Hosea 2:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He also states, “I will take away wheat and wine and fine linens,” for a time will come when their fields will yield no fruit, rendering their labor futile. Anyone who understands this in the context of the Jewish people being stripped of their wheat and wine, losing out on the sacred blessings, will grasp its significance well. The reference to fine linens symbolizes a type of covering and the utmost assistance; remaining under its protection brings beauty, whereas stepping outside of it leads to ugliness and nudity before others. Thus, the removal of her coverings implies she will no longer “cover her nakedness.” She vows to expose her impurity before her desires, as we have discussed previously, for having been subjected to thorns—that is, the horrors of war and dire misfortunes—she will elevate those illusory deities, neglecting to make offerings to them and forgetting the customary acts of honor. Conversely, having recognized their futility and disdain for their impotence, she will say, “I will return to my first husband, for I was more kind then than I am now.”

Therefore, when I deprive her of my assistance, she will tumble into great distress, rejecting the honor she once gave to false gods and relinquishing her affection for them. Her heart, filled with sorrow and regret, will turn away from them, and she will appear unattractive to them, just as, ironically, those whom she thought were gods will find her unappealing. A similar sentiment echoes through the words of the blessed Elijah: “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). In another context, he expresses the same notion: either serve Baal or serve God. Similarly, he illustrates that once someone has fallen under divine judgment, no one can rescue them, as reflected in the statement, “And no one will take her out of my hand.”

The wool and linen, or the garments and linen, are released so that they may no longer cover the shame of the harlot, indicating that she is deprived of divine assistance and the guardianship of all the angels is abandoned. This aligns with the apostle’s assertion that creation is liberated from the bondage of decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:21). Many understood this as referring to the gold and silver of the wisdom of eloquence, including the golden lampstand with its seven lamps, the golden meal of the supper, the purifying vessels, and the cherubim shining with golden splendor, as well as the silver bases of the pillars, the wheat representing the word of God, and the wine symbolizing the joy of the Holy Spirit, along with the garments and linen in which believers in Christ are clothed. They have perverted all these into idolatry, devising various false teachings, and being misled themselves, they mislead others. God will remove all these things so that those who have not recognized the Giver of blessings from abundance may learn to know Him from scarcity.