John Wesley

Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land.

“The bow - All their warlike provision, power and skill. Jezreel - In this valley it is probable the bloodiest battles in the civil wars were fought; the reason whereof might be, because whoever carried the victory in this place, were soon masters of Samaria…”

Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land.

“One head - Zerubbabel, who was appointed by Cyrus, yet with full approbation of the people. And so Christ is appointed by the Father, head of his church, whom believers heartily accept.”

Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her path with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so she cannot find her way.

“Hedge up - I will compass thee in with wars, and calamities, that tho' thou love thy sinful courses, thou shalt have little pleasure in them.”

I will put an end to all her exultation: her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—all her appointed feasts.

“Her feast days - Though apostate, Israel was fallen to idolatry, yet they retained many of the Mosaic rites and ceremonies. Her solemn feasts - The three annual feasts of tabernacles, weeks, and passover, all which ceased when they were carried captive, by Salmaneser.”

I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, when she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers.

“The days - The sins of those days. Of Baalim - Baal was the great idol of the ten tribes; here it is plural Baalim, to denote the multitude of idols which they worshipped, all called by this one name.”

On that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the ground.

“It is a full and gracious promise of abundance of peace, safety, and love, through the creation. Safely - This was in some measure made good to the Jews returning out of captivity. But the full accomplishment will be to the church of Christ.”

“On that day I will respond—” declares the LORD—“I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth.

“In that day - In the day of gospel-grace. I will hear - God the first and universal cause will influence the heavens, he will command their dew, and showers.”

And I will sow her as My own in the land, and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’

“I will sow - I will bless them with a wonderful increase of people, exprest with allusion to seed sown in the earth. So the Jews multiplied after the Babylonish captivity, but much more are the numbers increased since the preaching of the gospel.”

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.

“Fifteen pieces of silver - It was half the value of a slave, Exod. xxi, 32. An homer of barley - About fourteen bushels.”

For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol.

“For - Now the parable is unfolded, it shall be with Israel as with such a woman, they and she were guilty of adultery, both punished long, both made slaves, kept hardly, and valued meanly, yet in mercy at last pardoned, and re-accepted tho' after…”

Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king.

“And David - The Messiah who is the son of David. And his goodness - God and his goodness; that is, the good and gracious God. God in Christ and with Christ shall be worshipped.”

Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the…

“The tamer either were killed by enemies, or offended with stench, forsook the country, or were devoured by birds of prey. Taken away - Whether by drying up the waters, or by corrupting them with blood and carcasses.”

You will stumble by day, and the prophet will stumble with you by night; so I will destroy your mother—

“The prophet - Prophesied lies. In the night - In the darkest calamities. Thy mother - Both the state, or kingdom; and the synagogues, or churches: the publick is as a mother to private persons, so all shall be destroyed.”

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests.

“Destroyed - Many were already cut off by Pul king of Assyria, and many destroyed by the bloody tyranny of Menahem. Of knowledge - Of God, his law, his providence, his holy nature, his hatred of sin and power to punish it.”

Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt!

“Offend - Commit like sins. Gilgal - Gilgal was chosen by Jeroboam, or by succeeding idolaters for the solemn worship of their idols.”

For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn heifer. Can the LORD now shepherd them like lambs in an open meadow?

“As a back-sliding heifer - Which when grown lusty, and wanton, will neither endure the yoke nor be confined in her allowed pastures.”

Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain.

“Ephraim - The whole kingdom of the ten tribes. Rebuke - When Salmaneser shall besiege, sack and captivate all thy cities, rebuked for their sins. Of Israel - To the house of Israel openly.”

Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow worthless idols.

“Ephraim - The ten tribes are by seditions, civil wars, unjust sentences, and bloody conspiracies eaten up already. After the commandment - To forbear going to the temple, and to worship the calves at Daniel and Bethel, as Jeroboam the son of Nebat commanded.”

After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.

“After two days - After some short time of suffering, God will shew us his favour, and revive our dead state. Revive us - Though we were as dead men, buried in our miseries, yet our merciful God will quicken us.”

So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the…

“Know - What worship he requires. And the knowledge of God shall be to us a spring of all holy, righteous, sober conversation.”

Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning.

“Hewed them - I have severely, and unweariedly reproved, and threatened them. By thy words - As I did by word foretel, so I did effect in due time.”

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

“In this I delight, I have found little of this among you. Not sacrifice - Rather than sacrifice. The knowledge of God - The affectionate knowledge of God, which fills the mind with reverence of his majesty, fear of his goodness, love of his holiness…”

Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with footprints of blood.

“A city - A city full of notorious transgressors, the inhabitants though Levites and priests, work all manner of wickedness. With blood - Murders committed there.”

In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: Ephraim practices prostitution there, and Israel is defiled.

“Of Ephraim - Which was brought in by an Ephraimite, by Jeroboam, two hundred years ago, and is there still. Israel is defiled - It hath overspread all Israel.”

All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls upon Me.

“Devoured - As a fire destroys, so have these conspirators, destroyed their rulers. Their kings - All that have been since Jeroboam the second's reign, to the delivery of this prophecy, namely, Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, Pekah, fell by the conspiracy of such hot princes.”