| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Hosea Chapter
Two
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO HOSEA 2
This
chapter is an explanation of the former, proceeding upon the same argument in
more express words. The godly Israelites are here called upon to lay before the
body of the people their idolatry, ingratitude, obstinacy, and ignorance of the
God of their mercies; and to exhort them to repentance, lest they should be
stripped of all their good things, and be brought into great distress and
difficulties; all their joy and comfort cease, and be exposed to shame and contempt,
Hosea 2:1, yet,
notwithstanding, many gracious promises are made unto them, of their having the
alluring and comfortable word of the Gospel; of a door of hope; of salvation
being opened to them; of faith in the Lord, and affection to him as their
husband; of the removal of all idolatry from them; of safety from all enemies;
of their open espousal to Christ; of his hearing of their prayers, and giving
them plenty of all good things; and of their multiplication, conversion, and
covenant relation to God, Hosea 2:14.
Hosea 2:1 Say to your
brethren, ‘My people,’[a] And to
your sisters, ‘Mercy[b] is
shown.’
YLT 1`Say ye to your brethren --
Ammi, And to your sisters -- Ruhamah.
Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah. These words
are to be considered either in connection with the latter part of the preceding
chapter, and as directed to the sons of the living God, who had not been, but
now were, "Ammi", the Lord's people; and who had not, but now have,
"Ruhamah", obtained mercy; which grace and mercy shown them, it
became them to speak of one to another, to affect their hearts mutually with
it, and to glorify God for it, Malachi 3:16 as
also to speak of it to their carnal relations, that so, if it was the will of
God, it might be of use to them, to show them the state they were in, the
danger of it, their need of the grace and mercy of God, and the hope there was
by their own instance and example of obtaining it; see Romans 9:1, or as
directed to the converted Jews that appointed Christ their Head, and believed
in him; exhorting them to own the believing Gentiles as their brethren and
sisters, since they were the spiritual seed of Abraham their father, and walked
in the steps of his faith; and to call them Ammi and Ruhamah, since they, who
were not the people of God, now were, and who had not obtained mercy, now have
obtained mercy, 1 Peter 2:10, or
else they may be considered as in connection with the following words,
plead with your mother; and that either as
spoken to the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were the people of God, retained
the pure worship of God, and obtained mercy of the Lord, Hosea 1:7,
"O
ye Ammi and Ruhamah, that are the Lord's people, and he has had mercy on; stir
up and exhort your brethren and sisters of the ten tribes, for so they were,
notwithstanding their separation, 1 Kings 12:4, to
contend with their mother, the body of the nation, about idolatry and departure
from God;'
or
as spoken to the godly among the ten tribes, who were the real people of God,
and sharers in his grace and mercy; the remnant he reserved for himself, who
had not bowed their knees to idols; or as the command of God by the prophet, to
the people of Israel, to exhort one another to contend with their mother, who
were, as yet, the Lord's people, had mercy shown them, when this prophecy was
delivered out; though, in case of obstinacy and impenitence, they were
threatened with a "Loammi" and "Loruhamah"; so Schmidt, who
thinks that "ammi" and "ruhamah" are put by way of
"apposition to your brethren and sisters", in which he
seems to be right. Aben Ezra thinks the words are spoken ironically, like those
in Ecclesiastes 11:9,
and others, but without reason. The Targum is,
"O
ye prophets, say to your brethren, and my people, and I will have mercy on your
congregation;'
but
whether the words are spoken to the Jewish converts who first believed in
Christ, were his people, received grace and mercy from him, and stood in the
relation of brethren and sisters to one another, both in a natural and
spiritual sense, to stir up one another to reprove their mother, the Jewish
church, for rejecting Christ, saying, as follows:
Hosea 2:2 2 “Bring
charges against your mother, bring charges; For she is not My wife, nor am
I her Husband! Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, And her
adulteries from between her breasts;
YLT 2Plead ye with your mother
-- plead, (For she [is] not My wife, and I [am] not her husband,) And she
turneth her whoredoms from before her, And her adulteries from between her
breasts,
Plead with your mother, plead,.... The congregation of
Israel, as the Targum; the body of the Jewish nation, which, with respect to
individuals, was as a mother to her children; see Matthew 21:37, that
is, lay before her, her sin in rejecting the Messiah, the Head and Husband of
his true church and people; endeavour to convince her of it; reprove her for
it; expostulate with her about it; argue the case with her, and show her the
danger of persisting in such an evil, as the apostles did, Acts 2:23
for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; for though
there had been such a relation between them, yet it was now dissolved; she had
broken the marriage covenant and contract, and God had given her a bill of
divorce, Jeremiah 31:32 or, however,
as she behaved not as a wife towards him, showing love and affection, honour
and reverence, and performing duty, and yielding obedience; so he would not
carry it as a husband towards her, nourishing and cherishing her, providing for
her, and protecting and defending her; but leave her to shift for herself, and
to the insults and abuses of others; having been guilty of idolatry, which is
spiritual adultery, as the Israelites before the captivity were; and as the
Jews in Christ's time were guilty of rejecting the word of God, and preferring
their own traditions to it: hence it follows,
let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, or "from
her face"F5מפניה "a facie
sua", Calvin, Pagninus, Piscator, Cocceius; "a faciebus suis",
Montanus, Schmidt. ,
and her adulteries from between her breasts; alluding to
the custom of harlots, who used to paint their faces, and to allure with their
looks, words, and actions, and to make bare their breasts, or adorn them, or
carry in them what were enticing and alluring. These adulteries and whoredoms,
which are the same thing, may signify the many idolatries of the people of
Israel before their captivity, and which were the cause of it; or the sins of
the Jews before their dispersion; or their evil works, as the Targum, by which
they departed from God and the true Messiah, and went a whoring after other
lovers: thus they rejected, transgressed, and made of none effect the
commandments of God by their traditions; paid tithe of mint, anise, and cummin,
and neglected the weighty matters of the law; sought not the honour of God, but
that which comes from men; and therefore confessed not the true Messiah, though
under convictions of him, and went about to establish their own righteousness,
and submitted not to his; these were the idols of their hearts, and the
whoredoms and adulteries the Jewish converts, that truly believed in Christ,
are ordered to exhort them to put away. The Septuagint and Arabic versions are,
"I will take away her whoredoms &c.",
Hosea 2:3 3 Lest
I strip her naked And expose her, as in the day she was born, And make her like
a wilderness, And set her like a dry land, And slay her with thirst.
YLT 3Lest I strip her naked. And
have set her up as [in] the day of her birth, And have made her as a
wilderness, And have set her as a dry land, And have put her to death with
thirst.
Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was
born,.... Alluding to the case of an infant when born, which comes
naked into the world; and referring to the state and condition of the
Israelites in Egypt, which was the time of their nativity, as a people and
church; see Ezekiel 16:4, and
when they were in a state of servitude and bondage, and had no wealth and
substance, and without possessions and lands, and had no country of their own
to inhabit; and signifying that this should be their case again, if they
persisted in their idolatry, impenitence, and unbelief; as has been the case of
the ten tribes upon their captivity, when they were stripped of all their
wealth and riches, carried away out of their own land, and scattered among the
nations, and have never returned since; and as was the case of the Jews in
their last destruction, for the rejection of Christ, they were stripped of
their civil and religious privileges, of their temporal and spiritual mercies
as a nation and church; what they feared is come upon them, that the Romans
would come and take away their place and nation, John 11:48
and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land; having some
respect to her former condition in the wilderness, where they had no food nor
drink but what they had from God, as Abarbinel thinks; or else to the
destruction and consumption of them in the wilderness, their carcasses falling
there, who sinned against the Lord, as the Targum and Jarchi; and denoting the
utter destruction of their commonwealth and church, when their land was laid
waste, their city destroyed, their house and temple left desolate and burnt,
and they deprived of all the necessaries of life, which was their case at their
last destruction by the Romans; and to this day they are as they are described,
Hosea 3:4,
and slay her with thirst; after their vainly
expected Messiah, which has brought them to desperation; or with a thirst, not
for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord, Amos 8:11, the
Gospel, and the ordinances of it, being taken away from them, and the clouds
ordered to drop down no rain upon them; that is, the ministers of the word not
to preach the Gospel to them; and so are left destitute of the means of grace,
and of spiritual life, and of escaping eternal death, Matthew 21:43. The
Targum of the whole is,
"lest
I remove my Shechinah from her, and take away her glory, and set her forsaken,
as in the days of old, before she came to my worship; and my fury shall remain
upon her, as it remained upon the people of that generation that transgressed
my law in the wilderness; and I will set the land desolate, and kill her with
thirst.'
Hosea 2:4 4 “I
will not have mercy on her children, For they are the children of
harlotry.
YLT 4And her sons I do not pity,
For sons of whoredoms [are] they,
And I will not have mercy upon her children,.... The
posterity of the Jews in succeeding ages, until the time of their conversion
comes; they persisting in the sins of their forefathers, filling up the measure
of their iniquities; remaining in their obstinate rejection of the Messiah, and
in the same impenitence and unbelief, and having his blood imprecated upon
them:
for they be the children of whoredoms; begotten and
born in whoredom, spurious and illegitimate; or that commit whoredoms; imitate
their parents; are guilty of the same vices; a generation of vipers. So the
Targum,
"for
they are children that commit idolatry;'
retain
the traditions of the elders; go about to establish their own righteousness,
and reject the Messiah.
Hosea 2:5 5 For
their mother has played the harlot; She who conceived them has behaved
shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, Who give me my
bread and my water, My wool and my linen, My oil and my drink.’
YLT 5For gone a-whoring hath
their mother, Acted shamefully hath their conceiver, For she hath said, I go
after my lovers, Those giving my bread and my water, My wool and my flax, my
oil and my drink.
For their mother hath played the harlot,.... Or
committed idolatry; which is the reason why she is to be pleaded with, and why
the Lord will not own her as his wife, or be a husband to her; and why she is to
be exhorted to put away her whoredoms from her; and was in danger of all the
above evils coming upon her, continuing in the same practice; and why her
children were children of whoredoms. Though the connection may be with the
verse following, "for" or "because their mother hath played the
harlot", &c. "therefore I will hedge up her way", &c.
She that conceived them hath done shamefully; all sin is
shameful and scandalous, especially adultery; it brings a reproach and a blot
upon a person, that will not be wiped off; and so idolatry, worshipping stocks
and stones instead of the living God; and particularly the sin of the Jewish
church, in rejecting the true Messiah and his righteousness, and setting up
their own, and tenaciously adhering to the traditions of the elders; and so
departing from the true God, and his word and worship, which is no other than
spiritual adultery or idolatry. The Targum is,
"because
their congregation hath erred after the false prophets, their teachers are
confounded;'
and
which Jarchi interprets of the wise men that teach doctrines, who are ashamed
because of the people of the earth; to whom they say, ye shall not steal, and
yet they steal themselves; see Romans 2:21. Or,
"she hath made ashamed"F6הובישה
"pudefecit", Junius apud Rivet. ; her husband, and her children: or,
"she is confounded"F7"Confusa, vel
pudefacta", Pagninus, Montanus; "pudore suffusa est", Gussetius.
, and "ashamed" herself, for what she has done.
For she said, I will go after my lovers; her idols, as
the ten tribes did after the calves at Dan and Bethel. So Kimchi's father
interprets it of the sun, moon, and stars, they worshipped: though he himself
understands it of the Assyrians and Egyptians they were in alliance with, and
trusted in. Some join together the Gentile nations and their gods. Or else it
may be understood of the Jews seeking to the Romans, and courting their favour
and friendship; desiring to be governed not by their own kings, but by the
RomansF8Joseph. Antiqu. l. 17. c. 13, sect. 2. ; declaring they had
no king but Caesar, and rejecting Christ as such, John 19:12 or
rather of their beloved tenets, concerning traditions, the rites and ceremonies
of the law, self-righteousness, &c.: the words are expressive of impudence,
obstinacy, and self-will; resolving to pursue their own fancies and have their
own wills, be it as it would.
That give me my bread and any water, my wool and my flax, mine oil
and my drink; "or drinks"F9שקויי
"potationes meas", Montanus, "potiones meas", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator; "potus meos", Cocceius, Schmidt. ; wine and
other liquors, as Kimchi; these take in everything belonging to food and
raiment, and all the necessaries, and even delights and pleasures, of life:
bread and water; all sorts of food: wool and flax; all sorts of clothing, both
woollen and linen, for outward or inward covering: and oil, and drinks, or
liquors; everything for pleasure and delight; all which she ascribed not to
God, from whence all good things come; but, which was an aggravation of her
sin, to her lovers, her allies, or her idols; as the Jews did their plenty of
victuals to the queen of heaven, and their worship of her, Jeremiah 44:17 and
as, in the times of Christ, they ascribed not only their enjoyment of temporal
good things, but their righteousness, life, and salvation, to their observance
of traditions, rites, and ceremonies, and the externals of religion.
Hosea 2:6 6 “Therefore,
behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, And wall her in, So that she
cannot find her paths.
YLT 6Therefore, lo, I am hedging
up thy way with thorns, And I have made for her a wall, And her paths she doth
not find.
Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns,.... As fields
and vineyards are fenced with thorn hedges to keep out beasts; or rather as
closes and fields are fenced to keep cattle in, from going out and straying
elsewhere; which may be expressive of afflictions, aud particularly wars among
them, that they could not stir out and go from place to place: and make a wall,
that she shall not find her paths: to go to Dan and Bethel, and worship the
calves there, as some; or to go to the Egyptians and Assyrians for help, as
Jarchi and Kimchi; though it was by the latter that they were hedged in, and
walled and cooped up, when the city of Samaria was besieged three years: rather
this respects the straits and difficulties the Jews have been reduced to by the
destruction of Jerusalem, and the continuance of them ever since; so that they
are not able to offer their daily sacrifice, kill and eat their passover lamb,
and perform other rites and ceremonies they used in their own land; which they
would fain perform, though abolished by Christ, but are restrained by this
hedge and wall, the destruction of their temple and altar, and not being
suffered to possess their land; hence they are said to be without a sacrifice
and an ephod. Hosea 3:4.
Hosea 2:7 7 She
will chase her lovers, But not overtake them; Yes, she will seek them, but not
find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband,
For then it was better for me than now.’
YLT 7And she hath pursued her
lovers, And she doth not overtake them, And hath sought them, and doth not
find, And she hath said: I go, and I turn back unto My first husband, For --
better to me then than now.
And she shall follow after her lovers,.... Before
mentioned; that is, in her affections and desires, with great eagerness and
earnestness, as men pursue what they are bent upon; otherwise, being hedged in
and walled up, she could not go after them in a proper sense:
but she shall not overtake them; they fleeing from her,
and she pent up:
she shall seek them, but shall not find them; shall not be
able to enjoy them, or act according to her wishes and desires, with respect to
the performance of sacrifices, rites, and ceremonies, as before observed:
then shall she say; in her heart, finding all endeavours
fruitless, and that the things sought after were never to be had; the hedges
and wall, the obstructions in the way, were never to be removed, while in such
a pursuit; wherefore after a long time, many hundreds of years, even in the
latter day, being convinced of her sin and folly in rejecting Christ, and
pursuing after other objects, she will take up the following resolution:
I will go and return to my first husband; either the
God of Israel, whom the ten tribes departed from by worshipping the calves
Jeroboam set up; but in the latter day will seek the Lord their God again, who
was a husband to them, and shall cleave to him again, and all Israel shall be
saved: so the Targum,
"I
will go and return to the service of my first master, for it was well with me
when I served him; henceforth I will not serve idols:'
or
Christ, who was promised and prophesied of as a husband to the Jewish church, Isaiah 54:5 and
whom they believed in, and expected as such, but when he came rejected him; but
now being convinced of their error shall seek David their King, appoint
themselves one head, and embrace Christ as their husband, and adhere to him;
see Hosea 3:5,
for then was it better with me than now; while in the
faith, and hope, and expectation of the true Messiah; having a spiritual
apprehension of him, true faith in him, and comfort from him, as held forth in
the promise; being then possessed of the good land, in the enjoyment of the
word and ordinances, and of all religious and civil privileges, but now
deprived of them. This may be applied to the case of true believers in Christ,
having partially departed from him, and being restored. Christ is a husband to
them, who has betrothed them to himself, and they have given themselves to him,
and have been loved, nourished, cherished, and provided for by him, and for a
while had much nearness, familiarity, and communion with him; but unbelief
prevailing, first love waxing cold, and being got into a carnal and sleepy
frame, neglect both private and public worship, fall into sin, and removed from
church communion, and so may be said to have departed from Christ their
husband; but being recovered by divine grace, and sensible of their sins,
resolve to return to him again by repentance and acknowledgment, by doing their
first works, and by attendance on his word and ordinances; instigated hereunto
very much by remembering how it has been with them when they kept close to him,
and observing the difference between those times and the present; how they had
then the presence of God and Christ, and communion with them, and the secret
discoveries of the love of God; in what lively exercise the graces of the
Spirit were; what delight and profit they had in ordinances, and what peace,
joy, and comfort, in their souls; all which now they want; see Job 29:2.
Hosea 2:8 8 For
she did not know That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, And multiplied her
silver and gold— Which they prepared for Baal.
YLT 8And she knew not that I had
given to her, The corn, and the new wine, and the oil. Yea, silver I did
multiply to her, And the gold they prepared for Baal.
For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil,.... This is a
reason, not of her resolution to return to her first husband, but to go after
lovers, and of her ascribing these things to them, Hosea 2:5, and why
the Lord would behave towards her as he determined to do, Hosea 2:6, this
ignorance was wilful and affected, and therefore blameable; she might have
known, but she would not; she did not set her mind to know; she did not
consider who gave her these things, nor behave as if she knew, as Jarchi: or
she did not own and acknowledge God to be the author and giver of them, as she
should have done; which was ingratitude rather than ignorance, and is a heinous
sin, and to be resented; since all good things, temporal and spiritual, as
daily bread, all the necessaries of life, signified by these things, so the
word, and ordinances, and spiritual gifts, which they may be emblems of, come
from God, and should be acknowledged; but the Jews, as in the times of Isaiah,
did not know him, and acknowledge his benefits, Isaiah 1:2, so, in
the times of Christ, they did not know him to be the God of Israel, God over
all, blessed for ever; from whom, and for whose sake, who was to be, and was
born of them, they enjoyed the privileges they did, John 1:10.
And multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal; the relative
"which" may refer to all that goes before; and the sense be, that
these gifts of God, and which should have been owned as such, and employed in
his service, and to his glory; some were made use of in meat and drink
offerings to Baal; and others in decking themselves to appear in his worship to
his honour; or in ornamenting the idol therewith, or in making it thereof, so
the Targum and Syriac version: and all this may be said to be done, when these
things are spent in the service of other lords than the Lord himself; when they
are abused to sinful purposes, and consumed on the lusts of men, to gratify
their sensuality, pride, and vanity, which the Jews did.
Hosea 2:9 9 “Therefore
I will return and take away My grain in its time And My new wine in its season,
And will take back My wool and My linen, Given to cover her nakedness.
YLT 9Therefore do I turn back,
And I have taken My corn in its season, And My new wine in its appointed time,
And I have taken away My wool and My flax, covering her nakedness.
Therefore will I return, and take away,.... Or,
"take away again"F11אשוב ולקחתי "iterum capiam", Drusius;
"recipiam", Liveleus. ; an usual Hebraism:
my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof; for though
these are the gifts of God to men for their use, and to dispose of for the good
of others; yet he retains his property in them, and can and will call them to
an account for their stewardship; and, when he pleases, take away both their
office, and the good things they were intrusted with, not making a right use of
them; and this he does in his own appointed time and season, or at such a time
when these are at the best, and the greatest good is expected from them, and
which therefore is the more afflictive; as in the time of harvest and vintage,
so Kimchi, when corn and grapes are fully ripe; or, as the Targum, in the time
of the corn being on the floor, and of the pressure of the wine:
and will recover my wool, and my flax, given
"to cover her nakedness"; or, "I will take away"; by force
and violence, as out of the hands of thieves, and robbers, and usurpers, who
have no right to them, being forfeited; these were given to cover her
nakedness, but not to deck herself with for the honour of her idols, or to
cherish pride and superstition; see Matthew 23:5 these
were all taken away when the Romans came and took away their place and nation, John 11:48. The
Septuagint and Arabic versions give the sense as if these were taken,
that they might not cover her nakedness, or
"shame"; but that it might be exposed, as follows:
Hosea 2:10 10 Now
I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, And no one shall
deliver her from My hand.
