Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · minor prophets · Hosea · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
VVHen Israel was a child I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt, that is, V. 1.when he was a poor child or servant under the Egyptians tyranny, my love was towards him, neither was it taken away for his basenesse. This is spoken to aggravate the wickednesse of Israel the more, who so ill requited God for all his love, as followeth v. 2.
The next words, I called my son out of Egypt, are spoken, as God himself then stiled him, Israel is my son, my first-born, which is applyed to Christs coming into Egypt and out again, Mat. 2. 15.
As they called them, so they went from them, they sacrificed to Baal, that is, as they V. 2.my servants, whom I imployed to call them our of Egypt, Moses and Aaron, endeavoured to bring them to me, so they contrariwise forsaking me, served Baal, Judg. 2. 11. against that which they had been taught by Moses and Joshua and the Prophets raised up after them from time to time, of one of which see Judg. 2. 1.
I taught Ephraim also to goe, I took him also by the arm and he knew not that I healed V. 3.him: Here he goeth on further to shew with what love and kindnesse he entreated Israel after their deliverance out of the land of Egypt, even as a mother teaching her child to goe, holding it from falling, and when it cannot goe, taking it up in her arms to carry it: for so the Lord presented them Exod. 17.with kindnesse in the wildernesse, in their going upholding them, when the Amalekites came to fight against them, and bearing them up as the Eagle he; Deut. 32.young upon her wings above all dangers. Yee he knew not, or did not as one acknowledging all this to have come from me, and my sparing them from utter destruction, which they by their sins then deserved, which was an healing of them, as Exod. 32.
I was as they that take off the yoak from the jaws, and laid meat unto thee: a farther expression of his love taken from a man that loveth his oxe, and therefore seeing V. 4.his yoke to presse him too hard, in pity helpeth to hold it up and so to ease the beast, and then giveth him meat; so the Lord dealt by Israel, delivering him from the Egyptian bondages, and when he was in the wildernesse miraculously feeding them with Manna from heaven. Thus the Lord saith, that he drew them with the cords of a man and bands of love, as a man full of humanity seeketh to win his rebellious child by loving and not by harsh means, because kindnesses are as cords drawing the hearts.
He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his King because V. 5.they refused to return, that is, I charged them at the time when I brought them out of Egypt, not to return thither any more, or to seek the friendship of the Egyptians; but herein they disobeyed me, and sought to the King of Egypt, as 2 King. 17. therefore the Assyrian shall subdue them, as I have threatned, because they would not return from this evill way, upon which they were obstinately set, so Lyra; or they would not return to me by reposing their trust in me only, but were diffident in respect of my help: so almost Gualter.Gualter.
My people are beut to back sliding from me, though they called them to the most high, none V. 7.at all would exalt him: vulg. Lat. and my people shall hang upon my return, but a Jock shall be put upon them, that shall not be taken away, Hebr. my people hanging, or suspending upon my return, for the yoak they shall call upon him, he shall not lift them up. And the meaning is, When I shall give them over into the hands of the Assyrians, as I have said, and they being pressed with misery would depend upon me, and therefore shall cry unto me for help, as chap. 5. 15. for the Assyrians cruelty against them, but they shall lie and be kept under it without deliverance; whereas Judah being captived by the Babylonians, was promised deliverance at the end of 70 years. For the word rendred bent signifieth to depend, & it is foreign that is rendred to back-sliding from me, which most properly signifieth, to my return, that is, my return from hiding my self, as I threatned, God being said so to do, when he appeareth not in the defence of his Israel. And for the next words rendred, although they called them to the most high, they are foreign the word foreign signifying a yoak, as the word foreign without a yoak, although foreign signifieth also super, yet foreign is either a particle shewing the accusative case, or used sometime for to, or for, so that being the nearest that may be to the New Testament, it will be no more but ad super, not to the most high, to set forth whom foreign is commonly, if not alwayes used. And the last word signifieth indifferently either to lift up or to take away, wherefore I rest in the exposition given, as Jerom and all the Ancients do. They that follow the other Hieron.Translation, give this for the sense: Although teachers were not wanting amongst them, who from time to time most earnestly exhorted them by repentance to turn to the Lord the most high: yet look upon them altogether, and herein they were all alike, in that they did not set themselves to exalt or glorifie God by praising and serving him, but rather Idols. But in this last they goe plainly from the word foreign, which if it be rendred by exalting, must be exalt them, not him, and to being referred to the Lord without any tolerable sense.
