Hosea 7:1

7:1-7 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.

(1) Translate, When I heal Israel (referring to a cessation in the attacks of the menacing foe, or to such a thrill of finer feeling as that which is recorded in 2Chronicles 28:8-15 ), then is revealed the iniquity of Ephraim and the wickedness of Samaria, that they commit falsehood. Samaria here sustains the same relation to Israel that Jerusalem does to Judah, and it is the very source of the corruption of the whole country.

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and {a} the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. (a) Meaning that there was no one type of vice among them, but that they were subject to all wickedness, both secret and open.

CHAPTER 7 Ho 7:1-16. Reproof of Israel. Probably delivered in the interreign and civil war at Pekah's death; for Ho 7:7, "all their kings … fallen," refers to the murder of Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah. In Ho 7:8 the reference seems to be to Menahem's payment of tribute to Pul, in order to secure himself in the usurped throne, also to Pekah's league with Rezin of Syria, and to Hoshea's connection with Assyria during the interregnum at Pekah's death [Maurer]. 1. I would have healed Israel—Israel's restoration of the two hundred thousand Jewish captives at God's command (2Ch 28:8-15) gave hope of Israel's reformation [Henderson]. Political, as well as moral, healing is meant. When I would have healed Israel in its calamitous state, then their iniquity was discovered to be so great as to preclude hope of recovery. Then he enumerates their wickedness: "The thief cometh in (indoors stealthily), and the troop of robbers spoileth without" (out-of-doors with open violence).Israel reproved for manifold sins, Hosea 7:1-10. God’s wrath against them for their hypocrisy, Hosea 7:11-16. When: whether this chapter be a new sermon, or a continuation of that begun Ho 6, we need not inquire, nor are there any particulars by which we can guess at the time when this healing work was attempted; but, so soon as it was endeavoured; indefinitely it is spoken, and so to be interpreted.

I would have healed Israel: God doth assume the person of a physician or chirurgeon, who compassionately endeavours to cure a people sick and wounded: such was the house of Israel, the whole body of the people. The iniquity; the hidden, old, and putrefying sores, here called iniquity, the impieties and injustice. Of Ephraim; of Israel, called Ephraim, or of Ephraim, the chief tribe of this revolting kingdom; some would have it mean the rulers, or principal men. Was discovered; broke out; as many times in cures of old sores it happens some deeper and more rooted distemper, unthought of by the chirurgeon, appears. The wickedness, the great and many sins of Samaria, the royal city of the kingdom, where citizens, priests, prophets, and courtiers as much outsinned others as they exceeded them in wealth and ease. They commit falsehood; lying and cozening each other is acted as if it were a business they were bound to attend. The thief cometh in; secret thefts, or robbing others by subtle and undiscerned methods. The troop of robbers spoileth without; and open violence by hands joined to hands to spoil abroad. In a word, the strength and danger of their disease appears and increaseth more and more under endeavours to heal them.

Hosea 7:1 . When I would have healed Israel — When I would have reclaimed them from their sins, and in consequence thereof have averted their judgments. The Hebrew, כרפאי , is, as I was healing: dum in eo essem ut sanarem. At the very time when I was about to heal them; or, as the Seventy render it, Εν τω ιασαθαι με τον Ισραηλ , When I was in the very act of healing Israel. Then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered — Literally, was uncovered, or made bare, that is, showed itself openly, or was avowed and undisguised. The people gave me fresh provocations, especially the inhabitants of Samaria, the principal seat of the kingdom. For they commit falsehood — Or, carry on delusion; literally, practise deceit, or a lie. “The thing meant here seems to be the carrying on of a premeditated plot, or scheme, for the subversion of the true religion, and the establishment of idolatry. And the lie, falsehood, or delusion which they wrought, was every thing that was seductive in the external rites of the false religions:” see Horsley, who, in a note on this passage, observes, “The particular time alluded to is, I think, the reign of the second Jeroboam, when the kingdom of Israel seemed to be recovering from the loss of strength and territory it had sustained in the preceding reigns, by the encroachments of the Syrians; for Jeroboam restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, 2 Kings 14:25 .

The successes vouchsafed to this warlike prince against his enemies were signs of God’s gracious inclination to pardon the people, and restore the kingdom to its former prosperity. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel that it was bitter, &c. See 2 Kings 14:26-27 . But these merciful purposes of God were put aside by the wickedness of the king and the people. For this same Jeroboam did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, &c.” And the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers, &c. — They are guilty both of the secret methods of fraud, and the open violence of rapine and oppression.