YLT 10And now do I reveal her
dishonour before the eyes of her lovers, And none doth deliver her out of My
hand.
And now will I discover her lewdness in the lovers,.... The
people, her lovers, as the Targum; which is by many understood of the Egyptians
and Assyrians; but rather means the Romans, whom the Jews courted as their
friends: though it seems best to interpret it in a more general way, that the
sin and folly of the Jews in rejecting Christ, and adhering to their beloved
tenets, should be discovered and made manifest to all in the most public manner
by their punishment; by being scattered among the nations, and becoming a
taunt, reproach, and a curse everywhere: and none shall deliver her out of my
hand; none of her lovers, as Kimchi, nor any other: it denotes the utter,
total, and final destruction of the Jews, wrath being come upon them to the
uttermost; and which is irrecoverable by human help, has continued for many
hundred years, and will until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, or till
the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, Luke 21:24.
Hosea 2:11 11 I
will also cause all her mirth to cease, Her feast days, Her New Moons, Her
Sabbaths— All her appointed feasts.
YLT 11And I have caused to cease
all her joy, Her festival, her new moon, and her sabbath, Even all her
appointed times,
I will also cause all her mirth to cease,.... As it
must in course, this being her case, as before described, whether considered in
individuals, or as a body politic, or in their church state, as follows:
her feast days; which the Jews understand of the three
feasts of tabernacles, passover, and pentecost; typical of Christ's
tabernacling in human nature; of his being the passover sacrificed for us; and
of the firstfruits of the Spirit; which being come, the shadows are gone and
vanished, and these feasts are no more: her new moons, and her sabbaths; the
first day of every month, and the seventh day of every week, observed for
religious exercises; typical of the light the church receives from Christ, and
the rest it has in him; and he, the body and substance of them, being come,
these are no more, Colossians 2:16,
and all her solemn feasts; all others, whether of
God's appointment or their own; all are made to cease of right, if not in fact;
the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, being abolished by Christ,
and the Jews without a priest, sacrifice, and ephod, Ephesians 2:14.
Hosea 2:12 12 “And
I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, Of which she has said, ‘These are
my wages that my lovers have given me.’ So I will make them a forest, And the
beasts of the field shall eat them.
YLT 12And made desolate her vine
and her fig-tree, Of which she said, A gift they [are] to me, That my lovers
have given to me, And I have made them for a forest, And consumed them hath a
beast of the field.
And I will destroy her
vines and her fig trees,.... Which are mentioned for the rest, being the most fruitful
and beneficial: this was done when Judea was invaded, overrun and wasted, by
the Roman army; and when many were cut down, as Josephus observes, to build
forts, and cast up mounts against Jerusalem; so that, he, saysF12De
Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 1. , the appearance of the earth was miserable,
for what before was adorned with trees and gardens, looked now like a
wilderness:
whereof she hath said, these are my rewards that my lovers have
given me; alluding to the hire of harlots, given them by their gallants;
these she ascribed, as she did before her bread, water, wool, flax; and oil, Hosea 2:5, not to
God, the author and giver of them, but to the people her lovers, as the Targum;
or to her idols, or to her beloved tenets, and doing according to them; and
which is here mentioned as a reason of the divine resentment, and why he
destroyed these fruitful trees:
and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall
eat them; make the vines and fig trees like forest trees, barren and
unfruitful; the fruitful land of Judea should be turned into a forest, or
become like a desert or wilderness, and all the fruits of it should be eaten up
by wild beasts; by their enemies, compared to the beasts of the field,
particularly the Romans, the fourth beast; see Isaiah 56:9.
Hosea 2:13 13 I
will punish her For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She
decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, And went after her lovers; But Me
she forgot,” says the Lord.
YLT 13And I have charged on her
the days of the Baalim, To whom she maketh perfume, And putteth on her ring and
her ornament, And goeth after her lovers, And Me forgat -- an affirmation of
Jehovah.
And, I will visit upon her
the days of Baalim,.... That is, punish them for all the idolatries committed by
their forefathers, in the days that the several Baals, as Baalpeor, and
Baalberith, and others, were worshipped by them; they their children, though
not worshipping these Baalim, yet other lords, lusts and idols, they set up of
themselves, and in their own hearts; see Matthew 23:32,
wherein she burnt incense to them; to the Baalim; this one
species of idolatrous worship being put for the rest:
and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels; with her best
and richest attire; the latter word signifying in the Arabic language, as
Jarchi observes, the ornaments of women; this was done to grace the idolatrous
worship, and for the honour of the idols:
and she went after her lovers; the traditions of the
elders; the weak and beggarly elements of the ceremonial law now abolished, and
their own legal righteousness:
and forgot me, saith the Lord: or, "left my
worship", as the Targum; forgot and rejected the true Messiah, his word
and ordinances.
Hosea 2:14 14 “Therefore,
behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak
comfort to her.
YLT 14Therefore, lo, I am
enticing her, And have caused her to go to the wilderness, And I have spoken
unto her heart,
Therefore, behold, I will
allure her,.... Since these rough ways will not do, I will take another, a
more mild and gentle way; instead of threatening, terrifying, and punishing, I
will allure, persuade, and entice, giving loving words and winning language: or
"nevertheless", or "notwithstanding"F13לכן "atqui, vel attamen", Glassius. : so
Noldius and others render the particle; though they have thus behaved
themselves, and such methods have been taken with them to no purpose, yet I
will do as follows: the words may be understood of the call and conversion of
the people of God, the spiritual Israel of God, both Jews and Gentiles, in the
first times of the Gospel, as Hosea 2:23 is
quoted and applied by the Apostle Paul, Romans 9:24 and be
understood also of the call of the believing Jews out of Jerusalem, before the
destruction of it, Luke 21:21, from
whence they removed to Pella, as EusebiusF14Hist. Eccles. l. 3. c.
