HOS 6:4 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) What will I do with you, Efrayim?
⇔ ≈ Yehudah, what will I do with you?
⇔ Your love is like a morning cloud that doesn’t last long—
⇔ ≈ like the dew that quickly disappears.

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 Τί σοι ποιήσω Ἐφραίμ; τί σοι ποιήσω Ἰούδα; τὸ δὲ ἔλεος ὑμῶν ὡς νεφέλη πρωϊνὴ, καὶ ὡς δρόσος ὀρθρινὴ πορευομένη.
(Ti soi poiaʸsō Efraim; ti soi poiaʸsō Youda; to de eleos humōn hōs nefelaʸ prōinaʸ, kai hōs drosos orthrinaʸ poreuomenaʸ. )

BrTr What shall I do unto thee, Ephraim? What shall I do to thee, Juda? whereas your mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew that goes away.

ULT O Ephraim, what will I do with you?
⇔ O Judah, what will I do with you?
⇔ Your love is like a morning cloud,
⇔ like the dew that goes away early.

UST But Yahweh says, “What can I do with you, you people of Ephraim?
⇔ What can I do with you, you people of the tribe of Judah?
⇔ You love me for just as long as the clouds come in the morning before they disappear again.
⇔ You love me for just as long as the dew stays before the warm sun shines on it.

6:4 That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verse 10

OEB ⇔ What can I make of you, Ephraim!
⇔ What can I make of you, Judah!
⇔ Your love is like a morning cloud,
⇔ like the dew which early goes away.

WEBBE ⇔ “Ephraim, what shall I do to you?
⇔ Judah, what shall I do to you?
⇔ For your love is like a morning cloud,
⇔ and like the dew that disappears early.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(4-7)“What am I to do with you, Ephraim?
  What do I make of you, Judah?
Your declarations of love last no longer
  than morning mist and predawn dew.
That’s why I use prophets to shake you to attention,
  why my words cut you to the quick:
To wake you up to my judgment
  blazing like light.
I’m after love that lasts, not more religion.
  I want you to know God, not go to more prayer meetings.
You broke the covenant—just like Adam!
  You broke faith with me—ungrateful wretches!

NET What am I going to do with you, O Ephraim?
⇔ What am I going to do with you, O Judah?
⇔ For your faithfulness is as fleeting as the morning mist;
⇔ it disappears as quickly as dawn’s dew!

LSV “What do I do to you, O Ephraim? What do I do to you, O Judah? Your goodness [is] as a cloud of the morning,
And as dew rising early—going.

FBV Ephraim,[fn] what shall I do with you? Judah, what shall I do with you? Your love disappears like mist at dawn; it vanishes like dew in the morning.

6:4 Ephraim was taken as representative of the northern kingdom of Israel, and Judah the south.

T4T But Yahweh knows they are insincere;
⇔ so he says to them, “You people of Israel, and you people of Judah,
⇔ I do not know [RHQ] what I should do to you.
⇔ Your being faithful to me will disappear as quickly as [SIM] the morning mist disappears,
⇔ like [SIM] the dew on the ground that disappears quickly when the sun shines.

LEB • What will I do with you, O Ephraim? What will I do with you, O Judah?
• Your love is like a morning cloud,
• like the dew that goes away early in the morning.

BBE O Ephraim, what am I to do to you? O Judah, what am I to do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew which goes early away.

Moff ⇔ But Ephraim, what can I do with you?
⇔ Judah, what can I do with you?
⇔ This love of yours is like a morning cloud,
⇔ like dew that soon will disappear.

JPS O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that early passeth away.

ASV O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth early away.

DRA What shall I do to thee, O Ephraim? what shall I do to thee, O Juda? your mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth away in the morning.

YLT What do I do to thee, O Ephraim? What do I do to thee, O Judah? Your goodness [is] as a cloud of the morning, And as dew rising early — going.

Drby What shall I do unto thee, Ephraim? What shall I do unto thee, Judah? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that early passeth away.

