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An exhortation

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5 Even the LORD God of hosts; the A. M. 3279. LORD is his memorial.

4 Yea, he had power over the anh gel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;

Gen. xxviii. 12, 19; xxxv. 9, 10, 15.-h Exod. iii. 15.

wrestling with the angel, as recorded Gen. xxxii. That bodily strength, wherewith he was endued by God, and enabled to wrestle with this heavenly being, was a token of the strength of his faith, and of the fervency of his spirit in prayer. This is mentioned here by the prophet, as another instance of God's favour to Jacob. He not only, when an infant in the womb, was enabled to perform the emblematical action just mentioned; but, in his adult age, he was endued with such supernatural strength of mind and body, that he was enabled to continue wrestling till he obtained the blessing. The prophet, in this clause, alludes to those words of his, I will not let thee go except thou bless me; intimating the strength of his faith, and prevalency of his prayers with God. The words, He had power with God, and those that follow, He had power over the angel, are equivalent; and plainly prove that this person, who assumed a human || shape, was really God, that is, the Son of God, and the angel of the covenant, by whom all the divine appearances recorded in the Old Testament were performed; the affairs of the church being ordered by him from the beginning. This subject is learn- | edly handled by Dr. Allix in his Judgment of the Jewish Church, against the Unitarians, chap. xiii.xv., by Archbishop Tenison in his Discourses of Idolatry, chap. xiv., and by Bishop Bull in his Defence of the Nicene Faith.

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6 Therefore, turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

i Chap. xiv. 1; Mic. vi. 8. Psa. xxxvii. 7. faith also wrestled: and first, in such an immediate danger, he comforted himself that he had been ordered by God to return into the land of Canaan [to which country, in obedience to God, he was now journeying.] Then with his whole heart he laid hold on the promise made him by the Lord in Beth-el, where he was fully assured of the divine protection. When therefore he was in distress, and assaulted by an unknown enemy with all his might, although he used his own strength, yet he contended more strenuously by faith, beholding the promise, and concluding with certainty that God, according to his word, would be present with him in so great a danger, and would save him. And with this faith, [so to speak,] he prevailed over God; for although Christ tried Jacob in this conflict, nevertheless he could do nothing against, or contrary to, his word, on which Jacob relied." Jacob's supplication and tears, here mentioned, probably refer to those earnest prayers which he poured out to God, as is recorded Gen. xxxii. 9-11. The conflict here spoken of, in which Jacob had power with God, ended in an assurance that his prayers were answered. He found him in Beth-el-This refers to God's appearing to Jacob after the former vision, as is related Gen. xxxv. 9, 14, when God renewed his promise of giving the land of Canaan to his posterity. The prophet takes particular notice of the place where God appeared to him: as if he had said, He appear ed in that very place where you worship a golden calf as your god! And there he spake with us— Who were then in Jacob's loins. The Alexandrian copy, however, of the LXX. reads, There he spake with him; as if the expression alluded to the abovementioned passage, where God is said to have talked with Jacob. But the present Hebrew reading contains a very important meaning, signifying, that God did not only speak to him there, but likewise did, by so doing, instruct his posterity to the latest generation. Certainly the things spoken concerned Jacob's posterity, as much, or more, than himself. Even the Lord God of hosts-He that appeared and spake, who promised the blessing, and commanded the reformation at Beth-el, was Jehovah, the eternal and unchangeable God; who can perform his promise, and execute his threat; who is a most terrible enemy, and a most desirable friend. The Lord is his memorial-That is, the name Jehovah is God's memorial; his appropriate, perpetual, incommuni cable name, expressing his essence; the name by which he will be known and remembered to all generations; the name which especially distinguishes him from all false gods, and sets forth his glory more than any other name whatsoever: see note on Exod. iii. 14.

