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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 Say ye unto your brethren, O Ammi [="O my people"], and unto your sisters, O Ruhamah [="O compassionated one"]: |
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| 2 Contend ye with your mother, contend, for she is no wife of mine, and I am no husband of hers, Let her then put away her paramours from before her, and her partners in adultery, from her embraces: |
She is not my wife – The Lord permitted domestic troubles for Hosea to impress upon him the Lord's view of Israel as a false wife. R2491:1
She stayed in his house until the sixth year. Then he either put her away from him, or she went her own way. R2491:2*
Her husband – Referring to a union in a less particular sense than the New Testament references to Christ and his Bride. Here the word husband simply means caretaker. R1389:1
God was a most merciful husband to Israel. R1389:1, R2491:1
Her whoredoms – Hosea's wife was unfaithful to him, as Israel had been unfaithful to the Lord. R5809:2
Her adulteries – Christendom is, in the Scriptures, charged with adultery, in that she lives with the world. R4811:5
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| 3 Lest I strip off her under-clothing, and set her forth to view, as in the day she was born,–and make her like a wilderness, and render her like a land that is parched, and suffer her to die of thirst; |
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| 4 And, on her children, not have compassion,–because, the children of paramours, they are. |
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| 5 For their mother, hath been unchaste, and she that conceived them, hath caused shame,–for she said, Let me go after my lovers! who used to give my bread, and my water, my wool, and my flax, mine oil, and my drink. |
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| 6 Therefore, behold me! hedging up her way, with thorns,–and I will wall her in, and, her footpaths, shall she not find. |
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| 7 And, when she shall pursue her lovers, and not overtake them, and shall seek them and not find, then will she say, Let me go my way now! and return unto my first husband, for it was better with me, then, than, now! |
I will go and return – Not a promise from the Lord that he would remarry them. C296; R1341:6
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| 8 But, she, owneth not, that, I, gave her–the corn, and the new wine and the oil,–silver, also increased I unto her, and gold–[which] they offered to Baal! |
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| 9 Therefore, will I again take away my corn, in the time thereof, and my new wine, in the season thereof,–and will recover my wool and my flax [given] to hide her shame. |
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| 10 Now, therefore, will I expose her unseemliness, before the eyes of her lovers,–and no, man, shall deliver her out of my hand! |
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| 11 And I will cause to cease all her mirth, her pilgrim-festival, her new moon and her sabbath,–and her every appointed meeting; |
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| 12 And will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree, as to which she hath said, A present, are they for myself, which my lovers, have given me,–and I will make of them a thicket, and the wild beasts of the field shall devour them. |
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| 13 So will I visit upon her the days of the Baals, unto whom she used to burn incense, and decked herself with her nose-ring and her jewelry, and went her way after her lovers,–whereas, me, she forgat, Declareth Yahweh. |
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| 14 Therefore, lo! I, am going to persuade her, and, though I conduct her forth into wilderness, yet will I speak unto her heart. |
Her – The true Church. R1841:6
Into the wilderness – The true Church is the Church in the wilderness. (Rev. 12:6, 14; Luke 15:4; Isa. 51:3; Cant. 8:5) R1841:6
Illustrated by the millions of persecuted Jews in Russia who tell, not only of their suffering, but of their deep desire to return to the land given to Abraham and his seed forever. R394:3*
Speak comfortably – Speaking to their hearts. R394:3*
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| 15 Then will I give to her her vineyards from thence, and the vale of Achor [="trouble"] for a door of hope,–and she will respond there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. |
A door of hope – Which the Millennial reign of the true seed of Abraham will open for these rebellious people. C297, C296; R1341:6
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| 16 And it shall come to pass, in that day, Declareth Yahweh, that she will call me Ishi [="My husband"], and will not call me any more, Baali [="Mine owner"]. |
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| 17 So will I take away the names of the Baals, out of her mouth,–and they shall not be called to mind any more, by their name. |
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| 18 And I will solemnize to them a covenant, in that day, with the wild-beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and the creeping thing of the ground,–and, bow and sword and battle, will I break in pieces out of the land, so will I cause them to lie down, in security. |
In that day – The glorious 1000 years. R541:5*
A covenant – The New covenant. R282:6, R4371:2
will break the bow – Dates the "door of hope" (verse 15) by declaring it to be after the time of trouble, when wars shall be no more. C297; R1341:6
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| 19 And I will take thee unto myself, unto times age-abiding,–yea I will take thee unto myself, in righteousness and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in abounding compassion: |
Will betroth thee – Possibly the whole house of fleshly Israel, but probably spiritual Israel is meant. C297; R1341:6
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| 20 Yea I will take thee unto myself, in faithfulness,–So shalt thou know Yahweh. |
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| 21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will respond, Declareth Yahweh, I will respond to the heavens,–and, they, shall respond to the earth; |
Hear the heavens – The Christ, as a heavenly priesthood, shall make successful intercession for the earth. R1434:1*
Hear the earth – Represented through its "princes," and these princes shall answer the people. R1434:1*
The new earth (2 Pet. 3:13), reorganized society. A319
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| 22 And, the earth, shall respond to the corn, and to the new wine and to the oil,–and, they, shall respond to Jezreel [="Whom GOD scattereth," "Whom GOD soweth"]. |
And the wine – Message of joy. R1695:2
They shall hear Jezreel – Thus the great antitypical day of Jezreel is to be realized. R1434:1*
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| 23 So will I sow her unto me in the land, and will have compassion upon the uncompassionated one [="Lo-ruhamah"],–and will say to him who was No-people-of-mine [=to "Lo-ammi"], My people, thou art, and, he, shall say, My God! |
Thou art my people – The spiritual class, selected during the time when fleshly Israel has been cast off. C297; R1341:6
"Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it and the rest are blinded." (Rom. 11:7) C297; R1341:6
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