HOSEA—NOTE ON HOSEA 11:1 WHEN ISRAEL WAS A CHILD, I LOVED HIM, AND OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON (see Exodus 4:22). Matthew 2:15 quotes this verse to show that Jesus is the “Son” of God, the heir of David who embodies Israel’s relationship to God (compare 2 Samuel 7:14; Psalms 89:26). Hosea portrays... [ Continue Reading ]
HOSEA—NOTE ON HOSEA 11:2 The Lord never stopped loving Israel. Throughout their history, he TAUGHT EPHRAIM (that is, Israel) TO WALK, and he HEALED THEM, as a father does with his child. LED THEM WITH CORDS OF KINDNESS, WITH THE BANDS OF LOVE. Many commentators think that in v. Hosea 11:4 the image... [ Continue Reading ]
HOSEA—NOTE ON HOSEA 11:5 THEY SHALL NOT RETURN... BUT ASSYRIA. An alliance with Egypt will not save them from Assyria. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
HOSEA—NOTE ON HOSEA 11:8 HOW CAN I GIVE YOU UP? The Lord expresses his unfailing love (compare Isaiah 49:15; Jeremiah 31:20). The Lord is filled with compassion, unlike the lifeless Baals. His affection is stronger than Israel’s ingratitude. He cannot bring himself to reject his people, even though... [ Continue Reading ]
HOSEA—NOTE ON HOSEA 11:10 HIS CHILDREN SHALL COME TREMBLING... I WILL RETURN THEM TO THEIR HOMES describes the return of a remnant of God’s people from exile. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
HOSEA—NOTE ON HOSEA 11:12 EPHRAIM HAS SURROUNDED ME WITH LIES... BUT JUDAH STILL WALKS WITH GOD (Hosea 11:12). Both Judah and the northern tribes (Ephraim) suffered lapses in fidelity to the Lord, but Judah, unlike Ephraim, had some good kings (in particular, Hezekiah). One of the highest points in... [ Continue Reading ]