Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Vulgate Text: Hosea 12:1-14
1. Ephraim feeds on the wind, and follows the burning heat: all the day long he multiplies lies and desolation: and he has entered into a covenant with the Assyrians, and carried oil into Egypt. 2. Therefore the Lord has a judgment against Judah, and a visitation upon Jacob: according to his ways, and according to his devices, He will repay him. 3. In the womb he supplanted his brother: and in his strength he was directed with the angel. 4. And he prevailed over the angel, and was strengthened: he wept, and entreated him: in Bethel he found him, and there He spoke with us. 5. And the Lord God of hosts, the Lord is His memorial. 6. And you shall be converted to your God: keep mercy and judgment, and hope in your God always. 7. Canaan, in his hand is a deceitful balance, he has loved oppression. 8. And Ephraim said: Indeed I have become rich, I have found an idol for myself: all my labors shall not find for me the iniquity that I have sinned. 9. And I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; I will yet make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the feast. 10. And I have spoken to the Prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and in the hand of the prophets I have been represented in likenesses. 11. If Gilead is an idol, then in vain were they in Gilgal sacrificing to oxen: for their altars also are like heaps upon the furrows of the field. 12. Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept watch. 13. But by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt: and by a prophet he was preserved. 14. Ephraim has provoked Me to wrath with his bitter deeds, and his blood shall come upon him, and his Lord shall restore to him his reproach.
Verse 1: EPHRAIM FEEDS ON THE WIND. — First, St
1. EPHRAIM FEEDS ON THE WIND. — First, St. Jerome, Albert, Clarius, and Dionysius explain it thus: Ephraim wastes his oil and labor, and does something vain, useless, and futile — indeed harmful and impossible — since, having abandoned God, he flees to idols and idolaters in his affliction and devastation, and hopes for help and salvation from them. For he does exactly as if a shepherd wanted to pasture the wind like his flock, so as to nourish and sustain himself by it: for this is futile and harmful (since the wind is more powerful than a man, and harms him by blowing), indeed impossible. In the same way Ephraim worships stone idols, which cannot help — indeed they harm, for they provoke the wrath and vengeance of God. Second, from the Hebrew you may translate: Ephraim is fed by the wind. Whence R. David explains it thus: Ephraim, worshipping the calves, is like a man opening his mouth to the wind and feeding on that from which he does not live. For "pascor" is a deponent verb, governing both the accusative and the ablative. Whence Virgil, in Georgics IV, says: "The bees feed on the shrubs." And in book III: "They feed indeed on the woods." Thus we say: A horse feeds on grass, just as it is fed by grass. And so "Ephraim feeds on the wind" can be taken partly actively, so that "feeds" means the same as "is fed by the wind"; thus Ovid says in Fasti II:
The sheep grazes the meadow, the wanton one plucked the sacred herbs;
partly passively, so that "feeds" means he makes himself food for the winds, so that the winds — namely the Assyrians — may devour him. Thus St. Augustine, in book V Against Cresconius, explaining that passage of Proverbs chapter VI, 10: "He who relies on falsehoods, this one feeds the winds: that is," he says, "he becomes food for evil spirits." It seems rather to be taken actively here. For thus one who is nourished by vain hope, or nourishes himself, is said to be fed by the wind, or to feed on and eat the wind.
Verse 2: THEREFORE THE LORD HAS A JUDGMENT AGAINST JUDAH ("judgment," that is, a just com...
