OET interlinear HOS 10:7

10:7

Samaria will be carried off with her king like a twig on the surface of the water: This clause is a simile. It compares the king of Samaria to a piece of wood or floating debris that a river or ocean current carries away. The simile is probably a figurative way to describe the king of Israel when the Assyrians defeat him and take him into exile. He is helpless and unable to escape.

The clause is literally “[will] be destroyed Samaria its king like a twig on [the] surface of [the] waters.” There are three main interpretations of this clause:

1. Samaria’s king will be destroyed.Favored by Dearman (pages 266–267), Davies (page 238), Macintosh (page 406), McComiskey (page 168), and possibly Keil (page 85). Andersen and Freedman (page 558) and Hubbard (page 175) agree that the clause refers to the king of Samaria. However, they differ from the others in their proposal that “Samaria’s king” refers to the calf idol, not a human king. The Hebrew phrase “Samaria her king” means the “king of Samaria.”The Hebrew phrase “Samaria its king” is unusual. The expected construction is “king of Samaria.” Some commentators categorize this phrase as a “casus pendens,” also called “topic and comment.” It could be translated “As for Samaria, its king will be destroyed.” See Macintosh (page 406), McComiskey (page 168) and Hubbard (page 175). For example:

   The king of Samaria will be carried away, like a piece of wood on water. (GW) (CEV, ESV, GNT, GW, KJV, NJPS, NRSV)

2. Samaria will be destroyed.Initially proposed by Wolff, cited in Davies (239). Favored by Stuart (pages 162–163) and possibly Keil (page 85). The Hebrew text should be understood as two clauses. The first clause says, “Samaria will be destroyed.” The second clause says, “Its king [will be] like a twig on the surface of the waters.”A difficulty is gender mismatch. The Hebrew verb “will be destroyed” is masculine. However, the phrase “her king” indicates that “Samaria” is feminine. For example:

   Israel will be destroyed; its king will be like a chip of wood floating on the water. (NCV) (NCV, NJB, NLT96)

3. Both Samaria and Samaria’s king will be destroyed.Favored by Wood (page 209). Macintosh (page 406) prefers interpretation (1) but he lists this option as possible. The technical term for coordinated words that lack a coordinating conjunction, such as “and,” is “asyndeton.” The Hebrew text should be understood to say, “Samaria [and] her king.”A difficulty is number mismatch. In this interpretation the two subjects, “Samaria and her king” require that the verb “will be destroyed” be plural. However, it is marked as singular in the MT. For example:

   Samaria and its king will be carried off like a twig on the surface of the waters. (NET) (BSB, NASB, NET, NIV, NLT, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with a majority of versions and commentaries.

will be carried off: The Hebrew word is literally “will be destroyed.” It is a passive form of the word that means “destroy” or “perish.” It refers to a violent end.TWOT (#438 II).

Here the word may refer to the death of a specific king.Rabbinic scholar Kimchi suggests that this verse refers to Hoshea, the king of Israel, following his imprisonment by Shalmaneser V in 725 BC. Cited in Macintosh (page 408). Or the word may refer to the end of the monarchy in Israel. There would be no future kings of Israel.Keil (page 85).

Here are some ways to translate this phrase:

Samaria’s king shall perish (NRSV)

Their king will be carried off (GNT)

The king of Samaria shall disappear (NAB)

twig: The Hebrew word for twig has two main interpretations:

1. The word means a piece of wood. The same word is in Joel 1:7, where it describes a fig tree.Ancient versions that translate this word as “wood” include the LXX, Theodotion and Syriac Peshitta. See the NET footnote on “twig” for this verse. Also, Macintosh (page 406) and McComiskey (page 168). For example:

   The king of Samaria will be carried away like a piece of wood on water. (GW) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GNT, GW, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NLT, NRSV, REB)

2. The word means foam/froth. The word is related to a verb that means, “to be angry.” Here it refers to the churning of water that produces foam/froth.Macintosh (page 406). Some ancient versions that appear to have this understanding are Aquila, Symmachus, Vulgate and Targum. For example:

   As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water. (KJV) (KJV, NJPS)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with the majority of versions. It has good support from Joel 1:7 and other related Hebrew words.

Here are some other ways to translate this simile:

Like a stick on the surface of the water (NASB)

like a chip of wood floating on the water. (NCV)