1–7 . The moral degradation of Israel, especially of its ruling class, which, so far from stemming the tide of corruption, applauds and encourages its progress 1 . How foolish is the conduct of Israel! When the great turning-point in her fortunes arrives, the day of mingled punishment and mercy, all his wickedness will be remembered and brought to light. To improve the sense and restore balance to the opening of the verse, it is expedient to read thus, with Ewald, When I turn the fortunes of my people, when I heal Israel, then will be manifest Ephraim’s guilt and Samaria’s wickedness, how they practise falsehood, and the thief cometh in, and bandits roam abroad without . Comp. Hosea 4:2 . Samaria is mentioned, as the abode of the princes next spoken of.

Verses 1-3. - When I would hays healed Israel. We may, with some, understand this healing of those (1) prophetic admonitions and rebukes by which God designed to cure the transgressions and heal the backslidings of his people. (2) It is more probable, however, that the reference is to the partial restoration of the national prosperity in the days of Jeroboam II., who "restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain." (3) Jerome's exposition is not so natural when he says, "The sense is: When I wished to blot out the old sins of my people, on account of ancient idolatry, Ephraim and Samaria discovered new idols;" the old sins and ancient idolatry he refers to the making and worshipping of the golden calf in the wilderness, while the new idols were the calf-worship which Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim instituted, and the people of the capital, Samaria, adopted. When God would heal, or as often as he proceeded to heal, Israel, the evils broke out afresh, or came more fully to light, just like a wound the dangerous nature of which is discovered by the surgeon's probe in the effort to heal it. Then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria.

The sin of the northern kingdom manifested itself in high quarters - in the premier tribe of Israel, and in the capital city of Samaria. "Because," says Abort Ezra, in his comment, "they said, He hath torn, and he will heal us, he says, When I was disposed to heal them, the wickedness concealed in their heart stood before my face, which they have not left off until the present time, for they practice falsehood; by night they steal, and by day troops (of bandits) spread themselves outside the cities." Similarly, Rashi explains: "When I was willing to help and to heal them, their iniquities manifested themselves before me, for they practiced lying constantly; while thieves of their number entered in continually, and stole the wealth of their companions, and even their gangs spread themselves for robberies to rob men." For they commit falsehood ; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth (margin, strippeth ) without. Here follows an enumeration of the crimes of which they were guilty. There was falsehood, or fraud, or deception generally, and that, not only in words, but in works; next comes dishonesty, both in public and in private. The thief privately entered the houses, and committed burglary; gangs of highwaymen publicly infested the roads, spoiling the passers-by, or rather roamed or spread themselves abroad for plunder, since it is the causative conjugation of pashat that has the signification of stripping or spoiling others.

When I would have healed Israel - God begins anew by appealing to Israel, that all which He had done to heal them, had but served to make their sin more evident, and "that," from highest to lowest, as to all manners and ways of sin. When the flash of God's light on the sinner's conscience enlightens it not, it only discloses its darkness. The name "Israel" includes the whole people; the names, Ephraim and Samaria, probably are meant to designate the chief among them, Ephraim having been their royal tribe, and being the chief tribe among them; Samaria being their royal city. The sins, which Hoses denounces in this chapter, are chiefly the sins of the great, which, from them, had spread among the people. Whatever healing methods God had used, whether through the teaching of the prophets or through His own fatherly chastisements, they "would not hearken nor be amended, but ran on still more obstinately in their evil courses. The disease prevailed against the remedy, and was irritated by it, so that the remedy served only to "lay open" the extent of its malignity, and to shew that there was worse in it, than did at first appear" . Paul says of all human nature. "When the commandment came, sin revived" Romans 7:9 .

Apart from grace, the knowledge of good only enhances evil. : "So, when God, made Man, present and visible, willed to "heal Israel," then that iniquity of the Jews and wickedness of the Scribes and Pharisees was discovered, whereof this iniquity of Ephraim and wickedness of Samaria was a type. For an evil spirit goaded them to mock, persecute, blaspheme the Teacher of repentance who, together with the word of preaching, did works, such as none other man did. For Christ pleased them not, a Teacher of repentance, persuading to poverty, a Pattern of humility, a Guide to meekness, a Monitor to mourn for sins, a Proclaimer of righteousness, a Requirer of mercy, a Praiser of purity of heart, a Rewarder of peace, a Consoler of those who suffered persecution for righteousness' sake. Why did they reject, hate, persecute, Him who taught thus? Because they loved all contrary thereto, and wished for a Messiah, who should exalt them in this world, and disturb the peace of nations, until he should by war subdue to their empire all the rest of the world, build for them on earth a Jerusalem of gold and gems, and fulfill their covetousness in all things of this sort. This their mind He once briefly expressed; "How can ye believe which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor which cometh from God only?" John 5:24.