Hosea 6:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The language remains metaphorical here, expressing how the lion and other beasts are depicted as saying, "He has seized," and "He will heal us." For indeed, the Lord proclaimed: "and I will be as the panther of Ephraim, and as the lion of the house of Judah: and I will rapture, and will go, and will not be isimaiyai" (Hos. 5:14). This symbolic language indicates that He who rescues them will completely restore them. Just as His anger brought them sorrow, His merciful acts will undoubtedly bring joy to those who suffer. It is important to recognize that when God allows suffering, no one can intercede, and only He can heal the plight of the afflicted.

If we interpret the prophecy for all who inhabit the earth, we must consider this: Adam, at the outset, corrupted human nature, rendering it deserving of damnation, succumbing to death and decay. Thus, divine wrath descended, while grace provided a remedy for the wound. Christ has healed us, calling us into the true knowledge of God, enabling us through the Spirit to follow His commandments, and has blessed us again, liberating us from decay and rescuing us from our former maladies, which are sins and passions. This restoration applies not only to those on earth but, in a sense, occurs in a third, final time. Christ appeared to us in three distinct periods: the initial, the middle, and the concluding. In this context, they suggest, perhaps drawing on medical terminology, that healing will manifest among us after two days, as the prophetic message uses a day to denote a measure of time. Then it continues, "let us marry to take away the Lord" and “let us reap," implying we should earnestly engage in our efforts. Furthermore, "we shall rise again, and live before him"; for we have been raised with Christ (Col. 3:1) and, although one may die, we live His life (2 Cor. 5:15). We are no longer estranged from the divine presence due to sin nor rejected for transgressions; rather, we are granted access into God's sight and have received confidence before Him because of our justification in Christ. Through Him, we have also come to know the Father, and the Son, who became like us, is our source of all goodness. Thus they affirm, "As the morning we shall receive it," likening it to the light that breaks forth, like the sun shining after the darkness has passed. It is like "the early and late rain to us," as He showers those with faith who have rightly recognized His coming—first, revealing through the Spirit the knowledge of the ancient, righteous, and prophetic counsels, which I believe represents the "early rain." This wisdom is complemented by the later comprehension of the gospel teachings and the cherished grace of the apostolic message. As the prophet teaches, we have become a desirable land, leading to the rejoicing of David, who sings, "Thou hast visited the earth, and thou hast drunk it, thou hast multiplied it, thou hast enriched it" (Psalm 64:10). Thus, it yielded its harvest in a hundred, sixty, and thirtyfold, in accordance with the Savior's words (Matthew 13:8).

He will heal us in two days, and on the third day, we shall rise and live in His sight, knowing and desiring to know the Lord more." If God has delivered Ephraim and Judah into captivity, and if no one can rescue them from His power, He will return to His place until they are spent and cry out for His face. This is so that the One they failed to recognize when He was gracious and near may be sought by them in the time of His anger, and when He is distant. In their time of suffering, when the light of repentance arises for them, they will turn to Him in the morning, in accordance with Isaiah: “In the time of my affliction I remembered Thee, O Lord” (Isaiah 26). In the first psalm of ascents, “I cried out to the Lord from the depths of my affliction, and He answered me” (Psalm 119:1). When they turn to the Lord in the morning, what will they proclaim? "Come, let us return to the Lord." They are not content with their own salvation but urge one another to return to the Lord, whom they have abandoned, whom they have forsaken due to their sins, and who has withdrawn from them. For He has led captivity captive and will heal us. He has proclaimed, “I will take the spoil, and I will depart.” He will strike us but also restore us. The word we have translated as “heal” corresponds to the Greek term μοτώσει; it signifies putting a remedy into wounds to absorb decay and expel infection. The practice of physicians involves healing deep wounds over time, often restoring health through pain. Thus, the Lord strikes and heals us; He disciplines whom He loves, for “He chastens every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:6). Not only does He heal us, but He also revives us after two days, and rising from the grave on the third day, He brings the entire human race to new life. When He cures our wounds and revives us, restoring our lives, we will live in the presence of Him from whom we were once dead. Living in His presence, we shall know the Lord and strive fervently to grow in our knowledge of Him, who, by His resurrection on the third day, has brought us to life as well. This passage elaborates on what we have often discussed—that Israel and Judah, meaning both the ten and two tribes, will have one Shepherd, King David, when they place their faith in the risen Lord. The hopes of the Jews in a thousand-year dream are futile, as salvation for all is promised on the third day, when the Lord rose from the dead. The Jews interpret the second day as pertaining to the arrival of their Messiah and the third day as the time of judgment when they will be redeemed. Yet to align with this, they must explain what the first day signifies—referring to the initial coming of the Lord. Lacking an answer to this, it follows that, according to their own reasoning, the first day must indicate the Savior's humble arrival, the second His glorious return, and the third His role as Judge. By considering only the second and third days, they demonstrate that they have overlooked the first, as one cannot meaningfully address the second and third without referencing the initial one.