5. relates: and of the apostles out of the land of Judea into the wilderness of
the people, the Gentile world, to preach the Gospel there; where vineyards or
churches were planted; the door of faith and hope, were opened to the Gentiles,
that had been without hope; and the conversions now made, both among Jews and
Gentiles, opened a door of hope, or were a pledge of the conversion of the Jew,
and the bringing in of the fulness of the Gentiles in the latter day; to which
times also these words may be applied, when the Jews shall be allured and
persuaded to seek the Lord their God, and David their King, and join Gospel
churches in the wilderness of the people, and shall have abundance of spiritual
consolation and joy; and they may also be applied to the conversion of sinners
in common, and set forth the methods of God's grace in dealing with them: there
is throughout an allusion to Israel's coming out of Egypt, from whence the Lord
allured and persuaded them by Moses and Aaron; and then brought them into the
wilderness, where he fed and supplied them, and spoke comfort to them, and gave
them the lively oracles; and whence, from the borders of it, they had and
entered into the vineyards in the land of Canaan; and in the valley of Achor
ate of the grain of the land, which was a door of hope to them they should
enjoy the whole land; and when they rejoiced exceedingly, particularly at the
Red sea, at their first coming out. The word rendered "allure"
signifies to persuadeF15מפתיה
"persuadendo inducam eam", Munster; "persuadebo illi",
Calvin; "persuadens, vel persuadebo illi", Schmidt. , as in Genesis 9:27 and in
conversion the Lord persuades men, not merely by moral persuasion, or the
outward ministry of the word, but by powerful and efficacious grace; opening
the heart to attend to things spoken, and the eyes of the understanding to
behold wondrous things in the word of God; working upon the heart, and removing
the hardness and impenitence of it; quickening the soul, drawing it with the
cords of love, and sweetly operating upon the will: and on a sudden and
unawares making the soul like the chariots of Amminadib, or a willing people;
persuading it to true repentance for sin, to part with sins and sinful
companions, and with its own righteousness, and to come to Christ, and to look
to him, and lay hold on him as the Saviour, and to submit to his ordinances:
moreover, the Lord persuades men at conversion of his love to them, and of
their interest in Christ, and all the blessings of grace in him. Kimchi's note
is,
"I
will put into her heart to return by repentance;'
and
compares with it Ezekiel 36:26. The
Targum is,
"I
will subject her to the law.'
And bring her into the wilderness: so in conversion the
Lord calls and separates his people from the world, as the Israelites were from
the Egyptians, when brought into the wilderness; and when they are solitary and
alone, as they were, and so in a fit circumstance to be spoken unto, and to
hear comfortable words, as follows; and when the Lord feeds them with the grain
of heaven, with hidden manna, the food of the wilderness; and when they come
into trouble and affliction for the sake of Christ and his Gospel. Some
understand this of the church into which they are brought, because separate
from the world, and attended with trouble; but this is rather a garden than a
wilderness. Some, as Noldius and others, render it, "when" or
"after I have brought her into the wilderness"F16והלכתיה המדבר "postquam
duxero eam in desertum", Calvin, Drusius, "quum deduxero",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; so after the Lord has shown men their sin
and danger, their wilderness, desolate, state and condition, and stripped them
of all help elsewhere; or has brought them under afflictive dispensations of
Providence; then he does what he said before, and follows after.
And speak comfortably unto her; or, "speak to her
heart"F17על לבה
"ad cor ejus", Pagniaus, Cocceius; "super cor ejus",
Munster, Montanus, Schmidt. , as in Isaiah 40:2 as he
does when he tells them their sins are forgiven; that he has loved them with an
everlasting love; what exceeding great and precious promises he has made unto
them; and when he speaks to them by the Spirit and Comforter, who takes his and
the things of Christ, and shows them unto them; and in his word, written for
their consolation; and by his ministers, who are "Barnabases", sons
of comfort; and in the ordinances, those breasts of consolation. The Targum is,
"and
I will do for her wonders and great things, as I did for her in the wilderness;
and by the hand of my servants the prophets I will speak comforts to her
heart.'
The
Jewish writersF18Shirhashhirim Rabba, fol. 11. 2. Midrash Ruth, fol.
33. 2. interpret this of the Messiah's leading people into a wilderness in a
literal sense; they ask where will he (the Messiah) lead them? the answer of
some is, to the wilderness of Judea, Matthew 3:1; and of
others is, to the wilderness of Sihon and Og (the wilderness the Israelites
passed through when they came out of Egypt): they, who are on the side of the
first answer, urge in favour of it Hosea 12:9 and they
who are for the latter produce this passage.
Hosea 2:15 15 I
will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of
hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she
came up from the land of Egypt.
YLT 15And given to her her
vineyards from thence, And the valley of Achor for an opening of hope, And she
hath responded there as in the days of her youth, And as in the day of her
coming up out of the land of Egypt.
And I will give her
vineyards from thence,.... Either from the wilderness into which she is brought; or
from the time of her being brought there, allured and spoke comfortably to;
which are put for all temporal blessings, and as emblems of spiritual ones: and
so from the time that the Lord deals thus graciously, as before expressed, he
gives more grace, larger measures, and continual supplies of it, and withholds
nothing good, comfortable, and useful to them: the Vulgate Latin version
renders it, "her vinedressers"; and the Targum, her governors:
and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; this valley
was so named from Achan, who was stoned in it in the days of Joshua; who is by
JosephusF19Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 10, 14. , TheodoretF20Comment.
in loc. , and others, called Achar, and so in 1 Chronicles 2:7
and the signification of its name is the valley of trouble, because that he
both troubled Israel by his evil actions, which brought them into distress; and
because he was here troubled himself, being here punished for his sin, Joshua 7:24. JeromeF21De
locis Hebr. fol. 88. B. tom. 3. says it lies to the north of Jericho, and is
still called by its old name by the inhabitants of it. Some take it to be the
same with the valley of Engedi, which it is certain was near Jericho. Now as
the valley of Achor was at the entrance of the Israelites into the land of
Canaan, and gave them hope of possessing the whole land; so what the people of
God enjoy at first conversion lays a foundation for hope of eternal glory and
happiness; as the Lord's being given them as their portion, Christ as their
Saviour, and all things freely with him; the Spirit and his grace as the
earnest and pledge of the eternal inheritance: grace and glory are so strictly
connected, that the one is a door of hope to the other.
And she shall sing there; either in the
wilderness, where the Lord speaks comfortably to her; or in the vineyards she
has from thence; alluding to the songs of joy at the time of vintage, or
pressing of the grapes: or in the valley of Achor, there rejoicing in hope of
the glory of God, singing the songs of electing, redeeming, pardoning, and
justifying grace:
as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up out of
the land of Egypt: as when the people of Israel were first brought into their civil
and ecclesiastic state, which were the days of their youth as a people; and
that was when they came out of Egypt, and had passed the Red sea, at the shore
of which they sung; and to which is the allusion here; see Exodus 15:1 this
passage is applied to the times of the Messiah in the TalmudF23T.
Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 111. 1. .
Hosea 2:16 16 “And
it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will
call Me ‘My Husband,’[c] And no
longer call Me ‘My Master,’[d]
YLT 16And it hath come to pass,
in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah, Thou dost call Me -- My husband, And
dost not call Me any more -- My lord.
