12:3a–4b

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^3a In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;

^3band in his vigor he wrestled with God.

^4aYes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed;

^4b he wept and sought His favor;

Lines 3a and 3b may be a figure of speech that indicates completeness. Here it describes Jacob’s entire life. He struggled to overcome others from infancy to adulthood.McComiskey (page 201). Lines 4a and 4b give more details about Jacob’s behavior.It is possible that these lines are a chiasm. If so, then lines 3a and 4b may refer to Jacob and his brother Esau. Lines 3b and 4a refer to Jacob and God. See Holladay, W. L. in ‘Chiasmus, the key to Hosea xii 3–6’ VT 16 (1966), pp. 53–64. See also Garrett (pages 238–241). Dearman (pages 304–305) agrees that a chiasm is possible. Andersen and Freedman (pages 608–614) agree that 12:4b may refer to Jacob and Esau. This view parallels the account of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 33:4–10. However, it is not recommended because of lack of representation in versions.

12:3a

In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel: In this clause, Hosea refers to Genesis 25:26, which describes the birth of Jacob and his twin brother Esau. Esau came out first, then Jacob. Jacob was holding Esau’s heel when he was born.

The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as “he grasped…heel” looks and sounds like the name “Jacob.” Genesis 25:26 indicates that he was named “Jacob” for this reason.

This Hebrew word has two main meanings. It can mean “he took by the heel.” It can also mean “he attacked/supplanted.”TWOT (#1676) gives the literal meaning as “take by the heel” and the figurative meaning as “supplant.” In Genesis 27:36, Esau makes the second meaning explicit. Esau suggests that Jacob is rightly named because twice he deceived/supplanted him. Hosea may be using the Hebrew word as a pun or wordplay on Jacob’s name in which both meanings are intended.Davies (page 272), Hubbard (page 203), and Dearman (pages 302–304). Either of the following translation options is acceptable:

• Make the first meaning explicit. For example:

  In the womb he took his brother by the heel (ESV)

• Make the second meaning explicit. For example:

  In the womb he tried to supplant his brother (NRSV)

  In the womb he attacked his brother (NET)

The meaning lines in the Display will each give one of these options.

12:3b

and in his vigor he wrestled with God: In 3b and 4a, Hosea refers to Genesis 32:28. That verse says that Jacob has struggled with God and with men and has overcome.

and in his vigor: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as and in his vigor means “physical power” in this context.HALOT (electronic edition, page 22) I. The Hebrew word resembles the word awn “wickedness.” Hosea may have chosen this word to create a pun or wordplay that associates Jacob’s manhood with wickedness. See Macintosh (page 481), Davies (page 273), Andersen and Freedman (page 607), Garrett (pages 236–239), and Dearman (pages 302–304). Here this word implies both age and strength.McComiskey (page 201) gives the paraphrase ‘In the strength of his manhood.’ He comments that the pairing of this word with ‘in the womb’ makes it likely that it shares the function of designating a period of time in Jacob’s life. Most versions make Jacob’s adult age explicit in some way but leave “strength” implicit. Here are some examples:

in maturity he wrestled against God (NJB)

in his manhood he strove with God (RSV)

when Jacob grew up, he fought against God (GNT)

In some languages, it may be necessary to make the meaning “strength” explicit. For example:

When he became a man, he used his strength to strive with God

he wrestled with God: The Hebrew word for he wrestled means “to strive, contend.”HALOT (electronic edition, page 1354) śarah I “to strive, contend.” The Hebrew word is the basis of the name “Israel,” which means “he who contends with God.” Macintosh (page 482), Hubbard (page 203), Davies (page 272), and Stuart (pages 190–191). The same word is repeated in 12:4 as “struggled,” where it refers to the same event. See also Genesis 32:28. See the previous comment for examples of other ways to translate this clause.

God: In this clause the Hebrew word for God is elohim and not Yahweh. Some versions translate elohim as God instead of “LORD.” Use your general term for God here.