HOS 4:10 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:4–11a: The Sinful Priests

In this section, the LORD promised to punish the priests more severely than anyone else, because they were the ones who led the people to worship false gods.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

The Lord Accuses the Priests (GNT)

Against the Priests (NJB)

Paragraph 4:7–11a

In this paragraph, the LORD gave more details about the sinful behavior of the priests (4:7–8). He then described his response to that behavior (4:9–11a).

As in chapter 2, the Hebrew pronouns alternate between “you” and “she.” In 4:4–6 the LORD used “you” when speaking to the priests, but in 4:7–10, he referred to the same priests as “they.” The BSB uses the pronoun “they.” The GNT continues to use “you.” Use a natural way in your language to refer to the priests. Be consistent throughout this paragraph. It should be clear in your translation that the LORD is speaking here to the same group of priests as in 4:4–6.

4:10a–11a

These verses will follow the same interpretation as in 4:9b–c. The focus of these verses is still on the priests.

4:10a–b

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^10a They will eat but not be satisfied;

^10b they will be promiscuous but not multiply,

The underlined parts each describe something that the priests will continue to do. The parts in bold print each describe an unexpected result. The result that the priests expected will not happen.Stuart (page 80) understands the punishments here to be similar to the covenant curses in Deuteronomy. He identifies “unfulfilled expectation” as the style of the curse.

4:10a

They will eat but not be satisfied;

Even though they eat, they will remain hungry.
You^(plur) will eat, but you will not have enough to fill your stomachs.

They will eat but not be satisfied: This line means that the amount of food the priests eat will not be enough to satisfy their hunger.According to Macintosh (page 149), verse 4:10a may refer back to 4:3a, which tells of the drought that the nation is suffering.

Here are some other ways to translate this line:

Even though they eat, they will always remain hungry

They eat, but there is not enough to fill their stomachs

Their food won’t satisfy (CEV)

4:10b

they will be promiscuous but not multiply.

Even though they often sleep with prostitutes, they will father no children.
You^(plur) have sex with many people that are not your spouse, but you^(plur) will remain childless,

they will be promiscuous but not multiply: The meaning of this line is that no children will be born as a result of the immoral behavior of the priests.

Here are some other ways to translate this line:

Although they frequently sleep with prostitutes, their numbers will not increase

They are sexually promiscuous but they will remain childless

They will…resort to prostitutes and never have children (REB)

be promiscuous: In Hebrew, this term means to have sexual relations that were against the law of the LORD. It included prostitution that was part of worship in false religions.Stuart (page 80), Andersen and Freedman (page 362), Chisholm (page 1389), and Wood (page 186). Here the term may refer partly to this type of prostitution. For example:

You will worship the fertility gods (GNT)

However, it probably refers more generally to any kind of prostitution as well as to other immoral behavior, such as adultery and fornication. Use a natural term in your language that refers to prostitution or to sexual immorality in general.

Here as elsewhere in the book of Hosea, the term variously translated as promiscuous or some form of harlotry or prostitution can be understood both literally and figuratively at the same time. It refers literally to sexual sin and figuratively to the worship of false gods. If possible, translate the phrase so that the literal and figurative meanings can both be understood.

not multiply: This phrase probably means to not multiply in numbers.According to Stuart (page 80), it may have a figurative meaning: they will not increase “in honor, prestige, or wealth.” The NLT phrase “gain nothing from it” probably includes this figurative meaning. Other versions normally cited in TN probably support the literal meaning “not increase in number” or “not have any children.”

4:10c

For they have stopped obeying the LORD.

