_Set the trumpet to thy mouth_ The Vulgate renders it, _In guttere tuo sit tuba;_ that is, _Let thy throat_, or mouth, _sound like a trumpet._ God speaks in these words, says Grotius, to the prophet, and commands him to proclaim, with a very loud voice, both the sins of the people, and the evils abo... [ Continue Reading ]
_Israel shall cry unto me_ Namely, when calamities come upon them, _My God, we know thee_ Thou art our God in covenant with us, and we make profession of thy name, and own thee for the only true God: see Matthew 7:21. _Israel hath cast off the thing that is good _ They have not walked agreeably to t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thy calf, O Samaria_ Here God himself, who is the speaker, turns short upon Samaria, or the ten tribes; and, in a tone of dreadful indignation, upbraids their corrupt worship. _Hath cast thee off_ That is, “will profit thee nothing in dangers.” Grotius. As if he had said, As the people of Samaria h... [ Continue Reading ]
_For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind,_ &c. A proverbial expression, to signify, that as men's works are, so must their reward be; that they who sow iniquity shall reap vanity, Proverbs 22:8. Their labour shall be fruitless, or shall turn to their hurt and damage: As if he... [ Continue Reading ]
_Israel is swallowed up_ Under this image the Hebrew language, the Greek, and our own, describe any sudden destruction, so complete as to leave no visible vestige of the thing remaining. The prophet speaks of what was future, as though it were already present; and signifies that the Israelites would... [ Continue Reading ]
_Yea, though they have hired_ Namely, allies; _among the nations_ And have been no way solicitous to gain my favour or help; _now will I gather them_ I will now (though they make so little account of my power) bring those very allies, namely, the Assyrians, against them. Here God tells them, that wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin_ “Since the Israelites, forsaking that one altar at which alone God required them to serve him, idolatrously multiplied altars to themselves, altars against God's command; (to do which was manifestly a sin in them;) therefore shall those, their beloved a... [ Continue Reading ]
_They sacrifice flesh, &c., and eat it, but the Lord accepteth them not_ They offer sacrifices indeed, but their sacrifices are not acceptable to God, not being offered with a pious and devout mind. Dr. Wheeler translates the clause, _They have sacrificed the choicest sacrifices, and have eaten fles... [ Continue Reading ]
_For Israel hath forgotten his Maker_ Hath forgotten him who formed them into a people, preserved and advanced them, and conferred on them all those privileges wherein they excelled all other nations: either they have not remembered him at all, or have done it without reverence, gratitude, love, or... [ Continue Reading ]