2. THEREFORE THE LORD HAS A JUDGMENT AGAINST JUDAH ("judgment," that is, a just complaint, a just expostulation; in Hebrew it is ריב rib, that is, a lawsuit, a dispute, a judicial accusation, meaning: Because Judah followed Israel in apostasy from God and in the worship of calves, therefore God brings a lawsuit against him, and prosecutes him as guilty of impiety in judgment). AND A VISITATION UPON JACOB. — By Jacob understand Israel, or the ten tribes, meaning: God brings a lawsuit against Judah, but upon Israel a visitation, that is, a certain punishment by which He visits — that is, punishes and chastises — him: for both are guilty of idolatry, but Israel more so. So Lyranus, Vatablus, Arias, although St. Jerome, Theodoret, Hugo, and others take Jacob as Judah, so that the same thing is said and repeated under another name. Moreover Lyranus explains "with Judah" as meaning "on behalf of Judah," thus: The Lord litigates on behalf of Judah against Jacob, so that from the punishment with which Jacob is struck, Judah may learn wisdom, and not imitate his crimes, but come to his senses. Better, Arias explains it thus: The Lord litigates with Judah and rebukes him, lest Jacob, who sinned far more gravely, should wonder that he is visited and punished by God. Best of all: I bring a judgment, that is, a lawsuit against Judah, because his crime is not yet clear, not yet public and universal: it therefore requires investigation and examination before I pronounce sentence against him, condemn and punish him. But a "visitation," that is, condemnation, punishment, and destruction, I bring against Jacob, because his crime is clear, universal, and inexcusable.
Verse 3: IN THE WOMB HE SUPPLANTED (Jacob) HIS BROTHER Esau
3. IN THE WOMB HE SUPPLANTED (Jacob) HIS BROTHER Esau. — For Jacob being born held the heels of Esau: by which God signified that He chose and preferred Jacob, and would prefer him to Esau the firstborn, and that Jacob would seize from Esau the right of primogeniture and the father's blessing, and thus supplant him, and from this he would be called Jacob, that is, "supplanter": see what is said at Genesis chapter XXV, 25. So St. Jerome, Theodoret, and the Chaldean, who translates thus: Was it not predicted of your father Jacob before he was born, that he would become greater than his brother? The Prophet here commemorates the benefits bestowed on Jacob long ago in the womb, before any merit, out of God's sheer grace, and likewise Jacob's holiness, so that the Israelites, his posterity, might imitate their father and serve God and give thanks. For this election of Jacob, by which he was preferred by God to his brother Esau, pertained more to his descendants — namely to the Israelites, whom God chose and preferred over the Idumeans, the descendants of Esau. For otherwise Esau, while he lived, was more powerful and richer than Jacob.
Foot pressed against foot, and man crowded man.
Verse 4: AND HE PREVAILED — that is, he came out on top and conquered, as the Chaldean tr...
4. AND HE PREVAILED — that is, he came out on top and conquered, as the Chaldean translates; for the angel, as if defeated, said in Genesis chapter XXXII, 26: "Let me go." And Jacob, gripping him more tightly, replied: "I will not let you go," etc.
Verse 5: AND THE LORD GOD OF HOSTS, THE LORD IS HIS MEMORIAL
5. AND THE LORD GOD OF HOSTS, THE LORD IS HIS MEMORIAL. — In Hebrew it is: And Jehovah Elohim (that is, God) of hosts; Jehovah (I say) is His memorial, or remembrance. Here there is a manifold meaning, both fitting and illustrious. First, meaning: God spoke with us in Bethel, inviting and commanding that we worship Him. But see to it, O Israelites, that you are not deceived by idolaters; do not, I say, err by worshipping a false god (such as false prophets and pagans thrust many upon you, and substitute for me by fraud — just as the devil substitutes himself for God, even as an ape for a man, and falsely claims to be God) instead of the true one. Behold, I say and repeat: My proper name is Jehovah. Therefore worship the God who is Jehovah, that is, Being itself, and the existence of both Himself and of all creatures — that is, He who is the fullness of Being, the creator of all things, the ocean of essence, wisdom, glory, and all goodness immeasurable. He alludes to Exodus chapter III, 14: "He who is (that is, Jehovah) sent me to you, etc. This name is mine forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation," meaning: O Israelites, do not worship the Egyptian Apis in place of God: for that is a calf, not God. But worship Me, who am Jehovah, that is, "I am who I am," or "He who is," was, and will be. This name is mine eternally: therefore by this name remember Me, and call upon Me. So the Chaldean, Arias, and Lyranus.
Verse 6: AND (that is, therefore) YOU SHALL BE CONVERTED TO YOUR GOD
6. AND (that is, therefore) YOU SHALL BE CONVERTED TO YOUR GOD — that is, be converted, or convert yourself. It is a Hebrew enallage; for the future tense is used for the imperative, meaning: You therefore, O Israel, return from idols to the God of your father Jacob, as the true offspring of Jacob and heir of the covenant he entered into with God.
