A commentary on the prophecy of Hosea by Edward Pococke.

V. 17. My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken to him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him. These words seem a conclusion from what had been before said, both in the person of God concerning his judgments determined against Ephraim, from v. the 11^th. hitherto, and in the person of the Prophet interposing his petition v. 14. whe∣ther understood of good or ill to them. And R. Tanchum takes these also to be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 e 1.1 a narration to wit, of what should be, under the language of a petiti∣on; so as if the words did found, let my God cast them off. The Verb 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 yimeas, be∣ing the Future tense may well enough be so used, otherwise in the proper siguification of the Future and signifying my God will, or shall cast them away, it will still be the pro∣phets amen or f 1.2 assent to what God hath said, a confirmation or declaration of the certainty of what he hath said he would do, an utter rejection of them not only from being a pe∣culiar people to him, but from being a di∣stinct people, a free kingdom or nation by themselves, as they had hitherto been, but g 1.3 that they should be lost among the heathe∣nish nations, mingled with them, and of no other account than they, with him.

h 1.4 My God, (saith he) as if he were only his God, who clave to him, not theirs who had by their disobedience departed from him, and so had i 1.5 declared to him, that k 1.6 he should declare it to them, that God would be no longer their God. Such weight doth the Pronoun my, joyned to the name God seem to have, though the Greek and printed Arabick do quite omit it, rendring only, God shall cast them away. By it likewise he asserts his * 1.7 au∣thority in speaking what he did, it being not from himself but from his God, who owned him for his prophet and messenger.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Yimasem, will cast them away, the same Verb 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Maas, we have above c. 4.6. and there rendred by reject; the same that here, to cast away, it signifying also to abomi∣nate, to abhorr, or despise, to cast away with loathing and indignation, as some vile and con∣temptible thing.

I will cast them away, viz. * 1.8 à gratia & favo∣re suo, from his grace and favour, no more to owne them for his people or as so to preserve them, de terra promissionis, out of the land of promise, l 1.9 others, and this because they did not hearken unto him, did not hearken unto his commandments to observe and do them, to do what he commanded them, and to abstain from what he forbad. So the MS. Arabick explains it in his rendring 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 seeing they received not his command and his prohibition; his affirmative and negative precepts, as they usually speak. For this their rejecting him in resusing to hearken to him, and disobediently behaving themselves, he will certainly reject them, and so being driven out of his house, (v. 15.) not suffered to dwell in the Lords land, v. 3. they shall be no more a nation of themselves, but wande∣rers among the notions, as vagabonds, having no seat or setled habitation of their own, un∣der their own laws and government. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 vayibyu nodedim baggoim, and they shall be wanderers among the nations, very like that to which Cain was sentenced Gen. 4.12.13. that he should be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 naa venod, A fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, which he complains of as a punishment greater than he could bear. Behold (saith he) thou hast driven me out this day from the face of

