Hosea 8:10

Yea, though they have hired among the nations,.... That is, lovers, as before; got into confederacies and alliances with the nations about them, thinking thereby to strengthen their hands, and secure

Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.

Yea, though; or, Yea, because; they think this the way to prevent their calamities, but it shall appear this was the ready way to bring their calamities upon them; and forasmuch as they have hired the aid of the nations to secure them against their God and his judgments, therefore, &c. Gather them; bring Israel together by a secret and unfailing train. I will, saith God, assemble and herd them together, that they may be taken and destroyed together. Others say, God will gather the nations together against Israel. They shall sorrow a little, for a while before their final captivity they shall complain and be grieved, for the burden of the king of princes; the tribute laid on them by the king and princes, i.e. of Israel; but better as we read it, the king of Assyria, the great king who boasted of his princes.

Hosea 8:10 Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.Ver. 10. Yea, though they have hired among the nations] The uncircumcised; strangers to the promises, and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, that they should so far distrust God and debase themselves as to seek help of such; this went near to the heart of God, and was very grievous. They brought up an evil report upon God’ s housekeeping, charged him with unfaithfulness to his people, whom he now seemed to leave in the lurch, to shift for themselves in their straits; and hardened his enemies in their wicked but yet more prosperous condition. Felix scelus virtus vocatur Pleasent wickedness is called virtue. (Cic. de Divin., lib. ii.). How would these heathens hug themselves in the conceit that Israel should do thus, who was God’ s portion, Deuteronomy 32:9, the dearly beloved of his soul, Jeremiah 12:7, of whom it was anciently sung, and commonly said among the heathen, "The Lord hath done great things for them," Psalms 126:2. "Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help; and who is the sword of thine excellence! and thine enemies shall he found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places," Deuteronomy 33:29. Whosoever was free of the city of Rome might not accept any freedom in another city; for they were counted a dishonour to Rome. And will not God take it in ill part from his covenanters, to seek or make after correspondence with his enemies, and safety by them? The help of the wicked are at the best perfidious, and at length pernicious to the Church: Ecclesiae sunt tandem perniciosa et semper perfidiosa. Now will I gather them] This the Chaldee and the Vulgate make to he a promise of bringing back their captivity; when indeed it is a commination of carrying them into captivity. I will gather them] That is, either the enemies against Israel or else Israel for the enemies; ut eos acervatim perdam, that I may lay them heaps upon heaps, and gather them, as dead corpses slain in battle are gathered together for burial. Or, I will gather them, to the end that I may disperse them. And they shall sorrow a little] And but a little now, for the burden of the king of princes] For the taxes and tributes exacted from them by the king of Assyria (whose nobles were princes, 2 Kings 18:24 Isaiah 10:5-7 2 Kings 15:19; 2 Kings 15:29. But all this is but a little; it is but the beginning of sorrows; it is but small drops forerunning the great storm; or as a crack forerunning the fall of the house. They shall sorrow much more hereafter, when carried captive, and made a scorn to the scum of the people: see Deuteronomy 32:42.

(10) There is much difference of opinion as to the interpretation of this verse. Much depends on the reference of the word “them.” We prefer to regard it as referring to Ephraim rather than to the nations (i.e., Assyria and Egypt). Render, I will gather them (Israel) together, so that in a short time they may delay (this translation approved by Ewald, Wünsche, and Simson) to render the tribute burden due to the king of princes (i.e., the Assyrian monarch). “Gather them together,” i.e., in restraint, so that they cannot roam so wildly, seeking help (Ewald). This accords with Hosea 2:8-9; Hosea 3:4. Such non-payment of tribute actually occurred a few years later (2 Kings 17:4). Others render it: I will gather these nations (of the East) round about her to look scornfully on her ruin, and they shall sorrow a little (used ironically) at the imposition of the king of the princes.

Verse 10. For the burden of the king of princes.] The exactions of the Assyrian king, and the princes of the provinces.

10. This verse is obscure, and open to a variety of interpretations; the following however seems by far the most probable. Yea, though they have hired among the nations] Rather, Yea, though they hire, &c. i.e. though they attain a certain amount of success in their negotiations, and win the protection of some stronger nation, yet the time has come for me to check their misplaced activity. now will I gather them] Surely not, ‘now will I gather the Assyrian army to fight against them’, which does not suit the context (mark ‘yea, though’), but, ‘now will I restrain their roving propensities.’ Where or how, we are not yet told; it is captivity which is dimly hinted at. This interpretation is strongly confirmed by the next clause. and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes] ‘The king of princes’ is a phrase not found elsewhere, but might conceivably = ‘the king of kings’, which is a title claimed by Tiglath-Pileser I. (Records of the Past, Hosea 5:8, comp. Ezekiel 26:7). The ‘burden’ might be the heavy tribute paid by Menahem (2 Kings 15:20). But why ‘sorrow a little’? No better sense is made by rendering ‘and they shall begin to be diminished [in numbers, or in prosperity] by reason of the burden of the king of princes’; why ‘begin’? A third rendering, ‘and they shall soon be in anguish through the burden’ &c. involves a violation of Hebrew usage (‘soon’ should be ‘a little’). The only remedy is to follow the Septuagint, which reads two of the Hebrew words differently, and render that they may cease for a little from anointing a king and princes (all the versions and some Hebr. MSS. sanction ‘and’). Comp. Hosea 13:10 ‘Give me a king and princes’, from which it seems as if the personnel of the class of ‘princes’ would vary according as the king were of one dynasty or another. In Judah, at any rate, as well as in Egypt, we know that the royal princes enjoyed many of the more important offices under the crown (comp. Isaiah 7:13; Jeremiah 17:20; 1 Kings 22:26; 2 Kings 25:25).

Yea, though they have hired - Or better, “because or when they hinge among the pagan, now will I gather them;” i. e., I will gather the nations together. The sin of Israel should bring its own punishment.

6. From Israel was it also [“is even this”] — What? Evidently the calf of Hos 8:5. In its establishment Jehovah had no part; it is the work of Israel; therefore the former has cast it off.