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Hosea Chapter
Eight
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO HOSEA 8
This
chapter treats of the sins and punishment of Israel for them
as the preceding;
it is threatened and proclaimed that an enemy should come swiftly against them
because of their transgression of the covenant and law of God
Hosea 8:1; their
hypocrisy is exposed
Hosea 8:2; they are
charged with the rejection of that which is good
and therefore should be
pursued by the enemy
Hosea 8:3; with
setting up kings and princes without consulting the Lord
Hosea 8:4; and with
making of idols
particularly the golden calves
which would be of no use to
them
disappoint them
and at last be broke to pieces
Hosea 8:4; their
seeking to their neighbours for help
and entering into alliances with them
are represented as vain and fruitless
and issuing in their ruin and
destruction
Hosea 8:7; their
sins of multiplying altars
contrary to the law of God
and in contempt of it
and offering sacrifices to the Lord
are observed; and they with a visitation
from him
Hosea 8:11; and the
chapter is concluded with some notice and Judah
the one building temples
and
multiplying fenced cities
which should be by fire
Hosea 8:14.
Hosea 8:1 “Set the
trumpet[a] to your
mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord
Because they
have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.
YLT 1`Unto thy mouth -- a
trumpet
As an eagle against the house of Jehovah
Because they transgressed My
covenant
And against My law they have rebelled.
Set the trumpet to thy mouth
.... Or
"the trumpet to the roof of thy mouth"F20אל חכך שופר
"adhibita palato tuo buccina"
Junius & Tremellius; "adhibe
palato buccinam"
De Dieu; "ad palatum tuum buccinam"
Schmidt.
; a concise expression denoting haste
and the vehemence of the passions
speaking; they are either the words of the Lord to the prophet
as the Targum
"O
prophet
cry with thy throat as with a trumpet
saying;'
Aben
Ezra take them to be the words of the Lord the prophet
and the sense agrees
with Isaiah 58:1. The
prophet is here considered as a watchman
and is called upon to blow his
trumpet; either to call the people together
"as an eagle to the house of
the Lord"F21כנשר על
בית יהוה "similis
aquilae in domum Jehovae"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator.
as the
next clause may be connected with this; that is
to come as swiftly to the
house of the Lord
and hear what he had to say to them
and to supplicate the
Lord for mercy in a time of distress: or to give the people notice of the
approach of the enemy
and tell them that
he shall come as an eagle
against the house of the Lord; "flying as an eagle over"F23"Super
domum Domini"
Pagninus
Montanus
Cocceius
Schmidt; "contra domum
Jehovae"
Liveleus. or "against the house of the Lord": or they
are the words of the Lord
or of the prophet
to the enemy
to blow his
trumpet
and sound the alarm of war
and call his army together
and bid them
fly like an eagle
with that swiftness and fierceness as that creature does to
its prey
against the house of the Lord; meaning not the temple at Jerusalem
but the nation of Israel
formerly called the house and family of God
and still
pretended to be so. There may be some allusion to Bethel
which signifies the
house of God
where they practised their idolatry. This is to be understood
not of Nebuchadnezzar
sometimes compared to an eagle
Ezekiel 17:3; for
not the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem is here meant; nor of
the Romans
as Lyra seems to understand it
the eagle being the ensign of the
Romans; but of Shalmaneser
king of Assyria
compared to this creature for his
swiftness in coming
his strength
fierceness
and cruelty; this creature being
swift in flight
and a bird of prey. So the Targum interprets it of a king and
his army
"behold
as an eagle flieth
so shall a king with his army come up and encamp against
the house of the sanctuary of the Lord.'
Some
reference seems to be had to Deuteronomy 28:49;
because they have transgressed my covenant
and trespassed against
my law; the law that was given to Israel by Moses at the appointment of
God
to which they assented
and promised to observes: and so it had the form
of a covenant to them: the bounds of this law and covenant they transgressed
and dealt perfidiously with
and prevaricated in
and wilfully broke all its
commands
by their idolatry
murder
adultery
theft
and other sins.
Hosea 8:2 2 Israel
will cry to Me
‘My God
we know You!’
YLT 2To Me they cry
`My God
we
-- Israel -- have known Thee.'
Israel shall cry unto me
my God
we know thee. In their
distress they shall cry to the Lord to help them
and have mercy on them
as
they used to do when in trouble
Isaiah 26:16; when
the eagle is come upon them
and just ready to devour them; when Samaria is
besieged with file Assyrian army
their king taken prisoner
and they just
ready to fall into the hands of the enemy
then they shall cry to God
though
in a hypocritical manner; own him to be the true God
and claim their interest
in him
and pretend knowledge of him
and acquaintance with him; though they
have not served and worshipped him
but idols
and that for hundreds of years;
like others who profess to know God
but in works deny him
Titus 1:16. Israel
is the last word in the verse
and occasions different versions: "they
shall cry unto me"; these transgressors of the covenant and the law
these
hypocrites
shall pray to God in trouble
saying
"my God
we
Israel"
or Israelites
"know thee"; or
"we know thee who
are Israel"F24לי יזעקו
אלהי ידענוך ישראל "ad me clamant
Deus mi
novimus te nos
Israel"
De Dieu; "clamabunt ad me
O Deus meus
nos Israelitae
cognoscimus te"
Tigurine version
so Tarnovius; "mihi vocant
Deus
mi
cognovimus
vel agnoscimus te Israel"
vel "nos lsrael
seu Israelitae"
Schmidt. ; and to this sense is the Targum
"in
every time that distress comes upon them
they pray before me
and say
now we
know that we have no God besides thee; redeem us
for we are thy people
Israel;'
why
may they not be rendered thus
"they shall cry unto me; my God
we know
thee
Israel" shall say? Castalio renders them to this sense
"my
God"
say they; but "we know thee
Israel"; we
the three
Persons in the Trinity
Father
Son
and Spirit
we know thy hypocrisy and
wickedness
that it is only outwardly and hypocritically
and not sincerely
that thou criest unto and callest upon God.
Hosea 8:3 3 Israel
has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him.
YLT 3Cast off good hath Israel
an enemy pursueth him.
Israel hath cast off the thing that is good
.... Or
"rejected him that is good"F25זנח
ישראל טוב "deseruit
Israel bonum
i. e. Deum"
Vatablus
Munster
Tarnovius
Zanchius. ; that
is
God
as Kimchi observes; for there is none good but him
Matthew 19:17; he
is the "summum bonum"
"the chiefest good" to men
and is
essentially
originally
and infinitely good in himself
and the fountain of
all goodness to his creatures; and yet Israel has rejected him with detestation
and contempt
as the wordF26"Abominatus est"
Calvin
Zanchius. signifies
though they pretended to know him
which shows their
hypocrisy; and therefore it is no wonder that their prayers were rejected by
him: or they rejected the good word of God
the law
or doctrine contained in
it
and the good worship
service
and fear of God
and indeed everything that
was good
just
and right. Cocceius renders it
"the good One"
or he
that is God
the good God
"hath cast off Israel". This reading of
the words Drusius also mentions
and seems to like best
and as agreeing with
what follows; so Rivet; but the position of the words in the Hebrew text
and
the accents
do not favour it;
the enemy shall pursue him; who is before compared
to an eagle
which flies swiftly
and pursues its prey with eagerness and
fierceness: Shalmaneser is meant
who should invade the land
come up to
Samaria
besiege and take it; nothing should stop him
nor should Israel escape
from him
since they had cast off the Lord
and everything that was good. The
Targum is
"the
house of Israel have erred from my worship
for the sake of which I brought
good things upon them; henceforward the enemy shall pursue them.'
Hosea 8:4 4 “They
set up kings
but not by Me; They made princes
but I did not acknowledge them.
From their silver and gold They made idols for themselves— That they might
be cut off.
YLT 4They have made kings
and
not by Me
They have made princes
and I have not known
Their silver and their
gold they have made to them idols
So that they are cut off.
