Hosea 2:10

Hos 2:10 And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

Ver. 10. And now will I discover her lewdness] Or her filthiness, baseness, foolishness, saplessness; perhaps the same with her nakedness, Hos 2:9. {See Trapp on "Hos 2:9"} How shameless the heathen idolaters were, the worshippers of Priapus especially (which Jerome and Isidore say was the same with Baalpeor, and made Maacha, the mother of Asa, guilty of that villany), with their infamous Nos, pudore pulso, stamus sub Iove coleis apertis, &c., is notoriously known; how they ran about naked in their Lupercalia, Bacchanalia, and other beastly solemnities. God threateneth to make her naked here in another manner, to her utter disgrace and ignominy ( Chaldeus reddit ignominiam, ut quam velatam desiderabant, apertam contemnant. Jerome). He had threatened her before with poverty, now with scorn and contempt: these go seldom asunder; but when self-procured they are very grievous. See Deu 28:15-68. Fornicators are fools, Jer 29:23 Gen 34:7, Shechem committed folly in Israel, and is therefore called a lad or a child {Gen 34:19, Neque distulit puer} for his witlessness, as being carried not by right reason, but blind affection. So Amnon was for this as one of the fools in Israel, 2Sa 13:12, a Nabal, a Nebulo, one that falls below the dignity of a man, below the stirrup of reason, flagitious and profligate.

Spiritual fornicators are all this and more. They hunt after lying vanities, and so forsake their own mercies, Jon 2:8, being singularly foolish (as the word here used importeth) and miserable by their own election. The indignity and iniquity of their practice, see Jer 2:9-13. Satan deals by them as he did by Adam when he gave him an apple for Paradise; and set him to the tree of knowledge that he might not taste the tree of life. And like unto them (saith a Lapide here) is every wicked person who by Satan’s persuasion preferreth the creature before the Creator, earth before heaven, the devil before God, hell before heaven, sin before sanctity, evil before good. These are lewd persons of sordid and servile dispositions, homines ad servitutem parati (as Tiberius said of the Romans), men of an under-spirit, as those, 1Ch 4:23. Hedge rogues Mr Dyke calleth them.

In the sight of her lovers] That her whom they have so desired while she was veiled they may deride when laid open. There can nothing befall a woman more grievous than to be stripped naked, but especially before her sweethearts: Lam 1:8, "All that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth and turneth backward." It is the paint or the dress many times that makes the lewd woman lovely. Think the same of idolatry: how pompous is it, and theatrical! but God will detect it, and make it ridiculous every day more and more. Erasmus was very instrumental this way, and did prejudice Popery by his witty jeering as much as Luther did by his stomaching and inveighing, saith Capito. Though it cannot be denied but that pruriginosa istorum hominum scabies asperiori strigili fricanda fuerat, the scabby hides of those popelings called for a sharper currycomb, as another learned man phraseth it (Amama. Anibarb. Praefat.).

And none shall deliver her out of my hand] Not her idols, not her confederates. "An idol is nothing in the world," 1Co 8:4, and all nations set by God are as a drop of a bucket, or dust of a balance: they can no more stand before him than a glass bottle can before a cannon shot. It was bootless, therefore, for this adulteress to hope for help from her lovers when God once took her in hand. He would give her her due, ipsis spectantibus et stantibus instar stipitum, while they looked on and stood like so many stocks, not daring to stir for her rescue and relief. See for this, Rev 18:10. {See Trapp on "Rev 18:10"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hos_2:10-12

None shall deliver her out of My hand.

The Lords sentence

I. Taking away things necessary to life, Learn--

1. However the Lord communicate of His bounty with the children of men, yet He still retains the dominion of all the creatures in His own hand, that He may dispose of them at His pleasure.

2. Mens abuse of prosperity, especially to uphold a false religion, doth justly forefault their right thereunto before God, and doth provoke Him to take away abused mercies.

3. As Gods former bounty will not secure pros perity to the abusers of it, so He will take it away when it promises fairest, as when it is come to the harvest.

