Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · minor prophets · Hosea · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
GO yet, Love a woman beloved of her friend: Here the constant love of V. 1.God towards the Jews in particular is further set forth, who so ungratefully rejected him coming amongst them, and were therefore by him judged, and remain under his judgments to this day, a scattered and despised people in all countries and nations. For to signifie this Hosea is bidden to go love a woman beloved of her friend. This woman being the Jewish Synagogue, her friend the Lord, who had alwayes shewed singular love unto her, and although for her crucifying of Christ his dear Son, he dealeth long so severely with her, yet as an Hosea, that is, a Saviour; he loveth her still, and will in the last dayes shew it when they shall be converted unto him, as in the last words of this chapter.
Some expound it of the Jews returning after many dayes out of the Babylonish Theoph. Theodoret. R. Solon. Calvin.captivity, but Jerom and Lyra, as hath been said. And against the other make divers things here spoken of: that he saith they should be without a king, and a Prince, whereas the Jewes in that time were not, for Jehoiakin lived many years after, and was advanced by Evilmerodath the K. of Babylon: and from him came Salathiel their Prince, and Zorubbabel, although none of them acted as King or Prince till their return.
2. After this long space of time they have David their King, which could not be Zerubbabel, for neither was he a King, nor ever thus called.
3. It is said that this should be in the last dayes, whereby the time of the Gospel is alwayes set forth, all the time before being called old, as Heb. 1. 12. but these novissima tempora, because all things are now new, yea, and at the latter end of them the Jewes shall be new creatures, as all be that are in Christ, and then the world shall be destroyed and God will make a new heaven and a new earth.2 Cor. 5. 17.
To leave that exposition then to the Authors of it, amongst whom Calvin ingenuously confesseth, that by David spoken of in the Prophets, Christ is alwayes set forth, and therefore this long time of the Jews being without a King, &c. must be understood of the time immediatly going before their imbracing of the faith of Christ, and therefore not of the time of their captivity: for then they had not David for their King, neither can it be understood of the time immediately going before Christs coming and after their return, for then they had Princes and Priests and Sacrifices. And what remaineth then, but to understand it of the time that now is, at the end whereof the Jewes shall turne to Christ? and herein Gualter and Tossarius also follow Jerom.
But to come to the words in particular, Love a woman beloved of her friend, or neighbour, for foreign signifieth either. This is commonly understood of another woman besides her, whom he was first bidden to take to wise, ch. 1. But some rather think the same Gomer to be meant, who after that Hoseah had marryed Tessarius.her had other Lovers, that is, Gods, with whom she committed spiritual adultery. But he must love her still, to shew, that although the Church of the Jews were adulterous, yet God still loved her, and at length will manifest it, albeit in the mean season she be in misery. For if by a woman beloved of her friend, that is, her husband; as some say, another woman a wife to some other man were meant; Hosea were bidden to do a thing unlawfull: or if one never marryed before, the similitude would not hold, for Judah set forth by her was marryed to the Lord, and in convenant with him; but because she had joined her selfe to other Lovers, she should be shut up, as it were, a long time, but by the Lord beloved still, that is, a remnant of them, howsoever many years first passed, before that any such love of his appeared towards her, and according to this the Apostle saith, they are enemies in respect of the Gospel, but Rom. 11. 28.beloved for the fathers sake. And to make it yet further appear, that the woman here spoken of was a marryed woman; it is added, yet an adulteresse; and the Church of the Jews long was ago by the Lord marryed to himself, for he saith further, according to the love of the Lord towards the children of Israel, that look to other Gods and love flaggons of wine, for the Lord loved that Church formerly and married her, and still, although it appeareth not, he loveth her secretly, purposing one day to shew it.
The meaning then is, Love the woman whom before thou tookest, although an adulteresse, for so the Lord loveth Judah, although looking to other Gods as friends and worthy of her love; and thus thou shalt set forth the Lords love towards her, and that, which in love he will doe for her in the end.
But what is it that he addeth, and love flaggons of wine? some think drunkennesse, for with this sin the Jews are often charged, Esay 5. Esay 28. &c. and not with Idolatry only, which also seemeth to me most genuine, because Idolatry went not alone, but together with it all manner of excesse of riot, free drinking of wine and venery, which wrought much upon vain and luxurious persons to make them turn Idolaters, as Numb. 25. the Hebrews were tempted by the Midianitish women and idolatrous feasts to their Idolatry. And of their custome in such superstitions, Belshazzar and his Princes may be an Dan. 5.example in the night that Babylon was taken, they being all drunken and their concubines with them; yet some going to the word here used foreign signifying fundamentum, understand old leaves being rotten, that fall to the bottom of the vine, being good for nothing; and hereby the vanities of Idolatry: but it is best to retain the proper sense, see ch. 4. 11.
