Verse 8
"Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have answered and will regard him: I am like a green fir-tree; from me is thy fruit found."
It should be noted that God is the speaker in the last part of the verse where a very unusual Biblical comparison extols the Father as the source of fruit and safety. The metaphorical structure of much of this chapter, in which spiritual blessings appear under the terminology of material and earthly prosperity should not obscure the actual meaning. Butler's quotation from Keil explains it thus:
"The salvation which this promise sets before the people when they shall return to the Lord is indeed depicted according to the circumstances and peculiar views prevailing in the Old Testament, as earthly growth and prosperity; but its real nature is such that it will receive a spiritual fulfillment in those Israelites alone who are brought to belief in Jesus Christ."[18]
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