And it shall be at that
day, saith the Lord,.... The Gospel day, the times of the Gospel dispensation, the
latter part of them; at the time of the conversion of the Jews, and the
bringing in of the fulness of the Gentiles; at the time when God will allure
and persuade them to seek the Messiah, and they shall turn to him; when he
shall speak comfortably to them, and give them a door of hope, and all
spiritual blessings, and cause them to sing as when they came out of Egypt:
that thou shalt call me Ishi; or, "my
husband"F24אישי "maritus
meus", Vatablus, Pagninus, Montanus, "marite mi", Schmidt. ;
returning to Christ their first husband, and being received by him, shall have
faith and interest in him, and full assurance of it; and shall not only be
allowed to call him their husband, but in the strength of faith, and with great
freedom of soul, shall call him so, and say as the church did, "my beloved
is mine, and I am his", Song of Solomon 20:16,
or, "my man"F25"Vir meus", V. L. "mi
vir", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Liveleus. ; the man the Lord, the
man Jehovah's fellow, Immanuel God with us, God in human nature; and so more
manifestly points at Christ, who, most properly speaking, stands in the
relation of a husband to his people: or, "my strength", as some
interpret it; the husband being the strength, protection, and defence of the
wife, the weaker vessel; so Christ is the strength of his saints, in whom they
have righteousness and strength, and through whose strength they can do all
things:
and shalt call me no more Baali; which signifies my
husband too, and is used of God and Christ; he is called Baal, and the church
is called Beulah, because married together, Isaiah 45:5 but it
signifies a lordly and imperious husband; and the other word, "Ishi",
a loving one: so Jarchi observes that the sense is, that they should serve the
Lord from love, and not fear; "Ishi" being a word expressive of
marriage and love, and "Baali" of lordship and fear: hence some have
thought this to be the reason why the one should be used, and the other not,
under the Gospel dispensation; because saints now have not the spirit of
bondage to fear, but the spirit of adoption, whereby they call God their
Father, and Christ their husband: though rather the reason is, because the word
"Baal", as R. Marinns observes, is of doubtful signification, an
ambiguous word, used for the idol Baal, as well as signifies lord and husband;
and therefore to be laid aside, lest, when they mentioned it, it should be
thought they spoke of Baal, and not of the Lord; or should be led to think of
that idol, and remember him.
Hosea 2:17 17 For
I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered
by their name no more.
YLT 17And I have turned aside the
names of the lords from her mouth, And they are not remembered any more by
their name.
For I will take away the
names of Baalim out of her mouth,.... Out of the mouth of
Israel, as Saadiah; out of the mouth of the converted Jews, and even out of the
mouth of the Gentiles, as Kimchi owns; the several Baals, as Baalpeor,
Baalberith, and Baalzebub, and others: the names of them should be no more
used, should not be spoken of, unless with detestation and abhorrence; not with
honour and respect, with love and affection, or so as to yield worship and
homage to them; or otherwise their names may be lawfully mentioned, as in Romans 11:4, there
seems to be some reference to the law in Exodus 23:13, the
sense is, that idolatry shall be utterly abolished, even of every kind; not the
worship of Baalim only, but of all other idols: and so the Targum is,
"and
I will take away the name of the idols of the people out of their mouth;'
and
may design the idolatry of the church of Rome; their worship of images of gold
and silver, wood, brass, and stone in whose communion are many of the Jews at
this time; but when the time of their conversion comes, all this will be
abolished among them, and among the Gentiles also:
and they shall no more be remembered by their name; or made
mention of by name; the same thing as before, in other words, repeated for the
confirmation of it.
Hosea 2:18 18 In
that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the
birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and
sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely.
YLT 18And I have made to them a
covenant in that day, with the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the
heavens, And the creeping thing of the ground, And bow, and sword, and war I
break from off the land, And have caused them to lie down confidently.
And in that day will I
make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field,.... That is,
so as to be at peace with them, as the Targum is; see Job 5:23, the sense
is, the Lord here promises this unto them, and that it shall be as sure and
firm, and to be as much depended upon, as if it was established and settled by
covenant, and should be enjoyed as a covenant mercy and blessing; and the
creatures should as strictly observe it, and answer to it, as if bound by
covenant: and this should reach not only to the beasts of the field, the wild
beasts of prey, "but the fowls of heaven"; as the locusts and others,
as Kimchi observes, which should not eat up the fruits and increase of the
earth: "and the creeping things of the ground": as serpents and
scorpions, as the same writer suggests. Some think this was fulfilled in the
first times of the Gospel, when the apostles took up serpents, and trod on
scorpions, without any hurt; but then nothing was more common than for the
Christians to be thrown to the lions, and devoured by beasts of prey. Others
refer it to the last days, the times of the restitution of all things, when
they suppose all creatures will be restored to their paradisiacal estate, and
be in entire subjection to men. Rather the sense is, that whereas noisome
beasts, and other things, were one of God's sore judgments, with which he
threatened his people, when they sinned against him, now they should no more be
hurt by them in a way of judgment; and, indeed, should cease from being among them,
so that they should be in no fear of them any more; see Leviticus 26:22.
Though the words may be understood figuratively and mystically, either of deliverance
from all spiritual enemies by Christ, as sin, Satan, and the world, and all
others; or of freedom from all wicked men, cruel and crafty ones, open and
secret persecutors of the saints: persecution will cease at the time of the
Jews' conversion; antichrist, and all the antichristian states, will be
destroyed; the beast and false prophet will be taken and cast into the furnace
of fire; the old serpent, the devil, will be bound, during the Millennium; and
there will be none to hurt in God's holy mountain, neither in the spiritual nor
personal reign of Christ.
And I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the
earth; all the instruments of war shall be no more, these mentioned
being put for all the rest; and there shall be no more battles fought after
that at Armageddon; swords shall be beat into ploughshares, and spears into
pruning hooks; there shall be no more wars, nor rumours of wars, but perfect
external peace from all enemies on all sides, as well as spiritual and internal
peace in the breast of the saints; and of both there shall be abundance, and
without end, Psalm 72:7,
and will make them to lie down safely; under the
protection of the King Messiah, David their Prince, who shall be over them, and
whom they shall own, acknowledge, and serve, and so dwell in the utmost safety
and security, not fearing any enemy whatever; they may lie down on their
couches at meals, or on their beds at night for rest, or as flocks of sheep in
their folds and pastures, and none make them afraid; see Jeremiah 23:5.
