A commentary on the prophecy of Hosea by Edward Pococke.

v. 7. They are all as hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their Kings are fallen there is none among them that calleth unto me.

They are so generally inflamed, or earnest∣ly set on mischievous designs, that he saith, they are all so; d 1.1 the whole body of the people, and all sorts of them, few, if any of them, be∣ing free. Of this general corruption the per∣nicious effects are such, as concern not only private persons, but the publick welfare, to the disturbance of all order and govern∣ment among them, which must needs be, when that was done which follows; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Veace∣lu, and they have eaten, consumed, or devou∣red, their judges, all their Kings are fallen. How they are said to devour their Judges is not betwixt Expositors well agreed.

St. Jerom so expounds it;

as if that they being all become as an oven, all heated with the fire of Idolatry, are said to have devoured their judges, so as if that any of them might have been possibly better in his own nature, and mindful of the true religion, yet seeing both the Princes and the people addicting themselves to the worship of the Calves, he was devoured by that wickedness; and that all their Kings are said to have fallen, because they all walked in the ways of Jero∣boam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, and none of them forsaking Idols retur∣ned to God.

This, he saith, he speaks from the tradition of some Jews, audacter magis quâm scienter, more boldly than of certain know∣ledge, leaving it to the credit of the authors, yet is it by e 1.2 many followed. But a plain excep∣tion seems to be against it, that the people were rather wrought over by their judges and rulers, then they by the people, as ap∣pears by the f 1.3 history of the first institution, and the continuance of the worship of the Calves, and on what policy they were first set up, and after kept up, viz. for hindring the people from returning to Jerusalem, and the true worship of God; although being both now inkindled with the love of what was bad, they might inflame one another to their mutual destruction.

What Jews they were that St. Jerom receiv∣ed his tradition from, I know not. Those that we have now at hand go a different way. The Chaldee Paraphrast renders it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and with the tongue of their lies (or their lying tongue and calumnies) they condemn their judges; all their Kings have been killed. R. Aben Ezra gives this as the sense of the whole verse: They eat (or devour) one another, even their judges also; also they conspire against their Kings. R. David Kimchi:

With their evil doings they devour and consume their judges, that they g 1.4 may not (or, h 1.5 because they do not) execute judgment in the city. For by reason of the multitude of evil doers they cannot do justice: also they connive at the wicked, and do not reprove them, be∣cause they see that they are powerful. And they shall be punished, because they do not withdraw themselves from executing judg∣ment at all, but judge such as they have power over,

and pass them by over whom they have no power, according to what is said in Is. 1.23. They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widdow come unto them. According to him the thing taxed in them seems to be their overbearing or over∣powring of their judges, that they durst not exe∣cute right judgment, and so they made them obnoxious to Gods judgment and punish∣ment. And so by their devouring their judges will be meant their hindring them from doing right, and their causing them to do wrong, and so making them liable to be destroyed by God, and so the judges meant will be evil judges.

But there are who think to be meant i 1.6 good judges and magistrates, who might have served to uphold their State, and their de∣vouring them to be their provoking God by their sins to take them away, and deprive them of them, and the good they might reap

by them. This Calvin looks on as the best; but others look on it as more convenient to understand it of violence and mischief by their own hands done to their judges. So R. Salo∣mo expounds it; They slew their Sanhedrin (or court of judges) that they had, because they hin∣dred them from their wickedness, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and for confirmation brings a story out of the Jerusalem Talmud, in which is said, That the people speaking to Jeroboam to set them up an Idol, and he telling them that he feared the court of their Sanhedrim, they answered, that they would kill them; but this story is of little credit. Yet the words of the text seem to intimate, that they were taken away by violence, as he would have it; and Lyra fol∣lows him therein, expounding the word, de∣voured, by interfecerunt senes vitulos illos repro∣bantes, they slew the Senators who gainsayed the worship of the Calves.

But there being in Scripture no express or particular mention of such murder of their judges, as there is of their Kings, others look upon the other words, all their Kings are fal∣len, as an explication of these, they have devou∣red their judges; and k 1.7 taking by judges to be meant the Kings themselves and chief magi∣strates, understand here as pointed out those horrible conspiracies and frequent murders of their Kings that were among them, accord∣ing to what is recorded 1 Kin. cc. 15, and 16. and 2 Kin. c. 9. and c. 15. and though the history makes not express mention of any judges or other magistrates distinctly from their Kings, yet may it well be thought the same mischief to have involved often inferiores quoque magistratus, l 1.8 inferior magistrates also, and, necessarios & asseclas ipsorum, the friends and followers to the Kings, which together with them m 1.9 some comprehend under the title of judges; an instance of it to be in the slaying of n 1.10 Ahab's sons, 2 Kin. 10. o 1.11 and though those murthers and violences may perhaps be said to have been acted but by the hands of a few, yet none of the people resisting, they may be ascribed to them all as a general act of the whole body of them, of which they were all together guilty. This sounds more agreea∣ble to the words, as, than what hath been said before, so, than what p 1.12 another says, That by the falling of their Kings it may be sufficient to understand, that they behaved themselves not as they ought to do in their of∣fice, not like Kings, and so were as dead in that respect.

