HOS 10:11 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Ἐφραὶμ δάμαλις δεδιδαγμένη ἀγαπᾷν νῖκος, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπελεύσομαι ἐπὶ τὸ κάλλιστον τοῦ τραχήλου αὐτῆς· ἐπιβιβῶ Ἐφραὶμ, παρασιωπήσομαι Ἰούδαν, ἐνισχύσει αὐτῷ Ἰακώβ.
(Efraim damalis dedidagmenaʸ agapan nikos, egō de epeleusomai epi to kalliston tou traⱪaʸlou autaʸs; epibibō Efraim, parasiōpaʸsomai Youdan, enisⱪusei autōi Yakōb. )

BrTr Ephraim is a heifer taught to love victory, but I will come upon the fairest part of her neck: I will mount Ephraim; I will pass over Juda in silence; Jacob shall prevail against him.

ULT Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh,
⇔ and I spared her fair neck;
⇔ but I will harness Ephraim;
⇔ Judah will plow;
⇔ Jacob will harrow for himself.

UST Ephraim is like a trained calf
⇔ that loves to thresh grain, separating out the grain from the chaff,
⇔ and I did not put a heavy yoke on her tender neck.
⇔ But now I will put Ephraim under that yoke,
⇔ and Judah must plow.
⇔ and Jacob must break up the ground with the harrow.

OEB ⇔ Ephraim indeed was a trained heifer that loved to thresh grain,
⇔ and I myself laid a yoke upon his fair neck[fn],
⇔ I made Ephraim draw and Judah must plough,
⇔ Jacob must turn the soil for himself.

10:11 Heb. uncertain.

WEBBE Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh,
⇔ so I will put a yoke on her beautiful neck.
⇔ I will set a rider on Ephraim.
⇔ Judah will plough.
⇔ Jacob will break his clods.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Ephraim was a well-trained heifer who loved to thresh grain;
⇔ I myself put a fine yoke on her neck.
⇔ I will harness Ephraim.
⇔ Let Judah plow!
⇔ Let Jacob break up the unplowed ground for himself!

LSV And Ephraim [is] a trained heifer—loving to thresh,
And I have passed over on the goodness of its neck,
I cause [one] to ride Ephraim,
Judah plows, Jacob harrows for him.

FBV Ephraim is like a trained heifer that loved to thresh the grain, but now I will place a yoke on her strong neck. I will harness Ephraim; Judah will have to pull the plough; and Jacob must break up the ground for himself.

T4T Israel is like [MET] a well-trained ◄heifer/young cow►
⇔ that likes to thresh grain.
⇔ So now you will become slaves.
⇔ It will be as though I will put a yoke on your neck,
⇔ and you will be forced to work hard for your enemies in their fields.
⇔ You people of Israel and Judah will be forced to go to Assyria;
⇔ there you [DOU] will pull plows to break up the ground for planting seeds.

LEB   • Ephraim was a trained heifer, that loved to thresh grain,
• and I myself spared[fn]
  • the fairness of her neck;
• I will make Ephraim break the ground,
  • Judah will plow,
  • Jacob must till for himself.

10:? Literally “passed over”

BBE And Ephraim is a trained cow, taking pleasure in crushing the grain; but I have put a yoke on her fair neck; I will put a horseman on the back of Ephraim; Judah will be working the plough, Jacob will be turning up the earth.

Moff ⇔ Ephraim was a heifer tamed,
⇔ loving to tread the threshing-floor;
⇔ but when I bent her fair neck under the yoke,
⇔ I forced Ephraim into harness,
⇔ Judah had to drag the plough,
⇔ Jacob had to harrow.

JPS And Ephraim is a heifer well broken, that loveth to thresh, and I have passed over upon her fair neck; I will make Ephraim to ride, Judah shall plow, Jacob shall break his clods.

ASV And Ephraim is a heifer that is taught, that loveth to tread out the grain; but I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will set a rider on Ephraim; Judah shall plow, Jacob shall break his clods.

DRA Ephraim is a heifer taught to love to tread out corn, but I passed over upon the beauty of her neck: I will ride upon Ephraim, Juda shall plough, Jacob shall break the furrows for himself.

YLT And Ephraim [is] a trained heifer — loving to thresh, And I — I have passed over on the goodness of its neck, I cause [one] to ride Ephraim, Plough doth Judah, harrow for him doth Jacob.

