OET interlinear HOS 14:2

14:2

In this verse, Hosea explains how the people should return to the LORD. He offers a model prayer. It shows that a true return requires humility and sincere words.

14:2a

Bring your confessions and return to the LORD: According to OT teaching, people took an offering to God when they came to him. See Exodus 23:15; 34:20.Keil (page 106). The usual offering was an animal. Here, however, Hosea told them to take an offering of their words instead of an animal.

The words they should offer are the words that Hosea tells them to say to the LORD in the rest of this verse and in 14:3.Dearman (pages 337–338), Garrett (pages 270–271), Keil (pages 106–107), Stuart (page 213), Carroll (page 301), Hubbard (page 227), McComiskey (page 229), Macintosh (page 563) and Wood (page 223).

Some versions make clearer what words Hosea refers to here. For example:

Come back to the Lord and say these words to him: “Take away all our sin and kindly receive us…. (NCV)

Come back to the Lord with your words of confession (REB)

14:2b

The NJPS has been used as the source line for 2b–c because it follows the recommended interpretations.

(NJPS) Say to him: “Forgive all guilt and accept what is good: In this clause Hosea tells the people how to begin their prayer.

Forgive all guilt: The Hebrew syntax of this request, “every you will forgive iniquity,” is unusual. The word “every” goes with “iniquity” but it is interrupted by the verb “forgive.” The two main explanations for this odd syntax are: 1) This is a broken construct chain. This suggestion is probably correct, as similar examples occur elsewhere. For example, Hosea 6:9 has: “[the] way they murder to Shechem” in which the construct chain “the way to Shechem” is interrupted by the verb “they murder.” See Andersen and Freedman (page 645), McComiskey (page 229) and Davies (page 302). 2) The word “every” is meant as the adverb “wholly” as in “wholly forgive.” See the NET footnote on “Completely” for 14:2. This option has less support. Davies (page 302) and Macintosh (page 561) discuss this option but it is not clear that either one favors it. The word Forgive means to “take away guilt.”BDB (#4984) 3c. For information on the word guilt see the note in Hosea 13:12 on “guilt…sins.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause part:

Take away all iniquity (ESV)

Forgive all our sins (NLT)

And accept what is good: There is a textual issue regarding the Hebrew word that the NJPS translates as what is good.

1. The Hebrew word is: good.BDB (#2895) III 2. For example:

   accept what is good (ESV) (CEV,The CEV makes explicit that their praise is what is good. The CEV has “Accept our good sacrifices of praise….” ESV, NAB, NJPS, NRSV)

2. The Hebrew word is: “word/speech.”HALOT (electronic edition, page 372) IV. The LXX has “speak to him,” a verbal form of this word. Some scholars question if “word/speech” is a true sense of the Hebrew word. ṭôb. Macintosh (page 562) says that even though the word “good” can imply words, it is not certain that the Hebrew word itself can actually mean “word, speech.” The cited versions translate “word/speech” as “prayer.” For example:

   accept our prayer (GNT) (GNT, NET)

3. The Hebrew word is: “graciously.”This option has a different subject and object than options (1) and (2). Instead of the people giving an offering to God, God offers graciousness to the people. The justification for this option is unknown. According to Davies (page 302) the root that underlies the option is TWOT (#793b) ṭûb “goodness, graciousness.” This option requires a different form of the Hebrew word in the MT. For example:

   and graciously receive us (NLT) (BSB, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). It has the best support from lexicons. However, in this context, the phrase what is good refers to words of confession and repentance in prayer. For that reason option (2) is also acceptable.

14:2c

(NJPS) instead of bulls we will pay [the offering of] our lips: The Hebrew clause is more literally “so that (or: and) we may pay bulls our lips.” There is a textual issue concerning the Hebrew word for bulls:

1. The Hebrew MT has bulls.The Hebrew word for “bulls” here is generally understood to be an adverbial accusative, “so that we may pay/offer our lips as bulls.” See Keil (pages 106–107), Carroll (page 301), McComiskey (page 229) and Macintosh (page 563). For example:

   Accept our good sacrifices of praise instead of bulls. (CEV) (CEV, ESV, KJV, NAB, NET, NJB, NJPS)The ESV and the NAB are listed here because they translate the Hebrew word as “bulls.” However, in both these versions the people pay their vows by means of offering bulls. It is not recommended that you follow the ESV or the NAB translations of this clause. These translations do not express the logic flow of the verse up to this point. See also Hosea 6:6 and Macintosh (page 563).

2. The LXX has “fruit.”Two common ways to explain the LXX translation are: (1) The original Hebrew word was pĕrî “fruit” rather than p̄ārîm “bulls” or (2) the word final “m” in p̄ārîm is an “enclitic m” that marks case or emphasis and is not a plural suffix. See Andersen and Freedman (page 645), Garrett (pages 270–271), Dearman (pages 337–338) and Hubbard (page 227). For example:

   accept that which is good and we will offer the fruit of our lips (NRSV) (BSB, NABRE, NASB, NIV, NRSV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with the majority of versions. It is similar to the first part of the verse in which Hosea urges the people to take their words of repentance to the LORD.

There are two acceptable ways to understand the connection of this clause to the preceding one:

• This clause explains the phrase “what is good” in the preceding clauseThe clause initial Hebrew connector, waw, means “and/namely” and indicates apposition here. The offering of praise from our lips is what is good. For example:

  Accept what is good, namely the praise of our lips as equal to an offering of bulls.

• This clause gives the result of what is said in the preceding clause.The clause initial Hebrew connector, waw, means “so that” and introduces a result here. God’s acceptance of our prayer of repentance allows us to offer praise as a result. For example:

  Accept our penitential prayer, that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls. (NET)

we will pay [the offering of] our lips: Here the Hebrew word for pay means to make a payment to fulfill a vow.BDB (#7999) 4. “make good, i.e. pay, vows.” See also Keil (pages 106–107) and Dearman (pages 337–338). The words the offering of are not in the Hebrew text but they are implied by the reference to bulls.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause part:

we may offer you the sacrifice of praise (NLT96)

we will dedicate to you our lips. (NJB)