Jerome : "The inhabitants of Samaria have worshipped the cows of Bethaven, because its people have mourned over it; and its priests have rejoiced over it, for its glory has departed from it. Moreover, it has been carried away to Assyria, as a gift to the avenging king. Ephraim will be put to shame by the confusion he caused; Israel will be ashamed of his own will." LXX: "At the calf of the house of Ὦn, those who dwell in Samaria will reside: because his people mourned over him. And just as they angered him, they will rejoice over his glory: because it was taken away from him, and they themselves, binding him to the Assyrians, brought gifts to King Jarib in his house. Ephraim will receive shame: Israel will be confounded in their counsel." What Bethaven is, for which the LXX translated as 'house' of Ὦn, and who King Jarib is, which means 'avenger,' we have discussed more fully above. So in Bethaven, that is, Bethel, the inhabitants of Samaria worshipped calf idols, which the male sex did not mock as bulls, but as cows, that is, as females: so that Israel would worship not only calf gods, but also cow goddesses. And to show cows in Bethaven, the people did not bring in one calf in Bethel to feel, they mourned over them, but over it, that is, the golden calf. But if the people mourned, why did its priests exult over it? The Hebrews report that golden calves were stolen by the priests, and in their place bronze ones covered in gold were placed. Therefore, when the people were mourning in a time of necessity and distress, even among other gifts which were sent among the Assyrian kings, especially to King Sennacherib by the king of Israel, the golden calves were there and the priests rejoiced because their wrongdoing could not be accused or discovered. And this is what is said, "its priest," that is, of the calf, they rejoiced in its (the calf's) glory representing the glory of the people; because it had migrated from it, that is, from the people, and was transferred to the Assyrians. And they say, so that we might know, the following verse clearly indicates that this is what is being referred to: "For he himself was brought into Assyria, a gift to the avenging king." And immediately follows: "Ephraim shall be taken away with confusion, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel," or "in his own plan." For the deceit of the golden calves, made by the people of Israel, is indicated to the king of Israel in the letters, and from where they thought they would please, there they are most of all confounded and offend those to whom they have sent gifts, supposing not just the thievery of the priests, but that this had been carried out by the deceit of the kings and their counsel. We read in the book of Kings that the king of Israel, Manahen, sent a thousand talents of silver to the king of the Assyrians, Phul, so that he would be on his side, that is, so that he would provide him with help, among which some claim that even golden calves were sent. In the current location, Symmachus interpreted Jarib as ὑπερμάχοντι, that is, "bishop" and "defender." According to our spiritual understanding, we must work how we can bring everything to the model of the heretics. The heretics cultivated cows in Bethaven, or the house of On, which is interpreted as "labor," and boasted that they lived in the custody of God's commandments, that is, in Samaria, and on the day of judgment when bitterness will sprout like judgment on the furrows of the field, the people will mourn over it, that is, over the calf, and over the perverse doctrine which they thought was of God. And the keepers of the temple did not say, "they will rejoice," but "they rejoiced," referring to their past glory, which they had once gloriously fixed, because the people had migrated from God, or because the glory of God itself had migrated from the people, from whom it had been forsaken. Whatever the heretics say, and however beautifully they speak, they send gifts to their king the devil, referring everything to him, from whom confusion will take them in eternity, and they will be confounded in their own desires. Someone also left written above and in the present place in his commentaries, that king Jarib, that is, the avenger, is to be understood as Christ. Which displeases us entirely. For it is impious to understand as historical events, which are tropologically related to Christ, to be about the king of Assyria. — Commentary on Hosea 10:5-6 Justin Martyr : And the expression, "They opened their mouth upon me like a roaring lion," designates him who was then king of the Jews, and was called Herod, a successor of the Herod who, when Christ was born, slew all the infants in Bethlehem born about the same time, because he imagined that amongst them He would assuredly be of whom the Magi from Arabia had spoken; for he was ignorant of the will of Him that is stronger than all, how He had commanded Joseph and Mary to take the Child and depart into Egypt, and there to remain until a revelation should again be made to them to return into their own country. And there they did remain until Herod, who slew the infants in Bethlehem, was dead, and Archelaus had succeeded him. And he died before Christ came to the dispensation on the cross which was given Him by His Father. And when Herod succeeded Archelaus, having received the authority which had been allotted to him, Pilate sent to him by way of compliment Jesus bound; and God foreknowing that this would happen, had thus spoken: "And they brought Him to the Assyrian, a present to the king." — Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter CIII Tertullian : The Lord himself comes to a trial with "the elders and rulers of the people," as Isaiah predicted. And then he fulfilled all that had been written of his passion. At that time "the heathen raged, and the people imagined vain things; the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers gathered themselves together against the Lord and against his Christ." The heathen were Pilate and the Romans; the people were the tribes of Israel; the kings were represented in Herod and the rulers in the chief priests. When, indeed, he was sent to Herod gratuitously by Pilate, the words of Hosea were accomplished, for he had prophesied of Christ, "And they shall carry him bound as a present to the king." — AGAINST MARCION 4.42