HOS 10:12 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=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Sow righteousness for yourselves.
⇔ → Harvest in accordance with loyal commitment.
⇔ Break up your fallow ground because it’s time to seek Yahweh,
⇔ → until he comes and rains righteousness on you.

Key: khaki:verbs, green:YHWH.
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 Σπείρατε ἑαυτοῖς εἰς δικαιοσύνην, τρυγήσατε εἰς καρπὸν ζωῆς, φωτίσατε ἑαυτοῖς φῶς γνώσεως, ἐκζητήσατε τὸν Κύριον ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν γεννήματα δικαιοσύνης ὑμῖν.
(Speirate heautois eis dikaiosunaʸn, trugaʸsate eis karpon zōaʸs, fōtisate heautois fōs gnōseōs, ekzaʸtaʸsate ton Kurion heōs tou elthein gennaʸmata dikaiosunaʸs humin. )

BrTr Sow to yourselves for righteousness, gather in for the fruit of life: light ye for yourselves the light of knowledge; seek the Lord till the fruits of righteousness come upon you.

ULT Sow for yourselves righteousness;
⇔ reap in accordance with steadfast love.
⇔ Break up your fallow ground,
⇔ for it is time to seek Yahweh,
⇔ until he comes and rains righteousness on you.

UST Plow, now, and do what is right,
⇔ and you will reap the fruit of faithful love.
⇔ Do the hard work of breaking up the unplowed ground,
⇔ for now is the time for you to ask Yahweh to have mercy on you,
⇔ so that he may come and rescue you because he does what is right.

OEB Sow for yourselves righteousness,
⇔ reap the fruits of love.
⇔ Break up your fallow ground,
⇔ for it is time to seek the Lord,
⇔ so righteousness may come to you[fn].

10:12 Heb. uncertain

WEBBE Sow to yourselves in righteousness,
⇔ reap according to kindness.
⇔ Break up your fallow ground,
⇔ for it is time to seek the LORD,
⇔ until he comes and rains righteousness on you.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Sow righteousness for yourselves,
⇔ reap unfailing love.
⇔ Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves,
⇔ for it is time to seek the Lord,
⇔ until he comes and showers deliverance on you.

LSV Sow for yourselves in righteousness,
Reap according to loving-kindness,
Till for yourselves tillage of knowledge,
To seek YHWH,
Until He comes and shows righteousness to you.

FBV Sow for yourselves what is right and you will reap unfailing love. Break up the unploughed ground. It's time to go to the Lord until he comes and rains down goodness on you.

T4T You plow your fields and plant your seeds and harvest your crops [MET],
⇔ but what you need to do is to act righteously and to faithfully love me;
⇔ you need to repent [MET],
⇔ because it is time to try to know me, Yahweh;
⇔ and if you do that, I will pour out [MET] many blessings on you.

LEB   • Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap loyal love .[fn]
• Break up for yourself fallow ground;
  • it is time to seek Yahweh
• so he will come and rain
  • righteousness upon you.

10:? Literally “reap according to loyal love”

BBE Put in the seed of righteousness, get in your grain in mercy, let your unploughed earth be turned up: for it is time to make search for the Lord, till he comes and sends righteousness on you like rain.

Moff ⇔ Sow justice for yourselves,
⇔ and reap a harvest of God’s love;
⇔ break up your fallow ground,
⇔ by seeking the knowledge of the Eternal;
⇔ you must seek the Eternal,
⇔ till he comes to rain salvation on you.

JPS Sow to yourselves according to righteousness, reap according to mercy, break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, till He come and cause righteousness to rain upon you.

ASV Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

DRA Sow for yourselves in justice, and reap in the mouth of mercy, break up your fallow ground: but the time to seek the Lord is, when he shall come that shall teach you justice.

YLT Sow for yourselves in righteousness, Reap according to loving-kindness, Till for yourselves tillage of knowledge, To seek Jehovah, Till he come and shew righteousness to you.

Drby Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

RV Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
(Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to mercy; break up your fallow/ploughed ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. )

SLT Sow to yourselves for justice, reap ye for the mouth of kindness; break up to you the fallow ground: and the time to seek Jehovah till he shall come and cast justice upon you.

