The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 403

Bee, not merely delivera.uoe from dl\nger l\nd "double-fruitfulueu,'' she.II be verl llod, con• deli\-ere.noe from dee.th, but deliverance firming the promised redemption from ,lee.tl.t, from the under world by roscning tho living and, by thn pledge of blessing, which the from the region of the <load, or rescuing nl\me implies nftordiug o. gurimnt,•o thnt from the realm of death those alree.dy sub- the coming storm would not quite over- ject to his grim dominion; whi_Ie the de- whelm them. The plriy on the nnmo s! ruction of death is celobrat.cd 1n words of Ephmim fixes the me,ining of ~'".1!1'., tho triumph, as Theodoret says, "He gi,·es aleph triking tho pince of he. 'fho Septuri- comnrnnd to sing a proan over [literally, giut 3111..-.-.;1.,i, equivrilent to "sho.ll co.use n • e.~ainst '] death." To the Israelites the division," e.n<l Jeromo's dividet, suppose promise signified the power of the Lord to i•i!)• or N•S;;i•. Dut though fruitful o.mong r,·deern from death and restore 1hem from d<>st.ruction to newneBB of life, just ris tho the· other t~ihcs, yet the o.buse of tho.t fruit- dead dry bonOB of Isre..el in the valley of fulness invited tl1e instrument of destruction, EzeJ.iel's vision are restored to hfe. The 'fhere is nu allusion to tho p11tri11rchnl use which r .. u! makes of this verse when blessing, "Joseph is o. frnitful bough by he couples it with the words of Isaiah, a well ; " the source of his fruitfulness we.a "Death is swallowed up in victory," in that well or fountain; while the drying up l Cor. xv. 55, iB to confirm the full and of it would be the certain co.use of barren- final annihilation of death at the resurrec- ness, An east wind shall oome, the wind tion. This fuller and deeper meaning, dimly of the Lord shall oome up from the wilder- unfolded to Old Testament snints, was neu. Thus, while Ephraim presents the clearly brought to light in New Testament pleasing picture of e. fair and fruitful tree, Scripture. The absence of repentance de- the element of destruction is alree.dv on the way. A wind, the east wind, with 'its rude notes the irrevocable accomplishment of the vehemence, blighting heat, o.nd desolating Divine purpose of salvation. Pusey has effect, was coming. It wo.s a wind, not pertinently remarked upon this verse: "God coming by cha.nee, but commissioned by by his prophets mingles promises ~f mercy Jehov11h as e. minister of vengeance to exe- in the midst of his threats of punlShment. cute his wrath. It we.e, moreover, a wind His mercy overflows the bounds of the issuing forth from its home in the desert, and occasion upon which he makes it known. fraught with fiery heat from the scorching He had sentenced Ephraim to tempora.l de- sands of the Arabian desert. And his spring struction. This was unchangeable. He shall become dry, and his fountain. shall be points to that which turns all temporal loss dried up. This flourishing tree, planted by into gain, tl,n.t eternal redemption. The the living spl'ing, to which it owed its words are the fullest which could have been vigour and verdure, was doomed soon to chosen. The word rendered 'rausom' wither in consequence of the drying up of the &4,rnifies rescued them by the payment of waters, that nourished it, by the ea.at wind. a price - the word rendered • redeem ' re- He shall spoil the tree.sure of all pleasant lates to ~ne who, as the nearest of kin, had vessels. Here the figure merges in the the right to acquire anything as ~is o~ fa.et. The Assyrian conqueror WRs the by paying that price. Both words, rn the1.r blustering east wind, that swept like a exactest sense, describe what Jesus did. whirlwind with bis armies from the eo.st. buying m with a price_. ... and ~ming He not only ravaged the country, but our near kinsman by his rncarne.tion. . . . rifled the treasures of the capital. 'l'he ThE: words refuse to be tied down to a k'li chemdah included all the valuables and tempoml deliverance.. A little longer C?n• treasures of Samaria referred to in the fol- tinuance in Canaan 18 not a redemption lowing verse. Kimcbi explains the verse from the power of the grave; nor was e.s follows: "For Ephra.im we.e fruitful Ephraim so delivered." among brethren e.s long as he did not make Ver. 15.-Though he be fruitful among calves. He became increasingly great and his brethren. It tihonld rather be, for he fruitful among his brethren, as Jo.cob se.id u,i,U !,ear fruit among brethren. •~. in this of him. . . . And now tho.t he he.a sinned, verse is neither e. particle of time," when," e.n east wind of the Lord shall come; and nor ; conditional particle, "if,'' but "for," it is the King of Assyria tha.t is meant. adducing "a reason to prove that the pro- And be compares him to the east wind, miBed grace of redemption would certainly because it is a wind from the east, for the ~t.o.nd firm." Ki is distinguished from C!I land of Assyria lies to the east of the land by being "only used in caaes where e. cir- of Israel; and further he says, • east wind,' cumstance is BB11umed to be real. For one because it is o. violent wind, Aud he says, that is merely supposed to be possible, C!I is • wind of Jehovah,' to magnify the wind required," as may be inferr~ f~om the e.nd emphasize it; and he so.ye a!do, 'spirit interchan~e of th,; two words m Numb. v. of Jellovah' because Jehovah the blessed 19 and i,t '!'be ue.nw Ephraim, ~ignifying stirred up his spirit (i.e. ~pirit of tbo l\ing llJJ. xtrr. 1-16.] THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 406