2:21. And it shall come to pa.s.s in that day: I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth.
Hear the heavens, etc... All shall conspire in favour of the church, which in the following verse is called Jezrahel, that is, the seed of G.o.d.
2:22. And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and these shall hear Jezrahel.
2:23. And I will sow her unto me in the earth, and I will have mercy on her that was without mercy.
2:24. And I will say to that which is not my people: Thou art my people: and they shall say: Thou art my G.o.d.
That which was not my people, etc... This relates to the conversion of the Gentiles.
Osee Chapter 3
The prophet is commanded again to love an adulteress; to signify G.o.d"s love to the synagogue. The wretched state of the Jews for a long time, till at last they shall be converted.
3:1. And the Lord said to me: Go yet again, and love a woman beloved of her friend, and an adulteress: as the Lord loveth the children of Israel, and they look to strange G.o.ds, and love the husks of the grapes.
3:2. And I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for a core of barley, and for half a core of barley.
3:3. And I said to her: Thou shalt wait for me many days: thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt be no man"s, and I also will wait for thee.
3:4. For the children of Israel shall sit many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without altar, and without ephod, and without theraphim.
Theraphim... Images or representations.
3:5. And after this the children of Israel shall return and shall seek the Lord, their G.o.d, and David, their king: and they shall fear the Lord, and his goodness, in the last days.
David their king... That is, Christ, who is of the house of David.
Osee Chapter 4
G.o.d"s judgment against the sins of Israel: Juda is warned not to follow their example.
4:1. Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel, for the Lord shall enter into judgment with the inhabitants of the land: for there is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of G.o.d in the land.
4:2. Cursing, and lying, and killing, and theft, and adultery, have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood.
4:3. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish with the heat of the field, and with the fowls of the air: yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be gathered together.
4:4. But yet let not any man judge: and let not a man be rebuked: for thy people are as they that contradict the priest.
Let not any man judge, etc... As if he would say: It is in vain to strive with them, or reprove them, they are so obstinate in evil.
4:5. And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee: in the night I have made thy mother to be silent.
4:6. My people have been silent, because they had no knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee, that thou shalt not do the office of priesthood to me: and thou hast forgotten the law of thy G.o.d, I also will forget thy children.
4:7. According to the mult.i.tude of them, so have they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.
4:8. They shall eat the sins of my people, and shall lift up their souls to their iniquity.
4:9. And there shall be like people like priest: and I will visit their ways upon them, and I will repay them their devices.
4:10. And they shall eat and shall not be filled: they have committed fornication, and have not ceased: because they have forsaken the Lord in not observing the law.
4:11. Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness, take away the understanding.
4:12. My people have consulted their stocks, and their staff hath declared unto them: for the spirit of fornication hath deceived them, and they have committed fornication against their G.o.d.
4:13. They offered sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burnt incense upon the hills: under the oak, and the poplar, and the turpentine tree, because the shadow thereof was good: therefore shall your daughters commit fornication, and your spouses shall be adulteresses.
4:14. I will not visit upon your daughters, when they shall commit fornication, and upon your spouses when they shall commit adultery: because themselves conversed with harlots, and offered sacrifice with the effeminate, and the people that doth not understand shall be beaten.
4:15. If thou play the harlot, O Israel, at least let not Juda offend: and go ye not into Galgal, and come not up into Bethaven, and do not swear: The Lord liveth.
Galgal and Bethaven... Places where idols were worshipped. Bethel, which signifies the house of G.o.d, is called by the prophet, Bethaven, that is, the house of vanity, from Jeroboam"s golden calf that was worshipped there.
4:16. For Israel hath gone astray like a wanton heifer now will the Lord feed them, as a lamb in a s.p.a.cious place.
4:17. Ephraim is a partaker with idols, let him alone.
4:18. Their banquet is separated, they have gone astray by fornication: they that should have protected them have loved to bring shame upon them.
4:19. The wind hath bound them up in its wings, and they shall be confounded because of their sacrifices.
Osee Chapter 5
G.o.d"s threats against the priests, the people, and princes of Israel, for their idolatry.
5:1. Hear ye this, O priests, and hearken, O ye house of Israel, and give ear, O house of the king: for there is a judgment against you, because you have been a snare to them whom you should have watched over and a net spread upon Thabor.
O priests... What is said of priests in this prophecy is chiefly understood of the priests of the kingdom of Israel; who were not true priests of the race of Aaron; but served the calves at Bethel and Dan.
5:2. And you have turned aside victims into the depth and I am the teacher of them all.
5:3. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me for now Ephraim hath committed fornication, Israel is defiled.
5:4. They will not set their thoughts to return to their G.o.d: for the spirit of fornication is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord.
5:5. And the pride of Israel shall answer in his face: and Israel, and Ephraim shall fall in their iniquity, Juda also shall fall with them.
5:6. With their flocks and with their herds, they shall go to seek the Lord, and shall not find him: he is withdrawn from them.
5:7. They have transgressed against the Lord: for they have begotten children that are strangers: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
Children that are strangers... That is, aliens from G.o.d: and therefore they are threatened with speedy destruction.
5:8. Blow ye the cornet in Gabaa, the trumpet in Rama: howl ye in Bethaven, behind thy back, O Benjamin.