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Those who sow in righteousness

A. M. cir. 3264. B. C. cir. 740.

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B. C. cir. 740.

9 O Israel, thou hast sinned it is time to seek the LORD, till A. M. cir. 3264. A. U. C. cir. 14. from the days of Gibeah: there he come and rain righteousness A. U. C. cir. 14. they stood the battle in Gibeah upon you.

Romuli,

R. Roman.,

cir. annum 14.

Romuli, R. Romar cir. annum

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against the children of iniquity 13 Ye have ploughed wickeddid not overtake them. ness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten. 10 It is in my desire that I should chastise the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust them; and the people shall be gathered in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty against them, when they shall bind them- men. selves in their two furrows.

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14h Therefore shall a tumult arise among 11 And Ephraim is as a heifer that is thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be taught and loveth to tread out the corn; but spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the I passed over upon her fair neck: I will day of battle: the mother was dashed in make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plough, pieces upon her children. and Jacob shall break his clods.

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15 So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

Heb. the beauty of her neck.— Prov. xviii. 21. Jer. iv. 3. Job. iv. 8; Prov. xxii. 8; chap. viii. 7; Gal. vi. 7, 8.- Ch. xiii. 16.- 12 Kings xviii. 34; xix. 13.- - Chap. xiii. 16. Heb. the evil of your evil.- m Ver. 7.

in the mountainous countries of Palestine, see the note the seed you sow be of the best kind, and in just on Isa. ii. 19."-Newcome.

Verse 9. Thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah] This is another reference to the horrible rape and murder of the Levite's wife, Judg. xix. 13, 14.

There they stood] Only one tribe was nearly destroyed, viz., that of Benjamin. They were the criminals, the children of iniquity; the others were faultless, and stood only for the rights of justice and mercy. Verse 10. When they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.] "When they are chastised for their two iniquities," í. e., the calves in Dan and Beth-el.Newcome. But this double iniquity may refer to what Jeremiah says, chap. xi. 13: "My people have committed two evils."-1. They have forsaken me. They have joined themselves to idols.

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For it is time to seek the Lord] This should be immediately done the season is passing; and if you do not get the seed in the ground, the early rain will be past, and your fields will be unfruitful.

Rain righteousness upon you.] God will give you the early rain in due time, and in proper measure. Here are the metaphors, and the application cannot be

Verse 11. Ephraim is as a heifer that is taught] difficult. Here are ploughing, fallowing, sowing, harOne thoroughly broken in to the yoke.

And loveth to tread out] Goes peaceably in the yoke; and is pleased because, not being muzzled, she eats of the corn.

I passed over upon her fair neck] I brought the yoke upon it, that she should not tread out the corn merely, but draw the plough and drag the harrow. These operations of husbandry are all referred to here, with some others. Ephraim shall tread out the corn, that there may be seed for the fields.

Judah shall plough] That the furrows may receive it. Jacob shall break his clods.] Harrow-that the seed may be covered with the mould.

Israel very frequently made great depredations on Judah; and as this heifer loved to tread out the corn, and not plough, it is therefore added that he should be made to plough, be put under the yoke, namely, that of the Assyrians. What is added, "Judah and Jacob shall plough for themselves," means, that Judah should not now plough for Israel, but for himself; as Israel shall no more make depredations upon him.-Dodd.

Verse 12, Sow to yourselves in righteousness] Let

rowing, watering, reaping, threshing, and feeding on the produce of well-directed labour. All may be applied to the human heart, and the work of God upon it. Correction, contrition, conversion, receiving the grace of Christ, bringing forth fruit, &c.

Verse 13. Ye have ploughed wickedness] Ye have laboured sinfully.

Ye have reaped iniquity] The punishment due to your iniquity.

Ye have eaten the fruit of lies] Your false worship and your false gods have brought you into captivity and misery.

Because thou didst trust in thy way] Didst confide in thy own counsels, and in thy mighty men, and not in the God who made you.

Verse 14. Shall a tumult arise] The enemy shall soon fall upon thy people, and take all thy fortified places.

As Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel] Some think that this refers to Jerubbaal, or Gideon's victory over Zalmunna, general of the Midianites; see Judg. vii., viii. Others think that an allusion is made here to the de

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This chapter gives a very pathetic representation of God's tender and affectionate regard for Israel, by metaphors chiefly borrowed from the conduct of mothers toward their tender offspring. From this, occasion is taken to reflect on their ungrateful return to the Divine goodness, and to denounce against them the judg ments of the Almighty, 1–7. But suddenly and unexpectedly the prospect changes. Beams of mercy break from the clouds just now fraught with vengeance. God, to speak in the language of men, feels the relentings of a tender parent; his bowels yearn; his mercy triumphs; his rebellious child shall yet be pardoned. As the lion of the tribe of Judah, he will employ his power to save his people, he will call his children from the land of their captivity; and, as doves, they will fly to him, a faithful and a holy people, 8-12.

