Where we have said, “Woe to them when I am removed from them,” the Septuagint and Theodotion read, “Woe to them, My body shall be taken away from them.” Upon examining this variation, it seems to arise from the fact that “My body” in Hebrew is termed baѕari, while “My withdrawal” is translated as baѕori. Thus, the Septuagint and Theodotion replaced “My withdrawal” with “My body.” Moreover, where we state, “Ephraim was Tyre,” the Septuagint interprets it as θήραν, meaning “catch.” Other translators, such as Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, refer to it as a very hard stone, flint, which is called sur in Hebrew. If we consult the term sog, it signifies Tyre; however, because of the similarity between the letters resh and dalet, the Septuagint interpreters rendered it as sud, signifying “catch.” Consequently, Bethsaida translates to “the house of fishers.”
Now, after addressing differing translations, we shall explain the essence. Ephraim, representing the ten tribes, has fled in captivity like a bird from his homeland. The imagery of the bird underscores the swiftness of their exile to Babylon. If we interpret “as a bird their glory has departed,” it indicates that the divine assistance has left and forsaken them. The subsequent phrase, “from birth, from the womb, and from conception,” can be understood in two ways: either as the glory having departed from Ephraim’s lineage, forsaking their children and descendants, or in context that Israel believed their glory resided in their numbers, thinking they were superior to their brother Judah due to their ten tribes compared to Judah’s two. Hence, the Lord affirms that even if they raise children and have abundant offspring, they shall face demise, coming under true woe now that God has abandoned them.
It is stated that before forsaking them, Ephraim was renowned and surrounded by divine favor, likened to Tyre encircled by the sea or a solid stone that stands firm against storms and tempests. Yet Ephraim, like Tyre established in a beautiful region, leads his children into bondage. Many connect this section to the siege of Samaria by Azael, where starvation led the beleaguered to prefer death by sword over hunger. We shall interpret it through an allegorical lens, signifying that Ephraim, or the heretics, has departed from the Church, placing their significance in birth and conception; yet the Lord warns of their impending punishment despite bearing many children. This punishment comes not from any other but through the Lord Himself, as they have borne children of iniquity, thus true woe will befall them when God withdraws His presence.
It is also recalled how Ephraim once stood; when he was with the Church, he faced the age's temptations just as Tyre faced the relentless waves of the sea, yet he was unharmed because he had Christ as his foundation, which ensures that a house built on such a foundation cannot fall. Now, however, he leads his offspring to destruction, symbolizing the devil. It is beautifully expressed that he leads them out, indicating their departure from the Church. The children of Ephraim can be seen as the evil thoughts and doctrines opposing the truth, which the Lord nullifies with the spirit of His mouth, denying them such offspring, instead consigning them to eternal perdition.
What is rendered in the Septuagint as “My body is of them; Ephraim, as I observed, gave his children to be ensnared” can be understood this way: if Christ is the head of the body, the Church, then all of us are members of Christ and His Church. Consequently, one who detaches from the Church tears apart the body of Christ; thus, Ephraim constituted a part of Christ’s body. Yet, he surrendered his children to be ensnared, namely caught by those intended to harm, echoing the words, “Our soul as a bird shall be delivered from the net of them that catch it” (Psalm 123:7). He exposed his children to injury or death, subjected to those who wield burning arrows, striking them down with fury.
THEOSIS