HOS 8:12 Interlinear View

8:12 OSHB variant note: אכתוב: (x-qere) ’אֶ֨כְתָּב’: lemma_3789 morph_HVqi1cs id_28u6Y אֶ֨כְתָּב

8:12 OSHB variant note: רבו: (x-qere) ’רֻבֵּ֖י’: lemma_7230 n_1.0 morph_HNcbsc id_28uHz רֻבֵּ֖י

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 8:1–14: The Israelites will be punished for rejecting the LORD

In this section, the LORD warned the nation of Israel that enemies were ready to attack them, because they had rejected him and broken their agreement to obey his laws (8:1–3). They disobeyed him by choosing their own leaders (8:4a–b) and making idols (8:4c–6). Their alliance with Assyria failed, and they became weak agriculturally and also politically as a nation. Verse 8:10 predicts their future punishment as slaves in Assyria (8:7–10). The LORD did not accept the sacrifices they offered to him, because they continued to sin, so their cities faced total destruction (11–14).The TN analysis of this section follows the paragraph divisions used in a majority of English versions. The summary combines ideas from McComiskey (page 118), Davies (page 193), and Stuart (pages 126–127).

Here are some other examples of section headings:

The Lord Will Punish Israel for Its Rebellion (GW)

The LORD warned Israel that enemies would attack them

Warning that Israel will be Punished

Throughout this section, the LORD is the speaker. He referred to himself using first person pronouns (“I/me/my”) except for verse 13b–d, which has “he.” In this section, the Hebrew text almost always uses “they” or “he/it” to refer to the people or nation of Israel. The only exceptions are 8:1 and 8:5, which use the pronoun “your.” The CEV uses “you/your” consistently to refer to Israel. Most other versions use third person pronouns. The Display will follow the BSB pronoun choice in the first meaning line. It will often use “you/your” in the second meaning line.

Paragraph 8:11–14

This paragraph describes how the people of Israel sinned when they offered sacrifices to the LORD. There is a contrast between the many altars that the people built for sinning (8:11) and the many teachings that the LORD wrote for the people’s good (8:12). In both situations, the people rejected what God wanted them to do. As a result, the LORD did not accept their sacrifices (8:13), so their cities faced total destruction (8:14).

8:12

These two lines contrast the LORD’s provision of the law with the people’s refusal to follow it:

^12aThough I wrote for them the great things of My law,

^12bthey regarded them as something strange.

8:12a–b

There are two main ways to interpret the relationship between 8:12a and 8:12b:

Verse 8:12a describes an existing situation that led to the unexpected result in 8:12b. For example:
^12aThough I write for him the multitude of my instructions, ^12bthey are regarded as a strange thing. (NRSV) (BSB, CEV, GNT, GW, KJV, NAB, NCV, NASB, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, NRSV, REB)
Verse 8:12a describes a hypothetical or imagined situation. If this situation happened, then it would lead to the unexpected result in 8:12b. For example:
^12aWere I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, ^12bthey would be regarded as a strange thing. (ESV) (ESV, RSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions and commentaries.

Here are some other ways to indicate this relationship:

^12aThough I give him many written laws, ^12bthey are treated as irrelevant; (REB)

^12aI have written many things for them in my teachings, ^12bbut they consider these things strange and foreign. (GW)

Use a natural way in your language to indicate this relationship.

8:12a

Though I wrote for them the great things of My law,

I wrote/gave to them many laws to teach/help them,
Although I caused a collection of many instructions/teachings to be written for their benefit,

Though I wrote for them the great things of My law: There is a textual issue here with the phrase (one word in Hebrew) that the BSB translates as great things. There are two options for this phrase in the Masoretic Text:This textual issue involves the difference between the reading/pronunciation recommended by the Masoretes (Qere), option (1), and what is written in the MT (Kethib), option (2). See Soulen (page 100) for more information on Qere/Kethib issues.

The first option is the phrase “many things.” For example:
The many teachings I wrote for him (NJPS) (BSB, CEV, GNT, GW, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, NRSV, REB)
The second option is the phrase “ten thousand.” For example:
Though I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My law (NASB) (ESV, NASB, RSV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions.This option is also followed by the LXX, Peshitta, and Targum.

I wrote: The form of the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as I wrote can indicate either a present or past action.The Hebrew form of the word “I wrote” is imperfect. The imperfect normally indicates incomplete action, which is often translated using present or future tense. However, in this context, it refers to the “torah,” which was already written at Hosea’s time. So here, many versions translate it as completed action using a past tense form. This use of the imperfect to signify preterite situations sometimes occurs in poetic texts recounting history. See Waltke and O’Connor, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, Chapter 31.1.1 A Historical View. For example:

I have written many teachings for them (NCV)

I write down countless teachings for the people (GNT)

Here the word refers to the teachings or laws that were already written before the time of Hosea. Translate in a way that makes this historical situation clear.

The word does not imply here that the LORD personally wrote the words. It probably refers to the normal way in which he caused/inspired his people to write them.

Here are some ways to translate this line:

I gave them all my laws (NLT)

I caused people to write my many teachings/laws

for them: This phrase indicates that God wrote his teachings for the benefit of his people. The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as for them is literally “for him.” The pronoun “him” refers back to Ephraim in the previous verse. Translate this word in a way that clearly refers to the people of Israel.

the great things of My law: In Hebrew, the word that the BSB translates as law is literally “torah” (singular). It refers here to a set of laws rather than a single law.Keil (page 116) and McComiskey (page 132). The phrase great things of My law refers to the many written teachings contained in the torah. These include instructions about how to conduct religious ceremonies such as offering sacrifices. They also include instructions about how to live in a moral way.TWOT (#910d).

8:12b

they regarded them as something strange.

but they ignored them, as if these were laws/teachings from a foreign country.
the people rejected them as if they were written for someone else.

they regarded them as something strange: The people responded to the laws that the LORD gave them as if they were something foreign or unknown. This clause implies that the people ignored or rejected God’s laws.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

they reject them as strange and foreign (GNT)

they act as if those laws don’t apply to them (NLT)

but you ignored them (CEV)

they consider them to be irrelevant

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

8:12 OSHB variant note: אכתוב: (x-qere) ’אֶ֨כְתָּב’: lemma_3789 morph_HVqi1cs id_28u6Y אֶ֨כְתָּב

8:12 OSHB variant note: רבו: (x-qere) ’רֻבֵּ֖י’: lemma_7230 n_1.0 morph_HNcbsc id_28uHz רֻבֵּ֖י

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 8:12