Verses 4, 5. He had power over the angel-Called God, verse 3, and Jehovah, God of hosts, verse 5, namely, God by nature and essence, and an angel by office and voluntary undertaking. He wept and made supplication unto him-He prayed with tears from a sense of his own unworthiness, and with earnestness for the mercy he desired. Jacob's wrestling with the angel was, as has been just intimated, not only a corporal conflict, but likewise a spiritual one; from bodily wrestling he betook himself to spiritual weapons; he poured forth tears with earnest supplications and prayers, and strove, not so much for victory, as for a blessing: the only way for a feeble, impotent creature, to prevail over his Creator. The observations of Luther, upon this extraordinary conflict between Jacob and the person called the angel, are so excellent, that the intelligent reader will be glad to be presented here with a translation of them. "Different views are wont to be entertained concerning the nature of this wrestling. But the history shows that Jacob had come int imminent danger of his life, and was assaulted by an unknown antagonist with his whole power. He therefore himself also exerted his bodily strength to the utmost against this antagonist, that he might defend his life. Nevertheless, he did not|| contend only with the strength of his body; his Verse 6. Therefore turn thou to thy God—“Thou

The sin and

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CHAPTER XII.

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ingratitude of Ephraim.

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7¶ He is a merchant, the ba- || the land of Egypt will yet make A. M. 3279.
lances of deceit are in his hand: thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the
days of the solemn feasts.

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he loveth to oppress.

8 And Ephraim said, m Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: 5 in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me 6 that were sin.

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10 P I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.

11 a Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they

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9 And I that am the LORD thy God from are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal ;

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therefore, O Israel, encouraged by the memory of || He loveth to oppress-The Hebrew rather signifies, God's love to thy progenitor, and by the example He loveth to defraud; to use the arts of cozenage. which thou hast in him, of the efficacy of weeping|| And Ephraim said-Rather, Nevertheless Ephraim and supplication, turn to thy God in penitence and said, I am become rich—I have gotten riches, howprayer, and in the [practice of] works of righteous-ever, by my cunning and deceit, and as that is the ness."-Horsley. Leave your idolatries and all case, I have no need to concern myself; for, so I your sins. Jacob worshipped God alone, do you have but riches, none will ask how I came by them. so; he cast all idols out of his family, do you so In this description of Ephraim, we may see but too too; be Jacob's children herein. Keep mercy and like a picture of many in our times; for riches are judgment-Show kindness to all who need it, and too generally and too much the pursuit of mankind, do wrong to none; but, with justice in all your and are generally too much prized; so that if men dealings, in judicatures, and public offices, render have but riches, they think they have every thing to all their due. And wait on thy God continually that is to be desired. Bishop Horsley presents us -In public worship, and private duties, serve and with a different interpretation of this verse, thus: trust in God alone: let not idols have either sacri- Nevertheless, Ephraim shall say, that is, the time fice, prayer, praise, or trust from you, and let your will come when Ephraim will repent, and say, Alhope and worship be ever continued. though I became rich, I acquired to myself [only]

may expiate iniquity. Thus interpreted, the words contain the penitent confession of the Ephraimites in the latter days, wrought upon at last by God's judgments and mercies.

Verses 7,8. He is a merchant, &c.—Bishop Hors- sorrow; all my labours procured not for me what ley renders this verse thus: Canaan the trafficker!|| The cheating balances in his hand! He has set his heart upon over-reaching! On which the bishop observes, "God says to the prophet, Instead of turning to me, and keeping to works of charity and justice, he is a mere heathen huckster. Thou hast miscalled him Jacob: he is Canaan. Not Jacob the godly, the heir of the promise: Canaan the cheat, the son of the curse." The Hebrew word

, rendered merchant, is both a proper name and an appellative. And to preserve the ambiguity in his translation, the bishop joins the appellative and the proper name together. Without this, as he justly observes, the whole spirit of the original would be lost to the English reader. All the ancient versions, except the Chaldee, give the proper name. The first words of the verse, He is, not being in the Hebrew, some interpreters, without supplying any thing, render the clause, The balances of deceit are in the hand of the merchant; that is, instead of practising just and fair dealing, which was the way to please God, they made use of unjust weights and measures, and practised frauds, deceits, and cunning, in buying and selling; depreciating those things they wanted to buy, below what they knew they were really worth; and setting a greater value on, and saying more in praise of, those things they wanted to sell, than they really deserved. These deceits in buying and selling are but too much used among us now, though God has so strongly declared his abhorrence of them in the Scriptures.

