Hosea 14:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This is the reason for their misery: as others rejoiced in the blessings that came through the Jews, they rejected those very gifts. Those who were called to be children of God have instead become akin to dogs. Meanwhile, we who once were like dogs have, through God's grace, cast aside our former folly and have ascended to the dignity of being God’s children.

Following this, he urgently advised them to think and act towards their salvation and to strive for a clear-minded state, not intoxicated by wine, but rather by earthly pleasures and attachments to demonic desires. Thus, lest they, lulled into complacency by promises of mercy and humanity, disregard the Word that could save them, he wisely reminds them of impending calamities, proclaiming that Samaria would fall, "because it resisted its God," and adding that which would suitably frighten and distress the listeners: "The infants shall be dashed to pieces; with them the mothers shall perish, before a fully formed child is born." Initially instilling fear, he then directs a call to the hearts of his audience, persuading them to repent and return to God. By stating, "Thou art weary in thy iniquities," he makes it clear that with the removal of their sins, their weaknesses will certainly cease, and if their various wrongdoings are eliminated, their troubles will also dissipate. The way to turn to God is made easy, as he plainly declares that sinners will find themselves in a more favorable position with God, not by presenting riches, dedicating gold, or offering silver vessels, nor by pleasing Him with sacrifices of oxen or sheep, but rather by bringing Him a gift of words and singing His praises. Therefore, "take with you words, cry unto God, lest you receive unrighteousness, but rather receive good things," which means not being punished in direct proportion to your transgressions, but instead being enriched by offering good things. Promise to bring forth from your lips songs of gratitude and confession, for these are the fruits of the tongue. However, he advises that you firmly vow never to say, "Our idols are the works of our hands." These beliefs signify a departure from faith, and it is for this reason that they stumbled. They both worshipped idols and dishonored God, the one who saves, placing their hopes in human aids. When the Egyptians assailed them, they sought the assistance of the Assyrians, and when the Assyrians marched against Samaria, they hired Egyptian cavalry and skilled warriors with their money. Thus, they received the clear warning from God, "Woe unto them that go down into Egypt for help, trusting in horses and chariots" (Isaiah 31:1), and justly faced derision for attempting to secure a defender, "an Egyptian man, and not God, a horse of flesh" (Isaiah 31:3). They are promised to fall behind the service of idols and to place their hopes no longer in man (Ezek. 18:30). This represents the correction of past transgressions and calls for the mercy of the Creator, who speaks through the prophet: "By conversion ye shall be converted from your iniquities, O house of Israel, and your iniquities shall not be unto you for a torment" (Ezek. 18:30).

You have struck, you have wounded, you have destroyed; but He who created me has taken the wounds on my behalf. O death, O death! He who formed me, and by His death overcame you, bore my pains for me. And in that day, the victors shall ask, Where, O death, is your struggle?

Assyria will not save us; we will not ride on horses, nor will we more say to the works of our hands, Our gods; he who trusts in You will find mercy for the orphan.

Following the fall of Samaria, and the violence against its people including the killing of husbands, children, and pregnant women, all of Israel is called to repentance, so that the weary may turn to the Great Healer and be restored. It shows how repentance should be expressed. He instructs, Bring with you words, that is, prayers and acknowledgment of sins, and turn to the Lord with both your words and deeds, saying: Remove all iniquity from me, that nothing from my past weakness and fall may remain, and that no new sprouts may arise from the evil root. Accept, He adds, the good we seek to offer; for if You do not take away our sins, we cannot present You with anything good, as it is said, Turn away from evil and do good (Ps. 36:27). What we bring forth, He says, is the bulls of our lips. Instead of bulls, referred to as rharim in Hebrew, the LXX mistakenly translated it as fruit, known as rheri. The bulls of the lips symbolize praise and thanksgiving to God; as a broken spirit is the true sacrifice to God (Psalms 50:19). Thus, even then, physical sacrifices were set aside, and the genuine offering to God is sincere confession. They declare they will offer the fruit of their mouths, continually praising God; they also vow not to rely on Assyria or the chariots of Egypt—for a horse symbolizes reliance on salvation (Ps. 32:17)—and to no longer worship the works of their own hands, those golden calves erected at Dan and Bethel. They affirm, We will not say to the works of our hands, Our gods; for You will show mercy to the orphan or nation that has faith in You; this refers to Israel, called Your firstborn son (Ex. 4:22), and, I have raised up sons and exalted them; but they have turned away from Me (Is. 1:2). In another passage, it is said that strangers have deceived Me (Ps. 17:45). The term orphan refers to one who has lost their Father, God. One commentator suggests an orphan is one who has abandoned the father of evil, the devil, and instead will be supported by God’s mercy. This prophecy calls out to all false teachings of any age and urges their followers to repent, saying, Return to the Lord your God, you who are weary and have lost the healing of the Lord; bring with you words, the true confession of your faith, and say, Remove the iniquity that lingers in our hearts, and accept the good of faith; for with the heart one believes the truth, and with the mouth one confesses salvation (Rom. 10:10). The fruits of the lips are rooted in faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in the suffering and resurrection of the Lord. Whoever brings this faith to Him will not rely on the king of Assyria, as we have often mentioned, nor will they mount the horses which the Lord has instructed not to multiply (Deut. 17), the same horses that led Pharaoh to his doom with his cavalry (Ex. 14). Every heretic, due to pride, rides on the horses created by their own falsehoods. They will no longer call the works of their own making, Our gods. For the glutton makes the belly his god, the greedy serve mammon, and the heretic worships a doctrine of their own invention. However, those who forsake such things, including Assyria, the horses, and their own handiwork, will return to the Lord and perform good deeds for the Father who rejected them.