If this whole chapter is not taken as being said by the prophet to the apostles that they should proclaim the mercy of God to the Jews as well as to the Gentiles, then I do not see what the prophet wants. Therefore, the prophet puts into the mouths of the apostles that by which he wants to call the Jews to faith. The opinion is: You who believe, take this office upon you to punish your sister, the synagogue.
V. 2. Tells them to put away their adultery from their breasts.
"The breasts" are the teachers who feed the people with their teaching. For as a mother suckles a child from her breasts, so a teacher nourishes the people through his teaching. If this is good, they increase by it, but if it is bad, they perish. This whole text is not to be understood in such a way that it deals with what follows the future of Christ, but with things already present and also with things to come.
V. 5. I will run after my wooers.
Making a false god and committing idolatry is not making another god,
which is impossible, and this is not the opinion of the one who does it, since he thinks that by doing so he will reconcile the true God. But it is a real idolatry, since we misuse the name of God for the most ungodly lies, for works, for ceremonies and our dreams, because God does not have this intention, nor does he remember it. So my memory invents that as God, which is not God, and such a one, for which he does not want to be taken. I will take an example of this: King Ahab set up Baal and burned incense to him, not under the name that that idol was the devil and that worship was devilish, but he thought like this: "Behold, I set up the image pillar to honor the true God who brought us out of Egypt. Sacrifice to this god and burn incense at this image pillar. Behold, this worship is called idolatry, and contrary to the first commandment, and devilish, because it is different from that which God commanded and commanded to be kept. It is the same with us with the images, since we say that under this image the true God is worshipped and no other. This is not a lie; it is a service of Baal,
God does not want it that way. For idolatry is first of all internal, since it invents a false idea of God, imagines Him differently, conceives of a different worship than He wants. That is why the whole of Scripture insists that the true God be rightly recognized, and it is all due to the first commandment. The root of idolatry is the false thought with which one forms false ideas about God, as is the case with us now, where so many ways of serving God have been invented.
V. 13. So I will visit upon them the days of Baalim.
Why they called the idol Baal is not sufficiently known, but I suppose that they called him masculum, "the men", because his work seemed to be perfect. So we call "male (masculum), which is the best, as masculum oleum, "ore oil" (Oertzöl). But it Baal denotes a husband who has a wife under him. And they gave him this name for this reason, because the service of this idol should be the most perfect and unlimited, and far surpass that which Moses had given. Therefore they called him the arch-god (άρχί&εον), because they worshipped him with the most perfect service.-"With forehead braces" (Inauris). 1) Inauris [earrings) means the word of faith, which should be constantly in our ears.
V. 15 The valley of Achor.
It is not doubtful to me that this expression was said by the Jews as a proverbial image of those who were hard-pressed and lived most miserably. If we had the right Hebrew grammar, in which the manner of speech of this language, the figures, the flowery speeches (schemata), the proverbs were taught, then the Bible, which is otherwise very difficult, would undoubtedly become very easy for us.
V. 16. Then 2c.
A glorious text and entirely spoken of the new testament and the preaching of the gospel. - "And me no more my
1) Erlanger (here and immediately following): In aurls instead of inauris.
Baal." That is, my wife will no longer call me my Baal, that is, I will destroy that reliance on works, and that worship, which they consider perfect, 2) I will also destroy when I give the preaching of the Gospel. Here you have a clear text that they have attributed the service of this idol to the true God, and thought that this is served by it. Nor must you think that Ahab and Jezebel were such foolish and foolish princes that they would have sacrificed to the devils. They were very wise and understanding princes, so that you can hardly know any other king who ruled more blessedly and beneficially. They were not like our princes, who are real lummoxes and incomprehensible, so that one cannot even know whether they are human beings. Ahab was driven by excessive cleverness (I am speaking of the carnal) to invent and establish this new service, through which, he believed, his god, who had led them out of Egypt, would be given the honor due to him. Accordingly, he imitated the Law of Moses in its entirety, and believed that through this service God was more properly honored than through the Law itself. Therefore, the highest honors followed it; this worship increased, great wealth was spent on it, and nothing was omitted that could promote it. But what did David, the very powerful king, not suffer! He was persecuted by King Saul, then driven out by his son Absalom, severely punished by God. For the godless service is followed by the highest honor, the godly by the cross and disgrace.
V. 18. And I will make them a covenant.
Above he said how a Christian is led into solitude, that is, from the physical realm into the spiritual. But a covenant is made with him to keep it, that is, not to harm but only to benefit, both the birds of the air and the worms of the earth, both death and sin. For by faith he has all things. For Paul says [Rom. 8:31:]
2) Instead of xuMbanb we have assumed xutant.