They have set up kings
but not by me
.... Not by
his authority
order
and command; not by asking advice of him
or his leave
but of themselves
and of their own
accord: this refers to the case of
Jeroboam their first king
after their separation from the house of David
and
from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; for though his becoming king of Israel
was according to the secret will of God
and by his overruling providence; yet
it was done without his express orders
and without asking counsel of him
or
his consent
and of their own heads; and many of his successors were
conspirators
and set up themselves with the consent of the people
to the
dethroning of others
and upon the slaughter of them
as Shallum
Menahem
Pekah
and Hoshea: the people of Israel had no right to choose a king for
themselves; the right was alone in the Lord; it was he that chose
appointed
and constituted their kings
Deuteronomy 17:15;
thus Saul
David
and Solomon
were chose and appointed by him
1 Samuel 10:24; it
was not the person of Jeroboam chosen God disliked; but their taking it upon
them to choose and set him up without his leave;
they have made princes
and knew it not; that is
they
set up subordinate governors
judges
civil magistrates
elders of the people
over them
without his approbation
and such as were very disagreeable to him;
otherwise he knew what was done by them
as being the omniscient God
but he
did not approve of what they did. Some observe
that ש
in the word used
is put for ס
and should be
rendered
"they have removed"
so Jarchi and Japhet; that is
they
have set up kings
and they have removed them; they have took it upon them to
make and pose kings at pleasure
without seeking the Lord about it
when this
is his prerogative
who is King of kings
and Lord of lords
Daniel 2:21; which
sense makes a strong and beautiful antithesis;
of their silver and their gold have they made their idols; some of their
idols were made of silver
others of gold; particularly the calves at Dan and
Bethel
which are called the golden calves
because made of gold; as was the
calf in the wilderness
1 Kings 12:28; see Isaiah 46:6;
that they may be cut off: which denotes not the
end
intentions
and design of making these idols of silver and gold
but the
event thereof; namely
either the destruction of the idols themselves
which
for the sake of the silver and gold they were made of; were cut in pieces by a
foreign enemy; or the gold and silver were cut off from the people
their
riches and wealth were wasted by such means; or rather the people were cut off
everyone of them
because of their worship of them
or this would be the case.
Hosea 8:5 5 Your
calf is rejected
O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them— How long until
they attain to innocence?
YLT 5Cast off hath thy calf
O
Samaria
Burned hath Mine anger against them
Till when are they not capable of
purity?
Thy calf
O Samaria
hath cast thee off
.... Or
is
the cause of thy being cast off by the Lord
and of being cast out of thine own
land
and carried captive into another; the past tense is used for the future
as is common in prophetic writings
to denote the certainty of the thing: or
"thy calf hath left thee"F1זנח עגלך "dereliquit vitulus te"
Lutherus;
"descruit te vitulus tuus"
Schmidt. ; in the lurch; it cannot help
thee; it is gone off
and forsaken thee; it has "removed" itself from
thee
according to the sense of the word in Lamentations 3:17;
as Kimchi and Ben Melech observe; or is removed far from thee
being carried
captive itself into Assyria; for
when the king of Assyria took Samaria
he
seized on the golden calf for the sake of the gold
and took it away; see Hosea 10:5; or
"he hath removed thy calf"F2"Elongavit sc. hostis
vitalum tuum"
Schindler. ; that is
the enemy
taking it away when he
took the city; or God has rejected it with the utmost contempt and abhorrence:
the calf is here
and in the following verse
called the calf of Samaria
because this was the metropolis of the ten tribes
in which the calf was
worshipped
and because it was worshipped by the Samaritans; and it may be
when Samaria became the chief city
the calf at Bethel might be removed
thither
or another set up in that city:
mine anger is kindled against them: the calves at Dan and
Bethel
the singular before being put for the plural; or against the if of
Samaria
and Samaria itself; or the inhabitants of it
because of the worship
of the calf
which was highly provoking to God
it being a robbing him of his
glory
and giving it to graven images:
how long will it be ere they attain to innocency? or
"purity"F3נקיון
"munditiem"
Calvin
Rivet
Schmidt. ; of worship
life
and
conversation: the words may be rendered thus
"how long?"F4עד מתי "quousque?"
