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) Contend with your mother, contend, because she’s not my wife,
⇔ and nor am I her husband.
⇔ Let her turn her face away from prostitution,
⇔ and cease her adultery from between her breasts.

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
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 Καὶ συναχθήσονται υἱοὶ Ἰούδα, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιτοαυτὸ, καὶ θήσονται ἑαυτοῖς ἀρχὴν μίαν, καὶ ἀναβήσονται ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ Ἰεζραέλ.
(Kai sunaⱪthaʸsontai huioi Youda, kai hoi huioi Israaʸl epitoauto, kai thaʸsontai heautois arⱪaʸn mian, kai anabaʸsontai ek taʸs gaʸs, hoti megalaʸ haʸ haʸmera tou Iezrael. )

BrTr And the children of Juda shall be gathered, and the children of Israel together, and shall appoint themselves one head, and shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezrael.

ULT Contend with your mother, contend,
⇔ for she is not my wife,
⇔ and neither am I her husband.
⇔ Let her put away her harlotry from her face,
⇔ and her adultery from between her breasts.

UST Yahweh said to me, “I want you to accuse Israel, who is like a mother to you, of being like an unfaithful wife to me.
⇔ This nation is no longer like a wife to me,
⇔ and I am no longer like a husband to her.
⇔ Tell Israel that they must stop acting like a prostitute; she must stop worshiping idols.
⇔ Israel must stop worshiping idols. She must stop acting like a woman who leaves her husband and goes to other men.

BSB Rebuke your mother,
⇔ rebuke her,
⇔ for she is not My wife,
⇔ and I am not her husband.
⇔ Let her remove the adultery from her face
⇔ and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.

OEB ⇔ Accuse, accuse your mother:
⇔ for she is not my wife,
⇔ and I will not be her husband.
⇔ Let her put her acts of infidelity out of her sight,
⇔ and her lovers from between her breasts,

WEBBE Contend with your mother!
⇔ Contend, for she is not my wife,
⇔ neither am I her husband;
⇔ and let her put away her prostitution from her face,
⇔ and her adulteries from between her breasts;

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG Wild Weekends and Unholy Holidays (2-13) “Haul your mother into court. Accuse her!
  She’s no longer my wife.
  I’m no longer her husband.
Tell her to quit dressing like a whore,
  displaying her breasts for sale.
If she refuses, I’ll rip off her clothes
  and expose her, naked as a newborn.
I’ll turn her skin into dried-out leather,
  her body into a badlands landscape,
  a rack of bones in the desert.
I’ll have nothing to do with her children,
  born one and all in a whorehouse.
Face it: Your mother’s been a whore,
  bringing bastard children into the world.
She said, ‘I’m off to see my lovers!
  They’ll wine and dine me,
Dress and caress me,
  perfume and adorn me!’
But I’ll fix her: I’ll dump her in a field of thistles,
  then lose her in a dead-end alley.
She’ll go on the hunt for her lovers
  but not bring down a single one.
She’ll look high and low
  but won’t find a one. Then she’ll say,
‘I’m going back to my husband, the one I started out with.
  That was a better life by far than this one.’
She didn’t know that it was I all along
  who wined and dined and adorned her,
That I was the one who dressed her up
  in the big-city fashions and jewelry
  that she wasted on wild Baal-orgies.
I’m about to bring her up short: No more wining and dining!
  Silk lingerie and gowns are a thing of the past.
I’ll expose her genitals to the public.
  All her fly-by-night lovers will be helpless to help her.
Party time is over. I’m calling a halt to the whole business,
  her wild weekends and unholy holidays.
I’ll wreck her sumptuous gardens and ornamental fountains,
  of which she bragged, ‘Whoring paid for all this!’
They will soon be dumping grounds for garbage,
  feeding grounds for stray dogs and cats.
I’ll make her pay for her indulgence in promiscuous religion—
  all that sensuous Baal worship
And all the promiscuous sex that went with it,
  stalking her lovers, dressed to kill,
And not a thought for me.”
  God’s Message!

NET Plead earnestly with your mother
⇔ (for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband),
⇔ so that she might put an end to her adulterous lifestyle,
⇔ and turn away from her sexually immoral behavior.

