2:2a

Rebuke your mother, rebuke her: In Hebrew, the word rebuke means “to fight with words,” as in a quarrel or a legal case. There are two ways to interpret the word here:

1. It means to accuse. The children were told to accuse their mother of adultery.This expression would be appropriate for an accusation in a trial for adultery (Stuart, page 47). According to ancient documents, an adulterous wife was sometimes punished by stripping her naked and turning her away. The children typically performed this legal act. It was intended to humiliate a wife who had abandoned her husband to live with another man (IVP Bible Background Commentary). For example:

   Accuse! Accuse your mother! (CEV) (BSB, CEV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NJB, NLT, REB)

2. It means to plead. The children were told to plead with their mother to stop her adultery. For example:

   Plead with your mother, plead (NRSV) (ESV, GNT, GW, KJV, NET, NRSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most lexicons and commentaries. The Hebrew verb used in this verse is not used elsewhere in the Old Testament to describe an appeal that someone change his ways.

Some English versions use an expression that refers to an actual trial. For example:

take your mother to court (NJB)

But this verse may also refer to an informal accusation or rebuke, so if possible, use a more general expression, as in the NIV or CEV.

Rebuke…rebuke: In Hebrew and in some English versions, the word is repeated to emphasize the seriousness of this command. Another way to give emphasis is to add a word that intensifies the meaning. For example:

Sternly accuse your mother

Use a natural way in your language to emphasize this command.

your mother: This phrase refers literally to Gomer, the mother of Hosea’s children. At the same time, Gomer represented the entire nation of Israel. Her children represented the individual Israelites whom the LORD commanded to rebuke the nation.

If possible, translate this phrase in a general way that allows both meanings to be understood. If the figurative meaning is not clear from the context, you may want to explain it in a footnote. For example:

In this verse, Hosea told his children to accuse their mother Gomer of committing adultery. This was a symbol of the LORD telling individual Israelites to accuse their mother, the nation of Israel, of committing spiritual adultery by worshiping idols.

2:2b

2:2c

2:2b–c

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^2bfor she is not My wife,

^2cand I am not her husband.

for: This word introduces the reason that the children are told to rebuke their mother. They should rebuke her because she is no longer behaving like a wife.The GNT is the only version that indicates concession rather than reason. It has “plead with your mother—though she is no longer a wife…” TN recommends that you not follow the GNT here.

not My wife…not her husband: Together these two statements emphasize that Israel had broken its covenant with the LORD, just as Gomer had broken her marriage covenant with Hosea. As a result, the LORD could no longer treat Israel as his people, and Hosea could no longer act as Gomer’s husband.

These statements probably indicate a broken relationship rather than divorce.Macintosh (page 41) and McComiskey (page 32). This is because in the next verses the husband continues to urge his wife, through the children, to stop her adulterous behavior and to reconcile with him.

One way to avoid implying divorce is to make it clear that these statements refer to actions or attitudes, not to an actual legal status. For example:

^2bShe no longer acts like my wife. (GW)

^2cAnd I no longer act like I am her husband.

Be careful not to imply that the husband had been unfaithful to his wife and had broken their relationship.

2:2d–e

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^2dLet her remove the adultery from her face

^2eand the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.

the adultery…the unfaithfulness: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as adultery is literally “her immoralities.” The word “immoralities” means sexual activity that is contrary to God’s law. It is the same word that was used in 1:2b.

The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as unfaithfulness is literally “her adulteries.” The word “adulteries” refers to sexual intercourse with someone other than her husband.

Both these plural terms describe the woman’s character. They indicate repeated or habitual behavior, as in the NCV and NET quoted below.Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar for Students, NET footnote.

from her face…from between her breasts: In Hebrew, it is common to refer to behavior by mentioning the parts of the body (face, breasts) that are associated with this behavior. These figurative expressions refer to the shameless attitude and behavior of a woman who is openly immoral and unfaithful to her husband.According to Macintosh (page 39), biblical Hebrew commonly refers to particular parts of the body to describe both attitudes and actions. He mentions Jeremiah 3:3 and Ezekiel 23, both of which describe prostitutes in language that is similar to Hosea 2:2. Keil, Wood, and Lange also favor the view that these figurative expressions refer primarily to the woman’s behavior. Stuart, Andersen and Freedman, and Davies suggest that the expressions may (also) refer to the makeup and/or jewelry that a prostitute wore. The NLT translates the first expression as “makeup.” No other versions use terms such as makeup or jewelry.

Here are some other ways to translate these expressions:

to stop acting like a prostitute, to stop behaving like an unfaithful wife. (NCV)

put an end to her adulterous lifestyle, and turn away from her sexually immoral behavior (NET)

2:2d

Let her remove: In Hebrew, this verb phrase is an indirect third-person wish or command that the woman stop committing adultery. Hosea is instructing his children to tell their mother to stop being unfaithful to him.

If it is not natural to use a third-person command in your language, here are some other ways to translate this command:

Tell her to stop… (GW)

I want her to stop…

She must stop…

2:2e