Matthew Poole and continuators on Hosea 6:2

2 After two dayes will he revive us , in the third day he will raise us up , and we shall live in his sight .

After some short time of sufferings for our sins, or rather when our sufferings have brought us to Repentance, and return to God, our God will soon after shew us his Grace and Favour, and revive our dead state: It is not needful we enquire how long time this two dayes intends, 'tis certain time for an uncertain, two dayes for a short time. God doth not delay long when we return to him. Ier. 31.18, 19, with 20. and Hos. 14.3. with 4.

Though we were as dead men, buried in our miseries, and neither deserved from God, nor could hope from any other hand a resurrection, and recovery to a better state; yet our merciful God will quicken us again, Ezra 9.8, 9. expresseth their return out of Captivity in those words that might well paraphrase our Prophet.

Mercy recovers by degrees, and therefore a third day is added, in which this people shall be raised up, increased, established, and confirmed, possibly the Prophet may allude to the third day, which is said to be a critical day to the wounded, who conceive hopes when better on that day; or possibly it may refer to the third decree by Darius made to Nehemiah for building Ierusalem, and the two dayes may refer to the times of Cyrus reviving the Iews first by his Decree of Liberty, and command to build the Temple. The second day or time that of Darius Hystaspis to Zerub[illegible: 1 letter]abel and Ioshua, for building the Temple, in which work his bounty revived t[illegible: 1 letter]e hopes of the Iews; however poor and unable, yet the Temple should be built, and the Worship of God restor'd. This was a great reviving, but their settlement was upon the third Decree, which was given out by Darius Longimanus to Nehemiah, cap. 2. ver. 1.

Flourish in peace, wealth, and joy; in pure Worship of God, in righteousness among our selves, in safety from Enemies.

The eye of our God being upon us for good, and we fill'd with the fruits of his favour, inheriting his Promises here till we fully possess them in the light of Glory.

In this verse it is most certain we are to regard both the literal and historical sense, and distinguish it from the mystical and accommodated sense, in this latter, these words foretel the Death, and Resurrection, and future Glory of Christ, and Christians, as 1 Cor. 15.4. and so are generally interpreted and applyed by Expositors. As to the Letter, his History 'tis in brief thus,

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 letter]or. 15.4.