V. 1. This is the word of the Lord that has come to pass etc.
According to the Hebrew way, the prophet begins the book with a superscription in order to indicate through it what, as we see, happens with all words of God. For where wrath remains, there also remains God's vengeance against the opponents of truth, and a very special revelation of the word of God takes place. But Hosea begins in a ridiculous manner and at a very inopportune time, since the affairs of the Jews were exceedingly well off at that time. For before the Jews had been oppressed by the Assyrians, but through Jeroboam they were restored to their former state [2 Kings 14:25 ff.] Therefore they lived securely and feared nothing. But Hosea began to preach such things as were quite contrary to the present state, which seemed to the Jews to be altogether incongruous. For they boasted that they had a gracious God, because their numbers became great, and because of the blessedness of the kingdom and because of God.
tes blessing over them. Therefore, the sermon of Hosea was considered inconsistent, and nothing less was in view than what was to come. But this is the way of the word of God, that it is set against the most wise, the most learned and the most flourishing. Nevertheless, Israel was puffed up and boasted of its privilege, namely that it was the people of God. Therefore, they judged it to be inconsistent that Hosea preached that they would be the very last in the sight of God.
V. 2. And when the Lord began to speak. 2)
The Lord uses an extraordinarily foolish beginning so that he may further provoke the people's rage against Hosea. - "Go and take a harlot woman." At the er-
1) Instead of äoum we have assumed äso. The sentence: kors ipsum äoum ommum novisÄmnm was already offensive to the old translator, therefore he removed it. -
2) This keyword: Drirmipium loouemäi Domino is set by us. In the original only here is written: Oaput I and for the second time: vsrbum äomini as keyword.
*This writing is copied from the same lectures of Luther on the prophet Hosea in 1524 as the previous one. It was published in Basel in 1526 under the title: In Osoam xropkets-m anNotationss a Älartino Dutksro WittomdorMo praolsetao. ^nno N.D.XXVI. At the end: ^puä Hiomum WolKum Xnno Ll.D.XXVI. octav. About this book the Erlangen edition says, oxos. opp., tom. XXIV, p. 93, that it may never have reached beyond the vicinity of Basel and never reached Central Germany, because this writing was not included in either the Wittenberg or the Jena Latin editions. However, the Weimar edition reports (Vol. XIII, p. XX1) that the book is not so rare, since it is found in Cyprian's library, from which Walch published it, in the royal library in Berlin, in the city library in Breslau, in the Rathsschulbibliothek in Zwickau, in the possession of Knaake and the editor (Koffmane). The re-writer will be a southern German listener, because the words spoken by Luther in German are "transferred as far as possible into upper German language form and orthography". These notes are far more scanty than those of the previous redaction, which may be due in part to "the fact that the scribe could not follow the lecture so quickly," and in part to the fact that some things were probably omitted during the revision of the text before printing (Weim. Ausg., I. e. p. XXID. The fourteenth chapter is missing entirely, and only four notes on the thirteenth chapter are included. We would like to attribute the non-inclusion in the old editions to this deficiency. Walch first published this work in a German translation. In Latin, it is first found in the Erlangen edition, opp. XXIV, p. 97, then in the Weimar edition, vol. XIII, p. 2 in the form of notes to the preceding text. We have followed the Weimar edition in the translation, which has improved many of the errors of the Erlanger. We have endeavored to improve some errors that still exist.
Many have struggled to clarify this text. Jerome was still lacking in a tolerable way, considering the antics of the school theologians who say that it is commanded that we should fornicate. But since this is unworthy and unbearable, we let it go. Jerome says that the prophet took a whore, but that she lived chastely afterwards. It seems to me ["whore woman", XXXXX XXX] here.
to be a proper name of the woman, as afterwards [v. 9. 6.] "Not my people" [LoAmmi], "Not mercy" [LoRyhamo/ etc., that she should represent the shame of the people, that that fornicating woman and the children begotten of fornication should indicate the idolatry in this fornicating people. If someone understands it in this way, he can easily get out of the difficulties that the school theologians have made. - "For the land runneth after fornication from the Lord." This is the cause of the foregoing: as a lewd person fornicates away from his husband in a carnal way, so the soul that is shepherded by God's Word alone, but turns away from Him to human teachings, is said to fornicate.
