HOS 4:3 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.)

OET (OET-RV) Therefore the land mourns,
⇔ and everyone who lives in it is wasting away,
⇔ along with the animals in the countryside and the birds in the sky.
⇔ Even the fish in the sea will disappear.

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 Διὰ τοῦτο πενθήσει ἡ γῆ, καὶ σμικρυνθήσεται σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν αὐτὴν, σὺν τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ ἀγροῦ, καὶ σὺν τοῖς ἑρπετοῖς τῆς γῆς, καὶ σὺν τοῖς πετεινοῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης ἐκλείψουσιν,
(Dia touto penthaʸsei haʸ gaʸ, kai smikrunthaʸsetai sun pasi tois katoikousin autaʸn, sun tois thaʸriois tou agrou, kai sun tois herpetois taʸs gaʸs, kai sun tois peteinois tou ouranou, kai hoi iⱪthues taʸs thalassaʸs ekleipsousin, )

BrTr Therefore shall the land mourn, and shall be diminished with all that dwell in it, with the wild beasts of the field, and the reptiles of the earth, and with the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea shall fail:

ULT Therefore the land mourns,
⇔ and all who live in it are wasting away,
⇔ along with the beasts in the fields and the birds in the sky,
⇔ even the fish in the sea, are being taken away.

UST Because of what the people are doing, the land is now a wilderness.
⇔ Every creature that lives here is dying,
⇔ from the animals that live in the fields,
⇔ to the birds that fly in the sky;
⇔ even the fish in the sea, they are also dying.

OEB Therefore the land mourns,
⇔ all its inhabitants languish,
⇔ the wild animals and the birds of the skies,
⇔ even the fish of the sea are dying.

WEBBE Therefore the land will mourn,
⇔ and everyone who dwells in it will waste away,
⇔ with all living things in her,
⇔ even the animals of the field and the birds of the sky;
⇔ yes, the fish of the sea also die.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Therefore the land will mourn,
⇔ and all its inhabitants will perish.
⇔ The wild animals, the birds of the sky,
⇔ and even the fish in the sea will perish.

LSV Therefore the land mourns,
And every dweller is weak in it,
With the beast of the field,
And with the bird of the heavens,
And the fishes of the sea—they are removed.

FBV As a result the land dries up,[fn] and everyone who lives there is wasting away, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea—they are all dying.

4:3 Or “is mourning.”

T4T It is because of their doing those things that there is no rain [MTY], the land has become dry,
⇔ the people are mourning,
⇔ and the people are dying from hunger.
⇔ Even the wild animals and the birds and the fish in the sea are dying.

LEB   • Therefore the land mourns, and all those living in it languish
• with the animals of the field,
  • and the birds of the heaven,
  • and even the fish of the sea
   • are being swept away.

BBE Because of this the land will be dry, and everyone living in it will be wasted away, with the beasts of the field and the birds of heaven; even the fishes of the sea will be taken away.

Moff Hence the land is woebegone,
⇔ its denizens all droop;
⇔ even the beasts and birds
⇔ and the very fish within the sea are perishing.

JPS Therefore doth the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein doth languish, with the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also are taken away.

ASV Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

DRA Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the air: yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be gathered together.

YLT Therefore mourn doth the land, And weak is every dweller in it, With the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the fishes of the sea — they are removed.

Drby For this shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

RV Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
(Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth/dwells therein shall languish, with the beasts/animals of the field and the fowls/birds of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. )

SLT For this the land shall mourn, and every one in it languished with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of the heavens; and also the fish of the sea shall be taken away.

Wbstr Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yes, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

KJB-1769 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
(Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth/dwells therein shall languish, with the beasts/animals of the field, and with the fowls/birds of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. )

KJB-1611 Therefore shall the land mourne, and euery one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beastes of the field, and with the foules of heauen, yea the fishes of the Sea also shall be taken away.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps Therfore shall the lande mourne, and all they that dwell therein shalbe rooted out, the beastes of the fielde, the foules of the ayre, and the fisshes in the sea, shalbe consumed.
(Therefore shall the land mourn, and all they that dwell therein shall be rooted out, the beasts/animals of the field, the fowls/birds of the air, and the fishes in the sea, shall be consumed.)

