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.

OET (OET-RV) Yet the number of Israelis will be like the sand on the seashore, which can’t be measured or counted. Then instead of being told, ‘You’re not my people,’ they’ll be told, ‘You are children of the living god.’[ref]

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative, blue:Elohim.
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).

ULT Yet the number of the sons of Israel
⇔ will be like the sand of the seashore,
⇔ which cannot be measured or counted.
⇔ In the place where it was said to them,
⇔ ‘You are not my people,’
⇔ it will be said to them,
⇔ ‘You are sons of the living God.’

UST One day in the future, the people of Israel will be as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea. No one will be able to count them. I have said to Israel, ‘You are not my people,’—but one day I will say to them, ‘You are the people whom I will protect and love.’

BSB Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured [or] counted. And it will happen that in the [very] place where it was said to them, ‘You [are] not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’[fn]

OEB ⇔ Yet the number of the Israelites
⇔ will be as the sand of the sea,
⇔ which cannot be measured or counted,
⇔ and where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’
⇔ they will be called, ‘children of the living God.’

WEBBE Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can’t be measured or counted; and it will come to pass that, in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

WMBB (Same as above)

NET However, in the future the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea which can be neither measured nor numbered. Although it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it will be said to them, “You are children of the living God!”

LSV and the number of the sons of Israel has been as the sand of the sea that is not measured nor numbered, and it has come to pass in the place where it is said to them, You [are] not My people, it is said to them, Sons of the Living God;

FBV Even so[fn] the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand on the seashore that cannot be measured or counted. Then right there at the place where they were told ‘you are not my people’ they will be called ‘the children of the living God.’

1:10 “Even so”—transition supplied. The Hebrew simply says “and.”

T4T But some day the people of Israel will be as numerous as [SIM] the grains of sand on the seashore; no one will be able to count them. Now I am saying to them, ‘You are not my people,’ but then people will say to them, ‘You are the children of God who is all-powerful.’

LEB No LEB HOS 1:10 verse available

BBE But still the number of the children of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which may not be measured or numbered; and in place of its being said to them, You are not my people, it will be said to them, You are the sons of the living God

Moff ⇔ The numbers of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea,
⇔ that cannot be measured or counted;
⇔ once it was said, “You are no folk of mine,”
⇔ but now their name is “Sons of the living God.”

JPS (2-1) Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, instead of that which was said unto them: 'Ye are not My people', it shall be said unto them: 'Ye are the children of the living God.'

ASV Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

DRA And the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, that is without measure, and shall not be numbered. And it shall be in the place where it shall be said to them: You are not my people: it shall be said to them: Ye are the sons of the living God.

YLT and the number of the sons of Israel hath been as the sand of the sea, that is not measured nor numbered, and it hath come to pass in the place where it is said to them, Ye [are] not My people, it is said to them, Sons of the Living God;

Drby Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea which cannot be measured or numbered; and it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, it shall be said unto them, Sons of the living [fn]God.

1.10 El

RV Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
(Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, in the place where it was said unto them, Ye/You_all are not my people, it shall be said unto them, Ye/You_all are the sons of the living God. )

SLT And the number of the sons of Israel was as the sand of the sea which shall not be measured and shall not be numbered: and it was in the place which it shall be said to them, Ye are not my people, and it shall be said to them, Ye the sons of the living God.

Wbstr Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said to them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said to them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

KJB-1769 ¶ Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.[fn]
(¶ Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye/You_all are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye/You_all are the sons of the living God. )

1.10 in…: or, instead of that

KJB-1611 ¶ Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot bee measured nor numbred, and it shall come to passe, that [fn]in the place where it was said vnto them, Yee are not my people, there it shall be said vnto them, Ye are the sonnes of the liuing God.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

1:10 Or, in stead of that.

Bshps Yet the number of the chyldren of Israel shalbe as the sand of the sea, which can neither be measured nor tolde: and in the place where it was sayde vnto them, Ye are not my people: it shall be saide vnto them, Ye are the chyldren of the liuing God.
(Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which can neither be measured nor told: and in the place where it was said unto them, Ye/You_all are not my people: it shall be said unto them, Ye/You_all are the children of the living God.)

