HOS 6:4 Interlinear View

1. Hebrew word
2. Hebrew lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. Gloss
8. CAPS codes
9. OET tags
10. OET word #
1. מָה
2. 522037
3. What
4. -
5. 4100
6. O-Ti
7. what?
8. S
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364809
1. אֶֽעֱשֶׂה
2. 522038
3. will I do
4. -
6. V-Vqi1cs
7. will_I_do
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364810
2. 522039
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 364811
1. לְּ,ךָ
2. 522040,522041
3. to you
4. -
6. S-R,Sp2ms
7. to,you
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364812
1. אֶפְרַיִם
2. 522042
3. Oh ʼEfrayim
4. Efrayim
5. 669
6. S-Np
7. O_Ephraim
8. -
9. Person=Ephraim; Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364813
1. מָה
2. 522043
3. what
4. -
5. 4100
6. O-Ti
7. what?
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364814
1. אֶעֱשֶׂה
2. 522044
3. will I do
4. -
6. V-Vqi1cs
7. will_I_do
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364815
2. 522045
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 364816
1. לְּ,ךָ
2. 522046,522047
3. to you
4. -
6. S-R,Sp2ms
7. to,you
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364817
1. יְהוּדָה
2. 522048
3. Oh Yəhūdāh
4. ≈Yehudah
5. 3063
6. S-Np
7. O_Judah
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364818
1. וְ,חַסְדְּ,כֶם
2. 522049,522050,522051
3. and loyalty of your(pl)
4. love
6. S-C,Ncmsc,Sp2mp
7. and,loyalty_of,your(pl)
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364819
1. כַּֽ,עֲנַן
2. 522052,522053
3. +is like a cloud of
4. cloud
5. 6051
6. P-R,Ncmsc
7. [is]_like,a_cloud_of
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364820
2. 522054
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 364821
1. בֹּקֶר
2. 522055
3. +the morning
4. morning
5. 1242
6. P-Ncmsa
7. [the]_morning
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364822
1. וְ,כַ,טַּל
2. 522056,522057,522058
3. and like dew
4. -
5. 2919
6. P-C,Rd,Ncmsa
7. and,like,dew
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364823
1. מַשְׁכִּים
2. 522059
3. which rises early
4. -
5. 7925
6. P-Vhrmsa
7. [which]_rises_early
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364824
1. הֹלֵךְ
2. 522060
3. which goes
4. -
5. 1980
6. P-Vqrmsa
7. [which]_goes
8. -
9. Y-780; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 364825
2. 522061
3. -
4. -
6. -x-sof-pasuq
8. -
9. -
10. 364826

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:4–7:16: The people persisted in their sins

In this section, the LORD again spoke to the people of Israel and Judah. In contrast to the people’s future repentance (6:1–3), he gave examples of their current disloyalty and corruption, including their reliance on other nations instead of him. They continued to commit sins, and they refused to seek him. He announced that he would judge them, and he illustrated his coming judgment in various ways.

In this section, the Hebrew text sometimes uses second person pronouns (“you”) and sometimes third person pronouns (“they” or “he”) to refer to the people of Israel. The BSB follows the Hebrew pronoun usage. It uses “they” in 6:5–10, “you” in 6:4 & 11, and “they” or “he” in 7:1–16. Throughout these verses the LORD is the speaker, and he either addresses the people directly or speaks about them.

English versions all use “you” in 6:11 and “they” in chapter 7, but they differ in the way they use the pronouns in 6:5–10. You should use the most natural and least confusing way in your language to handle the pronouns in 6:5–10. In 6:7–10, the Display will follow the BSB pronoun choice in the first meaning line and give another pronoun choice in the second meaning line. See the note on “you” in 2:16b–c, where the pronoun changes are similar.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

Transitory Faithfulness and Imminent Judgment (NET)

Impenitence of Israel and Judah (NRSV)

Paragraph 6:4–6

This paragraph contrasts with the previous one (6:1–3). That paragraph described a time when the people would truly repent. Here in 6:4–6, the LORD told the people of Israel and Judah how unreliable their love was. He expressed his despair over the way that the people truly behaved. He also told them what he desired from them.

