Hosea 8:2

Israel shall cry unto me, my God, we know thee. In their distress they shall cry to the Lord to help them, and have mercy on them, as they used to do when in trouble, Isaiah 26:16; when the eagle is

Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee - the singular, "my," is used distributively, each one so addressing God.

Israel, the ten tribes, shall cry in deep distress; when the Assyrian rangeth over their country, when Samaria is besieged, they will cry out aloud, but hypocritically; they will roar, but not pray. My God; then they will look to the ancient alliance and league between their fathers and me. We know thee, an only Saviour; be ours, for we are thine. Thus in hypocrisy will they carry it.

Hosea 8:2 Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.Ver. 2. Israel shall cry unto me] It is their course and custom to do so; they will needs do it, though I take no delight in it. Hypocrisy is impudent, as Hosea 5:6 Jeremiah 3:4-5. No, nay, but it will despite God with seeming honour; and present him with a ludibrious devotion. Israel, though revolted and degenerated into Jezreel, Hosea 1:4, shall cry, yea, cry aloud, vociferabuntur, cry till they are hoarse, as criers do; and unto me, but not with their heart, Hosea 7:14. It is but clamor sine fide fatuus, an empty ring, that God regards not. For, "not every one that saith unto him, Lord, Lord," &c., Matthew 7:21. Many lean upon the Lord and say, "Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come unto us," Micah 3:11, who yet shall hear, Discedite, Avaunt, ye workers of iniquity; I know you not. Woe then to all profligate professors, carnal gospellers; their prayers shall not profit them, neither shall they be a button the better for their loud cries to the most High, Proverbs 1:28, and odious fawnings. My God, we know thee] When their hearts are far from him. Of such pretenders to him and his truth it is that the apostle speaketh, Titus 1:16, "They profess that they know God" (which yet God denies, Hosea 4:1; Hosea 5:4), "but in works they deny him; being abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate." To come and call God Father, the guide of our youth, and then to fall to sin, this is to do as evil as we can; we cannot easily do worse, Jeremiah 3:4-5. To cry, "The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord," and then to "steal, murder, and commit adultery.," &c., this is painted hypocrisy, Jeremiah 7:4; Jeremiah 7:9. When men shall take sanctuary, and think to save themselves from danger by a form of godliness (as the Jews fable that Og, king of Bashan, escaped in the flood by riding astride upon the Ark) when they are perfect strangers to the power of it, this is to hasten and heap up wrath, Job 36:13. Religion, as it is the best armour, so the worst cloak; and will serve hypocrites as the disguise Ahab put on, and perished. Castalio maketh this last clause to be the speech of the blessed Trinity, We know thee, O Israel: q.d. Though thou collogue and cry, My God; yet we know thine hypocrisy and the naughtiness of thy heart. But the former sense is better, though the placing of the word Israel in the end of the verse seem to favour this; for thus it runs in the Hebrew, "To me they shall cry, My God, we know thee, Israel."

(2) Should be rendered, To me they cry, My God, we know Thee, we Israel.

Verse 2. Israel shalt cry] The rapidity of the eagle's flight is well imitated in the rapidity of the sentences in this place. My God, we know thee.] The same sentiment, from the same sort of persons, under the same feelings, as that in the Gospel of St. Matthew, Matthew 7:22: "Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? Then will I profess unto them, I never KNEW YOU."

2. Israel shall cry …] Rather, Unto me they will (then) cry, My God, we—Israel—know thee. When the punishment comes, they will cry aloud to Jehovah, and lay stress upon their belonging to Him. ‘Israel’ is mentioned, as the title of honour (the kunya, comp. the commentators on Isaiah 44:5), given by Jehovah, which was the outward sign of His mystic connexion with His worshippers. The speech of the Israelites is the counterpart of that of Jehovah in Isaiah 43:1, ‘I have called thee by name; thou art mine.’ (The Septuagint and the Peshito, however, omit ‘Israel.’) ‘My God’ seems used distributively, each Israelite professes to feel his individual relation to the national God.

Israel shall cry unto Me, My God, we know Thee - Or, according to the order in the Hebrew, “To Me shall they cry, we know Thee, Israel,” i.

2. The reading of the R.V. is to be preferred, “They shall cry unto me, My God, we Israel know thee.” Such attitude will be in great contrast to their former turning from Jehovah; but when no other