Zanchius
Pareus
Cocceius. for there is a large stop there; and this may be a
question of the prophet's
asking how long the wrath of God would burn against
the people
what; would be the duration of it
and when it would end? to which
an answer is returned
as the words may be translated
"they cannot bear
purity"F5לא יוכלו
נקיון "non possunt innocentiam praestare"
Cocceius; "quamdiu non poterunt animum adjungere ad innocentam"
Zanchius; "usquedum non poterunt ferre innocentiam"
Pareus. ; of
doctrine
of worship of heart
and life; when they can
mine anger will cease
burning: or
as the Targum
"as
long as they cannot purify themselves
'
or
be purified; so long as they continue in their sins
in their superstition and
idolatry
and other impieties
and are not purged from them.
Hosea 8:6 6 For
from Israel is even this: A workman made it
and it is not God; But
the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.
YLT 6For even it [is] of Israel;
an artificer made it
And it [is] not God
For the calf of Samaria is
fragments!
For from Israel was it also
.... That is
the calf
was from Israel; it was an invention of theirs
as some say; they did not
borrow it from their neighbours
as they did other idols
but it was their own
contrivance: but this tines not seem to be fact; for the calf
the making of it
indeed
was of themselves
but the worship of it they borrowed from the
Egyptians; with this difference
the Egyptians worshipped a living cow or ox
these the golden image of a calf: but rather the sense is
that this calf was
made by the advice of Israel
by the advice of Jeroboam their king
and of
their princes
they assenting to it
so Aben Ezra; or the gold and silver of
which it was made was exacted on them
and collected from them
as the Targum
and Jarchi; or workmen were employed by them to make it; and so it was of them
also
as any other work that was done by their advice and direction
and at
their expense; and therefore could never have any divinity in it
any more than
other things they did; though this is commonly interpreted as having respect to
the making of the golden calf by Aaron
that this also was of Israel as well as
that:
the workman made it; therefore it is not God; a strong and
invincible reason this; for
since the call was the work of an artificer
of
the goldsmith or founder
it could not be God; there could not be deity in it;
for a creature cannot make a God
or give that which itself has not; if the
workman was not God
but a creature
if deity was not in him
he could never
give it to a golden image
a lifeless statue fashioned by him: this
one would
think
should have been a clear
plain
striking
and convincing argument to
them
that their calf was
as the Targum has it
"a
deity in which there was no profit:'
but the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces; or "forF6כי "nam"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Cocceius; "quia"
Schmidt; "quoniam"
Pagninus
Montanus.
the calf of Samaria"
&c. being another reason to prove it could not
be God; if the former would not convince them
this surely would
when they
should see it broke to pieces by the enemy
from whom it could not save itself;
and therefore could not be a god that could be of any service to them
or save
them. The Vulgate Latin version renders it
"for the calf of Samaria shall
become spiders webs": and Jerom says he learned it of a Jew that the word
so signifies; but his Jew imposed upon him: it
does not appear to be any where
so used
either in the Bible
or in any other writings. Kimchi interprets it
shivers
fragments
broken pieces of anything. Jarchi says it signifies
in the
Syriac language
beams
planks
and boards
pieces of them; so the Targum and
Ben Melech from the Rabbins; or rather the dust which falls from them in
sawing
sawdust; to dust as small as that should this calf be reduced
as the
golden calf was ground to powder by Moses
to which
it is thought
there is an
allusion.
Hosea 8:7 7 “They
sow the wind
And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never
produce meal. If it should produce
Aliens would swallow it up.
YLT 7For wind they sow
and a
hurricane they reap
Stalk it hath none -- a shoot not yielding grain
If so be
it yield -- strangers do swallow it up.
