Глава 12

Os.12:1. Ephraim is angry in spirit, driven by the heat all day. And explaining what he calls heat, he adds: Multiply the vain and vain, and make a covenant from Assyria, and send oil to Egypt. An evil spirit refers to evil will, and by effort in the “heat” he means labor that is not only fruitless, but also harmful. When I, says God, was so disposed towards them, they, living viciously, set up many idols on the hills (for I called them vain and vain, because like heat they spoil all their fruits). And moreover, having deprived themselves of My care for them, they either sought to be under the protection of the king of Assyria, or asked for help from the Egyptians. This is what God calls the sale of oil; because it does not condemn trade, but makes it clear one of two things, either that they brought oil as a kind of gift to the king of Egypt, or that, by bringing gold, they sought mercy from him, begging him to be their helper. Hos.12:2. And the judgment of the Lord is upon Judah, to take revenge on Jacob: according to his ways and according to his undertakings he will reward him. But since they did this, I will carry out judgment, expose the iniquity of Judas, pronounce a truthful verdict on him, that he was not jealous of the virtues of his ancestors, but offended his forefather with wickedness. Then he puts into perspective the deeds of Patriarch Jacob, exposing their lawlessness by comparison with his father’s virtue. Hos.12:3. In the womb of his brother's wrist: and his labors are strengthened towards God. Hos.12:4. And I am strengthened with the Angel and overcome, that is, Jacob, at the very time of his birth, holding on to his brother’s heel, came into the world, foretelling what he would be like, and how, with the help of a good deception, he would acquire the blessing of the birthright, and after a while, having reached manhood, he distinguished himself so much by deeds of virtue that he attracted God’s providence for him, and one day, fearing the presence of Esau and raising a prayer to God, he not only received help from Him, but entered as seemed to be in a fight with the One who appeared to him at night, and won a victory over him in order to drive fear out of his heart, reasoning that whoever, as it seemed to him, had overcome God would not be defeated by people. Here the same one is called both God and Angel; because blessed Moses also used both names. For our Lord Jesus Christ is called in Isaiah both “the mighty God” and “the angel of great counsel” (Is. 9:6). She cried and prayed to Me: in the house of Ono, having found Me, she also spoke to them. Other interpreters, Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion, presented this as what was said about Jacob: he wept and begged Him, and found Him in Bethel; because Jacob, fleeing from his brother’s attacks and going to his uncle Laban, was honored with Divine revelation in Bethel and accepted God’s promises. It was said to him: “Fear not, Jacob, behold, I am with you” (Gen. 28:13, 15). And Jacob, with tears, as likely, uttered these words: “If the Lord gives me bread to eat, and clothing to wear, and brings me back in peace, the Lord will be my God: and this stone that I have set up will be the house of God for me: and from all who have given, I will give ten tithes to You" (Gen. 28:20-22). And returning, when he was in that place, singing songs to the Benefactor, he said: “With this rod this Jordan passed away: now there were two regiments” (Gen. 32:10). God to Jacob. But seventy, by the very fact that they move from the singular to the plural, teach us to understand this passage this way: your forefather, for such his faith, was considered worthy of My care for him, and you went the opposite way, and intending to bring repentance, did not come to the church dedicated to Me, but sought My help, lamenting before the idol of On. And I, even after such a reproach against Me, appeared to you, and in those places where they called on Me, I gave answers. And this is clearly shown by the Prophet Amos, who spoke his entire prophecy in Bethel, where the idol of On was. The Bethel priest Amaziah told him: “Go back to the land of Judah, and do not prophesy in Bethel, for there is a sanctification of the king” (Am. 7:12–13). Hos.12:5. The Lord Almighty will be His memory. Hos.12:6. Provide mercy and judgment, and draw ever closer to your God. Having such a Lord who rules over everyone, always keep an unforgettable remembrance of Him, adhere to the truth, be philanthropic towards your neighbor and constantly follow God’s commands. Thus, as you approach God, you will have a ready intercessor in Him. Hos.12:7. Canaan is in his hand the measure of untruth; he loves violence. Hos.12:8. And Ephraim said: “Besides, I have become rich, and I have found relief for myself.” The Prophet