Hosea 10:1

"Lush vine of Israel; its fruit satisfies it; according to the abundance of its fruit, it has multiplied its altars; it has enriched itself with its idols, in proportion to the fertility of its land." LXX: "A leafy vine in Israel: abundant fruit in it: according to the multitude of its fruit it has multiplied altars: they will build titles beside the good of their land." On behalf of a leafy life," the eagle explained, "ἔνυδρον," which we can say means "watery" or "diluted" because it loses the taste of wine; Symmachus called it "ὑλομανοῦσαν," which has grown entirely in the leaves. Vines, which were not of value to the vintner, grow into whips and leaves, and destroy the moisture which they should have turned into wine, by the vain ambition of foliage and leaves: such a vine is harmful to farmers. Such was Israel, growing in the multitude of peoples, and not returning the fruits owed to the Farmer God. Let us say it differently: A leafy vine, or according to the Septuagint, a fruitful vine, brought forth many bunches, and the productivity of grapes equaled the magnitude of the branches: but this, which was such before it offended God, later turned the abundance of fruit into a multitude of offenses: so that the more people it had, the more altars it would build, and it would surpass the abundance of the land with the number of idols. For statues, the Septuagint translates "columns," which we call "statues" or "titles," which properly belong to demons or dead men. And so heretics, while they were being planted in the Church and growing in the house of God, were called the Sorec vineyard and brought forth the most bountiful fruits: but afterwards, as they became more numerous, they multiplied altars for themselves, so that for every one true altar there were built many altars of their error, and according to the abundance of their land they overflowed with idols. […]

Having good shoots and fruit-bearing branches, she [Israel] produced many clusters, and the abundance of the grapes equaled the great number of the branches. But she who before was of such a kind offended God afterward, turning the abundance of the fruits into a great number of offenses. The more people she had, the more altars she built, and she overmatched the abundance of the land by the number of the idols.

In Scripture there is first a fixing of the roots of virtue, as in the Patriarchs. But later, in the establishment of commands and sacrifices, there is a production of green foliage. Hence, in Hosea, "Israel is a luxuriant vine." And because foliage is not …

Those who think vvqq, bukok, here applied to the vine, means "empty," are mistaken; for the Prophet means rather, that Israel was like a vine, which is robbed after the ingathering is come: for the word vqq, bekok, means properly to pillage, or to plunder.

Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture