King James Version

What Does Hosea 9:6 Mean?

“For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles. destruction: Heb. spoil the: or, their silver shall be desired, the nettle, etc.: Heb. the desire”

Context

They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD.

What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?

For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles. destruction: Heb. spoil the: or, their silver shall be desired, the nettle, etc.: Heb. the desire

The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. spiritual: Heb. man of the spirit

The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. in the: or, against the

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Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) Translate, *Behold if they have gone from the desolation* (*i.e.,* Palestine laid waste by the invader), *Egypt shall gather them, Memphis bury them*—Memphis, the vast city and necropolis of Ptah, where Apis and Ibis, kings and men, lay by thousands mummied, the religious shrine of Egyptian faith in the under-world, from which Israel had been emancipated at the Exodus.—*There is a longing for their silver* (*i.e.,* they shall long for the silver left behind concealed in their desolate land.—*The thistle shall possess them, the thorn shall be in their tents.* Hosea prophesies an exile to Egypt after the anticipated invasion. That many exiles took refuge in Egypt in 721 B.C., after the great overthrow of the northern kingdom (as in the case of Judah in the days of Jeremiah), cannot admit of doubt. (Comp. Hosea 8:13 and Hosea 9:3 above; see Hosea 11:5, Note.)

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Hosea. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Hosea 9:6 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.