TOWARD YOU] RV 'unto you.' Judgment belongs to you by right, and having abused your privilege you deserve greater punishment. MIZPAH and TABOR are both spoken of as ancient sanctuaries: cp Judges 21:1; Judges 21:8; 1 Samuel 7:5, and see on Hosea 4:13. The assemblies for religious and political purp... [ Continue Reading ]
PREDICTIONS OF PUNISHMENT The priests, the people, and the royal dynasty have alike sinned, and will alike be punished. Their coquetting with Assyria will prove utterly futile. Judah has also sinned, and will receive their punishment. But there is ever yet hope in the future, if they will but repen... [ Continue Reading ]
ARE PROFOUND.. SLAUGHTER] lit. 'have gone deep to slaughter,' i.e. have committed horrible slaughter. It refers probably to the violence of political factions: cp. Hosea 7:7. THOUGH I _have been_] RV 'but I am.' Their violence will not escape punishment. THEM ALL] priests, people, and rulers (Hosea... [ Continue Reading ]
I KNOW.. FROM ME] ISRAEL and EPHRAIM are in this book synonymous. The people had corrupted themselves by sins of impurity, but Jehovah had seen it and would punish: cp. Psalms 10:14.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY.. DOINGS] RV 'Their doings will not suffer them.' To repent would mean to give up their cherished vices.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PRIDE.. FACE] Worse still; they were actually proud of themselves and their doings. Their vaunting of their wickedness was its most obvious proof. 6. The time would come when they would in vain offer sacrifices to Jehovah.... [ Continue Reading ]
STRANGE CHILDREN] Some see here an allusion to intermarriage with the Canaanites: cp. Ezra 9:10. But it may be merely metaphorical. The result of their faithless union with heathen gods was a race of people who were not true Israelites, acknowledged and loved of Jehovah. A MONTH] RV 'the new-moon.'... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PRINCES.. BOUND (RV 'landmark')] They had abused their power to oppress and rob the people. The prophet here includes Judah in his denunciations and threats of consequent punishment. The Assyrians who demolished the northern kingdom crippled Judah in the days of Hezekiah. The deliverance of Juda... [ Continue Reading ]
BROKEN IN JUDGMENT] i.e. defeated in his suit and condemned. AFTER THE COMMANDMENT] RM 'after vanity,' i.e. idolatry.... [ Continue Reading ]
ASSYRIAN.. JAREB] cp. Hosea 10:6. This refers probably to Menahem paying voluntary tribute to Tiglath-pileser (Pul, 2 Kings 15:19). The name Jareb ('adversary') is coined by Hosea to point out the absurdity of their seeking help from such a source. In the words, WHEN JUDAH _saw_ HIS WOUND, Hosea see... [ Continue Reading ]