Hosea 11

Ho 11:1-12.

GOD'S

FORMER

BENEFITS, AND

ISRAEL'S

INGRATITUDE

RESULTING IN

PUNISHMENT,

YET

JEHOVAH

PROMISES

RESTORATION AT

LAST.

Ho 11:5

shows this prophecy was uttered after the league made with Egypt

(2Ki 17:4).

1. Israel . . . called my son out of

Egypt--BENGEL translates,

"From the time that he (Israel) was in Egypt, I called him My

son," which the parallelism proves. So

Ho 12:9

and Ho 13:4

use "from . . . Egypt," for "from the time that thou didst

sojourn in Egypt."

Ex 4:22

also shows that Israel was called by God, "My son," from the time of

his Egyptian sojourn

(Isa 43:1).

God is always said to have led or brought forth, not to

have "called," Israel from Egypt.

Mt 2:15,

therefore, in quoting this prophecy (typically and primarily referring

to Israel, antitypically and fully to Messiah), applies it to Jesus'

sojourn in Egypt, not His return from it. Even from His

infancy, partly spent in Egypt, God called Him His son. God included

Messiah, and Israel for Messiah's sake, in one common love, and

therefore in one common prophecy. Messiah's people and Himself are one,

as the Head and the body.

Isa 49:3

calls Him "Israel." The same general reason, danger of extinction,

caused the infant Jesus, and Israel in its national infancy (compare

Ge 42:1-43:34; 45:18; 46:3, 4;

Eze 16:4-6;

Jer 31:20)

to sojourn in Egypt. So He, and His spiritual Israel, are already

called "God's sons" while yet in the Egypt of the world.

2. As they called them--"they," namely, monitors sent by Me. "Called,"

in

Ho 11:1,

suggests the idea of the many subsequent calls by the prophets.

went from them--turned away in contempt

(Jer 2:27).

Baalim--images of Baal, set up in various places.

3. taught . . . to go--literally, "to use his feet." Compare a similar

image,

De 1:31;

8:2, 5, 15; 32:10, 11;

Ne 9:21;

Isa 63:9;

Am 2:10.

God bore them as a parent does an infant, unable to supply itself, so

that it has no anxiety about food, raiment, and its going forth.

Ac 13:18,

which probably refers to this passage of Hosea; He took them by the

arms, to guide them that they might not stray, and to hold them up that

they might not stumble.

knew not that I healed them--that is, that My design was to restore

them spiritually and temporally

(Ex 15:26).

4. cords of a man--parallel to "bands of love"; not such cords as oxen

are led by, but humane methods, such as men employ when inducing

others, as for instance, a father drawing his child, by leading-strings,

teaching him to go

(Ho 11:1).

I was . . . as they that take off the yoke on their jaws . . . I laid

meat--as the humane husbandman occasionally loosens the straps under

the jaws by which the yoke is bound on the neck of oxen and lays food

before them to eat. An appropriate image of God's deliverance of Israel

from the Egyptian yoke, and of His feeding them in the wilderness.

5. He shall not return into . . . Egypt--namely, to

seek help against Assyria (compare

Ho 7:11),

as Israel lately had done

(2Ki 17:4),

after having revolted from Assyria, to whom they had been tributary from

the times of Menahem

(2Ki 15:19).

In a figurative sense, "he shall return to Egypt"

(Ho 9:3),

that is, to Egypt-like bondage; also many Jewish fugitives were

literally to return to Egypt, when the Holy Land was to be in

Assyrian and Chaldean hands.

Assyrian shall be his king--instead of having kings of their own, and

Egypt as their auxiliary.

because they refused to return--just retribution. They would not return

(spiritually) to God, therefore they shall not return (corporally) to

Egypt, the object of their desire.

6. abide--or, "fall upon" [CALVIN].

branches--that is, his villages, which are the branches or

dependencies of the cities [CALVIN].

GROTIUS translates, "his bars" (so

La 2:9),

that is, the warriors who were the bulwarks of the state. Compare

Ho 4:18,

"rulers" (Margin), "shields"

(Ps 47:9).

because of their own counsels--in worshipping idols, and relying on

Egypt (compare

Ho 10:6).

