John Trapp on Hosea 13:10

Verſe 10. I will be thy king,] Thine eternall king, ſo Pagnine. As I have been thy Prophet, verſe 4.5. ſo I will be thy king; I will alſo be thy Prieſt, and thy Redeemer, verſe 14, that ſo thou mayeſt hear my voice, ſubmit to my ſcepter, and apply my death for thy deliverance from deaths dominion. Or, I will be thy king, and not be born down by thy boyſterouſneſſe, who calleſt for another king, and repineſt againſt my righteous regiment. Thou wouldſt caſt off mine authority, but I will maintain it. The Lord is king, be the people never ſo unquiet, Pſal. 99.1. he will raigne over rebels in ſpite of their hearts: and thoſe that will not be his ſubjects, his willing people, ſhall be his ſlaves, his footſtool. The Geneva Bible reads it thus,Pſal. 110.1, 3. I am: Where is the King that ſhould help thee in all thy cities? R. Aben-Ezra, Calvin, Oecolampadius, and others go the ſame way: onely they render it, Ero, I will be one and the ſame (according to that name of mine, I am that I am, Exod. 3.14. and before Abraham was, I am, Ioh. 8.58.) though you be off and on with me, though you change often, yet I am Jehovah, I change not. I will be: What will he be? The ſame that I ſaid, I would be, thy Saviour, thine Helper: Or, I will be a ſtander-by, to ſee what will become of thee, and how thy king (in whom thou truſteſt) will help thee: this laſt is R. Solomon Jarchi's interpretation. Pareus will have it run thus, I will be, what? a lion, a leopard, a bear, &c. and nothing ſhall alter my reſolution.

Where is any other that may ſave thee in all thy cities?] Thou ſayeſt (but they are but vain words) I have counſell, and ſtrength for warre; I have a King, and Princes, and ſtrong cities. But alaſſe, where are they? Let them encreaſe their Army, and come forth as he once ſaid, Judg. 9.29. Ʋbi eſt Rex tuus? ubinam? nunc ſervit te, &c. Where is the king? where is he? let him now ſave thee in all thy cities, ſo Polanus rendreth it. Can they ſave thee, who cannot ſave themſelves? It is a Sarcaſticall conceſſion. See the like Deut. 32.37, 38. Judg. 10.4. Am. 4.4. And obſerve that Gods to deride and inſult over men in their carnall confidence; and his people are licenced to do ſo too, ſo it be out of pure zeal, Pſal. 52.6, 7. and not out of private revenge.

and thy judges,] Or chief Officers, Princes, that are neceſſary to a King, and are called his Comites, couſins, and counſellours.

whereof thou ſaidſt,] and waſt ſet upon it: thou wouldſt needs have them, contra gentes, as they ſay, and hadſt ſoon enough of them. Strong affections bring ſtrong afflictions.

Give me a king and princes.] It was partly their ambition, and partly diſcontent with the preſent government (as the preſent is alwayes grievous) that prompted them to this requeſt; [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Thucyd. and they had it, but for a miſchief. It is not alwayes in mercy that prayers are anſwered: for Deus ſaepe dat iratus, quod negat propitius, God oft throwes that to his enemies, when they are over-importunate, which he denies to his friends, in great mercy to their ſouls. They do beſt, that acknowledging him the onely wiſe God, pray, Not our, but thy will be done, &c.