10Z8 D. xxiv. 104-106. interpretations on the prophets. W. vi. ism-isos. 1039
"If GOD is for us, who may be against us?" - "And will let them dwell safely." When the prophets describe the kingdom of Christ, they make it a calm, quiet and peaceful kingdom. Therefore, the evangelists write that the highest peace was in the world when Christ was born, indicating that to a Christian man, who belongs to Christ's kingdom, everything is calm and quiet and peaceful, and he does not fear death, sin and hell, knowing that nothing can harm him, but only benefit him.
V. 19. I will betroth myself to you.
It is not only said: I make a covenant, 1) but: "I will betroth myself to you", as if he wanted to say: I will be the bridegroom, you will be the bride. But he could have expressed God's love for us by a higher simile. What love is more fierce, holy and lasting than that between a bridegroom and a bride? Therefore, if there were no other promise than this, we would be sufficiently certain that God has the most gracious disposition toward us. - "In righteousness and judgment." "Righteousness" is whereby we are made righteous by GOD, "judgment" whereby we rule over the flesh. For as soon as we are justified, we are immediately lords, and rule both over the flesh and over death. And so far does our righteousness extend as his kingdom extends, and will then cease when his kingdom shall cease. In short, a Christian rules everywhere, he is a prince over all, and there will be no end to this kingdom. - "In grace and mercy." Chesed, Rachamim. The Hebrew language is richer in words expressing grace and mercy than the Greek and Latin. But it is actually "grace" that Paul calls, the Latin beneficium, the German "Gottesgüte". There are several such passages, both in the Psalms and in other prophets, including Paul. However perfect we may be, we do fall at times. But even if this sin would be so great, it will be forgiven to the bride, and this means: "in mercy" [Ps. 103, 4.].
1) Erlanger: xueis eor instead of: xueiseor.
V. 20. Yes, in faith I will betroth myself to you.
This Hebrew expression [XXXXX] can also be interpreted in this way: in the currency, 2) and someone could make many quibbles here that the faith is not meant. But what was the point of that? There is little in it, however the expression is translated, if only the sense remains intact. Paul sometimes translates the expressions in a different way in order to shut the mouths of the wranglers who argue about one expression. The opinion is: everything that is not faith is not the bride; everything that is apart from faith is an adulteress. But where faith will be, there everything will be perfect. We will increase from day to day, from one virtue to another.
V. 21. At the same time.
Paul to the Corinthians [2 Cor. 6, 2.] says: "I have heard thee in the acceptable time." Ps. 32:6: "For this shall all the saints beseech thee in due season." In the New Testament, Christians are given this honor, that they may be sure that God will hear them. For the spirit represents us [Rom. 8, 26]. There stands the word of GOD [Luc. 11, 9.]: "Ask, "and it will be given to you." The opinion of this text is this: I will see to it that my Christians have all things superfluous, and that they lack nothing both in spiritual and bodily goods; they shall have oil, wine, grain. But in the meantime let them be mindful of the valley of Achor, when it seems to us that we are afflicted with want, hunger, and dishonor. For a Christian is fed even in the midst of famine. Thousands of people would rather perish than one Christian.
V. 22. And the same shall hear Jezreel. 3)
Respondebunt would be better than exaudient. Why he called the Christians Jezreel, is not
2) Instead of virtute in the original we have assumed vsrituts according to the previous relation.
3) In our original exuuüiet, for which (according to the Vulgate) 6xuu6i6ut is to be read. Accordingly, rsspon^sbunt and exaudisnt must be read immediately afterwards instead of rssxonäsdit and exarMiet, as the previous redaction testifies.
known enough. I think the prophet adds this to make the prophecy dark. But I understand it this way: As Jezreel was a city of the kingdom and the head in Israel, so all churches and assemblies of the Christians are called Jezreel, because there Christ, the head, and the seat of the kingdom is. The prophet is obviously speaking here of the spiritual kingdom, as is clear from the text. So it means Isa
reel according to the secret interpretation the church, in which "the seed" [v. 23.] is the word of God, which Christ sows 2c. Above [Cap. 1, 4. 5.] it is to be understood of the fleshly Jezreel and the fleshly kingdom. Therefore the prophets, and so also all Scripture, must be interpreted as the words read, and nothing must be drawn from secret interpretation unless supreme necessity requires it.