KEEP JUDGMENT (that is, justice). — For he passes from God to the neighbor, so that from the honor and love of God who commands it, one may render to the neighbor his right, and likewise the mercy that is owed; for true faith and worship of God is followed by faithfulness — that is, fidelity toward the neighbor — just as, conversely, unfaithfulness toward God is followed by unfaithfulness and injustice toward the neighbor. Whence he adds:
Verse 7: CANAAN, IN HIS HAND IS A DECEITFUL BALANCE
7. CANAAN, IN HIS HAND IS A DECEITFUL BALANCE. — That is, as the Syriac has it, a deceitful balance (the Arabic: a balance of oppressions) is in the hand of Canaan. For the Hebrews repeat the relative and place it with its antecedent, meaning: Ephraim is Canaan, that is, a fraudulent merchant; for in his hand is a deceitful and unjust balance. Note here that Ephraim — that is, Israel, or the ten tribes — as follows, is called Canaan by catachresis: first, because the Israelites were impious like the Canaanites, so that they seemed to be sons of Canaan rather than of Jacob. Thus Daniel, chapter XIII, 56, says to the elder who plotted against Susanna's chastity: "Seed of Canaan, and not of Judah." And Ezekiel, chapter XVI, 3: "Your root and your generation are from the land of Canaan." Thus Isaiah, chapter I, 10, says to the Scribes and Jews: "Hear the word of the Lord, princes of Sodom." So St. Jerome, Cyril, Theodoret, Rupert, Hugo, Dionysius, Emmanuel, and Mariana. Second, because Canaan in Hebrew signifies a merchant, as Leo the Hebrew, the Chaldean, Pagninus, Lyranus, and Arias translate here. Whence Proverbs chapter XXXI, 24 says: "She delivered a girdle to the Canaanite," that is, to the merchant. For the Canaanites, earthly and avaricious, because of their proximity to the sea, devoted themselves to commerce, and in it to frauds, deceits, thefts, and robberies; hence in Hebrew כנעני kenaani, that is, Canaanite, signifies a merchant. Therefore Hosea here alludes to the deceits and frauds of the merchant, meaning: Your father Jacob, because of his holiness, deserved to be called Israel, that is, "one who prevails with God." But you, O Ephraim, do not deserve this name; rather you should be called Canaan, because you have the morals of the Canaanites, and because you defraud your neighbors in weight, as a merchant does — especially a Canaanite merchant, who defrauds buyers with a deceitful balance, using a heavier weight when he buys merchandise and a lighter one when he sells. Whence the Chaldean translates: Do not be like merchants, in whose hands are deceitful balances, intent on robbery. Just as therefore slaves are called Phrygians, thieves Laconians, gluttons and voluptuaries Sybarites, the infamous Ambrones — so impious and unjust merchants are called Canaanites, whose sole aim is to deceive and grow rich by unjust profit, and who therefore have fraudulent balances, or, as the Wise Man says in Proverbs chapter XX, 10: "Weight and weight, measure and measure," that is, double weights, double measures.
Such likewise are not a few merchants, who gape entirely after profit. For it cannot be but that men of this sort, from such a great eagerness for gain, are often carried beyond the bounds of right and justice. Wherefore St. Chrysostom says of such people, in homily 38 on Matthew, and it is found in chapter XI Ejiciens, distinction 88: "The Lord casting out those who were selling and buying from the temple, signified that a merchant can never please God; and therefore no Christian ought to be a merchant." For he speaks of profiteers who make gain their ultimate end and highest good, prepared to sin mortally in order to profit — as St. Thomas explains in II-II, Question LXXVII, article 7 — and who carry on business with frauds and perjuries, as our Lessius explains, book II On Justice, chapter XXI, doubt 4.
