Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, (a) as [other] people: for thou hast
gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved (b) a reward upon every
cornfloor.
(a) For even though all other people should escape, yet you will be
punished.
(b) You have committed idolatry in hope of reward, and to have your
bar... [ Continue Reading ]
(c) The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine
shall fail in her.
(c) These outward things that you seek will be taken from you.... [ Continue Reading ]
They shall not offer (d) wine [offerings] to the LORD, neither shall
they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices [shall be] unto them as
the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for
their bread (e) for their soul shall not come into the house of the
LORD.
(d) All their doings... [ Continue Reading ]
What will ye do (f) in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of
the LORD?
(f) When the Lord will take away all the occasions of serving him,
which will be the most grievous part of your captivity, when you will
see yourselves cut off from God.... [ Continue Reading ]
For, lo, they are gone because of (g) destruction: Egypt shall gather
them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant [places] for their
silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns [shall be] in their
tabernacles.
(g) Even though they think to escape by fleeing the destruction that
is at hand, yet th... [ Continue Reading ]
The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come;
Israel shall know [it]: (h) the prophet [is] a fool, the spiritual man
[is] mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.
(h) Then they will know that they were deluded by those who claimed
themselves to be their pr... [ Continue Reading ]
The watchman of Ephraim (i) [was] with my God: [but] the prophet [is]
a snare of a fowler in all his ways, [and] hatred in the house of his
God.
(i) The Prophet's duty is to bring men to God, and not to be a snare
to pull them from God.... [ Continue Reading ]
They (k) have deeply corrupted [themselves], as in the days of Gibeah:
[therefore] he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.
(k) This people is so rooted in their wickedness, that Gibeah, which
was similar to Sodom, was never more corrupt; (Judges 19:22).... [ Continue Reading ]
I found Israel like (l) grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers
as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: [but] they went to
Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto [that] shame; and [their]
abominations were according (m) as they loved.
(l) Meaning, that he esteemed them and delight... [ Continue Reading ]
[As for] Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the
birth, (n) and from the womb, and from the conception.
(n) Signifying that God would destroy their children by these
different means, and so consume them by little and little.... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephraim, as I saw (o) Tyrus, [is] planted in a pleasant place: but
Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer.
(o) As they kept tender plants in their houses in Tyrus to preserve
them from the cold air of the sea, so was Ephraim at the first to me:
but now I will give him to the slaught... [ Continue Reading ]
Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a (p) miscarrying
womb and dry breasts.
(p) The Prophet seeing the great plagues of God toward Ephraim, prays
to God to make them barren, rather than that this great slaughter
should come upon their children.... [ Continue Reading ]
All their wickedness [is] in (q) Gilgal: for there I hated them: for
the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I
will love them no more: all their princes [are] revolters.
(q) The chief cause of their destruction is that they commit idolatry,
and corrupt my religion in Gil... [ Continue Reading ]