1 O israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.
1 O Israel, H3478 return H7725 unto the LORD H3068 thy God; H430 for thou hast fallen H3782 by thine iniquity. H5771
2 Take H3947 with you words, H1697 and turn H7725 to the LORD: H3068 say H559 unto him, Take away H5375 all iniquity, H5771 and receive H3947 us graciously: H2896 so will we render H7999 the calves H6499 of our lips. H8193
3 Asshur H804 shall not save H3467 us; we will not ride H7392 upon horses: H5483 neither will we say H559 any more to the work H4639 of our hands, H3027 Ye are our gods: H430 for in thee the fatherless H3490 findeth mercy. H7355
4 I will heal H7495 their backsliding, H4878 I will love H157 them freely: H5071 for mine anger H639 is turned away H7725 from him.
5 I will be as the dew H2919 unto Israel: H3478 he shall grow H6524 as the lily, H7799 and cast forth H5221 his roots H8328 as Lebanon. H3844
6 His branches H3127 shall spread, H3212 and his beauty H1935 shall be as the olive tree, H2132 and his smell H7381 as Lebanon. H3844
7 They that dwell H3427 under his shadow H6738 shall return; H7725 they shall revive H2421 as the corn, H1715 and grow H6524 as the vine: H1612 the scent H2143 thereof shall be as the wine H3196 of Lebanon. H3844
8 Ephraim H669 shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? H6091 I have heard H6030 him, and observed H7789 him: I am like a green H7488 fir tree. H1265 From me is thy fruit H6529 found. H4672
1 O Israel, return unto Jehovah thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and return unto Jehovah: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and accept that which is good: so will we render `as' bullocks `the offering of' our lips.
3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, `Ye are' our gods; for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for mine anger is turned away from him.
5 I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive `as' the grain, and blossom as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim `shall say', What have I to do any more with idols? I have answered, and will regard him: I am like a green fir-tree; from me is thy fruit found.
1 Turn back, O Israel, unto Jehovah thy God, For thou hast stumbled by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah, Say ye unto Him: `Take away all iniquity, and give good, And we do render the fruit of our lips.
3 Asshur doth not save us, on a horse we ride not, Nor do we say any more, Our God, to the work of our hands, For in Thee find mercy doth the fatherless.'
4 I heal their backsliding, I love them freely, For turned back hath Mine anger from him.
5 I am as dew to Israel, he flourisheth as a lily, And he striketh forth his roots as Lebanon.
6 Go on do his sucklings, And his beauty is as an olive, And he hath fragrance as Lebanon.
7 Return do the dwellers under his shadow, They revive `as' corn, and flourish as a vine, His memorial `is' as wine of Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what to Me any more with idols? I -- I afflicted, and I cause him to sing: `I `am' as a green fir-tree,' From Me is thy fruit found.
1 O Israel, return unto Jehovah thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah; say unto him, Forgive all iniquity, and receive [us] graciously; so will we render the calves of our lips.
3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, [Thou art] our God; because in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for mine anger is turned away from him.
5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
6 His shoots shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
7 They shall return and sit under his shadow; they shall revive [as] corn, and blossom as the vine: the renown thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim [shall say], What have I to do any more with idols? (I answer [him], and I will observe him.) I am like a green fir-tree. -- From me is thy fruit found.
1 Israel, return to Yahweh your God; For you have fallen because of your sin.
2 Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Tell him, "Forgive all our sins, And accept that which is good: So we offer like bulls our lips.
3 Assyria can't save us. We won't ride on horses; Neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, 'Our gods!' For in you the fatherless finds mercy."
4 "I will heal their waywardness. I will love them freely; For my anger is turned away from him.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel. He will blossom like the lily, And send down his roots like Lebanon.
6 His branches will spread, And his beauty will be like the olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon.
7 Men will dwell in his shade. They will revive like the grain, And blossom like the vine. Their fragrance will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what have I to do any more with idols? I answer, and will take care of him. I am like a green fir tree; From me your fruit is found."
1 Samaria will be made waste, for she has gone against her God: they will be cut down by the sword, their little children will be broken on the rocks, their women who are with child will be cut open.
2 O Israel, come back to the Lord your God; for your evil-doing has been the cause of your fall.
3 Take with you words, and come back to the Lord; say to him, Let there be forgiveness for all wrongdoing, so that we may take what is good, and give in payment the fruit of our lips.
4 Assyria will not be our salvation; we will not go on horses; we will not again say to the work of our hands, You are our gods; for in you there is mercy for the child who has no father.
5 I will put right their errors; freely will my love be given to them, for my wrath is turned away from him.
6 I will be as the dew to Israel; he will put out flowers like a lily, and send out his roots like Lebanon.
7 His branches will be stretched out, he will be beautiful as the olive-tree and sweet-smelling as Lebanon.
8 They will come back and have rest in his shade; their life will be made new like the grain, and they will put out flowers like the vine; his name will be like the wine of Lebanon.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Hosea 14
Commentary on Hosea 14 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 14
Ho 14:1-9. God's Promise of Blessing, on Their Repentance: Their Abandonment of Idolatry Foretold: The Conclusion of the Whole, the Just Shall Walk in God's Ways, but the Transgressor Shall Fall Therein.
1. fallen by thine iniquity—(Ho 5:5; 13:9).