Verses 9, 10. I that am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt-From the time I brought thee out of it: will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles

That is, in thy habitations, quietly and joyfully, as in festival times. The word tabernacles is here put for houses, or habitations; because at first the Israelites dwelt in tabernacles, or tents. This must be taken as a promise of the restoration of the Israelites to their own land, after their being carried into captivity, provided they turned to God, and to his worship and service, in true repentance, and new obedience. I have also spoken by the prophets, &c. || "Here are three species of prophecy distinctly mentioned: 1st, Immediate suggestion, or inspiration, when God dictates the very words which the prophet is to deliver: 2d, Vision, or a representation made of external objects to the imagination, in as lively a manner as if they were conveyed to the senses: and, 3d, Parables, and apt resemblances, such as that of God's church to a vineyard, Isa. v. 1, of the destruction of Jerusalem to a forest set on fire, Ezekiel xx. 46, 49, and to a seething-pot, chapter xxiv. 3. Hosea himself was a parable, or type, to the Jews, in taking a wife of whoredoms, to represent the idolatries of the house of Israel."— Lowth.

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Verses 11-13. Is there iniquity in Gilead?-Or

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ingratitude of Judah.

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12 And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel" served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

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13 And by a prophet the LORD brought return unto him.

Chapter viii. 11; x. 1. Genesis xxviii. 5; Deut. xxvi. 5. u Gen. xxix. 20, 28. Exod. xii. 50, 51; xiii. 3; Psa. lxxvii. 20; Isa. lxiii. 11; Mic. vi. 4.

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Was there idolatry in Gilead? as the word is often and leading them through the wilderness like sheep signifies. Surely they are vanity, &c., in Gilgal—by the hand of his servant Moses."—Horsley. The tribes settled about Gilead beyond Jordan, were already captivated by Tiglath-pileser. And God declares here by the prophet, that the idolatry still practised in Gilgal was equally abominable, and would bring down similar judgments upon the remaining tribes on the west of Jordan. Yea, their altars are as heaps-Notwithstanding this judgment of God upon Gilead, they continue to offer sacrifices to their idols in Gilgal; and their altars stand so thick, that they are discernible as stones gathered up, and laid in heaps in the fields. Some understand the sentence as containing a threatening that their altars should be demolished, and become so many ruinous heaps, 2 Kings xix. 25. But Jacob fled into the country of Syria, &c.-" So opposite to yours was the conduct of your father Jacob, that he fled into Syria to avoid an alliance with any of the idolatrous families of Canaan; and, in firm reliance on God's promises, submitted to the greatest hardships." And therefore by a prophet, &c.-"And, in reward of his faith, God did such great things for his posterity, bringing them out of the land of Egypt,

Verse 14. Ephraim provoked him to anger, &c.— Notwithstanding all God's favours showed to these people and their ancestors, they provoked him by their idolatries and other sins in a most outrageous manner. The word, translated, most bitterly, some render, with his bitterness; that is, by his wicked or impious deeds; and Schindler renders it, by his heaps, that is, his altars. Therefore shall he have his blood upon him-The Chaldee paraphrase renders it, His blood shall return upon him. Ephraim's wickedness, and in particular the innocent blood he has shed, shall bring down punishment or destruction upon him. And his reproach shall his Lord return unto him-The reproach which Ephraim hath cast upon the prophets, upon the worshippers of God, and on God himself, in preferring idols before him, shall God, who is Lord of all, recompense upon him, in making him a reproach and by-word among the heathen. Instead of his Lord, Bp. Horsley reads, his Master, that is, says he, "his conqueror, who shall hold him in servitude, and be the instrument of God's just vengeance to him."

CHAPTER XIII.

In this chapter, (1,) The people of Israel are reproved and threatened for their idolatry, 1-4. (2,) For their wantonness, pride, luxury, and other abuses of their wealth and prosperity, 5-8. (3,) The ruin that is coming upon them for these, and all their other sins, is foretold as very terrible, 12, 13, 15, 16. (4,) Those among them who yet retained a respect for their God are encouraged to hope that he would yet appear for their relief, though their kings and princes, and all their other supports and succours, failed them, 9-11, 14.

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he exalted himself in Israel; died.

a2 Kings xvii. 16, 18; Chapter xi. 2.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XIII.

Verse 1. When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself—While he behaved himself submissively and obediently, and humbled himself before God, he was reckoned among the principal tribes of Israel. Here Ephraim is spoken of as distinct from the other tribes: in other places of this prophecy he is put for the whole kingdom of the ten tribes. But when he offended in Baal, he died-When he

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gave himself to idolatry, his strength immediately declined, and had manifest symptoms of ruin and destruction. Bishop Horsley's version of the verse is, When Ephraim spake there was dread: he was exalted in Israel. But he offended in Baal and died-"The former part of the verse describes the consequence and pre-eminence of Ephraim in his own country, and among the neighbouring nations; the latter part, his diminution and loss of consequence

The ten tribes are reminded of

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CHAPTER XIII.

