estruction; it is only
single individuals who shall obtain mercy after they have joined the
house of David. But the supposition that "house of Israel" is used in
this sense, is altogether unfounded. The house is equivalent to the
family; and the prophets speak of "a house of Israel" after the
destruction, no less than before it. The words in ii. 6 (4), "I will
not have mercy upon her children," and the circumstance that she who is
here called Lo-Ruhamah is afterwards called Ruhamah, also militate
against referring "house of Israel" to the state. The right view rather
is, that the denial of mercy [Pg 211] must not be understood
absolutely, but relatively. It is not for ever that mercy shall be
denied to them, but for a time,--until God's punitive justice shall
have been satisfied. Just as Israel shall not always remain Jezreel,
Lo-Ammi shall, at some future time, become again Ammi.--The last words
are, by the greater number of recent interpreters, almost unanimously
explained: "That I should forgive them." But, in that case, we can
perceive no reason why the _Inf. abs._ should be placed before the
_tempus finitum_. Why should the verbal idea here be rendered so
emphatic? In addition to this, the extreme feebleness of the sense
would be remarkable. Nothing would be said that would not be already
implied in the words, "I will not continue any more to have mercy."
But, on the other hand, we obtain a very suitable sense if we translate
thus: "I will take away from them." The object is not mentioned, just
because _every thing_ is to be understood. The prominence given to the
verbal idea is then accounted for from its being contrasted with the
_having mercy_, which implies _giving_. There is then, moreover, a very
striking contrast with the standing phrase [Hebrew: nwa evN l], or also
simply [Hebrew: nwa l]: I shall take away from them, not, however, as
hitherto, their guilt (compare Amos vii. 8), but all that they have.
_Calvin_ had previously directed attention to the circumstance that the
following verse also is in favour of the translation by _tollere_:
"_Servare et tollere inter se opponit propheta._" Chap. v. 14 may also
be compared, where [Hebrew: nwa] is used in a similar manner, the
object being likewise omitted: "I will tear and go away, I will take
away, and there is none that delivereth."

Ver. 7. "_And I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and I save
them by the Lord their God; and I do not save them by bow,