[638] [Hebrew: 'oshvr], usually taken as first fut. of [Hebrew: shvr], to lurk. But there is a root of common use in Arabic, sar, to spring up suddenly, of wine into the head or of a lion on its prey; sawâr, "the springer," is one of the Arabic names for lion.
[639] We shall treat this passage later in connection with Hosea's doctrine of the knowledge of God: see pp. 330 f.
[641] Read with Houtsma [Hebrew: vshftvch shrch vchl].
[642] Literally a _son not wise_, perhaps a name given to children whose birth was difficult.
[643] The LXX. reads: [Greek: Pou hê dikê sou, thanate; pou to kentron sou, hadê;] But Paul says: [Greek: Pou sou, thanate, to nikos; pou sou, thanate, to kentron;] I Cor. xv. 55 (Westcott and Hort's Ed.).
[644] The following is a list of the interpretations of verse 14.
A. Taken as a threat 1. "It is I who redeemed you from the grip of the grave, and who delivered you from death--but now I will call up the words (_sic_) of death against you; for repentance is hid from My eyes." So Raschi. 2. "I would have redeemed them from the grip of Sheol, etc., if they had been wise, but being foolish I will bring on them the plagues of death." So Kimchi, Eichhorn, Simson, etc. 3 "Should I" or "shall I deliver them from the hand of Sheol, redeem them from death?" etc., as in the text above. So Wünsche, Wellhausen, Guthe in Kautzsch's _Bibel._ etc.
B. Taken as a promise. "From the hand of Sheol I will deliver them, from death redeem them," etc. So Umbreit, Ewald, Hitzig and Authorised and Revised English Versions. In this case repentance in the last clause must be taken as _resentment_ (Ewald). But, as Ewald sees, the whole verse must then be put in a parenthesis, as an ejaculation of promise in the midst of a context that only threatens. Some without change of word render: "I will be thy plagues, O death? I will be thy sting, O hell." So the Authorised English Version.
Like the Book of Amos, the Book of Hosea, after proclaiming the people's inevitable doom, turns to a blessed prospect of their restoration to favour with God. It will be remembered that we decided against the authenticity of such an epilogue in the Book of Amos; and it may now be asked, how can we come to any other conclusion with regard to the similar peroration in the Book of Hosea? For the following reasons.