How shall I make thee as Admah, how shall I set thee as Zeboim? Here the Lord V. 8.speaketh as one at a stand, for the love he bate to Israel, studying as it were, what to doe unto him being so full of sin, to shew his unwillingnesse to reverely to punish him, as now he was about to do, being, as it were, forced to it thereby, even as a father dealeth by his dear son degenerating. For the destruction of Admah and Zeboim here spoken of, they were utterly destroyed together with Sodom, Gen. 19. Whereby we may see, that God doth not willingly Note. but unwillingly destroy his people, although most sin…ull, being ready, if by any means they would be brought to turn, to save them, which sheweth that not God but man only is the cause of his own destruction, and is not by any Chap. 13. 9. Jam. 1. 14.fatall necessity put on in a sinfull way, but of his own will. My heart is turned within me, my repentings are kinaled together, this is spoken per anthropopatheian, and not properly, because diverse thoughts and repentance are not incident to Jam. 1. 17.God, who is without all variablenesse or shadow of change. It is thus spoken then, to shew how full of compassion God is towards man sinning and hereby provoking him, by reason of which, although he severely punisheth, yet he will not utterly destroy all Israel, with whom he is in covenant with, for which it is added, v. 9. I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger, I will not return to V. 9.destroy Ephraim, for I am God and not man, the holy one in the midst of thee, and I will not enter into the City: in which words the Lords sheweth in what sense he spake before of repentance burning within him, & the turning of his heart within him. Whilest he thought upon destroying Ephram and threatned it, he meditated upon shewing some favor; for which he saith, I wil not execute the fierceness of mine anger by utterly destroying Israel for ever, whereby be intimateht that there shall one day be an healing even of the people of the ten tribes, and that they shall not alwayes be bound up in infidelity for everlasting destruction, as is plainly taught Rom. 11. 26. And therefore when in other places utter destruction for ever is threatned unto them, it is to be understood, as Calvin well noteth, not of all without exception; for there is a remnant of elected on s, who are alwayes excepted, which shall finally come in to the faith, as is often taught.
In saying, I will not return, &c. he hath reference to former destructions that had been amongst them, a cessation whereof there was at that time, but because he was about to bring upon them a greater judgment then ever by the Assyrians, he said I will not return, &c. by these my judgments threatned utterly to destroy Ephraim, for I am God and not man, that is, not as a malicious man, who being provoked is implacable for ever, God is not so, but in time when he thinketh that his people have suffered enough, he will deale with them again in mercy and loving kindnesse, the holy one in the midst of thee, this is added to shew that it could not be otherwise, forsomuch as the Lord is the holy One, and this is one point of holiness not to retain anger for ever, to persist alwayes in wrath being a notorious blemish and contrary to the beauty of holiness, as it is called Psal. 110 3.
If it be said Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for ever, and reprobates lye under Gods wrath for ever, how the… may he be justified herein to be holy, if to shew mercy at length be a part of holiness?
Sol. This is spoken to Israel, not to other nations, because Israel was Gods peculiar people, and therefore it is to be noted, that he saith I am the holy one in the midst of thee, not of every other nation, but of thee, with whom I am in covenant. Holinesse herein shineth in God towards the elect, in that what miseries soever they suffer and how long soever; yet at length God will put an end thereunto: but towards reprobates his justice shall shine for ever to his glory, Rom. 9. and I will not enter into the City, that is, in an hostile manner utterly to destroy it, as he that hath subdued a City by the sword enters, and burns and kils all, but if upon terms of peace he cometh in, the gates being by consent opened unto him, although he punisheth the City, yet he spares it from utter ruine; so the Lord meaneth here: thus also Calvin, who mentioneth Calvin.two other expositions.
1. I will not enter any other City to dwell in the midst thereof, but Jerusalem.
2. I will not make you a flourishing kingdom again any more by setting a King over you apart, and other accomplishments of state, as be in a City having a King.