4. As outward mercies are given for the supply of necessities, and not for fostering of luxury, so it is a special cause of Gods stroke that men do so far miscarry, because of that, without which they would be so vile. These things were given to cover her nakedness, and she would be vile without them. Yet she abused them, and therefore God will take them away.

II. Making her vileness appear to her lovers. Learn--

1. How right soever sinners may appear to themselves or others in their prosperity, yet God will, by judgments, make it appear how lewd and vile their way hath been.

2. God is so strong a party as when He contends with sinners, all their confidences in idolatry, false worship, or confederates, will fail them, and not be able to help them.

3. Idolatry, and abuse of prosperity to uphold it, doth ripen a visible Church for very speedy destruction.

III. Cutting short mirth and worship. Learn--

1. Sin and mirth will not last long together, but were there never so much of mirth, sin will cut it all short.

2. God will not be mocked with external performances of solemn worship to Him, when they join gross idolatry with them.

IV. Destruction even of the sources of blessing. Not only their fruits, but the trees they grew upon. Learn--

1. Spiritual judgments and deprivation of ordinances will have but little weight with wicked men, unless some other rod be sent with them.

2. Such is the desperate stupidity and obstinacy of declining sinners, as no cutting off of present enjoyments will affect them, unless their future expectations be cut off likewise.

3. As God doth not cut off enjoyments from sinners, but when they do abuse them, so we should take heed of Gods quarrel under calamities, and especially the abuse of prosperity, in not acknowledging God, but strengthening ourselves in an ill way, because of it. (George Hutcheson.)

Gods punishments are just

Whenever God deals severely with men, He visits their sins, and inflicts a just punishment. For though men may consider themselves to be chastised by the Lord, they yet do not thoroughly search and examine themselves as they ought. Hence the prophet repeats what we have before met with, and that is, that this chastisement would be just. At the same time, he shows us as by the finger what chiefly displeased God in the Israelites, which was, that religion was corrupted by them: for there is nothing more necessary to be known, than that in order men may ever habituate themselves to worship God in a pure manner, this should be testified to them, that all superstitions are such an abomination to God that He cannot bear them. (John Calvin.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hos 2:10-11. And now will I discover her lewdness, &c. — The folly and wickedness of her idolatries shall appear by the punishments which I will inflict upon her, which shall be so remarkable that they shall be taken notice of by the idolatrous nations round about her, which have pretended a friendship for her, and promised her great assistance and prosperity if she would worship the same gods that they worshipped; but neither they nor any of their false gods shall save her from the calamities I will bring upon her. And I will cause all her mirth to cease — The mirth and jollity of Israel were greatly damped when Tiglath-pileser took Ijon and other cities, and subdued Gilead and Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali, and carried the people away captive to Assyria, which he did but a few years after this prophecy was uttered. And surely all their joy must have ceased about ten or twelve years after, when Samaria was taken, and Hosea and all Israel made captives. Her feast-days, her new-moons, &c. — Though apostate Israel was fallen to idolatry, and had renounced the true worship of God, yet by this verse it appears they retained many of the rites and ceremonies that were used in Judah, or else they set up others like them. But God here threatens, that in their captivity they should have no opportunity to celebrate them.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. By withholding the crops at the time when the people might expect them Jehovah will show that it is he, and he alone, who controls the forces of nature, and not the Baalim (Hos_2:5); the latter will be absolutely helpless.

Lewdness — R.V. margin, “shame”; carries further in figurative language the announcement of Hos_2:9. With the flax and wool, intended for covering, gone, the woman — here Israel — will stand exposed naked.

In the sight of her lovers — The thought is not that, seeing her thus, they will begin to abhor and despise her, but rather that, though it is done in their very presence, they will be unable to help her (compare Isa_1:7). The Baalim never have done anything, and their helplessness will become self-evident when Jehovah strikes the blow. No one can rescue Israel. If this were the only reference in Hosea to the worship of other gods one might be led to think that Hosea believed in their existence though he considered them less powerful than Jehovah; but compare Hos_4:5; Hos_14:3.

THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE WILL ASSURE NEW BLESSINGS FROM GOD, Hos_2:10-19.

This also is a message of encouragement and promise, which reaches its culmination in the last sentence, “From this day will I bless you.” Again nothing is said concerning the occasion of the prophecy, but its contents enable us to determine it. The words were apparently called forth by new questionings of the people. It would seem that they came to resent the severe accusations made in the first address. Were they not bringing offerings to Jehovah? As a result they came to question the truth of the statements that the calamities which they suffered were the consequence of their neglectfulness, and that the rebuilding of the temple would assure them the restoration of the divine favor. To silence the questionings the prophet propounds to the priests two questions concerning the power of infection possessed by clean and unclean things. The priests reply that the unclean is more contagious than the clean (11-13). This reply the prophet applies to the case in hand. True, the people were offering sacrifices, but, says he, they are insufficient to overcome the unclean in their life and conduct; on the contrary, the unclean conduct makes even their offerings an abomination in the sight of Jehovah (14). He discusses once more the relation of the calamities to their neglectfulness and asserts that they are a direct result of the latter. The address closes with a promise that from now on the divine favor will again rest upon them (15-19).

Hos_2:10 is similar to Hag_1:1; Hag_2:1.

Four and twentieth day of the ninth month — Just three months after the building operations commenced (see on Hos_2:18). The ninth month is called Chisleu (Zec_7:1) and covers the latter part of November and first part of December.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CRITICAL NOTES.—

Hos_2:10. Discover her lewdness] Lit. uncover her shame. Sin decked out in gaudy colours, and covered with showy masks, shall be stripped and exposed to public shame. None can avert the threatened punishment.

HOMILETICS

THE EXPOSURE OF FOLLY.—Hos_2:10

Warning follows warning, but amid judgment and corruption Israel forgets God and gives up herself to mirth and idolatry. Pleasures allure men astray. But sin and mirth will be separated, and those who refuse Divine mercy will feel Divine justice.

Notice:—

I. Folly decked in gaudy colours. “Lewdness” means folly; for sin is real folly, as holiness is essential wisdom. Foolishness is the natural tendency, the mighty propensity to evil; bound up in the heart, incorporated in the thoughts, and manifest in the life of the sinner. But the folly of sin is often veiled in darkness, decked in ornament and trickery, to attract and deceive. It dazzles by its glitter and ensnares by its mask. The outside is attractive, but the inside is deceptive. There is no substance, no enjoyment in sin; all is shadow and emptiness. Men think themselves wise in their folly, and are praised for their worldly policy (Psa_49:18). They call themselves happy, when applauded by others and blessed with temporal prosperity. But fame and success, wealth and worldly possessions, are impotent in the tomb. The dying worldling “shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.” The pleasures of sin and the pride of life are only rainbow colours to the bubble, giving it tint, but no substance and reality. There is no utility, no rest, no gain in sin. It is not a casual step from the path of wisdom, but the regular and usual course of folly. Essential folly, folly in the grain, folly in its nature, folly in its dress, and folly in its end. “Nought but itself could be its parallel.” It has the fascination and the fangs of a serpent. “It biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” It deceives and destroys. In whatever guise folly presents itself, gross and repellent, subtle and seductive, it must be shunned. “Abstain from all appearance of evil,” or as some, “from everything that not only is evil, but that looks like evil.”

