HOS 4:15 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.)

Key: khaki:verbs, green:YHWH.
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 Σὺ δὲ Ἰσραὴλ μὴ ἀγνόει, καὶ Ἰούδα μὴ εἰσπορεύεσθε εἰς Γάλγαλα, καὶ μὴ ἀναβαίνετε εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ὦν, καὶ μὴ ὀμνύετε ζῶντα Κύριον.
(Su de Israaʸl maʸ agnoei, kai Youda maʸ eisporeuesthe eis Galgala, kai maʸ anabainete eis ton oikon Ōn, kai maʸ omnuete zōnta Kurion. )

BrTr But thou, Israel, be not ignorant, and go ye not, men of Juda, to Galgala; and go not up to the house of On, and swear not by the living Lord.

ULT Though you, O Israel, play the harlot,
⇔ let not Judah become guilty.
⇔ Do not go to Gilgal,
⇔ do not go up to Beth Aven,
⇔ and do not swear, saying, “As Yahweh lives.”

UST Israel, you have left me and gone to idols.
⇔ But I hope that Judah will not do the same thing.
⇔ You people of Judah, do not go to Gilgal. Do not go up to Beth Aven to worship idols there.
⇔ Do not make solemn oaths, calling on me to make good on your promises, adding to your vows the words, ‘As Yahweh lives!”

4:15 Beth-aven means house of wickedness. This is a derogatory term for Bethel, which means house of God; see 1 Kings 12:28–29.

OEB Though you commit adultery, Israel,
⇔ let not Judah become guilty.
⇔ Do not go to Gilgal,
⇔ do not go up to Beth-aven,
⇔ nor swear an oath, ‘As the Lord lives.’

WEBBE ⇔ “Though you, Israel, play the prostitute,
⇔ yet don’t let Judah offend;
⇔ and don’t come to Gilgal,
⇔ neither go up to Beth Aven,
⇔ nor swear, ‘As the LORD lives.’

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Although you, O Israel, commit adultery,
⇔ do not let Judah become guilty!
⇔ Do not journey to Gilgal!
⇔ Do not go up to Beth Aven!
⇔ Do not swear, “As surely as the Lord lives!”

LSV Though you [are] a harlot, O Israel,
Do not let Judah become guilty,
And do not come to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven,
Nor swear, YHWH lives.

FBV Though you, Israel, have become a prostitute, may Judah not offend in the same way and not enter Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven,[fn] nor swear saying, ‘the Lord lives.’

4:15 One place that was called Gilgal was where the Israelites crossed the Jordan and set up a stone monument (see Joshua 4). It may be that Gilgal actually refers to a circle of standing stones, and so there may be more than one place so named. Certainly Hosea's condemnation indicates that this particular Gilgal had become associated with pagan worship. Beth-aven is a deliberate misnaming of Beth-el. Beth-el means “house of God” but Hosea chooses to call the place Beth-aven, meaning “house of nothingness.”

T4T ⇔ You Israeli people have abandoned me
⇔ like [MET] those who commit adultery have abandoned their spouses.
⇔ But do not cause the people of Judah to sin also.
⇔ Do not go to Gilgal or go up to Beth-Aven towns
⇔ to worship idols there.
⇔ Do not make solemn promises there, saying ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, I will do what I am promising.’

LEB   • Even though you, O Israel, are playing the whore, do not let Judah become guilty;
• do not enter Gilgal,
  • or go up to Beth-aven;
• and do not swear,
  • “ As Yahweh lives !”[fn]

4:? Literally “the life of Yahweh”

BBE Do not you, O Israel, come into error; do not you, O Judah, come to Gilgal, or go up to Beth-aven, or take an oath, By the living Lord.

Moff Though you play the harlot, Israel,
⇔ let not Judah be guilty;
⇔ never go to Gilgal,
⇔ never climb up to Beth-Aven,
⇔ never swear at Beêrsheba
⇔ “By the life of the Eternal.”

JPS Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah become guilty; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear: 'As the LORD liveth.'

ASV Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As Jehovah liveth.

DRA If thou play the harlot, O Israel, at least let not Juda offend: and go ye not into Galgal, and come not up into Bethaven, and do not swear: The Lord liveth.

YLT Though a harlot thou [art], O Israel, Let not Judah become guilty, And come not ye in to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, Nor swear ye, Jehovah liveth.

Drby Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah trespass; and come ye not unto Gilgal, neither go up to Beth-aven, nor swear [As] Jehovah liveth!

