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persecution of the church which reached as far as Phenice, Cyprus and Antioch. The note
that is of interest is that the "scattering" resulted in a preaching of the Word in these
parts. The word diaspeiro comes some sixty times in the O.T., and while we do not
propose to exhibit that number of references here, we will give a fairly typical exhibition
of the teaching associated with its usage.
In the first occurrences of this word "scatter", blessing, not judgment, is in view:
"These are the three sons of Noah; and of them was the whole earth overspread."
(LXX, scattered) (Gen. 9: 19; 10: 18, 32).
In line with this must be read Deut. 32: 8:
"When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated
(LXX, scattered) the sons of Adam, he sets the bounds of the people according to the
number of the children of Israel."
This beneficent purpose was resisted by the sons of Noah, and they said:
"Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven;
and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth"
(Gen. 11: 4).
This resistance turned a blessing into a curse, for we read:
"So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence" (Gen. 11: 8, 9),
and instead of being united by a common language, their speech was confounded, their
city called Babel, and the seed sown for all the confusion and conflict among nations that
has since arisen, and which will only be remedied when Jerusalem is the acknowledged
centre, when the nations accept their appointed relationship with Israel and their land, and
when the prophecy of Zephaniah shall be fulfilled.
"For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the
name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent" (Zeph. 3: 9).
This is the reversal of the state of affairs described in Gen. 11: An important lesson is
here, which if observed will illuminate much that is said concerning the "scattering" and
the "gathering" of Israel. The prophet Hosea reveals that Israel were to go into a
condition named "Lo-ammi", not My people (Hos. 1: 9), but this was preceded by two
causes: (1) They should be "scattered", for such is one of the meanings of the word
Jezreel (Hos. 1: 4); (2) they should have mercy withholden from them, the meaning of
Lo-ruhamah being "not compassionated" (Hos. 1: 6).
In Hosea 2: 23, all this is
blessedly reversed:
"I will sow her unto Me in the earth" (Jezreel).
"I will have mercy"
(Ruhamah).
"Thou art My people"
(Ammi).
The Hebrew word Jezreel is a homonym, i.e. a word having two related meanings:
(1) SCATTER (Jer. 31: 10); (2) SOW (Jer. 31: 27; Zech. 10: 9). Had the nations