Hosea 5

HEar ye this, O priests Proclamation is made, and the criminals are cited to appear, and attend their charge; amongst which the Priests are first summoned: Not of the Tribe of Levi, not Gods Priests, but Baals Priests, Priests of the high places, such they called themselves, so accounted by the people and Priests, they were as good as their constitution by Jeroboam Son of Nebat, could make them., and hearken, ye house of Israel All the people of Israel hearken and consider duly., and give ye ear, O house of the king All you of Menahems Court, and all you that are of the Royal Family. It is very probable, if not plainly certain, that Menahem was King at this time over Israel, and that Hose points him out with his whole Family.; for judgment is toward you For to you it appertain'd to execute judgment, and do right, so some, but the most read it, as we do, judgment is toward, i. e. against you. You have sinned, and God will punish. Gods controversie, chap. 4. ver. 1. is with you all, but first with Priests who neglected to instruct the people, next with the body of the people, and lastly, with the King, Court, and his Family., because ye have been a snare You O Priests and Princes, Nobles and Judges, have ensnared the people by your examples and practices, which have been Idolatrous, and the people have imitated you; it may possibly refer to that the Jewes say was done, spies set to watch who went to Jerusalem, to worship, and to inform that they might be punisht: Or else thus; By commending the Calves, and palliating the Idolatry committed in worshipping them, by persuading the people they might as well worship there as at Jerusalem; you have been a snare unto them, and drawn them into idolatry. on Mizpah Either taken comparatively, as fowlers and hunters have taken many birds and beasts, by gins and snares on Mizpah, so you have ensnared many souls in idolatry: Or by idolatries acted at Mizpah you have ensnared many, so at Mizpah there was an high place, and idolatrous worship performed there, whether at Mizpah in Judah, which is not very likely, or Mizpah part of Libanus, which is the more likely, I determine not., and a net spread upon Tabor A very famous mount for its exact roundness, and the height thereof, and as famous for the pleasantness thereof, which easily perswades me to think this hill must needs have some high place on it, and that where high places were so much in fashion, Tabor could not be omitted. Here, as in Mizpah, idolatry catcht men as birds or wild beasts are taken in a net, or briefly thus: The Priests and secular power did make Religion, and the civil Government, a snare for men, both so managed the lawes of each as to intrap all they could: As if Men were fowls and beasts, and Governours Civil and Ecclesiastical, hunters and fowlers; And their Laws nets and gins set to catch men, and make a prey of them. Thus 'twas in Israel at that day..

And the revolters All those that have cast off the law of God, both in matters of Religion and Civil Government. are profound Dig deep to hide their counsels, or have taken deep root since their Apostacy from God, and revolt from the house of David. to make slaughter All their Religion is but a butchering of Cattle, no Sacrifice to God; or which is worse. a murthering of Men., though I Hosea. have been a rebuker a Preacher who in the name and word of God have sharply inveigh'd against their brutish Religion; and their bloody Slaughters. of them all None that have been guilty have escaped the reproof. I have declaimed against Idolatrous Priests, and bloody Usurpers, such as were in those times, Shallum, Menahem and Pekah..

I know Ephraim These revolters neither are, or can be so deep as to conceal themselves, their designs, contrivances and practices from me: I throughly know Ephraim, the revolters are called Israel in this verse, who is not hid from me. It is an elegant repetition of the same thing in different words., and Israel is not hid from me; for now O Ephraim thou committest whoredom All thy fair pretences thou canst put upon thy devised Religion, cannot better it, still 'tis down right Idolatry, or spiritual Whoredom., and Israel is defiled Israel here is Ephraim, and when Israel is said to be polluted, it is to be understood both of spiritual and corporal pollution which mostly are linked together, and draw on each other..

