Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor. Judah too being guilty shall be punished; nor shall Assyria, whose aid they both sought, save them: judg... [ Continue Reading ]
And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all. AND THE REVOLTERS - apostates. ARE PROFOUND - deeply-rooted (Calvin), and sunk to the lowest depths; excessive in their idolatry (; ). (Henderson.) From the antithesis (), "not hid from me." I prefer exp... [ Continue Reading ]
I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled. I KNOW EPHRAIM - the tribe so called, as distinguished from "Israel" here the other nine tribes. It was always foremost of the tribes of the north kingdom. For 400 years in early h... [ Continue Reading ]
They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD. THEY WILL NOT FRAME THEIR DOINGS TO TURN UNTO THEIR GOD - "They," turning from a direct address to Ephraim, he uses the third person plural, to character... [ Continue Reading ]
And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them. THE PRIDE OF ISRAEL - wherewith they reject the warnings of God's prophets (), and prefer their idols to God (; ). DOTH TESTIFY TO HIS FACE - openly to... [ Continue Reading ]
They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them. THEY SHALL GO WITH THEIR FLOCKS AND WITH THEIR HERDS - to propitiate Yahweh (Isaiah 1:11). TO SEEK THE LORD; BUT THEY SHALL NOT FIND HIM - because it is slav... [ Continue Reading ]
They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions. THEY HAVE DEALT TREACHEROUSLY AGAINST THE LORD - as to the marriage-covenant between God and Israel (). FOR THEY HAVE BEGOTTEN STRANGE CHILDREN - alluding... [ Continue Reading ]
Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin. BLOW YE THE CORNET IN GIBEAH. The arrival of the enemy is announced in the form of an injunction to blow an alarm. CORNET ... TRUMPET - the "cornet" was made of the curved horn of animals, an... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be. EPHRAIM ... JUDAH. - Israel is referred to in Hosea 5:9, Judah in Hosea 5:10. EPHRAIM SHALL BE DESOLATE IN THE DAY OF REBUKE - the day when I shall chastise him. AMONG THE... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment. EPHRAIM IS OPPRESSED AND BROKEN IN JUDGMENT - namely, 'crushed' in the "judgment" of God on him (Hosea 5:1). BECAUSE HE WILLINGLY WALKED AFTER THE COMMANDMENT - he willfully followed Jeroboam's comma... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. THEREFORE WILL I BE UNTO EPHRAIM AS A MOTH - consuming a garment (; ; ). AND TO THE HOUSE OF JUDAH AS ROTTENNESS. Ephraim, or the ten tribes, are as a garment eaten by the moth; Judah as the body itself consume... [ Continue Reading ]
When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. WHEN EPHRAIM SAW HIS SICKNESS, AND JUDAH SAW HIS WOUND - literally, bandage: hence, a bandage wound (, "From the sole of the fo... [ Continue Reading ]
For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. FOR I WILL BE UNTO EPHRAIM AS A LION, AND AS A YOUNG LION - the black lion [ shachal (H7826)] and the young lion [ kªpiyr (H3715)] are e... [ Continue Reading ]
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. I WILL GO AND RETURN TO MY PLACE - i:e., withdraw my favour. The image to which God compares himself () is that of a lion going and returning to his covert, after... [ Continue Reading ]