A commentary on the prophecy of Hosea by Edward Pococke.

9 Therefore will I return, and take a∣way my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.

Therefore will I return and take away my corn in the time thereof, &c.] Therefore, viz. because of her forementioned wickedness and ingratitude, the denyal of him the doner, and their abuse of the benefits which they had received from him, to his dishonor in the service of Idols, which were abominable to him; I will return and take away, i.e. I will againe take away. I will alter my dealing with her so as what before I gave I will now take away, so that by the effects it might be judged, that I have s 1.1 changed my counsel or purpose toward her. This is as much as may seem signified by the word, return, joined to the other of taking away, as if the Verb sup∣plied the place of an Adverb; and nothing more of the proper signification of it need to be urged, It arguing t 1.2 change in the effects and course of things, not in God, as like∣wise else where in Scripture, when he is said to repent of good, or of evil, that he hath brought on any: Yet v 1.3 some something dif∣ferently expound it; I will return to her whom I seemed to have forgotten, while I deferred my punishing of her, and take away, &c. but the former seems plainer, and more agreeable to the use of the expressions of Scri∣pture. The Chalde Paraphrast seems willing to prevent any gross conceit concerning Gods being said to return, when he renders it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Yetub Memri, My word shall return (or as the Latin Interpreter renders, revocabitur, shall be recalled) to take away, &c.

My corn in the time thereof] because they wickedly deny God he will deny them, and reject them, as ver. 2. x 1.4 but he cannot deny himself; and therefore though they ascribed the good things which they received from him, to the vertue, power, and beneficence of their Idols and lovers, as they called them; he doth not attribute them either to the power of those their lovers, or of their own hand, or call them theirs, but as asserting his own right and propriety, My corn, my wine, my wool, and my flax, from him alone lent to them for their use, to his honor, and now on their abuse of them to his dishonor to be taken away from them, as still his, and in his sole power to dispose of. The word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Dagan here, and in the former verse rendred, Corn, is looked on as a general name, comprehend∣ing an•• sort of Corn, of which they usually made bread (and then properly when they were made ready for use) of which they reckon five sorts that were in that Land, * 1.5 two kinds of Wheat, and three of Barley, so that we may look on as comprehended under it, all that was in the 5^th verse, denoted by the word bread, all things necessary and conve∣nient for food and sustenance, as by the fol∣lowing word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Tirosh, wine, or new wine, all those drinks or liquors meant like∣wise in that verse. The principal being named, the rest will be understood, and so all things usefull for life; these he threatens to take a∣way from them in the time thereof, and in the season thereof; R. Tanchum expounds it which I gave them (or was used to give them) in its time and season. According to others, I will take it away at its time and season, viz. when it shall be y 1.6 now ripe, and made ready for use, and to be gathered in and laid up, i.e. z 1.7 at the time of Harvest and Vintage; agreeably to what the Chalde hath, the Corn in the time of its being gathered into the floore or garner, and the wine when it should be troden in the Wine-press. Some little nicety of distinction is between these, the one referring it to the time in which according to the a 1.8 usual custom they might expect it; the other to that in which they might seem to be in present pos∣session of it, and might think themselves even

already sure of it. And perhaps they mean no other b 1.9 who interpret it, in the time by me decreed, and its appointed season. They must mean either the time by God appointed for the enjoyment of those things; or for the taking them away from them. All may well by way of Paraphrase be put together. In the time that they might expect to have Corn and Wine according as they usually had them; in the time that they now seemed to have them rea∣dy for their use; in a time by me decreed for their punishment, I will take them from them, and deprive them of such benefit as they were wont, and might now think, to receive by them.

He threatens that he will then take them from them. Of diverse waies, by which God for punishment of People threatens and useth to deprive them of the benefit of the fruits of the Earth, we read in the c 1.10 Scriptures: as by drought, by blasts, and blights, by noxious devouring creatures, by enemies, and the like, all being his curses. By what means he would take away now their Corn and Wine, and o∣ther good things, that he had formerly given them, is not here specified; but only given them to understand that by what means so∣ever it was effected, it was he, who as he had formerly given them to them, which they did not gratefully acknowledge, so now took them from them. Yet as to the means some differently conjecture. d 1.11 Some understand it as a threat that he would send on them enemies w^ch should take away from them these things, which will agree with what is said, Jer. 5.17. They shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, &c. and thy vines, &c. and what was threat∣ned in the Law, Levit. 26.16. and Deut. 28.33. e 1.12 Others, that he would send a curse on them in the time of Harvest and of their Vin∣tage; so that all their hopes of a plentiful in ga∣thering should be frustrate; their labor lost ac∣cording to those curses, Deut. 28.38. and Mi∣cah 6.15. and Hagg. 1.6. But whither by one means or another, or more together, he would certainly when, and as he saw good, take a∣way, and as it were snatch out of their mouths what they gaped after as ready for them, and depended on; so that what is here threatned may be much alike to that below, Chap. 8. ver. 7. if it be literally understood, They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirle wind, it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meat: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swal∣low it up.