Wbstr Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he shall come and reign righteousness upon you.

KJB-1769 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
(Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow/ploughed ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. )

KJB-1611 Sow to your selues in righteousnesse, reape in mercie: breake vp your fallow ground: for it is time to seeke the LORD, till he come and raine righteousnesse vpon you.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Sowe to your selues in righteousnesse, and reape the fruites of well doyng, plowe vp your freshe lande: for it is tyme to seeke the Lorde tyll he come and rayne righteousnesse vpon you.
(Sow to yourselves in righteousness, and reap the fruits of well doing, plough up your fresh land: for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and rain righteousness upon you.)

Gnva Sowe to your selues in righteousnes: reape after the measure of mercy: breake vp your fallowe grounde: for it is time to seeke the Lord, till he come and raine righteousnesse vpon you.
(Sow to yourselves in righteousness: reap after the measure of mercy: break up your fallow/ploughed ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. )

Cvdl that they might sowe vnto rightuousnes, and reape the frutes of weldoynge: yt they might plowe vp their fresh londe, and seke the LORDE, till he came, and lerned them rightuousnes.
(that they might sow unto righteousness, and reap the fruits of well-doing: it they might plough up their fresh land, and seek the LORD, till he came, and learned/learnt them righteousness.)

Wycl Sowe ye to you riytfulnesse in treuthe, and repe ye in the mouthe of merci, and make ye newe to you a feld newli brouyte to tilthe. Forsothe tyme is to seke the Lord, whanne he cometh, that schal teche you riytfulnesse.
(Sow ye/you_all to you rightfulness/righteousness in truth, and reap ye/you_all in the mouth of mercy, and make ye/you_all new to you a field newly brought to tilthe. For_certain/Truly time is to seek the Lord, when he cometh/comes, that shall teach you rightfulness/righteousness.)

Luth Darum säet euch Gerechtigkeit und erntet Liebe und pflüget anders, weil es Zeit ist, den HErr’s zu suchen, bis daß er komme und regne über euch Gerechtigkeit.
(Therefore sows you justice and harvests(v) love(n) and ploughs(v) different, because it time/period is, the LORD’s to/for search_for, until that he come and rain above you justice.)

ClVg Seminate vobis in justitia, et metite in ore misericordiæ. Innovate vobis novale; tempus autem requirendi Dominum, cum venerit qui docebit vos justitiam.
(Seminate to_you(pl) in/into/on justice, and metite in/into/on vocally of_mercy. Innovate to_you(pl) newle; time/season however requirendi the_Master, when/with will_have_placed who/which teachbit you(pl) justice. )

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 10:12–15

Hosea is the speaker in this paragraph. He speaks to the people directly, using second person pronouns such as “you” and “yourselves.” He urges the people to seek the LORD instead of sinning as in their past. He also warns them how terrible the future judgment will be.

10:12–13

In 10:12–13, there is a new metaphor that compares Israel to a farmer. This replaces the metaphor of Israel as a heifer in 10:11.

10:12a–c

(combined/reordered)

¶ I/Hosea said, “Break up your^(plur) hard ground that needs to be plowed. Plant seeds of righteousness. Harvest a crop of faithful love.

10:12a–c is a saying about sowing and reaping. It has a different purpose from the saying about sowing and reaping in Hosea 8:7a–b. Here Hosea urges the people to begin living righteous lives.Stuart (page 170) suggests that these words are a call to the people to return to “a status that should have existed all along (see Deut 4:31; Lev 26:45).” McComiskey (177) says the meaning is that “people are to guide their actions in life by righteousness.”

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:Stuart (page 170) suggests that these are three lines of a triplet.

^12a Sow for yourselves righteousness

^12band reap the fruit of loving devotion;

^12c break up your unplowed ground.

