HOS 2:7 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=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) She’ll try to pursue her lovers, but she won’t be able to catch up to them.
⇔ ≈ She’ll search for them, but she won’t be able to find them.
⇔ Then she’ll say, “I’ll go and return to my first husband,
⇔ → because it was better for me then than it is now.”

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 Ὅτι ἐξεπόρνευσεν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτῶν, κατῄσχυνεν ἡ τεκοῦσα αὐτά· ὅτι εἶπε, πορεύσομαι ὀπίσω τῶν ἐραστῶν μου, τῶν διδόντων μοι τοὺς ἄρτους μου, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ μου, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτιά μου, καὶ τὰ ὀθόνιά μου, τὸ ἔλαιόν μου, καὶ πάντα ὅσα μοι καθήκει.
(Hoti exeporneusen haʸ maʸtaʸr autōn, kataʸsⱪunen haʸ tekousa auta; hoti eipe, poreusomai opisō tōn erastōn mou, tōn didontōn moi tous artous mou, kai to hudōr mou, kai ta himatia mou, kai ta othonia mou, to elaion mou, kai panta hosa moi kathaʸkei. )

BrTr And their mother went a-whoring: she that bore them disgraced them: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, and my garments, and my linen clothes, my oil and all my necessaries.

ULT She will pursue her lovers,
⇔ but she will not overtake them.
⇔ She will seek them,
⇔ but she will not find them.
⇔ Then she will say,
⇔ “I will go and return to my first husband,
⇔ for it was better for me then than it is now.”

UST Israel will run after her idols
⇔ but she will not find them.
⇔ She will search for her false gods,
⇔ but she will not find them.
⇔ Then, like a prostitute who wants to return to her husband, she will say to me, ‘I will go back to you, the one I loved at first,
⇔ because my life was better with you than it is now.’

BSB She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;
⇔ she will seek them but not find them.
⇔ Then she will say,
⇔ ‘I will return to my first husband,
⇔ for then I was better off than now.’

OEB She will pursue her lovers,
⇔ but will not overtake them.
⇔ She will seek them,
⇔ but not find them.
⇔ In time she will say,
⇔ ‘I will go back to my first husband,
⇔ I was better off then than now.’

WEBBE She will follow after her lovers,
⇔ but she won’t overtake them;
⇔ and she will seek them,
⇔ but won’t find them.
⇔ Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband,
⇔ for then it was better with me than now.’

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(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 Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch them;
⇔ she will seek them, but she will not find them.
⇔ Then she will say,
⇔ “I will go back to my husband,
⇔ because I was better off then than I am now.”

LSV And she has pursued her lovers,
And she does not overtake them,
And has sought them, and does not find [them],
And she has said: I go, and I return to my first husband,
For—better to me then than now.

FBV When she runs after her lovers she won't catch up with them; she'll look for them but she won't find them. Then she'll say, ‘Let me go back to my former husband, because it was better for me then than now.’

T4T They will run to their idols/gods that they think love them,
⇔ but they will not find them.
⇔ They will search for their false gods,
⇔ but they will not find them.
⇔ Then they will say, ‘Perhaps we should return to Yahweh, whom we worshiped previously [MET],
⇔ because things were better for us then than they are now.’

LEB   • Then she will pursue her lovers ,[fn] but she will not overtake them;
   • she will seek them and not find them;
• and she will say, “I will go
  • and return to my first husband
  • because it was better for me then than now.”

2:? Literally “the ones who love her”

BBE And if she goes after her lovers she will not overtake them; if she makes search for them she will not see them; then will she say, I will go back to my first husband, for then it was better for me than now.

Moff she will pursue her lovers and miss them,
⇔ seek them and never find them.
⇔ Then at last she will say,
⇔ “Let me go back to my first husband,
⇔ I fared better with him than today.”

JPS (2-9) And she shall run after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them, and she shall seek them, but shall not find them; then shall she say: 'I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.'

ASV And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

DRA And she shall follow after her lovers, and shall not overtake them: and she shall seek them, and shall not find, and she shall say: I will go, and return to my first husband, because it was better with me then, than now.

YLT And she hath pursued her lovers, And she doth not overtake them, And hath sought them, and doth not find, And she hath said: I go, and I turn back unto My first husband, For — better to me then than now.

Drby And she shall pursue after her lovers, and shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, and shall not find them: and she shall say, I will go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me than now.

RV And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

SLT And she pursued those loving her, and she shall not overtake them; and she sought them and she shall not find: and she said, I will go and turn back to my former husband, for it was well to me then more than now.

Wbstr And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them : then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

KJB-1769 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

KJB-1611 And she shall follow after her louers, but she shall not ouertake them, and she shall seeke them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will goe and returne to my first husband, for then was it better with me then now.
(And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them, and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me then now.)

Bshps And though she runne after her louers, yet shall she not ouertake them: she shall seeke them, but not finde them. Then shall she say, I wyll go and returne to my first husbande: for at that tyme it was better with me then nowe.
(And though she run after her lovers, yet shall she not overtake them: she shall seek them, but not find them. Then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband: for at that time it was better with me then now.)