2 And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.

3 Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.

4¶ Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god

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by his idolatry." The word Baal is here taken in a general sense for all false gods or idolatrous ways of worship, so as to comprehend the worship of the golden calves, though they were designed for symbolical representations of the true God.

mercies which they have abused.

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|| to idols, I am the Lord thy God, who delivered thee out of the bondage of Egypt. And thou shalt || know-That is, thou oughtest to acknowledge; no god but me-For thou hast never yet proved, and thou never wilt prove by experience, the power and protection of any other. Those whom thou callest thy gods will be able to do nothing for thee; for || there is no saviour besides me-No one who can deliver, or preserve thee from evil as I have done. I did know thee in the wilderness, &c.—That is, I acknowledged thee as my peculiar people, by my watchful care of thee. I was attentive to thee, protecting thee in all dangers, and supplying all thy wants.

Verse 2. And now they sin more and more-They did not content themselves with worshipping the golden calves only, which they made to be symbols of Jehovah the true God, but made themselves images of various idols after the manner of the heathen nations; which were nothing more than merely pieces of handicraft work. They at first worshipped Jehovah under the images of the golden calves, but at last they came to worship the mere images themselves. Thus do men sink deeper and deeper into Verses 6-8. According to their pasture, &c.-As vice, folly, and ignorance, whenever they depart I was their shepherd, and provided pasture for them, from the right way! Instead of, according to their so they were fully fed; they had an abundant plenty own understanding, Bishop Horsley reads, In their of all things. And their heart was exalted-The great wisdom they made themselves images, &c., consequence of their having this plenty was, that considering the words as spoken ironically. They from thence they grew proud and high-minded. say of them—Of the idols; Let the men that sacri- Therefore they have forgotten me―They so abused fice, kiss the calves-Let all that bring their offer- my kindness to them, as to make it the occasion of ings to these idols worship and adore, and show their ingratitude; "for in the pride of their heart, they do so by kissing the calves. Among the an- which the miraculous supply of their wants for so cient idolaters, to kiss the idol was an act of the most long a time produced in them, they forgot their benesolemn adoration. Thus we read, 1 Kings xix. 18, factor." Therefore I will be unto them as a lion— of all the knees which have not bowed to Baal, and That suddenly seizes upon and tears his prey: that every mouth which hath not kissed him. And so Job is, I will utterly consume them from being a nation, describes the adoration which the idolaters of his and give them up into the hands of such enemies as time paid to the heavenly bodies, chap. xxxi. 27. will show them no mercy; as a leopard by the way Tully mentions a brazen statue of Hercules at Agri--That lies in wait by the way; will I observe them gentum, in which the workmanship of the mouth-Watch for them, that I may be sure to take them, was sensibly worn by the frequent kisses of the or watch all opportunities to destroy them. I will worshippers. And, in allusion to this rite, the holy meet them as a bear, &c.—In the greatest fury imapsalmist, calling upon the apostate faction to avert ginable; bereaved of her whelps-A circumstance the wrath of the incarnate God, by a full acknow-which adds a particular degree of fierceness. "They ledgment of his divinity, bids them kiss the Son, never venture to fire upon a young bear when the that is, worship him.

Verses 3-5. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, &c.-All the comparisons in this verse are intended to express a quick destruction, or that they should soon come to nothing. Yet I am the Lord thy God, &c.-Notwithstanding thy recourse

mother is near: for if the cub drop, she becomes enraged to a degree little short of madness; and if she get a sight of the enemy, will only quit her revenge with her life."-Cook's Voyage, vol. iii. page 307. And will rend the caul of their heart-The seat of the blood, with which wild beasts love to glut

Threatenings

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thou hast destroyed 11 I gave thee a king in mine A. M. 3279.
me 5 is thy help. anger, and took him away in my
wrath.

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thyself; but in
10 I will be thy king: where is any other
that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy
judges, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king
and princes?

