Hosea 7:11

Hos 7:11 Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

Ver. 11. Ephraim also is like a silly dove] That may be drawn any way for want of wit (so the word פיתה signifieth), easily persuaded, enticed, deceived. The Septuagint render it ανους, insensata, witless, or wanting a heart, as the next words explain it; the heart being put for the understanding, as Jer 5:21, and often in the Proverbs, Pro 6:32; Pro 11:12; Pro 10:13. Lo, such a thing is Ephraim; and yet he holds himself wondrous wise, in calling to Egypt, and going to Assyria for help. Which was as wisely done as if sheep should commit themselves to the wolf for safeguard. The Egyptians were their ancient oppressors; the Assyrians should be shortly their executioners. Between these two, as between two millstones, they had been, and were to be ground to powder, as it were; and yet to these they were ready to run for refuge. This was indeed to be like a silly dove, which flies from the claws of the hawk into the net of the fowler, who will soon make a breakfast of them; or that waits till the fowler be gone, that she may fall upon the bait, never fearing the snare that is laid for her. See 2Ki 17:4. A serpent’s eye in a dove’s head is a singular ornament. "Be ye wise as serpents, innocent as doves," Mat 10:16. The serpent, when charmed, stoppeth his ears, by applying one to the earth, and covering the other with his tail. The dove is too credulous and persuasible, dulce canente fistula. She is also dull, and defends not her young ones, as other creatures do. She will sit quiet in her columbary, and see her nest destroyed, her young ones taken away and killed before her eyes, and never offer to rescue or revenge; which the hen and other fowls seem in some sort to do. Lo, such was Ephraim’s stupidity. The Philistines were upon him, the enemies spoiled and made a prey of him, yet he knew it not, as it is Hos 7:9; he was not affected with it, nor driven to God by it; but either sat still, as the spoiled dove doth in her nest, or upon her dove cot, delighted in the beauty of her feathers, priding herself in the clapping of her wings; or else ran a wrong way for refuge; flew to king Jareb, to human helps, to carnal confederates, which never were true to those that trusted them. See Hos 5:13. {See Trapp on "Hos 5:13"} where you shall see that from the Assyrian they had pro praesidio ludibrium as likewise those Christians had that called in the Turk or the like to help them. True it is that religion without policy is too simple to be safe; but it is no less true that policy without religion is too subtle to be good. As the dove without the serpent is easily caught; so the serpent without the dove stings deadly. Let that be held and remembered, that there is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord, Pro 21:30, and that he takes it very ill when we decline him, and knock at the creature’s door for help, Jer 2:13, shifting and sharking in every bycorner for comfort. This is the devil’s policy, to draw men from God, the Rock of ages (as Joshua did the men of Ai out of their city, Jos 8:5, and as Bristow counselleth his fellows, the pope’s janissaries, to draw the Lutherans out of their stronghold of the Scriptures, into the open field of councils and fathers), that he may do what he will with them, and destroy them. For he knows, that be our hopes never so high, our helps from the creature never so likely, yet if God deny his concurrence and influence, the arm of flesh (as Jeroboam’s) shrinks up presently; and the strongest sinew of it cracks, and becomes useless.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hos_7:11

Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart.

A silly dove

The race of Ephraim is not extinct. Men are to this day very much like what they were in the days of the prophets.

I. A saintly similitude. Ephraim is like a dove. The dove is the figure constantly chosen to set forth the beauty of holiness, the believer, the Church, and the Holy Spirit. In all congregations there are those who are like doves, but not Christs doves. You cannot tell them from genuine believers. They are quite harmless. They do no mischief to others in their lives. They are amiable, admirable. They are like doves for loving good company. They have the same meekness, apparently, as distinguishes the dove. They are not sceptics: they frequent the house of God, behave in a seemly manner, and with meekness receive the Word. The dove is a cleanly feeder, and we have many who get as far as that. They have come to know the doctrines of the Gospel. But, while they have an orthodox head, they have a heterodox heart. As a dove is molested by all sorts of birds of prey, so these persons do, for a time, share the lot which befalls the people of God.

II. A secret distinction. A dove without heart. This implies a lack of understanding. The dove knows but little, and is easily snared. It does not seem to possess the wits and senses of stone others of the feathered tribe. So there are many who have no real knowledge of the truth. They rest in the letter, and think that is enough. They also lack a decided heart, and a bold heart, and a powerless heart.

III. A severe description. A silly dew; There may be some sort of dignity in being a fool, but to be silly--to attract no attention except ridicule--is so utterly bad, that I do not know how a more sarcastic name could be applied.

IV. A serious consideration. It is no rare thing to find the attendant of the sanctuary an unbeliever. Be not deceived; the Gospel will harden such people as now are. Some of the grossest men were once credulous and apparently meek-hearted hearers of the Word, but they sat under the preaching of the Gospel till they grew ripe enough to deny God and curse Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Simplicity may be unworthy

The prophet blames Israel for foolish credulity, and compares them to a dove, for they had invited the Egyptians and sent to Assyria for help. Simplicity is indeed a commendable virtue when joined to prudence. But as everything reasonable and judicious in men is turned into wickedness, when there is no integrity; so when men are too credulous and void of all judgment and reason, it is then mere folly. And this folly is opposed to the knowledge which God had offered Israel in His law. It was not that they sinned through ignorance, but that they were destitute of all judgment. Men are not to be excused by the pretext of simplicity, for the prophet condemns this weakness in the Israelites. We ought to attend to the rule of Christ, to be innocent as doves, yet to be prudent as serpents. When we despise the Word and neglect the Spirit of God, and follow our vagrant imaginations, we despise and quench the light of the Word, and we also wilfully perish, when the Lord would save us. (John Calvin.)

The silliness of sin

When pursued by a bird of prey the dove trusts to the rapidity of its flight, instead of at once throwing itself into the nearest recess, where the interference of man, or the narrowness of the place might render it secure from molestation. So Ephraim, instead of trusting God, rested his hope of defence on negotiations with Assyria or Egypt. What do naturalists say about the dove?

I. It is too silly to defend its own. Most creatures will stand by their young and defend them to the last; but the dove allows them to be captured without resistance. Ephraim had sunk into this state: his most distinguished blessings were going from him, and he did not struggle to retain them. The sinner will not battle with the devil to defend his own--his force of thought--his sensibility of conscience--his freedom of will--his purity of love--he allows these precious things to be taken from him without a struggle.

II. It is too silly to feel its loss. The dove will lose its nest, and not feel it. Men under the influence of sin do not feel their loss. Whatever is taken from them, they still cling to earthly things.

III. It is too silly to escape danger (Pro_7:23). So sinners will not flee to the right place of safety. They are too silly to be calm under trial. The dove has not the courage to stay in the dove-house when frightened, it flutters and hovers round, and so exposes itself to new and greater dangers. So Ephraim hurried forth in quest of foreign help, and was the more exposed to calamities and ruin. And it is thus with souls under the influence of sin. (Homilist.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hos 7:11-12. Ephraim is like a silly dove without heart — Which has neither courage to defend itself, nor cunning to prevent its falling into the snares that are laid for it. They call to Egypt, &c. — Sometimes they seek the alliance of one nation, and sometimes of another, all equally unserviceable to them; but are under no concern to seek the favour and protection of God, which alone can be of real and lasting benefit to them. When they shall go — When they shall do every thing their inclinations lead them to do, make the alliances they desire, and seek for safety in all the ways their imaginations can invent; I will spread my net upon them — I will entangle and disappoint them in their designs, execute my decrees upon them, and bring them to destruction, like as birds are taken in the snares of the fowler, although they have wings to fly out of danger. I will chastise them as their congregation hath heard — I will bring those calamities upon them which I have denounced in my laws against the whole people of Israel, whenever they should forsake me; and also have repeatedly denounced them by my prophets.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CRITICAL NOTES.—

Hos_7:11. Dove] A type of simplicity (Mat_10:16). Silly] Simplicity. Without heart] Lit, without understanding, easily taken in the net (Eze_12:13).

Hos_7:12. Congregation] i.e. the threatenings of the law read to them by teachers in assemblies (Lev_26:14; Deu_28:15).

Hos_7:13. Fled] As birds from their nests (Pro_27:8; Isa_16:2). Redeemed] from Egyp first, and constantly afterwards, “habitual, oft-renewed deliverance.” I and they both emphatic. I redeemed, they lied. God’s mercy overflowed man’s ingratitude.

HOMILETICS

THE SILLINESS OF THE SINNER.—Hos_7:11-13

Ephraim was stricken and afflicted, stupefied and insensible, because without heart or understanding they revolted against their best interests. Like a silly dove, simple, and liable to be befooled (Job_31:27); easily seduced, and trusting to its rapidity of flight instead of taking the nearest shelter. Israel negotiated with others, depended not upon God, and was caught in the net. Looking at sin generally—

I. The sinner is silly in boasting of knowledge without wisdom. There is a great difference between knowledge and wisdom. The knowledge of this world and the wisdom from above are not always found together. The world may consider men wise and cunning, but a wicked man is not a wise man. Sin is folly, and folly denotes insipidity, which is opposed to wisdom derived from tasting or experience. There is no true knowledge without godliness. There may be intellect and useful learning, but men are brutish and foolish through sin. “The ox knoweth his owner,”—we know not our owner,—“and the ass his master’s crib;” but we are insensible of our dependence upon God; “do not know” nor consider. We “lack wisdom.” Some are totally ignorant. Others, gifted with genius and erudition, “think highly of themselves.” All are liable to be duped by their own fancy or snared by their own understanding. “A head full of vain and unprofitable notions, meeting with a heart full of pride and self-conceit, disposes a man directly to be an atheist,” says Philip Henry. Men are silly for boasting of knowledge, and ensnared by leaning to their counsels. “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job_28:28).

II. The sinner is silly in depending upon human and forsaking Divine aid. “They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.”

1. They called not upon God, who could help them as he had done in the past.

2. They called to Egypt, delusive in promising and disappointing in execution.

3. They go to Assyria, a powerful oppressor; sought each by turns to help against the other. Thus men, troubled and oppressed, seek relief from one thing and then another, only to display their folly and bring on their ruin. “What else is almost the whole history of Christian states?” asks a writer. “The ‘balance of power,’ which has been the pride of the later policy of Europe, which has been idolized as a god, to which statesmen have looked as a deliverance out of all their troubles; as if it were a sort of Divine Providence, regulating the affairs of men, and dispensing with the interference of God; what is it but the self-same wisdom which balanced Egypt against Assyria?” Men flee like a bird from their nest and security (Hos_7:13), only to be caught in the net of “destruction.”

III. The sinner is silly in not discovering his danger. The dove has neither courage to stay in its resting-place when frightened, nor sense to discern its peril when it flies away. Instead of remaining in protection it flies away and is caught in the net. So men in sin rush from God into risks, seek no place of safety, and have no sense of loss. As “the ox goeth to the slaughter,” unconscious of its fate, and dreaming of pasture; “as a fool to the correction of the stocks,” careless and unfeeling; “as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life,” so blindfolded and silly men go to their fall. They soar upward, “as the fowls of heaven,” in freedom, independence, and pride, but the net is “spread upon them.” They are humiliated and overwhelmed.

1. The danger may be seen. It is open and exposed. The net is spread out to surround them and hold them down. But “man also knoweth not his time; as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare. so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.”

2. The danger is not without warning. “Their congregation hath heard.” In the law and by the prophets, by judgment and mercy, God had forewarned Israel. So men now sin against light and truth, in the face of God’s word and God’s providence. If you add blows to reproofs, so incurable is the folly of some that they will not grow wiser and better. “Yet will his foolishness not depart from him.”

THE FOWLER OF RETRIBUTION.—Hos_7:12

As they go to Egypt and Asshur for help, God will spread his net over them like a bird-catcher, and bring them down to the earth like flying birds, i.e. bring them from the open air—freedom—into the net of captivity or exile. Here the work of retribution is spoken of as the work of the fowler, and includes two things—entrapment and abasement. I. Entrapment. The literal reference here is 2Ki_17:4. The retributive providence of God employed Assyrians to ensnare Israel. This entrapment of providence was seen in the case of Joseph’s brethren and the crucifixion of Christ. Popery confined Luther in Wartburg Castle, where he translated the Bible, which shattered the whole system. Anglican bigots imprisoned Bunyan in Bedford jail; there he produced a book which has given him immortal fame. The net that entangles sinners is not made in heaven, but on earth, by themselves. Righteous providence permits them so to be ensnared as to render that enthralment painful and lasting. II. Abasement. “I will bring them down,” &c. However high they may tower, retribution has missiles to bring them down. Men in worldly prosperity, pride and ambition, soar like eagles above the rest. An ancient philosopher, when asked what Jupiter did in heaven, replied, “He pulls down the haughty, and exalts the humble.” Read the words—“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee,” &c. (Oba_1:3-4). Ponder well thy condition, sinner. Retributive justice is upon thee wherever thou art and whatever thou dost. If down grovelling in the earth, working out thy sordid soul, it has nets that will ensnare thee there. If high up in the heavens of worldly prosperity and haughty ambition, proudly exulting in superiority, it has shots that will reach thee and bring thee down to the dust [The Homilist].

