The Lord Accuses Israel
For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place. Hos. 4:16
slideth back as... Has been stubborn, restive, or rebellious like a heifer unbroken to be led by a rope, and who pulls back, refusing to go along.
now the Lord... The Lord will permit them to go into dispersion among the heathen.
Because Israel was like a stubborn calf, God no longer attempted to corral her, abandoning her as a lamb in a vast wilderness.
This gives a reason for the warning in the other verse. This shows that Israel is falling further into idolatry. She is slipping further and further in. When people or nations slip further into sin, they go further and further from God.
Through her refusal to repent Israel had separated herself from the Lord’s protective guidance. As long as the nation responded like a young cow, stubbornly resisting His leading, God would treat her appropriately (cf. Jer. 31:18), not like a lamb which is allowed to graze leisurely in broad pastures. Stubborn refers to a rebellious attitude which the Lord finds deplorable (cf. Deut. 21:18-21).
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