HOS 9:4 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. לֹא
2. 522772
3. Not
4. -
5. 3808
6. S-Tn
7. not
8. S
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365358
2. 522773
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 365359
1. יִסְּכוּ
2. 522774
3. they will pour out
4. -
6. V-Vqi3mp
7. they_will_pour_out
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365360
1. לַ,יהוָה
2. 522775,522776
3. to/for YHWH
4. Yahweh Yahweh's
5. 3068
6. S-R,Np
7. to/for=\nd YHWH\nd*
8. -
9. Person=God; Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365361
2. 522777
3. -
4. -
6. -x-paseq
8. -
9. -
10. 365362
1. יַיִן
2. 522778
3. wine
4. -
5. 3196
6. O-Ncmsa
7. wine
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365363
1. וְ,לֹא
2. 522779,522780
3. and not
4. -
5. 3808
6. S-C,Tn
7. and=not
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365364
1. יֶֽעֶרְבוּ
2. 522781
3. they will be pleasing
4. please
5. 6148
6. V-Vqi3mp
7. they_will_be_pleasing
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365365
2. 522782
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 365366
1. ל,וֹ
2. 522783,522784
3. to him/it
4. -
6. S-R,Sp3ms
7. to=him/it
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365367
1. זִבְחֵי,הֶם
2. 522785,522786
3. sacrifices of their
4. sacrifices
5. 2077
6. S-Ncmpc,Sp3mp
7. sacrifices_of,their
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365368
1. כְּ,לֶחֶם
2. 522787,522788
3. will be like bread of
4. -
5. 3899
6. P-R,Ncbsc
7. [will,be]_like_bread_of
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365369
1. אוֹנִים
2. 522789
3. mourning(s)
4. -
5. 205
6. P-Ncmpa
7. mourning(s)
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365370
1. לָ,הֶם
2. 522790,522791
3. to/for them
4. -
6. S-R,Sp3mp
7. to/for=them
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365371
1. כָּל
2. 522792
3. all of
4. -
5. 3605
6. S-Ncmsc
7. all_of
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365372
2. 522793
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 365373
1. אֹכְלָי,ו
2. 522794,522795
3. those of who eat it
4. eat
5. 398
6. S-Vqrmpc,Sp3ms
7. [those_of,who]_eat_it
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365374
1. יִטַמָּאוּ
2. 522796
3. they will make themselves unclean
4. themselves
6. V-Vti3mp
7. they_will_make_themselves_unclean
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365375
2. 522797
3. -
4. -
6. -
8. -
9. -
10. 365376
1. כִּי
2. 522798
3. if/because
4. -
6. S-C
7. if/because
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365377
2. 522799
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 365378
1. לַחְמָ,ם
2. 522800,522801
3. bread of their
4. -
5. 3899
6. S-Ncbsc,Sp3mp
7. bread_of,their
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365379
1. לְ,נַפְשָׁ,ם
2. 522802,522803,522804
3. will be of for their self
4. -
5. 5315
6. P-R,Ncbsc,Sp3mp
7. [will,be]_of,for_their_self
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365380
1. לֹא
2. 522805
3. not
4. -
5. 3808
6. S-Tn
7. not
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365381
1. יָבוֹא
2. 522806
3. it will go
4. -
5. 935
6. V-Vqi3ms
7. it_will_go
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365382
1. בֵּית
2. 522807
3. the house of
4. -
6. S-Ncmsc
7. the_house_of
8. -
9. Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365383
1. יְהוָה
2. 522808
3. YHWH
4. -
5. 3068
6. S-Np
7. of_Yahweh
8. -
9. Person=God; Y-760; TProphecies_of_Hosea
10. 365384
2. 522809
3. -
4. -
6. -x-sof-pasuq
8. -
9. -
10. 365385

9:4 OSHB note: We agree with both BHS 1997 and BHQ on an unexpected reading.

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 9:1–9: The LORD will punish the Israelites

This section warns the people of Israel that the LORD will punish them because they have been unfaithful to him. When that happens, the people will no longer be able to celebrate at harvest time or enjoy the crops from their land. The section describes aspects of daily life that the people in Israel would clearly understand. Some examples are harvest festivals (9:1, 5), threshing grain and making wine (9:2), unclean food (9:3–4), offerings and sacrifices (9:4), briers and thorns (9:6), and prophets (9:7–8). There is also an indirect reference to Israel’s past (9:9).

