They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people. This special use of the mercy shown to the Gentiles is in harmony with what is stated in other passages, where God is represented as provoking the Jews to jealousy by imparting to the Gentiles those blessings which in former times were confined to the Jews only (cf. Romans 11:11-14 with Matthew 12:41).
The point lies in the expression used here х `am (H5971)] - a people in the fullest idea of unity being applied to Israel, in contradistinction to х gowyim (H1471)] nations, who are described as х lo' (H3808) `am (H5971)] non-people, from their want of the principle of a divine unity.
A foolish nation. Those who in the former distich were called "not a people," are here called "a foolish nation," from their devoted attachment to a foolish idolatry (cf. Romans 1:22).