II. Folly exposed to public shame. “Now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers.” Darkness and secresy are no hiding-place to God. His eyes penetrate every place, and his hand can reach every person. Secret sins shall be discovered and their perpetrators exposed. The mask shall be torn away, and sin in its nature and consequences shall appear offensive, lewd, “exceeding sinful.” Men may deny the fact and excuse the fault of sin; may cover crime with lies, and self-righteousness with professional virtues; but a God of truth will bring “to light the hidden things of darkness.” Virtues are hidden and oppressed; wickedness rules; and every day cries out for redress and retribution. Evil-doers shun the light and love darkness. They never will, never did, appreciate the light of holiness and rectitude. It reveals their folly and kindles remorse in their bosom. As foul birds of night, they hide themselves from its beams. The wicked cover their sins from themselves and others. They banish serious thoughts from their minds, stifle convictions, and put on a cheerful appearance. But “he that covereth his sins shall not prosper.” An offended God, who summoned Adam from his hiding-place, will call and condemn the sinner. In public, “in the sight of her lovers,” before men on earth and angels in eternity, they will be put to shame and confusion of face. The darkest deeds are “set in the light of God’s countenance,” and will “be proclaimed upon the house-tops.” “There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.”

III. Folly bereft of every defence. “None shall deliver her out of mine hand.” When God begins to work, who shall let or hinder him? Men say, “It was an oversight,” “I could not help it,” therefore forget it. They plead ignorance, custom, temptation, infirmity, necessity, and fatalism even, to excuse or palliate their guilt. This will never succeed. It was hopeless for Israel to trust to their idols and alliances. The strongest army, the most popular idol, are nothing before God. “All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing and vanity.” The allurements of vice will deceive. Reliance on temporal prosperity, outward formality, and religious ceremony will be in vain. It is only faith in Christ, not confidence in men, that can deliver us. The wicked “strengtheneth himself in his wickedness” (Psa_52:7); but he can neither outwit nor overcome his Judge. Given to wickedness, the sinner and the false professor shall find that “none shall deliver.” “The wicked is driven away in his wickedness” (Pro_14:32); “neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it” (Ecc_8:8).

ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 2

Hos_2:10-11. Mirth. Mirth is a vain and unprofitable passion, not fit for a wise man’s entertainment [Bp. Hall].

Often when in the full enjoyment of all that this world could bestow, my conscience told me, that in the true sense of the word I was not a Christian. I laughed. I sang. I was apparently gay and happy. But the thought would steal across me,—what madness is all this! to continue easy in a state, in which a sudden call out of the world would consign me to everlasting misery, and that when eternal happiness is within my grasp [Wilberforce]. Mirth at a funeral is scarce more indecent or unnatural than a perpetual flight of gaiety and burst of exultation in a world like this; a world which may seem a paradise to fools, but is an hospital with the wise [Dr Young].

Forgetfulness of God, Hos_2:13. Such is the character of all engrossing passion, such is the source of sin to which the soul gives way, in avarice, ambition, worldliness, sensual sin, godless science. The soul at last does not rebel against God; it forgets him. It is taken up with other things, with itself, with the subjects of its thoughts, the objects of its affections, and it has no time for God, because it has no love for him [Pusey].

The gradations of sin.

1. Neglecting God. Neglect of his word, house, and service.

2. Forgetting God. Forgetting his love, goodness, and claims.

3. Departing from God. Departing into danger, error, and punishment.

Forgetfulness of God—a sign of carelessness—a mark of ingratitude and contempt—springs from unbelief and disobedience to God’s command (Deu_4:9; Deu_8:14).

Idolatry in the Church—the top-stone, the height of all crime—hated by God, and pursued by the sinner. Professed believers are too slow after God, but sinners hasten after their lovers. Let their zeal rebuke our tardiness; their punishment turn our steps to God and duty

The two masters.

1. Jehovah forgotten, Baal loved and worshipped.

2. The sacred days of Jehovah turned into festive days of Baal.

3. The gifts of Jehovah devoted to the service and support of Baal. “No man can serve two masters,” &c. Which are you serving? “Choose you this day,” &c.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