RV Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As the LORD liveth.
(Though thou/you, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Yudah offend; and come not ye/you_all unto Gilgal, neither go ye/you_all up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As the LORD liveth/lives. )

SLT If thou Israel commit fornication Judah shall not transgress; and ye shall not come to Gilgal, and ye shall not go up to the house of vanity, and ye shall not swear, Jehovah lives.

Wbstr Though thou, Israel, playest the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye to Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.

KJB-1769 ¶ Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.
(¶ Though thou/you, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Yudah offend; and come not ye/you_all unto Gilgal, neither go ye/you_all up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The LORD liveth/lives. )

KJB-1611 ¶ Though thou Israel play the harlot, yet let not Iudah offend, and come not ye vnto Gilgal, neither goe ye vp to Beth-auen, nor sweare, The LORD liueth:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Though thou Israel play the harlot, yet let not Iuda sinne, come not ye vnto Gilgal, neither go ye to Bethauen, neither sweare ye, The Lorde liueth.
(Though thou/you Israel play the harlot, yet let not Yudah sin, come not ye/you_all unto Gilgal, neither go ye/you_all to Beth-aven, neither swear ye/you_all, The Lord liveth/lives.)

Gnva Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Iudah sinne: come not ye vnto Gilgal, neither goe ye vp to Beth-auen, nor sweare, The Lord liueth.
(Though thou/you, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Yudah sin: come not ye/you_all unto Gilgal, neither go ye/you_all up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The Lord liveth/lives. )

Cvdl Though thou Israel art disposed to playe ye harlot, yet shuldest not thou haue offended, o Iuda: thou shuldest not haue runne to Galgala, ner haue gone vp to Bethaue, ner haue sworne: the LORDE lyueth.
(Though thou/you Israel art disposed to play ye/you_all harlot, yet shouldest/should not thou/you have offended, o Yuda: thou/you shouldest/should not have run to Galgala, nor have gone up to Bethaue, nor have sworn/promised: the LORD liveth/lives.)

Wycl If thou, Israel, doist fornicacioun, nameli Juda trespasse not; and nyle ye entre in to Galgala, and stie ye not in to Bethauen, nether swere ye, The Lord lyueth.
(If thou/you, Israel, dost/do fornication, namely Yudah trespass not; and won’t ye/you_all enter in to Galgala, and ascend/descend ye/you_all not in to Beth-aven, neither swear ye/you_all, The Lord liveth/lives.)

Luth Willst du, Israel, ja huren, daß sich doch nur Juda nicht auch verschulde! Gehet nicht hin gen Gilgal und kommet nicht hinauf gen Beth-Aven und schwöret nicht: So wahr der HErr lebet!
(Want you(sg), Israel, ya whoring, that itself/yourself/themselves though/but only Yuda not also debt! Go not there/therefore to/toward Gilgal and comes not up to/toward Beth-Aven and swears not: So true the/of_the LORD lives!)

ClVg Si fornicaris tu, Israël, non delinquat saltem Juda; et nolite ingredi in Galgala, et ne ascenderitis in Bethaven, neque juraveritis: Vivit Dominus !
(When/But_if fornicaris you(sg), Israel, not/no delinquat at_least/after_all Yuda; and don't to_enter in/into/on Galgala, and not ascendis in/into/on Bethaven, nor rightsveritis: Vivit Master ! )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:11b–19: The Sinful People

This section shows how much the people of Israel were committed to sexual sin and idolatry. They were stubborn and refused to return to the LORD. As a result, the LORD promised to discipline them so that in time they would be ashamed of their idolatry.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

The Lord Condemns Pagan Worship (GNT)

Worship in Israel is idolatrous and debauched (NJB)

The previous section focused primarily on the priests. This section focuses on the people as a group. A section heading may be appropriate here if you chose interpretation (1) in 4:10d–11b. In that case this section would begin with a new sentence. A section heading is not recommended if you chose interpretation (2) or (3), because the heading would interrupt a sentence.

Paragraph 4:15–19

This paragraph gives more details about the immorality, drunkenness, and idol worship of the people of Israel.

4:15a

Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt!

¶ “Even though you^(plur) people of Israel are unfaithful, may the people of Judah not become guilty of the same sin.
¶ “You, Israel, are guilty of immorality and idolatry! But I do not want Judah to follow your example.

Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt: In this verse part the LORD mentioned the sexual immorality and idolatry of the people of Israel as a basis for giving an indirect warning to the people of Judah. He warned them not to become guilty of the same sins.