Fourth, the deceitful balance is malice itself, and the deliberate purpose of sinning. For this, says Rufinus, "when with weights suspended on either side he commits wicked things, is said to have sinned under the balance, about which David says, Psalm LXI, 10: Surely the sons of men are liars on the scales, that they may deceive from vanity in the same thing. Since therefore it is the chief function of such a gift of intelligence to examine what one ought to undertake and what to avoid, by the plumb-line of reason and the weight of comparison, the profaned people, holding the truth in falsehood, indeed applied the balance to their affairs, but a deceitful one — placing worse things before better, and acquiescing more in harmful things than in useful ones."
Verse 8: AND EPHRAIM SAID: INDEED I HAVE BECOME RICH, I HAVE FOUND AN IDOL FOR MYSELF
8. AND EPHRAIM SAID: INDEED I HAVE BECOME RICH, I HAVE FOUND AN IDOL FOR MYSELF. — He calls his wealth and riches an "idol," as if to say: The Prophets make noise at me and blame and reprove me for my deceitful balances: but I do not heed these voices, but despise them like the chattering of jackdaws; for I have in my possession an idol, that is, a most powerful god (namely Mammon, that is, riches, which I alone by my own industry have acquired for myself), in whose presence I fear no one, because I abound in all good things. So St. Jerome.
Note: For "idol" the Hebrew is און on, which properly means iniquity and robbery, as the Chaldean translates, or force and strength, as Arias and Vatablus translate. Moreover Lyranus and Pagninus translate it as "riches" — namely unjustly acquired. The Septuagint translates it as "rest": for riches are to the miser, first, an idol; second, robbery; third, all his strength; fourth, his wealth; fifth, all his hope and rest — but futile, deceptive, and vanishing. From the Chaldean some translate and explain it thus: I have found force for myself, namely money, which like a master exerts force over me and violently oppresses me. So St. Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 24, at the beginning: "Gold," he says, "is a hidden tyrant, by which many things are tossed up and down as in a game of dice." Which words Elias of Crete thus explains: "He calls it a tyrant because it can exert force over those who desire gold, and oppress them as by tyranny; but invisible, because silently and without being seen it subjects the avaricious, and forcibly drags them away from what they had resolved."
Let the merchant therefore temper and moderate this zeal for profit with the fear of God and the desire for greater and heavenly riches, and let him inscribe in his mind that golden sentence of the Wise Man: "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great and insatiable treasures," Proverbs chapter XV, 16. And: "Better is a little with justice, than abundant fruits with iniquity," Proverbs chapter XVI, 8. Second, let him continually hear the Apostle thundering at him: "Charge the rich of this world not to be high-minded, nor to trust in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God (who provides us abundantly with all things to enjoy), to do good, to be rich in good works, to give readily, to share, to store up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may lay hold of eternal life," I Timothy chapter VI, 17. Third, let him frequently ponder that passage of Job chapter XX, 26, about the impious and unjust rich man: "The riches which he devoured he will vomit up, and God will draw them out of his belly." And what we commonly say and observe:
From ill-gotten gains the third heir takes no joy.
Finally, that word of Christ: "Fool, this night they will demand your soul from you; and what you have prepared, whose will it be?" Luke chapter XII, 20.
Second, the deceitful balance is a depraved intention, ambition, and desire for primacy. Hear Theodoret: "You, O Ephraim, imitating the wickedness of Canaan, have an unjust balance of the mind. You always despise justice, you desire unjust power, you are of an arrogant spirit in your riches, and you claim very much for yourself in the accounting of them." And Prosper, part II of On Predictions, chapter XXIV, who admonishing kings and princes says: "Let those," he says, "take care who
Lyranus accommodates our version to this, as if this were the Prophet's correction, meaning: You, O rich men, trust and confide in your riches as in an idol; nevertheless know from me that those riches, however much acquired by your labor, will not "find" for you "iniquity" — that is, the expiation of iniquity.
Verse 9: AND I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT
9. AND I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT — meaning: From that time when I led you out of Egypt, I was your constant guardian, leader, God, and father.
