Hosea 13:9

Hosea, -in the spirit", sees the future as if it were past. Hence the use of the perfect.

O Israel, &c. This rendering agrees with that of the Jewish commentator, Rashi (similarly the Targum). It belongs to a numerous series of attempts (see Poole's Synopsis ad loc.) to explain one of Hosea's most abrupt sentences. The text, as it stands, means literally, -He (or, It) hath destroyed thee, O Israel, because (or, that) on (or, against) me, on (or, against) thy help", that is, as most moderns interpret, This is thy destruction, O Israel, that to me, to thy helper, (thou hast been unfaithful): the abruptness is attributed to the -labouring voice, interrupted by sobs" (Ewald) of one whose pity is only less strong than his regard for justice. Turning to the versions, we find the Septuagint rendering, Τῇ διαφθορᾷ σου Ἰσραήλ τίς βοηθήσει; the Peshito, -I have destroyed thee, O Israel; who shall help thee"; the Vulgate, -Perditio tua, Israel; tantummodo in me auxilium tuum." As Louis Cappel long ago saw, the slight variation of a single letter implied in the Septuagint and Peshito renderings greatly improves the latter part of the verse. Accepting this, we may render the whole, - He hath destroyed thee, O Israel; yea, who Is thy help? " By -Israel" of course Ephraim, i.e. N. Israel, is meant. For the idiom -in thy help"= invested with the character of a helper, comp. Delitzsch's note on Psalms 35:2. The alternative is to suppose that a word has dropped out of the text. Ewald's explanation (above) is forced.

I will be thy king, &c. Rather, Where, now, is thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities? The prophet looks a little way before him to the fulfilment of the predictions in Hosea 10:14 (-all thy fortresses") and Hosea 11:6 (-his cities").

thy judges The -judges" appear to be synonymous (comp. Hosea 7:7) with -king and princes", who, of course, in Israel as well as in Judah (Jeremiah 21:11-12) shared the judicial functions. See on Hosea 3:4; Hosea 8:12.

Give me a king Some compare 1 Samuel 8:5 (of Saul), but Hosea is not opposed to royalty in itself. See next note.