Hosea 11:1-2

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Hosea 11:1-7

Here we find, I. God very gracious to Israel. They were a people for whom he had done more than for any people under heaven, and to whom he had given more, which they are here, I will not say upbraided with (for God gives, and upbraids not), but put in mind of, as an aggravation of their sin and an encouragement to repentance. 1. He had a kindness for them when they were young (Hos. 11:1): When Israel was a child then I loved him; when they first began to multiply into a nation in Egypt God... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 11:1

When Israel was a child, then I loved him ,.... Or, "for Israel was a child" F21 כי "quia", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius. ; a rebellious and disobedient one, therefore his king was cut off in a morning, and he has been, and will be, without a king many days; yet still "I loved him": or, "though Israel was a child" F23 "Quamvis sit puer", Tarnovius, Rivet. ; a weak, helpless, foolish, and imprudent one, "yet I loved him": or, "when a child"; in the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 11:2

As they called them, so they went from them ,.... That is, the prophets of the Lord, the true prophets, called Israel to the worship and service of God; but they turned a deaf ear to them, and their backs upon them; and the more they called to them, the further they went from them, and from the way of their duty; see Hosea 11:7 . So the Targum, "I sent the prophets to teach them, but they wandered from them;' Moses and Aaron were sent unto them, and called them out of Egypt, but they... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Hosea 11:1

When Israel was a child - In the infancy of his political existence. I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt - Where he was greatly oppressed; and in this I gave the proof of my love. I preserved my people in their affliction there, and brought them safely out of it. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hosea 11:1

Verse 1 God here expostulates with the people of Israel for their ingratitude. The obligation of the people was twofold; for God had embraced them from the very first beginning, and when there was no merit or worthiness in them. What else, indeed, was the condition of the people when emancipated from their servile works in Egypt? They doubtless seemed then like a man half-dead or a putrid carcass; for they had no vigour remaining in them. The Lord then stretched forth his hand to the people... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hosea 11:2

Verse 2 The Prophet now repeats the ingratitude of the people in neglecting to keep in mind their redemption. The word, “called,” is here to be taken in a different sense. For God effectually called, as they say, the people, or his Son, from Egypt: he has again called by the outward voice or teaching through his Prophets. Hence, when he said before that he called his Son from Egypt, it ought to be understood, as they say, of actual liberation: but now when he says, They have called them, it is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hosea 11:1

EXPOSITION In Hosea 11:1-4 Jehovah enumerates the benefits conferred on Israel all along from the time of their departure out of Egypt. But parallel with this enumeration runs the history of Israel's ingratitude. When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. Driver uses this verse to exemplify the principle that when the reference is to what is past or certain, rather than to what is future or indefinite, we find the predicate or the apodosis... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hosea 11:1

Called out of Egypt. These words refer primarily, of course, to the historical event of the Exodus. But they are also prophetic words, and as such they have been already verified, and still await further verification. When a stone is thrown into a pond, a series of ever-enlarging concentric rings is formed, which extend perhaps to the banks of the water; so in like manner, although the first fulfillment of a prophecy may be near at hand, the prediction may also receive various further and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hosea 11:1

When Israel was a child. There is something wonderfully touching in this representation of God's affection and compassion towards the nation of his choice. The father, distressed in heart because of his son's waywardness and disaffection, recalls the period of that son's childhood, when parental care and love watched over and upheld. and guided him. Now that Israel has done wickedly in departing from God, in the midst of deserved upbraiding and rebuke, the Lord appeals to the memory of early... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hosea 11:1-4

A rich display of God's mercy, love, and long-suffering. One chief design of Scripture is to recommend to sinners the goodness and grace of God "The whole Scripture," says Luther, "aims especially at this, that we doubt not, but certainly hope, trust, and believe that God is gracious, merciful, and long-suffering." I. GOD 'S LOVE IS UNMERITED . This is evident from the condition of Israel when he became the object of this love. That condition was one of childhood, and so of... read more

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