Matthew Poole and continuators on Hosea 1:4

4 And the LORD said unto him , Call his name Jezreel ; for yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu , and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel .

Hosea the Prophet who as in taking to wife an Adulteress, so in giving name to his son by her, was to presignifie Israels future Calamities.

Thy Son now born.

The word is, The seed of the Lord, or the arm of the Lord, or the Lord will scatter; so it may insinuate that God by his own arm will scatter among the people, i. e. the Assyrians those who were his people or seed. But we have a surer guide to lead us through this, i. e. the history of what was by Iehu done in Iezreel; of which more presently.

This is the reason why the Prophets Son is so called.

'Twas four generations of Iehu God promised the Throne to, and now the third that is now running, how near to an end we know not, but are sure 'twas within 28 years; for Ieroboam began his reign in the fifteenth of Amaziah, and so 13 years of his 41 are spent ere Vzziah comes to the Throne, 2 King. 14.23. this one account, but 2 King. 15.1. accounteth Ieroboams 27th. to be the first of Vzziah, and then there are not above 14 years to come, so little a while was this here spoken of, for in six moneths after Ieroboams death, Shallum conspired against Zechariah and slew him, and reigned a moneth; so Iehu's seed was cast out of the Throne. Enquire after and punish these Crimes, which were committed in Iezreel. Heb. I will visit, i. e. as a just and impartial Judge I will require an account, and execute punishments,

Murthers committed are in Scripture expressed thus by Blood, here are particularly meant the slaughters made by Iehu's hand or by his Order, 2 King. 9.10, 11. and 10.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. in Iezreel, where he did with a Treacherous Mind, and aiming at his own Greatness, destroy Ahabs house, and slew Ahaziah King of Iudah also, This was the just judgment of God upon that wicked house by Iehu executed, but he did it not with that Mind God requir'd.

The Town which Ahab chose above others to dwell in; where the dogs lick'd up Ahab's blood, when his chariot was wash'd and cleans'd of the blood of that slain King, and where dogs did eat Iezabel, as the Prophet threatned, 1 King. 21.23.

Which had now possessed the Throne (Iehu usurp'd) through the Reigns of Iehoaha[illegible: 1 letter], Iehoash and Ieroboam, but the Usurper, and his Successors adhering to the Idolatry of Ieroboam the Son of Nebat, and adding other sins to it had now provoked God to declare a sudden extirpation of the Family, which God will in his just revenge make as like to Ieroboam's Family as Ahabs, and they had made themselves like them in sin; all which came to pass when Shallum conspir[illegible: 1 letter]ing against Zechariah, slew him, 2 King. 15.10.

Not immediately, but soon after the death of Zechariah, the Kingdom of Israel did cease first to be free, for Menahem made it tributary to strengthen himself; so it is like it continued for ten years during his life, and two years during his son Pekahiahs Reign, after him Pekah the Conspirator and Murtherer usurp'd the Throne for twenty year[illegible: 1 letter], and probably was Feudatary to Tiglath Pileser; to be sure Ho[illegible: 1 letter]hea was so, and in his ninth year this word was fulfill'd in the Letter of it, the Kingdom of Israel after one and forty years tottering, [illegible: 1 letter]ell to utter ruine and hath so continued to this day.

Or the ten Tribes divided from the house of David.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 paragraph]