Hosea · Chapter 1

"The word of the Lord which came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, etc." These four kings were deprived [of their full reigns] during his lifetime, for he lived for many years, outliving them all. From here they said: "Woe to the leadership that buries its masters." "And in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash." He was from the descendants of Jehu, and he too reigned during the time of Uzziah and Joatham. However, his merit caused him to be counted among these righteous men, because he did not accept slander against Amos, as is explicitly stated in Tractate Pesachim, in the chapter "Ha'Isha" (page 16), where it is written (Amos 7:10): "And Amaziah sent... Amos has conspired against you..."

This is Hosea, from the noble prophets of the Name. For Isaac ben Joseph spoke disparagingly about him in his book, saying that he was the son of Elah, because he is Elah, since it is written: “And she wept at the well of Elah” (Isaiah 15:8), and there is no such place as Elah; rather, the name changes due to an added letter, like zif and zifah. Furthermore, it is not proper in the Holy Tongue to say that someone is the son of a city by its specific name, unless it is used in a general sense, like “daughter of Zion”; rather, one should be associated with the city, like Meroni and Sheni. Two difficulties compelled him to say so: the first is that he found in Chronicles that Be'erah, his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria exiled, was the prince of the Reubenites, and he was the father of this prophet. The second is that he said, “To visit upon Jacob according to his ways,” which he interprets as referring to Jacob our father, who removed the birthright from Reuben; but his interpretation is not as he thought. And behold, the verse forgot Hosea son of Elah: “And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord,” and Isaac ben Joseph said that he took a promiscuous woman as his wife.

"The word of the Lord which came to Hosea. And behold, the words of his prophecy were words of rebuke to Israel and Judah, who did evil in the eyes of the Lord in the days of these kings, as it is written:"

"The word of the Lord, etc." – This means that in this book will be recounted the word of the Lord that came to Hosea. Ben B’ari. Our Sages of blessed memory said that this is Be'erah, the prince of the Reubenites, mentioned in I Chronicles, who was exiled to Assyria. "In the days of Uzziah, etc." – For it was in the days of these kings that he prophesied. "And in the days of Jeroboam." [This refers to the time] when he reigned during the days of Uzziah. And the prophecy also came upon him in his land, because he was from the ten tribes. Therefore it says, "And in the days of Jeroboam."

"The word of the Lord which came to Hosea, etc., in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash." I have already explained in my commentary on Kings (2 Kings 15) that we learned that when Joash conquered Amaziah, king of Judah, the kings of Judah were subjugated under the kings of Israel, and the monarchy was named after the kings of Israel. This situation continued for twenty-four years of Uzziah’s reign, which corresponds to the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam son of Joash. At that time, Uzziah strengthened himself and ruled a separate kingdom, independent and not subjugated under Jeroboam. Through this, you will understand why, in the prophecy of Hosea and in the prophecy of Amos, it is mentioned that they prophesied in the days of Jeroboam. Besides the fact that we do not find any prophet mentioned as prophesying among the kings of Israel—only the kings of Judah are mentioned as those among whom prophets prophesied—it would be strange if, intending to mention the kings of Israel who reigned during those days, he mentioned only Jeroboam. After all, during those same days, Zechariah son of Jeroboam, Menachem, and Pekah also reigned in Israel. However, when it says "in the days of Jeroboam," it refers to the period before Uzziah strengthened himself to rule an independent kingdom, when the entire monarchy was named after Jeroboam. And when it says "in the days of Uzziah," it refers to the period after the twenty-fourth year of his reign, from which time the monarchy was named after Uzziah. Since Uzziah’s strengthening occurred close to the time of the earthquake (as I explained in Kings there), Amos, who prophesied two years before the earthquake, prophesied approximately one year in the days of Jeroboam. As for Hosea, regarding whom it is written simply that he prophesied in the days of Jeroboam—that is, at the time when Jeroboam ruled a general monarchy over Judah as well—it was presumably several years prior. In the prophecy of Isaiah, it is not mentioned that he prophesied in the days of Jeroboam, but only that he prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, etc. This is clear (even if we say that what is written "in the year that King Uzziah died" (Isaiah 6:1) refers to the time when he became leprous), for by then Uzziah was already ruling independently. Therefore, it was not mentioned that he prophesied in the days of Jeroboam. From this, you can see how our Sages of blessed memory were correct in what they said, that Hosea prophesied first among the four prophets who were in his generation, even if we do not interpret the phrase "The beginning of the word of the Lord in Hosea" to mean "first among the four prophets who were in his generation."