They Those revolters, polluted Israelites, and idolatrous Ephraimites, will not frame their doings they are so intent upon their idolatries and oppressions, they have been so long inured to these doings, that now they are become slaves to their own doings, insomuch that they neither have will or power to change them, as Ier. 13.23. to turn unto their God To repent of those wicked courses, and to leave them, and so return to their God, who was once theirs by covenant, though now they have violated the covenant, and departed from God. They are in sin hardened to a hopeless and remediless obstinacy and impenitence.: for the spirit of whoredoms Vid. chap. 4. ver. 12. Their mind and inclination stands bent, and fixed upon spiritual whoredoms, and they are incited to it by the seducing spirit, allured by examples, and all these hurry them on. is in the midst of them It is an universal distemper among them, all fill'd with this spirit, it has siez'd the heart of them., and they have not known They never did rightly know, nor would they ever know, they forgot, were willfully ignorant of the way of Holiness and pure Religion, contained in the Law of God. the LORD Who is pure, zealous for his Glory, sovereign in his Authority, rich in his rewards, severe in his punishments, and true to his promises and threats; That nothing can be more prejudicial to a people then to forsake, nor any thing more conducive to the good of a people then to keep his Law..

And the pride It might have been rendred the excellency or glory of Israel, and so refer'd to God, it would be prediction that God himself would witness against Israel. God is said to swear by the excellency of Iacob, Amos 8.7. i. e. by himself; thus interpreted it would very well accord with what follows in this 5th. and in the 6th verse. But as it is here rendred, 'tis the haughtiness, carnal confidence of Israel grown great, under the long and prosperous Reign of Ieroboam the second, that they thought it impossible such calamities, as foretold by the Prophet, should overtake them, or that God should think so ill of that worship they thought so well of; they neither confess their sins, nor fear Gods judgments. of Israel does testifie Is so full and evident witness against Israel, that no other Testimony need be produced to his face to convince and silence the most impudent and shameless among them:: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim The nine Tribes, and the head of them Ephraim, fall in their iniquity be ruined for their sins of which they are guilty, but repent not.: Judah The two Tribes under Ahaz, now lapsed to Idolatry. also shall fall with them Be captivated too, ere long, soon after sin will undo them..

They The people of Iudah say some, but I rather think 'tis spoken of the Ephraimites, and either implyes by what they did support their confidence of escaping ruin, or else foretels that extremity of sufferings should force them at last to offer sacrifices to God, and the Iewish Doctors do tell us, that under Hoshea's Reign Israel had liberty of bringing their Offerings and Sacrifices to Ierusalem, whether this were so or not; shall go with their flocks, and with their herds to seek the LORD 'tis certain they did not seek him in right manner, it was with their flocks and herds, but not with their hearts, not with sound Repentance., but they shall not find him Whilst he might have been found they would not seek him, now as punishment, and to leave them remediless, God will not be found of them, he will not either accept a Sacrifice, or pardon their sin, or return to save them.: he has withdrawn himself from them In displeasure has withdrawn his favourable presence from them, and with resolution to leave them to the violences of the Assyrian powers..

They The whole house of Israel, Priests, People and Princes, and their Kings with them. have dealt treacherously Have falsified their word and promise of fidelity and constancy, of love and affection when they entred covenant with me, turned Idolaters and have worshipt and rely'd on false Gods. against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children As if 'twere not enough that they were Idolaters, they have train'd up their Children in the same idolatry, partly by their instruction, and more by their examples.: now Or therefore, or ere long, as chap. 2. ver. 10. let. q. shall a moneth Either the new moon, one particular species of Ceremonial Superstitious Worship put for all the rest, as some interpret, or rather, a time not long, (as an Age) not as to the old world, nor as to Nineveh; 40 days, but a shorter time, possibly it may refer to Shallum's short time of usurpation, which lasted but a Moneth, a Moneth shall devour them: The Assyrians shall make a speedy conquest over you. devour them with their portions Not only persons, but their Goods and Chattels are exposed to speediest spoiling; and as a token of such future speedy desolation, the Prophet points out a short Reign of one of the Usurpers, and foretells the precise time of his continuance, that when they shall see this come to pass, they might believe the rest foretold by the Prophet should also come to pass. Nor is this conjecture without some ground, since we know that Shallum slew Zechariah before the people, 2 Kings 15.10. implying the peoples concurrence herein, and their accepting of Shallum with expectation of peace and prosperity, to the increase of their portion under his Government, all which was blasted at the Moneths end..