10:12a–b

Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion: This is a metaphor. It compares people who live in righteous ways to people who plant seeds and then harvest a crop.Stuart (page 170) suggests that the prepositions which precede the terms “righteousness” and “loving devotion” may function virtually as direct object markers. Examples: Gen 1:5; Jer 40:2; 1 Chr 16:37. See also BDB (#3926) 3. b. and Gesenius (page 366, chap. 117n). People who plant seeds of righteousness will harvest a crop of unfailing love.These commands are more literally “sow for yourselves to righteousness reap according to love.” All versions except the KJV and NASB interpret these commands as referring to what people should sow and reap. The KJV has: “Sow…in righteousness, reap in mercy.” The NASB has: “Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness.” These versions appear to focus on manner or intent of sowing and reaping. Macintosh (page 422) suggests that the prepositions “to” and “according to” denote the principle with regard to which an action is accomplished. Hubbard (page 181) states similarly that “righteousness” and “love” describe the manner in which true sowing and reaping take place.

Here are some ways to translate these two commands:

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love (NRSV)

Sow justice, and reap loyalty. (REB)

Here are three ways to translate this metaphor:

Keep the metaphor. For example:
I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. (NLT)
Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
You should be people who are righteous, like someone who plants good seeds. The crop that you harvest later will be like a crop of love.
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
Live righteous lives and love will be the result.

10:12a

Sow for yourselves righteousness

¶ I/Hosea said, “Plant the seeds of good and fair conduct.
¶ “You^(plur) should be like people who plant good seeds. You should do what is right and honest.

Sow for yourselves righteousness: To sow/plant righteousness is a figurative way to tell people to live righteous lives. righteousness is behavior that is fair and proper and conforms to the standards of the LORD’s covenant with Israel.Stuart (page 170), Dearman (pages 271–272) and McComiskey (page 177). It especially concerns good relationships between people.Wood (page 211) and Keil (page 87). The meaning of the Hebrew word for righteousness includes being loyal, honest and just.TWOT (#1879b).

Here are other ways to translate this command:

Plant goodness (NCV)

Sow saving justice for yourselves (NJB)

Sow: This word implies planting seeds. Some versions make “seeds” explicit. For example:

I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness (NLT)

scatter seeds of justice (CEV)

for yourselves: In Hebrew, this phrase emphasizes the importance of the command for the people Hosea is addressing.The technical term for the phrase “for yourselves” is “ethical dative.” Macintosh (page 422) states that the ethical datives here give emphasis to the significance of the recurrence in question for a particular subject. Andersen and Freedman (page 568) say that ethical datives highlight the immediacy of the direct address. Some versions, including the NLT and CEV quoted above, do not make this phrase explicit.

10:12b

and reap the fruit of loving devotion;

Harvest loyal love and kindness.
Then you will experience faithful love. This love and kindness will be like a crop that you^(plur) harvest.

reap the fruit of loving devotion: The Masoretic Text has literally “reap to a mouth of loyalty/love.” Most commentaries and versions understand the words “a mouth of” to mean “according to.” See Macintosh (page 422) and BDB (#6310). The word fruit may be derived from the LXX translation of the word. See the following footnote. This clause is a figurative way to tell people that righteous conduct will result in love.

reap the fruit: The word reap normally means to harvest ripened grain or fruit. Some versions make it explicit that love is a figurative crop or fruit.The LXX has “fruit of life.” This may indicate that the source Hebrew manuscript for the LXX also had the word “fruit.” It is also possible that the LXX translators regarded “fruit” to be implicit in the Hebrew text and chose to make it explicit. For example:

and you will harvest a crop of love (NLT)

harvest the fruit of loyalty (NCV)

loving devotion: This is the kind of love that conforms to the standards of the LORD’s covenant with Israel.Stuart (page 170) and McComiskey (page 178). The meaning of the Hebrew word for loving devotion includes being loyal, faithful, gracious, kind and merciful.TWOT (#698a). See also the note on “loving devotion” at 4:1c.

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

harvest faithfulness (CEV)

Reap loyalty (REB)

10:12c

break up your unplowed ground.