The beginning of the word of the Lord was with Hosea. Our Sages said that initially, four prophets prophesied (in those days): Hosea, Isaiah, Amos, and Micah. Isaiah prophesied, as it is stated (Isaiah 6): “And the pillars shook at the voice of them that cried,” and so on. And this was the day that Uzziah was struck with leprosy, when he entered the Temple. The upper beings trembled to burn him, and the lower beings to swallow him, as a punishment like that of the congregation of Korah, among whom there were those who were swallowed and those who were burned. Regarding Amos, it is stated: “Two years before the earthquake.” And Hosea preceded all of them, and Micah was the last of all of them, as it is stated about him (Micah 1): “In the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah,” and it is not stated about him “Uzziah.” And the simple meaning of the verse is: The beginning of the speech that the Holy One, Blessed be He, spoke with Hosea, He said to him thus: “Take for yourself a woman of harlotry.” Our Sages said [this is] according to its plain meaning, because it says that He exchanged Israel for another nation, as is explicitly stated in Pesachim, at the beginning of the chapter “Ha’Isha.” And children of harlotry. That you will bear children who are of doubtful mamzerut status, and Jonathan translated: "I will prophesy against the inhabitants of the city, a thing of shame." And the statement here is a form of teaching: He taught them to return in repentance. "Ki zonah tazneh." This is a present tense expression:

And this one who is struck with the "snorim" (a term of derision or confusion) — did he not see what is written: "The beginning of the word of the Lord was with Hosea" (Hosea 1:1), and it says, "The Lord said"? And behold, it is not that he rebelled against the mouth of the Lord; far be it, far be it. Rather, Hosea son of Beeri is not Hosea son of Ela. Just as Chanoch is a name encompassing four men in the Torah, and Sha'ul of the streets of the river, and Sha'ul son of the Canaanite woman, and Sha'ul son of Kish, and many such cases exist. And the beginning of the prophecy of this prophet was concerning the kingdom of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, forty years before the exile of Samaria. If his prophecy was at the end of the days of Jeroboam, for his son Zechariah did not reign after him for only six months, and the kingdom of the house of Jehu, who were the kings of Israel, was abolished. And another commentator says: "Take for yourself" – the phrase is to be understood in the sense of "acquire for yourself," as in the expression "acquire a good thing." And he explained: “Vatehar” – like “teharu,” meaning “you shall be in labor,” as in “you shall give birth to straw.” And it says: "For he completes" – it is completed in harlotry. And Bat-Deblim – an allusion to Judah and Israel. And another interpretation says: “Take for yourself a wife of harlotry” – meaning that if you were to come to take a respectable woman, you would not find one, for “the land commits harlotry.” That is to say, all the common people are harlots who have gone astray after the Lord. And another interpretation says: "Take for yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry"—for indeed, the inhabitants of the land have acted as harlots, straying after other gods instead of the Lord, and it is sufficient for a servant to be like his master. Abraham the author states: Far be it, far be it, that God would command taking a promiscuous woman and begetting children of promiscuity. And the statement “It is sufficient for a servant to be like his master” was not said regarding this matter, for promiscuity after God is merely a metaphor, whereas in a human being it is an actual deed. And the correct view in my eyes is that this prophet saw in prophetic visions during the night’s dream that God said to him: “Go, take for yourself a promiscuous woman.” And he went and took a known woman, and she conceived and bore children—all of this occurred in the visions of prophecy, as he explained: “If your people have a prophet, other than Moses alone, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.” And do not wonder how he saw in a dream and then went and took, as if in a dream a person without prophecy would act, just as the cows ate, and so too regarding the prophet Isaiah, when it says, “My servant Isaiah went naked and barefoot”—this was in the prophetic vision. For why would the prophet go naked on account of Cush and Egypt?! And so too, “Take for yourself a large brick,” and “Lie on your left side,” and “Take for yourself wheat,” and “The old man spoke”—and the proof for all of this is that Ezekiel said at the beginning of his book: “And I saw visions of God,” and I say: “In visions of God He brought me to the land of Israel.” And do not wonder because he did not mention visions at the beginning of the prophecy, for behold, it is written: “The word of the Lord which came to Zechariah,” and there it is written afterward: “I saw in the night,” and it says, “I lifted up my eyes and saw,” and behold, it is written regarding Abraham: “in a vision,” and so too was all his prophecy. And behold, He said to him in the manner of prophecy: Why a promiscuous woman? Because the land has committed harlotry.