P Proverbs vi. 32; Chap. xiv. 1; Malachi i. 9. Verse 4. Heb. in thy help.- Rather, Where is thy king? King Hoshea being then in prison, 2 Kings xvii. 4.

themselves. The wild beast shall tear them-The
Assyrian shall prove as a wild beast to them. The
word Dp, here used, signifies, shall cleave them,||
or rip them. Bishop Horsley renders it, shall tear
them limb from limb; observing, "The verb expresses
a violent distraction and severing of united parts in
any manner; and is to be differently rendered with
regard to the particular agent and patient. When
the agent is a wild beast, and the patient the beast's"
prey, it must be tearing limb from limb: tearing,
by itself, is inadequate."

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Ver. 10, 11. I will be thy king—I would have been thy king to save and govern thee, but thou refusedst me in both respects: yet I will be thy king to judge me and punish thee. The LXX. and all the ancient versions interpret the clause differently, and give the interrogative, Where? Where is thy king now, that he may serve thee? They seem to have taken the words, I will be, for 7, where, by a transposition of letters, as the same word is used again, verse 14. Bishop Horsley understands the words in the same sense, and reads, Where is thy king? Verse 9. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself— Where now is he? To save thee forsooth in all thy Thy sins have brought down destruction upon thee, cities—and thy judges?" This vehement, reand it is from me only thou canst expect any help, doubled interrogation," says he, "seems to suppose which I will in due time afford thee. The Hebrew a denial, on the part of the Israelites, of the helpof this verse is capable of different versions. That less, ruined state, asserted in the former verse, as of the Vulgate, Destruction is thy own, O Israel: the consequence of God's withdrawing his protec only in me is thy help, seems one of the most literal; tion. Do you deny this? Do you pretend that you unless, taking for a verb, we prefer rendering have still means of defence, hope of deliverance? the first clause, It has destroyed thee, O Israel; You rely upon the policy or prowess of your that is, all that sin and folly of thine, with which monarch. Where is he, this wise and mighty king? thou hast been before charged. As thy own wicked- Tell me in what quarter? Your judges, your proness has many a time corrected thee, so it has now vincial rulers, where are they? Let us see what at length destroyed thee. Observe, reader, wilful deliverance this king and these rulers can effect." sinners are self-destroyers; obstinate impenitence The words seem to be spoken with a reference to is the grossest self-murder. Those that are destroy- the Israelites desiring a king to be set over them, ed of the destroyer, have their blood upon their own instead of continuing under the theocracy, or the heads: they have destroyed themselves. Observe, immediate government of God, who raised them up also, that the case of such is not yet desperate: God from time to time, as he saw most fit for them, dewill be their help if they will make application to fenders and protectors, and endued them with exhim. This is a plank thrown out after shipwreck; traordinary abilities for the purpose. But the Israeland greatly magnifies not only the power of God, ites foolishly thought they should thrive better under that he can help when things are at the worst, can a kingly government, such as the rest of the nations help those that cannot help themselves; but the around them were under, which is expressed in the riches of his grace, that he will help those who have latter part of this verse, Of whom thou saidst, Give destroyed themselves, and therefore might justly be me a king and princes-That is, a king and such left to perish, and even those that had long refused principal officers as he shall appoint. This is what his help. Dr. Pocock reads this verse, O Israel, is meant by the word judges in this verse. I gave this has destroyed thee, that in me is thy help. thee a king in mine anger-Being angry at your And R. Tanchum interprets it to the same effect. sins and provocations, I gave you a king at first, and They understand the sentiment to be, "that the have since suffered you, by seditions and conspiracause of the destruction of Israel was, his presum-cies, to change your kings according as you pleased, ing upon God's readiness to help him. They hardened themselves in their corrupt practices, in the confidence that God would never give them up; that, notwithstanding the severity of his threaten- Verses 12, 13. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound ings, he would interpose, as upon so many occasions up-This verse may be better rendered, The ini he before had done, to rescue them from their ene-quity of Ephraim is treasured up, his sin is laid mies when things came to an extremity. The pas sage, thus understood is a cool reflection upon the fatal effects of God's kindness upon the perverse minds of the Israelites."-Horsley.

whereby your state hath received more and more damage, and now I will take away your present king by the hand of the Assyrians.

up-That is, laid up in my memory, as that which ought to be punished at a proper time. The seṇtence is manifestly equivalent to that expression in Job xiv. 17, My transgression is sealed up in a bag ;

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