Here are some other examples of section headings:

The Lord Will Punish Israel (ESV)

Hosea announces Israel’s Punishment (NLT)

Israel Will Be Punished (CEV)

The Sorrows of Exile (NJB)

Paragraph 9:1–6

This paragraph tells about joyful activities that the people will no longer experience when they are in exile in Assyria. In exile, they will no longer have joyful harvests or be able to offer acceptable sacrifices to God. Instead of rejoicing, they will mourn.

9:4a–b

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^4a They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD,

^4band their sacrifices will not please Him,

These lines indicate that in Assyria the people will no longer have the opportunity to offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD.Stuart (pages 143–144) states that in captivity there will be neither a legitimate nor illegitimate Yahwistic worship center where sacrifices may be offered. Other commentaries that hold this view include Wood, Polkinghorne, Hubbard, Keil, Andersen and Freedman, and McComiskey.

9:4a

They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD,

They will no longer have an opportunity to pour out wine offerings to Yahweh
There in exile/slavery you^(plur) will not be able to offer wine to Yahweh as you could do in Israel.

They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD: In Hebrew, the phrase wine offerings is literally wine. The BSB has supplied the word offerings to clarify the meaning. Offerings of wine often accompanied a burnt offering or other animal sacrifice. See Exodus 29:40; Numbers 15:5.

Here are some other ways to translate this line:

The Israelites will not give offerings of wine to the Lord (NCV)

There you will make no offerings of wine to the Lord. (NLT)

9:4b

and their sacrifices will not please Him,

or be able to please him with sacrifices.
You^(plur) will not be able to make any sacrifices there that will please him.

and their sacrifices will not please Him: According to Macintosh (page 343), an alternative view was that the wine offerings would not be pleasing to him. For example, the KJV has “They shall not offer wine [offerings] to the Lord, neither shall they be pleasing unto him:” There is a textual issue concerning the word that the BSB translates as please:

The Masoretic Text has “not will they be pleasing to him.” For example:
and their sacrifices shall not please him (ESV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, NASB, NET, NJB, NIV, NJPS, NLT, NRSV, REB)
Some scholars have proposed that the original text was “not will they bring/give to him.” For example:
they will not give him sacrifices (NCV) (GNT, NAB, NCV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions. It makes sense and fits the context. There is no evidence that the Masoretic Text is incorrect.

Here is another way to translate this line:

None of your sacrifices there will please him. (NLT)

9:4c

but will be to them like the bread of mourners;

Any sacrifices that people offer in Assyria will be just like the bread that they eat when they are mourning.
If you make such sacrifices there, they will not be acceptable to Yahweh. The sacrifices will affect you^(plur) the same as the food that mourners eat.

but will be to them like the bread of mourners: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “likeTN follows the majority of commentators and modern versions that understand the Hebrew word to indicate a comparison, that is, “like bread of mourning.” Some scholars interpret the word to indicate emphasis, that is, “indeed it is bread of mourning.” See Anderson and Freedman (page 526). Still others interpret the word to indicate possession, that is, “to them it is bread of mourning.” See Macintosh (page 344). bread of mourning(s) to them.”Hebrew syntax allows the Hebrew word translated as “their sacrifices” to be connected either to this clause or to the preceding clause. The majority of modern commentators and versions connect it to the preceding clause, which results in “their sacrifices will not be pleasing to him.” The subject of the Hebrew clause is left implicit. As a result, there are two main interpretations:

The subject is sacrifices. 9:4a–b says that the people will not offer sacrifices to the LORD. This clause continues to describe those sacrifices.Davies (page 217), Wood (page 204). For example:
Such sacrifices shall be like mourners’ bread (NRSV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NLT, NRSV, REB)
The subject is bread or food. This refers to the bread/food that the exiles eat in Assyria. This clause introduces a new topic.Keil (page 120). For example:
Their bread shall be like mourners’ bread (RSV) (GNT, NASB, NJPS, RSV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions. It makes good sense to understand this simile as a continuation of the topic of sacrifices. It begins to explain why the peoples’ sacrifices would not be pleasing to the LORD.

to them: This phrase refers back to the people who offer the sacrifices.

like the bread of mourners: This phrase is a simile that compares the peoples’ sacrifices to food that people ate at a funeral.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

like food eaten at funerals (GNT)

like food touched by a person in mourning (NLT)

9:4d

all who eat will be defiled.