So I bought her to me for 15 pieces of silver and for an omer of barley, and halfe an V. 2.omer: Hereby it should seem that the woman by him formerly taken, was not meant, for he needed not to buy her, seeing she was his wise before. But this is easily answered, she was gone from him and followed other lovers; therefore she being not willing otherwise to return unto him, he bought her as if he had never had her before. But it was a poor price that he gave 15 shekels of silver and an omer of barley; sith that in case an Oxe goare a maid servant, Exod. 21. 32.the owner must pay 30 shekels; hereby then is intimated, that this woman was now in a base and poor condition, for she setteth forth Judah spoiled by the Caldees, and made slaves and captives, and so bought and sold for little. The word argenteus here used, signifieth denarius, apenny, which was the same with drachma, a piece of 7d. ob. Junius for pieces of silver, hath shekels of silver, giving Junlus.this for a rule, that when pieces of silver are spoken of, shekels are meant, and shekels of the Sanctuary. But as hath been by me already shewed upon Acts 19. it is a piece of no more then 7d. ob. a shekel common 15d. the shekel of the Sanctuary twice so much: and when shekels are meant they are commonly named. For an omer and half of barly, Hebr. it is, omer, and foreign rendred by Calvin, half a corus, and so in Vulg. Lat. a core and half, by Junius an homer and half, and how much an omer is, see Exod. 16. 36. the tenth part of an ephah, answering to our bushell, or somewhat more, as I have there shewed. Lyra and Tossarius following Jerom, and for an homer reading corus and half, and determining corus to be 30 measures, hereby understand 30 dayes, unto which 15 being added, as being the halfe core, together they make 45. and the 15. pieces of silver spoken of before, 15 dayes; saying, that hereby is set forth the coming of the children of Israel out of Egypt the 15 day of the first month, and their coming to Mount Sinai 45 dayes after, that is, the first of the third month, Exod. 19. But this Calvin rejects as childish, and no better is another devised by Lyra, viz. by 15 shekels or pieces of silver understanding 15 Prophets, 3 greater and the 12 smaller, for Daniel is by Jerom put amongst the Hagiograph; and by 45 meastures, 45 generations reckoned up Mat. 1. to 42, unto which 3 Kings there omitted being added betwixt Joram and Ʋzziah, the number of 45 is made up.
But what do I trifling out the time in recounting these, when as Ribera himself rejects them and closeth with Calvin, though covertly pretending it Ribera. Calvin.to be his own? and this is Calvins, Hereby is nothing else meant, but that Judah by this woman set forth, was now poor and base, yet injoying in this poor estate some fruit of Gods love although but a little, having some money still, and some course means of living, an homer and halfe of barley meal, one of the smallest measures and the coursest grains fed upon only by poor folks in time of scarcity. And Gualter following the same noteth, that God giveth Gualter.the Jews mony and provideth for them so, wheresoever they be even at this day, and howsoever oppressed, that they have wherewithall to live, and sometime grow rich to the admiration of all men. And herein do I rest also, only I conceive further, that in the number of 15 and one and an half, some further mystery lyeth touching the time in which to keep her in this poor manner this is given, whilest the time cometh of her conversion, and so 15 pieces may happily set forth 1500 years since her rejection, Jerusalem being destroyed, and one omer and an half 150 years, at the end of which time being here called many days she shal have the veil taken from before her eies according to 2 Cor. 3. and so see Christ to be the true Messiah, whom they yet hate and persecute. And if so, their time will be about anno 1720. but herein I make bold only to spend my conjecture.
And I said, thou shalt abide for me many dayes, &c. The Lord hereby shewed, that V. 3.he would not immediately take this his wife again, but in this poor condition she should remain a long time, till it should be his pleasure to take her, which he would certainly do at the last, for which he saith, I will be to thee, but in the mean season she must not commit adultery any more with other gods, Act. 28. 28.as she had formerly done. So that he meaneth this should be for her castigation in respect of sins past, and specially the great sin of refusing the Gospel …fered unto her. And to expresse her misery further in this long time he …h, she shal continue many days without a King, a Prince, a Sacrifice, an Ephod, &c V. 4.…phim; whereby he intimateth, that for a people that have used to live under a sing, to be without, is a great miserie, that we may acknowledge the benefit …f Monarchy and aspire again after it, when we want it. According to this prophesie the children of Israel have been without a King or Prince of their own ever since the destruction of their City, and without Sacrifice, because …o sacrificing might be but at Jerusalem, in the place by God appointed, from which they live still exiles. The Ephod, without which it is also said that they …ould be, was the high Priests garment gloriously made and set with pretious Exod. 28. 6.stones, whereby he gave answers. And therefore when Abiathar fled from …l to David; he carryed with him the Ephod, 1 Sam. 23. 6. and hereby David being in Keilah, inquired of the Lord, v. 9. And it is shewed that as they should be without divine worship, or instruction all this long time, so they should not live in their old superstition by Idolatry, as indeed they do not, wheresoever they be dispersed at this day.
But what meaneth he in saying, they should not only be without an image but a teraphim also? There were two sorts of Images, the one called foreign a Statue, being the similitude of any such creatures as the heathen worshipped, of beasts and sowls and creeping things, as Rom. 1. 23. the other Teraphim, being the similitude of a man, for it is said of Michol Davids wife, that she laid an 1 Sam. 19. 13.Image in his bed, shewing it to them that came to kill him, whereby they were deceived; which is Hebr. called Teraphim, and Gen. 31. 19. where the translation hath Images, Hebr. it is Teraphim, and Judg. 17. 4, 5. it is said, that Michah had graven and molren Images, which are also called Teraphim: of this R. David Kimhi saith, that it was an Image whereby they saw things to R. DavidKimhi.come, the Devil giving answers thereby: so likewise Lyra, Vatablus, Clarius, and Isidor. but this is doubted of by Calvin, who makes no more of Teraphim but Images in common. But of this, see more in my Exposition upon Judg. 17. 5.
Afterwards the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord, and David their King: V. 5.and this he saith shall be in the latter dayes, Hebr. in the end of dayes, that is, when the World is now near unto an end. By David Christ being understood, as hath been before said, of the same phrase setting forth the time of the Gospel, soe Esay 2. 2. of David in this sense, Jer. 30. 9. Ezek. 34. 23.
In that the Lord is said constantly to love Judah, the children of Israel even in Note. the midst of her grievous sufferings, here is comfort for the faithful, even when the Lord seemeth to be most offended with them by their lying long in miserie, as they did in the Primitive Church, he loveth them still, and this he will one day shew, yea, although by their sins they have brought this miserie upon themselves. For all that be of the election shall rise again by repentance, and seek the Lord, and whoso seeks shall find, Mat. 7. 7.