Hosea 9:6

‘For, lo, they are gone away from destruction,

Egypt will gather them up,

Memphis will bury them.'

For when they went into exile they would leave behind them a scene of destruction. Israel and Samaria would have been totally destroyed. And in the bleak future that lay ahead they would be ‘gathered up' by Egypt, and buried in the Egyptian city of Memphis, scene of a famous burial ground and of the pyramids. Hosea was using their knowledge of the past to bring home to them the seriousness of what was about to happen. All knew of how Israel had been enslaved in Egypt. And now it was to happen again, both in Assyria and in Egypt.

The picture of being ‘gathered up' may have been a reference to the way in which YHWH had gathered up His people prior to leading them from Egypt, and then ‘gathered' them to meet Him at the Tabernacle (Leviticus 8:4). Now it would be Egypt who would gather them up. And it would not only be for a short period. It would be long enough for them to be buried there.

‘Their pleasant things of silver,

Nettles will possess them,

Thorns will be in their tents.'

The consequence for them would be that their rich houses with their silver trimmings would become the haunt of nettles, and their colourful tents which they would have left behind as they were snatched away by the enemy, would be invaded by thorns.