The beginning of the word of the Lord was with Hosea. We have found the language of "speech" (dibbur) which is a matter of prophecy connected with the preposition "bet" (bet ha-shemush), such as: "Surely I have spoken to you" (Numbers 12:2), "But with Moses I speak mouth to mouth" (Numbers 12:8), "The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me" (2 Samuel 23:2). It is possible that the word "dibber" in "dibber Hashem" is a past tense verb, meaning that the initial speech of the Lord to Hosea was when He said to him, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry." Or perhaps "dibber" is a noun, like "and the matter is not in them" (Ezekiel 33:32). And the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry.” All this matter occurred in a prophetic vision, in which He told him to take a wife of harlotry, and he took her, and she conceived and bore him children three times. This is an allegory for Israel, who commit harlotry by forsaking the Lord. This is what is stated: “For the land shall commit harlotry, forsaking the Lord.” The meaning of “and you shall have children of harlotry” is that you shall have from her children of harlotry, because she is a wife of harlotry. So too, Israel and those born from them in these generations have committed harlotry by forsaking the Lord. All this occurred in a prophetic vision; it was not that the prophet Hosea actually took a wife of harlotry. Even though it is found in the words of our Sages of blessed memory that the matter is according to its plain meaning, as they said: “And the Lord said to Hosea” — the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Hosea: “Israel has sinned.” He ought to have said before Him: “Master of the Universe, they are Your children, they are the children of Your choice, they are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Cast mercy upon them.” Not only did he not say this, but he said before Him: “The whole world is Yours; pass them over to another nation.” The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: “What shall I do with this old man?” He said to him: “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry.” Afterwards, He said to him: “Go, send her away from you.” [The implication was:] If he is able to send her away, so too I will send away Israel. After two sons and one daughter were born to him from her, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Hosea: “Should you not have learned from your teacher Moses? Since I spoke with him, he separated himself from his wife, distancing himself from her.” He said before Him: “Master of the Universe, I have children from her, and I cannot divorce her.” The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: “What about you? Your wife is a harlot, and your children are the children of a harlot’s wife. So too am I: the children of Israel are My children, the children of My choice, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they are one of the five possessions [of God]. Yet you said, ‘Pass them over to another nation.’” When he realized that he had sinned, he stood to seek mercy for himself. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: “Before you seek mercy for yourself, seek mercy for Israel.” Immediately he began with blessings and said: “And the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea.” And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated the matter as an allegory, and his interpretation is correct.

"The beginning of the word of the Lord, etc." This means that the beginning of the Lord's speech to Hosea was this: "Go, take to yourself..." as the Lord said to Hosea. "A woman of harlotry": A woman who was accustomed to harlotry and bore children through harlotry; this is a sign and a proof that she is truly a harlot. And our Sages of blessed memory said: Since Hosea said to the Holy One, Blessed be He, "Replace them with another nation," therefore He commanded him to take a harlot, in order to show him how difficult it would be in his eyes to divorce her, thereby hinting to him that it is difficult before the Almighty to cast Israel out from before Him. "For she will commit harlotry." This means that she will serve as a sign that the inhabitants of the land are committing harlotry and turning away from the Lord to go after the gods of the nations, just as a harlot goes after adulterers.

"Zonim." From the word "zonah": “she shall play the harlot.” This denotes the matter of being set aside; and therefore the adulteress is called a harlot because she has departed from the ways of modesty.

