Hosea 1:11

Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together,.... Not at the return from the Babylonish captivity; for, though some of the ten tribes might be mixed with the Jews

Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

This verse without doubt hath in it both an historical sense and a mystical or spiritual sense; it looketh somewhat to the return out of the Babylonish captivity, and to their settling in Canaan; but it looketh further to a more glorious deliverance from a more miserable captivity. Then; in the type and history, when the Babylonish captivity is dissolved, and the captives are loosed. The children of Judah; the children of the two tribes, who adhered to the house of David, who were carried captives, but under promise of a redemption from it. The children of Israel; some of the ten tribes who either went over to and did incorporate with the kingdom of Judah, and so were carried captives with them; or some of the ten tribes which the children of Judah found in the kingdom of Babylon, which having swallowed up the Assyrian monarchy, now the ten tribes were captives to their conquering sword. Thus in type, but it is spiritually and mystically to be understood of the whole Israel of God, Jew and Gentile, redeemed by and converted to Christ, in the day of his power. Be gathered together, by the power of God, by the decree Of Cyrus, by each other, heartening one another to return; so the type: in the antitype, shall be gathered together by the Spirit of God, the preaching of the gospel, and mutual instruction, exhortation, and encouragements of each other Appoint themselves one head; Zerubbabel in type, who was appointed by Cyrus, yet with full approbation of the people, putting themselves under his conduct, to carry them up to Jerusalem. But in the antitype Christ, appointed by the Father Head of his church, whom believers, heartily accepting, may in large sense be said to appoint to themselves. Out of the land; literally, out of Babylon; spiritually, out of captivity of sill and Satan. For great, good, joyous, and comfortable, shall be the day of Jezreel; of the seed or people of God, the sons of God once dispersed, but now gathered by the gospel.

Hosea 1:11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great [shall be] the day of Jezreel.Ver. 11. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together] i.e. they shall unite into one body, and one religion, and shall all make one entire kingdom, Ezekiel 37:22; Ezekiel 37:24. Christ once lifted up, shall draw all things to himself, John 12:32 : and wherever this carcase is, there will the spiritual eagles be also, Matthew 24:28. Caiaphas, like another Balaam, prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation: and not for that nation only, but that also he "should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad," John 11:51-52. This is the gathering together here mentioned: Christ shall be one among his people, and his name one, Zechariah 14:9. They shall serve the Lord with one shoulder, Zephaniah 3:9. It seems to be a metaphor taken from oxen that are yoked together, and that set their shoulders jointly to the work. Surely, the more the gospel prevaileth, the more peace there will be. They shall be gathered together in that day. So when Christ shall be preached, and obedience yielded to his government, Isaiah 9:7, then shall there be a blessed harmony of hearts: then shall they fly in flocks to the ordinances, as the doves to their windows: then shall they come to the Lord’ s house upon "horses, and in chariots, and in litters," Isaiah 66:20. And appoint themselves one head] The Lord Christ, called David their King, Hosea 3:5. A multitude gathered under this one head, and united to him, is a Church. This head is indeed appointed, and set up over the Church by God, Psalms 2:6 Ephesians 1:22. But the saints are said to appoint Christ their head, and, indeed, to set the crown upon his head, as Son 3:11, when they choose him and embrace him for their sovereign, when with highest estimations, most vigorous affections, and utmost endeavours of unfeigned obedience, they set him up in their hearts, and serve him in their lives; giving him the preeminence, and holding all in capite in Christ: yea, holding of the head, as the apostle’ s expression is, Colossians 2:19, not of Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas. That popish buzzard was utterly out, who said that he had found in the dictionaries that Cephas signifieth a head, and that therefore Peter was head of the Church. For neither does Cephas signify a head, but a stone or rock; nor, if it did, would that prove what he allegeth it for. Judah and Israel shall appoint to themselves one head, not more than one. The Church is not bellua multorum capitum: neither is there any need of a ministerial head of the Church: indeed, there is a contradiction in the very mention of it (as one well observeth), - a ministerial head!

(11) Shall come up out of the land.—Better, shall go up out of, &c., a phrase frequently occurring in Scripture, to denote the marching forth to war. Israel shall then be united. The envy of Israel and Judah shall cease. (Isaiah 11:12-13; Ezekiel 34:24; Ezekiel 37:24). A world-wide dominion shall be established under the restored theocracy. Under the word “land,” no reference is made by the prophet to exile, either in Babylon, Assyria, or Egypt, but Palestine is evidently meant. Then the true Israel, having chosen their true king, shall demonstrate the greatness of the day of Jezreel. The brothers and sisters will then drop the curse involved in their names, and recognise the Divine proprietorship of Jehovah and the abundance of His pity.

Verse 11. The children of Judah and the children of Israel] After the return from Babylon, the distinction between Israel and Judah was entirely destroyed; and those of them that did return were all included under one denomination, Jews; and the one head may refer to Zerubbabel their leader, and afterwards under Ezra and Nehemiah. In the more extensive view of the prophet the one Head may mean Jesus Crist, under whom the true Israel, Jews and Gentiles, shall be finally gathered together; so that there shall be one flock, and one Shepherd over that flock. They shall come up out of the land] Assyria and Chaldea in particular; but also from the various places of their dispersions in general. Great shall be the day of Jezreel.] He alludes to the meaning of the word, the seed of God. God who has dispersed - sown, them in different lands, shall gather them together; and that day of God's power shall be great and glorious. It was a wonderful seed time in the Divine justice; it shall then be a wonderful harvest in the Divine mercy. He sowed them among the nations in his wrath; he shall reap them and gather them in his bounty.

11. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together] Thus the schism of north and south shall be healed (comp. Isaiah 11:13, Ezekiel 37:22)—a schism to which by implication Hosea denies the Divine sanction, on the ground (we may suppose) that Jehovah being one, His people must also be one. See on Hosea 3:4, and comp. Hosea 3:3, Hosea 8:4, Hosea 13:10-11. In the last passage, however, Jehovah is represented as in a certain sense sanctioning the usurping dynasties of Israel (‘in His anger’), and in the idealizing description which follows (chap. 14) Judah seems to find no place appoint themselves one head] The ‘one head’ is doubtless the Davidic king (Hosea 3:5). come up out of the land] The recruited people, too numerous for ‘the land to bear them’, shall seek to enlarge their territory (comp. Amos 9:12, Isaiah 11:14, Micah 2:12-13). The ‘land’ spoken of can only be Palestine, since there is nothing in the context to suggest that either the land of captivity (as Kimchi, following the Targum) or the earth in general is intended. ‘Come up’ should rather be go up, i.e. march to battle, as Nahum 2:2, Joe 1:6, and often. for great shall be the day of Jezreel] The result of the warlike enterprise of Judah and Israel is not expressly mentioned, but the addition of these words permits no doubt of its success. Hosea means by the phrase, not the day on which Jehu’s guilty dynasty shall be cut short; for the name Jezreel has now been freed from all gloomy associations, and become a title of the regenerate people of Israel. Besides, in phrases like ‘the day of Jezreel’, the name is always either that of a person, or of a place, or a city personified.

Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together - A little image of this union was seen after the captivity in Babylon, when some of the children of Israel, i.