Verse 4
"I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love; and I was drawn to them as they that lift up the yoke on their jaws; and I laid food before them."
Some of the renditions in this verse appear to be questionable; but the meaning is plain enough as Butler paraphrased it:
"I eased all their burdens like a farmer pushes back the yoke upon his oxen, so they may eat their food in comfort; I even fed them manna from heaven, food for which they did not work."[6]
"I drew them with cords of a man ..." This is evidently a reference to the leading strings by which small children are kept near their parents, a device one may see to this day in certain sections of New York City. "Cords" here contrasts with "ropes" by which animals were restrained. The view of such "cords" as "bands of love" is very expressive.
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