_Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman_ This is the literal meaning of the Hebrew עוד לךְ אהב אשׁה, and is the sense in which It is understood by the LXX., who read, ετι πορευθητι, και αγαπησον γυναικα; and by the Vulgate, which renders it, _Adhuc vade et dilige mulierem._ A different wom... [ Continue Reading ]
_So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver_ That is, according to the ancient custom, I paid her dower. It was usual among the Hebrews for men to purchase, or pay a consideration for, their wives, either by money or labour; thus Jacob agreed to serve Laban seven years for Rachael. _And for... [ Continue Reading ]
_And I said, Thou shalt abide for me many days_ The Vulgate renders this, _Dies multos expectabis me, non fornicaberis, Thou shalt wait for me many days; thou shalt not commit fornication._ The meaning is, that she should remain in a state of separation from the prophet, and every other man, sequest... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the children of Israel shall abide many days_ Here begins a more plain and full explication of the symbolical action of the prophet, namely, that it signified what should befall the children of Israel; that they should continue _many days_ in a state of captivity; without a king, as the woman c... [ Continue Reading ]
_Afterward shall the children of Israel return_ When they have lived a long time in this state, without any country or government of their own, without any temple or place of worship, and without the liberty and proper means for offering sacrifices; they shall be touched with a true remorse for thei... [ Continue Reading ]