Gnva Therefore shall the land mourne, and euery one that dwelleth therein, shall be cut off, with the beasts of the fielde, and with the foules of the heauen, and also the fishes of the sea shall be taken away.
(Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth/dwells therein, shall be cut off, with the beasts/animals of the field, and with the fowls/birds of the heaven, and also the fishes of the sea shall be taken away. )

Cvdl Therfore shal the londe be in a miserable case, and all they that dwell therin, shal mourne. The beastes in the felde, the foules in ye ayre, and the fishes in the see shall dye.
(Therefore shall the land be in a miserable case, and all they that dwell therein, shall mourn. The beasts/animals in the field, the fowls/birds in ye/you_all air, and the fishes in the sea shall die.)

Wycl For this thing the erthe schal mourne, and ech that dwellith in that lond, schal be sijk, in the beeste of the feeld, and in the brid of the eir; but also the fischis of the see schulen be gaderid togidere.
(For this thing the earth shall mourn, and each that dwelleth/dwells in that land, shall be sick, in the beast/animal of the field, and in the bird of the air; but also the fishes of the sea should be gathered together.)

Luth Darum wird das Land jämmerlich stehen und allen Einwohnern übel gehen; denn es werden auch die Tiere auf dem Felde und die Vögel unter dem Himmel und die Fische im Meer weggeraffet werden.
(Therefore becomes the country miserable/pitiful stand and all/everyone inhabitants bad/evil go; because/than it become also the animals on/in/to to_him field and the birds under to_him heaven and the fish(n) in_the sea away/gonegeraffet become.)

ClVg Propter hoc lugebit terra, et infirmabitur omnis qui habitat in ea, in bestia agri, et in volucre cæli; sed et pisces maris congregabuntur.
(Because this will_mourn earth/land, and weakbitur everyone who/which he_lives in/into/on them, in/into/on beast/animal fields, and in/into/on volucre heavens; but and fish of_the_sea they_will_gather. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:1–3: The LORD brought a charge against the people of Israel

The words “Hear the word of the LORD” in 4:1 indicate the beginning of a new prophecy. In 4:1–3, the LORD brought an accusation or charge against the people of Israel. The charge consisted of three parts. First, the LORD stated their crimes (4:1). Second, he presented the evidence of their crimes (4:2). Third, he announced the resulting judgment (4:3). The charge serves as a general introduction to the messages that follow in the remainder of chapter 4.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

The Lord’s Legal Case Against Israel (GW)

The Lord Accuses Israel (ESV)

4:3a

Therefore the land mourns,

Because of all these wicked things that they have done, the land will experience/undergo drought,
And so a terrible drought will soon make the land/ground groan with thirst. It will become dry and barren.

Therefore: In Hebrew, this phrase introduces the result of something that was said previously. The meaning here is that because of all the sins mentioned in 4:1–2, the land mourns.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

And so (GNT)

This is why (NJB)

Therefore (NASB)

the land mourns: There are two ways to interpret this clause:

The land of Israel is undergoing drought. The word land is literal and refers to the land of Israel. The word “mourn” is figurative and refers to drought. For example:
And so the land will dry up (GNT) (CEV, GNT, GW, NCV, NJPS, REB)
The people of Israel are mourning. The word land is figurative and refers to the people living in the land of Israel. The word “mourn” is literal and refers to people mourning. For example:
This is why the country is in mourningHere the term “country is in mourning” is assumed to refer to the people of the country. (NJB) (NJB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions. It better fits the following context that describes animals dying. Drought is a logical cause of their death.

