Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
Ver. 14. Give them, O Lord: what wilt thou give?] This question implieth abundance of affection in the prophet, praying for this forlorn people devoted to destruction. It is the property of gracious spirits to be more sensible of, and more deeply affected with, the calamities that are coming upon the wicked, than those wicked ones themselves are; as Daniel was for Nebuchadnezzar, whose dream he had interpreted, Daniel 4:19, and as Habakkuk was for the Chaldeans, whose destruction he had afore prophesied, Habakkuk 3:16. Hosea likewise (out of great commiseration of Ephraim's direful and dreadful condition) sets himself to pray for them; though himself seems set at a stand, and in a manner nonplussed, that he cannot well tell what to ask for them. God once made a fair offer to a foul sinner, even to Ahaz, that sturdy stigmatic, Isaiah 7:11, "Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said" (churlishly enough), "I will not ask, neither will I try the Lord," Hosea 9:12, he would none of God's kindness, which yet the Lord there heapeth upon him, Hosea 9:14, that where sin abounded grace might superabound. Had our prophet had but half such an offer, or any the least such encouragement, oh how gladly would he have embraced it, how hastily would he have catched at it, as those Syrians did at Ahab's kind words, 1Ki 20:33 ? But he, considering the severity and certainty of God's judgments denounced against them, Hosea 9:12,13, and being much amazed thereat, sets himself to intercede and make request for his deplored countrymen; as Samuel did for Saul, rejected by God, 1 Samuel 16:1, as Paul did for the obdurate Jews, Romans 11:3. And because he saw that he could not obtain of the impartial judge of the world to let go such an impenitent people altogether unpunished, he begs for them, that of two evils they may suffer the least; and rather bring forth no children at all, or children that may die as soon as born (this had been threatened Hos 9:11-12), than "bring forth children to the murderer": it being the greatest misery that can befall a tender hearted parent, to see his dear children butchered before his eyes, as Zedekiah and Mauricius, the emperor, did; and before them both the king of Edom, whose eldest son was by the king of Moab sacrificed upon the wall, in his father's sight, 2Ki 3:27 Amos 2:1. Thus Rabbi Kimchi giveth the sense of this text: Give, Lord, what thou wilt give? viz. that they may suffer in the womb, or at least in their infancy, that which they should otherwise suffer by the enemies' sword. Confer Jeremiah 20:18 Luk 23:28 Ecc 4:2 Job 3:10,11. The prophet knew well that God is never so bitterly bent against a people or person, but that something he will yield to faithful and fervent prayer, Matthew 24:20 .
“ Flectitur iratus voce rogante Deus. ”