Drby And Ephraim is a trained heifer, that loveth to tread out [the corn]; I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to draw; Judah shall plough, Jacob shall break his clods.

RV And Ephraim is an heifer that is taught, that loveth to tread out the corn; but I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will set a rider on Ephraim; Judah shall plow, Jacob shall break his clods.
(And Ephraim is an heifer that is taught, that loveth/loves to tread out the corn; but I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will set a rider on Ephraim; Yudah shall plough, Jacob shall break his clods. )

SLT And Ephraim a heifer being taught, loving to tread out the grain, and I passed over upon the good of her neck: I will cause Ephraim to ride; Judah shall be silent, and Jacob shall be strong to him.

Wbstr And Ephraim is as a heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn ; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.

KJB-1769 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.[fn]
(And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth/loves to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Yudah shall plough, and Jacob shall break his clods. )

10.11 her…: Heb. the beauty of her neck

KJB-1611 [fn]And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught and loueth to tread out the corne, but I passed ouer vpon her faire necke: I will make Ephraim to ride: Iudah shall plow, and Iacob shall breake his clods.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes))

10:11 Heb. the beautie of her necke.

Bshps And Ephraim is as an heyffer vsed to delyte in treadyng out the corne: but I wyll passe by her faire necke, I wyll make Ephraim to ride: Iuda shall plowe, and Iacob shall breake his cloddes.
(And Ephraim is as an heifer used to delight in treading out the corn: but I will pass by her fair neck, I will make Ephraim to ride: Yudah shall plough, and Yacob shall break his clods.)

Gnva And Ephraim is as an heifer vsed to delite in threshing: but I will passe by her faire necke: I will make Ephraim to ride: Iudah shall plowe, and Iaakob shall breake his cloddes.
(And Ephraim is as an heifer used to delight in threshing: but I will pass by her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride: Yudah shall plough, and Yacob shall break his clods. )

Cvdl Ephraim was vnto me, as a cow that is vsed to go to plowe, therfore I loued him, and fell vpon his fayre neck. I droue Ephraim, Iuda plowed, & Iacob played the hu?bode man:
(Ephraim was unto me, as a cow that is used to go to plough, therefore I loved him, and fell upon his fair neck. I drove Ephraim, Yudah ploughed, and Yacob played the hu?bode man:)

Wycl Effraym is a cow calf, tauyt for to loue threischyng; and Y yede on the fairenesse of the necke therof. Y schal stie on Effraym. Judas schal ere, and Jacob schal breke forewis to hym silf.
(Ephraim is a cow calf, taught for to love threshing; and I went on the fairness of the neck thereof. I shall ascend/descend on Ephraim. Yudas shall ere, and Yacob shall break furrows to himself.)

Luth Ephraim ist wie ein Kalb, gewöhnt, daß es gerne drischet. Ich will ihm über seinen schönen Hals fahren; ich will Ephraim reiten, Juda soll pflügen und Jakob eggen.
(Ephraim is as/like a calf, used_to, that it gladly/willingly thresh. I will him above his beautiful neck/throat drive/ride/run; I will Ephraim ride, Yuda should plough(v) and Yakob harrow.)

ClVg Ephraim vitula docta diligere trituram, et ego transivi super pulchritudinem colli ejus: ascendam super Ephraim, arabit Judas; confringet sibi sulcos Jacob.
(Ephraim calf learnt to_love I_will_grind, and I I_passed over beauty neck his: I_will_go_up over Ephraim, arabit Yudas; will_break to_himself furrows Yacob. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 10:9–15: The LORD will punish Israel

In this section, the LORD (10:9–11) and Hosea (10:12–15) warn the people of Israel that the LORD will punish them because of their past and current sin. This section includes figures of speech from agriculture that the Israelites in Hosea’s time would clearly understand. Some examples are comparisons of the people to farm animals (10:11) and to farmers (10:12–13).

Here are some other examples of section headings:

The Lord Pronounces Judgment on Israel (GNT)

The Lord Promises to Punish Israel (CEV)

Paragraph 10:11

In this paragraph, the LORD continues to speak. He describes Israel by using an extended animal metaphor.

10:11a

Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh;

¶ “In the past, Israel was like a well-trained young cow that enjoyed threshing grain.
¶ “Israel was like an obedient heifer. She knew how to do the work, and she enjoyed the easy work of walking on the grain.

Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh: This clause is a metaphor that compares Ephraim to a heifer. Ephraim in its early years was similar to a well-trained heifer. Both of them were willing to obey and both had easy lives with only light work to do.