MAN’S WEAL AND WOE.—Hos_7:13

There are but two conditions in which men are found, near to or distant from God. There can be no neutrality in religion. We must either be for or against God. If to depart from God be woe; to be intimate with him, to know and love him, must be man’s weal, moral health, wholeness, and happiness. Hence—

I. God is the chief good of men. “Who will show us any good?” is the cry of the “many” in disappointment or unbelief. Man wants good: hates evil as evil, because it brings woe, suffering, and death. He wishes to find that supreme good which he craves for, which alone will satisfy his heart. This is not found in the creature, in the pleasures of sense and sin. God alone can satisfy the soul. He is the chief, the only good of men. But the summum bonum, the well-being of man, is not mere happiness, it is right character, the perfection and harmony of being. Happiness and joy are secondary and incidental to this. The only blessedness is the blessedness of the godly. We have not found this until restored and reconciled to God. To seek the chief good of man without God, without conformity to his will, is to subvert supreme reason, break down the eternal laws of the universe, and seek the impossible. “Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man”—not his duty merely (duty is interpolated), but his health and happiness—the sum of all that God requires—the end and perfection of his being.

II. Departure from God brings misery upon men. “Woe unto them, for they have fled from me.”

1. Forsaking God involves misery. “Woe unto them.” Those who sin against God wrong their own soul (Pro_8:32); rob it of happiness and vigour, and are tempted to soul-murder. They forsake their own mercy (Jon_2:8); the God of my mercy (Psa_59:17), the personal knowledge of whom is the condition of happiness. Estrangement from God involves misery and deep distress (Jer_2:13; Jer_17:13). Therefore the laws of God are (a) the expression of benevolent design, (b) in harmony with our moral constitution, and (c) should be constantly obeyed.

2. Forsaking God involves destruction. “Destruction unto them, because they have transgressed against me.” God is not only the happiness, but the protection of the soul. “Salvation is of the Lord,” and those who forget or forsake him bring present woe and future destruction upon themselves. God has connected our safety with the keeping of his law. Obey and we shall be saved; but disobedience to all laws, physical and moral, will result in pain and death. Sinners die because they will die: put from them that which will be their life, and love that which will be their death. “They that hate me love death.”

GOD’S WAYS AND MAN’S WAYS

I. God’s ways towards man. God’s ways to train the believer and save the sinner are manifold and wonderful. There are three specially indicated in the text.

1. We have love. The prophet speaks not mechanically. The man’s soul is touched, and we see the sympathy of God in his pleadings and expostulations. With melting overtures he pours out the tenderest feelings of Divine love. “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?” &c. It is not a love cold and indifferent to the sins and sorrows of men. Some men with a selfish stoical heart behold the misery around them without the slightest feeling. Some are annoyed, and others endeavour to shun it. But few are pained at the sight, try to bear or remove it. God’s love is wounded with the sins of his people, bursts forth into deep emotion. His “soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” Like a father’s pity and a mother’s tender care, this love is heard in the cry, “O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.”

2. We have law. “They have transgressed.” Sin is the transgression of the law, “for where no law is there can be no transgression.” Law is found in all departments of the universe; is essential to order and good government. God has expressed his love in law, and entered into human history with authority and redeeming grace. Love is the natural, the parental feeling of God. But positive law is required to direct and control the actions of men. “Thou shalt not” is a necessary part of education; a boundary line between right and wrong—an essential condition of a happy life. God has written the words on the shore of every sea, in the constitution of every moral being, and in the history of every nation. Passions must be curbed; order must be preserved, lest confusion and death should spread in God’s dominions.

3. We have providence. Love may exist in the heart and not be displayed in outward act. Providence is God’s love in action, written in facts. Divine agency is displayed in human history, delivering men from sin. God had redeemed Israel from captivity and bondage. He made known to them what he promised to be, and what he was by what he did. Thought and character are known best when expressed in deeds. A mother’s love is not known simply by word; but when she cares for her child, walks with it, and delivers it in danger, then she gives life and meaning to her words. So God fulfils his promise, honours his law, and redeems his people. The name Redeemer should therefore be above every name, should quicken and inspire our hearts with love. In the death of Jesus we have love historical and supernatural; redemption and moral influence spreading themselves through all time and reaching to all people. God’s providence in Israel and God’s love in Christ have become history and action in the past, energy in the present, and promise for the future. “He saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.”

II. Man’s ways towards God. Such treatment from God ought to excite gratitude and service. The truths of the Bible and the blessings of providence should not be entertained as mere external verities, but should become living and abiding sources of thought and feeling; motives to action and praise. The mercies we receive should be specially acknowledged. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Israel were guilty of three glaring sins.

1. There was apostasy from God. “For they have fled from me.” God had made them a peculiar people, gave them a special covenant, and took them into intimate relationship with himself; but they forsook him, and were guilty of religious defection. It was not a partial, but a complete falling away. They turned from God in their hearts, and wandered from him in their ways. They fled in fear and anger, as if God was a cruel and inveterate enemy. God called unto them, but they refused to come: he sought to reclaim them, but they wandered further from him. The instinct of the bird teaches that its only place of safety and rest is the nest. Seldom does she return without injury or inconvenience to herself. So man, wandering from “the precincts,” remains not under “the protection” of God. To leave his place and duties in society exposes him to temptation. He has no true rest, and only changes imaginary for real troubles. The discontented man, the unsteady professor, departing from God, wanders from his proper place and position. Man is a fugitive, wandering from his home, broken away from the law of holy and blessed allegiance. Sin has separated him from God. Where art thou? was the significant question put to rouse our first parent to a sense of guilt. Like a kind father, God calls now to men, holds out his arms of love to embrace them in return. “But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.”