Gnva Though shee follow after her louers, yet shall shee not come at them: though shee seeke them, yet shall shee not finde them: then shall she say, I will goe and returne to my first husband: for at that time was I better then nowe.
(Though she follow after her lovers, yet shall she not come at them: though she seek them, yet shall she not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband: for at that time was I better then now. )

Cvdl and though she runne after hir louers, yet shall she not get them: she shal seke them, but not fynde them. Then shal she saye: well, I will go turne agayne to my first hu?bonde, for at yt tyme was I better at ease, then now:
(and though she run after her lovers, yet shall she not get them: she shall seek them, but not find them. Then shall she say: well, I will go turn again to my first hu?bonde, for at it time was I better at ease, then now:)

Wycl And sche schal sue hir louyeris, and schal not take hem, and sche schal seke hem, and schal not fynde; and sche schal seie, Y schal go, and turne ayen to my formere hosebonde, for it was wel to me thanne more than now.
(And she shall sue her lovers, and shall not take hem, and she shall seek hem, and shall not fynde; and she shall say, I shall go, and turn again to my former husband, for it was well to me then more than now.)

Luth und ihre Mutter ist eine Hure, und die sie getragen hat, hält sich schändlich und spricht: Ich will meinen Buhlen nachlaufen, die mir geben Brot, Wasser, Wolle, Flachs, Öl und Trinken.
(and their/her mother is a/one whore(n), and the they/she/them worn has, holds itself/yourself/themselves disgraceful/shameful and speaks/says: I will my courting_(ones) afterlaufen, the to_me give bread, water, wool, Flachs, oil and Trinken.)

ClVg Et sequetur amatores suos, et non apprehendet eos; et quæret eos, et non inveniet: et dicet: Vadam, et revertar ad virum meum priorem, quia bene mihi erat tunc magis quam nunc.
(And will_follow lovers his_own, and not/no will_catch them; and whichret them, and not/no will_find: and he_will_say: I_will_go, and revertar to husband mine the_former, because well to_me was then more how now. )

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 2:6–7

In this paragraph, the husband (symbolizing the LORD) continued talking to his children about the unfaithfulness of their mother (symbolizing the nation of Israel). He told them that he will discipline her so that she will change her behavior and return to him.

2:7a–b

(combined/reordered)

Then, when she tries to meet with her lovers, she will not succeed.
Her repeated efforts to go and sleep with other men will not be successful.

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^7a She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;

^7b she will seek them but not find them.

The underlined parts indicate the woman’s persistence in trying to have sex with her lovers. The parts in italics indicate the failure of her efforts.

2:7a

She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;

Then, when she pursues/chases her lovers, she will not catch them.
Even though she continues to try to have sex with other men, she will not be able to do it.

She will pursue her lovers but not catch them: This verse describes what the woman will do after her husband has figuratively enclosed her with a wall of thornbushes. In Hebrew, a conjunction is used at the start of this verse to introduce the woman’s action. Some versions, such as the BSB, do not translate this conjunction explicitly. Other versions use an explicit conjunction. For example:

then if she chases her lovers she will not catch them (NJB)

Use a natural word or phrase in your language to introduce the next thing that will happen.

but not catch them: This phrase describes an intended result that will not happen. The woman will try to catch her lovers, but she will not succeed.

Here is another way to express this relationship:

Though she pursues her lovers, she will not overtake them (REB)

This line has a similar meaning to 2:5c. It refers to the woman’s persistent efforts to go and have sex with other men. In some languages, a literal translation may wrongly imply that the lovers are trying to run away or that the woman cannot run fast enough to catch them. Use an expression in your language that gives the right meaning. For example:

Then, although she keeps trying to go and have sex with other men, she will not succeed.

If it is inappropriate to refer directly to having sex, use an acceptable euphemism in your language. For example:

sleep with other men

2:7b

she will seek them but not find them.

She will search for them, but she won’t find them. (GW)
Though she repeatedly looks for opportunities to meet these other men, she will fail.

she will seek them but not find them: This line is very similar in meaning to 2:7a. It describes the woman’s persistent searching for her lovers. In some languages, a literal translation may wrongly imply that the lovers are lost and that the woman is trying to find them. The correct meaning is that she tries hard to find opportunities to have sex with them. For example:

she will look carefully/diligently for opportunities to go and meet with her lovers.

General Comment on 2:7a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these two verse parts. For example:

Then, her repeated efforts to go and sleep with other men will not succeed.

2:7c

Then she will say, ‘I will return to my first husband,

Then/Finally she will say to herself, ‘I will return to my own husband,
At last she will decide to go back to her true husband,

Then she will say, ‘I will return: See the note on the direct quote in 2:5c. In some languages, it may be more natural to use indirect speech. For example:

Then she will say to herself that she will return to her first husband…

Then she will decide to go back to her first husband…

Then: The Hebrew word that the BSB and some other versions translate as Then introduces the woman’s next action or decision. Here is another way to translate this:

At last (REB)

I will return: This phrase emphasizes her deliberate, willful intention to return. It contrasts with her willful intention to be unfaithful in 2:5c.

to my first husband: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “to my man/husband the original/former.” It refers to the woman’s true, original husband in contrast to the many men she had slept with since she first got married.McComiskey (page 36), Stuart (page 49), and Macintosh (pages 52–53).

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

to my husband as at first (NIV)

The word first does not imply that she had actually married other men. Some versions leave first implied to avoid implying this wrong meaning. For example:

my husband (NET)

Translate this verse part in a way that clearly refers to Gomer’s/Israel’s intention to return to Hosea/the LORD.

2:7d

for then I was better off than now.’

because my situation was better then than it is now.’
because her life was better when she lived with him than it is now.

for: This word introduces the reason that she will decide to return to her husband. Some versions leave it implied. Use a natural way in your language to introduce a reason. See the note on 2:4b.

then I was better off than now: The word then indicates the time in her past when she lived with her husband. Her memory of that better time was the reason she decided to return to her husband.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

it was better for me then than now (ESV)

my life with him was better than my life now

Parallel HOS 2:7