Here are some ways to translate this figure of speech:

Use a metaphor. Make one or more similarities explicit if it will be helpful. For example:
Ephraim was a well-trained heifer that loved to thresh grain (NET)
Israel was a young heifer that loved the easy work of threshing grain.
Use a simile. Make one or more similarities explicit if it will be helpful. For example:
Israel was like an obedient heifer. She was well-trained and enjoyed the easy work of treading out the grain.

In Hebrew, this clause is more literally “and Ephraim a trained heifer lover of to thresh.” The clause could refer to past, present or future.

Here are the two main interpretations:

It refers to a time in the past.Favored by Macintosh (page 420), Stuart (pages 169–170) , Hubbard (page 180), and Davies (page 245). For example:
“Israel was once like a well-trained young cow, ready and willing to thresh grain. (GNT) (CEV, ESV, GNT, NET, NJPS, NRSV)
It refers to the present.McComiskey (page 176) suggests that the analogy is to depict Israel in the long period before the exile. For example:
Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to tread the grain. (NJB) (BSB, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NJB, NLT, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It matches the pattern of other metaphors in the chapters and verses surrounding this one. Those metaphors depict Israel in her early years, when the LORD chose her to be his people. The metaphors contrast this with Israel in her later years, when the people rebelled against the LORD.For example, see Hosea 9:10; 10:1; 11:1–5.

Ephraim: The tribe of Ephraim is probably a figure of speech (synecdoche) that represents all the people of the nation of Israel. Some versions make “Israel” explicit here. For example:

Israel was once like a well-trained young cow (GNT)

well-trained heifer: The word heifer refers to a young (female) cow that has not yet given birth. A well-trained heifer is gentle, follows commands, and is easy to control.See Hubbard (page 180), Macintosh (page 417), and Andersen and Freedman (page 567).

loves to thresh: Probably the heifer separated stalks from grain by walking on them.Some commentators suggest that the calf may have pulled a sledge or other device. For example, Kidner (page 98). This is not likely, however, since the next clause suggests that only later was the calf harnessed, probably for the first time. It enjoyed threshing, because the work was easy and it was able to eat while it threshed.See Macintosh (page 418), Keil (page 87), Hubbard (page 179), Wood (page 210), and Kidner (page 98).

10:11b

but I will place a yoke on her fair neck.

But I will place a yoke for plowing on her fine/sleek, strong neck.
But now I will attach a harness for doing hard work to her firm, beautiful neck, even though she is not accustomed to it.

but I will place a yoke on her fair neck: This clause continues the metaphor of the heifer. There is a textual issue here:

Some scholars think that the original text was “and I put a yoke on its fair neck.”Halévy, Rudolph: ‘I passed a yoke over (her neck),’ cited in Macintosh (page 421). Also Stuart (page 165). This may be the basis for the Peshitta (Lamsa translation): “I bent her neck under the yoke.” For example:
But I decided to put a yoke on her beautiful neck (GNT) (BSB, CEV,The CEV has: “harness” here instead of “yoke.” The word “harness” is apparently taken from the following clause. GNT, GW, NASB, NCV, NET,The NET has: “put a fine yoke on her neck” instead of “put a yoke on her fine neck.” NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT)
The Masoretic Text has “and I passed over the fairness of its neck.” This clause refers to the time before a yoke was placed on the heifer’s neck.Favored by Hubbard (page 180) and Davies (page 245). For example:
and I spared her fair neck (NRSV) (ESV, NRSV)

Some versions are ambiguous. For example, the KJV may or may not imply that a yoke was placed upon the heifer’s neck:Keil (page 87) suggests that the MT word means “to treat harshly” and that it refers to putting a heavy yoke upon the neck. This meaning would correspond to option (1) rather than (2). The ASV and KJV may reflect this meaning.

but I passed over upon her fair neck (KJV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with the most versions.The main distinction between option (1) and option (2) is the time period in view. In option (1) the time reference is to the period when the yoke is placed on the calf. It marks the time when the calf’s life of ease has ended. In option (2) the time reference is to the period before the yoke is placed on the calf. It continues to describe the calf’s life of ease when it loved to thresh. There is no disagreement that the work of plowing depicted in the next clause requires that the calf will have a yoke or harness at that time. This clause indicates that the easy life of the heifer is finished. It introduces the time for heavy work to begin.