Plow for yourselves^(plur) your uncultivated ground.
Break up your hardened ground.

break up your unplowed ground: This command is part of the metaphor in 12a–b that compares the people of Israel to people who plant seeds and then harvest a crop. In order to plant seeds they must first prepare the ground by loosening up the soil. In this metaphor the hard, unplowed ground is similar to the people’s stubborn hearts or minds. That hardness must become soft. Then they will be willing to start living according to righteousness and love.See Keil (pages 87–88), Davies (page 246), and McComiskey (page 177).

The Hebrew clause is more literally “plow for yourselves unplowed-ground.” See the note on “for yourselves” under 12a–b above.

Here are some ways to translate this command:

General Comment on 10:12a–c

Keep the metaphor. Make the implicit similarity explicit if it will be helpful. For example:
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts (NLT)
Change the metaphor to a simile. Make the implicit similarity explicit if it will be helpful. For example:
Loosen your hard hearts/livers like people break up hard ground for planting.
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
Open your hearts/minds and start following the ways of the LORD.

In some languages, it may be confusing that the command to prepare the ground in 12c follows the commands to sow and reap in 12a–b. A farmer will normally break up unplowed ground first, before he sows and reaps. For that reason, it may be preferable to rearrange the order of these three clauses. See 10:12a–c (combined/reordered) in the Display.

10:12d

For it is time to seek the LORD

The time has come to turn from your^(plur) sins and worship/serve Yahweh
For now is the time to turn to Yahweh and begin to worship/serve him.

For it is time to seek the LORD: There is a textual issue here:

The Masoretic Text has “and it is time.” For example:
break up your fallow ground; It is time to seek the Lord (REB) (BSB, ESV, GNT, GW, KJV, NAB, NASB, NET, NIV, NJB, NLT, NRSV, REB)
The LXX has “of knowledge.” For example:
plow the new ground of knowledge (NCV)

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

In the Hebrew text, this clause begins with a conjunction that often means “and.” However, in this context, it probably introduces a reason. The reason to sow righteousness, reap love and break up hard ground is because it is time to seek him. Some versions make it clear that this is a reason by using a word such as “for.” For example:

Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves, for it is time to seek the LORD (NET)

Some versions leave it implied that this is a reason. Some use punctuation to indicate it. For example, the NJB has a colon that implies reason:

break up your fallow ground: it is time to seek out Yahweh (NJB)

it is time: This phrase indicates that the people should not delay to seek the LORD. The words may add a sense of urgency to the command.Keil (pages 87–88) and Davies (page 246) both suggest that the force of the command is equivalent to the English expression “it is high time.” This expression means that it should have happened a long time ago. See The Free Dictionary by Farlex. Some versions make this urgency explicit. For example:

for now is the time to seek the Lord (NLT)

to seek the LORD: This phrase implies serious and persistent effort. It may refer to a time of distress or crisis in which the people turn away from their sin and turn to him in order to worship and serve him.Stuart (page 170) and Davies (page 246). For more information on what it means to seek the LORD, see the note on 3:5a.

10:12e

until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.

until he comes to cause you^(plur) to experience his goodness that is like refreshing rain/showers.
Continue to worship/serve him until he returns to make you good and just and loyal.

until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain: In this clause, Hosea tells the people how long they should seek the LORD and what his response will be when they seek him.

until He comes: They should seek the LORD until He comes. This phrase is a figurative way to say that the LORD will restore his relationship with them. He will be gracious to them again.Keil (pages 87–88). This statement implies that previously the LORD had withdrawn from them.Davies (page 247). See 5:6 and 5:15 for more information.

and sends righteousness upon you like rain: More literally, this clause part says “he will rain down righteousness on you.” The words like rain or showers imply that the righteousness he gives is refreshing and life-giving.Dearman (pages 271–272) and Stuart (page 170). The phrase indicates that the LORD will treat them justly and bless them according to what is right.Stuart (page 170) and McComiskey (page 178).

The word righteousness here is the same Hebrew word as in 12a, that the people are to sow. For the meaning of this word see the note on “Sow for yourselves righteousness” in 10:12a.

Here are some other ways to translate 10:12e:

until he comes and pours goodness on you like water. (NCV)

and I will come and pour out blessings upon you. (GNT)

Parallel HOS 10:12