273、“棘刺和蓟草”表示诅咒和毁灭，这从以下事实清楚可知：庄稼和果树表示对立面，即祝福和增多。“棘刺”（thorn）、“蓟草”（thistle）、“蒺藜”（brier）、“荆棘”（bramble）、“荨麻”（nettle）就具有这种含义，这一点从圣言明显看出来，如何西阿书：
看哪，他们因毁灭离去；埃及要收殓他们，摩弗要埋葬他们，他们银制的宝物，荨麻必继承它们，荆棘必在他们的帐棚中。（何西阿书9:6）
此处“埃及”和“摩弗”（Memphis，孟菲斯）表示试图凭自己和自己的记忆知识去理解神性事物的人，或靠自己和自己的记忆知识在神性事物上变得智慧的人。何西阿书：
伯亚文的高地，就是以色列的罪恶，必被毁灭；棘刺和蓟草必长在他们的祭坛上。（何西阿书10:8）
此处“伯亚文的高地”表示对自己的爱，“他们祭坛上的棘刺和蓟草”表示亵渎。以赛亚书：
她们必为美好的田地和多结果的葡萄树捶胸哀哭；尖刺必长在我百姓的土地上。（以赛亚书32:12-13）
以西结书：
他们四围一切的人，必不再向他们作刺人的蒺藜，让人疼痛的棘刺。（以西结书28:24）
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]273. The symbolism of thorn and thistle as the curse and ruination is established by the fact that field crops and fruit trees symbolize just the opposite — blessings and fertility.
This symbolism of thorn, thistle, brier, bramble, and nettle can be seen in the Word, as in Hosea:
Look! They have left on account of the ruination. Egypt will gather them; Moph{*1} will bury them, [will bury] what is desirable of their silver. The nettle will inherit them, the bramble will be in their tents. (Hosea 9:6)
Here Egypt and Moph stand for those who wish to gain wisdom about divine things from their own minds and the facts that they know. In the same prophet:
The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed. Thorn and thistle will climb over their altars. (Hosea 10:8)
The high places of Aven stand for self-love; thorn and thistle on the altars, for profanation. In Isaiah:
They are beating their breasts because of the desirable fields, because of the fruitful grapevine. On my people's soil the brier's thorn will come up. (Isaiah 32:12-13)
And in Ezekiel:
No longer will there be for the house of Israel a stinging brier or a painful thorn from all their surroundings. (Ezekiel 28:24)
Footnotes:
{*1} "Moph" is a transliteration of the Hebrew name for the Egyptian city of Memphis. [RS]
Potts(1905-1910) 273
273. That the "thorn and the thistle" signify curse and vastation, is evident from harvest and fruit tree denoting the opposites, which are blessings and multiplications. That the "thorn" the "thistle" the "brier" the "bramble" and the "nettle" have such a signification, is evident from the Word, as in Hosea:
Lo, they are gone away because of the vastation; Egypt shall gather them; Memphis shall bury them; their desirable things of silver, the nettle shall inherit them; the bramble shall be in their tents (Hos. 9:6). Here "Egypt" and "Memphis" denote such as seek to understand Divine things from themselves and their own memory-knowledges. In the same Prophet:
The lofty places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed; the thorn and the thistle shall come up upon their altars (Hos. 10:8), where the "lofty places of Aven" signify the love of self; and the "thorn and thistle on the altars" profanation. In Isaiah:
Mourning upon the paps for the fields of desire, for the fruitful vine; upon the ground of My people shall come up the briery thorn (Isa. 32:12-13). And in Ezekiel:
There shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor a painful thorn from all that are round about them (Ezek. 28:24).
Elliott(1983-1999) 273
273. That 'thorn and thistle' means curse and vastation is clear from the fact that 'harvest' and 'fruitful tree' mean the opposite, namely blessings and increases. It is clear from the Word that thorn, thistle, brier, bramble, and nettle have such meanings, as in Hosea,
Behold, they have gone away on account of the vastation; Egypt will gather them, Mopha will bury them, their precious things of silver. The nettle will inherit them, the bramble will be in their tents. Hosea 9:6.Here 'Egypt' and 'Moph'a stand for people who rely on themselves and on their own factual knowledge to be wise in Divine matters. In the same prophet,
The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed. Thorn and thistle will grow up on their altars. Hosea 10:8.
Here 'the high places of Aven' stands for self-love, 'thorn and thistle on their altars' for profanation. In Isaiah,
They are smiting their breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine; for over the ground of My people the spiky thorn will come up. Isa 32:12, 13.And in Ezekiel,
No more will there be for the house of Israel a pricking brier and a painful thorn from all those surrounding them. Ezek 28:24.
Latin(1748-1756) 273
273. Quod 'spina et carduus' significent maledictionem et vastationem, constat ex eo quod 'messis et arbor fructus' significent opposita, quae sunt benedictiones et multiplicationes: quod spina, carduus, sentis, vepris, urtica, talia significent, constat ex Verbo, ut apud Hosheam, Ecce abiverunt prae vastatione; Aegyptus congregabit eos, Moph {1} sepeliet eos, desiderabile argento eorum; urtica hereditabit eos, vepris in tentoriis eorum, ix 6;ubi 'Aegyptus et Moph' pro iis qui ex semet suisque scientificis de Divinis sapere volunt: apud eundem prophetam, Perdentur excelsa Aven, peccatum Israelis, spina et carduus ascendet super altaria eorum, x 8;
ubi 'excelsa Aven' pro amore sui, 'spina et carduus super altaria' pro profanatione: apud Esaiam, Super ubera plangentes propter agros desiderii, propter vitem frugiferam; super humo populi Mei spina sentica ascendet, xxxii 12, 13:
et apud Ezechielem, Non erit amplius domus Israelis sentis pungens, et spina dolorifica ab omnibus circuitibus eorum, xxviii 24. @ 1 So Heb., A.V. Memphis.$