The beginning of the word of the Lord to Hosea: The utterance that follows it, the letter bet in "be" (or "upon") comes upon the Holy Spirit, meaning that the prophecy spoken through the prophet was for his own sake, not for the sake of a mission to the general public. Moreover, it comes upon a speech of complaint and grievance. From this, our Sages of blessed memory derived that the initial utterance of the Holy Spirit to Hosea was that He disputed with him in some manner of argument, and that this speech was a matter of grievance. The meaning is that the beginning of the word of the Lord, the dispute with Hosea, and the grievance against him, arose from this argument. It was from this dispute that it ensued that the Lord said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of harlotry." Presumably, the dispute was related to the commandment that followed it. They interpreted that the Lord said to Hosea that Israel had sinned, and Hosea replied to Him, "Replace them with another nation." The Lord said that He could not replace them, for they are His children. Therefore, He commanded him to take a harlot as a wife. Later, when she bore him children, He commanded him to divorce her. Hosea said, "How is it possible for me to divorce her? Do I not have children from her?" From this, the Lord clarified to him that similarly, He would not divorce Israel. Hosea then returned and blessed them. This was the response to the dispute in which the Lord told him that Israel had sinned; namely, He wanted him to go on a mission to admonish them and bring them back to what is good, which is incumbent upon the prophets, as it is stated later, "Contend with your mother, contend." Hosea did not wish to go on this mission of prophecy and admonition. He told Him that he should not strive to bring them back to what is good, for since they have played the harlot with foreign gods, it is fitting to treat them as a people who are harlots, whom the husband sends out of his house and to whom he does not return. The Lord said to him, "If so, since you do not wish to admonish them and bring them back to what is good, and I do not wish to divorce them, for I also have righteous children from them, you should be like Me and take for yourself a wife of harlotry." This means a woman famous for harlotry. And "children of harlotry" means that she has children whom she bore in harlotry previously, which is the proof that she is a harlot, as it is stated, "Tamar your daughter-in-law played the harlot, and behold, she is pregnant with harlotry." Or, according to the explanation of some commentators, the children she will bear from you will be of suspected harlotry, for "the land has played the harlot, departing from the Lord." Thus, the Congregation is a wife of harlotry to idolatry, and her children whom she bears are born in harlotry, with thoughts of heresy and idolatry like their fathers. And despite all this, I maintain her as My wife, and so should you do. Now, the commentators were troubled by the matter: How did the Lord command the prophet to take a wife of harlotry? Therefore, Ibn Ezra says that this was only in a prophetic vision. The Targum interprets it as an allegory, and there is no necessity from this. For Hosea was not a priest, and a harlot is not forbidden to Israel. And have we not found that the Lord commanded prophets things that were not appropriate according to the laws of the Torah, and it was a temporary ruling, such as He commanded Ezekiel to shave the corner of his head and his beard with a razor, and Elijah offered sacrifices at a time when altars were forbidden.

“Gomer” — Our Sages said that she was named so on account of her harlotry, for all men “complete” (gomerin) themselves with her and tread upon her like a threshing-floor. And the Targum [renders] “Gomer” as: If they return from their ways, their punishment will be completed; if not, they will be like a withered fig-cluster. "And she conceived and bore." And they added to commit evil deeds.

"And he went and took" – The woman mentioned was thus seen in the vision. And the meaning of “and she bore a son” is: the generation that came after Jeroboam, son of Joash.

"And he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim." This was the name of a well-known harlot at that time. “And she conceived and bore him a son.” He said “a son” because Jeroboam, the son of Joash, was strong in his kingship, like the male who is stronger than the female; and he reigned forty-one years, and he restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah. And the Targum rendered: “And I went and prophesied against them, saying, ‘If they return...’” He explained “gomer” in the sense of “gamira,” meaning that He will complete their iniquities and forgive their guilt; and he explained “dablim” from “dablat ta’anim,” i.e., the withered figs.

"Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim." So there was a well-known prostitute by that name at that time.

“And he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim.” Our Sages of blessed memory explained that she was called so because “all take their pleasure with her and tread on her like a dried fig-cake.” That is to say, the children of Israel were likened to figs, as it is stated (Jeremiah 24:1): “The Lord showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs.” And the fig spoils immediately after its ripening, unless one dries it and makes it into a dried fig, in which case it will be preserved. Their forefathers were similar to dried figs, which shrivel in the sun so that they do not spoil. But she was like a “Gomer,” that is, a ripening fig that has not been dried, which therefore spoils. “And she conceived and bore him a son.” The first son was still uniquely his, born from him, and therefore he did not call him by a name indicating his hatred of him, but only by the name “Jezreel.” For the preceding generations, even though they had committed harlotry through the sin of Jeroboam, were still serving the Lord in association [with other deities] and were still considered as belonging to the Lord. He depicts in this son all the generations from the days of Jehu until the end of the kingdom of the house of Jehu. The woman was a woman of harlotry, and yet the sons were still considered as belonging to the Lord. For even though Jehu did not turn away from the sin of Jeroboam, he abolished the worship of Baal and believed in the Lord, and the calves served for them as a form of association or as intermediaries for drawing down spirituality and abundance.