LSV Plead with your mother—plead
(For she [is] not My wife, and I [am] not her husband),
And she turns her whoredoms from before her,
And her adulteries from between her breasts,

FBV Condemn your mother, condemn her because she is not my wife and I am not her husband. Tell her to stop looking like a prostitute—get rid of the makeup and the provocative clothing.[fn]

2:2 Literally, “Let her remove her fornication from her face and her adultery from between her breasts.” The exact meaning is unclear. Possibilities include: the suggestive looks of a prostitute; the prostitute's makeup and jewelry; revealing clothing; or a prostitute's actions with her lovers. In any case the main sense is clear: Israel is to stop prostituting herself with other gods.

T4T Yahweh also said to me, “I want you to accuse the Israeli people.
⇔ It is as though [MET] this nation is your mother,
⇔ but this nation is no longer as though it is [MET] my wife,
⇔ and it is no longer as though [MET] I am its husband.
⇔ Tell the Israeli people that they must stop acting like a prostitute by worshiping other gods;
⇔ they must stop showing by their behavior that they ◄are unfaithful to/have abandoned► me [MET].

LEB   • Plead with your mother, plead— because she is not my wife,
   • and I am not her husband.
• Let her put away her whoring from before her ,[fn]
  • and her adultery from between her breasts.

2:? Literally “from her face”

BBE Take up the cause against your mother, take it up, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband; let her put away her loose ways from her face, and her false ways from between her breasts;

Moff (for she is no wife of mine,
⇔ and I am not her husband),
⇔ bid her clear her face of harlotry,
⇔ and her breasts of adulterous charms;

JPS (2-4) Plead with your mother, plead; for she is not My wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her harlotries from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

ASV Contend with your mother, contend; for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her whoredoms from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

DRA Judge your mother, judge her: because she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her put away her fornications from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts.

YLT Plead ye with your mother — plead, (For she [is] not My wife, and I [am] not her husband,) And she turneth her whoredoms from before her, And her adulteries from between her breasts,

Drby Plead with your mother, plead; for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: and let her put away her whoredoms from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

RV Plead with your mother, plead; for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: and let her put away her whoredoms from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
(Plead with your mother, plead; for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: and let her put away her whoredoms/prostitutions from her face, and her adulteries from between her breast/chests; )

SLT Contend with your mother, contend ye, for she is not my wife, and I not her husband: for she shall put away her fornications from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

Wbstr Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her prostitutions out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

KJB-1769 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
(Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms/prostitutions out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breast/chests; )

KJB-1611 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whordomes out of her sight, and her adulteries from betweene her breasts;
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps As for your mother, ye shall chyde with her and reproue her, for she is not my wyfe, neither am I her husbande: let her therefore put away her whordome from her face, and her adulterie from her brestes:
(As for your mother, ye/you_all shall chyde with her and reprove her, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredom/prostitution from her face, and her adultery from her breast/chests:)

Gnva Plead with your mother: plead with her: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: but let her take away her fornications out of her sight, and her adulteries from betweene her breasts.
(Plead with your mother: plead with her: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: but let her take away her fornications out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breast/chests. )

Cvdl As for youre mother, ye shal chyde with her, and reproue her: for she is not my wife, nether am I hir hu?bode: vnlesse she put awaye hir whordome out of my sight, and hir aduoutry from hir brestes.
(As for your(pl) mother, ye/you_all shall chyde with her, and reprove her: for she is not my wife, neither am I her hu?bode: unless she put away her whoredom/prostitution out of my sight, and her adultery from her breast/chests.)

Wycl Deme ye youre modir, deme ye, for sche is not my wijf, and Y am not hir hosebonde. Do sche awey hir fornicaciouns fro hir face, and hir auowtries fro the myddis of hir brestis;
(Judge ye/you_all your(pl) mother, judge/judgement ye/you_all, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Do she away her fornications from her face, and her adulteries from the midst of her breast/chests;)

Luth Denn es werden die Kinder Juda und die Kinder Israel zuhaufe kommen und werden sich miteinander an ein Haupt halten und aus dem Lande heraufziehen; denn der Tag Jesreels wird ein großer Tag sein.
(Because it become the children Yuda and the children Israel in_abundance coming and become itself/yourself/themselves together at/to a head hold/keep and out_of to_him land move_up/approach; because/than the/of_the day Yesreels becomes a large day be.)

