HOS 13:14 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=vital (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Will I ransom them from the hand of the grave?
⇔ ≈ Will I redeem them from death?
⇔ Where, O Death, are your plagues?
⇔ ≈ Where, O Grave, is your destruction?
⇔ My eyes won’t be displaying any compassion.”[ref]

13:14 OSHB note: We agree with both BHS 1997 and BHQ on an unexpected reading.

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 Ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου ῥύσομαι, καὶ ἐκ θανάτου λυτρώσομαι αὐτούς· ποῦ ἡ δίκη σου θάνατε; ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου ᾅδη; παράκλησις κέκρυπται ἀπὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου.
(Ek ⱪeiros hadou ɽusomai, kai ek thanatou lutrōsomai autous; pou haʸ dikaʸ sou thanate; pou to kentron sou hadaʸ; paraklaʸsis kekruptai apo ofthalmōn mou. )

BrTr I will deliver them out of the power of Hades, and will redeem them from death: where is thy penalty, O death? O Hades, where is thy sting? comfort is hidden from mine eyes.

ULT Will I ransom them from the hand of Sheol?
⇔ Will I redeem them from death?
⇔ Where, O Death, are your plagues?
⇔ Where, O Sheol, is your destruction?
⇔ Compassion is hidden from my eyes.”

UST Will I really keep you from dying?
⇔ Will I rescue you from dying?
⇔ No! I will let you die
⇔ I will let you perish.
⇔ I have no more compassion left for you.”

13:14 Or Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death?

13:14 LXX Where, O Death, is your penalty? Where, O Hades, is your sting? Cited in 1 Corinthians 15:55

OEB ⇔ Should I deliver them from the power of Sheol?
⇔ Should I redeem them from death?
⇔ Death, where are your plagues?
⇔ Sheol, where is your pestilence?
⇔ Compassion is forever hidden from my eyes.

WEBBE I will ransom them from the power of Sheol.[fn]
⇔ I will redeem them from death!
⇔ Death, where are your plagues?
⇔ Sheol, where is your destruction?
⇔ “Compassion will be hidden from my eyes.

13:14 Sheol is the place of the dead.

WMBB (Same as above including footnotes)

NET Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not!
⇔ Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not!
⇔ O Death, bring on your plagues!
⇔ O Sheol, bring on your destruction!
⇔ My eyes will not show any compassion!

LSV Will I ransom them from the hand of Sheol? Will I redeem them from death? Where [is] your plague, O death? Where your destruction, O Sheol? Comfort is hid from My eyes.

FBV I shall redeem them from the power of Sheol; I shall deliver them from death. Where, death, are your plagues? Where, Sheol, is your destruction? Compassion is hidden from my sight.

T4T I certainly will not [RHQ] save you from being killed
⇔ and from going to the place where the dead people are.
⇔ I will [RHQ] cause you to be afflicted by plagues
⇔ and to die and be buried in graves.
⇔ I will not be merciful to you.

LEB • Should I redeem them from the power[fn] of Sheol? [fn] Should I deliver them from death?
• Where are your plagues, O Death?
• Where is your destruction, O Sheol?[fn]
• Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

13:? Literally “the hand”

13:? “Sheol” is a Hebrew term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the underworld

BBE I will give the price to make them free from the power of the underworld, I will be their saviour from death: O death! where are your pains? O underworld! where is your destruction? my eyes will have no pity.

Moff Am I to save them from Death-land?
⇔ am I to rescue them from death?
⇔ Nay, come, death, with your plagues!
⇔ Come, Death-land, with your pestilence!
⇔ I have no thought of relenting.

JPS Shall I ransom them from the power of the nether-world? Shall I redeem them from death? Ho, thy plagues, O death! Ho, thy destruction, O nether-world! Repentance be hid from Mine eyes!

ASV I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

DRA I will deliver them out of the hand of death. I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy death; O hell, I will be thy bite: comfort is hidden from my eyes.

YLT From the hand of Sheol I do ransom them, From death I redeem them, Where [is] thy plague, O death? Where thy destruction, O Sheol? Repentance is hid from Mine eyes.

Drby I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death: where, O death, are thy plagues? where, O Sheol, is thy destruction? Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

RV I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O grave, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
(I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: Oh death, where are thy/your plagues? Oh grave, where is thy/your destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. )

SLT From the hand of hades will I redeem them; from death will I ransom them: I will be thy words, O death, I will be thy cutting off, O hades: consolation will be hid from mine eyes.

Wbstr I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues, O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from my eyes.

KJB-1769 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.[fn]
(I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: Oh death, I will be thy/your plagues; Oh grave, I will be thy/your destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. )

13.14 power: Heb. hand

KJB-1611 [fn]I will ransome them from the power of the graue: I will redeeme them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues, O graue, I will be thy destruction; repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

13:14 Hebr. the hand.

Bshps I wyll redeeme them from the power of the graue, and deliuer them from death: O death, I wyll be thy death: O hell, I wyll be thy styng: yet can I see no comfort.
(I will redeem them from the power of the grave, and deliver them from death: Oh death, I will be thy/your death: Oh hell, I will be thy/your sting: yet can I see no comfort.)