To this, concerning Corn and Wine, such things as concern the sustenance of the body, meat and drink, he adds what he will do also concerning raiment, or such things whereby it may be covered and adorned; and will re∣cover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. Instead of the word, recover, there is put in the Margin of our Bibles, or, take away, which gives us to look a little into the signification of the word in the original He∣brew which is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Hitzalti. There are u∣sually assigned to it two significations, the one of taking away, or depriving of, or separat∣ing from: the other of freeing or delivering. These are so easily reducible one to the other, that it may seem no great reason to put them for two different significations; only that one is more general, the other more restrained, but comprehended under it: the one respe∣cting the power of him that takes away or delivereth; the other adding together the sup∣position of a force or power in some other who detained that which is delivered, before it were taken from him by a greater power. It is used in both waies in the Scripture; and in this place by some Interpreters taken in the one sense, by others in the other. f 1.13 Some therefore render it more largely; I will take away, as ours in the Margin; g 1.14 others, I will free or deliver; agreeably to which ours in the Text, I will recover. And this according to h 1.15 some, seems very proper to this place, as having great emphasis or weight in it, while it intimates together with a threat to them, that God will deprive them of the things here spoken of, and that there is great reason for it, in respect to the things themselves, that right may be done even to them, as well as to God himself, the doner of them: inasmuch as they may seem unlawfully detained by u∣surpers, and to endure an hard servitude, and be as lost, while they were so grossely abu∣bused, as they were by those ungrateful Ido∣laters, from which by being taken from them, and out of their power, they should be as it were anew recovered, freed, and set at liber∣ty; and so with these words may be compar'd what the Apostle saith, Rom. 8.21. That the creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption; and one place illustrated by the other.

But how far these places run exactly para∣lel, and what in that place is understood by creature, whither any creatures or more pro∣perly i 1.16 men, it will not be much to the pur∣pose here farther to enquire; that which all agree in is that he threatneth here to take a∣way from them the things here mentioned, and to deprive them of the use of what they abused, and which were as it were lost in the bestowing them on them. The things speci∣fied are his wool and his flax, mentioned like∣wise above ver. 5. and are here so to be un∣derstood as there, and may well seem to com∣prehend all other things serving for the co∣vering

and ornament of the body, as the Chalde both here and there seems to take it by ren∣dring it, the clothing of fine wool, and fine flax; and not much unlike the Greek, my garments and my linnen. And it appears by what is added for shewing the use thereof, given to cover her nakedness, and so doth the Chalde Paraphrast also render it, which I gave her to cover, &c. and so the Syriack k 1.17: yet is not the word, given, expressed in the ori∣ginal Hebrew, as the printing it usually in our Bibles with different characters, gives us to wit; but supplied to make up the sense, as it very conveniently doth, which others who give not that supply, do otherwise, yet much to one sense The vulgar Latin reads, which did cover her shame; l 1.18 others, which were to cover; m 1.19 others, which should have covered her nakedness, from which differs not much what n 1.20 others have, which is to cover, i. e. serves to cover, or she hath need of therewith to cover, and the like; the words in the original sounding barely my wool and my flax to cover, &c. The Greek takes another way, by adding a negative, and rendring, that they may not cover her shame. Which ren∣d••••g gives not a reason for what end these things were formerly given, as the former cited do, but for what intent they should be now taken away. Yet this way do o 1.21 some o∣thers also take, as two Arabick Versions, one of which, viz. the printed, hath, that they may not cover, &c. the other a Manuscript, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from that it should cover, or, from covering, and a p 1.22 learned Rabbin notes that the words are thought capable of both these senses, first, my wool and my flax which I gave to cover, &c. 2. from covering, or that they shall not cover, i. e. I will take them from her so, that she shall not find them to cover her self (or that she may cover her self) with them.

