---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Hosea 11"
description: "CHAPTER 11   :-. GOD"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/hosea/11"
---

CHAPTER 11

. GOD'S FORMER
BENEFITS, AND ISRAEL'S
INGRATITUDE RESULTING
IN PUNISHMENT, YET
JEHOVAH PROMISES
RESTORATION AT LAST.
 shows this prophecy was uttered after the league made with
Egypt ([2 Kings 17:4](../../../kjv/2-kings/17/4)).

**1. Israel . . . called my son out of
Egypt**—BENGEL
translates, "*From* the time that he (Israel) was *in*
Egypt, I called him My son," which the parallelism proves. So
[Hosea 12:9](../../../kjv/hosea/12/9); [Hosea 13:4](../../../kjv/hosea/13/4)
use "from . . . Egypt," for "from the time that thou
didst sojourn *in* Egypt." [Hosea 13:4](../../../kjv/hosea/13/4) also shows that Israel was called by God, "My son,"
from the time of his Egyptian sojourn ([Hosea 13:4](../../../kjv/hosea/13/4)). God is always said to have *led* or *brought forth,*
not to have "called," Israel from Egypt. [Hosea 13:4](../../../kjv/hosea/13/4), therefore, in quoting this prophecy (typically and
primarily referring to Israel, antitypically and fully to Messiah),
applies it to Jesus' sojourn *in* Egypt, not His return *from*
it. Even from His infancy, partly spent in Egypt, God called Him His
son. God included Messiah, and Israel for Messiah's sake, in one
common love, and therefore in one common prophecy. Messiah's people
and Himself are one, as the Head and the body. [Hosea 13:4](../../../kjv/hosea/13/4) calls Him "Israel." The same general reason,
danger of extinction, caused the infant Jesus, and Israel in its
national infancy (compare [Genesis 42:1-43](../../../kjv/genesis/42/1-43);
[Genesis 45:18](../../../kjv/genesis/45/18); [Genesis 46:3](../../../kjv/genesis/46/3);
[Genesis 46:4](../../../kjv/genesis/46/4); [Ezekiel 16:4-6](../../../kjv/ezekiel/16/4-6);
[Jeremiah 31:20](../../../kjv/jeremiah/31/20)) to sojourn in Egypt.
So He, and His spiritual Israel, are already called "God's sons"
while yet in the Egypt of the world.

**2. As they called them**—"they,"
namely, monitors sent by Me. "Called," in , suggests the idea of the many subsequent calls by the
prophets.
**went from them**—turned
away in contempt ([Jeremiah 2:27](../../../kjv/jeremiah/2/27)).
**Baalim**—images of Baal,
set up in various places.

**3. taught . . . to go**—literally,
"to use his feet." Compare a similar image, [Deuteronomy 1:31](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/1/31);
[Deuteronomy 8:2](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/8/2); [Deuteronomy 8:5](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/8/5);
[Deuteronomy 8:15](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/8/15); [Deuteronomy 32:10](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/32/10);
[Deuteronomy 32:11](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/32/11); [Nehemiah 9:21](../../../kjv/nehemiah/9/21);
[Isaiah 63:9](../../../kjv/isaiah/63/9); [Amos 2:10](../../../kjv/amos/2/10).
God bore them as a parent does an infant, unable to supply itself, so
that it has no anxiety about food, raiment, and its going forth. [Amos 2:10](../../../kjv/amos/2/10), which probably refers to this passage of Hosea; He took
them by the arms, to guide them that they might not stray, and to
hold them up that they might not stumble.
**knew not that I healed
them**—that is, that My design was to restore them spiritually
and temporally ([Exodus 15:26](../../../kjv/exodus/15/26)).

**4. cords of a man**—parallel to
"bands of love"; not such cords as oxen are led by, but
*humane methods,* such as men employ when inducing others, as
for instance, a father drawing his child, by leading-strings,
teaching him to go ([Hosea 11:1](../../../kjv/hosea/11/1)).
**I was . . . as they that take
off the yoke on their jaws . . . I laid meat**—as the humane
husbandman occasionally loosens the straps under the jaws by which
the yoke is bound on the neck of oxen and lays food before them to
eat. An appropriate image of God's deliverance of Israel from the
Egyptian yoke, and of His feeding them in the wilderness.

**5. He shall not return into . . .
Egypt**—namely, to seek help against Assyria (compare ), as Israel lately had done (), after having revolted from Assyria, to whom they had been
tributary from the times of Menahem (). In a *figurative* sense, "he *shall*
return to Egypt" ([Hosea 9:3](../../../kjv/hosea/9/3)),
that is, to Egypt-like bondage; also many Jewish fugitives were
literally to *return* to Egypt, when the Holy Land was to be in
Assyrian and Chaldean hands.
**Assyrian shall be his
king**—instead of having kings of their own, and Egypt as their
auxiliary.
**because they refused to
return**—just retribution. They would not return (spiritually) to
God, therefore they shall not return (corporally) to Egypt, the
object of their desire.

**6. abide**—or, "fall upon"
[CALVIN].
**branches**—that is, his
villages, which are the branches or dependencies of the cities
[CALVIN]. GROTIUS
translates, "his bars" (so ), that is, the warriors who were the bulwarks of the state.
Compare [Hosea 4:18](../../../kjv/hosea/4/18), "rulers"
(*Margin*), "shields" ([Hosea 4:18](../../../kjv/hosea/4/18)).
**because of their own
counsels**—in worshipping idols, and relying on Egypt (compare [Hosea 4:18](../../../kjv/hosea/4/18)).