2. There was rebellion against God. It was no ordinary crime of which they were guilty. To apostasy they added open rebellion. “They have transgressed.” Once depart from God, the way is open for all sins and temptations. When Israel had fled from God, they sinned wilfully and presumptuously, with a high hand and a stiff neck. They broke the law and thwarted the design of Divine love. Many now have no determination, no decision for God: changeful as the waves and fickle as the winds. Their heart is not right, neither are they stedfast in his covenant. They detract from the authority of God, and continually break the bonds of law; they set up self and refuse to yield to God; and, like a refractory horse and untamed bullock, constantly reject the bridle and draw back. “A stubborn and rebellious generation.”

3. There was contradiction to God. “They have spoken lies against me.” Oft as he redeemed them so often did they traduce him. Their whole life was a contradiction to his will, character, and conduct. They spoke lies in their lips and profession, added insult to ingratitude. They belied his prophets, and set up false gods in opposition to the true. They denied the providence and power of God, robbed him of the glory of their deliverance, and ascribed all their blessings to idols. “Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.” Thus Israel treated God for his kindness, and provoked him to anger by their sins. Well might God say, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”

HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES

Spoken lies.

1. Men lie in thought. When they have hard or slight thoughts of God—when they think that prosperity is given by idols, is gained by their own skill.

2. Men lie in word. When they declare that God does not see them and will not punish their sin.

3. Men lie in worship. When they represent God in graven images, offer prayers which do not come from the heart, and defraud God of his due.

4. Men lie in conduct. When they profess one thing and are really another—when they substitute error for truth, and deny the Holy One.

Sin is emphatically a lie. The sinner is antagonistic to God and his ways, a contradiction to God in his character and condition. In his whole conduct and career he has “belied the Lord.” Yet this lying to God is—

1. A common sin.

2. A hateful sin.

3. A dangerous sin.

The visible Church doth lie against God, having been delivered of him, either when she denieth him in her practice (Tit_1:16; Psa_14:1); or when being delivered she doth belie her those professions and promises she made in trouble; or, when she cleaves still to false doctrine or corrupt religion, pretending it to be the truth, and constructs of God’s delivering her, as if it were a testimony that he favoured her way; or when in her prosperity she forgets God, ascribing all her deliverances to her idols, as all her afflictions to him, as chap. Hos_2:5; Jer_44:17-18 [Hutcheson].

ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 7

Hos_7:12. Retribution. As some eagle pierced with a shaft feathered from its own wing, so many a sufferer, even in this present time, sees and cannot deny that it was his own sin that fledged the arrow of God’s judgment, which has pierced him and brought him down [Trench].

Hos_7:13. Woe. The iniquity of a bad man will itself be his ruin. Those wicked devices by which he designed and expected to secure himself becoming the instruments of his destruction. The essence of all wickedness is forsaking God.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

7:11 When invaded by Assyria, Israel turned to Egypt for help. When Egypt proved powerless, Israel tried to appease Assyria by becoming its vassal (a subservient kingdom).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

That is, without all judgment, as they that cannot tell whether it is better to cleave only to God, or to seek the help of man.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

like a silly dove--a bird proverbial for simplicity: easily deceived.

without heart--that is, understanding.

call to Egypt--Israel lying between the two great rival empires Egypt and Assyria, sought each by turns to help her against the other. As this prophecy was written in the reign of Hoshea, the allusion is probably to the alliance with So or Sabacho II (of which a record has been found on the clay cylindrical seals in Koyunjik), which ended in the overthrow of Hoshea and the deportation of Israel (Kg2 17:3-6). As the dove betrays its foolishness by fleeing in alarm from its nest only to fall into the net of the fowler, so Israel, though warned that foreign alliances would be their ruin, rushed into them.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 11. Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart] A bird that has little understanding; that is easily snared and taken; that is careless about its own young, and seems to live without any kind of thought. It has been made, by those who, like itself, are without heart, the symbol of conjugal affection. Nothing worse could have been chosen, for the dove and its mate are continually quarrelling.

They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.] They strive to make these their allies and friends; but in this they showed that they were without heart, had not a sound understanding; for these were rival nations, and Israel could not attach itself to the one without incurring the jealousy and displeasure of the other. Thus, like the silly dove, they were constantly falling into snares; sometimes of the Egyptians, at others of the Assyrians. By the former they were betrayed; by the latter, ruined.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The Prophet here first blames Israel for foolish credulity, and compares them to a dove; for they had invited the Egyptians and sent to Assyria for help. Simplicity is indeed a commendable virtue, when joined to prudence. But as everything reasonable and judicious in men is turned into wickedness when there is no integrity; so when men are too credulous and void of all judgment and reason, it is then mere folly. But when he says that Israel is like a dove, he does not mean that the Israelites had sinned through mere ignorance, but that they were destitute of all judgment; and this folly is opposed to the knowledge which God had offered to them in his law: for God had never ceased to guide Israel by sound doctrine; he had ever exhibited before them the torch of his word; but when God thus gave them light, Israel was so credulous as to give heed to the delusions of Satan and of the world. We now then perceive the meaning of the Prophet.

Some render פותה, pute, by “turning aside:” and its root פתה, pite, no doubt, means “to turn aside;” and it means also sometimes “to persuade:” hence some give this rendering, “a persuasible,” or, “a credulous dove.” But the Prophet, I doubt not, means, that they were enticed by flatteries, or deceived by allurements, which is the same thing. Israel then was like a dove, deceived by various lures.

How so? Because they ran to the Assyrians, they invited the Egyptians If Israel had attended to the law of God, they might have felt assured that they were not in danger of going astray; for the Lord keeps us not in suspense or doubt, that we may fluctuate, but makes our minds fixed and tranquil by his word, as it is also said in another place, ‘This is rest.’ It was then determined by the Israelites not to fix their feet as it were on solid ground; and they preferred to fly here and there like doves; and their credulity led them to many errors. How? Because they chose rather to give themselves up to be deceived by the Egyptians as well as by the Assyrians, when yet God was willing to guide them by sound knowledge. We now understand the design of this accusation of the Prophet to be, that Israel wilfully refused the way of safety offered to them, which they might have followed with confidence, and with a tranquil and composed mind; but in the meantime they flew up and down, and became wilfully erratic; for they suffered themselves to be deceived by various lures.