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8 Lev. xxvi. 13.b Heb. lift up. Psa, lxxviii. 25; chap. ii. 8. See chap. viii. 13; ix. 3.2 Kings xvii. 13, 14; Cir. 728, they became tributaries to Salmanasser.- Ch. x. 6.

hard at work, to let in the cool air between it and their

Verse 1. When Israel was a child] In the infancy neck, so as to refresh them, and prevent that keat, of his political existence.

I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.] Where he was greatly oppressed; and in this I gave the proof of my love. I preserved my people in their affliction there, and brought them safely out of it.

Verse 3. I taught Ephraim also to go] An allusion to a mother or nurse teaching a child to walk, directing it how to lift and lay its feet, and supporting it in the meantime by the arms, that it may use its feet with the greater ease. This is a passage truly pathetic.

Verse 4. I drew them with cords of a man] This is a reference to leading strings, one end of which is held by the child, the other by the nurse, by, which the little one, feeling some support, and gaining confidence, endeavours to walk. God, their heavenly Father, made use of every means and method to teach them to walk in the right and only safe path; for, as the Targum says, "As beloved children are drawn, I drew them by the strength of love."

That take off the yoke on their jaws] I did every thing that mercy could suggest, and justice permit, to make their duty their delight and profit. There appears to be here an allusion to the moving and pulling forward the collar or yoke of beasts which have been

which with the sweat would scald their necks, and take off not only the hair, but the skin. I have often done this at the land ends, in ploughing, when at the turnings the cattle were permitted a few moments to draw their breath after the hard pull that terminated the furrow at either end of the field :—

And I laid meat unto them] Giving them at the same time a bite of grass or hay, to encourage them to go on afresh. The metaphor is strong and expressive; and he who ever had or saw the management of cattle in the plough or cart must admire it. Thus God acted with the people on whose necks was the yoke of his law. How many privileges, advantages, and comforts did he mingle with his precepts, to make them at once a righteous and happy people!

Verse 5. He shall not return into Egypt] I have brought them thence already, with the design that the nation should never return thither again; but as they have sinned, and forfeited my favour and protection, they shall go to Assyria; and this because they refused to return to me. This view of the verse removes every difficulty.

Verse 6. The sword shall abide on his cities] Israel was agitated with external and intestine wars from

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the time of Jeroboam the Second Although Zechariah his son reigned twelve years, yet it was in continual troubles; and he was at last slain by the rebel Shallum, who, having reigned one month, was slain by Menahem. Pekahiah succeeded his father Menahem, and reigned two years, and was killed by Pekah, son of Remaliah. He joined Rezin, king of Syria, and made an irruption into the land of Judah; but Ahaz having obtained succour from Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, Pekah was defeated, and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, were carried away captives by the Assyrian king; and in a short time after, Hosea, son of Elah, slew Pekah, and usurped the kingdom, which he could not possess without the assistance of Shalmaneser, who for his services imposed a tribute on the Israelitish king. Wishing to rid himself of this yoke, he applied to the king of Egypt; but this being known to Shalmaneser, he came against Samaria, and after a three years' siege took and destroyed it. Thus the sword rested on their cities; it continued in the land till all was ruined. See Calmet.

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.. Verse 7. Though they called them to the Most High] Newcome is better: "And though they call on him together because of the yoke, he will not raise it. He shall receive no refreshment." See the metaphor,

ver. 4.

Verse 8. How shall I give thee up] See the notes on chap. vi. 4, where we have similar words from similar feeling.

Mine heart is turned within me] Justice demands thy punishment; Mercy pleads for thy life. As thou changest, Justice resolves to destroy, or Mercy to save. My heart is oppressed, and I am weary with repenting -with so frequently changing my purpose. All this, though spoken after the manner of men, shows how merciful, compassionate, and loath to punish, the God of heaven is. What sinner or saint upon earth has not been a subject of these gracious operations?

Verse 9. I will not execute] Here is the issue of this conflict in the Divine mind. Mercy triumphs

this unfaithful people. and I will A. M. cir. 3264.

10 They shall walk after the LORD: "he shall roar like a

:

B C. cir. 740. A. U. C. cir. 14.

Romuli,

R. Roman., cir. annum 14.

lion when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.

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11 They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD.

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Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.