These things will happen because they have abandoned Yahweh
because you^(plur) have forsaken me

For they have stopped obeying the LORD: The word For introduces the reason for the results in 4:10a–b. The priests will experience the unexpected results of 4:10a–b, because they had deserted the LORD. In some languages, it may be more natural to put the reason before the results. For example:

^10c–11aThey have stopped obeying the LORD for promiscuity. ^10a–bTherefore, although they eat, they will not be satisfied. Although they frequently sleep with prostitutes, their numbers will not multiply.

they have stopped obeying the LORD: Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

My people have rebelled (CEV)

for they have abandoned the Lord (REB)

you have turned away from me (GNT)

the LORD: Here the LORD speaks of himself using a third person reference: the LORD. If it is not natural in your language for someone to refer to himself in this way, you may make a first person pronoun (I/me) explicit. For example:

you have turned away from me (GNT)

have been unfaithful to me, their Lord (CEV)

4:10d–12a

These lines contain interpretation issues that involve verse and paragraph boundaries as well as differences in the object(s) of the verb. Here is a comparison of the verse and paragraph breaks in the BSB, NIV, and the NRSV. The BSB has:

^10cFor they have stopped obeying the LORD. ^11aPromiscuity, ^11bwine, and new wine take away understanding. ^12aMy people consult their wooden idols (BSB)

The NIV has:

^10dto give themselves ^11ato prostitution, ^11bto old wine and new, which take away the understanding ^12aof my people. They consult a wooden idol (NIV)

The NRSV has:

^10dto devote themselves to ^11awhoredom.

^11bWine and new wine take away the understanding. ^12aMy people consult a piece of wood, (NRSV)

TN will first discuss the interpretation issue in 4:10d–11b. It will then discuss the issue in 4:11b–12a.

4:10d–11b

The NRSV has been used as the source line for 4:10d-11b, because it allows for the recommended interpretation.

(NRSV) to devote themselves to whoredom. Wine and new wine take away the understanding: There are three ways to interpret the object(s) of the Hebrew verb that the NRSV translates as devote themselves to:

The object of the verb is the first term that follows it (prostitution).The LXX and Syriac follow this interpretation. With this interpretation, the next two terms (old wine and new wine), are the subject of the next verb (take away). For example:
they have forsaken the Lord to devote themselves to whoredom. Wine and new wine take away the understanding. (NRSV) (GNT, NAB, NJB, NJPS, NRSV, REB)The GNT has the same structure as the other versions that follow interpretation (1). However, the GNT understands “prostitution” symbolically. It has: “you have turned away from me to follow other gods.”
The objects of the verb are the three terms that follow it (prostitution, old wine, and new wine). With this interpretation, all three terms are also the subject of the next verb (take away). For example:
they have left the Lord to give themselves to prostitution, to old and new wine, which take away their ability to understand. (NCV) (ESV, NCV, NIV)
The object of the verb is the term that precedes it (the LORD). With this interpretation, the three terms that follow the verb (prostitution, old wine, and new wine) are the subject of the next verb (take away). For example:
they have stopped giving heed to the Lord. Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding. (NASB) (BSB, GW, KJV, NASB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions. It better fits the way that prostitution and wine are described in Hosea and the rest of the Old Testament.

Throughout the OT, Israel’s rejection of the LORD is closely linked with prostitution, both literal and spiritual. Wine is not connected with rejecting the LORD. Moreover, wine is often described as something that keeps people from thinking clearly. Prostitution is not usually described in those terms.Another reason to follow interpretation (1) is that it has fewer grammatical difficulties than the other interpretations. The verb “take away” is singular in Hebrew. With interpretation (1), the nouns “new wine” and “old wine” agree with the verb, because they function as a single unit. With interpretations (2) and (3), all three nouns would not agree with the singular verb unless all three function as a single unit. That is improbable.

4:10d–11a

(NRSV) to devote themselves to: In Hebrew, this phrase is a single word. Here it indicates that the priests enthusiastically gratify their sexual desires and worship idols.

(NRSV) whoredom: This word is a noun form related to the verb that the BSB translated as “be promiscuous” in 4:10b. See the note there.

4:10d–11a

Promiscuity,

in order to devote themselves to prostitution instead.”
in order to sleep with prostitutes and to worship other gods.”

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.

OET interlinear HOS 4:10

Hebrew word order

Section 4:4–11a: The Sinful Priests

Paragraph 4:7–11a

4:10a–11a

4:10a–b

4:10a

4:10b

4:10c

4:10d–12a

4:10d–11b

4:10d–11a

4:10d–11a

General Information:

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)