Wesley Corpus

Chapter III God's forbearance with the idolatry of Judah, who is worse than Israel, ver. 1 - 11. Both called to repent, with gospel promises, ver. 12 - 19. Misery by sin; salvation only of God, ver. 20 - 25. Shall be - He cannot take her again according to the law, Deut 24:1 - 4. Yet I am ready to be reconciled to you. Polluted - Would not so great a sin greatly pollute a nation Many - Not with one only, but many idols. Lien with - Where there are not the footsteps of thy idolaters. Sat - To assure passengers. As the Arabian - An allusion to the custom of that people, who were wont to pitch their tents by the way - sides, that they might meet with their customers to trade, as they passed along. Wickedness - Not only thy idolatries, but other wicked courses. A whore's forehead - For all this, thou didst still remain obstinate, as ashamed of nothing. My father - Wilt thou not as a child call upon me, whom thou hast thus greatly provoked. The guide - I have been brought up by thee. Will he - Will he not be reconciled Israel - The ten tribes who fell off from Judah. Given a bill - Delivered her up into the hands of the Assyrian, where God took from her the title of being his church, 2Kings 17:5,6. And yet - Though God saw what she did, and though she saw the shameful idolatry of Israel, and what she had suffered. The north - To Assyria and Media, that lay northward from Judea, whither the ten tribes were carried by Tiglath - pileser, and Salmanezer. Strangers - To other gods, or to idols, running here and there up and down. I am married - I am in covenant with you, and this covenant notwithstanding all your unfaithfulness, I am ready to renew with you. Family - This word is taken frequently for a country or nation, and this may partly respect the fewness of those that will return. But chiefly it respects God's exact care of them, that being now married to them, there shall not be one in a city, or two in a country or tribe, but he will find them out.