That is, all her service, ceremonies and inventions whereby she worshipped her idols.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

lewdness--rather, "the shame of her nakedness"; laying aside the figure, "I will expose her in her state, bereft of every necessary, before her lovers," that is, the idols (personified, as if they could see), who, nevertheless, can give her no help. "Discover" is appropriate to stripping off the self-flatteries of her hypocrisy.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 10. In the sight of her lovers] Her idols, and her faithful or faithless allies.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He pursues the same subject; and the Prophet explains at large, and even divides what he had briefly said before, into many clauses or particulars. He says firsts I will uncover her baseness. How was this done? By God, when he took away the coverings by which the Israelites kept themselves hid: for, as we have said hypocrites felicitate themselves on account of God’s gifts, and thus hide themselves as thieves do in caverns; and they think that they can mock God with impunity; for, through the fatness of their eyes, as it is said in Psalm 73:7, they have but a very dim sight. Now then God declares, that the filthiness of the people would be made to appear, when he deprived them of those gifts with which he had for a time enriched them.

Now, he says, will I uncover her baseness before the eyes of her lovers By this sentence he intimates a change, of which the people were not apprehensive; for, as long as the wicked feel not the strokes, they laugh at all threatening. Hence God, that he might rouse them from such an indifference, says, Now will I uncover her before the eyes of her lovers. The Prophet, no doubt, speaks of false gods, and of all those devices by which the Israelites corrupted the pure worship of God: for I cannot be persuaded to explain this either of the Assyrians or of the Egyptians. I indeed know, as I mentioned briefly yesterday, that the treaties into which the Jews, as well as the Israelites, entered with idolaters, were the tenter-hooks of Satan: this I allow; but at the same time, I look on what the Prophet especially treats of; for he directly inveighs here against absurd and vicious modes of worship. What then does he mean by saying, that God will uncover the baseness of the people before their lovers? He alludes to shameless women, who dare, by terror, to check their husbands, that they may not exercise their own right. “What! do you treat me ill? there is one who will resent this conduct.” Even when husbands indignantly bear their own reproach, they often attempt not to assert their own right, because they see that fear is in the way. But God says, “Nothing will hinder me from chastising thee as thou deserves (for he addresses the people under the character of a wife;) before thy lovers then will I uncover thy baseness.”

And no man shall rescue thee from my hand. The word man is put here for idols; for it is a word of general import among the Hebrews. Sometimes when brute animals are spoken of, this word, man, is used; and it is also applied to the fragments of a carcass. For when Moses describes the sacrifice made by Abraham, ‘Man,’ he says, ‘was laid to his fellow;’ that is, Abraham joined together the different parts of the sacrifice, as we say in French, Il n’y a piece God then speaks here of idols: No one, he says, shall rescue them from my hand. We now comprehend the meaning of the Prophet.

We must, at the same time, see what he had in view. The Israelites indeed thought, that as long as their corrupt modes of worship prevailed, they were safe and secure: it seemed impossible to them that any adversity should happen to them while idolatry continued. As, then, they imagined their false gods to be to them like an invincible rampart, “Thy idols,” he says, “shall remain, and yet thou shalt fall: for I will before thy lovers uncover thy baseness, and not one of them shall deliver thee from my hand.”

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

10. in the sight of her lovers] Note here that the prophet seems to admit the real existence of the Baalim. Seems, but only seems; for in Hos_4:12 he describes the popular oracles as ‘stocks,’ and in Hos_14:3 he describes it as folly to say ‘to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods,’ Hosea’s language here is probably poetically free, just as in Psa_96:4 a psalmist declares that Jehovah is ‘to be feared above all gods’ (’elôhîm), though he adds in Hos_2:5 that ‘all the gods of the nations are but ’elîhîm ‘nothings’ or ‘not-gods.’ The later prophets are more emphatically monotheistic (see Introduction, part v., and comp. on Hos_1:10).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees,.... Which are mentioned for the rest, being the most fruitful and beneficial: this was done when Judea was invaded, overrun and wasted, by the Roman army; and when many were cut down, as Josephus observes, to build forts, and cast up mounts against Jerusalem; so that, he, says (l), the appearance of the earth was miserable, for what before was adorned with trees and gardens, looked now like a wilderness:

whereof she hath said, these are my rewards that my lovers have given me; alluding to the hire of harlots, given them by their gallants; these she ascribed, as she did before her bread, water, wool, flax; and oil, Hos 2:5, not to God, the author and giver of them, but to the people her lovers, as the Targum; or to her idols, or to her beloved tenets, and doing according to them; and which is here mentioned as a reason of the divine resentment, and why he destroyed these fruitful trees:

and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them; make the vines and fig trees like forest trees, barren and unfruitful; the fruitful land of Judea should be turned into a forest, or become like a desert or wilderness, and all the fruits of it should be eaten up by wild beasts; by their enemies, compared to the beasts of the field, particularly the Romans, the fourth beast; see Isa 56:9.

(l) De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 1.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Her lewdness - The word originally means “folly,” and so “foulness.” For sin is the only real folly, as holiness is the only true wisdom. But the folly of sin is veiled amid outward prosperity, and people think themselves, and are thought, wise and honorable and in good repute, and are centers of attraction and leaders of society, so long as they prosper; as it is said, “so long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak of thee” Psa 49:18. But as soon as God withdraws those outward gifts, the mask drops off, and people, being no longer dazzled, despise the sinner, while they go on to hug the sin. God says, “I will discover,” as just before He had said, that His gifts had been given to “cover her.” He would then lay her bare outwardly and inwardly; her folly, foulness, wickedness, and her outward shame; and that, “in the sight of her lovers,” i. e. of those whom she had chosen instead of God, her idols, the heavenly bodies, the false gods, and real devils. Satan must jeer at the wretched folly of the souls whom he deceives.

And none shall deliver her out of My hand - Neither rebel spirits nor rebel people. The evil spirits would prolong the prosperity of the wicked, that so they might sin the more deeply, and might not repent, (which they see people to do amid God’s chastisements,) and so might incur the deeper danmation.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Folly, or shame, Genesis xxxiv. 7., and Judges xix. 23.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

And now, when I make a seizure, and strip her of all that is mine, I will expose her, or else I shortly will do so, ere long.

Her lewdness; the folly and wickedness of her idolatrous worship; and perhaps the corporal lewdnesses which idolaters seldom were free from may be here intended.

In the sight of her lovers; among whom most will loathe her and hoot at her, some secretly despise her; if any shall attempt to help at this dead lift, it shall be to no purpose.

None shall deliver her out of mine hand; they who would deliver her are few and weak, unable to rescue her from the infamy I adjudge her to. In short, as she hath like a strumpet shamelessly sinned, so like a strumpet she shall be shamefully, with greatest infamy, punished; and I, saith the Lord, will see it done.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. Deprivation is followed by disgrace, dispossession by dishonor. The figure of a faithless female being continued, the calamities of Israel are pictured in the extreme deplorableness of her condition. The word navluth does not elsewhere occur, but its meaning is not difficult to ascertain. It denotes literally, "slackness," "laxness," or a withered state, from navel, to be withered, and may be translated either "her shame" or "her turpitude." The LXX has akayarsian , while Jerome renders it stultitiam. Thus she is exposed to the derision and disgust of her former admirers and paramours; while deliverance is out of the question. Her lovers are the idols, or, according to Kimchi," Egypt and Assyria, which cannot deliver her." She who once was the object of delight is become the object of disdain and contempt; nor is there any of her quondam lovers desirous of or able to deliver her out of the hand of him who administers the justly deserved punishment.

Vers. 10-13. Retribution.

Israel"s punishment, while retributive, was reformatory. It is equally true that, while reformatory, it was retributive. It repaid Israel for her sins. It vindicated righteousness. All earthly punishments have this double character. The following principles come to light in the passage:

I SIN ENDS IN THE FULL REVELATION OF ITS HIDEOUSNESS. (Ver. 10) At first its true nature is concealed. It comes with fair appearances; it decks itself in festal garments (ver. 13); it makes large promises. Only at a later period is the mask stripped off, and it appears in its full hideousness. Such a day of revelation will come for every sinner. He will find himself put to shame even in the eyes of those whom he sought to serve. How loathsome even the body can become when sin has wrought its work in it (the drunkard, the harlot)! How much more the soul! Every rag of deceptive appearance will yet be stripped off, and the foul, abhorrent spectacle of depravity exposed to the whole universe.