Blow ye the cornet Ye watchmen, or who ever have the care and custody of these Fortified Towns, sound the alarm, for the enemy cometh. in Gibeah a Town of Benjamin scituate on a Hill, built by Asa, 1 Kings 15.22. made by him a frontier, and likely always Garrison'd against the incursion of the ten Tribes., and the trumpet Add to the sound of the Cornet, the Trumpet also, which is proper for war, and will be best understood by the people, lest they mistake the meaning of the Cornet, which is say some a Pastoral Instrument, proper for Shepherds, sound the Trumpet. in Ramah Of which there were three, one in Naphthall, and Rama Sophim, and this of Benjamin near Gibeah, and was an inlet into Iudah, of great importance, as appears 1 Kings 15.17, 21. a Town of strength, built on a high hill, and fit to be as a watch Tower. Be you upon your guard when the invader is so near.: cry aloud at Beth-aven As more concerned, cry out with more vehemency, awaken all to prepare for defence, or howl and lament for the things that are come upon thee, O Beth-aven. The Assyrians march will alarm thy Neighbours, but their success against thee will ruin thee utterly, let thine inhabitants therefore cry and howl; Beth-aven, if that scituate in the Wilderness; this passage foretels the destruction of it by the Assyrians, probably in the beginning of their invasion, if 'twere Bethel, 'twas the chief seat of Idolatry, and first or chief in miseries.: after thee Thee, refer'd to Beth-aven speaks thus, after thy cryes, when thou hast howled, let Benjamin and Iudah too begin theirs, for they shall also fall for their sin., O Benjamin.

Ephraim The whole Kingdom of the ten tribes, all sorts and ranks of men among them. shall be desolate A desolation, i. e. most desolate, ut terly cut off, in the day of rebuke When Salmaneser shall come up with his Forces, besiege, sack and captivate all thy Cities, and Samaria with the rest, when by these Assyrians I shall rebuke, i. e. punish.: among the tribes of Israel To the house of Israel openly, so that all might be informed. have I made known By my Prophets I have foretold what should be, and by some judgments already executed I have farther made known to them, they are sufficiently warned, and should have considered in time, and prevented their own Calamities. that which shall surely be What is irrevocably determin'd and ratified, and they shall never evade, nor ever overcome..

The princes The great Men about the King and Court, the Rulers and Governours, who by the Law of God and Man should have been the maintainers of Equity, and Justice among the people. of Judah Of the Kingdom of Iudah, or the Two Tribes. were Have been, and now are, in the days of Ahaz, for to this mans time the Prophet now pointeth. like them that remove the bound The antient bounds which limited every one, prevented controversies and oppressions of encroaching covetous men. The Prophet I doubt not aims at reproving the sin of these great ones in changing the Laws of Religion, as well as altering the bounds of Civil Rights, whether by encroaching upon Forreigners, and enlarging the Kingdom of Iudah by entrenching on the Neighbouring Kingdoms, or which is more certain by injustice and violence seizing what was anothers.: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them This was sin and forbidden, Deut. 19.14. This practice is cursed, Deut. 27.17. and God now will punish it. like water Like an overflowing flood..

Ephraim The Subjects of the Kingdom of Israel, the Ten Tribes, the Prophet resumeth his Threat against them. is oppressed Supposing, as well we may, that this Prophecy respecteth Ahaz his time; it will appear that Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah's Reigns were past, which were unjust, Seditious, Bloudy, and Tyrannical times in which oppressions abounded; and of which our Prophet now speaketh. The Ten Tribes are by Seditions, Civil Wars, and Bloudy Conspiracies eaten up already almost. But to those God will add his displeasure, and the Assyrians shall be the Executioners, and shall oppress Ephraim. and broken in judgment i. e. Through fear of the partiality of the Judge, though his cause be equal and just, yet Money, or Moneys-worth is extorted, to prevent an unjust, or to procure a just Sentence; a known course in such days as these the Prophet lived in, or as the days of Marius and Sylla.: because he Epharim spoken of as if one person perhaps to intimate the universal defection. willingly walked It was not a force upon them, they did willingly. Though there was a Law commanding, yet there was in the people a forwardness, and too great a readiness to comply and obey that Law which made Idolatry the Establishment in the Ten Tribes. after the commandment To forbear going to the Temple, and to worship the Calves at Dan and Bethel, as Ieroboam son of Nebat required..