calls Ephraim Canaan. So blessed Ezekiel was commanded to say to Jerusalem: “Your root and your origin are from the land of Canaan: your father is an Ammorean, and your mother is a Hittite” (Ezek. 16:3); because, to whom they were jealous in wickedness, they borrowed their name from them. Therefore, you, Ephraim, imitating the wickedness of Canaan, acquired unrighteous standards of mind; because you despise justice, desire unjust dominion, think highly of wealth, and in arrogance ascribe to yourself the accumulation of it. You should know that blessed David also mentions an unrighteous standard, saying: “Thou shalt lie to the sons of mankind according to the standard of untruth.” And the words that follow agree with what is said about Ephraim: do not trust in unrighteousness and do not desire admiration: “even if wealth flows, do not apply your heart” (Ps. 62:10-11). What was said by David and the Prophet flowed from the same Spirit, and the very last words of David: “for You have rewarded each according to his deeds” (Ps. 61:13), agree with what was added here: All his labors will not be returned to him for the sake of untruths and sins; because he will be deprived of an abundance of benefits, having been subjected to just punishment for lawlessness. Hos.12:9. But the Lord thy God brought thee out of the land of Egypt: I will again lodge thee in booths, as in the days of the festival. Since, having been delivered from Egyptian slavery, you have consigned this benefit to oblivion, you will again live in tabernacles, having been resettled in a foreign land, and you will remember those tabernacles that you built, having fun during the holidays and commemorating your stay in the desert with triumph. The Prophet speaks here about the Feast of Tabernacles. Os.12:10. And I spoke to the prophet, and I multiplied the visions, and in the hands of the prophets I became like. But you bear this punishment justly; because, having received predictions about this from the Prophets, he was not afraid and did not want to change his thoughts, although these predictions were expressed not only in words, but also in words. For such were the prophecies of the God-wise Hosea; according to God's command, he sang, now the wife of fornication, now the fornicator, representing in himself the image of the God of all, and exposing the iniquities of the people. And besides this, God makes it clear that He used various revelations, showing not His nature (it is invisible), but conforming what was contemplated to the need; because he did not appear to everyone in the same way, but differently to Daniel, differently to Ezekiel, differently to Isaiah, and differently to Micah; and before this he appeared differently to Moses and Abraham. Os.12:11. Even if there is no Gilead, for the lie of Bysh in Gilgaleh the princes are required to be treasured. And you, enjoying these benefits from Me, in Gilead and Gilgal, in cities filled with idols, together with your princes, offer sacrifices to the demons, although it is not they, but I, who benefit you. For if you had received any good from Gilead, that is, from idols, there would still have been room for deception. But since, enjoying My gifts, you offer sacrifices to idols in Gilead and Gilgal, then you yourself become heralds of your ingratitude. And their treasures are like cannibals on the whole earth. Zhelv is one of the amphibians, but while in the waters, it often escapes from the hands of fishermen, and when it comes to land, it is conveniently caught. So, says God, like “zhelvi”, your altars built for demons will be taken and dug up by enemies. Then God again reminds us of the virtue of our forefather. Os.12:12. And Jacob departed into the plain of Syria, and Israel labored for a wife, and for a wife to supply. Os.12:13. And the Lord brought Israel out of the land of Egypt with a Prophet, and provided him with a Prophet. Your Forefather, heeding the advice of his mother, decided to leave his father’s house, chose a foreign land over his own for the sake of his wife, in order to marry not a Canaanite woman, but from the family of Shem, loved slavery more than freedom, and kept the law decreed on marriage by his fathers. Therefore, his descendants also benefited from God’s providence for him; because God granted his family, forced into slavery by the Egyptians, liberation through the great Prophet Moses, and when he was in the desert, he kept him unharmed, using the same Prophet in the ministry. Os.12:14. Ephraim angered Me and enraged Me: and his blood will be shed, and the Lord will reward him for his reproach according to the word of Ephraim. And Ephraim, descended from the patriarch, provokes Me to anger; because he lives in all iniquity; but he will reap the hilts of what he sows, being punished in proportion to what he has done.