For they have sown the wind
and they shall reap the whirlwind
.... The sense
is
the Israelites took a great deal of pains in the idolatrous worship of the
calves
and made a great stir
bustle
and noise in it
like the wind; were
very vainglorious and ostentatious
made a great show of religion and devotion
and promised themselves great things from it
peace and plenty
wealth and
riches
all prosperity and happiness
enjoyed by Heathen nations; but this was
lost labour
it was labouring for the wind
or sowing that; they got nothing by
it
or what was worse than nothing; it proved not only useless
but hurtful
to
them; for
for their idolatry
and continuance in it
the whirlwind of God's
wrath would be raised up against them
and the Assyrian army
like a vehement
storm of wind
would rush in upon them
and destroy them; so they that sow to
the flesh
shall of the flesh reap corruption
Galatians 6:8;
it hath no stalk; what they sowed did not rise up above
ground; or
if it did
it did not spring up in a blade or stalk
which was
promising of fruit; no real good
profit
and advantage
sprung from their
idolatrous practices:
the bud shall yield no meal; yea
though it rise up
into a stalk
and this stalk produced ears of corn
yet those so thin
that no
meal or flour could be got out of them
and so of no worth and use:
and if so be it yield: any meal or flour:
the strangers shall swallow it up; the Israelites should
not be the better for it; it should till come into the hands of foreigners
the
Assyrian army. The meaning is
that if they did prosper and increase in riches
yet they should not long enjoy them themselves
but be pillaged and spoiled of
them; as they were by the exactions of Pul
and by the depredations of
Shalmaneser
kings of Assyria. So the Targum
"if
they got substance
the nations shall spoil them of it.'
Hosea 8:8 8 Israel
is swallowed up; Now they are among the Gentiles Like a vessel in which is
no pleasure.
YLT 8Israel hath been swallowed
up
Now they have been among nations
As a vessel in which is no delight.
Israel is swallowed up
.... Not only their
substance
but their persons also
the whole nation of them
their whole
estate
civil and ecclesiastic: it notes the utter destruction of them by the
Assyrians
so that nothing of them and theirs remained; just as anyone is
swallowed up and devoured by a breast of prey; the present is put for the
future
because of the certainty of it:
now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is
no pleasure; when Shalmaneser took Samaria
and with it swallowed up the
whole kingdom of Israel
he carried captive the inhabitants of it
and placed
them among the nations
in "Halah
Habor
by the river Gozan"
and in
the cities of the Medes
2 Kings 17:6; where
they lived poor
mean
and abject
and were treated with the utmost neglect and
contempt; no more regarded than a broken useless vessel
or than a vessel of
dishonour
that is made and used for the ease of nature
for which no more
regard is had than for that service: thus idolaters
who dishonour God by their
idolatries
shall
sooner or later
be brought to disgrace and dishonour
themselves.
Hosea 8:9 9 For
they have gone up to Assyria
Like a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim
has hired lovers.
YLT 9For they -- they have gone
up [to] Asshur
A wild ass alone by himself [is] Ephraim
They have hired
lovers!
For they are gone up to Assyria
.... Or
"though
they should go up to Assyria"F7כי המה עלו "quamvis
etiamsi
ascenderint"; so Schmidt observes it may be rendered
though he chooses to
render it by "quando"
"when they should go up"
&c. ;
to the king of Assyria
to gain his friendship
and enter into alliance with
him; as
when Pal king of Assyria came against them
Menahem king of Israel
went forth to meet him
and gave him a thousand talents of silver to be his
confederate
and strengthen his kingdom
2 Kings 15:19; yet
this hindered not but that Israel was at length swallowed up by that people
and scattered by them among the nations; for this is not to be understood of
their going captive into the land of Assyria
as the Targum interprets it:
a wild ass alone by himself; which may be applied
either to the king of Assyria
and be considered as a description of him
to
whom Israel went for help and friendship; who
though he took their present
and made them fair promises
yet was perfidious
unsociable
and inhuman
studied only his own advantage
and not their good: or to the Israelites that
went to him
who were as sottish and stupid as the ass
and as headstrong and
unruly as that
and
like it
lustful
and impetuous in their lusts; running to
and fro for the satisfying of them
and taking no advice
nor suffering
themselves to be controlled
and
being alone
became an easy prey to the
Assyrian lion: or yet they should be as "a wild ass alone by itself"F8פרא בודד לו
"erunt onager
qui solitarius sibi est"
Schmidt. ; notwithstanding
all the methods they took to obtain the friendship and alliance of the king of
Assyria
yet they should be carried captive by him
and dwell in the captivity
like a wild ass in the wilderness; and so it is to be understood here
agreeably to Job 24:5;
otherwise
as BochartF9Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 3. c. 16. col. 870. has
proved from various writers
these creatures go in flocks:
Ephraim hath hired lovers; by giving presents to
the kings of Assyria and Egypt
to be their allies and confederates
patrons
and defenders
2 Kings 15:19; who
are represented as their gallants
with whom Ephraim or the ten tribes
committed adultery
departing from God their Husband
and liege Lord and King
and from his true worship; see Ezekiel 16:26. R.