Therefore Or And Heb. I will be I am, it is concise in the Hebr. and might be thus expressed. But, or And, as for me I am, and will be to the Ten Tribes. unto Ephraim as a moth Moths do leisurely eat up and marr our Clothes, so God was then, and had been, from Ieroboam's Death to this day, weakning the Ten Tribes, their Seditions did eat them up.: and to the house of Judah The Two Tribes who now with Ahaz did as Ephraim cast God off. as rottenness Shall secretly consume and rot as wood does by Worms; so God will punish both Israel and Iudah, these shall be forerunners and preparatories to the final desolation of both; the one by Assyria, and of the other by Babylon..

When And, Heb. after that. Ephraim The King and Counsel, and Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, Menahem is surely meant, vid. 2 Kings 15. saw his sickness Weakness, like a Consumption, threatning Death. Though Menahem had killed Shallum, and got into the Throne, yet he found himself unable to hold it against the opposite faction, and therefore sent for assistance from Assyria 2 King 15.19. or at least purchased the Friendship of Pul who was come out as an Enemy., and Judah The other Kingdom of the two Tribes. saw his wound A deep and sestering wound; or a corrupting imposthume, which needs be opened, cleans'd and bound up, such was the state of the two Tribes at that day, ulcerous and full of danger, for Ahaz had done very wickedly, and wounded the Kingdom., then went Made application. Ephraim to the Assyrian Particularly to Pul, as 2 King. 15.19, 20. Not one word of their going to God, he was not in all their thoughts: He did afflict leisurely that they might seek him, but they forgot him still., and sent Embassadors, and presents to entreat and procure his help. to king Jareb Whilest Interpreters agree not who this Iareb was, while some will have it be a proper, others an Appellative, Name, of a Person or Place, I think 'twill be surer course to compare times, who was King of Assyria when Ephraim was sick, and Iudah was wounded, and both felt it, for whoever this will prove to be, he it is that is meant by Iareb. Pul in Menahem's time, Tiglath Pilneser in Ahaz time, or, what if Iareb be the sum of what Ephraim and Iudah desired of this Assy ian King; they complain'd of wrong received, and sent to this Foreign King their complaint, and requested that he would judge, or in our modern termes be Arbitrator; so the word will bear.: yet could he not heal you Ephraims sickness grew worse by it, Israel was sicker for it., nor cure you Iudah, Ahaz, and his wounded State. of your wound The Assyrian King was either unable, or unwilling to heal the wound which he knew would as much profit him, as hurt his Patient..

For I The Lord whose Power is infinite, whose Wrath they have enkindled, who has threatned to extirpate them. will be unto Ephraim as a lion A Panther say some, a very swift Beast, wherein he excels the Lion, and a very fierce and ravenous Creature, wherein he equals the Lion, or a Lioness, say others: but to leave that, God will make the Assyrian a Chirurgion, such as a fierce ravenous Lyon would be to a wounded man·, and as a young lion to the house of Judah Which is grown up to his strength for mischief, and retains his inclination to gamesomness, or to play with his prey; so should Iudah find himself when caught by this Lion, first made a sport to please the Tyrannous humour, and after made a feast to feed his ravenous hunger.: I, even I, will tear The threat is doubled to ascertain it, and make it more dreadful: Divine Vengeance by the Assyrian, shall be as a Lyon tearing his Prey., and go away When satisfied, the Lyon goes away, flyeth not for fear.: I will take away Leaveth not any behind him, carrieth away what he did not eat, so should Assyria devour the Land, and carry away the People., and none shall rescue him None have courage to attempt, or power to effect a rescue, the prey must hopeless perish; so 'twill be with Ephraim and Iud, when God appears as a Lion against them..

¶ I will go and return to my place After the manner of Man God speaks, he will do that which shall be like a Man's going away from such as refuse tho' they need his help, he retires; God will withdraw his sav ng help,, till they acknowledge their offence Till they confess, humble themselves for their sins., and seek my face Me their God, my Mercy, and my Law; my Soveraign as well as Saviour.: in their affliction they will seek me early In deep distresses they will, at least some will seek me diligently as indeed they did at the end of I dah's 70 years Captivity..