He called his name Jezreel. The Targum translates it as “a scattering,” for he prophesied concerning them that they would go into exile and be scattered among the lands. “The blood of Jezreel.” As its Targum [renders it]: “The blood of the house of Ahab,” which Jehu shed in Jezreel because they had served Baal. And afterward, he and his sons went and served the idolatrous worship of other nations. Therefore, I hold against them the blood of the house of Ahab as innocent blood. “Concerning the house of Jehu.” Jeroboam, son of Joash, was from the sons of Jehu (2 Kings 15), and his son Zechariah was slain.

“Like the men of Izre’el” – this refers to the house of Ahab and the house of Jehu, because they did not follow the Lord. This includes Jehoahaz, his son, and Joash, his grandson; it also includes Jeroboam and his son Zechariah. All of them did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as it is written.

And the Lord said to him, "Call his name Jezreel." This refers to Jeroboam son of Joash, as we have explained, that he was strong in his kingdom. Therefore, it is said, "Yet a little while," for [God] did not visit [the bloodguilt] in the days of Jeroboam, because he succeeded in his kingdom. But in the days of his son Zechariah, He visited the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, who reigned only six months and was killed, and the dynasty of Jehu ceased. And why does it say "the blood of Jezreel"? It refers to the blood that was shed in Jezreel from the house of Ahab. And even though he did this thing that was right in the eyes of the Lord, since he did not keep to walk in the Torah of the Lord, nor did he turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, the blood that he shed was counted as innocent blood. And so we see that Baasha was punished for the blood of Nadab son of Jeroboam, even though he was a wicked man, as it is stated, "And because he struck him." "And I will cause the kingdom of the House of Israel to cease." For the kingdom of Israel stood only a short time thereafter, for in the days of Hoshea son of Elah they were all exiled. And in the days of Jehu it is stated: "In those days the Lord began to cut off Israel" (2 Kings 10:32), etc. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered the verse thus, saying: "The Lord called his name 'Mebadria' [i.e., the Destroyer of the Kingdom], etc."

"For yet a little while": "Yet" means a short time, i.e., in the near future, I will remember the blood of Ahab, which Jehu shed in Izre'el. That blood I will remember against the house of Jehu to repay recompense, and against Zechariah son of Jeroboam, who was of the house of Jehu and was killed by Shallum son of Jabesh, as it is stated in II Kings. And although Jehu killed Ahab by the word of the Lord, because he served Baal, nevertheless, since Jehu too turned back and served Baal, the blood of Ahab is counted for him as innocent blood. "And I will cause to cease." And after this, I will utterly abolish the kingdom of Israel completely, for the kingdom of Israel stood for only a short time after this.

"And I will remember." The matter of remembrance, as in "And the Lord remembered" (Genesis 21:1): "And I will cause to cease." The matter is one of nullification, as it is written: "the oppressor has ceased" (Isaiah 14:4).

He called his name Jezreel, and he explained the reason: “Yet in a little while, in a few days, I will visit upon the house of Jehu the blood of Jezreel.” That is to say, the punishment—the vengeance—that I carried out in the field of Jezreel against the house of Ahab, because they served idolatry. This punishment is called “the blood of Jezreel.” I will visit this same punishment upon the house of Jehu, who also served idolatry, and I will bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel, namely, the kingdom of the house of Jehu, which had already become an established dynasty, as it lasted for four generations. And He restored the borders of Israel to their former state, as it is stated (2 Kings 14): “I will put an end to this kingdom,” by means of the killing of Zechariah, son of Jeroboam.

"And it shall be, the bow of Israel" — this refers to the kingdom of Zecharyah, for the kingdom of Jehu had been broken off.

“And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will break.” On that day when I will avenge the blood of Jezreel, I will break the bow of Israel, meaning their strength and power. The vav of “I will break” is added to what was said, “I will restore.” “In the valley of Jezreel.” The bow that was in the valley of Jezreel, for the head of the kingdom of Ephraim was Samaria and Jezreel, for the royal house of Ahab was in Samaria and in Jezreel, and likewise the kings who came after him. And the Targum says: “And at that time the strong warriors of Israel were broken in the plain of Jezreel.”