2. Take with you words—instead of sacrifices, namely, the words of penitence here put in your mouths by God. "Words," in Hebrew, mean "realities," there being the same term for "words" and "things"; so God implies, He will not accept empty professions (Ps 78:36; Isa 29:13). He does not ask costly sacrifices, but words of heartfelt penitence.
receive us graciously—literally "(for) good."
calves of our lips—that is, instead of sacrifices of calves, which we cannot offer to Thee in exile, we present the praises of our lips. Thus the exile, wherein the temple service ceased, prepared the way for the gospel time when the types of the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament being realized in Christ's perfect sacrifice once for all, "the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips" (Heb 13:14) takes their place in the New Testament.
3. Three besetting sins of Israel are here renounced, trust in Assyria, application to Egypt for its cavalry (forbidden, De 17:16; compare Ho 7:11; 11:5; 12:1; 2Ki 17:4; Ps 33:17; Isa 30:2, 16; 31:1), and idolatry.
fatherless—descriptive of the destitute state of Israel, when severed from God, their true Father. We shall henceforth trust in none but Thee, the only Father of the fatherless, and Helper of the destitute (Ps 10:14; 68:5); our nation has experienced Thee such in our helpless state in Egypt, and now in a like state again our only hope is Thy goodness.
4. God's gracious reply to their self-condemning prayer.
backsliding—apostasy: not merely occasional backslidings. God can heal the most desperate sinfulness [Calvin].
freely—with a gratuitous, unmerited, and abundant love (Eze 16:60-63). So as to the spiritual Israel (Joh 15:16; Ro 3:24; 5:8; 1Jo 4:10).
5. as the dew—which falls copiously in the East, taking the place of the more frequent rains in other regions. God will not be "as the early dew that goeth away," but constant (Ho 6:3, 4; Job 29:19; Pr 19:12).
the lily—No plant is more productive than the lily, one root often producing fifty bulbs [Pliny, Natural History, 21.5]. The common lily is white, consisting of six leaves opening like bells. The royal lily grows to the height of three or four feet; Mt 6:29 alludes to the beauty of its flowers.
roots as Lebanon—that is, as the trees of Lebanon (especially the cedars), which cast down their roots as deeply as is their height upwards; so that they are immovable [Jerome], (Isa 10:34). Spiritual growth consists most in the growth of the root which is out of sight.
6. branches—shoots, or suckers.
beauty … as the olive—which never loses its verdure. One plant is not enough to express the graces of God's elect people. The lily depicts its lovely growth; but as it wants duration and firmness, the deeply rooted cedars of Lebanon are added; these, however, are fruitless, therefore the fruitful, peace-bearing, fragrant, ever green olive is added.
smell as Lebanon—which exhaled from it the fragrance of odoriferous trees and flowers. So Israel's name shall be in good savor with all (Ge 27:27; So 4:11).
7. They that used to dwell under Israel's shadow (but who shall have been forced to leave it), shall return, that is, be restored (Eze 35:9). Others take "His shadow" to mean Jehovah's (compare Ps 17:8; 91:1; Isa 4:6), which Ho 14:1, 2 ("return unto the Lord," &c.) favor. But the "his" in Ho 14:6 refers to Israel, and therefore must refer to the same here.
revive as … corn—As the corn long buried in the earth springs up, with an abundant produce, so shall they revive from their calamities, with a great increase of offspring (compare Joh 12:24).
scent thereof—that is, Israel's fame. Compare Ho 14:6, "His smell as Lebanon"; So 1:3: "Thy name is as ointment poured forth." The Septuagint favors the Margin, "memorial."
as the wine of Lebanon—which was most celebrated for its aroma, flavor, and medicinal restorative properties.
8. Ephraim shall say—being brought to penitence by God's goodness, and confessing and abhorring his past madness.
I have heard … and observed him—I Jehovah have answered and regarded him with favor; the opposite of God's "hiding His face from" one (De 31:17). It is the experience of God's favor, in contrast to God's wrath heretofore, that leads Ephraim to abhor his past idolatry. Jehovah heard and answered: whereas the idols, as Ephraim now sees, could not hear, much less answer.
I am … a green fir—or cypress; ever green, winter and summer alike; the leaves not falling off in winter.
From me is thy fruit found—"From Me," as the root. Thou needest go no farther than Me for the supply of all thy wants; not merely the protection implied by the shadow of the cypress, but that which the cypress has not, namely, fruit, all spiritual and temporal blessings. It may be also implied, that whatever spiritual graces Ephraim seeks for or may have, are not of themselves, but of God (Ps 1:3; Joh 15:4, 5, 8; Jas 1:17). God's promises to us are more our security for mortifying sin than our promises to God (Isa 27:9).
9. Epilogue, summing up the whole previous teaching. Here alone Hosea uses the term "righteous," so rare were such characters in his day. There is enough of saving truth clear in God's Word to guide those humbly seeking salvation, and enough of difficulties to confound those who curiously seek them out, rather than practically seek salvation.
fall—stumble and are offended at difficulties opposed to their prejudices and lusts, or above their self-wise understanding (compare Pr 10:29; Mic 2:7; Mt 11:19; Lu 2:34; Joh 7:17; 1Pe 2:7, 8). To him who sincerely seeks the agenda, God will make plain the credenda. Christ is the foundation-stone to some: a stone of stumbling and rock of offense to others. The same sun softens wax and hardens clay. But their fall is the most fatal who fall in the ways of God, split on the Rock of ages, and suck poison out of the Balm of Gilead.