Hosea 5:4

They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God,.... Either their evil doings; they will not leave, as the Targum and Jarchi (g); their evil ways and worship, their adultery and idolatry;

They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.

They, those revolters, polluted Israelites and idolatrous Ephraimites, will not frame their doings; they are so intent upon their idolatries and oppressions, they have been so long inured to these doings, that now they are become slaves to their own doings, insomuch that they neither have will or power to change them, as . To turn unto their God; to repent of those wicked courses, and to leave them, and so return to their God, who was once theirs by covenant, though now they have violated the covenant, and departed from God. They are in sin hardened to a hopeless and remediless obstinacy and impenitence. The spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them: see . Their mind and inclination stands bent and fixed upon spiritual whoredoms, and they are incited to it by the seducing spirit, allured by examples, and all these hurry them on. It is a universal distemper among them, all filled with this spirit, it hath seized the heart of them. They have not known; they never did rightly know, nor would they ever know, they forgot, were wilfully ignorant of, the way of holiness and pure religion, contained in the law of God. The Lord, who is pure, zealous for his glory, sovereign in his authority, rich in his rewards, severe in his punishments, and true to his promises and threats; that nothing can be more prejudicial to a people than to forsake, nor any thing more conducive to the good of a people than to keep, his law.

Hosea 5:4 They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms [is] in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.Ver. 4. They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God] Or, their doings will not suffer them. That is, they are so habituated and hardened in sinful practices, that they are not only disenabled to conversion, but evil affected thereunto: they stand across to all good; to their sinews of iron they have added bows of brass, Isaiah 48:4; to their sin they add rebellion, which is as bad as witchcraft, 1 Samuel 15:23; till at length they lose all passive power also of being converted, and so are transformed, as it were, into so many devils: having by custom contracted a necessity of sinning, they are become incurable; they neither will nor can return to their God; they will not frame their doings to it. The Vulgate hath it, their studies, the Septuagint, their counsels, Castalio, their endeavours, Pagnine, their pains, &c. The original is very elegant and metrical, μשׁιαΰμΞΰμδιδνμΰιϊπεξςμμιην I scarce know a like text in all the Scripture, unless it be that in Lamentations 5:16, ΰειΞπΰμπεαιηθΰπε, "Woe to us that we have sinned!" which is so elegant also in the original, that master Wheatly of Banbury (who used to be very plain in his preaching, and not to name a Greek, Latin, or Hebrew word) quoted it once in the Hebrew, as witness learned Master Leigh, who lived some while under his ministry (Master Leigh’ s Saints’ Encouragement, &c. ep. dedic.). But to return to the text: whereas some might possibly conceive or reply, Ephraim is far gone indeed, but he may return. No, never, saith God; for he will not give his mind to it, or show his good will: he is even set, and there is no removing of him; he hath made his conclusion, and is as good as ever he meaneth to be. They are so far from yielding themselves unto the Lord, as 2 Chronicles 30:8, that they stand in full opposition to him, yea, send messages after him, "We will not have this man to rule over us." The Jews were an untoward generation, saith Peter, Acts 2:40; they, by their obstinate refusal of the gospel, judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life, saith Paul, Acts 13:46 : there were unmalleable, unframeable, so knotty, that they were fit for nothing but the fire; so nasty, that they were fit for no place but the dunghill. And why?

(4) The margin, “Their deeds will not suffer (them),” requires the introduction of the word “them,” not in the Hebrew. It is favoured by the Jewish commentators, Schmoller, and others, but it is better to render, with the Authorised version, They frame not their doings, &c. The knowledge of the only true God is life.

Verse 4. They will not frame their doings] They never purpose to turn to God, they have fully imbibed the spirit of idolatry.

4. They will not frame …] Rather, as in the margin, Their doings will not suffer them to turn unto their God. The same idea that from the meshes of an inveterate vicious habit there is hardly an escape is expressed in Hosea 7:2, comp. John 8:34; Romans 6:16. the spirit of whoredoms] See on Hosea 4:12. is in the midst of them] Rather, is within them, i.e. in their inmost being. have not known] Rather, know not (see on Hosea 2:20).

They will not frame their doings ... - They were possessed by an evil spirit, impelling and driving them to sin; “the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them,” i.

2. And the revolters are profound to make slaughter — R.V., “And the revolters are gone deep in making slaughter.” For the last three words margin suggests “in corruption,” which is to be preferred,