"On that day. On the day of recompense, I will shatter the bow of Israel"—meaning, I will weaken the strength of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel, which is a fortified place, the seat of the kings of Ephraim.

Keshet. This means strength and might.

“And it shall come to pass on that day, on the day of the reckoning, that I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” The Sages of blessed memory taught that this refers to the kingdom of Jehu in general, which he seized by means of the bow, having achieved victory in the Valley of Jezreel. For there Jehu filled his hand with the bow and struck Joram, and thereby he seized the kingship (as it is stated in II Kings 9:24). And I will break the strength of this bow. And it can also be said that the verse alludes to the bow that Elisha gave to Joash, king of Israel, to shoot arrows with, so that it would be an arrow of salvation to defeat Aram. And by means of this bow he defeated Aram and established the strength of his kingdom. Therefore, the power of the House of Jehu is denoted by this bow. I will break it by means of the judgment associated with the Valley of Jezreel, for there He decreed to execute judgment upon the worshippers of idolatry.

"I will no longer add to my compassion." To have compassion: “For I will surely carry their iniquity.” I will allot to them the portion of their due, and their recompense, is like that of “he took the portion” (Genesis 43:34).

“And she conceived. And she bore a daughter” — this refers to the generation that followed, and it is called “daughter,” for it is written: “After Jeroboam, he restored the borders of Israel,” and after the death of his son Zechariah, Menachem reigned, and in his days the king of Assyria came. There is no need to mention the reign of Shallum, for he reigned only for a month, and in the days of Pekach son of Remalyahu, Tiglath-Pileser exiled many of the cities of Israel, and in the days of Hoshea son of Elah, Samaria was captured. Therefore, this generation is called “daughter.” And he explained: “Not that I pity her, for I will no longer add to pitying her” — meaning, omit the letter shin in “I will no longer add,” so that it reads “I will no longer add to pitying her.” And similar to this are: “And we shall know, we shall pursue,” and “Do not add, you speak.” Some say: “For I was a burden, until now, bearing their iniquity, and there is no remembrance of sin.” But the correct view in my eyes is: that this word comes in the manner of “They killed Abner,” and the meaning is in the manner of “Almost I would have been destroyed,” and behold, the book of the exile of the tribes.

"And she conceived again and bore a daughter." After she gave birth to a son, who is an allusion to Jeroboam son of Joash, as we have explained, she gave birth to a daughter, who is an allusion to Zechariah his son and Shallum son of Yabesh, who reigned after him. They were weak like a female, for Zechariah did not reign for more than six months and was killed, and Shallum did not reign for more than one month and was killed. "For I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel." "I will no longer have mercy" means that I will cease to have mercy; similarly, "Do not speak much" means that you should cease speaking; and "Let us know" means that we will be pursued. Alternatively, the phrase “to them” may be interpreted as “them,” just as “they killed to Abner” is equivalent to “they killed Abner,” meaning that I will lift them up to the land of their enemies.

"For I have surely borne [their iniquity] for them." This means: Until now, I have borne their iniquity because I had mercy on them; but from now on, I will no longer add to showing mercy to them, and their iniquity will remain upon their own bones.

"Nasa" (He lifted) – "Asha" (I will lift). The matter is one of forgiveness of sin, as it is written: "And I will forgive the whole place" (Genesis 18:26).

“And she conceived again and bore a daughter.” By this, it indicates the kings who arose after the kingdom of Jehu had fallen into captivity, for they were weak kings; this is what the depiction of the daughter signifies. And in this instance, it did not say “and she bore a daughter to him,” because by then she had already begun to commit harlotry with other men, and there was doubt whether the daughter was born to him. In the allegory, in these generations, the righteous ones diminished even more, and all of them worsened their deeds by committing harlotry after idolatry. And it said to him, “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah.” This name indicates that I will no longer add mercy to the house of Israel. “For I will lift up and forgive their sins”—meaning, even though in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, the Lord had mercy on them, lifted up their iniquity, and saved them, as it is stated (2 Kings 14:26), “For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, and it was very bitter; for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel, and the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel, and He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash,” now He will no longer add mercy to them and lift up their iniquity, for He will scatter them into exile. And behold, in the name Lo-Ruhamah, the prophet already showed hatred toward his daughter and his wife. Nevertheless, He still did not call her Lo-Ammi, which indicates that the bond between Him and them was completely severed. For even though He will not have mercy on the ten tribes, they are still His people through the fact that Judah and Benjamin and the tribes attached to them still remain. And this is what it says.