II SIN ENDS IN THE DYING OUT OF JOY. "I will also cause all her mirth to cease" (ver. 11). This is literally true, even in the present life. After a time, sin ceases to yield the pleasures which at first were found in it. The very capacity for joy dies out. The debauchee, the fortune-hunter, the slaves of fashion, the victims of ambition, know this well.

III SIN ENDS IN THE WITHDRAWAL OF ABUSED PRIVILEGES. (Ver. 11) The feast days, new moons, sabbaths, and other festivals, which Israel had turned into days of unholy carnival, would be taken from her. They were given her for different ends, and she had abused them. We cannot hope to reject God and yet retain unimpaired our religious liberties, opportunities, and blessings; e.g. our sabbaths. These will vanish with our regard for the Giver of them.

IV SIN ENDS IN THE REMOVAL OF NATURAL BLESSINGS. (Ver. 12) Failing in the due acknowledgment of God in the reception of them, we may look for the withdrawal of these also.

V SIN ENDS IN POIGNANT MEMORIES OF AN EVIL PAST. "The days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself," etc. (ver. 13). The memory of past follies is no small part of the sinner"s misery. "Son, remember". J.O. (Luk_16:25)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Her lewdness - Folly and wickedness.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

"And now will I uncover her shame before her lovers, and no one shall tear her out of my hand." The ἅπ. λεγ. נבלוּה, lit., a withered state, from נבל, to be withered or faded, probably denotes, as Hengstenberg says, corpus multa stupra passum, and is rendered freely in the lxx by ἀκαθαρσία. "Before the eyes of the lovers," i.e., not so that they shall be obliged to look at it, without being able to avoid it, but so that the woman shall become even to them an object of abhorrence, from which they will turn away (comp. Nah 3:5; Jer 13:26). In this concrete form the general truth is expressed, that "whoever forsakes God for the world, will be put to shame by God before the world itself; and that all the more, the nearer it stood to Him before" (Hengstenberg). By the addition of the words "no one," etc., all hope is cut off that the threatened punishment can be averted (cf. Hos 5:14).

This punishment is more minutely defined in Hos 2:11-13, in which the figurative drapery is thrown into the background by the actual fact. Hos 2:11. "And I make all her joy keep holiday (i.e., cease), her feast, and her new moon, and her sabbath, and all her festive time." The feast days and festive times were days of joy, in which Israel was to rejoice before the Lord its God. To bring into prominence this character of the feasts, כּל־משׂושׂהּ, "all her joy," is placed first, and the different festivals are mentioned afterwards. Châg stands for the three principal festivals of the year, the Passover, Pentecost, and the feast of Tabernacles, which had the character of châg, i.e., of feasts of joy par excellence, as being days of commemoration of the great acts of mercy which the Lord performed on behalf of His people. Then came the day of the new moon every month, and the Sabbath every week. Finally, these feasts are all summed up in כּל־מועדהּ; for מועד, מועדים is the general expression for all festive seasons and festive days (Lev 23:2, Lev 23:4). As a parallel, so far as the facts are concerned, comp. Amo 8:10; Jer 7:34, and Lam 1:4; Lam 5:15.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

General Information:

Yahweh is speaking to Hosea.

Then I will strip her naked in the sight of her lovers

This means God will humiliate the people of Israel in front of the other nations nearby. See how you translated this in Hosea 2:3. (See: Metaphor)

no one will rescue her out of my hand

No one will try to help Israel. Here "hand" refers to God's power to punish. (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

lover

hand

feast

new moon

Sabbath

appoint

festival

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

But she did not know She did not lay it to her heart, but showed herself as unknowing.

and I gave her much silver and gold but they made it for Baal.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.