Agreeable to what we have said is that of Kimchi also, as to the last clause, The Kings of Israel (saith he) fell one by the hand of another, for he that killed a King reigned in his stead: they fell also by the hands of their enemies, the Kings of the nations.

The following words declare the great stu∣pidity of this people under such great evils as by such means befell them, There is none among them that calleth upon me. Notwithstand∣ing things are in such confusion, there is none that considering these evils to be sent from God upon them for their sins, and duly laying it to heart, turns unto him by repentance, and seeks to appease him, and by hearty pray∣ers calls upon him for the removal thereof. None among them, i. e. according to some (as Kim∣chi observes) there was none of their Kingds that for all that befell them, yet called upon God, and turned from their sins, or, as he rather thinks, among the people; who ought to have thought within themselves, Seeing our King is not able to save us from our enemies, let us turn unto God, for he will save us; but the term seems general, so as to comprehend all, both Kings and people. q 1.13 To their Idols more then probably they called and cryed, but none considering how in vain help was hoped for from them, turned from them to seek unto God; so great was their stupidity.

Abarbinel not satisfied with such expositi∣ons as he found in others, thus sums up, ac∣cording to what he thought best, the meaning of these two last verses.

He declares far∣ther of their foul doings, what concerns the shedding of bloud, viz. that in that day they drank with their Kings, and their Princes in bowls of wine, and laughed (or drolled) before them as in token of mirth, as if they loved them, but the morrow (or next day) rose up against them to murder them, which was an high degree of rebellion and wick∣edness; in regard to which he saith, they have applied as an oven their heart, while they lie in wait; as much as to say, They have applied, or made ready their heart in secret as an oven, whose baker sleepes all the night, is cold without fire, but in the morn∣ing burneth as a flaming fire. So that the meaning of this similitude is, that as an oven in the night while the baker sleepeth, doth not burn nor flame, but at the morning light the fire burneth in it; so they before the King and the Princes, while they con∣ceive wicked thoughts, do not act them till afterwards, according to the expression of the Prophet, wo to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds, when the morn∣ing is light they practise it. Mic. 2.1. so were these in their deeds. For though sometimes drinking, and making drunken, and scof∣fing with their Kings, yet fell they, i. e. did they murder their Kings, as may be seen in the story of the Kings of Israel; yet not∣withstanding

all these calamities which came upon their Kings and Princes, is there not any among them that calleth upon me.

Whe∣ther the Reader may find in this any more than in the former expositions, I leave him to judge, however it is obscurely enough given.

The Verb in those words, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Veacelu eth shophetehem, and have devoured their judges, is in the preter∣perfect tense; as likewise 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Naphalu, in the following, by ours rendred, all their Kings are fallen; and so by r 1.14 many are both rendred; by s 1.15 others the first rendred in the present tense, and by t 1.16 others both, they do devour, they do fall; all these sound as if the things were al∣ready done. Grotius renders both in the Fu∣ture, they shall devour their judges, — their Kings shall fall; which sounds, as if what he saith were not yet done. The use of Tenses one for another, being in the Hebrew not un∣usual, they may perhaps by that all well enough justifie their rendrings, and as to the matter there will not be much difference; though all their Judges were not devoured, nor all their Kings had fallen when this was spoken of by the Prophet, yet is it agreeable to the usual language of the Prophets, who often speak of things certainly and suddenly to come, as of things present or already done.

The Particle 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Eth in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Eth Shophetehem, their judges, is generally taken only as a note of the Accusative case, to which purpose it often serves; but the Manuscript Arabick here takes it in another way, in which it is also usually put, viz. as signifying with, and renders the words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and have eaten with their judges: what reason moved the Author thereof so to do I know not, except he should thus distin∣guish the words; They have eaten (or devoured) with their judges all their Kings; they are fallen, and there is none among them that calleth upon me; but this will scarce be allowed.

Notes

• d 1.1

  Tremel. Rivet.
• e 1.2

  Ribera. Menoc. Tirin. and see Chr. à Castro.
• f 1.3

  1 Kin. 12.26.
• g 1.4

  Pet. à Figuero.
• h 1.5

  Merc.
• i 1.6

  Calv. Trem. Rivet.
• k 1.7

  Zanch. Rivet.
• l 1.8

  Tremel.
• m 1.9

  Jun. Trem.
• n 1.10

  See Chr. à Castro.
• o 1.11

  Trem.
• p 1.12

  Capito.
• q 1.13

  Zanch.
• r 1.14

  LXX. Vulg. Syr. Arab. Interlin.
• s 1.15

  Munst. Pag. Tig.
• t 1.16

  Jun. Trem.