HOS 5:12 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal Speaker(s)=Narrator (All still tentative.)

Key: .
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 ἐγὼ ὡς ταραχὴ τῷ Ἐφραὶμ, καὶ ὡς κέντρον τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰούδα.
(Kai egō hōs taraⱪaʸ tōi Efraim, kai hōs kentron tōi oikōi Youda.)

BrTr Therefore I will be as consternation to Ephraim, and as a goad to the house of Juda.

ULT So I, am like a moth to Ephraim,
⇔ and like rot to the house of Judah.

UST So I will destroy the people of Ephraim, just as moths eat through wool clothing.
⇔ I will destroy the people of Judah, just as rot eats through wood.

BSB & MSB So I am like a moth to Ephraim,
⇔ and like decay to the house of Judah.

OEB ⇔ So I am like a moth to Ephraim,
⇔ like rottenness to the house of Judah.

WEBBE & WMBB Therefore I am to Ephraim like a moth,
⇔ and to the house of Judah like rottenness.

NET I will be like a moth to Ephraim,
⇔ like wood rot to the house of Judah.

LSV And I [am] as a moth to Ephraim,
And as a rotten thing to the house of Judah.

FBV I am like a maggot to Ephraim, and like something rotten to the people of Judah.

T4T I will destroy the people of Israel like [SIM] ◄larvae of moths/cockroaches► destroy wool,
⇔ and I will cause the people of Judah to be like [SIM] rotten wood.

LEB • But I am like a maggot to Ephraim
• and like rottenness to the house of Judah.

BBE And so to Ephraim I am like a wasting insect, and a destruction to the children of Judah.

Moff so I eat Ephraim away like moths,
⇔ eat away Judah’s house like worms.

JPS Therefore am I unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

ASV Therefore am I unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

DRA And I will be like a moth to Ephraim: and like rottenness to the house of Juda.

YLT And I [am] as a moth to Ephraim, And as a rotten thing to the house of Judah.

Drby And I will be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

RV Therefore am I unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.
(Therefore am I unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Yudah as rottenness.)

SLT And I as a moth to Ephraim, and as rottenness to the house of Judah.

Wbstr Therefore will I be to Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

KJB-1769 Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.[fn]
(Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Yudah as rottenness.)

5.12 rottenness: or, a worm

KJB-1611 [fn]Therefore wil I be vnto Ephraim as a moth: and to the house of Iudah as rottennesse.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes))

5:12 Or, a worme

Bshps Therefore wyll I be vnto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Iuda as a caterpiller.
(Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Yudah as a caterpillar.)

Gnva Therefore wil I be vnto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Iudah as a rottennesse.
(Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Yudah as a rottenness.)

Cvdl Therfore will I be vnto Ephraim as a moth, & to the house of Iuda as a caterpiller.
(Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Yudah as a caterpillar.)

Wycl And Y am as a mouyte to Effraym, and as rot to the hous of Juda.
(And I am as a moth to Ephraim, and as rot to the house of Yuda.)

Luth Ich bin dem Ephraim eine Motte und dem Hause Juda eine Made.
(I am to_him Ephraim a/one moth and to_him house(n) Yuda a/one Made.)

ClVg Et ego quasi tinea Ephraim, et quasi putredo domui Juda.
(And I as_if moth Ephraim, and as_if rotting home Yuda.)

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:8–15: The LORD will judge the people by war

In 5:8–11, the LORD warned Israel and Judah that he would soon destroy them by means of the enemy that had come to wage war against them. He also accused them of various kinds of sin. In 5:12–15, the LORD compared his judgment to destructive things like a moth, wood rot, and a lion. He assured the people that they would be destroyed in spite of their attempt to get help from Assyria. We do not know with certainty the date and the details of the war. However, some scholars believe that this is the war that is mentioned in 2 Kings 16:5–9 and 2 Chronicles 28:5–23.This may be the Syro-Ephraimite war, 735–732 B.C.E. In that war the kingdoms of Israel and Syria united to fight against the kingdoms of Assyria and Judah. The war greatly harmed both Israel and Judah. Israel and Syria lost the war, and the king of Assyria took control of most of the land of Israel. See Andersen and Freedman (pages 402–403), Hubbard (pages 118–122), Stuart (page 101), and Macintosh (page 194) for more details.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

War between Judah and Israel (GNT)

The Lord warns Israel and Judah (CEV)

5:12a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ I will destroy Israel and Judah like a moth ruins clothes or like termites/disease cause(s) trees/wood to decay.

