16. And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

16. Et erit in die illo, dicit Jehova, vocabis me, vir meus (vel, marite mi,) et non vocabis me amplius Baal meus, (alii vetunt, non vocabi me amplius, Dominus meus; sed retinendum est nomen Baal, sicuti mox dicam.)

The Prophet now expands his subject, and shows that when the people repented, the fruits of repentance would openly appear. One fruit he records, and that is, that they would then begin to worship God purely, all superstitions being abolished. It shall be, he says, in that day that thou shalt call me, My husband; and he mentions the word, husband, to show to the people, that after having been corrected, they would be mindful of the covenant which God had made with them; and in that covenant, as stated before, there was the condition of a mutual engagement.

We hence see what the Prophet means: he tells us that the people would then be no more given to superstitions as before, but on the contrary would be mindful of God's covenant, and would continue sincere and true to their conjugal vow. Hence, thou shalt call me, My husband; that is, "Thou shalt know what I am to thee, that I am joined to thee by a sacred and inviolable marriage." And thou shalt not call me, My Baal; that is, "Thou shalt not give me a false and heathenish name:" for the word, Baal, as I have said before, was everywhere in every one's mouth. But the next verse must be added --