In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. Ver. 1. _Began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign._] Heb., He reigned, _sc., _ as an absolute king, and no longer a vassal or tributary to the king of Assyria as before. _a_ Over Israel... [ Continue Reading ]
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him. Ver. 2. _But not as the kings of Israel that were before him._] For he suffered his subjects to go up to the passover celebrated by Hezekiah when he invited them, 2Ch 30:11 and to worship... [ Continue Reading ]
Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. Ver. 3. _Against him came up Shalmaneser._] Son to Tiglathpileser, and father to Sennacherib; not the same with Sennacherib, as Eusebius maketh him. Under this Shalmaneser Tobias was carried capti... [ Continue Reading ]
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as [he had done] year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. Ver. 4. _And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. Ver. 5. _Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land._] Like an overflowing flood; having first seized upon the country of the Moabites, that he might leave nothing behind him... [ Continue Reading ]
_In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes._ Ver. 6. _And carried Israel away into Assyria._] Whither Tiglathpileser had before carried five of the... [ Continue Reading ]
_For [so] it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,_ Ver. 7. _For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned._] Their iniquity was thei... [ Continue Reading ]
And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. Ver. 8. _And of the kings of Israel._] They made them kings, and those kings made statutes of their own devising, without God's approbation, Mic 6:1... [ Continue Reading ]
And the children of Israel did secretly [those] things that [were] not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. Ver. 9. _And the children of Israel did secretly._] Heb., They hid, or covered, or cloaked... [ Continue Reading ]
And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: Ver. 10. _In every high hill._] Where they "poured forth their whoredoms," Eze 16:20-26 and "this had been their custom from their youth." Eze 23:8... [ Continue Reading ]
And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as [did] the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: Ver. 11. _To provoke the Lord to anger._] As if they had done all this expressly and on purpose.... [ Continue Reading ]
For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Ver. 12. _Whereof the Lord had said, Ye shall not._] But they did it the rather; taking occasion by the law, that their sin might appear to be exceeding sinful. Rom 7:13 Such is the canker of our vile natures, t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, [and by] all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments [and] my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets._ Ver... [ Continue Reading ]
Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. Ver. 14. _But hardened their necks._] Adding to their sinews of iron (natural impudency), brows of brass, notorious impudency in sin. Isa 48:8... [ Continue Reading ]
And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that [were] round about them, [concerning] whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not... [ Continue Reading ]
And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, [even] two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. Ver. 16. _And they left all the commandments of God._] So they will soon do, who take liberty to leave any; for the who... [ Continue Reading ]
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Ver. 17. _And they caused their sons._] See on 2 Kings 16:3 . _ And used divination._] Dealt with the dev... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Ver. 18. _Removed them out of his sight._] That since they would not live by his laws, they should not live in his land, _quippe qui moribus suis quam legibus uti malle... [ Continue Reading ]
Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. Ver. 19. _Also Judah._] Being the worse for Israel's ill neighbourhood, Hos 4:14 and therefore the worse, because she should have been better by such a warning. Jer 3:8... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. Ver. 20. _And the Lord rejected._] Making them to become Loammi, and Loruhamah, according to Hosea 1:6; Hosea 1:9 . _ And delivered them into the... [ Continue Reading ]
For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin. Ver. 21. _For he rent Israel._] Or, Israel rent itself; and became miserable by their own election. _ And Jeroboam drove Israe... [ Continue Reading ]
For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Ver. 22. _Walked in the sins of Jeroboam._] And nothing would cure them of this leprosy, but captivity. _ They departed not from them._] Nothing is more pertinacious than a strong corruption.... [ Continue Reading ]
Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. Ver. 23. _Until the Lord removed._] See on 2 Kings 17:18 . _ Unto this day._] Wrath is come upon them to the utmost, if not to... [ Continue Reading ]
And the king of Assyria brought [men] from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed [them] in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. Ver. 24. _And the king of Assyria._] Fi... [ Continue Reading ]
And [so] it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, [that] they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew [some] of them. Ver. 25. _That they feared not the Lord._] As he expected they should some way own him in a land which he was pleased to own. To do wickedl... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land. V... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. Ver. 27. _Carry thither one of the priests._] One of Jeroboam's priests, for want of a better. _Docend... [ Continue Reading ]
Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. Ver. 28. _And taught them how they should fear the Lord._] _Timore cultus, non culpae; _ fear him at least as the idolatrous Israelites did Servile fear materiall... [ Continue Reading ]
Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put [them] in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. Ver. 29. _Made gods of their own._] Goodly gods, that were made of men. _Olim truncus eram ficulnus, &c._ God made man after h... [ Continue Reading ]
And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, Ver. 30. _Succothbenoth._] This idol was made in the form of a hen hurking her chickens. Most of these names of heathenish deities are Syriac and Chaldee. _Nergol_ significth a woodcock, o... [ Continue Reading ]
And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. Ver. 31. _Made Nibhaz and Tartak._] A dog and an ass, as 2 Kings 17:30. So the Africans worshipped a dog; the Persians, a cock; the Mendesians, a goat, &c.... [ Continue Reading ]
So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. Ver. 32. _So they feared the Lord._] They did, and they did not; 2Ki 17:34 they feared him for his lions, as the old Romans served their _V... [ Continue Reading ]
They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence. Ver. 33. _They feared the Lord._] _Religione mixta et interimistica._ See 2 Kings 17:32 . _ And served their own gods._] So Redwald, the first king of the East Saxons that was bapti... [ Continue Reading ]
Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; Ver. 34. _They fear not the Lord._] Rightly they feared him... [ Continue Reading ]