But of these the first falleth, because he speaks not to the kingdom of Judah wherein Jerusalem was, but of the ten tribes; and the second, because his entering here spoken of, was in judgment, thus Calvin: but he seemeth to me to mean a City opposite to Israel, for these words are added after his saying, I am the holy one in the midst of thee, and into the City of thine enemies, the Assyrians, that is, Nineveh, I will not enter, although for thy punishment I make them for a time most victorious. Lyra hath another exposition, I will not confine my worship to Jerusalem only, but in all places they shall worship me, Joh. 4. 20. but this agreeth not with the words before going.
They shall walk after the Lord, he shall roar as a Lion, when he shall roar, then the V. 10.children shall tremble from the west: Here it is prophesied of the compassion before spoken of, that should after judgment be shewed to Israel, when this shall be, he sheweth, that they shall not live in sin and rebellion against God any more, but walk after him in holy obedience, the means whereof shall be the roaring of the Lion, that is, of Christ Jesus, who was the Lion of the tribe Gen 49.of Judah, uttering his voice by powerfull preaching by himself and his ministers.
For the next words, the children from the west shall tremble, Vulg. hath it, the children of the Sea shall fear, expounded by Lyra, the children of this world, Lyra.which is compared to the Sea, because tempestuous. And by the Sea Calvin also rendreth it, as the word properly signifieth. And therefore taking it according to the most proper signification, I say with Jerom, that by the children of the Sea here the people of the world are meant, who are set forth by Hieron.fishes in the Sea, by the preaching of the Gospel, being taken and brought to Christ as in a net, by the labour of fishers, the Apostles. They shall tremble as a V. 11.bird out of Egypt, and as a dove from Assyria, and I will place them in their houses: which words are added, to shew that the trembling or fear before spoken of should be to conversion, that they might be taken by the net of the Gospell Mat. 13.cast out in all parts of the world, as the fishers net in the broad and wide Sea. Thus then it is shewed here, that they should tremble from Egypt and Assyria, and so be brought to their houses, that is, to particular congregations imbracing the faith. And this is spoken in way of opposition to the scattered condition of the Jews for the present, and it is spoken according to the similitude of a bird, or as the word signifieth, a sparrow, and a dove, which have houses to flee unto, and being feared presently hasten thither. But why as sparrows from Egypt, and as doves from Assyria? because Egypt was nearer to Jerusalem and Assyria much farther off; and a sparrows flight is but short, a doves long. And Egypt and Assyria are particularly named, all other countries also being meant, because they were the most noted for Israels being gone thither, as was touched before. Calvin will not have the conversion of Israel Josh. 9. 3. Calvin.here meant, when it is said, they shall walk after the Lord, but his powerfull bringing of them home from all places, where they were scattered, they of Egypt and Ashur, being made to tremble, and so not daring to hinder them, as it is said, that the people about Shechem had a fear from the Lord falling upon them, that none of them durst pursue after Jacob removing from Shechem, when his sons by shedding so much bloud had provoked the neighbouring people against them. But I rest in the former, and by the children of the Sea, the inhabitants of the most remote parts of the world are set forth, that should be stricken with an holy fear to turn to the Lord, because Islands are hereby meant, that stand in the Sea, and so are furthest off from the firm land.
Ephraim compasseth me about with lies; here chap. 12. beginneth Hebr. wherein V. 12.Israel is againe charged with soul wickednesse and threatned. And because it is of new matter having no coherence with v. 11. and ch. 12. 1. follows on in the like charge, it is better to make it, as Lyra doth, the beginning of that chapter, for so doth Junius also. For the lyes and deceit here spoken of, Lyra, for the Lyra. Junius.first hath denying, referring it to the denying that they had any part in the son of Ishai, when they rejected Rehoboam from being their king, who was of Davids line, and by deceit he understands their deceit towards God about his worship, fraudulently translating it to their golden Calves. But because the word signifieth a lie, and they are said to compasse God about herewith, I rather refer both it and deceit to the same fraudulent dealing with God. But of Judah an honourable testimony is here given, because Hezekiah being King when Israel was destroyed, that kingdome was famous for cleaving to the Lord, and beating down all idolatry. Judah yet ruleth with God and is faithfull with the Saints, that is, hath a lot, Davids line, in which it was setled, and not as much of the Saints who were persecuted in Israel.