Num. xxiii. 19; Isa. lv. 8, 9; Mal. iii. 6.- -"Isa. xxxi. 4; Joel i. 16; Amos i. 2.- Zech. viii. 7. w Isa. lx. 8; chap. vii. 11.- - Ezek. xxviii. 25, 26; xxxvii. 21, 25.—y Ch. xii. 1. - Or, with the most holy.

over Judgment; Ephraim shall be spared. He is God, and not man. He cannot be affected by human caprices. They are now penitent, and implore mercy; he will not, as man would do, punish them for former offences, when they have fallen into his hand. The holy place is in Ephraim; and God is in this holy place; and he will not go into the cities, as he did into Sodom and Gomorrah, to destroy them. Judgment is his strange work. two verses!

How exceedingly affecting are these

Verse 10. They shall walk after the Lord] They shall discern the operations of his providence, when, He shall roar like a lion] When he shall utter his majestic voice, Cyrus shall make his decree. The people shall tremble-be in a state of commotion; every one hurrying to avail himself of the opportunity to return to his own land.

Verse 11. They shall tremble as a bird] Those of them that are in Egypt shall also be called thence. and shall speed hither as a bird. Those in Assyria shall also be called to return, and they shall flee as doves to their windows. All shall, in the fulness of time, return to their own land. And,

I will place them in their houses, saith the Lord.] They shall have their temple once more, and all their holy ordinances.

Verse 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lies] I think this verse does not well unite with the above ; it belongs to another subject, and should begin the following chapter, as in the Hebrew.

Judah yet ruleth with God] There is an allusion here to Gen. xxxii. 24, where Jacob, having "wrestled with the Angel," had his name changed to Israel, one that rules with God. That glory the Israelites had lost by their idolatry; but Judah still retained the true worship, and alone deserved the name of Israel.

Bp. Newcome translates this clause thus:"But hereafter they shall come down a people of God, Even a faithful people of saints."

Even allowing this to be the most correct view of the original, I do not see what we gain by this change.

Jacob wept, made supplication

HOSEA.

CHAPTER XII.

in Beth-el, and prevailed.

The prophet, in very pointed terms, describes the unprofitableness and destruction attending vicious courses ; particularly such as Ephraim pursued, who forsook God, and courted the alliance of idolatrous princes, 1. Judah is also reproved, 2. He is reminded of the extraordinary favour of God to his father Jacob, in giving him the birthright; and exhorted, after his example, to wrestle with God (the Angel of the corenant, the same unchangeable Jehovah) for a blessing; and to love mercy and execute justice, 3-6. Ephraim is accused of pursuing practices that are deceitful, although pretending to integrity, 7, 8. God then threatens to deprive this people of their possessions, 9, as they had rejected every means of reformation, 10, and given themselves up to gross impieties, 11. And, as an aggravation of their guilt, they are reminded from what humble beginnings they had been raised, 12, 13. The Divine judgments about to fall upon Israel are declared to be the result of great provocation, 14.

A. M. cir. 3279.

A. U. C. cir. 29.

B. C. cir. 725 EPHRAIM feedeth on wind,
a feedeth on wind, | 4 Yea, he had power over the
Angel, and prevailed: he wept,
and made supplication unto him:
he found him in Beth-el, and
there he spake with us;

Romuli, R. Roman., cir. annum 29.

and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.

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2 The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.

3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:

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NOTES ON CHAP. XII.

A. M. cir. 3279.
A. U. C. cir. 29.

B. C. cir. 725.

Romuli, R. Roman, cir. annum 29.

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Verse 4. He had power over the Angel] Who re

Verse 1. Ephraim feedeth on wind] He forms and presented the invisible Jehovah. follows empty and unstable counsels.

Followeth after the east wind] They are not only empty, but dangerous and destructive. The east wind was, and still is, in all countries, a parching, wasting, injurious wind.

He daily increaseth lies] He promises himself safety from foreign alliances. He "made a covenant with the Assyrians," and sent a subsidy of "oil to Egypt.' The latter abandoned him; the former oppressed him.

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He wept, and made supplication] He entreated with tears that God would bless him; and he prevailed. The circumstance of his weeping is not mentioned in Genesis.

He found him in Beth-el] It was there that God made those glorious promises to Jacob relative to his posterity. See Gen. xxviii. 13–15.

Verse 5. The Lord is his memorial.] He is the same God as when Jacob so successfully wrestled with him.

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Verse 6. Therefore turn thou to thy God] Because he is the same, and cannot change. Seek him as faithfully and as fervently as Jacob did, and you will find him the same merciful and compassionate Being.

