s to the particular flower meant. Christians should
present to the world 'whatsoever things are lovely,' and see to it that
their goodness is attractive. But the fragrant, pure lily has but
shallow roots, and beauty is not all that a character needs in this
world of struggle and effort. So there are to be both the lily's blossom
and roots like Lebanon. The image may refer to the firm buttresses of
the widespread foot-hills, from which the sovereign summits of the great
mountain range rise, or, as is rather suggested by the accompanying
similes from the vegetable world, it may refer to the cedars growing
there. Their roots are anchored deep and stretch far underground;
therefore they rear towering heads, and spread broad shelves of dark
foliage, safe from any blast. Our lives must be deep rooted in God if
they are to be strong. Boots generally spread beneath the soil about as
far as branches extend above it. There should be at least as much
underground, 'hid with Christ in God,' as is visible to the world.

But beauty and strength are not all. So Hosea thinks of yet another of
the characteristic growths of Palestine, the olive, which is not
strikingly beautiful in form, with its strangely gnarled, contorted
stem, its feeble branches, and its small, pointed, pale leaves, but has
the beauty of fruitfulriess, and is green when other trees are bare.
Such 'beauty' should be ours, and will be if the 'dew' falls on us.

In verse 7 there are difficulties, both as to the application of the
'his,' and as to the reading and rendering of some of the words. But the
general drift is clear. It prolongs the tones of the foregoing verses,
keeping to the same class of images, and expressing fruitfulness,
abundant as the corn and precious as the grape, and fragrance like the
'bouquet' of the choicest wine.

Verse 8 offers great difficulties on any interpretation. The supplement
'shall say' is questionable, and it is doubtful whether Ephraim is the
speaker at all, and whether, if so, he speaks all the four clauses, and
who speaks any or all of them, if not he. To the present writer, it
seems best to take the supplement as right, and possible to regard the
whole verse as spoken by Ephraim, though perhaps the last clause is
meant to be God's utterance. The meaning will then come out as follows.
The penitent Israel again speaks, after the gracious promises preceding.
The tribal name is, as usual in Hosea, equivalent to Israel, whose
penitent