Now this place teaches us that men are not to be excused by the pretext of simplicity; for the Prophet here condemns this very weakness in the Israelites. We ought then to attend to the rule of Christ, ‘To be innocent as doves, and yet to be prudent as serpents.’ But if we inconsiderately abandon ourselves, the excuse of ignorance will be frivolous; for the Lord shines upon us by his word and shows us the right way; and he has also in his power the spirit of prudence and judgment, which he never denies to those who ask. But when we despise the word, and neglect the Spirit of God, and follow our own vagrant imaginations, our sin is twofold; for we thus despise and quench the light of the word, and we also wilfully perish, when the Lord would save us.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(11) Silly dove.—No creature is less able to defend itself than the dove, which flies from the bird of prey to the net of the fowler. In this powerful metaphor we have a political allusion. King Hoshea is called Ausih on the Assyrian monuments. Having usurped the throne after the murder of Pekah, he “purchased his recognition as king of Israel by giving a large present to the Assyrian monarch” (730 B.C.). (See Geo. Smith, Assyria—S.P.C.K.) But while Hoshea was sending tribute to Assyria he was secretly coquetting with Egypt. The alliance between Egypt and the king of Israel, mentioned in 2Ki_17:4, took place later, after Tiglath-pileser’s death, and led to Israel’s ruin. On the other hand, many commentators (Ewald, Nowack, &c.) refer the allusions of this verse to the reign of Menahem.

Without heart.—Better, without understanding.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. Ephraim also is like …] Rather, But Ephraim is become like a silly dove without understanding. This verse does not begin a fresh section, but is closely connected with the preceding. As a dove, fleeing from a hawk, is snared in the fowler’s net, so Ephraim, when afraid of Assyria, calls in the assistance of Egypt, and when afraid of Egypt, applies to Assyria (see Introduction). In his folly he does not observe the snare which the false friend, or rather (Hos_7:12) Jehovah, prepares for him.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without heart,.... Or understanding; which comes and picks up the corns of grain, which lie scattered about, and does not know that the net is spread for it; and when its young are taken away, it is unconcerned, and continues its nest in the same place still; and, when frightened, flees not to its dove house, where it would be safe, but flies about here and there, and so becomes a prey to others. Thus Ephraim, going to Egypt and Assyria for help, were ensnared by them, not having sense enough to perceive that this would be their ruin; and though they had heretofore suffered by them, yet still they continued to make their addresses to them; and instead of keeping close to the Lord, and to his worship and the place of it, and asking counsel and help of him they ran about and sought for it here and there:

they call to Egypt; that is, for help; as Hoshea king of Israel, when he sent messengers to So or Sabacon king of Egypt, for protection and assistance, Kg2 17:4. Such a foolish part, like the silly doves, did they act; since the Egyptians had been their implacable enemies, and their fathers had been in cruel bondage under them:

they go to Assyria; send gifts and presents, and pay tribute to the kings thereof, to make them easy; as Menahem did to Pul, and Hoshea to Shalmaneser, Kg2 15:19. Some understand this last clause, not of their sin in going to the Assyrian for help; but of their punishment in going or being carried captive thither; and so the Targum seems to interpret it,

"they go captive, or are carried captive, into Assyria.''

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Ephraim is - (become) like a silly dove “There is nothing more simple than a dove,” says the Eastern proverb. Simplicity is good or bad, not in itself, but according to some other qualities of the soul, good or evil, with which it is united, to which it opens the mind, and which lead it to good or mislead it to evil. The word describes one, easily persuaded, open, and so, one who takes God’s word simply, obeys His will, without refinement or subtlety or explaining it away; in which way it is said, “The Lord preserveth the simple;” or, on the other hand, one who lets himself easily be led to evil, as the pagan said of youth, that they were “like wax to be bent to evil” Psa 116:6. In this way, it is said, “How long, ye simple one, will ye love simplicity?” Pro 1:22. Our Lord uses this likeness of the dove, for good, “be wise as serpents, simple, or harmless as doves” Mat 10:16. Hosea speaks of simplicity without wisdom, for he adds, “a silly dove without understanding,” (literally, “without a heart,”) whereby they should love God’s will, and so should understand it. Ephraim “became,” he says, like a silly dove. Neglecting God’s calls, unmoved by calamity or sufferings, and not “seeking” to God “for all this” which He has done to recall them, they grew in folly. Man is ever “growing in wisdom” or in folly, in grace or in gracelessness. This new stage of folly lay in their flying to Assyria, to help them, in fact, against God; as it follows,

They call to Egypt - Instead of “calling to” God who could and would help, they “called to Egypt” who could not, and “went to Assyria” who would not. So God complains by Isaiah, “To Me, thou hast not called, O Jacob” Isa 43:22. This was their folly; they called not to God, who had delivered them out of Egypt, but, alternately, to their two powerful neighbors, of whom Egypt was a delusive promiser, not failing only, but piercing, those who leant on it; Assyria was a powerful oppressor. Yet what else is almost the whole history of Christian states? The “balance of power,” which has been the pride of the later policy of Europe, which has been idolized as a god, to which statesmen have looked, as a deliverance out of all their troubles; as if it were a sort of divine providence, regulating the affairs of human beings, and dispensing with the interference of God; what is it but the self-same wisdom, which balanced Egypt against Assyria?

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

CHAPTER VII.

Decoyed. Hebrew, "stupid," chap. iv. 11. The dove is the only bird which is not grieved at the loss of its young. (St. Jerome) --- It returns to the same nest, though repeatedly robbed, forgetting past dangers. (Theodoret) --- Thus Israel is not reclaimed, though idolatry has so often proved its ruin. --- Egypt. Jeroboam had returned thither, and at his return brought about a division of the kingdom, 3 Kings xi. 40. Osee, the last king, applied to Sua, and this provoked the Assyrians to destroy the kingdom. They pretended that it was tributary to them, after Phul had been invited to assist Manahem for a thousand talents, 4 Kings xv. 19., and xvii. 4. Thus was a worldly policy confounded.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Ephraim: see Hos 7:1,8.

Is like a silly dove; a deceived dove, seduced by false prophets and idolatrous priests, whose weak arguments are soon believed, and whose unseasonable advice is too soon followed: Ephraim is now become like the dove in weakness and fear, as well as in imprudence and liableness to be deceived.

Without heart: this explains the former, whether heart here be judgment and discretion, as sometimes it is, or be resolution and courage, as other while it is; this dove, this Ephraim, wants both.

They call; they should in their perplexity call on God, who can help, but they do not; they call indeed, but not to their God, or to a friend.

