Hosea 8:12 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

I have written: some read it in the future, and by way of question, Shall I write? but most read as we, in the perfect or past tense, I have written, by Moses first, by other prophets afterwards; the law was given to them, as well as to the two tribes. Great things; for their importance, weighty; for their excellency, precious; and for multitude of precepts, counsels, and directions, sufficient; my law had all this in it for their conduct in all righteousness towards God and man. But they, all these things which I have written, were counted as a strange thing; Israel looks on them as nothing to them; they are a distinct kingdom, and have a distinct establishment, their laws are now become unpracticable to us, and we have, by the wisdom of our governors, other laws established for our worship; let Judah keep to theirs, we will keep to our laws; after two hundred years desuetude, would it not be madness to introduce Judah's laws, and innovate all in Israel? Thus they contemned the excellent things of God's law, as if they were nothing concerned in them. And thus all their sins at last become incurable diseases, which nothing but utter destruction of the sinners can put an end unto.

Hosea 8:12

12 I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.