These two clauses have a number of probable implications. It may be helpful to make some of the logical relationships explicit.

The LORD knew that the people of Israel were prostituting themselves.
He expected that the people of Judah would follow Israel’s example and become guilty of the same sins.
But he did not want this to happen, so he warned Judah not to commit those sins.

There is an implied contrast between what the LORD expected and his warning. In some languages, it may be more natural to express this contrast with a word such as “but.” For example:

You Israelites prostitute yourselves, but Judah must not become guilty of the same sin.

you prostitute yourself: The word that the BSB translates as prostitute is a different form of the same word that it translates as “be promiscuous” in 4:10b (see the note there). It probably refers here to both sexual immorality and unfaithfulness towards God.

O Israel: In this context, the direct form of address O Israel implies a rebuke. Use a form of address in your language that is natural to use in a rebuke.

may Judah avoid such guilt: In this context, this phrase is an indirect command or warning to the people of Judah. It expresses the LORD’s desire that they not become guilty of the same sin as the people of Israel. It may also imply a rebuke. It is likely that some people from Judah already worshiped at idol shrines in Israel.

This phrase is not a command to Israel that Israel must prevent Judah from becoming guilty. It is an indirect command to Judah.A command to Israel to prevent Judah's guilt would use a second person verb addressed to Israel here. However, this verb is a third person jussive addressed indirectly to Judah. The jussive expresses the speaker's desire that a situation will occur or in this case, will not occur.

Here are some other ways to express this meaning:

Though you, Israel, play the whore, there is no need for Judah to sin too. (NJB)

Even though you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, may Judah not be guilty of the same thing. (GNT)

4:15b

Do not journey to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven,

Do not travel to the shrines at Gilgal or Beth Aven.
Don’t worship at Gilgal or Bethaven, (GNT)

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

Do not journey to Gilgal,

do not go up to Beth-aven,

Gilgal and Bethel (here called Beth-aven) were the names of two cities that were major centers of idolatry. The LORD told his people not to worship at these two places.

Do not journey to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven: The LORD may have given this command to the people of Israel, the people of Judah, or both groups of people. Most English versions, including the BSB, are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow the example of these versions and not specify who the command refers to.

Beth-aven: Bethel means “house of God.” The name Beth-aven means “house of wickedness.” The LORD used the name Beth-aven here to emphasize how evil Bethel had become.Years earlier Bethel was a place for worshiping the LORD. Later Jeroboam set up a shrine with a golden calf there (see 1 Kings 12:20–33). From that time on it became a place for worshiping false gods. See also 5:8 and 10:5.

It is recommended that you use the name Beth-aven in your translation and not “Bethel.” Some other ways that versions spell this name are Beth Aven and Bethaven.

It is also recommended that you add a footnote to explain that the LORD substituted Beth-aven for “Bethel.” For example:

Bethel means “house of God.” Here the LORD called it Beth-aven, which means “house of wickedness.”

Do not journey…do not go up: The second of these parallel phrases is more specific than the first. It often refers to going uphill. Many verses speak of “going up” to Jerusalem, and Bethel was located at an even higher elevation. If your language uses a specific term for traveling uphill, you may want to use it here. However, in this context the uphill direction is not in focus. Both phrases refer to travel to a shrine for the purpose of worship.

Here are some other ways to translate this idea:

Do not come to Gilgal, Do not make pilgrimages to Beth-aven (NJPS)

Don’t worship at Gilgal or Bethaven (GNT)

4:15c

and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’

And do not say, ‘I will keep my oath/promise as surely as Yahweh lives.’
and do not make promises that you^(plur) confirm by using my name, the name of Yahweh who lives.
And do not say, ‘I will certainly fulfill my oath/promise. It is just as certain as the truth that Yahweh is alive.’

and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’: As the BSB clarifies, in this context, to swear means to make an oath or a promise. The Israelites used the expression As surely as the LORD lives as part of the oath. It was a guarantee that they would do what they promised. In the past, the LORD allowed them to use his name in this way because of his covenant relationship with them (see Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:20).

However, the Israelites broke that covenant when they turned away from the LORD to worship idols instead. Since they did not honor him, the LORD told them to stop using his name to make an oath.

Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:

And quit making promises in my name—the name of the living Lord (CEV)

Do not…take oaths there in the Lord’s name. (NLT)

Parallel HOS 4:15

Section 4:11b–19: The Sinful People

Paragraph 4:15–19

4:15a

4:15b

4:15c

General Information: