HOS 12:12 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) ⇔ Yakov fled to Syria (Heb. Aram).
⇔ Yisrael worked to earn a wife,
⇔ and for a wife, he kept sheep.[ref]

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 Εἰ μὴ Γαλαάδ ἐστιν, ἄρα ψευδεῖς ἦσαν ἐν Γαλαὰδ ἄρχοντες θυσιάζοντες, καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήρια αὐτῶν, ὡς χελῶναι ἐπὶ χέρσον ἀγροῦ.
(Ei maʸ Galaʼad estin, ara pseudeis aʸsan en Galaʼad arⱪontes thusiazontes, kai ta thusiastaʸria autōn, hōs ⱪelōnai epi ⱪerson agrou. )

BrTr If Galaad exists not, then the chiefs in Galaad when they sacrificed were false, and their altars were as heaps on the ground of the field.

ULT Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
⇔ Israel worked for a wife;
⇔ and for a wife, he kept sheep.

UST Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
⇔ he, whose name God would later change to Israel, worked many years so he could marry a woman.
⇔ He took care of his uncle’s sheep in order to marry her.

BSB Jacob fled to the land of Aram[fn]
⇔ and Israel worked for a wife—
⇔ for a wife he tended [sheep].

OEB And Jacob fled to the territory of Aram,
⇔ and Israel worked to earn a wife:
⇔ for a wife he herded sheep.

WEBBE Jacob fled into the country of Aram.
⇔ Israel served to get a wife.
⇔ For a wife he tended flocks and herds.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Jacob fled to the country of Aram,
⇔ then Israel worked to acquire a wife;
⇔ he tended sheep to pay for her.

LSV And Jacob flees to the country of Aram,
And Israel serves for a wife,
Indeed, he has kept watch for a wife.

FBV Jacob fled to the land of Aram; Israel[fn] worked there to gain a wife, earning a wife by looking after sheep.

12:12 Israel was the new name God gave to Jacob.

T4T Your ancestor Jacob fled from his brother Esau
⇔ and went to northwest Mesopotamia.
⇔ He worked for his uncle Laban for many years to get a wife;
⇔ he took care of his uncle’s sheep to pay for her.

LEB • Jacob fled to the open field of Aram,[fn] and Israel served for a wife,
• and for a wife he watched over sheep.

12:1 Or “the land of Aram”

BBE And Jacob went in flight into the field of Aram, and Israel became a servant for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

Moff he fled to the land of Aram,
⇔ where Israel served for a wife,
⇔ for a wife he herded sheep.

JPS (12-13) And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

ASV And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

DRA Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and was a keeper for a wife.

YLT And Jacob doth flee to the country of Aram, And Israel doth serve for a wife, Yea, for a wife he hath kept watch.

Drby And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept [sheep].

RV And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

SLT And Jacob will flee to the field of Aram, and Israel will serve for a wife, and for a wife he watched.

Wbstr And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep .

KJB-1769 And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

KJB-1611 And Iacob fled into the countrey of Syria, and Israel serued for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheepe.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps Iacob fled into the lande of Syria, and Israel serued for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheepe.
(Yacob fled into the land of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.)

Gnva And Iaakob fled into the countrey of Aram, and Israel serued for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheepe.
(And Yacob fled into the country of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. )

Cvdl Iacob fled into the londe of Siria, and Israel serued for a wife, and for a wife he kepte shepe.
(Yacob fled into the land of Siria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.)

Wycl Jacob fledde in to the cuntrei of Sirie, and Israel seruyde for a wijf, and seruyde, ether kepte, for a wijf.
(Yacob fled in to the country of Sirie, and Israel served for a wife, and served, either kept, for a wife.)

Luth In Gilead ist‘s Abgötterei, und zu Gilgal opfern sie Ochsen vergeblich; und haben so viel Altäre, als Mandeln auf dem Felde stehen.
(In Gilead it_is idolatry, and to/for Gilgal sacrifice(v) they/she/them oxen vain; and have so many altars, as almonds on/in/to to_him field stand.)

ClVg Fugit Jacob in regionem Syriæ, et servivit Israël in uxorem, et in uxorem servavit.
(He_fled Yacob in/into/on country Syriæ, and served Israel in/into/on wife, and in/into/on wife he_kept. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 11:12–12:14: Israel is deceitful and refuses to return to the LORD

In this section, the LORD accuses both Israel and Judah of wrongdoing, but then focuses on the wicked behavior of Israel (11:12–12:1). Hosea continues to describe Israel, giving examples from the life of their ancestor Jacob to show that Israel followed his bad behavior (12:2–8). The LORD then reminded the people how they had responded wickedly when he led them in the past (12:9–11). Hosea concludes this section by comparing Jacob’s care of sheep in Aram with the LORD’s care of his people through a prophet or prophets.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

Israel’s Sin (NIV)

Israel and Judah Are Condemned (GNT)

Paragraph 12:12–14

This paragraph compares/contrasts Jacob and the LORD. Jacob took care of sheep in Aram to attain a wife. The LORD took care of the people in Sinai by sending a prophet. Yet Israel provoked the LORD’s anger, and he will hold them accountable.

Hosea is probably the speaker in this paragraph. This is suggested by the use of the phrase “the/his LORD” rather than “I.”

12:12

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^12a Jacob fled to the land of Aram

^12band Israel worked for a wife—

^12c for a wife he tended sheep.

These lines continue to describe Jacob from 12:3–4. (See also Genesis 28–29). The verbs, “fled,” “worked” and “tended” indicate that Jacob had a difficult life. He was of low status and served others.Keil (page 99) and Davies (page 282). This verse is the first part of a comparison/contrast of Jacob to prophets. The second part is 12:13.Garrett (page 246) suggests that the following comparisons may be intended here: both Haran and Egypt are foreign lands that served as places of refuge. Both Jacob and Israel worked as slaves. God created a situation in which both Laban and the Egyptians were eager to have Jacob/Israelites leave. Also, both departed with the wealth of their hosts. Jacob “tended” (šamar) sheep to get a wife (v. 12), and in the exodus Yahweh “tended” (šamar) Israel through his prophet (v. 13).

In Hebrew, this verse begins with a word that connects it to the previous verse(s). In many other places, this word is translated as “and” or “but.”

Here the connection of this verse to the previous ones is unclear.The previous verses may demonstrate that Israel has forgotten her humble beginnings and the LORD’s loving care for her as a young nation. So here in 12:12, that history is reviewed as a reminder to them. See Deuteronomy 26:5–11 for a similar historical review for this purpose. Keil (page 99) and McComiskey (page 210). Most versions leave the connection implied. Use a natural way in your language to indicate the connection of this verse to 12:11.

12:12a

Jacob fled to the land of Aram

¶ Jacob had to flee to the land of Mesopotamia.
¶ Remember again our ancestor Jacob. He ran to escape from his brother and went to Syria.

Jacob fled to the land of Aram: The Hebrew word for fled means “ran away.”HALOT (electronic edition, page 156) 1. The word connotes running in a hurry, often from a threatening situation.McComiskey (page 210). Here it refers to a time when Jacob fled from Canaan, because Esau threatened to kill him. See Genesis 27:42–45.

Some versions make explicit that Jacob was the ancestor of the people of Israel. For example:

Our ancestor Jacob had to flee to Mesopotamia (GNT)

land of Aram: This phrase is literally “field/territory of Aram.” It refers to Paddan-aram.Also called Syrian Mesopotamia. See Davies (page 232). See Genesis 28:2. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Northwest Mesopotamia (NCV)

country of Syria (GW)

12:12b

and Israel worked for a wife—

He served his uncle to gain a wife.
There he/Israel worked to earn a wife.

Israel worked for a wife: This clause is literally “Israel served for a wife.”Some commentators regard the prefix bet on the word for “wife” to be a “beth pretii,” which indicates “for a price.” Others disagree, since it is Jacob’s work, not the wife, that is the price paid. Andersen and Freedman (page 620) suggest that here the prefix means “for/to gain a wife” and that this use of bet is not its common meaning. It refers to Jacob serving his uncle Laban by caring for sheep. The clause may indicate that Jacob’s work substituted for a bride price.Andersen and Freedman (page 620).

In this clause, Jacob is called by the name Israel. Some versions use the pronoun “he” here instead. For example:

he worked for another man (GNT)

12:12c

for a wife he tended sheep.

It was for her that he cared for sheep.
The bride price he paid was to guard her father’s sheep.

for a wife he tended sheep: The Hebrew text repeats the same phrase for a wife here as in 12b. It has the same meaning in both lines.Davies (page 282) and Andersen and Freedman (page 620) suggest a different possibility. The phrase “for a wife” in 12b may refer to Jacob’s first wife, Leah. The same phrase in 12c may refer to Jacob’s second wife, Rachel. However, this possibility is not supported in versions. Some other versions make explicit that the phrase for a wife means to pay for a wife. Here is another way to translate this clause:

and there he earned a wife by tending sheep (NLT)

and to pay for her he tended sheep (NIV)