The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 399

Rnd Jl"1"8Ph1'61les the meaning by, "I bRve proper enclosure of the ben1t, or the breast et length heoome end hRve been, and shl\11 itself. The refcre11oe is to II bcnst of proy continue to be t,o them." He considers the which seizes its victim by tho brelll!t nnd reference of the pret.erite to be to past toars it open, so th11t the heart is exposed. di•nstcrs, especially the v11rious defeats sus- The verb ll':D is e.kin to )llD, the meaning of tRine<l by Israel et the hRnd of the Syrio.ns the root-s_Yllable lD, to meet, atrilrn, being (2 Kings ,·iii. 12; x. 32) and the AssyriAns the same m both. Such is the continuation (2 King-e xv. 29). He also very aptly com- of the picture of tho thre11tened punishment, pares Isa. lxiii. 7-10 in rf'lRtion to the eub- The picture of the severit1 of the Divino j(•et in hand. The Prophet Isaiah, after judgment here presented 1s very terrible. rPl11ting the loving-kin<lncssee of the Lord Kimchi remarks on this picture: "A bear end his praises and his great goodnesH to rob~ed, _whose young ones they have slain, the house of lsmel on the one hand, e.nd which 1s bereft and bitter in spirit, if it their rebellion and ,·cxing hie Holy Spirit on find man or bcast rends it speedily." Some the other band., adds, "'l'herefore he WM ~nderstand the verse figuratively, e.s though tun1cd to be their enemy, end he fought 1t meant "' I will rend their obstinate heart,' ng-ainst them.'' As a leopard by the way the enclosure of the heart being equivalent will I ob1erve them. The lion and the to a shut or obstinate heart, e.e, in ver. 5 of leopard are frequently conjoined, as animals this same che.pter, 'e. land of drought' is pretty of Iikc ne.tura.1 ferocity, by the ancients both much the same as 'a dry or parched laud.' in RBCred end secular writings. The out- Thue the Chaldee translates, • I have broken look on the we.y is for the purpose of spring- the wickedness of their heart.' " And. there ing upon the passers-by. The word ,11!:iN is will I devour them like e. lion : the wild properly (1) the future of ~ll", to look around, bee.et Bhal.l tear them. Sham there relers and thence, to lie in wait; but (2) some, (I) to 'a/,..derekh of the preceding verse; or, to.king the initial aleph as radical and the (2) as Kimchi explains it, as referring to word as participle of ,citt, translate it by their cities : " There in their cities shall I "trodden way," that is, e. ;;ytrodden e.nd fre- destroy them by pestilence and by the sword quented by men and animals. The LXX. of the enemy, like the lion that teareth with- and Vulgate again, also Jerome, Hitzig, e.nd out pity; " or, (3) more simply still, "there Ew11.Jd, (3) translate it by" un tlw way of the on the spot.'' The i1~iJ n~i:,, equive.lent to Assyrians," either referring to the time when l".)~::1 '"• is the wild bee.at as opposed to i11;)!'.J:P, they would be led captive by the Assyriane domestic anime.ls. While some were t,o be or when they persisted in going thither to sue destroyed by famine e.nd pestilence, others for aid. But the name of Assyria. is alwnys would perish by the wild beast of the field. written "'TIIVN, as Raehl rightly observes: "In "Also," says Kimchi, "shall the wild beast every pla~ where 'l!iN occurs in Scripture of the field rend them outside (i.e. outside (i.e. as a proper name) it bfts dagbesh (i.e. their cities), as, 'I will also send wild beaRts in the shin); yet here it has raphe, [to showJ among you, which she.11 rob yon of your that it is not the name of e. place, but e. children, and destroy your cattle, and make verL : • I observe and keep watclJ,' as • I shall you few in number.'" oLserve him, but not niah' (Numb. x..xiv. Ver. 9.-0 Israel, thou he.et destroyed 17)." Kimchi explains the verse as follows : thyself; but in me is thine help. The literal "BccaW!e they Lave forgotten me, I also rendering of this verse is, (1) It hath de- have rejected them, and have left them in Btroyed thee, 0 Israel, that thou hast been the hand of the peoples; end have become agaimt me, agaimt thy Help. The ellipsis to them like a lion or leopard, which observes is 6CCOUnted for by the strong emotion of tht way, and is prepared to tear whatever the speaker. n,:i;? is (a) the Piel third pa58es by it on the we.y. Just so have I person. and has the suffix of the second b1:en t.o them, for I have caused their enemies person, from which the pronoun i11;'N may to rule over them, and they have not had be supplied as subject of the concluding power to <leliver themselves from their hand clause. The prepo~ition be has here the u11til they returned to me, and I took pity meaning of "against," as in Gen. xvi. 12 and upon them." 2 Sam. x.xiv. 17, while •;i is in apposition to Ver. 8.-1 will meet them u a bear that it. The Hebrew commentators take '"' as e. i• bereaved of her whelps, &Dd will rend the verbal form ; thus Rashi : " Thou hast de- caul of their heart. The noun :i, is epicene, stroyEd thyself, 0 Israel ; " and Kimchi: that is, the one form serves for both genders, (2) " The calf has destroyed thee which he &s here the masculine includes the feminine, had mentioned above; he says, • This has and is used as such. Of 11ll animals, Jerome destroyed thee ; for unless this had been so, says, the she-bear is the fiercest, either when thy help had been in me.'" (b) The Sep• robbed of her whelps or in want of food. tuagint and Jerome take 7nn0 as a noun, the S<g/wr being that which encloses the heart, former translating by .,.;; B,a.q,8opii.: " Who i,; titl,er the pericardium, the immediate and will aid thee in thy destruction?" the OH. XIII, 1-16.] THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 401