Hosea 7:16

They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. THEY RETURN, BUT NOT TO THE MOST HIGH - or, 'to one who is not the Most High,' one very different from Him, a stock or a stone. So the Septuagint. THEY ARE LIKE A DECEITFUL BOW - (). A bow which, from its faulty construction, shoots wide of the mark. So Israel pretends to seek God, but turns aside to idols. THEIR PRINCES SHALL FALL BY THE SWORD FOR THE RAGE OF THEIR TONGUE - their boast of safety from Egyptian aid, and their "lies" () whereby they pretended to serve God, while worshipping idols; also, their perverse defense for their idolatries and...

The Prophet again assails the perverse wickedness of Israel, and also their fraud and perfidiousness. Hence he says that they feigned some sort of repentance, but it was nothing else than false; for they returned not to God. _They return, _he says, _but not to God. _Some however think that על, _ol, _is a preposition, and that something is understood, as if it were an elliptical phrase: “They return, but not for anything;” that is, when they return, were any one to inquire what is in their minds, or what is their purpose, he would find it to be mere form and nothing real. But this exposition, as we see, is strained. Besides, the context requires that we should consider על, _ol, _to be for God, as it is also in other places; for this is nothing new. Then it is, _They return not to God _ The Prophet then declares here that the Israelites were wholly perverse, so that God could force out

8-16 Israel was as a cake not turned, half burnt and half dough, none of it fit for use; a mixture of idolatry and of the worship of Jehovah. There were tokens of approaching ruin, as grey hairs are of old age, but they noticed them not. The pride which leads to break the law of God leads to self-flattery. The mercy and grace of God are the only refuge to which obstinate sinners never think of fleeing. Though they may howl forth their terrors in the form of prayers, they seldom cry to God with their hearts. Even their prayers for earthly mercies only seek fuel for their lusts. Their turning from one sect, sentiment, form, or vice, to another, still leaves them far short of Christ and holiness. Such are we by nature. And such shall we prove if left to ourselves. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us....

Verse 16. _THEY RETURN_, BUT _NOT TO THE MOST HIGH_] They go to their idols. _THEY ARE LIKE A DECEITFUL BOW_] Which, when it is _reflexed_, in order to be strung, suddenly _springs back_ into its _quiescent_ _curve_; for the _eastern bows_ stand in their quiescent state in a curve, something like [curved figure "C"]; and in order to be strung must be _bended back_ in the _opposite direction_. This bending of the bow requires both _strength_ and _skill_; and if not properly done, it will fly back, and regain its former position; and in this recoil endanger the archer-may even break an arm. I have been in this danger myself in bending the Asiatic bow. For want of this knowledge not one commentator has hit the meaning of the passage. _SHALL FALL BY THE SWORD_] Their _tongue_ has been enraged against ME; the _sword_ shall be enraged against the

THEY RETURN, BUT NOT TO THE MOST HIGH - God exhorts by Jeremiah, “If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto Me” Jeremiah 4:1. They changed, whenever they did change, with a feigned, hypocritical conversion, but not to God, nor acknowledging His Majesty. Man, until truly converted, turns to and fro, unstably, hither and thither, changing from one evil to another, from the sins of youth to the sins of age, from the sins of prosperity to the sin of adversity; but he remains himself unchanged. He “turns, not to the most High.” The prophet says this in three, as it were, broken words, “They turn, not most High.” The hearer readily filled up the broken sentence, which fell, drop by drop, from the prophet’s choked heart. THEY ARE LIKE A DECEITFUL BOW - Which, “howsoever the archer directs it, will not carry the

EXPOSITION This chapter may be divided into three sections. In the first section, including Hosea 7:1, the prophet reproves with much but deserved severity the depraved morals of king and princes. In the second section, consisting of Hosea 7:8, he rebukes their sinfulness, silliness, pride, and stupid obstinacy, notwithstanding the many manifest tokens of decay. Otherwise the first section deals with the internal corruption of the northern kingdom, and the second exposes their sinful and harmful foreign policy. The third section, continuing from the twelfth verse to the end of the chapter, that is, Hosea 7:12, threatens the infliction of punishment incurred by their gross wicked. Hess and base ingratitude to God....

THEY RETURN, [BUT] NOT TO THE MOST HIGH,.... To Egypt, and not to Jerusalem, and the temple there, and the worship of it; to their idols, and not to him whose name alone is Jehovah, and is the most High all the earth, the God of gods, and Lord of lords, and King of kings; though they made some feint as if they would return, and did begin, and take some steps towards repentance and reformation; but then they presently fell back again, as in Jehu's time, and did not go on to make a thorough reformation; nor returned to God alone, and to his pure worship they pretended to, and ought to have done: or, "not on high, upwards, above" w; their affections and desires are not after things above; they do not look upwards to God in heaven for help and assistance, but to men and things on earth, on which all their affection and dependence are placed: THEY ARE LIKE A DECEITFUL BOW; which misses the m...

CHAPTER 7 The Moral Depravity of Israel _ 1. Their moral depravity (Hosea 7:1) _ 2. Mingling with heathen nations (Hosea 7:8) Hosea 7:1. All the gracious efforts of the Lord to heal Israel resulted in a greater manifestation of the iniquity of Ephraim. Instead of turning to Him in true repentance and self-judgment their evil heart turned away from Jehovah, and they continued in their downward course. They did not consider that the Lord would remember all their evil deeds and punish them for it. The king and the princes, the political heads were as corrupt as the priests, they were pleased with the impenitence and wickedness of their subjects. Then follows a graphic description of their moral depravity. They w

HOSEA 7:8 TO HOSEA 8:3. POLITICAL DECAY THE OUTWARD SIGN OF ISRAEL'S MORAL DECAY. The attempts to cure national ills and secure safety by foreign aid, instead of by turning to Yahweh, are foredoomed to failure; Yahweh Himself frustrates them and will bring the misguided people to punishment and ruin (Hosea 7:8). Their doom is sealed, for they have been disloyal to Yahweh; they do not turn to Him with a true heart, but use heathen devices (cut themselves, Hosea 7:14 _mg._, see p. 110) when they appeal to Him. Their shallow hearts are incapable of real and acceptable repentance; therefore their princes shall fall by the sword, and this shall be their derision i

TO THE MOST HIGH. to Him Who is on high. Compare Hosea 11:7. A DECEITFUL BOW. That disappoints the user, and cannot be depended upon. Compare Psalms 78:57. FOR. because of. DERISION. ridicule....