Matthew Poole and continuators on Hosea 1:2

2. The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea : and the LORD said unto Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms : for the land hath committed great whoredom , departing from the LORD .

This say some gives Hosea the precedence of all the Prophets which perhaps may be allow'd to him among all the Prophets that have written distinct Books of their Prophesies, but simply first of all the Prophets he was not; in Davids and Solomons times we meet with Nathan and Ahijah the Shilonite. Or this Beginning, may be as our ordinary phrase, so soon as God spake, or, at the very first of Gods speaking to Hosea, he commanded him to take such a wife, &c.

Vide ver. 1. let. b.

In Hosea; denoting the impulse of the Spirit of Prophesie; the internal motions and influence of the Spirit in the Prophe[illegible: 1 letter] Vid. ver. 1. let. c.

Directed and commanded him, this was warrant to him, doing which, otherwise was unseemly for a Proph[illegible: 2 letters] to have done.

This was, say some, done in Vision, and was to be told to the people as other Visions were: It was Parabolically propos'd to them, and this might be sufficient to convince the Iews, would they have considered it well, as David considered Natha[illegible: 1 letter]s Parable. Others say, it was Really acted, and that the Prophet did, as commanded, marry one who had been a Strumpet, or that proved to be so after she was married. And though this would have been unseemly in the Prophet, had he done it without this particular direction, now the scandal ceaseth, and it is very sit God be obeyed, and the Prophet may with credit enough do what God had by his command made a necessary duty to him and marry one known to be a lewd whore.

An openly noted whore, a notorious one so the Heb. phrase [illegible: 1 letter]ife of whoredoms, as, a Man of bloods, or man of sorrows; a woman of many whoredoms▪ and very lively emblem of Idolatrous Israel.

Either, that born of such a mother, are, as she, addicted to lewdness; or else, with the Mother made his Wife, he is to receive and maintain the children she had by her Adulterers. And thus understood, it may lead our thoughts to Gods Rich Mercy towards their Ancestors, who were (Abraham himself not excepted) Idolaters when they dwelt on the other side the River, Iosh. 24.2, 3. yet God took them, and married them to himself, and did shew wonderful kindness to them, and theirs, all which is slighted and forgotten by their Posterity by you, O Idolatrous Israelites! Or it may refer more expresly to what God did for Israel, when he brought them out of Egypt and made Covenant with them in Horeb, which was as a solemn Espousing them to God. The Lord found them tainted with Egyptian Idolatries, yet, as the Prophet here, married them to himself, and covenanted with them to be faithful to him, but they broke the Covenant.

Land, i. e. the people of the Land, intimating the universal spreading of this sin, all or most of all so infected.

The phrase Heb. playing the harlot, hath played the harlot, speaks the continuance of this Idolatry among them, as well as the greatness of the whoredom. From their forefathers they had been Idolaters, while God was giving them his Law (from the Nuptial day to Hoseahs tim[illegible: 1 letter]) they committed spiritual whoredom, and first made, next worshipp'd the Golden alf.

So they left their first husband, and doted on Adulterers, on Idols, as chap. 2.5.

Marginal references: Or, in.; So chap. 3.1.; Psal. 73.27. Ezek. 23.3, &c.