7. bent to backsliding--Not only do they backslide, and

that too from ME, their "chief good," but

they are bent upon it. Though they (the prophets) called them

(the Israelites) to the Most High (from their idols), "none would exalt

(that is, extol or honor) Him." To exalt God, they must cease to be

"bent on backsliding," and must lift themselves

upwards.

8. as Admah . . . Zeboim--among the cities, including

Sodom and Gomorrah, irretrievably overthrown

(De 29:23).

heart is turned within me--with the deepest compassion, so as not to

execute My threat

(La 1:20;

compare

Ge 43:30;

1Ki 3:26).

So the phrase is used of a new turn given to the feeling

(Ps 105:25).

repentings--God speaks according to human modes of thought

(Nu 23:19).

God's seeming change is in accordance with His secret

everlasting purpose of love to His people, to magnify His grace after

their desperate rebellion.

9. I will not return to destroy Ephraim--that is, I will no

more, as in past times, destroy Ephraim. The destruction primarily

meant is probably that by Tiglath-pileser, who, as the Jewish king

Ahaz' ally against Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Syria, deprived Israel

of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali

(2Ki 15:29).

The ulterior reference is to the long dispersion hereafter, to be ended

of His grace.

God, . . . not man--not dealing as man would, with

implacable wrath under awful provocation

(Isa 55:7-9;

Mal 3:6).

I do not, like man, change when once I have made a covenant of

everlasting love, as with Israel

(Nu 23:19).

We measure God by the human standard, and hence are slow to credit

fully His promises; these, however, belong to the faithful remnant, not

to the obstinately impenitent.

in the midst of thee--as peculiarly thy God

(Ex 19:5, 6).

not enter into the city--as an enemy: as I entered Admah, Zeboim, and

Sodom, utterly destroying them, whereas I will not utterly destroy thee.

Somewhat similarly JEROME: "I am

not one such as human dwellers in a city, who take cruel vengeance;

I save those whom I correct." Thus "not man," and "in the midst of

thee," are parallel to "into the city." Though I am in the midst of

thee, it is not as man entering a rebellious city to destroy utterly.

MAURER needlessly translates, "I will not come

in wrath."

10. he shall roar like a lion--by awful judgments on their foes

(Isa 31:4;

Jer 25:26-30;

Joe 3:16),

calling His dispersed "children" from the various lands of their

dispersion.

shall tremble--shall flock in eager agitation of haste.

from the west--

(Zec 8:7).

Literally, "the sea." Probably the Mediterranean, including its "isles

of the sea," and maritime coast. Thus as

Ho 11:11

specifies regions of Africa and Asia, so here Europe.

Isa 11:11-16,

is parallel, referring to the very same regions. On "children," see

Ho 1:10.

11. tremble--flutter in haste.

dove--no longer "a silly dove"

(Ho 7:11),

but as "doves flying to their windows"

(Isa 60:8).

in their houses--

(Eze 28:26).

Literally, "upon," for the Orientals live almost as much upon

their flat-roofed houses as in them.

12. MAURER joins this verse with the

twelfth chapter. But as this verse praises Judah, whereas

Ho 12:2

censures him, it must belong rather to the eleventh chapter and a new

prophecy begins at the twelfth chapter. To avoid this, MAURER translates this verse as a censure, "Judah wanders

with God," that is, though having the true God, he wanders after false

gods.

ruleth with God--to serve God is to reign. Ephraim wished to rule

without God (compare

1Co 4:8);

nay, even, in order to rule, cast off God's worship [RIVETUS]. In Judah was the legitimate succession of kings

and priests.

with the saints--the holy priests and Levites

[RIVETUS]. With the

fathers and prophets who handed down the pure worship of God. Israel's

apostasy is the more culpable, as he had before him the good example of

Judah, which he set at naught. The parallelism ("with

GOD") favors

Margin, "With

THE

MOST

HOLY

ONE."