but I: In this context, there are two main ways to interpret the function of the word that begins this clause:

The word indicates contrast. For example:
But I will put a heavy yoke on her tender neck. (NLT) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GNT, NASB, NJB, NLT, NRSV)The ESV and NRSV introduce this clause with “and.” They have been listed here as indicating contrast because they introduce the next clause with “but,” so the overall meaning is contrastive.
The word indicates result. For example:
so I will put a yoke on her fair neck (NIV) (NIV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions. Several versions leave the connection implied. These versions have not been listed.

yoke: A yoke is a bar or frame that is attached to the necks of (normally) two work animals. In the context of 11c–e, the yoke is attached by a harness so that they can pull a plow or harrow.Webster’s New World Dictionary “yoke,” “harness.”

fair neck: This phrase is literally “goodness of its neck.” It refers to the neck of an animal that has not yet been yoked to do hard work, but is well suited for it. Versions translate “goodness” in a variety of ways:

Most versions use a term that refers mainly to appearance. For example:
fair (ESV)
beautiful (GNT)
sleek (NJPS)
The NJB has “fine.” This term could refer to appearance or strength.
The CEV has “powerful.”

Try to use a term or combination of terms that can refer to both appearance and strength.Commentaries define “goodness of neck” in a variety of ways. Stuart (page 169–170) focuses entirely on strength. Hubbard (page 180) says it is “strong, well-proportioned.” Macintosh (page 418) suggests “firmness of her neck” and specifies “not so much beautiful but well formed and apt for his purpose.” McComiskey (page 176) focuses more on appearance: “the sleek beauty of the animal’s neck.” Lange (page 81) also focuses on appearance: “beauty, alluding to her fatness.”

10:11c–e

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:Andersen and Freedman (page 568) suggest that these are three parallel lines of a tricolon.

^11c I will harness Ephraim,

^11d Judah will plow,

^11eand Jacob will break the hard ground.

I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, and Jacob will break the hard ground: This part of the metaphor compares Ephraim, Judah and Jacob implicitly to farm animals that do heavy work. The similarity is that their lives will soon become more difficult.

Here are some ways to translate this figure of speech:

Use a metaphor. Make the implicit similarity explicit if it will be helpful. For example:
I will harness her for harder work. I will make Judah pull the plow and Israel pull the harrow.
Use a simile. Make one or more similarities explicit if it will be helpful. For example:
Like hard-working farm animals I will make Ephraim break up the hard ground. Judah must plow, and Jacob must harrow.

Ephraim, Judah…Jacob: These three names represent all the people of Israel. Ephraim represents those in the northern kingdom. Judah represents those in the southern kingdom. Jacob may represent the entire kingdom, both north and south.Hubbard (pages 180–181).

10:11c

I will harness Ephraim,

Yes, I will make Ephraim/Israel plow,
I will make her life difficult, like animals that have to pull a plow to break up the hard ground.

I will harness Ephraim: This clause is literally “I will cause to draw/harness Ephraim.” It means to attach the yoke and harness to the plow and then make the animal pull it. It implies that a farmer drives or directs the animal.See McComiskey (page 177), Davies (page 245), and BDB (page 939a, sense 2).

Here are some other ways to translate this line:

I will make Ephraim break the ground (NRSV)

I shall put Ephraim into harness (NJB)

…make her work hard in the field (NCV)

10:11d

Judah will plow,

and I will also force Judah to plow.
I will also make Judah’s life difficult in the same way.

Judah will plow: To plow is to drag a farm implement that digs into the hard soil and breaks it into bigger chunks that can then be harrowed.NIDOTTE (#3086), ISBE (plow).

10:11e

and Jacob will break the hard ground.

Then I will make Jacob harrow the soil/ground to make it smooth/level.”
I will force both Israel and Judah to break up the clods/chunks of dirt and level the ground to prepare it for planting.”

Jacob will break the hard ground: The Hebrew phrase is more literally, “Jacob will harrow for itself.” To harrow is to break up the clods after plowing and to level the soil to prepare it for planting.Kimchi cited in Macintosh (page 419).

In the Masoretic Text, this clause ends with the Hebrew phrase “for/by himself.” This phrase may mean for his own benefit or that he is alone.See McComiskey (page 177). You may translate it either way. You may follow versions that leave implicit the Hebrew phrase “for/by himself.” Or you may follow versions that translate it literally. For example:

Jacob must harrow for himself. (NRSV)

Parallel HOS 10:11