OET interlinear HOS 1:2

1:2a

When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him: These words introduce Hosea’s prophetic ministry. They refer to the first time that the LORD spoke to Israel through Hosea.In Hebrew, these two clauses are literally “[the] beginning of [when] Yahweh spoke by Hosea. And Yahweh said to Hosea…” These words introduce the LORD’s first message to Hosea. Hosea’s first act as a prophet was to marry Gomer.

Here are some other ways to translate these two clauses:

When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea (NRSV)

This is the beginning of the Lord’s message given by Hosea. (REB)

In some languages, it may be necessary to make explicit who the LORD spoke to when he spoke through Hosea. For example:

When the Lord first spoke to Israel through Hosea, he said to Hosea (GNT)

1:2b

Go, take a prostitute as your wife: These two commands function as a single command to get married. The word Go serves primarily to introduce the second command. It may emphasize the need for Hosea to take action. It does not imply that Hosea should first go on a journey and then marry someone.BDB (#1980) and HALOT (#2289) both list various ways in which the Hebrew root hlk can be used in combination with other verbs. Some of the verses listed (such as 1 Samuel 9:9, Isaiah 2:3, and Genesis 19:32) have combinations such as “Come, let us go” or “Come, let us make our father drink…” (In these verses “come” is a translation of Hebrew hlk.) These combinations focus attention on the following action. Andersen and Freedman (page 156) understand a similar use of the verb “go” here. They say specifically that “it does not imply a journey.” They point to 1 Kings 1:12, where Nathan said to Bath-Sheba, “Go, let me counsel you, although he clearly wanted her to stay and hear his counsel.

Here are some other ways to translate this kind of double command:

• Use a word or phrase that directs attention to the main command to get married. For example:

  Go marry… (NET)

  What I want you to do is to get married to…

• Translate the main command to get married. Leave a word or phrase such as Go implied. For example:

  Marry… (GW)

Translate these commands in a way that is clear and natural in your language.

a prostitute as your wife: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as a prostitute as your wife is literally “a wife/woman of immoralities.” The Hebrew word “immoralities” refers to sexual activity that is contrary to God’s law. It includes both adultery and sexual relations between unmarried people. Some forms of this word refer to prostitution, that is, offering to have sexual intercourse for pay.

In this context, the plural form “immoralities” indicates repeated or habitual behavior.Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar for Students, NET footnote, Stuart, HALOT (#2529), and McComiskey (page 14). HALOT defines the plural form in this context as “inclined to fornicate.” There are two main ways to interpret this phrase:

1. The LORD told Hosea to marry a woman who had already engaged in sexual relations contrary to God’s law. She may have been a prostitute. People knew about her immoral character before her marriage to Hosea.This interpretation is supported by Keil (page 37), McComiskey (page 14), and Pusey (page 20). For example:

   Go and marry a prostitute (NLT)

   Go marry a promiscuous woman (NIV2011) (BSB, CEV, GW, NET, NIV2011, NJB, NLT, REB)

2. The LORD told Hosea to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him after their marriage. Her promiscuous character would develop or become clear only after she became his wife.See Andersen and Freedman (pages 157–167), Macintosh (page 8), and Wood (page 166). Andersen and Freedman present evidence that this expression cannot refer to an unmarried prostitute. It can only mean a married woman who is promiscuous. They suggest that Hosea’s wife only became an adulteress after marriage but that the verse is speaking about that future state as if it had already occurred. (The technical term for this is prolepsis, a literary device that is fairly common in prophesies.) McComiskey (pages 11–14) argues against this evidence and points out some of the weaknesses of the proleptic view. For example:

   Go and get married; your wife will be unfaithful (GNT)

   Go marry a woman who will commit adultery. (GNT)