Verse 2. The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah] The rest of the prophecy belongs both to Judah and Israel. He reproaches both with their ingratitude, and threatens them with God's anger. In order to make their infidelity the more hateful, and Verse 7. He is a merchant] Or a Canaanite; their malice the more sensible, he opposes to them the referring to the Phoenicians, famous for their traffic. righteousness, obedience, and piety of their father Ephraim is as corrupt as those heathenish traffickers Jacob. He recalls to their minds the benefits they were. He kept, as many in all ages have done, a had received since they returned from Egypt. He weight and a weight; a heavy one to buy with, and a speaks afterwards of their kings; and how, in their light one to sell by, ingratitude, they refused to have him for their monarch. Having mentioned this fact, he subjoins reflections, exhortations, invectives, and threatenings; and continues this subject in this and the two following chapters. In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me] -Calmet. This is frequently the language of merchants, tradesVerse 3. He took his brother by the heel] See on men, &c. None are so full of professions of equity Gen. xxv, 26, and xxxii. 24, &c. and justice, while all the time they are endeavouring

Verse 8. I am become rich] They boasted in their riches, notwithstanding the unjust manner in which they were acquired.

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11 Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal;

Or, all my labours suffice me not: he shall have punishment of iniquity in whom is sin. Heb. which.- - Chapter xiii. 4. Lev, xxiii. 42, 43; Neh. viii. 17; Zèch. xiv. 16.- -2 Kings xvii. 13.- Heb. by the hand.—- Chap. v. 1 ; vi. 8.- -y Chap. iv. 15; ix. 15; Amos iv. 4; v. 5.- Z Chap. viii. 11; x. 1.

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to overreach, both in buying and selling. "Sir, I cannot afford it at that price." "It is not mine for that money. "I assure you that it cost me more than you offer." "I am sorry I cannot take your money; but if I did, I should lose by the article," &c., &c., &c. I have heard such language over and over, when I knew every word was false. Truth is a sacred thing in the sight of God; but who regards it as he should There are, however, many noble exceptions among merchants and tradesmen. Bp. Newcome gives another turn to the subject, by translating :

"All his labours shall not be found profitable unto him, For the iniquity wherewith he hath sinned."

Verse 9. And I—the Lord thy God] I who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, will again make thee to dwell in tabernacles. This appears to be a threatening. I will reduce you to as miserable a state in the land of your captivity, as you often were through your transgressions in the wilderness. This was the opinion of some of the ancients on this verse; and the context requires it to be understood in this way. I do not think that the feast of tabernacles is referred to. Verse 10. I have also spoken] I have used every means, and employed every method, to instruct and save you. I have sent prophets, who spake plainly, exhorting, warning, and beseeching you to return to They have had Divine visions, which they have declared and interpreted. They have used similitudes, symbols, metaphors, allegories, &c., in order to fix your attention, and bring you back to your duty and interest. And, alas! all is in vain; you have not profited by my condescension. This text St. Paul seems to have had full in view, when he wrote, Heb. i. 1: "God who, at SUNDRY TIMES and in DIVERS MANNERS, spake in time past unto the FATHERS by the PROPHETS." See the note on the above.

me.

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history of Jacob.

yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.

A. M. cir. 3279

B. C. cir. 725 A. U. C. cir. 29. Romuli,

R. Roman., cir. annum 29.

12 And Jacob a fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept

sheep.

13 And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.

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14 Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.

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mind, in as lively a manner as if they were conveyed by the senses. 3. Parables and apt resemblances.

Verse 11. Iniquity in Gilead] Gilgal and Gilead are equally iniquitous, and equally idolatrous. Gilead, which was beyond Jordan, had already been brought under subjection by Tiglath-Pileser. Gilgal, which was on this side Jordan, shall share the same fate; because it is now as idolatrous as the other.

Their altars are as heaps] They occur everywhere. The whole land is given to idolatry.

Verse 12. Served for a wife] Seven years for Rachel. For a wife he kept sheep.] Seven years for Leah; having been cheated by Laban, who gave him first Leah, instead of Rachel; and afterwards made him serve seven years more before he would confirm his first engagement. Critics complain of want of connection here. Why is this isolated fact predicted? Thus, in a detached sentence, the prophet speaks of the low estate of their ancestors, and how amply the providence of God had preserved and provided for them. This is all the connection the place requires.

Verse 13. By a prophet (Moses) the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet (Joshua) was he preserved.] Joshua succeeded Moses, and brought the Israelites into the promised land; and when they passed the Jordan at Gilgal, he received the covenant of circumcision; and yet this same place was now made by them the seat of idolatry! How blind and how ungrateful!

Verse 14. Therefore shall he leave his blood upon him] He will not remove his guilt. These are similar to our Lord's words, John iii, 36, ix. 41: "He that believeth not on the Son of God, shall not see life, for the wrath of God ABIDETH ON HIM"-shall not be removed by any remission, as he rejects the only way in which he can be saved. Because ye say, We see ; Dr. Dodd supposes that there are three distinct therefore, YOUR SIN REMAINEth, i. e., it still stands kinds of prophecy mentioned here: 1. Immediate in-charged against you. Your miseries and destruction spiration, when God declares the very words. 2. are of your own procuring; your perdition is of yourVision; a representation of external objects to the selves. God is as merciful as he is just.

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