, or "prince with God; " vor. 6 to we.it on God, 11.nd may signify," No but e. fraudulent merchm1t K•nnan, seeking doubt I have become rich, yet not through to aggrandize himself by chcaling and op- Divine help, but by my own exertions; " i11 pros11iou. His conduct is tho opposite of the latter sense it may signify, (2) "I have what God reg uires ; instead of tho mercy e.nd only become rich; I he.ve done nothing else; judgment and trust in God enjoined in tlie I have dono uothing amiss.'' Aben Ezra precoding verae, we ho.ve the Canae.nitish rcguds 71:t as introducing the e.po<loeis, and (Phamioian) trader, with his false ecales in explains it nearly in the sense of (1), thu~:  nm BO:)K OF HOSEA. [ell, XII. 1-14,