ClVg [Judicate matrem vestram, judicate, quoniam ipsa non uxor mea, et ego non vir ejus. Auferat fornicationes suas a facie sua, et adulteria sua de medio uberum suorum;
([Yudicate mother your, judgese, since/because herself not/no wife my, and I not/no man his. Take_awayat fornications their_own from face his_own, and adultery his_own from/about in_the_middle uberum of_his_own; )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:2–13: The LORD promised to punish the people of Israel

In this section, the LORD described the crisis that resulted from Israel being unfaithful to him by following other gods. He warned Israel about the punishment that he would inflict on them if they continued their unfaithfulness. There is a sharp contrast between the negative tone in this section and the positive tone in the previous one.

The first words of this section seem to be a command by Hosea to his children. He commanded them to rebuke their mother (2:2a). However, the words “declares the LORD” in 2:13c indicate that the LORD is the speaker throughout this section. The reason for this double reference is that this section has both literal and figurative meanings. Literally, it applies to the relationship between Hosea, his wife Gomer, and their children. Figuratively, it expresses the relationship between the LORD and Israel. In a complex metaphor, the nation of Israel is compared to the LORD’s wife. At the same time, the entire nation of Israel is compared to a mother, and the individual Israelites that made up the nation are compared to her children.Andersen and Freedman (pages 219–220) and Wood (page 175).

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The LORD’s future punishment of Israel

Israel is the Lord’s unfaithful wife (GW)

Unfaithful Gomer—Unfaithful Israel (GNT)

Paragraph 2:2–5

This paragraph contains the first examples in Hosea of Hebrew poetry, including the use of parallel lines. See The form in the Introduction for more information on formatting poetry and translating parallel lines.

2:2a

Rebuke your mother, rebuke her,

¶ “Accuse/Rebuke your^(plur) mother, accuse/rebuke her of/for committing adultery,
¶ “My children, bring a serious charge against your mother for her crime of unfaithfulness to me.

Rebuke your mother, rebuke her: In Hebrew, the word rebuke means “to fight with words,” as in a quarrel or a legal case. There are two ways to interpret the word here:

It means to accuse. The children were told to accuse their mother of adultery.This expression would be appropriate for an accusation in a trial for adultery (Stuart, page 47). According to ancient documents, an adulterous wife was sometimes punished by stripping her naked and turning her away. The children typically performed this legal act. It was intended to humiliate a wife who had abandoned her husband to live with another man (IVP Bible Background Commentary). For example:
Accuse! Accuse your mother! (CEV) (BSB, CEV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NJB, NLT, REB)
It means to plead. The children were told to plead with their mother to stop her adultery. For example:
Plead with your mother, plead (NRSV) (ESV, GNT, GW, KJV, NET, NRSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most lexicons and commentaries. The Hebrew verb used in this verse is not used elsewhere in the Old Testament to describe an appeal that someone change his ways.

Some English versions use an expression that refers to an actual trial. For example:

take your mother to court (NJB)

But this verse may also refer to an informal accusation or rebuke, so if possible, use a more general expression, as in the NIV or CEV.

Rebuke…rebuke: In Hebrew and in some English versions, the word is repeated to emphasize the seriousness of this command. Another way to give emphasis is to add a word that intensifies the meaning. For example:

Sternly accuse your mother

Use a natural way in your language to emphasize this command.

your mother: This phrase refers literally to Gomer, the mother of Hosea’s children. At the same time, Gomer represented the entire nation of Israel. Her children represented the individual Israelites whom the LORD commanded to rebuke the nation.

If possible, translate this phrase in a general way that allows both meanings to be understood. If the figurative meaning is not clear from the context, you may want to explain it in a footnote. For example:

In this verse, Hosea told his children to accuse their mother Gomer of committing adultery. This was a symbol of the LORD telling individual Israelites to accuse their mother, the nation of Israel, of committing spiritual adultery by worshiping idols.

2:2b

for she is not My wife,

because now she does not consider herself to be my wife,
She no longer acts like she is my wife.

2:2c

and I am not her husband.

and/so now I do not consider myself to be her husband.
As a result, I no longer act like I am her husband.