Gnva Yet the nomber of the children of Israel shall be as the sande of the sea, which can not be measured nor tolde: and in the place where it was saide vnto them, Yee are not my people, it shall be saide vnto them, Yee are the sonnes of the liuing God.
(Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor told: and in the place where it was said unto them, Ye/You_all are not my people, it shall be said unto them, Ye/You_all are the sons of the living God. )

Cvdl And though the nombre of the children of Israel be as the sonde of the see, which can nether be measured ner tolde: Yet in the place where it is sayde vnto them, ye be not my people: euen there shall it be thus reported of them: they be ye childre of the lyuynge God.
(And though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, which can neither be measured nor told: Yet in the place where it is said unto them, ye/you_all be not my people: even there shall it be thus reported of them: they be ye/you_all children of the living God.)

Wycl And the noumbre of the sones of Israel schal be as grauel of the see, which grauel is with out mesure, and it schal not be noumbrid; and it schal be in the place, where it schal be seid to hem, Ye ben not my puple; it schal be seid to hem, Ye ben the sones of God lyuynge.
(And the number of the sons of Israel shall be as gravel of the sea, which gravel is with out measure, and it shall not be numbered; and it shall be in the place, where it shall be said to hem, Ye/You_all been not my people; it shall be said to hem, Ye/You_all been the sons of God living.)

Luth No Luth HOS 1:10 verse available

ClVg Et erit numerus filiorum Israël quasi arena maris, quæ sine mensura est, et non numerabitur. Et erit in loco ubi dicetur eis: Non populus meus vos: dicetur eis: Filii Dei viventis.
(And will_be number of_children Israel as_if arena of_the_sea, which without measure it_is, and not/no will_be_counted. And will_be in/into/on instead where it_will_be_said to_them: Not/No the_people mine you(pl): it_will_be_said to_them: Children of_God living. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:10–2:1: The LORD promised to make the people of Israel his own again

The Hebrew text has a chapter break here. It has different verse and chapter numbers from the majority of English translations. These Notes follow the system of most English versions (unlike the NJPS and the NJB, which follow the Hebrew numbering system). You need to decide which system you are going to follow and be consistent throughout your translation. Usually it is good to follow the same chapter and verse numbering that is used by most other translations in your area.

In the previous section, 1:2–9, the LORD said that he no longer considered the people of Israel to be his people. In this section, 1:10–2:1, the LORD continued to speak to the people of Israel. He told them that there was still hope. He would make them a great and mighty nation in the future.

The BSB does not start a new section here, but TN and some other versions do.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

God’s Promise to Israel (NCV)

Hope for Israel (CEV)

The Restoration of Israel (NRSV)

Paragraph 1:10–2:1

The message of future hope for Israel in this paragraph contrasts with the messages of judgment that precede it. The Israelites had been unfaithful to the LORD. They had broken the covenant he made with them through Moses at Mt. Sinai. In spite of that, the LORD reminded them here that he still intended to keep the promise of the earlier covenant that he had made with their ancestor Abraham. In the future, he will once again bless the nation of Israel. He will increase their numbers and reunite the northern kingdom of Israel with the southern kingdom of Judah.

1:10

If you start a new section here, you may need to make explicit at the beginning of 1:10 that the LORD is still speaking. For example:

The Lord continued to speak. He said …

1:10a

Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted.

¶ Then Yahweh said, “But in the future the people of Israel will become as many as the grains of sand on the seashore that no one can count or measure.
¶ Yahweh continued to speak, saying, “But in the future I will cause the Israelites to become many again. Their number will be like the sand on the edge of the ocean that is impossible to count.

Yet: This verse contrasts strongly with the previous verses. You should translate it in a way that indicates this contrast. If this is a new section in your translation, you may have to make the link to the previous section explicit by repeating part of verse 9. For example:

Although I have said that you are no longer my people, yet….

the Israelites: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “the number of the sons of Israel.” It refers here to the entire nation.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

the number of the people of Israel (NRSV)

will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted: This is a figure of speech (simile) that the LORD first used in Genesis 22:17 and Genesis 32:12. Those verses expressed his covenant promise to Abraham. Here the simile compares the number of Israelites to the sand on the seashore. The point of similarity is that they will be so many that no one will be able to count them.

Hebrew and most English versions state the word “number” explicitly. For example:

the Israelites will become as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. No one will be able to measure them or count them. (GW)

the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea which can be neither measured nor numbered. (NET)

Translate in a natural way that makes the correct meaning of the simile clear.

cannot be measured or counted: The words measured and counted have almost the same meaning in this context. They are used together for the sake of emphasis. The word measured does not occur in either of the similar verses in Genesis. In this context, it refers to measuring the amount of something dry like sand, using a container whose size is known.

