Hosea 9:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Trusting in Egyptian aid, they rebelled against the Babylonians, which provoked the Babylonians to retaliate against Egypt after conquering Jerusalem and Samaria. As a result, the Jewish remnant faced destruction alongside the Egyptians. Those few who could flee from the calamity in Egypt struggled to move further, finding settlement in Memphis, a significant city, as well as Mahmas, likely a neighboring city of greater repute. There they passed away after living for a considerable time, unable to return to Judea. In another passage, the prophet Jeremiah declares: ‘For this cause thus saith the Lord...; Behold I will set my face to destroy all those who remain in Egypt, and they shall fall by the sword, and by fire, and shall vanish from the least even unto the greatest: and they shall be a reproach, and a scourge, and a curse. And I will visit upon them that sit in the land of Egypt, and there shall not be a single survivor of the remnant of Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt, to return unto the land of Judah: and to it they hope with their souls to return: they shall not return’ (Jer. 44:11-14). Here, it is evident that they perished in Egypt, where God’s wrath also struck them. Thus, when they, seeking to avoid ‘the labor of Egypt,’ arrived in Memphis, the renowned city, ‘he shall receive them,’ but in Mahmas they shall meet their end. This reflects the statement: ‘I will bury in Mahmas.’ Therefore, if God pursues someone, no one can deliver the afflicted, and wherever they flee, they will encounter His wrath. This is the fate that awaits them in Egypt. Because they angered Him with their own wealth—‘of their silver, and of their gold, they made idols for themselves’ (Hos. 8:4)—it is justly decreed that ‘a plague shall inherit’ them, meaning they shall become victims of the destroyer. This plague refers to the Assyrian, a merciless conqueror. He also notes that thorns will grow in their courtyards, symbolizing the desolation of their cities, now overrun with thorns, which signifies a land that has become impassable and forsaken. Thus, when anyone misuses the blessings granted by God, whether they be physical or spiritual, failing to employ them for His glory and carelessly provoking His anger, they will come to ruin, becoming a heritage for the plunderer, Satan, and the domain of thorns, indicating wild and unchecked passions, void of spiritual good. Heretics, who maliciously misuse the gift of language to deceive the brethren and wound ‘their consciences weak’ (1 Cor. 8:12), will be the first to bear the consequences, despite the fact that Christ endured suffering for us.

For I must avenge My adversaries, bring an end to iniquity, and judge the wicked descendants. Now, what will you do on the day of the feast of the Lord? In response to their silence, He responds Himself or perceives with divine insight what they will do: since, He explains, calamity and destruction weigh heavily upon them, and the Assyrians and Chaldeans are eager to bind them in chains of captivity, they have sought refuge in Egypt. There they will be buried in Memphis, which was then the capital of Egypt, before Alexandria, known in former times as Noh, received its significance as the principal city under Alexander the Great. Concerning the reference in the LXX translation that states “Machmas” will bury them, the Hebrew text does not mention Machmas, but instead “mamad,” meaning the coveted. This illustrates that they were misled by the resemblance between the letters dalet and kaph, interpreting mamad, translated as coveted, as mashmas, believing it to represent the punishment of the city of Egypt. The phrases: For behold, they have departed due to desolation; Egypt will gather them; Memphis will bury them, may also pertain to the tribe of Judah, for after Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had appointed as governor of the land, was slain by Ishmael, the remnant of the people along with the prophet Jeremiah sought refuge in Egypt, where they were later captured or buried by the Chaldeans who pursued them. The coveted silver, which the thorns will take hold of, likely refers to mansions and all the ornaments associated with them, acquired through silver. The subsequent phrase, “the burdock shall be in their tents,” indicates a persistent desolation, so that where their dwellings once stood, burdock, thorns, and nettles will flourish. Furthermore, this is addressed to the heretics: What will you do when the significant day arrives? Instead of a solemn day, Aquila translated it as time. Thus, it is clear that the reference here is to a period of accountability rather than just a ceremonial day; hence the following words: the days of judgment have come, the days of your payment have arrived. Look, you have faced devastation from numerous foes; the Assyrians and Chaldeans have laid waste to you; you have fled into the world, becoming like other nations; Memphis will entomb you, signifying from the mouth. The implication is that you will reap what you have sown in blasphemy and will be chastised for your words; the coveted elements, that is, the doctrines you have crafted for yourselves through the art of rhetoric, as represented by silver, will be claimed by thorns that will torment you eternally, with burdock or thorns infesting your abodes: for thorns shall flourish among those inebriated by the cup of Babylon. And in the Gospel, it is noted that the disgraceful thoughts, the concerns of this age, and the entrenched sins are likened to thorns that choke the wheat that has sprouted among the grass.