The word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Ervah rendred nakedness, as it properly signifies, is by others rendred, shame, for which also it is used. And I sup∣pose, by either here is to be meant the same thing, viz. those parts of the body which men account a shame to have seen naked, which in our Language also are usually understood by ones nakedness, shame, or shameful parts. What q 1.23 some would have here to be meant by the shame which with these things they covered, to wit, their shamefull idolatry, or Idols, which they adorned, (which indeed are elsewhere called shame or shamefull things, as Jer. 11.13. and Hosea 9.10 though in an∣other word then is here used) and that their covering their shame was either their adorn∣ing their Idols with gold and other ornaments, for procuring greater veneration to them, or pretending their waies to be pleasing to God, because they prospered and abounded in good things, while they worshipped them, or using any priviledges they enjoyed for arguments that they were notwithstanding the true Peo∣ple of God, may have a good meaning, but seems not so close to the purpose. The words seem to require a more literal meaning, and to signify that such things which God gave them for use of covering and ornament to themselves, he would now deprive them of, because they did not acknowledge him, as they ought, the giver of them, but ascribed them to the power and bounty of their Idols, and therefore encouraged themselves in their evil idolatrous waies; that so being deprived and left destitute of them, they might see their error and folly, like an adulterous woman stripped of all her ornaments by her husband who had given them formerly in abundance to her; for still he continues his comparison of the Congregation of Israel, to such a lewd woman, and sets before their eies the condi∣tion that he will for their wickedness bring them to, under the notion of such a one so stripped bare by her husband, as that she shall not have wherewith to cover her shame. And this condition may the whole be well said to be brought to, when God shall take away from them those temporal good things, which the particular members of that whole by his blessing formerly enjoyed for their use and good, so far as that they might seem in a hap∣py and prosperous condition, which now shall be changed into a general want, and penury of all things necessary for well being to them, as of food, which was by Corn and Wine, and of raiment which is by wool and flax, expressed.

How, or by what means, he will recover or take away his wool and his flax is not ex∣pressed, as neither it was before concerning the Corn and Wine, so that what was said of the taking away of them, will be here againe to be said, whither by the hand of the enemy, or by some other means as seemed best to God, they should be deprived of them. For by either might it be effected, and in the fore∣cited, Jer. 5.17. it is said that their enemies should eat up their flocks, (which would be a depriving them of their wool) as well as their Harvest, and their Vines, and (which will amount to the same purpose) that they should strip them out of their clothes (which were made of their wool and their flax) and should leave them naked and bare, Ezek. 23.26, 29. Abarbinel, who, as is before men∣tioned, ascribes the former to some other means, or curse of God, doth the like here also. His

words as to both run thus, He saith, there∣fore I will take away my Corn in the time thereof, that is, I will send on them a curse in the time of Harvest, and in the time of Vintage, and so he speaks in respect to the pasture of the Sheep, and I will take away my wool and my flax, as much as to say, all the Sheep shall die, so that by reason of the spilling of the fruits of the Earth, and death of the Sheep, there shall be neither bread to eat, nor garment to put on to cover her na∣kedness. He makes not in his Exposition any particular mention of the flax; that I suppose he taketh to be subject to the like curse with the Corn, but whatever be the means by which they shall be deprived of any of them, it is God (as was above said) that taketh them from them, in punishment for their wicked ingratitude. Which punishment he proceeds farther to amplify, in the next words.

Notes

• s 1.1

  Grot.
• t 1.2

  See Pet. à Frg. and Rivet.
• v 1.3

  Riber.
• x 1.4

  2 Tim. 12.13.
• * 1.5

  Which are called 1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 2. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 3. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 4. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 5. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Rambam-yad, tr. Cel••im. R. Tanc. in Morshed, in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 R. D. Kimchi.
• y 1.6

  R. Salom.
• z 1.7

  Kimchi & Abarb.
• a 1.8

  Dutch Notes.
• b 1.9

  Pisc. & Diodat.
• c 1.10

  Levit. 26. Deut. 28. Jer. 5.17. Ezek. 23.29. Joel 1.4. Mal. 3.11.
• d 1.11

  Aben Ezra, Stokes.
• e 1.12

  R. D. Kimchi, Abarb.
• f 1.13

  Gr. Syr. and printed Arab.
• g 1.14

  Vulg. Lat. & Arab. MS.
• h 1.15

  Mercer. & Riber.
• i 1.16

  See D^r Hammond on the place.
• k 1.17

  And so R. D. Kimchi, and Aben Ezra.
• l 1.18

  Rab. Salom.
• m 1.19

  Jun. Trem.
• n 1.20

  Piscat.
• o 1.21

  Munster.
• p 1.22

  R. Tanch.
• q 1.23

  Zanch.