To Egypt: this Hoshea did, 2Ki 17:4; and I remember not any mention of other application to Egypt since Jehu’s time. It is probable Hosea aims at this embassy, and private confederacy, of which, as of a thing in hand, he speaketh. They do call to Egypt, whose king is called So, and judged to be Sabacon the Ethiopian, who had lately conquered Egypt: by this also may we guess at the time of this prophecy, about some four years before Samaria was taken.

They go to Assyria; so did Menahem when on the throne, so did Hoshea, as is evident, 2Ki 15:19,20, with 2Ki 17:3. Thus both betrayed the greatest imprudence, depending for help on professed, old inveterate enemies. So silly were they! See Hos 5:13; 14:3.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart. The silliness of the dove, with which the stupidity of Ephraim is compared, is not manifested by its missing its nest and resting-place, and then helplessly fluttering about, according to Ewald; nor by its falling into the net of the bird-catcher in its effort to escape from the hawk, according to Hitzig; nor by its neither grieving nor searching for its young when it is robbed of them, according to Jerome; nor by its becoming dejected or devoid of consideration when it has lost its young, according to the Targum; but by its flying right into the net of the bird-catcher, without suspecting or observing it in its search for food, according to Rosenm Thus Kimchi explains it: "The prophet compares Ephraim to a dove which gets caught in a net owing to its simplicity, because it has no sense to perceive that, when it goes to gather grains of corn, a net is spread there to catch it. So Ephraim, when they went and asked help from Assyria or from Egypt, (did not perceive) that they went to their hurt, when they sought help from the foreign nations and not from God blessed be he! in whose hand all is. And he mentions the dove, though it is the manner of other birds, because the dove has no bitterness, as if it went in simplicity and without apprehension of the evil that would come upon it." They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. The position of Palestine exposed its inhabitants to attacks from the two great rival powers of Egypt and Assyria, or Babylon. "It stood midway," says Stanley, "between the two great seats of ancient empire, Babylon and Egypt. It was on the high-road from one to the other of these mighty powers, the prize for which they contended, the battlefield on which they fought, the lofty bridge over which they ascended and descended respectively into the deep basins of the Nile and Euphrates." Accordingly the rulers of the people sought help, now from Egypt to strengthen them against the oppression of Assyria; at another time they sought to secure the support of Assyria. The most powerful enemy of the northern kingdom was Assyria, which distressed that kingdom more and more, until at last they made an end of it. "But," says Kimchi, "while they think to obtain help by them (Egypt and Assyria), they fall into the net of the Almighty blessed be he and this is what he says (in the following verse). As they go I spread my net over them.

Vers. 11-16. Ephraim"s folly and falseness.

In this passage the Lord threatens the northern kingdom for its unnatural and untheocratic policy of seeking support from the neighboring heathen powers. These verses, therefore, deal primarily with the sins of the court and the government. The nation is to be punished for

I POLITICAL INFATUATION. (Vers. 11, 12) The true resting-place of the commonwealth was in God; but Ephraim had wandered from him, and was fluttering about inconsiderately "like a silly senseless dove," now seeking help from Egypt and now from Assyria. (2Ki_17:3, 2Ki_17:4) How prone are governments to lay stress upon statecraft and diplomacy, when they should be simply trusting in God and following righteousness! Dr. Pusey aptly refers in this connection to "the balance of power" which for so long a period controlled the policy of European statesmen. But this theory has of late years largely lost its influence, and given place to a policy of non-intervention, accompanied with an enormous increase of military armaments. The true balance of power will be established only when the nations everywhere acknowledge the kingship of Christ, and deal with one another on the principles of justice and amity which his Law enjoins. As Ephraim was caught in the "net" of his own foreign entanglements these becoming his ruin so will all those nations be that forget God, and make flesh their arm. In the case of Israel, "their congregation had heard" the threat of such chastisement from Moses and the prophets; while modern states "hear" it from the Word of God, and witness its execution in the retributions of history.

II MORAL INGRATITUDE. (Vers. 13-15) During the whole career of the Hebrew people God had lavished upon them his tender love and compassion; but they had requited him with the basest ingratitude. They had been unthankful and evil, although he was:

1. Their Redeemer. (Ver. 13) Jehovah had delivered them from Egypt; he had protected them in the desert; he had raised up the judges to repel their foreign oppressors; he had "saved" the northern kingdom by the hand of Jeroboam II, the son of Joash ". (2Ki_14:27) The Lord had constantly redeemed them; and he was prepared to do so again, if they would but turn to him in penitence and faith. But, alas! Ephraim persisted in his apostasy, and by his idol-worship and insincerity made God a liar," and his own national life also a lie.

2. The Giver of their harvests. (Ver. 14) In the time of prosperity Israel ignored Jehovah as the Author of fruitful seasons. (Hos_2:8) In the time of famine, however, the people in their distress wildly" howled" for bread; but if they cried to Jehovah at all, they did not do so with their heart.

3. Their Physician. (Ver. 15) Jehovah had acted towards Israel like a wise and skillful surgeon. He had seen their power enfeebled, like a relaxed or dislocated arm; and he had bound the arm, to make it once more strong and sinewy. Yet the first use to which Israel put the healed arm was to raise it to strike the Healer. What a warning have we here against the sin of unthankfulness! The Lord"s reproach reminds us that apart from the grateful heart there can be no true piety. Gratitude is inseparable from faith in God. And the reflex influence of gratitude upon the soul is to inspire and ennoble it. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness!

III SPIRITUAL INSTABILITY. (Ver. 16) The princes of Israel were constantly changing their policy; but they never, amidst all their changes, really turned towards God. The nation often professed to seek him, but their evil heart constantly drew them aside to idols. "They are like a deceitful bow," which has either been faultily constructed at the first, or the string of which has lost its elasticity, and which, therefore, disappoints the archer by sending forth the arrow wide of the mark. So Ephraim had given a wrong direction to his whole spiritual life. The nation had failed to accomplish the end for which God had chosen it. Its profession and its practice were at variance. Its arrows were not directed towards the Divine glory, and therefore it must presently "fall by the sword," and suffer the "derision" of Egypt, in whom it had foolishly trusted. But does not this graphic metaphor, a deceitful bow," describe the character of every unbeliever; and of every Christian, in so far as he trusts in his own strength? "In like way doth every sinner act, using against God, in the service of Satan, God"s gifts of nature or of outward means, talents, or wealth, or strength, or beauty, or power of speech. God gave all for his own glory; and man turns all aside to do honor and service to Satan" (Pusey). We must be daily strengthened with the grace that is in Christ Jesus, if our bow is to "turn not hack," but to abide in strength. C.J.

