In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me] This is frequently the language of merchants, tradesmen, &c. None are so full of professions of equity and justice, while all the time they are endeavouring to overreach, both in buying and selling. "Sir, I cannot afford it at that price."It is not mine for that money."I assure you that it cost me more than you offer."I am sorry I cannot take your money; but if I did, I should lose by the article," &c., &c., &c. I have heard such language over and over, when I knew every word was false. Truth is a sacred thing in the sight of God; but who regards it as he should? There are, however, many noble exceptions among merchants and tradesmen. Bp. Newcome gives another turn to the subject, by translating:- "All his labours shall not be found profitable unto him, For the iniquity wherewith he hath sinned."

John Gill's Bible Commentary

According to Aben Ezra and Kimchi, the sense is, that they became rich of themselves, by their own industry and labour, and did not acknowledge that their riches, and power to get them, were of God. They gloried in them as their own attainments; and which they had little reason to do, since they were treasures of wickedness, and mammon of unrighteousness, which in a day of wrath would be of no service to them; I have found me out substance ; they found ways and means of acquiring great riches, and large estates, by their own wisdom and cunning, and all for themselves, for their own use, to be enjoyed by them for years to come; and they were reckoned by them solid and substantial things, when a mere shadow, emptiness, and vanity; and were not to be employed for their own use and advantage only, but should have been for the good of others; nor were they to be attributed to their own sagacity, prudence, and management, but to the providence of God, admitting they had been got in ever so honourable and just a manner; [in] all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that [were] sin : here again Ephraim, or the people of Israel, vainly ascribe all their wealth and riches to their own labour, diligence, and industry, and take no notice of God and his providence, or of his blessing upon them; and pretend to be very upright and honest in their dealings, and that what they got were very honestly got, and would bear the strictest scrutiny; and that if their course of trade was ever so narrowly looked into, there would be nothing found that was very bad or criminal, that they could be justly reproached the; only some little trifling things, that would not bear the name of “sin”, or deserve any correction or punishment; so pure were they in their own eyes, so blinded and hardened in sin, and fearless of the divine displeasure; like the adulterous woman, wiped their mouths when they had eaten the sweet morsels of sin, and said they had done no wickedness, ( Proverbs 30:20); or which was involuntary, and not done knowingly, as Kimchi and Abendana: or rather, as Ben Melech renders it, “no iniquity and sin”; and so others: or, best of all, “no iniquity or sin”, as Noldius f244 ; no iniquity, or any kind of sin at all. Thus, as Ephraim was charged before with idolatry and lies in religion, so here with fraudulent dealings, and getting riches in an illicit way in civil things; and of whose repentance and reformation there was no hope.

Matthew Henry Commentary

Hos. 11:1-7 When Israel were weak and helpless as children, foolish an froward as children, then God loved them; he bore them as the nurs does the sucking child, nourished them, and suffered their manners. All who are grown up, ought often to reflect upon the goodness of God to them in their childhood. He took care of them, took pains with them not only as a father, or a tutor, but as a mother, or nurse. When the were in the wilderness, God showed them the way in which they shoul go, and bore them up, taking them by the arms. He taught them the way of his commandments by the ceremonial law given by Moses. He took the by the arms, to guide them, that they might not stray, and to hold the up, that they might not stumble and fall. God's spiritual Israel ar all thus supported. It is God's work to draw poor souls to himself; an none can come to him except he draw them. With bands of love; this wor signifies stronger cords than the former. He eased them of the burden they had long groaned under. Israel is very ungrateful to God. God' counsels would have saved them, but their own counsels ruined them They backslide; there is no hold of them, no stedfastness in them. The backslide from me, from God, the chief good. They are bent to backslide; they are ready to sin; they are forward to close with ever temptation. Their hearts are fully set in them to do evil. Those onl are truly happy, whom the Lord teaches by his Spirit, upholds by his power, and causes to walk in his ways. By his grace he takes away the love and dominion of sin, and creates a desire for the blessed feast of the gospel, that they may feed thereon, and live for ever.

Hos. 11:8-12 God is slow to anger, and is loth to abandon a people to utter ruin, who have been called by his name. When God was to give sacrifice for sin, and a Saviour for sinners, he spared not his ow Son, that he might spare us. This is the language of the day of his patience; but when men sin that away, then the great day of his wrat comes. Man's compassions are nothing in comparison with the tende mercies of our God, whose thoughts and ways, in receiving returnin sinners, are as much above ours as heaven is above the earth. God know how to pardon poor sinners. He is faithful and just to forgive us ou sins, and therein declares his righteousness, now Christ has purchase the pardon, and he has promised it. Holy trembling at the word of Christ will draw us to him, not drive us from him, the children tremble, and flee to him. And all that come at the gospel call, shal have a place and a name in the gospel church. The religious service of Israel were mere hypocrisy, but in Judah regard was had to God's laws and the people followed their pious forefathers. Let us be faithful those who thus honour God, he will honour, but such us despise Hi shall be lightly esteemed __________________________________________________________________

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