ing itself, would
not have been so easy. The substratum of the idea is, in that case, far
more material, and the idea itself too closely bound to it.

[Pg 190]

5. When the transaction is viewed as an outward one,
insurmountable difficulties are presented by the third chapter; and the
argument drawn from this would, in itself, be quite sufficient to
settle the question: "Then the Lord said unto me. Go again, love a
woman beloved of her friend and an adulteress." Interpreters who have
adopted that view, find themselves here in no little embarrassment.
Several suppose that the woman, whom the prophet is here commanded to
love, is his former wife, Gomer,--with her he should get reconciled.
But this is quite out of the question. In opposition to it, there is,
_first_, the indefinite signification by [Hebrew: awh]; _then_, in ver.
2, there is the purchase of the woman,--which supposes that she had not
yet been in the possession of the husband; and, _further_, the words,
"beloved of her friend, and an adulteress," can, according to a sound
interpretation, mean only, "who, although she is beloved by her
faithful husband, will yet commit adultery;" so that, if it be referred
to the reunion with Gomer, we should be compelled to suppose that,
after being received again, she again became unfaithful,--and in favour
of this opinion, no corresponding feature can be pointed out in the
thing typified. _Lastly_,--The word "love" cannot mean "love again,"
"_restitue amoris signa_." For the love of the prophet to his wife must
correspond with the love of God to the people of Israel. That this
love, however, cannot be limited to the love which God will show to the
Congregation _after_ her conversion, is seen from the additional
clause, "And they turn themselves to other gods, and love grape-cakes."
Hence it appears that the love of God continues even during the
unfaithfulness, and consequently, also, the love of the prophet, by
which it is typified.--Equally untenable is the other opinion, that the
prophet is here called upon, by his entering into a new marriage, to
prefigure the relation of God to the Covenant-people a second time. In
that case, it is supposed either that Gomer had been rejected, because
she would not return, or that she had died. In either case, however,
she would not have been chosen by God to be a type of the people of
Israel. The ground of this choice can be no other than the
correspondence with the antitype. But th