The inhabitants of Samaria will be in terror for the calves of Beth Aven, for its people will mourn over it, along with its priests who rejoiced over it, for its glory, because it has departed from it.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 5. The kine of Bethaven. The golden calves of Jeroboam, ( Challoner.) one of which ( Bible.) was set up at Bethel. Worthington.—The feminine cows, is spoken in ridicule; as ( Calmet.) O verè Phrygiæ, Æn. ix. Isis was represented with a cow’s head. Herod. ii. 41.—Rejoiced. To avoid this apparent contradiction, the Jews relate that the priests had sent a brazen calf to the Assyrians, and secreted the golden one. While they rejoiced at their success, Salmanasar, (Seder. Olam.) or Sennacherib, discovered the cheat, and came to destroy the kingdom. Saint Jerome—This has the air of a fable. If ( Calmet.) we substitute e for g, in yagilu, ( Bible.) we may give a good sense to the Hebrew “The people shouting, or in black, (cemaraiv) have been in sorrow, because their glory is taken from them: so the idol is called. Psalms 105:20. Calmet.