ver. 8-11. The
measure of guilt is determined by the measure of grace. The relation of
the Lord to Judah was closer, and hence, her apostacy was so much the
more culpable. _Farther_--A detailed announcement of salvation for
Judah would here not be suitable, inasmuch as no threatening preceded;
and ver. 18 ("In those days, the house of Judah shall come by the side
of [literally, 'over'] the house of Israel," according to which the
return of Judah is, in the meantime, a subordinate point which has here
been mentioned incidentally) clearly shows that that announcement of
salvation, contained in vers. 14-17, refers to Israel. To Israel the
Prophet immediately returns in ver. 19; for, from the contrast to the
house of Judah in ver. 18, and to Judah and Jerusalem in chap. iv. 3,
it is evident that by the house of Israel in ver. 20, and by the sons
of Israel in ver. 21, Israel, in the stricter sense, is to be
understood. _Finally_--It will be seen from the exposition, that it is
only on the supposition that Israel is addressed, that the contents of
ver. 16, 17, become intelligible.--In our explanation of the words
[Hebrew: ki anki belti atkM], we follow the precedent of the Vulgate
(_quia ego vir vester_), of _Luther_ ("I will [Pg 376] marry you to
me"), of _Calvin_, _Schimd_, and others. On the other hand, others,
especially _Pococke_, _ad P.M._ p. 2, _Schultens_ on Prov. xxx. 22,
_Venema_, _Schnurrer_, _Gesenius_, _Winer_, _Bleek_, have made every
endeavour to prove that [Hebrew: bel] is used _sensu malo_ here, as
well as in chap. xxxi. 32, where it occurs in a connection altogether
similar; so that the decision must be valid for both of the passages at
the same time. This signification they seek to make out in a twofold
way. Some altogether give up the derivation from the Hebrew _usus
loquendi_, and refer solely to the Arabic, where [Hebrew: bel] means
_fastidire_. Others derive from the Hebrew signification, "to rule,"
that of a tyrannical dominion, and support their right in so doing, by
referring, with _Gesenius_, to other verbs in which the signification,
_to subdue_, _to be distinguished_, _to rule_, has been changed into
that of _looking down_, _despising_, and _contemning_. As regards the
_first_ derivation, even if the Arabic _usus loquendi_ were proved, we
could not from it make any certain inference as regards the Hebrew
_usus loquendi_. But with respect to this Arabic _usus loquendi_, it is
far from being proved