If your language has a word for measuring something like sand, you may use it here. If it is confusing to compare the number of people to sand that is measured, you may want to use only one expression, as some English versions have done. For example:

Someday it will be impossible to count the people of Israel, because there will be as many of them as there are grains of sand along the seashore. (CEV)

You should translate this figure of speech in a way that is consistent with Genesis 22:17 and 32:12, so that readers can recognize that these words refer back to the LORD’s covenant with Abraham. At the same time, notice that there are some minor differences between these verses. If possible, you should maintain these differences in your translation. It is suggested that you refer to these Genesis verses in a footnote or in some other way.

1:10b–c

And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

In the place where they were told, ‘You^(plur) are no longer my people,’ they will be told, ‘You are children of the living God.’
In the location where Yahweh said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ he will say to them, ‘You are the children of the God who is alive.’
In the place where Yahweh said to them that they were not his people, he will say to them that they are the children of the God who has life.

1:10b

in the very place where it was said to them: There are two ways to interpret the Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as in the very place where:

It refers to a literal geographical place, either the land of Israel or the land where the people will be exiled.Andersen and Freedman, Stuart, Keil, Davies, McComiskey, Dearman, and Wood all understand this to refer to a place. Keil (page 32) supports the land of exile, citing v. 11 where the people come out of exile. The Targums, Rashi and Ibn Ezra also understand the land of exile, but Davies (pages 60–61) feels that the land of Israel is more likely, following the people’s return from exile. Wood (page 173) says that the particular place is not important. In this same place, the words that the LORD will say to the people will contrast with his previous words. For example:
at the place where they were told (NLT) (BSB, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT, NJB, NRSV)
It is a special use of the Hebrew phrase. Here it means “in place of” or “instead of.” It does not refer here to a literal place. It simply introduces the contrasting words that the LORD will say to the people with his previous words. For example:
instead of being told (NJPS) (CEV, GNT, NCV, NET, NJPS, REB)The CEV, NCV, REB, and GNT do not use an explicit word or phrase such as “instead.” They simply give the contrasting statements. The NET has “Although…,” indicating a concessive relationship. The NJPS is the only version that uses the word “instead.”

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with almost all commentaries and lexicons. The Hebrew word for place normally refers to a location. It occurs with this meaning approximately five hundred times in the Old Testament.HALOT (#5582) says there are approximately 500 occurrences of maqom. All the senses given in HALOT refer to locations. TWOT (#1999h) says that this “noun represents the physical location where something is or ought to be.” NIDOTTE (#5226) is similar. Its glosses all indicate locations. BDB (#8491, page 880) lists Hosea 1:10 (2:1) under sense 4, “place, locality, spot.” It also lists this verse under sense 7, “peculiar uses,” where it has “perhaps b.…instead of.” The two other verses listed under 7b (Isaiah 33:21 and Nahum 1:8) are not translated as “instead of” by any English version on TW or Bible Gateway. With this interpretation, the focus in this verse is still on the changed relationship between God and his people.

it was said to them: This is a passive clause. The implied speaker is the LORD.

If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb in this context, here is another way to translate it:

the LORD said to them

You are not My people: This is the same phrase as in 1:9b. Translate it the same way here.

1:10c

they will be called: This is a passive clause like the similar clause in 1:10b. See the General Comment on 1:10b–c for a way to translate this as an active clause.

sons of the living God: The Hebrew expression sons of can refer either to sons or to both sons and daughters. In this context, it refers to the entire nation, so a translation such as “children” is preferable to sons. For example:

they will be told they are ‘Children of the living God.’ (NJB)

living God: The phrase living God is probably used here to contrast the true God with the false gods that the people worshiped.Macintosh (page 36). God was truly alive. The false gods had no life.

General Comment on 1:10b–c

Try to use similar expressions in 1:10b and 1:10c to show the contrast between what the LORD called the people in the past and what he will call them in the future. For example:

^10bWherever they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ ^10cthey will be told, ‘You are the children of the living God.’ (GW)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

General Information:

Yahweh is speaking to Hosea.

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

(Occurrence 0) like the sand of the seashore

(like the sand of the seashore)

This emphasizes the great number of Israelites.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

(Occurrence 0) which cannot be measured or counted

(which cannot be measured or counted)

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “which no one can measure or count”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

(Occurrence 0) It will be that where it was said to them

(It will be that where it was said to them)

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Where God said to them”

(Occurrence 0) where it was said to them

(where it was said to them)

This expression probably refers to Jezreel, the city where crimes had been committed by kings of Israel, and which was a symbol of God’s punishment of them.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

(Occurrence 0) it will be said to them

(it will be said to them)

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God will say to them”

Parallel HOS 1:10