the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid, and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth. And what is less to these, when they shall no longer be suffered to dwell in the Lords land, v. 3. when he shall depart from them, v. 12. when he shall drive them out of his house, v. 15. when he shall cast them away, and they shall be wan∣derers among the nations? which denotes that they shall be m 1.10 dispersed among the nations, so as to be (as it were) lost among them, and be no more a distinct people by them∣selves, not having any set place to reside in, but scattered abroad, according to the lan∣guage of St. James, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which title he gives to the whole twelve tribes, c. 1. v. 1. which as it may be well accommodated to the two tribes also, as matters then stood with them, and do stand since Christs time, so certainly do most properly, in regard to what is here threatned, agree to the ten here spoken of, and we may well think were also by him meant. For though he there speaks to them as such as were called, or were to be called into Christs kingdom, and in him be again received into Gods favour and the houshold of faith, yet doth not that contra∣dict or disanul the irreversible sentence of God as concerning their outward estate or re∣stauration of a temporal kingdom, which was so to be made good, as it hath been made good, salvo Dei promisso de Dei in Christo beneficio (as one n 1.11 speaks) and we have before intimated, still salving and pre∣serving entire the promise of God in respect to the benefits of Christ, and that kingdom of his which he saith was not of this world. For though that hath been made good, and still remains to be made good, to them, yet still remains unreversed this irrevocable sen∣tence, as to their temporal state and face of an earthly kingdom, so as that they remain still wanderers or dispersed among other na∣tions, and have never been restored, nor are in likelyhood of ever being restored, to their own land, so as to call it their own. If ever any of them hath returned thither, it hath been but as strangers, and all, as to any propriety that they should challenge in it, hath been but to hear the ruines and wast heaps of their ancient cities to eccho or sound in their ears that language, Mic. 2.10. Arise ye and depart, for this is not your rest; your ancestors pollu∣ted it and ye shall never return as a people thither, to inhabit it as in your former condi∣tion. This to this purpose here threatned is that also which in the Law was anciently threatned to them, that if they would not o∣bey the voice of the Lord who had before re∣joyced over them to do them good, and to multi∣ply them, he would rejoyce over them to de∣stroy them, and to bring them to nought, and would pluck them out of their land, and scatter them among all people, so that they should find no ease nor rest, &c. o 1.12 Deut. 28.63, 64. When this sentence began to be executed on them we find in the history, 2 Kings 15.29. and 17.6. and 1, Chron. 5.26. But that they ever after returned, under the face of a peo∣ple, to their own land we no where find, and have just reason to be confident that they ne∣ver shall, God having here said, that he will love them no more, to shew tokens of his fa∣vour to them in that kind. Meanwhile E∣phraim here is an example, not only to par∣ticular persons that as they will avoid perso∣nal judgments, so they take care faithfully to serve God and hearken to him, but to na∣tions and kingdoms also, that as they will pre∣vent national judgments, so they take care that God be truly served, and the true reli∣gion maintained in purity and sincerity, a∣mong them. Ephraim, or, Israel, held their land by as good and firm tenure as any peo∣ple in the world can theirs, having it setled on them by immediat gift from him who is, the Lord of the whole earth, who promised it to their forefathers Abraham and his seed for ever, Gen. 12.13.15. Deut. 34.4. called therefore, the land which the Lord sware unto them, Num. 14. and which he had promised them, Deut. 9.28. and elsewhere the land of promise, Heb. 11.9. Who could have greater right to a place, better and firmer right, than they had to the Lords land, by his promise which never fails, and his oath who will not repent, confirmed to them? Certainly if they had observed conditions and kept covenant with him, all the people in the world could never have driven them out, or dispossessed them of it; but seing they revelted and brake his covenant, and did not hearken to him, he would not suffer them longer to dwell in it, but drave and cast them out of it, so that they could never recover it again, but conti∣nue to this day wandring among the nations, so as scarce to be found out, having no settled place of their own, no where where they can be called a people, or are for such owned. And if God so dealt with Israel on their dis∣obedience and departing from his service, to whom he had so particularly ingaged him∣self to make good to them the firm possession of that land; how shall any presume on any right or title to any other, or think to preserve it to themselves by any force or strength of their own, if they revolt from him, and cast off thankful obedience to him? the Apostle cautioneth and teacheth us so to argue, if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee, and therefore warneth, not to be high minded, and presumptuous, but to fear, Rom. 11.20, 21.

Notes

• e 1.1

  Potius praedictio quam ma••edictio, Tarnov.
• f 1.2

  Pare.
• g 1.3

  Zanchi.
• h 1.4

  Kimchi.
• i 1.5

  Aben Ezra. Rivet. Grot.
• k 1.6

  Tarnov.
• * 1.7

  Calv. Trem.
• * 1.8

  Petr. à Fig.
• l 1.9

  Menoch.
• m 1.10

  Grot.
• n 1.11

  Pelican.
• o 1.12

  And see Levit. 26.33.