The Hebrew form of the verb “mourn” (the imperfect) can indicate either present or future. So there are two ways to interpret this verse:

It refers to the future. This is an announcement of future judgment. The imperfect tense indicates that the mourning had not yet begun. For example:
And so the land will dry up (GNT) (GNT, NET, REB)
It refers to the present. The imperfect tense indicates that the mourning was already occurring at that time. For example:
Therefore the land mourns (NRSV) (BSB, GW, NCV, NIV, NJB,The NJB translates “mourns” as present tense but translates the final verb in the sentence as future, “the fish in the sea will disappear.” NLT, NRSV)

The majority of versions use present tense here. However, interpretation (1) is recommended. This interpretation is supported by the occurrence of the same pattern elsewhere.For example, in Amos 3:2 as well as here, the word “therefore” is followed by an imperfect tense verb. In the Amos passage it is clear that the reference is to future judgment. Wood (page 184) supports a present judgment. Davies (page 116–117), McComiskey (page 58), Andersen and Freedman (page 340), and Macintosh (page 132–133) support the idea of a future judgment, though Andersen and Freedman do not exclude the idea of an actual drought.

In some languages, the verbs have either past or nonpast tense. Nonpast verbs refer to either present or future, as in Hebrew. If that is true in your language, a nonpast verb would be appropriate here.

4:3b

and all who dwell in it will waste away

and everything that lives here will die.
Nothing will survive/live,

and all who dwell in it will waste away: In Hebrew, a preposition that is attached to each group of animals in 4:3c indicates that all the animals will waste away along with the people.Van der Merwe (Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 39.6 3iii beth comitantiae) and Waltke and O’Connor (Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. “The Subordination of Nouns to the Verb by means of Prepositions,” page 119). English versions make this clear in different ways:

Use a word or phrase such as “with,” “together with,” or “even.” The BSB and others do this. For example:
all who live in it languish; together with the wild animals… (NRSV)
…everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals…are disappearing. (NLT)
Use the same word, such as “die” for both people and animals. For example:
…everything that lives on it will die. All the animals…will die. (GNT)
Combine the terms in 4:3b–c. For example:
Every living creature is dying—people and wild animals, birds and fish. (CEV)

Use a natural way in your language to make it clear that both people and animals are included in this judgment.

waste away: Versions translate this term in two main ways:

To become weak and exhausted. This is the literal meaning of the term. For example:
will languish (REB)
To die. This Hebrew term probably refers to weakness that results in death.TWOT (#140) and Macintosh (page 133). Some versions make this result explicit. For example:
will die (GNT)

Either option is acceptable.

4:3c

with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.

The wild animals, the birds, and even the fish will disappear/die.”
not animals, not birds, not even the fish.”

with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear: These three types of animals, beasts, birds, and fish, are listed together to emphasize the animals that live in the three large regions of the earth—the land, the air, and the water.Andersen and Freedman (pages 340–341). This list of three types of animals is probably a figure of speech (synecdoche) that represents all animals.

the beasts of the field: This phrase usually refers to untamed animals. However, in this context, it may refer to all animals that live on the land.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

wild animals (NJB)

animals (GNT)

the birds of the air: As in 2:18a the phrase of the air may be redundant. So some English versions leave the words of the air implied. For example:

birds (GW)

the fish of the sea: In Hebrew, a word that some versions translate as “even” precedes the phrase fish of the sea. This word emphasizes the great extent of the drought. It will be so severe that even bodies of water will dry up. As a result, the fish in them will die. Some versions do not include this emphasis. Others do include it. For example:

even the fish in the sea will perish. (NET)

It is recommended that you include this emphasis in your translation.

The Hebrew word translated as sea sometimes refers to the Mediterranean Sea, which forms the western boundary of the land of Israel. However, it can also refer to rivers and lakes as well as the sea. Here it probably means that the drought will affect the fish that live in the rivers and lakes within the land of Israel.Macintosh (page 133).

In English, the words of the sea are redundant, because the word fish implies this idea. So some English versions leave the words of the sea implied. For example:

fish (CEV)

disappear: In Hebrew, the word that the BSB translates as disappear can mean to perish or be removed.BART interlinear.

Here is another way to translate it:

and the fish of the sea are dying (NIV)

In this verse, “to die” or disappear are different ways of saying the same thing. The way in which the animals disappear is through death. Use a natural expression in your language to translate the idea of death in this context.

Parallel HOS 4:3

Section 4:1–3: The LORD brought a charge against the people of Israel

4:3a

4:3b

4:3c