2:2b–c

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^2bfor she is not My wife,

^2cand I am not her husband.

for: This word introduces the reason that the children are told to rebuke their mother. They should rebuke her because she is no longer behaving like a wife.The GNT is the only version that indicates concession rather than reason. It has “plead with your mother—though she is no longer a wife…” TN recommends that you not follow the GNT here.

not My wife…not her husband: Together these two statements emphasize that Israel had broken its covenant with the LORD, just as Gomer had broken her marriage covenant with Hosea. As a result, the LORD could no longer treat Israel as his people, and Hosea could no longer act as Gomer’s husband.

These statements probably indicate a broken relationship rather than divorce.Macintosh (page 41) and McComiskey (page 32). This is because in the next verses the husband continues to urge his wife, through the children, to stop her adulterous behavior and to reconcile with him.

One way to avoid implying divorce is to make it clear that these statements refer to actions or attitudes, not to an actual legal status. For example:

^2bShe no longer acts like my wife. (GW)

^2cAnd I no longer act like I am her husband.

Be careful not to imply that the husband had been unfaithful to his wife and had broken their relationship.

2:2d–e

(combined/reordered)

Tell/Command^(plur) her to stop her prostitution and adultery.
She must stop sleeping with men who are not her husband.

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^2dLet her remove the adultery from her face

^2eand the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.

the adultery…the unfaithfulness: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as adultery is literally “her immoralities.” The word “immoralities” means sexual activity that is contrary to God’s law. It is the same word that was used in 1:2b.

The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as unfaithfulness is literally “her adulteries.” The word “adulteries” refers to sexual intercourse with someone other than her husband.

Both these plural terms describe the woman’s character. They indicate repeated or habitual behavior, as in the NCV and NET quoted below.Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar for Students, NET footnote.

from her face…from between her breasts: In Hebrew, it is common to refer to behavior by mentioning the parts of the body (face, breasts) that are associated with this behavior. These figurative expressions refer to the shameless attitude and behavior of a woman who is openly immoral and unfaithful to her husband.According to Macintosh (page 39), biblical Hebrew commonly refers to particular parts of the body to describe both attitudes and actions. He mentions Jeremiah 3:3 and Ezekiel 23, both of which describe prostitutes in language that is similar to Hosea 2:2. Keil, Wood, and Lange also favor the view that these figurative expressions refer primarily to the woman’s behavior. Stuart, Andersen and Freedman, and Davies suggest that the expressions may (also) refer to the makeup and/or jewelry that a prostitute wore. The NLT translates the first expression as “makeup.” No other versions use terms such as makeup or jewelry.

Here are some other ways to translate these expressions:

to stop acting like a prostitute, to stop behaving like an unfaithful wife. (NCV)

put an end to her adulterous lifestyle, and turn away from her sexually immoral behavior (NET)

2:2d

Let her remove the adultery from her face

Tell/Command^(plur) her to stop behaving like a prostitute.
I want her to turn from her prostitution.

Let her remove: In Hebrew, this verb phrase is an indirect third-person wish or command that the woman stop committing adultery. Hosea is instructing his children to tell their mother to stop being unfaithful to him.

If it is not natural to use a third-person command in your language, here are some other ways to translate this command:

Tell her to stop… (GW)

I want her to stop…

She must stop…

General Comment on 2:2d–e

These two statements emphasize one main point. If parallel statements imply two different points in your language, consider combining them into a single statement. For example:

She must stop her adultery and prostitution.

2:2e

and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.

Tell/Command^(plur) her to stop committing adultery.
She must no longer have sex with other men.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

General Information:

Yahweh is speaking to Hosea.

(Occurrence 0) lawsuit

(Some words not found in UHB: and,they_will_be_gathered sons_of Yehuda and=the_sons Yisrael together and,they_will_appoint to/for=them head one(ms) and,they_will_go_up from/more_than the=earth/land that/for/because/then/when great day Yizrəˊ^ʼēl/(Jezreel) )

This is a complaint by one person against another person in a court of law.

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) your mother

Here “mother” refers to the nation of Israel.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) for she is not my wife

Yahweh is stating that Israel, spoken of here as a woman, is no longer acting like a wife to Yahweh. Instead Israel has turned away from following and worshiping him.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) neither am I her husband

Yahweh can no longer be in relationship with the nation of Israel as a husband would be to his wife.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) her acts of adultery

A wife who is adulterous leaves her husband to sleep with another man. This is how Israel was acting toward Yahweh.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) from between her breasts

This imagery suggests that Israel is relying on the idols and not Yahweh.

Parallel HOS 2:2