OET interlinear HOS 12:4

12:4a

Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed: Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. (NLT)

he fought against an angel and won (GNT)

he struggled: The Hebrew word means “persist” or “persevere.” It is similar to the word that the BSB translates as “wrestled” in 12:3b.A majority of commentators think the Hebrew verb here is a form of the word śarah, which is the word in the phrase “he contended with God” in 12:3. See Patterson and Hill (page 73). Alternative suggestions are that it is a form of the word sarar “rule” or śor “be dominant.” See Davies (page 274) and Dearman (page 304).

with the angel: The Hebrew word for with is a preposition that means “with” or “against.”BDB (#413) 4. Most ancient and modern versions and some commentators support this understanding. See Garrett (pages 238–141), Stuart (page 191), McComiskey (page 201), and Wood (page 216). A second interpretation is that here ʾel may be the word “God” rather than a preposition. The meaning might be that God or the angel of God prevailed. See Andersen and Freedman (page 608), Davies (page 274), Hubbard (page 203), and Macintosh (page 483). However, this second interpretation is not recommended. It lacks support from Genesis 32:25 and most versions. The Hebrew word for angel is made explicit here, although it does not occur in Genesis 32.

prevailed: In Hebrew, this word means to “overcome” or “be victor.”BDB (#3201) 2.

12:4b

he wept and sought His favor: The pronoun referents in this clause are left implicit in Hebrew.Either Jacob wept and begged the angel for his favor or the angel wept and begged Jacob for his favor. The clause probably refers back to Genesis 32:26. In that verse, Jacob asked the angel to bless him.This is the majority view of modern commentators and versions. It is favored by Macintosh, Wood, McComiskey, Hubbard, Davies, Stuart, Garrett, Dearman, and Keil. This is also the most natural way to understand most modern versions. An alternative view is that the angel wept and asked Jacob to let him go. It is favored by Andersen and Freedman and by rabbinic commentators Rashi, ibn Ezra and Kimchi, cited in Macintosh (page 485). The alternative view is not discussed in the notes because of a lack of representation in versions.

12:4c

he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there: In this sentence, Hosea probably refers back to the events found in Genesis 35:1–15. There are no explicit pronoun referents, so it is not clear who found whom or who talked with whom at Bethel.

he found Him at Bethel: There are two ways to interpret the referents of he and Him:

1. Jacob found God at Bethel. For example:

   At Bethel he met God (NAB) (BSB, ESV, GW, NAB, NASB, NET, NJPS, NLT, NRSV)

2. God found Jacob at Bethel. For example:

   God met him at Bethel (REB) (GNT, NCV, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions. According to Genesis 35:2 Jacob told his household that they were going to Bethel, and that he planned to build an altar there to God. It is there that God spoke to him and promised to make him into the mighty nation of Israel.

Bethel: Elsewhere, Hosea refers to Bethel as Beth Aven “house of wickedness.” Here, however, Hosea uses the actual name of Bethel.

and spoke with Him there: There is a textual issue here concerning the pronoun that the BSB translates as Him:

1. The Masoretic Text has “he spoke with us.”HOTTP suggests following this option, but gives it a C (“uncertain”) rating. For example:

   and there God spoke with us— (ESV) (CEV, ESV, KJV, NASB, NJB)

2. The Syriac Peshitta and some LXX traditions have “he spoke with him.” For example:

   And there he spoke with him (NET) (BSB, GNT, GW, NCV, NET, NIV, NJPS, NLT, NRSV, REB)

The Display will follow option (1). There is no evidence of an error in the MT. Hosea may have used the inclusive pronoun “us” to indicate that God’s promises to Jacob in Genesis 35:9–12 also applied to himself and his fellow-Israelites, all of whom were descendants of Jacob.Keil (page 96), Andersen and Freedman (page 614), Patterson and Hill (page 73), Davies (page 276), and Macintosh (page 485).

However, you may also follow option (2). This option better fits the wording of the historical context in Genesis 35. In that chapter, God speaks to “him,” not to “us.”