Elias LevitaF11Tishbi
p. 267. observes
that some interpret the
words
"Ephraim made a covenant with lovers".
Hosea 8:10 10 Yes
though they have hired among the nations
Now I will gather them; And they
shall sorrow a little
[b] Because of
the burden[c] of the
king of princes.
YLT 10Also though they hire among
nations
Now I gather them
and they are pained a little
From the burden of a
king of princes.
Yea
though they have hired among the nations
.... That is
lovers
as before; got into confederacies and alliances with the nations about them
thinking thereby to strengthen their hands
and secure themselves and their
kingdom; particular regard may be had to the Egyptians
as distinct from the
Assyrians
whom they privately engaged on their side to shake off the Assyrian
yoke
or their obligation to send yearly presents to the Assyrian king:
now will I gather them; either the Assyrians
against them
to invade their land
besiege their city
and take and carry them
captive; or the Israelites in a body into the city of Samaria
and there be
cooped up
and taken and destroyed
or carried captive; for this is not to be
interpreted of the collection of them out of their captivity
as the Targum and
Jarchi
but of the gathering of them together for their destruction:
and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of
princes; the tax or tribute imposed upon them by the king of Assyria
whose princes were altogether kings
Isaiah 10:8; and
who used to be called king of kings
being at the head of a monarchy
which had
many kings subject to it; as the kings of Babylon were afterwards called
Ezekiel 26:7; this
may refer to the yearly present or tribute
which Hoshea king of Israel was
obliged to give to the king of Assyria
which he was very uneasy at
and did
not pay it
which drew upon him the resentment of the Assyrian king; and that
sorrow and uneasiness which that tribute gave the king of Israel and his people
were but little and small in comparison of what they after found; it was the
beginning of sorrows to them: and so some render the words
"they
began"F12ויחלו "incipient"
Calvin; "ceperunt enim paululum"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Zanchius
Drusius
Tarnovius
so Ben Melech. ; that is
to sorrow and complain
"a little"; or this may refer to their burdens and oppressions when
in captivity
which were laid upon them by the king of Assyria
and the
princes
the rulers
and governors of the several places where the Israelites
were carried captive: even the "few that shall remain"F13ויחלו מעט "et remanebunt
pauci"
Schmidt; a rad. חול "durare
permanere".
as some render it; and not die by famine
pestilence
and
sword. Kimchi and Ben Melech think there is a deficiency of the copulative and
between king and princes; which is supplied by the Targum
and by the
Septuagint
Vulgate Latin
Syriac
and Arabic versions
which read
"the
king and princes".
Hosea 8:11 11 “Because
Ephraim has made many altars for sin
They have become for him altars for
sinning.
YLT 11Because Ephraim did
multiply altars to sin
They have been to him altars to sin.
