John Trapp on Hosea 3:2

Verſe 2. So I bought her to me] God is to be obeyed, though it go never ſo much againſt the heart,Epictet. and the hair with us. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Follow God was a Heathen, but an honeſt precept. This he that would do, muſt firſt deny himſelf, and ſay with that Dutch Divine, Veniat, veniat, verbum Dei, &c. Let a word of command come forth from God, and we will ſubmit thereto, though we had ſix hundred lives to loſe, yea though we can ſee no reaſon for it. Indeed, in humane governments, where reaſon is ſhut out, there tyranny is thruſt in. But where God commandeth, there to ask a reaſon is preſumption, to oppoſe reaſon, is [illegible: 1 word] rebellion.

I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of ſilver,] That is, fifteen ſhekels, or ſhillings, or thereabouts: no great price it was that he gave for her, whether for hire or dowry: probably it was in order to marrying her, and in reference to that law, Deut. 21.11. Iſrael was once a precious people, Gods peculiar treaſure, ſuch as comprehended all his gettings. The Jews have a ſaying, that thoſe ſeventy ſouls, that went down with Jacob into Egypt, were more worth then all the ſeventy Nations of the earth beſide. But now behold, how cheap they are grown; they are valued all of them at fifteen pieces of ſilver, a goodly price. (Zach. 11.12. Matt. 27.9.) If the tongue of the righteous be as choice ſilver, yet the heart of the wicked is little worth, Prov. 10.20. There, (as in the Sea) is that Leviathan (the king of all the children of pride) and there are creeping things innumerable, crawling luſts, and lawleſſe paſſions; but for any thing of worth, it is not there to be had. Hence as at the laſt deſtruction of Jeruſalem, thirty Jews were ſold for one penny, ſo here the whole body of the Nation are bought and ſold for a ſmall ſum. How weak is thine heart, (how light-cheap) ſaith the Lord God to this light-huſwife, ſeeing thou doſt all theſe things,Ezek. 16.30. the work of an imperious whoriſh woman? God and his people reckon of men by their righteouſneſſe: He looked down from heaven to ſee who ſought after God, &c. Pſal. 14.3. As for others, he regards them no more then men do droſſe, draffe, chaffe, or ſuch like refuſe ſtuffe, Pſal. 119.119. Pſal. 1.3. &c. what ever great thoughts they take up of themſelves, and how ever the world rate them. Antiochus Epiphanes, that great king of Syria, is called a vile perſon, Dan. 11.21. And, the adverſary is this wicked Haman, ſaith Eſther: that was his true title, which he perhaps never heard till now.

And an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley.] God buyes not this people (though for never ſo little) to ſtarve them, but alloweth them alimony, though not ſo fine a food: barley and not wheat. See Revel. 6.5. priſoners pittance, courſe fare, ſuch as ſlaves and beaſts are fed with; as ſhe had been like horſe and mule, Pſal. 32. and leſt ſhe ſhould wax fat and kick, ſhe is held to ſtrait allowance. Whereby is ſignified the mean and low condition that the ten Tribes (and afterwards all the Jews) ſhould be in, till Chriſt came to marry them to himſelfe. Firſt, they ſhould be valued but at half the price of a ſlave. Secondly, they ſhould be courſly fed, as beaſts, with barley, or perhaps, not ſo well as the Jews beaſts: for among them, the mouth of the Ox treading out their corn, might not be muzled. But the Heathens were wont to put an Engin about their ſervants necks,This engin was called. [non-Latin text not transcribed] and it reached down to their hands, that they might not ſo much as lick of the wheatmeal, when they were ſi[illegible: 1 letter]ting it. Now they were ſcattered among the Heathen, and ſold to the Nations for nought, Pſal. 44.11, 12. They that were wont to feed delicately, were deſolate in the ſtreets: they that were brought up in ſcarlet, embraced dunghils, Lam. 4.5. their flagons of wine were turned into tankards of water, and their bellaria, or junkets (ſo the Septuagint render it, and not flagons) into brown-bread, horſe-bread: that ſo thoſe whom pride,Ezek. 16.49. fulneſſe of bread, and abundance of idleneſſe had undone, hardſhip and penury might reduce to duty. God would ſeem for a time to have forgotten them, that they might at length remember themſelves: he loves to chaſtiſe mens inſolency with indigency, as he did Hagars, Gen. 21.15. and the Prodigals, Luke 15. who for his ſwiniſh life, was brought to ſwines-meat, and thereby brought home to his father. It is the way of God to humble thoſe he intendeth good unto, to prepare them for mercy by cutting them ſhort of theſe outward comforts. Though this be here a threatning, yet there is a promiſe in it, verſe 3. that God will take off the ſmarting plaiſter, ſo ſoon as it hath eaten out the proud fleſh. It is in very faithfulneſſe that he afflicteth his people, becauſe he will be true to their ſouls, and ſave them. And hence it is that he ſo diets them, and keeps them ſhort, that he may do them good in the latter end, that he may change their bricks (made in their bondage) into Saphires, and Agates. See Exod. 24.10. with Iſai. 54 11.