In some languages, it may be helpful to make explicit the contrast between this paragraph and 6:1–3. For example:

But you, Ephraim, What am I to do with you?

Yet you people of Ephraim do not seek to know me. What can I do with you?

6:4a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ But Yahweh says, “You^(plur) people of Israel and Judah will not seek me. What can I do with you?

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^4a What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?

^4b What shall I do with you, O Judah?

In many languages, it will be necessary to specify that the LORD is now the speaker. For example:

“O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the Lord. (NLT96)

What shall I do with you…What shall I do with you: These two clauses are rhetorical questions. Their function is to express the LORD’s frustration and hopelessness with the people of Israel and Judah. They are not requests for information.

Here are some ways to translate these rhetorical questions:

As rhetorical questions. You may use slightly different questions if that is more natural in your language. For example:
^4aHow shall I deal with you, Ephraim? (REB)
^4bWhat should I do with you, Judah? (GW)
As statements. For example:
^4aEphraim, how frustrating you are!
^4bJudah, I don’t know what I should do with you!

O Ephraim…O Judah: The name Ephraim is a figure of speech (synecdoche) that represents the people of the northern kingdom of Israel. Judah refers to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah. Some versions translate Ephraim as Israel here. For example:

The Lord says, “Israel, what should I do with you? Judah, what should I do with you? (NCV)

General Comment on 6:4a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine these parallel lines into one. For example:

People of Israel and Judah, what can I do with you? (CEV)

6:4a

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?

¶ “O people of Ephraim, what can I do with you?^(plur)
¶ But Yahweh says, “You Israelites, if only you sought to know me like this. But you do not. What should I do with you?
¶ Yahweh says, “You people of Israel, how frustrating you are!

6:4b

What shall I do with you, O Judah?

And you^(plur) people of Judah, what can I do with you?
You descendants of Judah, what should I do with you?
You people of Judah, you are so exasperating!

6:4c–d

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^4cFor your loyalty is like a morning mist,

^4d like the early dew that vanishes.

There is an ellipsis (deliberate omission) of the first three words in 6:4d. In many languages, these words will need to be supplied from 6:4c. For example:

^4d your loyalty is like the early dew that vanishes.

These lines explain the source of the LORD’s frustration with the people of Israel and Judah. They contain figures of speech (similes) in which he compared their love to morning mist and dew. The love that the people had for him and others was not dependable. It was similar to morning mist and dew because it quickly disappeared. It did not last long.

6:4c

For your loyalty is like a morning mist,

Your^(plur) love lasts no longer than the mist in the morning.
Your love for me does not endure. It is like a fog/cloud

For your loyalty: The word that the BSB translates here as loyalty refers to faithful love within a covenant relationship. Here it refers mainly to the people’s love and loyalty to the LORD, but it also includes their kindness to one another.Keil understands ḥesed to refer here “to goodwill towards other men flowing out of love to God” (page 98). McComiskey (page 91) and Hubbard (page 126) give similar definitions. However, both the immediate context and the overall theme of Hosea focus on the people’s unfaithfulness to their covenant relationship with God. NIDOTTE (#2876) specifically cites Hosea 6:4 as an example of “the human response to God.” Wood (page 194) also notes that the basis of the indictment against Israel and Judah is that their love “for God” was unstable.

a morning mist: This phrase probably refers to low-lying clouds or fog that disappears by the time the morning is over.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

a morning cloud (NRSV)

like fog in the morning (GW)

6:4d

like the early dew that vanishes.

It is like the dew that disappears early in the day.
or dew that can be seen early in the morning, but soon it vanishes.

the early dew that vanishes: In some languages, it may be redundant to make the word early explicit.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the dew that quickly disappears (NJB)

disappears like dew in the sunlight (NLT)

General Comment on 6:4c–d

Some versions make explicit the point of comparison in both similes. For example:

For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight. (NLT)

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 6:4

Hebrew word order