I WILL YET MAKE YOU DWELL IN TENTS — meaning: I will wait to see if you are willing to repent, and accordingly I will defer the punishment of captivity which I have decreed for your crimes, and I will make you dwell happily in your dwellings and cities, and therefore celebrate annually according to custom the joyful feast of Tabernacles, once instituted for this reason, Leviticus chapter XXIII, 39, just as you have celebrated it until now. So St. Jerome. Whence less correctly Theodoret takes these words as threats, and explains them in the contrary sense, meaning: Because you are forgetful of your liberation, by which I led you out of Egypt, I will expel you from your house into Assyria, where as an exile you will dwell in tents, and mourning you will remember the Passover, at which I led you rejoicing out of Egypt, and the other festivals which you used to celebrate festively in your homeland.
Allegorically, meaning: In the time of Christ I will make you dwell in tabernacles, that is, in Churches — first militant on earth, then triumphant in heaven, where you will keep continual and perpetual festivals, far more joyful than those you once celebrated at Passover, Pentecost, the Feast of Tabernacles, etc. So Lyranus and Clarius, who think this is the literal sense.
Verse 10: AND I HAVE SPOKEN TO (that is, to
10. AND I HAVE SPOKEN TO (that is, to — as the Septuagint, Vatablus, and others translate) THE PROPHETS (so that they might invite you to repentance, and consequently to this feast of tabernacles, and therefore I have) MULTIPLIED VISIONS (prophecies and reproofs to be brought upon you, to them), AND IN THE HAND OF THE PROPHETS I HAVE BEEN REPRESENTED IN LIKENESSES — meaning: Through the deeds and words of the Prophets I assumed various forms and likenesses, now admonishing, now threatening, now coaxing. Again, I likened Myself now to a shepherd, now to a charioteer, now to a father, now to a king, now to a bridegroom, etc. Finally, I commanded the Prophets to introduce various figures and likenesses by which they might move you to amendment. Thus in Hosea chapter I, I commanded him to liken Me by his marriage to a bridegroom seeking a fornicating bride. So St. Jerome, Theodoret, Lyranus, and others.
Note the Hebraism: "In the hand of the Prophets," that is, through the Prophets, as through My instrument and tool; for the hand is the instrument of instruments, says Aristotle. "In the hand," therefore — that is, by the ministry, work, and words — "of the Prophets I was represented in likenesses," meaning: Who I am and what I am like, what I will and what I require, can be known from the sayings and deeds of the Prophets; for the Prophets represented Me by their actions and deeds, as well as by their words; and they placed before the eyes of men a certain likeness and image, as it were, not only of My mind and will, but also of My character and nature. So Pineda, book VII of On the Affairs of Solomon, chapter XXIII, Emmanuel and Mariana here. Thus an ambassador represents his prince, an Apostle represents Christ.
Verse 11: IF GILEAD IS AN IDOL, THEN IN VAIN WERE THEY IN GILGAL SACRIFICING TO OXEN
11. IF GILEAD IS AN IDOL, THEN IN VAIN WERE THEY IN GILGAL SACRIFICING TO OXEN. — Note: "Gilead" was a city and region across the Jordan, belonging to the ten tribes — namely to Reuben and Gad; whence it was the first to face the Assyrians invading the land of Israel, and was conquered by them, IV Kings XV, 29. But Gilgal was on this side of the Jordan and belonged to the tribe of Judah, says St. Jerome. Moreover, Gilead was as famous for its idols, as is clear from chapter VI, 9, as was Gilgal, as is clear from chapter IX, 15. The speech is addressed to the two tribes — namely to Judah — meaning: You, O two tribes, recognize that the calves of the Gileadites are an idol — that is, a vain thing, a fictitious and painted deity, and therefore wicked and impious (for this is what און aven signifies) — and for this reason you have seen their altars destroyed by the Assyrians and turned into heaps of stones, and their land laid waste and the desolate land subjugated by the plow and furrows. Why then do you vainly worship a similar idol — namely calves, or oxen — and sacrifice to them in Gilgal? For your land will likewise be reduced to similar heaps of stones and laid waste, and will be subjugated by oxen with plow and furrows. So St. Jerome, Lyranus, Clarius, and others. Whence from the Hebrew it can be more expressly translated with Vatablus: If in Gilead there was iniquity, or vanity — namely a wicked and vain idol — they were indeed made vain, that is, therefore they went to nothing, were cut off and vanished; why then in Gilgal did they sacrifice oxen (or to oxen)? This is the "judgment of Judah," of which he says in verse 2: "Therefore the Lord has a judgment with Judah, and a visitation upon Jacob," meaning: If the idol did not profit the Gileadites, but harmed them, likewise the idol in Gilgal will not profit you either, O Judah, but will harm you. In the Hebrew there is a forceful paronomasia in the words און aven, און on, עון avon. For he looks back to verse 8, meaning: "Ephraim said: I have become rich, I have found an idol" — in Hebrew, on. "All my labors shall not find iniquity" — in Hebrew, avon. To this corresponds here that Gilead is aven, that is, iniquity, vanity, and an idol, and therefore labor and sorrow; and he proves this from the fact that its altars have been reduced to heaps and furrows. Therefore this prophecy seems to have been published by Hosea after the city of Gilead in the tribe of Gad was devastated by the Assyrians, before Samaria and Gilgal — which were across the Jordan — were devastated by the same, while on this side of it were the tribe of Gad and Gilead. So Sanchez.
