Hosea 11:11

They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt,.... They shall come from thence with fear and trembling; which may allude to the trembling of birds at the roaring of a lion, or to the trembling motion of

They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt - "tremble," flutter in haste.

The summary of the first part of this verse seems to be, that some should hasten, yet with solicitude, out of Egypt, whither they fled for shelter, like as a bird that hath been cast out of her nest hasteth to it; others like doves shall hasten out of Assyria unto Judea, but with fear and solicitude, which cannot but attend them in a land, though their own, yet now desolate and horrid under one hundred and eighty years’ devastation since Shalmaneser transported them, i.e. one hundred and ten years before and seventy years concurrent with the Jews’ captivity in Babylon. I will place them in their houses; they will find none, but I will place them in houses, and they shall be theirs too. It is a very seasonable and comfortable promise, and suited to the state and wants of those returning exiles, and in the letter of it refers to them; and they as types of what is more mysteriously and more darkly contained in them, viz. the gathering of believers from all quarters to Christ with the alacrity and speed which birds make in flying to their nests, and God’ s providing mansions of rest for them: well resembled here in these similes.

Hosea 11:11 They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD.Ver. 11. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt] Trepide accurrent, so Tremellius; they shall run tremblingly. Fear causeth haste. Men delay and trifle till God strikes their hearts with fear; then it is Ecce ego, mitre me, Here I am, send me; Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth; What wilt thou have me to do, Lord? &c. Timor addidit alas. As the doves when pursued by the hawk fly quicky into their dove cotes, as birds frightened fly to their nests, and other creatures to their holes and harbours; so do those that are pricked at heart with the terrors of the law flee to the precious promises of the gospel, hiding themselves in the wounds of Christ crucified, and are relieved. All St Paul’ s care was, that when he was sought for by the justice of God, he might be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ, Philippians 3:9. And as a dove out of the land of Assyria] i.e. out of what country soever, where they shall be scattered, I will recollect them by my gospel, which is therefore called God’ s arm, because thereby he gathereth his elect into his bosom. Doves fly swiftly, Psalms 55:6, and by flocks, Isaiah 60:8; so shall the elect to Christ, both of Jews and Gentiles. By the children of the west may be meant these western Churches, and plus the northern parts. By Egypt, the whole south. By Asshur, all the eastern tract, those large and mighty kingdoms that lie eastward from Judea, even to the sunrising. Thus "many shall come from east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven," Matthew 8:11. The molten sea stood upon twelve oxen, which looked to all the four quarters of the world; so did the twelve gates of the new Jerusalem. And I will place them in their houses] Not in strong garrisons, but in their own houses; where they shall dwell securely under their own vines and fig trees; for they shall have the gospel of peace and the peace of the gospel, see 2 Samuel 7:10. Or thus, I will place them in their own houses, that is, in my Church (saith Polanus), which hath its houses and places of receipt among all people the whole world throughout, where they may serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all their days. Thus the apostles in their travels, wherever they came, found brethren, &c., and having nothing, yet they possessed all things, 2 Corinthians 6:10. True tranquillity and sound security is to be found nowhere but in Christ, Micah 4:4; Micah 5:5, nor by any but by those that hear him roaring, and calling them to the participation of his grace and peace.

(11) Will place them.—Better, will cause them to dwell. The prophetic word looks beyond the restoration of the sixth century B.C. to the gathering together of some from east and west, from all the places where they are hidden in exile under the lion of the tribe of Judah; the broader and grander accomplishment will satisfy and more than fulfil the yearnings of the spiritual Israel.

Verse 11. They shall tremble as a bird] Those of them that are in Egypt shall also be called thence, and shall speed hither as a bird. Those in Assyria shall also be called to return, and they shall flee as doves to their windows. All shall, in the fulness of time, return to their own land. And, I will place them in their houses, saith the Lord.] They shall have their temple once more, and all their holy ordinances.

11. tremble as a bird … as a dove] ‘Tremble’ is the literal rendering, but the context shows that a thrill of eagerness doubling the speed of motion is what is meant (comp. Ovid’s ‘pennâ trepidante’). Render therefore, come hurriedly, and continue, as sparrows … as doves. Doves were very early known in both Egypt and Assyria. Elsewhere (Hosea 7:11) Hosea compares the Israelites to doves for their folly. [For the rendering ‘come hurriedly’ comp. the Syriac r’hab which combines the meanings of haste and trembling.] place them] Rather, cause them to dwell.

They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt - The West denoted Europe; Egypt and Assyria stand, each for all the lands beyond them, and so for Africa and Asia; all together comprise the three quarters

10, 11. No promise is made that judgment will be withheld entirely. It must come, but it will not result in destruction.