**7. bent to backsliding**—Not
only do they *backslide,* and that too *from* ME,
their "chief good," but they are *bent upon it.*
Though they (the prophets) called them (the Israelites) to the Most
High (from their idols), "none would exalt (that is, extol or
honor) Him." To exalt God, they must cease to be "*bent
on* backsliding," and *must* lift themselves upwards.

**8. as Admah . . . Zeboim**—among
the cities, including Sodom and Gomorrah, irretrievably overthrown
([Deuteronomy 29:23](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/29/23)).
**heart is turned within
me**—with the deepest compassion, so as not to execute My threat
([Lamentations 1:20](../../../kjv/lamentations/1/20); compare [Genesis 43:30](../../../kjv/genesis/43/30);
[1 Kings 3:26](../../../kjv/1-kings/3/26)). So the phrase is used
of a new turn given to the feeling ([1 Kings 3:26](../../../kjv/1-kings/3/26)).
**repentings**—God speaks
according to *human* modes of thought ([1 Kings 3:26](../../../kjv/1-kings/3/26)). God's *seeming* change is in accordance with His
secret everlasting purpose of love to His people, to magnify His
grace after their desperate rebellion.

**9. I will not return to destroy
Ephraim**—that is, I will no more, as in past times, destroy
Ephraim. The destruction primarily meant is probably that by
Tiglath-pileser, who, as the Jewish king Ahaz' ally against Pekah of
Israel and Rezin of Syria, deprived Israel of Gilead, Galilee, and
Naphtali ([2 Kings 15:29](../../../kjv/2-kings/15/29)). The
ulterior reference is to the long dispersion hereafter, to be ended
by God's covenant mercy restoring His people, not for their merits,
but of His grace.
**God, . . . not man**—not
dealing as man would, with implacable wrath under awful provocation
([Isaiah 55:7-9](../../../kjv/isaiah/55/7-9); [Malachi 3:6](../../../kjv/malachi/3/6)).
I do not, like man, change when once I have made a covenant of
everlasting love, as with Israel ([Malachi 3:6](../../../kjv/malachi/3/6)). We measure God by the human standard, and hence are slow
to credit fully His promises; these, however, belong to the faithful
remnant, not to the obstinately impenitent.
**in the midst of thee**—as
peculiarly thy God ([Exodus 19:5](../../../kjv/exodus/19/5);
[Exodus 19:6](../../../kjv/exodus/19/6)).
**not enter into the city**—as
an enemy: as I entered Admah, Zeboim, and Sodom, utterly destroying
them, whereas I will not utterly destroy thee. Somewhat similarly
JEROME: "I am *not
one such as human dwellers in a city,* who take cruel vengeance; I
save those whom I correct." Thus "not man," and "in
the midst of thee," are parallel to "into the city."
Though I am in the midst of thee, it is not as man entering a
rebellious city to destroy utterly. MAURER
needlessly translates, "I will not come *in wrath.*"

**10. he shall roar like a lion**—by
awful judgments on their foes ([Isaiah 31:4](../../../kjv/isaiah/31/4);
[Jeremiah 25:26-30](../../../kjv/jeremiah/25/26-30); [Joel 3:16](../../../kjv/joel/3/16)),
calling His dispersed "children" from the various lands of
their dispersion.
**shall tremble**—shall
flock in eager agitation of haste.
**from the west**— ([Joel 3:16](../../../kjv/joel/3/16)). Literally, "the sea." Probably the Mediterranean,
including its "isles of the sea," and maritime coast. Thus
as [Hosea 11:11](../../../kjv/hosea/11/11) specifies regions
of Africa and Asia, so here Europe. [Hosea 11:11](../../../kjv/hosea/11/11), is parallel, referring to the very same regions. On
"children," see [Hosea 1:10](../../../kjv/hosea/1/10).

**11. tremble**—flutter in haste.
**dove**—no longer "a
silly dove" ([Hosea 7:11](../../../kjv/hosea/7/11)), but
as "doves flying to their windows" ([Hosea 7:11](../../../kjv/hosea/7/11)).
**in their houses**— ([Hosea 7:11](../../../kjv/hosea/7/11)). Literally, "upon," for the Orientals live
almost as much *upon* their flat-roofed houses as *in*
them.

**12.** MAURER
joins this verse with the twelfth chapter. But as this verse praises
Judah, whereas [Hosea 12:2](../../../kjv/hosea/12/2) censures
him, it must belong rather to the eleventh chapter and a new prophecy
begins at the twelfth chapter. To avoid this, MAURER
translates this verse as a censure, "Judah wanders with God,"
that is, though having the true God, he wanders after false gods.
**ruleth with God**—to
serve God is to reign. Ephraim wished to rule *without God*
(compare [1 Corinthians 4:8](../../../kjv/1-corinthians/4/8)); nay, even, in
order to rule, cast off God's worship [RIVETUS].
In Judah was the legitimate succession of kings and priests.
**with the saints**—the
holy priests and Levites [RIVETUS].
With the fathers and prophets who handed down the pure worship of
God. Israel's apostasy is the more culpable, as he had before him the
good example of Judah, which he set at naught. The parallelism ("with
GOD") favors *Margin,*
"With THE MOST
HOLY ONE."

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