The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 397

tbern," ,.e. the idols, aa Keil does, thev trans- multiplied thl\i punishment could not be lnte it " to them," i.e. the idol-worshippers, long delayed. Their irrational and God• Kimchi in the main favours thie explana- dishonouring conduct was bringing on them tion ; he sayt1, "On their account ( i.e. on sure a.nd swift destruction. The prophet 11,('('mmt nf the ea.Ives) the priests of the ea.If employs four figures to exhibit their political •ay to thC' p<.>0ple who C'Ome to oft,r BMrifice: extinction. Two of these, the morning bY the 'lt'l he means: whoever of the children cloud nnd enrly dew, or rl\ther the dew of men that wish t-0 offer, • Let them kiss the early pa.ssing away, ha.ve already been om- <'Alves on their mouth; for their worship ployed by him to cha.rn.oterizo the transiunt ahsll not be perfect until they shn.ll kiss nature of Israel's goodness; here they de- them,' for so was their custom." But (2) note the evancsccnl nature of their natiouol msuy of the older interpreters emnn~ the existence. The other two are the ohuff nod Hebrews, a.s also Jerome, Cyril, and Theodo- the smoke; the former whirled a.way by the ret among Christians, refer the expression storm-wind from the threshing-floor, the to human sacrifices, thus: "Se.orificing men, latter dissipe.t.ed and speedily vanishing e.a t.hey Jdss, that is, adore, ea.Ives." The ex• soon e.s it escapes from the chimney or planation ac<'ording to this view, as given by lattice. Such shall be the utter ex.termina- 8chmid, is to the following purport: •• To these tion of Isre.eL The senselessness of their v.·honowworshipmo.nyidols,a.nd a.mongthem idolatry ba.d been treated with derision in Maloch, to whom they even ·sacrifice men, the preceding verse; the punishment of those the fathers of such e.s only worshipped their sin is sternly denounced in this. Kim- the ea.Ives or Beal, would say, if they were chi comments concisely and correctly thus: alive,• Let those who sacrifice men give over " Therefore they shall go to destruction, and such cruel se.crifice, and rather kiss ea.Ives ea shall be as the morning cloud, or as the we did.'" Rasbi's comment is: " The idol dew speedily disa.ppea.ring in the morning, priests s.. y to Israel, • He that se.crifices hiB which vanishes when the hea.t of the sun son to idols is worthy to kiss the ce.lf, for he ha.s touched it; 10 they shall go a.way has presented to him e. plee.se.nt gift.' So speedily. So also shall they be a.e chaff- have our re.bbins in (the tract) Sanhedrin it is thc fine particles of straw, which the explained, and it suits the text of Scripture wind whirls away from the threshing-floor; better tha.n the tre.nsla.tion of J onatha.n ; " thus shall they be whirled a.way from their while that of Aben Ezra. is a.s follows: "To land. Or a.s a. pillar of smoke which goes them say the sons of men, in order to mock forth out of the lattice, which shall speedily them [kies tbe calves), bees.use they kiss disperse and cease.'' Instead of ;,~~~,, Ba.a.lim which are the images of ea.Ives, e.s lattice, from ::i,1t, to knit or twist, the Sep. • And every mouth tha.t ha.s not kissed him' tua.gint, a.coording to Jerome, ree.d n;n~. (1 Kings riL 17), while they shed innocent locusts, a.s may be inferred from their ren- blood, and thiB is, ' And hiB blood sbe.ll he dering a.Tµls a.-iro a.Kp{6wv in the Compluten:- leave npon him' (eh. xii. 15). And lo I he sia.n edition of the LXX., erroneously written Las reversed the ma.n.ner of every man, for in some copies 6aKp6wv, that is, vapour from IIlJI.Il kisses ma.n whc is his fellow, and slays locusts or from tears. calves for his food." The method of kissing Vere. 4, 5.-Theseverses make it evident the Land in worship is attested by the deri- that the punishment inflicted on Israel vation of the word adore, from ad and os ; could not reasonably be accounted too while in Job :uri. 27 we rea.d of homage severe ; such ha.d been the goodness of thus rendered: "Or my mouth bath kissed Jehovah a.nd the gross ingra.titnde of Israel. my band: this al~o were e,n iniquity to_ be Ver. 4.-Yet I a.m the Lord thy God from punished by the Judge." The Septue.grnt, the land of Egypt. The prophet here com- (3, e.s if reading \;t?l for zobh•che, • and mences a recital of God's favours to Israel pope'' inst.ee.d of pplt", tra.nsle.te by, "They from ancient times, all which they forgot, se.y, • Sa.crifice (ButraTE) men, for the calves ungratefully a.nd impiously turning a.side have come to an end' [or,• failed.' IKll.<l\.ol• from the worship of Jehovah. Jehovah -ira,n]." "Thus," says Jerome, in explana- had been Israel's God Jong before, but tion, "is shown the greed of demons, who never before ha.d the evidence of his power are nourished on the blood of victims, tha.t, and love to his people been so signal and when victims fail, they desire men to be conspicuous e.s at the period of the Exodus sacrificed to them." and on ward. And thou ahalt know no god Ver. 3.-Therefore they shall be u the but me. 'fhe use of v;m in the imperfect ie mornmg olond, and u the early dew that to connect the future with the past. It paaseth away, as the oha1f that ii driven may he rendered either (1) "Thou knowe~t," with the whirlwind out of the :floor, e.nd u viz. a. God of such wonderful attesta.t1on the IIDl.oke out of the ohimney. The illa.tive thou knowest or flndest not beside me-the particle with which the verse begins ha.s opposite of the statement, "Let us go after reference to the sine of Israel, so great and other gods, which thou he.et not known, and 011, XIII. 1-16,) THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 399