Hosea 2:19 19 “I
will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness
and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy;
YLT 19And I have betrothed thee
to Me to the age, And betrothed thee to Me in righteousness, And in judgment,
and kindness, and mercies,
And I will betroth thee
unto me for ever,.... Which is taking them into a marriage relation with himself;
and is to be understood not of the whole body of God's elect, who were secretly
betrothed to in the everlasting covenant from eternity; for is respects what is
yet to come; but of the people the Jews, when converted in the latter day, when
will be the marriage of the Lamb with them, and with the fullness of the
Gentiles then brought in; of which see Revelation 19:7,
who will then return to their first husband; and though the Jews have been
divorced, they will be received again, and be afresh betrothed; a new covenant
or contract will be made with them, and which shall last for ever, Jeremiah 31:31 and
this may be applied to every particular soul at conversion, which is the day of
their open espousals to Christ; and they are visibly brought into a marriage
relation with him, than which nothing is more near; they become flesh of his
flesh, bone of his bone, yea, one spirit with him, and are indulged with near
communion with him; and hence is that sympathy he has with them in all their
afflictions, temptations, and exercises, and takes that as done to him which is
done to them, whether good or ill; hence all their debts or sins become his,
and he satisfies for them, and his righteousness becomes theirs: this is a very
endearing relation; there is a mutual delight and complacency they take in each
other; and a most able one it is; hence they are called by his name,
Christians, and partake of his honour; he is King, and they queen; and a very
beneficial relation it is, for all that Christ is, and has, are theirs; and a
most marvellous and wondrous thing it is that he should betroth them to
himself, when he is the Son of the living God, himself the true God, God over
all blessed for ever, the Maker and Governor of the world, and heir of all
things; and though they in their secret betrothment were considered as sinless
creatures, yet in their open espousals at conversion are fallen sinners, in a
very low estate indeed; under sentence of condemnation and death; devoid of the
image of God; depraved, polluted, and guilty creatures; in deep debt, and
extreme poverty; it is as if a prince, heir apparent to the throne, should take
a convict or condemned malefactor out of her cell, or a common strumpet out of
the stews, or a bankrupt and beggar from the dunghill, and marry her: and this
relation will continue "for ever": the marriage covenant or contract
is an everlasting one; the bond of union, which is everlasting and unchangeable
love, is indissoluble; death cannot take place in either party; both shall live
forever; and this is a strong proof of the final perseverance of the saints.
Yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness; either in
truth, in sincerity, heartily, and without any hypocrisy or dissimulation; or
consistent with righteousness, with his love of righteousness and holiness, and
hatred of sin: or rather in his own justifying righteousness; not in their own
righteousness, which is as rags; for though he finds them in such rags, he
strips them of them, and puts on the wedding garment, the robe of his own
righteousness, and garment of salvation; when they become as a bride, adorned
with ornaments, and so made ready for the nuptials, and in this he betroths
them; see Isaiah 61:10,
and in judgment: in sanctification, according to some, the
work being now begun by the Spirit of God, as a spirit of judgment; or in a
judicious way, not rashly and precipitantly, but with mature deliberation, and
of choice arising from judgment; or rather absolving them from the sentence of
condemnation and death by his righteousness, and protecting and defending them
from their enemies, for the sake of which, and other things, he takes them into
this relation;
and in lovingkindness, and in mercies: denoting both
the love, which is the spring and source of this relation, and not any merits
of theirs; and the kind and tender manner in which he betroths them; as well as
the numerous favours he bestows upon them; as pardon of sin; justification of
life; spiritual peace; supplies of all grace, and eternal life; all the effects
of free grace, unmerited love, and sovereign mercy.
Hosea 2:20 20 I
will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord.
YLT 20And betrothed thee to Me in
faithfulness, And thou hast known Jehovah.
I will even betroth thee
unto me in faithfulness,.... Which lies in keeping the marriage contract inviolable;
Christ will never suffer his faithfulness to fail, nor break his covenant; as
he is faithful to his Father that appointed him, so he is, and will be, to his
church and people, and to every believer, to whom he is espoused; and it is he
that makes them faithful unto him, and gives them faith to believe in him,
receive, embrace, own, and acknowledge him as their husband: and in this sense
some understand it, rendering it, "in faith"F26באמונה "in fide", V. L. &c. ; so the Targum
and others. This is the third time the word "betroth" is used, or
this promise made; which, according to Jerome, refers to them espousing of the
Jews in Abraham, at Mount Sinai, and in the times of Christ; and, according to
Kimchi, to the three captivities of the Jews, in Egypt, in Babylon, and that in
which they now are: and some Christian writers think the mystery of the Trinity
is here pointed at; and the sense to be, that all the three divine Persons,
Father, Son, and Spirit, would espouse them: but rather it is so often repeated
to confirm it, and express the certainty of it, which might, on many accounts,
seem a thing incredible.
And thou shall know the Lord; that the Messiah is
Jehovah, and that he is their husband; they shall all know him, from the least
to the greatest; they shall have a saving knowledge of him, which will issue in
eternal life; they shall own him, and acknowledge him, serve and obey him, as
their Lord, Head, and Husband, as well as love him, and believe in him. The
Targum is,
"and
ye shall know to fear before the Lord;'
see
Jeremiah 31:34. Let
it be observed, here are no conditions throughout, it is only "I
will", and "thou shalt".
Hosea 2:21 21 “It
shall come to pass in that day That I will answer,” says the Lord; “I will
answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth.
YLT 21And it hath come to pass in
that day, I answer -- an affirmation of Jehovah, I answer the heavens, and they
answer the earth.
And it shall come to pass
in that day,.... When these espousals shall be made, when the marriage of the
Lamb will be come, and his bride will be betrothed to him; then the whole
creation, the heavens and the earth, shall contribute of their riches and
plenty to make a marriage feast for them; or then shall the spouse of Christ,
in a very visible and plentiful manner, by virtue of the marriage union between
them, partake of all his good things, both temporal and spiritual; and
especially the latter, as signified by the former; but yet in the use of means,
and as the effect of prayer, as follows:
I will hear, saith the Lord; the petitions of his new
married bride, which he cannot deny her:or, "I will answer"F1אענה "respondebo", Calvin, Drusius, Tarnovius,
Cocceius. ; men oftentimes hear, and answer not; but when the Lord hears his
people, he answers them, and grants them their requests; he is a God hearing
and answering prayer. So the Targum,
"I
will receive your prayer, saith the Lord.'
