Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1839 edition. Excerpt: ... THE PROPHET HOSEA. GENERAL PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. That the efforts of the prophet were directed to the kingdom of Israel, is so obvious as to admit of no question. But different opinions are entertained, as to whether he originated among those to whom he preached, or was called by God out of the kingdom of Judah. The latter has been asserted with great confidence by Maurer, among others, Observv. in Hos. in the Comment at t. Thcoll. II. 1. p. 293. But the grounds on which he relies, will not bear examination. He appeals 1. to the superscription. He supposes, that the fact of its mentioning all the kings of Judah among whom Hosea labored, while only one of the kings of Israel is spoken of, shows, especially on a comparison of the superscription of Amos, that the prophet acknowledged the kings of Judah as his sovereigns. But the relation is here entirely overlooked, in which the pious in Israel generally, and particularly the prophets, stood to the kingdom of Judah. They considered the whole separation, not merely the religious, but also the civil, as an apostasy from God. How could they we'll do otherwise, since the everlasting dominion over the Theocracy had been imparted by God to the tribe of David 1 How closely the religious and the civil affairs were connected is evident from the fact, that Jeroboam and all his successors despaired of maintaining their power, unless they made the schism, in a religious respect, as great as possible. The chief of the prophets in the kingdom of Israel, Elias, by taking twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, (1 Kings 18: 31, ) plainly declared, that he held the separation as one not existing in theory, and therefore to be hereafter done away in reality, the government in the...