"And I will have mercy on the house of Judah." After I have destroyed the kingdom of Israel, which exiled the ten tribes, the house of Judah was included in compassion, from Hezekiah until Zedekiah.

"And the house of Judah" – referring to the fact that the inhabitants of Jerusalem escaped from the hand of Sennacherib. "And I will make them rest in the Lord" – that the angel of the Lord went out and struck the entire camp of Assyria.

"And I will have mercy on the house of Judah." For the kingdom of Judah endured after the exile of Israel, from the sixth year of Hezekiah until the destruction of the Temple, and He saved them from the hand of Sennacherib not by sword, nor by bow, nor by battle, nor by horses and horsemen, but rather the Angel of the Lord struck down the camp of Assyria, as it is written:

"I will have mercy." Because their ephah has not yet been filled. “By the Lord their God.” This means that the salvation would be through the aid of the Lord, and not through weapons of war. And he said regarding the defeat of Sennacherib that it was not by means of warfare, for the Lord struck them through the angel.

And the riders: they are those accustomed to ride on horses.

And I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will bring them back to the Lord, for Hezekiah and his people were saved by the Lord and delivered from the hand of Sennacherib by a miracle, and I did not save them by prayer, etc., for the angel of the Lord went out and struck the camp of Assyria; and from this perspective they are still My people, and the mother is My wife.

And She repaid them without mercy. According to the Targum: “And that generation was finished among the idolaters, where they were exiled.” "And she conceived and bore a son." And they added to their evil deeds, and according to the simple meaning, it is as it appears.

And He requited them: The tribes that were exiled in their exile begot children, and they remained there and did not return to their land; therefore He called them “Not My people.” "And I will not be" – to them as a God, and due to the abundance of anger, He did not mention [the name].

“And she conceived and bore a son.” “And she conceived” — because the days of weakness were prolonged in the days of Zechariah and Shallum, and also in the days of Menachem son of Gadi, who reigned ten years, for in his days Pul, king of Assyria, came. Also in the days of Pekahiah, his son, who reigned two years, until Pekah son of Remaliah arose and strengthened himself in the kingship and reigned twenty years, and he grew powerful over the kingdom of Judah and killed in Judah one hundred and twenty thousand men in one day. He also besieged Jerusalem together with Rezin, king of Aram. Concerning him this parable is said: “And she conceived and bore a son.” And concerning his generation it is said: “Call his name Lo-Ammi,” for concerning him it is said: “And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat.” And the sage Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, of blessed memory, interpreted the parable: “And she conceived” — after the ten tribes were exiled and begot children, the tribes in their exile, and they remained there and did not return to their land; therefore He called their name Lo-Ammi. And so did Jonathan translate.

"ותגמול" (And she weaned). So is called the time of the completion of nursing, as in "on the day that he weaned Isaac" (Genesis 21:8):

"And she weaned Lo-Ruhamah": The third child she did not bear immediately during the days of her nursing, as she had borne the second; rather, only after she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah did she become pregnant with the third child. For the third child, named Lo-Ammi, signifies the destruction of Judah and their exile, and this did not occur immediately, for many days elapsed. "And she conceived and bore a son": For the kingdom of Judah was a strong kingdom in the days of Hezekiah and Josiah; therefore, it is depicted by a male child.

And He said. It is clear:

"Because you are not My people." You do not tremble at My words to fulfill them, as a people trembles at the words of their king. "And I." And even I shall not be to you as a God to save you and to deliver you.

The verse states, “Call his name Lo-Ammi,” meaning that He commanded him to call him by a name indicating that he is not his son at all, and consequently, the woman is not his wife. For if the father were to say to his son, “You are not mine,” the marital bond with his wife would also be severed, since she has borne children of harlotry. And He explained to him the reason: “For you are not My people, and I will not be your God.” And with this in mind, He commanded Hosea to divorce his wife, as indicated by the name Lo-Ammi. And thus too will the Lord act, divorcing Israel and replacing them with another nation.