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^12aSo I am like a moth to Ephraim,

^12band like decay to the house of Judah.

These lines contain parallel similes. In these similes, the LORD compares himself to things that destroy. He will destroy the people of Ephraim and Judah like a moth destroys clothing or like wood or other things weaken and decay. See the General Comment on 5:12a–b for other ways to translate these parallel similes.

moth: The word moth refers here to a destructive kind of moth that makes holes in clothing.Some scholars (e.g., Stuart, page 105; Macintosh, page 207) think that this word is derived here from an Arabic root that means “pus.” For example, the REB translates it as “festering sore.” However, this meaning does not occur elsewhere in the OT. It is recommended that you follow the normal meaning for this Hebrew word. In some languages, there may not be a word for this kind of moth. If that is true in your language, you may use a word that refers to something with a similar function. For example:

worm/insect

decay: There are two ways to interpret the parallel word decay here:

It refers to something that causes wood to decay, become soft, or fall apart. For example:
wood rot (NET)
rot that destroys wood (GW) (BSB, NIV, ESV, GW, NET, NLT, RSV)
It refers to something that causes a part of the body to decay or become weak. For example:
gangrene (NJB) (NJB, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions.Many English versions use a general term such as “rot” or “rottenness.” These versions could refer to either interpretation. They include the CEV, KJV, NASB, NCV, NIV, and NRSV. The Display will follow this interpretation. However, you may also follow interpretation (2). In three out of five other verses that use the same Hebrew for “rot/rottenness,” it refers to rottenness of the bones.The Hebrew word raqab occurs five times in the OT. Proverbs 12:4 and 14:30 and Habakkuk 3:16 refer specifically to rot or decay of the bones. Job 13:28 and Hosea 5:12 do not specify. According to the Hebrew viewpoint in OT times, the bones were the source of bodily health and strength. People sometimes described physical or emotional suffering in terms of weakness or rottenness in their bones (NIDOTTE, #6795).

Ephraim…the house of Judah: The word Ephraim has the same meaning here as in 5:11a. The parallel phrase refers to the people of the nation of Judah.

General Comment on 5:12a–b

If these similes are not clear in your language, here are some other translation options:

Make explicit the way in which the LORD is like a moth and like rot. For example:
^12aI will destroy Ephraim as a moth destroys clothing. (GW)
^12bI will destroy the nation of Judah as rot destroys wood.
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
I will bring destruction on Israel and ruin on the people of Judah. (GNT)
Use similar figures of speech that convey the right meaning in your language. For example:
^12aI will cause the people of Israel to be destroyed like locusts/grubs destroy plants.
^12bI will destroy the people of Judah like termites destroy wood.

In some languages, it may be clearer or more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts, using one or more of the preceding options. For example:

I will destroy the nations of Israel and Judah like moths destroy clothes or dry rot weakens wood.

5:12a

So I am like a moth to Ephraim,

¶ “I will destroy the nation of Israel like a moth that destroys clothing/wool.
¶ “What I do to the people of Israel will be like locusts that destroy plants.

5:12b

and like decay to the house of Judah.

I will destroy the nation of Judah like wood rot weakens/destroys trees.
The way that I punish the people of Judah will be like termites that weaken and destroy wood/trees.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

כָ⁠עָ֖שׁ לְ⁠אֶפְרָ֑יִם

[am]_like,moth to,Ephraim

The point of this comparison is that just as a moth slowly destroys clothing by eating through it, so Yahweh will slowly destroy Ephraim. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [the one who destroys Ephraim just as a moth destroys clothing]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

וְ⁠כָ⁠רָקָ֖ב לְ⁠בֵ֥ית יְהוּדָֽה

and,like,rottenness to,the_house_of Yehuda

The point of this comparison is that just as rot slowly destroys wood by decaying it, so Yahweh will slowly destroy the house of Judah. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [and I will slowly destroy the house of Judah just as rot destroys wood]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לְ⁠בֵ֥ית יְהוּדָֽה

to,the_house_of Yehuda

Here, house means all the people descended from a particular person. It envisions them as if they were one household living together. So the house of Judah figuratively means all the people descended from the patriarch Judah, who was also known as Israel. Alternate translation: [to the tribe of Judah]

Parallel HOS 5:12

Section 5:8–15: The LORD will judge the people by war

5:12a–b

General Comment on 5:12a–b

5:12a

5:12b