Whoever eats it becomes ritually/ceremonially unclean according to the laws of Moses.
Anyone who eats such food will be unclean/defiled in Yahweh’s sight.

all who eat will be defiled: In Hebrew, this clause is more literally “all [those who] eat it will make themselves unclean.” There are two main interpretations of the pronoun “it”:

“It” refers to the mourners’ bread. The mourners’ bread is the nearest preceding noun. For example:
Their sacrifices will be like the food that mourners eat. All who eat this food will be unclean. (GW) (ESV, GNT, GW, NAB, NCV, NASB, NRSV, REB)
“It” refers to the sacrifices. The pronoun refers back to the subject of the clause.A difficulty is a mismatch in number between the singular pronoun and the plural referent. For example:
All who present such sacrifices will be defiled. (NLT) (NET, NIV, NJB, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Both the pronoun and the noun to which it refers are singular. With this interpretation, the line continues the description of the bread of mourners.

defiled: This word refers to spiritual uncleanness. Old Testament laws described activities and objects that were ritually unclean. Therefore they were not acceptable for worship of the LORD. See Deut 26:14; Num 19:11–13, 22.Stuart (pages 143–144).

General Comment on 9:4c–d

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder and/or combine these verse parts. For example:

they will be ^4dunclean ^4clike food offered to the dead (CEV)

9:4e

For their bread will be for themselves;

This food will only be useful to satisfy their hunger.
You^(plur) can use the food for yourselves,

For their bread will be for themselves: In Hebrew, this clause begins with the word ki. In this context, one possible function of this word is to indicate the reason for the preceding statementVersions that use the word “for” to indicate the reason for the preceding statement include the BSB, ESV, KJV, NASB, NET, NJB, and NRSV. BART identifies ki as a deictic marker that gives emphasis. This interpretation is also preferred by Hubbard (page 158). No versions follow this approach. The NJPS introduces the clause with the word “but,” indicating a contrast. It is the only version that follows this approach. The reason that this food is considered to be unclean is that it is only for themselves. For example:

for their food will be for themselves alone (NJB)

However, in many languages, this clause does not give a logical reason for the preceding statement.Andersen & Freedman (page 527) say that it does not provide a recognizable reason for either what precedes or follows. Many versions leave the relationship between the clauses implied. For example:

It will be used only to satisfy their hunger (GNT)

Your food will only be used to satisfy your hunger (CEV)

An advantage of leaving the connection implied is that it allows the reader to supply the connection that makes the most sense in a particular language.

their bread: The phrase their bread refers to the food in the sacrifices that are like mourner’s bread. The LORD regards this food to be unclean and those that eat it to be unclean. It will be food for those that eat it, but it is not fit to use for worship.

Here are some other ways to translate this line:

this food will be for themselves alone

this food will serve only to satisfy their appetite

9:4f

it will not enter the house of the LORD.

Such food will not be allowed in the temple of Yahweh.
but not for the worship of Yahweh.

it will not enter the house of the LORD: This clause means that the LORD does not want this food to be offered to him in the temple.

it will not enter: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “it will not go.” This phrase is probably a prohibition. The LORD will not allow unclean bread in his house. It is not just a statement that it will not happen.Davies (218) describes this statement as a “prohibition.” Stuart (page 144) says the bread is “ritually excluded.” Some versions make it explicit that this is a prohibition. For example:

they cannot sacrifice it in the Temple. (NCV)

it must not be offered in the house of the Lord (REB)

house of the LORD: This refers to the temple in Jerusalem.Macintosh (page 345), Davies (page 218), McComiskey (page 141). The NCV and some other versions capitalize “Temple” to indicate that this refers to the temple in Jerusalem. It was the only worship center where the LORD allowed sacrifices to be offered.

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