It is a question of which captivity the prophet is talking about here. Some have understood it of the Babylonian captivity, others of the Roman. If I might venture, I would maintain that he is speaking of the former captivity of which he has hitherto spoken, namely, the Assyrian, for we have no other captivity of the children of Israel than this. But I leave to each his opinion. But the sum of this chapter is that he describes the captivity of the children of Israel, which they suffered from the Assyrians, and that after that they would return to Christ.
V. 1. and court a jug of wine (Et diligunt vinacea).
Here the Hebrew language leaves us. Therefore, we must see with foreign eyes, because this word is interpreted in many ways. But I read it like this: vinacea uvarum [grape marc], so that it is a proverbial way of speaking, as if he wanted to say: Although I, the Lord, love this people so much, and although I forgive them their misdeeds so often, they turn away from me and go after strange gods. Let them now go and fill themselves with the marc, since they do not want the must, that is, let them treat my law in such a way that they turn the spiritual teachings into carnal ones, that is, into human teachings, which are in truth marc. That is, they seem to be something good, but when you taste them, they are not good.
you get nothing but husks 1) and deaf oats. So such teachings, with which those people deal, seem to be good and divine; they accept them because they have not respected the divine teachings. And we say: Sus amaracum. 2)
V. 2. And I became one with her.
A homer of barley was a kind of grain measure, as with us "a bushel". So in Hebrew ten homers, which is "a malt," just as cad (χάδος) is a wine measure, "a measure." But the prophet here seems to indicate that the good given to the harlot has certain limits and a prescribed measure. The other, which concerns David, has no number, that is, it will have no end in eternity.
V. 4. Without ephod and without sanctuary (Sine Ephod et sine Theraphim).
I do not believe that the prophet is talking about the "ephod" which was appointed by God in Jerusalem. For as Jerome interprets it, it means images that were on top of the garment. But as he spoke above of the perverse service, so he speaks here of the perverse ornaments. "Theraphim" does not otherwise have a good meaning in Scripture,
1) Instead of sili^inern (fine wheat flour) we adopted ciliquarn after the previous redaction.
2) The Weimar edition notes: "S. Oellius praskat. 19."
1042 L.xxiv,io8f. Interpretations on the prophets. W. vi, isi2-isis. 1043
therefore it is not necessary to explain it here in a good sense. But it means images and idols, which were not allowed in the holy city, but in the Amorite Bethel, where the calf service was. So it means: As I make a covenant with that adulteress that she shall not be with another man, so shall you be widows and leave your altars and your idolatry.
V. 5. After this the children of Israel will be converted.
These words must be understood of the kingdom of the spirit, and by David is to be understood Christ, so that the immeasurable
and rich mercy of God must be understood by this word "grace" (bonum). The opinion is: the Israelites who are freed from this captivity will recognize the true good from the preaching of the apostles, which they will accept and honor and also fear. There is nothing but good and an abundance of good, so that they will no longer be troubled by the law and the servitude of the law, but will know Christ in pure faith.
So far the first part of the prophecy is treated, by which the prophet indicates the omens of future things. In the following he will deal with present things, namely with their vices.