I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; in these and
the following words is an elegant personification, a figure by which inanimate
creatures are represented as persons speaking, praying, asking, and being heard
and answered; and a beautiful climax, or a chain of second causes linked
together, and as depending upon the first cause, the Lord himself; the heavens
are represented as desiring the Lord of nature, the Maker and Supporter of
them, having been like brass, and shut up, that they might have leave to let
down their refreshing dews, and gentle showers of rain, upon the earth; and the
earth as being dry and thirsty, as gaping, opening its mouth, and imploring
these benign influences of the heavens; and both as answered: for so it may be
rendered, "I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the
earth"F2אענה את
שמים "respondebo coelo, et illud respondebit
terrae", Cocceius, Drusius. ; the Lord promises to answer the desires of
the heavens, and allow them to drop their dew, and distil their rain; and so
they shall answer the cravings of the earth. The spiritual sense may be,
according to Schmidt, Christ is he on whom all blessings depend;
"heaven" may signify the Holy Spirit Christ gives, who intercedes
with him for the saints; the "earth" the ministration of the word and
ordinances, by which the Spirit is given, invoked by the ministers of them. Or,
as Cocceius, the "heavens" may design the ministers of the church,
who govern in it, and who pray and plead for help, assistance, and success; and
the "earth" the audience, the common people, who also pray, and are
heard and answered, when ministers let down the dew and rain of evangelical
doctrine upon them, and water them, and refresh them with it; and such precious
seasons as these, as the fruit of prayer, will the saints have in the latter
day.
Hosea 2:22 22 The
earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer
Jezreel.[e]
YLT 22And the earth doth answer
the corn, And the new wine, and the oil, And they answer Jezreel.
And the earth shall hear
the corn, and the wine, and the oil,.... Or
"answer" here the corn, and vines, and olive trees, are represented
as requesting the earth to be let into it, and receive moisture from it, that
they may grow and increase, and bring forth fruit; by which may be meant the
fruits and graces of the Spirit, and all spiritual gifts, communicated by means
of the word and ordinances; or the fruits brought forth by the church, under
the ministry of the word; which serves like "corn" to nourish and
strengthen; like "wine" to comfort, cheer, and revive; and like
"oil" to heal and soften, as well as make glad,
And they shall hear Jezreel; or "answer";
that is, these trees and fruits shall answer to the requests and desires of
Jezreel, who shall be abundantly blessed with them. By "Jezreel" is
not meant the name of a place, as Aben Ezra; but the people of Israel, who had
before been signified by a son of the prophet of this name, Hosea 1:4, and
which name is here continued, to show how unworthy they were of such favours in
themselves, and the riches of God's grace in bestowing them on them: or else
the word here has a different signification; whereas before it signified their
being scattered and dispersed, here their being the seed of God; and which is
confirmed by the following words,
I will sow her unto me, &c.: the sum of the
whole is, that at the prayers of the Lord's people abundance of spiritual
blessings shall be bestowed upon them from Christ by the Spirit, under the
ministration of the word and ordinances. The Targum of both verses is,
"I
will command the heavens, and they shall let down rain upon the earth; and the
earth shall produce corn, and wine, and oil, and they shall be sufficient for
the captivity of the people.'
Kimchi
says this belongs to the time of salvation; and Aben Ezra to time to come.
Hosea 2:23 23 Then
I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had
not obtained mercy;[f] Then I
will say to those who were not My people,[g] ‘You are
My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’”
YLT 23And I have sowed her to Me
in the land, And I have pitied Lo-Ruhamah, And I have said to Lo-Ammi, My
people thou [art], and it saith, My God!'
And I will sow her unto me
in the earth,.... That is, Jezreel, or the people of God, the church
betrothed; this is another blessing following upon the marriage relation between
Christ and his people, both Jews and Gentiles, in the latter day, a
multiplication of a spiritual seed and offspring. So Kimchi and Aben Ezra
observe, that the words signify that the people of Israel shall increase and be
fruitful as the seed of the earth. These now are good seed which the Lord sows;
such as are born not of corruptible but incorruptible seed; are quickened by
the Spirit of God; have a good work of grace begun in them; and though they may
lie for some time under the clods in darkness and obscurity, yet shall rise up
in the green blade of a lively profession, and bring forth the fruits of
righteousness. Seed for sowing is the choicest and most precious, and of
greatest esteem and value, and is separated from the rest for that use, though
but little and small in quantity in comparison of it; all which is applicable
to the people of God. This is said to be sown "in the earth or land";
either in their own land, the land of Israel, into which they shall now be
brought, Ezekiel 21:22 or in
the field of the world, the nations and people of the earth, according to Zechariah 10:9 or
rather in the churches of Christ on earth, the churches in the Gentile world,
into which the Jews, when converted, shall be brought, and increase and
multiply; and this will be all the Lord's doing.
I will sow her: he will quicken and convert them, and place
and plant them in Gospel churches, though ministers may be instruments in his
hands; and all their fruitfulness and increase will be "unto him",
for his service, the promotion of his interest, and for his honour and glory.
The Targum is,
"I
will establish you before me in the land of my Shechinah or majesty.'
And I will have mercy on her that had not obtained mercy; upon
Loruhamah, or the people of Israel, signified by her, Hosea 1:6 and also
the Gentiles, for to both Jews and Gentiles the apostle applies the words in Romans 9:24 and
they were fulfilled in part in his time, by the conversion of some of the Jews,
and by the calling of the Gentiles; but will have a larger accomplishment in
the latter day, when all Israel shall obtain mercy, and be saved; see Romans 11:26 and
are applicable to the people of God at all times, when called by grace; for
though before conversion there is mercy for them in the heart of God, which is
from everlasting; and in his purpose and resolution to bestow; and which is
displayed in his choice of them, considered in the decree of the means as
fallen creatures, and so vessels of mercy; and which is laid up in covenant for
them, which is full of the sure mercies of David; and appears in the mission of
Christ, and their redemption by him; and in sparing and saving them before
calling; as well as in their regeneration, which is the fruit of abundant mercy;
yet is not manifested to them till converted, when they openly obtain it: the
Lord has mercy on them, and brings them out of the horrible pit of the state of
nature; plucks them as brands out of the burning; opens the prison doors,
knocks off their fetters, and sets them free; feeds their hungry and clothes
their naked souls; heals their diseases, and pardons their iniquities, and
saves them with an everlasting salvation.
And I will say to them which were not my people, thou art my
people; or to "Loammi", the people of Israel, signified by the
prophet's child of that name, Hosea 1:9, who
should no more be called so, but "Ammi", my people, Hosea 2:1, which,
as before observed, was in part fulfilled in the first times of the Gospel; but
will be more fully accomplished at the conversion of the Jews, and the bringing
in the fulness of the Gentiles; who though chosen to be the people of God, and
are so federally, and were given in covenant to Christ as such, and so redeemed
and saved by him from their sins; yet are not till conversion laid hold on by
the Lord, and formed as his people for himself, and are without knowledge of
him, and communion with him: nor are they called his people by themselves or
others; but, when converted, they have the characters, and enjoy the
privileges, of God's people; they have the witness of the relation to
themselves by the Spirit of God, and are known and acknowledged by others; the
Lord says this unto them, and avouches them for his people:
and they shall say, thou art my God; in the strength of
faith, under the testimony of the Spirit of God, they shall claim their
interest in God, as their covenant God in Christ; which is made known in
effectual calling by the work of grace on their hearts; by the blessings of
grace bestowed on them; and by the Lord's dwelling among them, and his
protection of them.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)