Vers. 11, 12. The silly dove.

The folly of sin is a frequent topic with the inspired writers, and is urged upon the attention of some who may be more fearful of lacking wisdom than of grieving God. In this passage the prophet makes use of a homely and striking similitude with a view to impress upon the rebellious the vanity and simple credulity of their sinful conduct.

I THE DOVE"S PERPLEXITY. Alarmed by a bird of prey hovering over her and ready to seize her, the simple dove is ready to rush into any danger. An emblem of Israel of old. placed between Assyria and Egypt, and, when alarmed by the threats of one power, ready to court the alliance of the other. And an emblem of foolish sinners, of all nations and of all times, whose only safety and whose only guidance is in God, but who are ever prone to look hither and thither, to human counselors and to human helpers.

II THE DOVE"S FLIGHT. As the simple dove, in her danger and perplexity, makes straight for the fowler"s net, so Israel, seeking security by her fancied policy, which in reality was short-sighted and vain, again and again brought herself into national disaster and misery. "They said, We will ride upon horses." "Therefore," was the responsive prediction, shall ye flee." Where is the foolish rebel against God who has not by his own unwise precipitation brought himself into ruin and calamity?

III THE DOVE"S CAPTURE IN THE NET. The dove fails to escape, falls into the snare of the fowler, and perishes. Israel, however she might forget and forsake God, could not evade the penalties of disobedience; for she could not get beyond the range of the Divine government and judicial sway. "I," said Jehovah, "will chastise them, according to the announcement to their congregation." "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished." Let none imagine that there is a possibility of eluding Divine justice.

APPLICATION The way of wisdom is the way of safety; and "the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." It is better to flee to the Lord as to a Tower of refuge, than to fall into the net of retribution. T.

The silliness of sin.

"Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart." "There is much force and beauty in this comparison of Ephraim to a "silly dove without heart," or rather without understanding, which when pursued by a bird of prey trusts to the rapidity of its flight; that is, relics upon its own powers for the means of escape, instead of at once throwing itself into the nearest recess, where the interference of man or the narrowness of the place might render it secure from molestation. Israel, instead of taking shelter under the wing of the Almighty, who is a God near at hand, and not afar off, rested his hope of defense upon the celerity of his movements stretching his wing towards Assyria or Egypt; but in the length of the flight is overtaken, secured, and dies in the cruel talons of his unrelenting pursuer" ("Pictorial Bible"). The passage may be used to illustrate the silliness of sin. Men under the influences of sin are as silly as the dove. What do naturalists say about the dove?

I IT IS TOO SILLY TO DEFEND ITS OWN. Most creatures will stand by their young and fight for them to the last, but the dove, it seems, cares but little for them, and allows them to be captured without resistance. Ephraim had sunk into this state; his most distinguished blessings were going from him, and he struggled not to retain them. The sinner will not battle with the devil to defend his own his force of thought, his sensibility of conscience, his freedom of will, his purity of love; he allows these precious things to be taken from him without a struggle.

II IT IS TOO SILLY TO FEEL ITS LOSS. It is said that the dove will lose its nest and not feel it. The tree seems as attractive to it without its nest as with it. Men under the influence of sin do not feel their loss. Though sin has broken up their nest, they still strive to make the world a resting-place. Whatever is taken from them, they still cling to earthly things.

III IT IS TOO SILLY TO ESCAPE DANGER. More dull than other fowls, it discovers not its perils; it "hasteneth to the snare, and knoweth not it is for her life". (Pro_7:23) Thus it was with the ten tribes politically, and thus it is with all souls morally in their fallen state. They will not flee to the right place of safety too silly to be calm under trial. It is said of the dove that it has not courage to stay in the dove-house when frightened, where it is safe under the careful protection of its owner, but flutters and hovers, seeking rest first in one place and then in another, and thus exposes itself to new and greater dangers. Thus with Ephraim: instead of settling down under the protection of God, he hurried forth in quest of foreign help, and was the more exposed to calamities and ruin. Thus, too, with souls under the influence of sin.

CONCLUSION. Sin is folly. The fool and the sinner are, in God"s vocabulary, convertible terms. Oh, how sad it is to see human souls hovering and fluttering about like silly doves, with no sense of their loss, no resting-place, no security, no peace! A soul immortal spending all her fires, Wasting her strength in strenuous idleness, Thrown into tumult, raptured, or alarmed, At aught this scene can threaten or indulge, Resembles ocean into tempest wrought, To waft a feather or to drown a fly. (Young.) D.T.

Vers. 11-16. Ephraim"s flight from God.

Every sinner may read a warning in the words here addressed to Ephraim.

I FLEEING FROM GOD. (Vers. 11, 12) The wicked "say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways". (Job_21:14) They themselves try, though vainly, to escape from God. They would fain put a great distance between him and them (Jonah; the prodigal).

1. Fleeing from God is sin. It is an attempt on the part of the creature to establish an independence which the Creator does not allow. Even the attempt at such flight God must check and punish.

2. Fleeing from God is folly. It is foolish

(1) because it is an attempt at the impossible; and

(2) because, if the wicked could succeed in the attempt, it would still be to their own hurt. Abandoning God, the soul is doomed to the pursuit of vanity. It cannot rest in itself, for it is not self-centered; but neither can it rest in the creature, for the creature is constantly proving itself a false support. Besides, life without God has no longer a proper aim. The soul is thus smitten with restlessness; its movements become vague, methodless, erratic. "They call to Egypt; they go to Assyria." It flits from one object to another, and finds repose in none. Existence is a succession of new trials, and a series of new disappointments.

3. Fleeing from God is destruction. God declares that when the sinner flees, he will pursue (ver. 12). No matter how lofty their soarings, he will spread his net for them, and bring them down. He has forewarned them of this, and they will find it true, Jonah found, when he tried to escape, that God"s net was spread for him. Every sinner will find the same. The net which God spreads for the haughty, would-be independent ones is that of his punitive justice. Their pride will end, as all evil ends, in destruction.

II FALSE DEALING WITH GOD. (Vers. 13-16) A main part of the charge against Ephraim is falsehood (vers. 1, 3). The falsehood is primarily falsehood towards God. We have here three phases of it.

1. Insincerity in repentance. "They have not cried with their heart, when they howled upon their beds, etc. (ver. 14). The insincerity of their repentance was evinced:

(1) By the very noise they made about it they howled," etc.