Some English versions translate the Hebrew phrase “wife/woman of immoralities” quite literally. For example, the KJV, ESV, NJPS, and NRSV have “wife of whoredom(s).” The NASB has “wife of harlotry.” These expressions can refer to more than one interpretation, so the Notes have not listed them under either one.In addition to these versions, the NIV has “an adulterous wife” which could imply that Gomer was already married to someone else and was committing adultery. Similarly, the NCV translation “an unfaithful woman” would normally refer to someone’s wife, not to an unmarried woman. But there is no evidence that Gomer was already married to a different man, and the commentaries used in preparing these Notes did not suggest this as a possible interpretation, so the Notes have not listed these versions under any particular interpretation.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most English versions. However, both interpretations have good commentary support. So it is also recommended that you mention interpretation (2) in a footnote. You may also want to mention interpretation (2) for the next phrase (“children of unfaithfulness”) in the same footnote, because the two interpretations correspond to each other.

and have children of adultery: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “and children of immoralities.” There are three main interpretations of this phrase:A fourth interpretation is that Gomer had some children who were conceived as a result of her prostitution before Hosea married her. After her marriage, she had three more children with Hosea. See McComiskey (page 15). This interpretation is not explicitly followed in any of the English versions cited in Translator’s Notes. The BSB (“children of adultery”) is ambiguous, so it has not been listed under any interpretation.

1. The children born to Gomer and Hosea would be born to an immoral mother. Nothing is indicated about the behavior of the children.Chisholm (page 1380). The expression “children of immoralities” is understood in the same way as similar expressions in the OT. “Children of old age” means “children born to an elderly parent,” so “children of immoralities” means “children born to an immoral mother.” For example:

   and have children with her (NIV2011) (CEV, GW, NIV2011, NJB, REB)

2. The children born to Gomer and Hosea would be like their mother in their behavior and character. The immoral character of each would become evident in the future.Wood (page 170). For example:

   and your children will be just like her (GNT) (GNT, NCV)

3. The children born to Gomer after her marriage would be a result of her adultery. Hosea would not be their father. For example:

   a prostitute who will bear illegitimate children conceived through prostitution (NET) (NET, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions.The first and second interpretations are more likely than the third, since the rest of the chapter seems to indicate that Hosea is the father of these children. See 1:3, 1:6, 1:8.

1:2c

because: In Hebrew, this word introduces the reason that the LORD commanded Hosea to marry “a woman of immoralities.” The reason is that his marriage to an unfaithful wife would illustrate the LORD’s relationship to his unfaithful people, the Israelites.

Some English versions translate this word as “for” or because. Other versions leave it implied. Use a natural way in your language to introduce the LORD’s reason for his command to Hosea. In some languages, it may be necessary to make more information explicit. For example:

This will illustrate how Israel… (NLT)

Do that, because it will show how the people in this land…

this land: Here the term this land is a figure of speech (metonymy). It represents the people who lived in the land, that is, the Israelites.

Here are some other ways to translate this figure of speech:

the people in this country (NCV)

my people (GNT)

is flagrantly prostituting itself: In Hebrew, this expression refers here to committing sexual immorality or behaving as a prostitute. It is used here as a figure of speech (metaphor). In this metaphor, the people of Israel are compared to a wife who is repeatedly unfaithful to her husband, because they had stopped worshiping the LORD and begun to worship other gods. See the General Comment on 1:2c for other ways to translate this figure of speech.

The form of the Hebrew expression emphasizes the extent of their immorality. It may imply several things:

1. They repeatedly or continually commit immoral acts.

2. They are openly, brazenly, or flagrantly immoral.

3. Their immoral behavior is vile, extreme, or of the worst kind.

Here are some ways to express this emphasis:

have been completely unfaithful (NCV)

continually commit adultery

openly committing adultery (NLT96)

You should express this emphasis in a way that is appropriate in your language.

by departing from the LORD: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “from after the LORD.” By worshiping other gods, the people of Israel had abandoned the LORD. To make the meaning clear, English translations supply a verb such as departing (BSB), “forsaking” (NRSV), “abandon” (GW), “turning away” (NET). You may also have to supply additional words to make the meaning clear in your language.

the LORD: The LORD referred to himself in the third person, the LORD, as if he were speaking about someone else. This was good style in Old Testament Hebrew. In some languages, it may be more natural to use the pronoun “me” to make it explicit that the LORD is referring to himself. For example:

the people in this land have abandoned me, the LORD.

Another way to avoid confusion is to use only the pronoun “me.” It may not be necessary to repeat the words the LORD. For example:

my people have left me and become unfaithful. (GNT)