Because Ephraim hath
made many altars to sin
.... Not with
an intention to commit sin
but to offer sacrifice for sin
and make atonement
for it
as they thought; but these altars being erected for the sake of idols
and sacrifices offered on them to them
they sinned in so doing
and were the
cause of sin in others
who were drawn into it by their example; as they were
made to sin
or drawn into it
by Jeroboam their king
These altars were those
set up at Dan and Bethel
and in all high places
and tops of mountains
where
they sacrificed to idols; and which was contrary to the express command of God
who required sacrifice only at one place
and on one altar
Deuteronomy 12:5;
typical of the one altar Christ
and his alone sacrifice
who is the only
Mediator between God and man; and they are guilty of the same crime as Ephraim
here
who make use of more
or neglect him;
altars shall be unto him for sin; either these same
altars
and the sacrifices offered on them
shall be reckoned and imputed to
him as sins
trod shall be the cause of his condemnation and punishment: or
"let the altars be unto him for sin"
so someF14היו לו מזבחות
לחטא "santo ergo illi altaria ad
peccandum"
Rivet. ; since he will have them
let him have them
and go on
in sinning
till he has filled up the measure of his sins
and brought on him
just condemnation; or else other altars are meant
even in the land of Assyria
where
since they were so fond of multiplying altars
they should have altars
enough to sin at
whereby their sins would be increased
and their punishment
for them aggravated. The Targum is
"seeing
the house of Ephraim hath multiplied altars to sin
the altars of their idols
shall he to them for a stumbling block
'
or
ruin; so sin is taken in a different sense
both for guilt
and the punishment
of it.
Hosea 8:12 12 I
have written for him the great things of My law
But they were
considered a strange thing.
YLT 12I write for him numerous
things of My law
As a strange thing they have been reckoned.
I have written to him the great things of my law
.... Which was
given by Moses to Israel at the appointment of God
in which were many
commands
holy
just
and true; a multiplicity of them
as the Targum
relating
to the honour of God
and the good of men; many excellent and useful ones of a
moral nature
and others of a ceremonial kind; and particularly concerning
sacrifices
showing what they should be
the nature and use of them
and where
and on what altar they should be offered; and which pointed at the great
sacrifice of the Messiah
who is both altar
sacrifice
and priest: and these
things were frequently inculcated by the prophets
who from time to time were
sent unto them; so that the Lord was continually writing these things to them
by them
as Jarchi
Kimchi
and Ben Melech interpret it; hence they could not
plead ignorance
and excuse themselves on that account. The law sometimes not
only designs the law of the decalogue
and the ceremonial law
respecting
sacrifices
&c. but all the books of Moses
in which are written many great
and excellent things concerning Christ
his person
offices
and grace; yea
all the books of the prophets
the whole of Scripture
which is by inspiration
of God
and is the writing and word of God
and not men; and of which holy men
of God were the "amanuenses"; and in which many valuable and precious
things are recorded
even all the works of God
of creation
providence
and
grace; yea
the various thoughts
counsels
and purposes of his heart
relating
to the salvation of men
are transcribed here; and the manifold grace of God
or each of the doctrines of grace
are contained herein
especially in the
doctrinal and evangelical part of it
which is sometimes called the law of the
Lord
even of Christ; and the law or doctrine of faith; see Psalm 119:18; here
are delivered and held forth the great doctrines of a trinity of Persons in the
Godhead; of the everlasting love of God to his people
and of their choice in
Christ before the world began; of the covenant of grace; of the incarnation of
Christ; of redemption by him; of peace
pardon
righteousness
and atonement
through him; of eternal salvation by him; these things are written
and to be
read and referred unto
and observed as the rule of faith and practice
and not
unwritten traditions
pretended revelations
reveries
and dreams of men; and
written they were
not for the use of the Israelites only under the former
dispensation
but for the learning and instruction of us Gentiles also
Romans 3:2;
but they were counted as a
strange thing; the laws respecting sacrifices more especially
and the place
where they were to be offered
which are the things mentioned in the context
had been so long disregarded and disused by Ephraim or the ten tribes
that
when they were put in mind of them by the prophets
they looked upon them as
things they had no concern with; as laws that belonged to another people
and
not to them: and so the great things of divine revelation
the great doctrines
of the Gospel
are treated by many as things they have nothing to do with
not
at all interesting to them; yea
as nauseous and despicable things
deserving
their scorn and contempt
very ungrateful and disagreeable
and in this sense
strange
as Job's breath was to his wife Job 19:17; and also
as foreign to reason and good sense
and what cannot be reconciled thereunto:
so the Athenians charged the doctrines of the Apostle Paul as strange
irrational
and unaccountable
Acts 17:20.