(2) By their unabridged indulgence in sin: "They assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me." They insulted God by lying protestations of a desire to return to him, while openly dishonoring him by their wickedness. It is not loud outcries, but changed actions, which show the reality of repentance. (Mat_3:8)

2. Speaking lies against God.

(1) God had attested his willingness to redeem, but they alleged that he would not do so. "I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me" (ver. 13). It was easier to profess doubt of God"s Word than to fulfill the moral conditions necessary for the securing of the blessing.

(2) God had shown himself their true Helper I instructed and strengthened their arms yet they plotted alliances with heathen powers, disowning his past goodness. "They imagine mischief against me" (ver. 15). Thus, doubly, they made God a liar. But their whole life and worship was a denial of his Word. They gainsaid the Word sent them by the prophets, denied his anger at their sins, changed his truth into a lie in the worship of the calves, etc.

3. Faithlessness in promises. Even when, for a brief moment, they seemed wishful of amendment, their goodness did not last. (Hos_6:4) Their promises were broken. They did not keep faith with God. They were as a deceitful bow" (ver. 16). The deceitful bow:

(1) Holds out a promise. The person who shoots thinks he can depend upon it. It seems a bow that will serve his ends.

(2) Suggests an aim. The use of a bow is to drive the arrow to the point aimed at. God had an aim in the calling of Israel. It was his desire to reach that aim through the obedience of the nation. He has an aim in our own creation, calling, and moral discipline.

(3) Proves treacherous on trial. It either does not shoot at all, or sends the arrow but a little way, or turns it off in a different direction from that which the shooter intended. In any case, it proves not to be depended on. Confidence cannot be placed in it. It deceives and disappoints. Israel had thus repeatedly disappointed the expectations raised by repentances and vows.

III A LAUGHING-STOCK TO MEN. (Ver. 16) "This shall be their derision in the, land of Egypt." Their princes had used boastful language rage of their tongue." Once their pretensions were exposed, they would become a mockery to those for the sake of whose friendship and help they had deserted God. J.O.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Like a silly dove - Ephraim is now become like the dove in weakness and fear, as well as in imprudence and liableness to be deceived. Without heart - Without either discretion or courage. To Assyria - Instead of going to God, who alone can help.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

"And Ephraim has become like a simple dove without understanding; they have called Egypt, they are gone to Asshur. Hos 7:12. As they go, I spread my net over them; I bring them down like fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, according to the tidings to their assembly." The perfects in Hos 7:1 describe the conduct of Israel as an accomplished fact, and this is represented by ויהי as the necessary consequence of its obstinate impenitence. The point of comparison between Israel and the simple dove, is not that the dove misses its proper dwelling and resting-place, and therefore goes fluttering about (Ewald); nor that, in trying to escape from the hawk, it flies into the net of the bird-catcher (Hitzig); but that when flying about in search of food, it does not observe the net that is spread for it (Rosenmller). אין לב is to be taken as a predicate to Ephraim in spite of the accents, and not to yōnâh phōthâh (a simple dove), since phōthâh does not require either strengthening or explaining. Thus does Ephraim seek help from Egypt and Assyria. These words do not refer to the fact that there were two parties in the nation - an Assyrian and an Egyptian. Nor do they mean that the whole nation applied at one time to Egypt to get rid of Asshur, and at another time to Asshur to escape from Egypt. "The situation is rather this: the people being sorely pressed by Asshur, at one time seek help from Egypt against Asshur; whilst at another they try to secure the friendship of the latter" (Hengstenberg, Christology, i. p. 164 transl.). For what threatened Israel was the burden of the "king of princes" (Hos 8:10), i.e., the king of Asshur. And this they tried to avert partly by their coquettish arts (Hos 8:9), and partly by appealing to the help of Egypt; and while doing so, they did not observe that they had fallen into the net of destruction, viz., the power of Assyria. In this net will the Lord entangle them as a punishment. As they go thither, God will spread His net over them like a bird-catcher, and bring them down to the earth like flying birds, i.e., bring them down from the open air, that is to say, from freedom, into the net of captivity, or exile. איסירם, a rare hiphil formation with Yod mobile, as in Pro 4:25 (see Ewald, 131, c). "According to the tidings (announcement) to their assembly:" i.e., in accordance with the threatening already contained in the law (Lev 26:14.; Deu 28:15.), and repeatedly uttered to the congregation by the prophets, of the judgments that should fall upon the rebellious, which threatening would now be fulfilled upon Ephraim.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Hypocrisy Rebuked

v. 11. Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart, one which is too simple to notice the snare of the fowler. They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria, not realizing that the very nations whose help they invoked would prove their undoing.

v. 12. When they shall go, when their embassies are dispatched to seek the aid of the great foreign nations, I will spread My net upon them, using the foreigners as His instruments to carry out His punishment upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven, dragging them down into the net of the exile; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard, in accordance with His repeated proclamations concerning their doom.

v. 13. Woe unto them! For they have fled from Me, forsaking the one Rock of their salvation. Destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against Me, they have rebelled and thereby forsaken Him, who is the only One who could and would help them. Though I have redeemed them, from the bondage of Egypt and from all other enemies, yet they have spoken lies against Me, by both words and actions, in seeking help elsewhere.

v. 14. And they have not cried unto Me with their heart, for whatever praying they did was performed in hypocrisy, when they howled upon their beds, with cries of sleepless anguish, after the usual manner of their kind, resorting to extremes in order to make an impression; they assemble themselves for corn and wine, their one thought and object being to fill their stomachs with the best products of the land, and they rebel against Me, they have forsaken Him and, at the same time, turn against Him with open hostility.

v. 15. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, teaching them where to get and how to use their strength, yet do they imagine mischief against Me, by their idolatry and rebellion.

v. 16. They return, but not to the Most High, or, "upwards," with their faces turned to His power alone; they are like a deceitful bow, whose string has lost its tenseness and cannot carry the arrow to its mark. Their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue, on account of their proud boasting concerning the aid of Egypt; this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt, for the Egyptians themselves ridiculed them on account of the weakness revealed in their overthrow. That is ever the result of man’s turning to men for help, for the very ones upon whom he depended for assistance will jeer at his fall. God is the only One in whom we may safely place all our trust.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

without a heart to discern between what was good for them and what was bad for them.

they called upon Egypt To those who have always harmed them, they call for aid.

they went to Assyria They went to the king of Assyria that he should aid them.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.