Hosea 7:6

For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire. FOR THEY HAVE MADE READY THEIR HEART - rather, 'they make their heart approach,' namely, their king, in going to drink with him (Henderson). But the English version makes the better sense, and is compatible with the Hebrew thus: "They made ready (literally, brought near; margin, applied) their heart" to sin. The "for" gives the reason of their breaking out so readily into open sin-for their hearts were always made by them near to sin, and ready for it, only waiting for the occasion to present itself. LIKE AN OVEN - following out the image in . As it conceals the lighted fire all night, while the baker sleeps, but in the morning burns as a flaming fire, so they brood mischief in...

Here the Prophet says, that the Israelites did secretly, and by hidden means, prepare their hearts for deeds of evil; and he takes up nearly the same similitude as he did a little while before, though for a different purpose; for he says that they had prepared their hearts secretly, as the baker puts fire in the night in his oven, and then rests, and in the morning the oven is well heated, having attained heat sufficient to bake the bread. The oven becomes hot in the morning, though the baker sleeps. How so? Because an abundance of fuel had been put together, so that it is heated by the morning. Hence nocturnal rest does not prevent the fire from making hot the oven, when it has a sufficient quantity of fuel, when the baker has so filled his oven, that the fire cannot be extinguished, nor be gradually smothered. When the baker has thus set in order an heap of wood, he then securely rests...

1-7 A practical disbelief of God's government was at the bottom of all israel's wickedness; as if God could not see it or did not heed it. Their sins appear on every side of them. Their hearts were inflamed by evil desires, like a heated oven. In the midst of their troubles as a nation, the people never thought of seeking help from God. The actual wickedness of men's lives bears a very small proportion to what is in their hearts. But when lust is inwardly cherished, it will break forth into outward sin. Those who tempt others to drunkenness never can be their real friends, and often design their ruin. Thus men execute the Divine vengeance on each other. Those are not only heated with sin, but hardened in sin, who continue to live without prayer, even when in trouble and distress....

FOR THEY HAVE MADE READY THEIR HEART LIKE AN OVEN - He gives the reason old their bursting out into open mischief; it was ever stored up within. They “made ready,” (literally, “brought near”) “their heart.” Their heart was ever brought near to sin, even while the occasion was removed at a distance from it. “The “oven” is their heart; the fuel, their corrupt affections, and inclinations, and evil concupiscence, with which it is filled; “their baker,” their own evil will and imagination, which stirs up whatever is evil in them.” The prophet then pictures how, while they seem for a while to rest from sin, it is but “while they lie in wait;” still, all the while, they made and kept their hearts ready, full of fire for sin and passion; any breathing-time from actual sin was no real rest; the heart was still all on fire; “in the morning,” right early, as soon as the occasion came, it burst for...

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....

FOR THEY HAVE MADE READY THEIR HEART LIKE AN OVEN, WHILES THEY LIE IN WAIT,.... The prince, people, and scorners before mentioned, being heated with wine, and their lust enraged, they were ready for any wickedness; for the commission of adultery, lying in wait for their neighbours' wives to debauch them; or for rebellion and treason against their king, and even the murder of him, made drunk by them, whom they now despised, and waited for an opportunity to dispatch him: THEIR BAKER SLEEPETH ALL THE NIGHT; IN THE MORNING IT BURNETH AS A FLAMING FIRE; as a baker having put wood into his oven, and kindled it, leaves it, and sleeps all night, and in the morning it is all burning, and in a flame, and his oven is thoroughly heated, and fit for his purpose; so the evil concupiscence in these men's hearts, made hot like an oven, rests all night, devising mischief on their beds, either against th...

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

WICKEDNESS ENCOURAGED IN HIGH PLACES. King and princes gladly share in the prevailing wickedness adultery, drunkenness and the court itself is the scene of treachery, conspiracy, and assassinations. The text is corrupt, and contains allusions to events of the details of which we are ignorant. HOSEA 7:3. Read with a slight emendation (_yimshç hû_): In their wickedness they anoint kings, and in their falseness princes (_cf._ Hosea 8:4). Hosea 7:4. Read, they are like a glowing oven a figure for lust. Read Hosea 7:4_ b_ (? a gloss on Hosea 7:6), whose bak

THEY, &C. Like the baker in Hosea 7:4. THEIR BAKER SLEEPETH. their anger smoketh: reading _ye'shan 'apphem_ instead of _yashen 'ophehem._ Owing to the similarity in pronunciation and in the ancient form of _Ayin_ (_')_ and _Aleph_ ('). these letters were interchanged. The _Massorah_ contains lists of words where _Aleph_ (= ') stands _for Ayin_ (= ') and vice versa (see Ginsburg's _Massorah,_ letter, vol. i, p. 57, 514; and letter, vol. ii, p. 390, 352, 360, &c). See notes on Isaiah 49:7; Amos 6:8; Zephaniah 3:1, &c. The Aram, and Syriac preserve the reading of the primitive text: "their ang

The highest personages are not too refined for the most sensual pleasures. A consuming passion inflames them as if with the heat of a furnace. Their way of celebrating a royal commemoration is to indulge in monstrous excess....