They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. Ver. 1. _They say._] _Vulgo dicitur,_ saith the Vul... [ Continue Reading ]
Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. Ver. 2. _And see where thou hast not been lien with._] Pouring out t... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. Ver. 3. _Therefore the showers have been withholden._] Drought and dearth have ensued upon thy sin. By showers here understand the former rain, called als... [ Continue Reading ]
Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou [art] the guide of my youth? Ver. 4. _Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me?_] And is not this extreme impudence? Hast thou a face thus to collogue? _Hypocritis nihil impudentius; _ hypocrites are impudent flatterers; they would, if they... [ Continue Reading ]
Will he reserve [his anger] for ever? will he keep [it] to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest. Ver. 5. _Will he reserve his anyer for ever?_] Will he not? Nah 1:2 and is there not good reason he should do so, so long as you speak and do evil things as you can, o... [ Continue Reading ]
The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen [that] which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. Ver. 6. _The Lord also said unto me in the days of Josiah._] This is the beginni... [ Continue Reading ]
And I said after she had done all these [things], Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw [it]. Ver. 7. _And I said after she had done._] Or, Yet I said; but I lost my sweet words upon her.... [ Continue Reading ]
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. Ver. 8. _And I saw._] That which others could not so easily discern - viz., their h... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. Ver. 9. _And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom._] Or, better, Through the vocalness of it; the loudness of her lewdness. Heb., the voice or n... [ Continue Reading ]
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. Ver. 10. _Hath not turned unto me with her whole heart._] Josiah did, but the people did not, as soon appeared, when in the next king's reign they fell off as fast as leave... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Ver. 11. _The backsliding Israel hath justified herself._] That is, she is less guilty and faulty of the two; because Judah sinned against more means and mercies, and because she received not instr... [ Continue Reading ]
Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; [and] I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I [am] merciful, saith the LORD, [and] I will not keep [anger] for ever. Ver. 12. _Go and proclaim these words toward the north,_] _i.e., _... [ Continue Reading ]
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. Ver. 13. _Only acknowledge thine iniquity._] Thus favour is promised to the ten captivated tri... [ Continue Reading ]
_Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:_ Ver. 14. _Turn, O backsliding children._] See on Zechariah 1:3 . _ For I am married unto you._] And, as "I hate putting away," Mal 2:16 s... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. Ver. 15. _And I will give you pastors according to my heart._] God gives faithful pastors oft for the sake of but a few that are there to be converted: _Et vilissimus pagus est palatium eburn... [ Continue Reading ]
And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit [it]; neither shall [that] be done any more.... [ Continue Reading ]
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. Ver. 17. _They shall call Jerusalem,_] _i.e., _ The Church Christian. _ T... [ Continue Reading ]
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. Ver. 18. _In that day shall the house of Judah walk with the house of Israel._] All the elect shall be... [ Continue Reading ]
But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. Ver. 19. _But I said, How shall I put thee among the children?_] How, but by my free grace alone... [ Continue Reading ]
Surely [as] a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. Ver. 20. _Surely as a treacherous wife, &c._] This ye have done, but that is your present grief, and now you look upon your former disloyalties with a lively hatre... [ Continue Reading ]
A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping [and] supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, [and] they have forgotten the LORD their God. Ver. 21. _A voice was heard upon the high places._] Where they were wont to worship idols, now they weep for their sins, an... [ Continue Reading ]
Return, ye backsliding children, [and] I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou [art] the LORD our God. Ver. 22. _Return, ye backsliding children._] Give the whole turn, and not the half turn only. So Acts 2:38, Peter said to them that were already pricked at heart, "Repen... [ Continue Reading ]
Truly in vain [is salvation hoped for] from the hills, [and from] the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God [is] the salvation of Israel. Ver. 23. _Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills._] Heb., Truly in vain from the hills, the multitude, the mountains: it is like to that... [ Continue Reading ]
For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. Ver. 24. _For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers._] That shameful thing, Baal hath done it; Jer 11:13 Hos 9:10 he hath even eaten up our cattle and our children... [ Continue Reading ]
We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. Ver. 25. _We lie down in our shame._] We that once had a whore's forehead, Jer 3:3 and seem... [ Continue Reading ]