V. 4. Call him Jezreel.
This son represents all Israelites as one person, because he says that he will pay the blood debt of Jezreel. So that no one has an obstacle when reading the prophets, he must know that the kingdom of Israel was divided into two parts, into the kingdom of Judah, which had two tribes and was small in number of people, and the kingdom of Israel, which consisted of ten tribes. - "For it is yet for a little." This is a hard prophecy and unbelievable to the people. Therefore they despised the prophet, and cared not for him, as a liar and a heretic. In this you see the blindness of human nature. The people thought they were growing and doing well. But here he preached the future wrath, because he sees in the spirit the coming devastation. Thus, the wicked judge God by His benefits, and if they think that He is most favorable, they will find Him to be a terrible judge. - "The Blood Debt at Jezreel." It is doubtful whether this is in active or in
is to be taken in a suffering way. Whichever of the two one may assume, nothing comes to this history, 1) what one reads about Jehu [2 Kings 10:25], namely that he shed blood. It also cannot be referred to the blood of Naboth. Therefore one must guess here and believe the prophet that the house of 2) Jehu shed the blood of many, and it is probable that he also killed many prophets, 3) who could not help crying out against ungodliness and false worship, as it took place in this twofold service of the calves. If this remained unharmed [so the people thought], 4) so also the kingdom remained unharmed, again, if this had been taken away, so also the kingdom must fall. Therefore, they resisted the prophets in every way to keep the kingdom unharmed. Namely so extraordinarily God-fearing (religiosi) they were.
V. 5. I will break the bow of Israel.
By "bow" he means all the weapons with which the Jews fought against the kings of the Assyrians. But God broke that bow, in which they trusted more than in Him. Therefore, we see that the people who were puffed up by such a glorious privilege were abandoned. But that kingdom had to be diminished so that the kingdom of Judah would become stronger, which has been afflicted many times, but not destroyed from the ground up. For God says [Ps. 89, 34]: I will not turn away my mercy from my people forever. Thus it is said in the first book of Moses [Cap. 49, 10.], "The scepter of Judah shall not be taken away."
V. 6. LoRyhamo (Absque misericordia).
As if to say: Call them non-mercy. Because "Lo" means "not", and "Ryhama" mercy, as if he wanted to say
1) If one wanted to bring this relation in line with the previous one, then instead of sueeurrit it would have to be read: sueeurrunt, and other changes of the text would have to be made.
2) Instead of äomiruiM. will read äollium.
3) Here our pattern has a punctum. - Instead of potsst, which follows immediately, we have assumed potsraut. The old translator despaired of a solution and omitted the following in this note.
4) Added by us after the first redaction.
1034 xxiv. loo-iüs. Interpretations- about the prophets. W. vi. ibm-isoi. 1035
say: she shall not be in mercy. For the daughter was without mercy and represented the people on whom God would no longer have mercy. Previously, we read that God would destroy the kingdom of Israel, therefore He would not only overthrow it, but also never restore it, which is exceedingly terrifying.
V. 10. And shall be done in that place.
As if to say, I will raise up another people, but not in Jerusalem nor in Judea, but in the place where there is not a people, that is, among the Gentiles.
V.11. For the children of Judah and the children of Israel will come in multitudes.
Israel must never physically become one with Judah again, but spiritually with
Judah will become one... "And will hold one another to one head," that is, to Christ. Therefore, the text must be understood in this way: one passage [v. 6] of bodily unity, the other [v. 11] of spiritual unity. Otherwise both would be false and contradictory to each other. - "For the day of Jezreel shall be a great day." "The great day" is that which the risen Sun of righteousness, Christ, illuminates. - "Jezreel." Jezreel is a city and an exceedingly powerful residence of the Kingdom. So he wants that people to dwell no longer in the fleshly Jezreel, but in the heavenly one. This is certainly a dark passage, and added to make the prophecy dark. For this is God's counsel, that we should understand His counsel in the last time.