Hosea 8:13 13 For the sacrifices of My
offerings they sacrifice flesh and eat it
But the Lord does not
accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They
shall return to Egypt.
YLT 13The sacrifices of Mine
offerings! They sacrifice flesh
and they eat
Jehovah hath not accepted them
Now doth He remember their iniquity
And inspect their sin
They -- [to] Egypt
they turn back.
They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings
and eat it
.... Or
"as to the sacrifices mine
offerings" or "gifts
they sacrifice flesh
and eat it"F15זבחי הבהבי יזבחו
בשר ויאכלו "quod
attinet ad sacrificia donariorum meorum
sacrificant illi quidem carnem
et
comedunt"
Piscator
De Dieu; "quantum ad sacrificia"
&c.
Schmidt. So Reinbeck. De Accent. Hebr. p. 445. ; these sacrifices
which
according to the law
should given to God when they offered them
they did not
give them to him
they took them to themselves
and ate them; they were carnal
offerings
and offered with a carnal mind
without faith and piety
without any
regard to the glory of God
but merely for the sake of caring: the Targum
interprets it of sacrifices got by rapine
which God hates
Isaiah 61:8;
but the Lord accepteth them
not; neither the sacrifices
nor the sacrificers
but despised and
abhorred them; no sacrifice was acceptable to God but what was offered
according to law
and where he directed
and in the faith of Christ
and
through him:
now will he remember their iniquities
and visit their sins; he will not
pardon them
but punish for them; so far were their sacrifices making atonement
for them
as they expected
they added to the measure of their iniquities:
they shall return into Egypt; either flee thither for
refuge
many of them it seems did
when the king of Assyria entered their land
and besieged Samaria; where they lived miserably
as in exile
and were there
buried
and never returned to their own land any more; see Hosea 9:3; or they
should be carried captive into Assyria
where they should be in a like state of
bondage as their fathers were in Egypt. Some render it
"they return into
Egypt"F16המה מצרים
ישובו "illi in Aegyptum redeunt"
Cocceius;
"revertuntur"
Schmidt. So Tarnovius. ; and consider it not as their
punishment
but as their sin; that when the Lord was about to visit them for
their transgressions
they being made tributary to the Assyrians
instead of
returning to the Lord
and humbling themselves before him
they sent to the
king of Egypt for help
2 Kings 17:4.
Hosea 8:14 14 “For
Israel has forgotten his Maker
And has built temples;[d] Judah also
has multiplied fortified cities; But I will send fire upon his cities
And it
shall devour his palaces.”
YLT 14And forget doth Israel his
Maker
and buildeth temples
And Judah hath multiplied cities of defence
And I
have sent a fire into his cities
And it hath consumed their palaces!
For Israel hath forgotten his Maker
.... The Creator and
Preserver of everyone of them
and who had raised them up to a state and
kingdom
and had made them great and rich
and populous
and bestowed many
favours and blessings on them; and yet they forgot him
to give him glory
and
to serve and worship him:
and buildeth temples; to idols
as the Targum
adds; to the calves at Dan and Bethel
at which places
as there were altars
set up
and priests appointed
so temples and houses of high places built to
worship in; see 1 Kings 12:31;
and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities; to protect
them from their enemies
which was not unlawful; but that they should put their
trust and confidence in them
and not in the Lord their God
which was their
sin; when they saw the ten tribes carried captive by the Assyrians
they betook
themselves to such methods for their security
but were not careful to avoid
those sins which brought ruin upon Israel:
but I will send a fire upon his cities
and it shall devour the
palaces thereof; that is
an enemy
that should set fire to their cities
particularly Jerusalem their chief city
and burn the temple of the Lord
the
palaces of their king and nobles
and all the fine houses of the great men;
which was done many years after this prophecy
by Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon
Jeremiah 52:13.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)