Third, others explain: If you wish to worship idols, go to Gilead; for there is the seat of idolatry. Do not therefore worship them in Gilgal, because this place belongs to Judah, and consequently to God and God's temple.
The deboned field is nearby.
Verse 12: JACOB FLED INTO THE REGION OF SYRIA
12. JACOB FLED INTO THE REGION OF SYRIA. — "He fled," namely from the face of his brother Esau, who was angry because the birthright had been seized from him, Genesis XXVIII. The Prophet returns to showing God's providence and care, which He had for Jacob the father of the Israelites, and consequently for the Israelites themselves, in order to demonstrate their ingratitude, and to call them back to loving God in return and worshipping Him again.
ISRAEL SERVED FOR A WIFE (meaning: Jacob served Laban for seven years for his wife Rachel): AND
Verse 13: BY A PROPHET (that is, through a Prophet, namely Moses) THE LORD BROUGHT ISRAEL ...
13. BY A PROPHET (that is, through a Prophet, namely Moses) THE LORD BROUGHT ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT, AND BY A PROPHET (through the same Moses) HE WAS PRESERVED — from Pharaoh and other enemies. Wherefore
14. EPHRAIM HAS PROVOKED ME TO WRATH (that is, Israel, because ungrateful for so many of My benefits he spurns Me and worships calves) WITH HIS BITTER DEEDS — that is, with his sins, especially of idolatry, which move Me to bitterness, that is, sorrow and anger. He speaks anthropopathically. Note here that sins and idols are called the bitter things of God: because they offend God most greatly, to such a degree that if sorrow, grief, anxiety — indeed death and destruction — could befall God, these would come upon Him from no other source, and by no other arrow, than sin.
AND HIS LORD SHALL RESTORE TO HIM HIS REPROACH (that is, the punishment of his reproach) — namely for the reproach with which he has afflicted God, taking away His divinity and sacrilegiously attributing it to idols. For God allows no sin, especially one so enormous, to go unpunished. For as St. Augustine says on Psalm XLIV: "God is going to punish sin, because the rod of direction is the rod of His kingdom. Sin must be punished: if it did not need to be punished, it would not even be sin. Anticipate Him: do you not want Him to punish? You punish yourself." And shortly after: "It must be punished: therefore it will be either by you or by Him. You acknowledge it, so that He may pardon."
The same in Psalm LVIII: "What does it mean," he says, "to practice justice? Because you have hated in yourself what He also hates, you may begin to please God, while you punish in yourself what displeases God. For sin cannot be left unpunished, because it is true: You shall not have mercy on all who work iniquity."
The same in Psalm L, explaining the words: Behold, for You have loved truth — that is, he says: "You have not left unpunished the sins even of those whom You forgive: You have loved truth; thus You have extended mercy, so as to preserve truth as well. You forgive the one who confesses — You forgive, but the one who punishes himself. Thus mercy and truth are preserved: mercy, because man is freed; truth, because sin is punished." See the same, Epistle 122 to Victorianus, where he teaches that God spares no one who sins, not even a saint; and therefore He permitted the barbarians invading Italy and Spain to afflict even holy men, and to violate consecrated virgins.