Gnva I wil redeeme them from the power of the graue: I will deliuer them from death: O death, I wil be thy death: O graue, I will be thy destruction: repentance is hid from mine eyes.
(I will redeem them from the power of the grave: I will deliver them from death: Oh death, I will be thy/your death: Oh grave, I will be thy/your destruction: repentance is hid from mine eyes. )

Cvdl had not I defended him from the graue, and delyuered him from death. O death, I wil be thy death: o hell, I wil be thy stynge.
(had not I defended him from the grave, and delivered him from death. Oh death, I will be thy/your death: o hell, I will be thy/your sting.)

Wycl Y schal delyuere hem fro the hoond of deeth, and Y schal ayenbie hem fro deth. Thou deth, Y schal be thi deth; thou helle, Y schal be thi mussel.
(I shall deliver hem from the hand of death, and I shall ayenbie hem from death. Thou/You death, I shall be thy/your death; thou/you hell, I shall be thy/your mussel.)

Luth Aber ich will sie erlösen aus der Hölle und vom Tod erretten. Tod, ich will dir ein Gift sein; Hölle, ich will dir eine Pestilenz sein! Doch ist der Trost vor meinen Augen verborgen.
(But I will they/she/them redeem out_of the/of_the hell and from_the Tod save/rescue. Tod, I will you/to_you(sg) a Gift be; hell, I will you/to_you(sg) a/one pestilence be! But is the/of_the consolation/comfort before/in_front_of my eyes hidden/concealed.)

ClVg De manu mortis liberabo eos; de morte redimam eos. Ero mors tua, o mors ! morsus tuus ero, inferne ! consolatio abscondita est ab oculis meis.
(From/About by_hand of_death I_will_deliver them; from/about death redimam them. I_will_be death your, o death ! bite your(sg) I_will_be, inferne ! consolation hidden it_is away eyes mine. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 13:1–16: The LORD’s anger against Israel

In this section, the LORD gives reasons for his anger against Israel. It was necessary to judge them because they continued to rebel against him.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Final Judgment on Israel (GNT)

The Lord’s Relentless Judgment on Israel (ESV)

Ephraim’s Idolatry (NASB)

Paragraph 13:12–16

In this paragraph, the LORD expresses his anger against Israel and describes his coming judgment. He compares Israel’s situation to a painful childbirth and to a child who resists being born (13:13). He describes his coming judgment figuratively as a taunt to the grave (Sheol) and death to come and destroy (13:14) and as a desert wind that dries up springs and fountains (13:15). He also describes it nonfiguratively by citing horrible acts of war (13:16).

13:14a–d

Notice the parallel lines that are similar in meaning:Notice the poetic chiasmic structure: 14a grave, 14b death, 14c death, 14d grave.

^14aI will ransom them from the power of Sheol;

^14bI will redeem them from Death.

^14cWhere, O Death, are your plagues?

^14dWhere, O Sheol, is your sting?

There are two main interpretations of these four clauses:

The first two clauses are rhetorical questions. The implied answer is “No.” The LORD indicates by means of these rhetorical questions that he will punish Israel. For example:
Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? (NRSV) The second two clauses are also rhetorical questions. The LORD taunts death, implying, “Where is the destruction that you should bring to Israel?See Dearman (pages 328–329), Stuart (page 207), Davies (page 295), Macintosh (page 546), and Hubbard (page 221). For example:
O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your destruction? (NRSV) (CEV, GNT, NAB, NASB, NCV, NET, NJB, NLT, NRSV, REB).
The first two clauses are statements. The LORD promises to save the people of Israel. For example:
I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. (ESV) The second two clauses are rhetorical questions. In light of the LORD’s preceding promise to save Israel, he here mocks death because it can no longer destroy.See Andersen and Freedman (pages 639–640), Keil (pages 104–105), McComiskey (pages 223–224), and Wood (page 221). For example:
O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting?In more literal versions, such as the NRSV and the ESV, the surface structure of the second set of rhetorical questions is the same in both interpretations. The meaning of 14a–b determines whether the message of the two questions here is bad/threatening or good/encouraging for the people of Israel. (ESV) (BSB, ESV, GW,The GW has statements for all four clauses. Unlike other versions that use statements, it uses the phrases “I want to…” It has been listed here, because it clearly supports the overall meaning of interpretation (2). KJV, NIV, NJPS)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with a majority of versions and commentaries. It best fits the context of judgment in the surrounding verses.Both the LXX and Syriac follow interpretation (2). However, many scholars hold that a promise of rescue here is out of place in the context of this whole paragraph that focuses on judgment. In addition, ch.12 and the first part of ch. 13 all deal with Israel’s terrible sins and the LORD’s determination to punish them. However, it should be noted that ch. 6:1–3 and ch. 14 both contain promises that the LORD will forgive the people and restore their nation. It is clear from 1 Corinthians 15:55 that the Apostle Paul either reads this verse in a positive light as do the early versions, or else in rabbinic fashion he reframes the original declaration of judgment into a proclamation of victory over death in light of Christ’s resurrection. See Dearman (pages 328–329). Calvin (pages 478–479) points out that the apostles sometimes focused on a single word or concept in a quoted passage rather than then conveying the entire thought. Here, Paul probably alluded indirectly to this Hosea text because of his desire to praise “the incredible power of God.”

Some versions translate in a way that makes the implied meanings more explicit. For example:

Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! (NET)

Should I, the Lord, rescue you from death and the grave? No! I call death and the grave to strike you like a plague. (CEV)

The GNT translates the rhetorical questions in the first two clauses as statements:

I will not save this people from the world of the dead or rescue them from the power of death. (GNT)

This may be a good translation option if a rhetorical question is not natural or effective in your language.

13:14a–b

(combined/reordered)

I will not save this people from the world of the dead or rescue them from the power of death. (GNT)

ransom…redeem: The Hebrew word for ransom means “transfer ownership of a person or object to another.”McComiskey (page 223). TWOT (#1734). The Hebrew word for redeem means here “reclaim [Israel] as one’s own.”HALOT (electronic edition, page 169). In this context of ransoming/redeeming from death, the words could be translated as “save/rescue.” For example:

Will I save them from the place of the dead? Will I rescue them from death? (NCV)

power of Sheol: The Hebrew phrase is more literally “hand of Sheol.” In Hebrew a common figurative meaning of “hand” is power or strength.TWOT (#844).

The word Sheol can refer to “place of the dead” or just “death.”McComiskey (pages 223–224).

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the power of Sheol (RSV)

the place of the dead (NCV)

Some versions leave the word power implied. For example:

“Should I ransom them from the grave? (NLT)

13:14a

I will ransom them from the power of Sheol;

“Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol?
“Should I rescue them from the grave? No!

13:14b

I will redeem them from Death.

Will I redeem them from death?
Should I save them from death? No!

13:14c

Where, O Death, are your plagues?

O death, where are your^(sg) plagues?
Death, bring your deadly diseases!
O Death, hurry up and cause the diseases that kill people!

13:14d

Where, O Sheol, is your sting?

O Sheol, where is your^(sg) destruction?
Grave, bring your disasters!
Oh grave/Sheol, go ahead and destroy them.

13:14c–d

Where: Here the word Where does not ask about the literal location of plagues and destruction. It is used as part of a taunt. See interpretation (1) above. Some versions translate the taunt in a different way. For example, the NLT translates the rhetorical questions as commands:

O death, bring on your terrors! O grave, bring on your plagues! (NLT)

plagues: The Hebrew word means any kind of disease that causes death.BDB (#1698) and TWOT (#399b). The NASB has “thorns” here. “Thorns” is a second possible meaning of the word according to HALOT (electronic edition, page 212) sense II and NIDOTTE (#1823). However, only a small minority of versions follow it.

sting: There are two main interpretations of the meaning of the Hebrew word:

It means “destruction.” For example:
O Sheol, where is your destruction? (NRSV) (GNT, GW, KJV, NET, NIV, NRSV)
It means sting. For example:
O Sheol, where is your sting? (ESV) (BSB, ESV, NAB, NASB, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The most common meaning of the Hebrew word is “destruction.” It has good support from the majority of versions and scholars.BDB (#6986) and TWOT (#2007a) give “destruction” as the meaning of the Hebrew word. There is also some support for the meaning “sting.” The LXX and Syriac have “sting.” HALOT (electronic edition, page 1092) sense 3 and NIDOTTE (#7776) list “sting” as one sense of the word. However, both interpretations have good version support, so it is recommended that you give the other option in a footnote. For example:

This is what the Masoretic Text probably means. Some ancient and modern versions have “sting” here.

13:14e

Compassion is hidden from My eyes.

I will not have compassion on them.
I refuse to pity these people.

Compassion is hidden from My eyes: The Hebrew word translated as Compassion is found only here in the Old Testament and the meaning is debated.For example, HALOT (electronic edition, page 689) gives the meaning as “compassion.” BDB (#5164) gives the meaning as “sorrow,” “repentance.” There are two main interpretations of this line:

The LORD will not show compassion.This interpretation is favored by Davies (page 296), Macintosh (pages 548–549), and Wood (page 221). See also the NET footnote on the first line of 13:14. For example:
I will no longer have pity for this people. (GNT) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GNT, NASB, NCV, NET, NJB, NIV, NLT, REB)Most versions that follow this interpretation also follow interpretation (1) of 14a–d above, which says that the LORD will not rescue his people from death.
The LORD will not change his plan to save his people.This interpretation is favored by McComiskey (pages 223–224, Garrett (pages 264–265), and Keil (pages 104–105). For example:
I won’t even think of changing my plans. (GW) (GW, KJV, NJPS)Versions that follow this interpretation also follow interpretation (2) of 14a–d above, that the LORD will rescue his people from death.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions. It better fits the recommended interpretation in 14:a-d and the context of judgment in the surrounding verses.

Here are some other ways to translate this line:

I refuse to show mercy. (CEV)

For I will not take pity on them. (NLT)

Parallel HOS 13:14