Hosea 7:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Additionally, a thief, symbolizing a marauder, will invade them—not to find refuge but to commit robbery alongside them, demonstrating their united wickedness of heart and purpose. Some among them plunder those seeking pilgrimage to Jerusalem, while others partake in their misdeeds, wickedly accepting a share of the spoils. Furthermore, the authorities among the Jews took delight when believers in Christ were violently assaulted, joining in the cruelty and thievery directed at the faithful, welcoming Satan into their hearts as a brigand who stripped their souls of true piety, shaping their hearts in his likeness. As it is written, “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Cor. 6:17), so too, I believe, will anyone who unites with Satan share in his heart and purpose.

While I employed every means to mend their wounds, suddenly, arose Jeroboam from the tribe of Ephraim, who established golden calves, and the wickedness of Samaria, which followed this corrupt king, was made known. Both the ruler and the populace acted according to falsehood, which is to say, idolatry. Just as a statue stands in opposition to God, so too does a lie stand contrary to the truth. The king himself infiltrated the nation of Israel as a thief, robbing the distressed people of God’s assistance. This signifies that when I intended to erase the old transgressions of My people, which stemmed from their previous idolatry, Ephraim revealed new idols. Furthermore, when the Lord Savior, after His sacrificial death and the gathering of His Church from both Jew and Gentile, aimed to cleanse the sins of the people and lead them to repentance, Ephraim emerged, promising an overflow of false teachings. The people of Samaria, who regarded themselves as guardians of God’s commandments, erected idols from these erroneous doctrines. Through them, the devil, a thief and robber, infiltrated the Church, or rather, the teachings of heretics intruded like a thief and a robber. The Savior states in the Gospel, “All who ever came before me are thieves” (John 10:8). Thieves operate secretly and stealthily through deceit, while robbers audaciously take what belongs to another. Thieves operate under the cover of darkness, which is why it is stated that the thief entered covertly, while the robber pillaged openly. The garments of Christ cannot be removed from those they have taught unless they are led out of the Church and made to walk crookedly down the path of their false doctrines. By the thieves and robbers who came before the Lord, we should not interpret this to include Moses and the prophets, who are always honored by the Savior’s words, but rather false prophets and heretics—not sent by the Lord, but coming of their own accord.