RV O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth early away.
(Oh Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee/you? Oh Yudah, what shall I do unto thee/you? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth/goes early away. )

SLT What shall I do to thee, O Ephraim? What shall I do to thee, O Judah? and your kindness as the cloud of the morning, and as the dew being early went away.

Wbstr O Ephraim, what shall I do to thee? O Judah, what shall I do to thee? for your goodness is as the morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.

KJB-1769 ¶ O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.[fn]
(¶ Oh Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee/you? Oh Yudah, what shall I do unto thee/you? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth/goes away. )

6.4 goodness: or, mercy, or, kindness

KJB-1611 ¶ [fn]O Ephraim, what shall I doe vnto thee? O Iudah, what shall I do vnto thee? for your goodnesse is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes))

6:4 Or, mercy, or, kindnesse.

Bshps O Ephraim, what shall I do vnto thee? O Iuda, howe shall I intreate thee? for your goodnesse is lyke a morning cloude, & like a deawe that goeth early away.
(Oh Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee/you? Oh Yuda, how shall I entreat thee/you? for your goodness is like a morning cloud, and like a dew that goeth/goes early away.)

Gnva O Ephraim, what shall I doe vnto thee? O Iudah, how shall I intreate thee? for your goodnesse is as a morning cloude, and as the morning dewe it goeth away.
(Oh Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee/you? Oh Yudah, how shall I entreat thee/you? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the morning dew it goeth/goes away. )

Cvdl O Ephraim, what shal I do vnto the? O Iuda, how shal I intreate the? seynge youre loue is like a mornynge cloude, & like a dew yt goeth early awaye.
(Oh Ephraim, what shall I do unto the? Oh Yuda, how shall I entreat the? seeing your(pl) love is like a morning cloud, and like a dew it goeth/goes early away.)

Wycl Effraym, what schal Y do to thee? Juda, what schal Y do to thee? Youre merci is as a cloude of the morewtid, and as deew passynge forth eerli.
(Ephraim, what shall I do to thee/you? Yuda, what shall I do to thee/you? Your mercy is as a cloud of the morning, and as dew passing forth early.)

Luth Wie will ich dir so wohl tun, Ephraim! Wie will ich dir so wohl tun, Juda! Denn die Gnade, so ich euch erzeigen will, wird sein wie eine Tauwolke des Morgens und wie ein Tau, der frühmorgens sich ausbreitet.
(How will I you/to_you(sg) so probably/well do/put, Ephraim! How will I you/to_you(sg) so probably/well do/put, Yuda! Because the grace, so I you show will, becomes be as/like a/one Tauwolke the morning and as/like a Tau, the/of_the early_morning itself/yourself/themselves spreads.)

ClVg Quid faciam tibi, Ephraim? quid faciam tibi, Juda? misericordia vestra quasi nubes matutina, et quasi ros mane pertransiens.
(What I_will_do to_you, Ephraim? what I_will_do to_you, Yuda? mercy your as_if clouds morning, and as_if dew in_the_morning pertransiens. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:4–7:16: The people persisted in their sins

In this section, the LORD again spoke to the people of Israel and Judah. In contrast to the people’s future repentance (6:1–3), he gave examples of their current disloyalty and corruption, including their reliance on other nations instead of him. They continued to commit sins, and they refused to seek him. He announced that he would judge them, and he illustrated his coming judgment in various ways.

In this section, the Hebrew text sometimes uses second person pronouns (“you”) and sometimes third person pronouns (“they” or “he”) to refer to the people of Israel. The BSB follows the Hebrew pronoun usage. It uses “they” in 6:5–10, “you” in 6:4 & 11, and “they” or “he” in 7:1–16. Throughout these verses the LORD is the speaker, and he either addresses the people directly or speaks about them.

English versions all use “you” in 6:11 and “they” in chapter 7, but they differ in the way they use the pronouns in 6:5–10. You should use the most natural and least confusing way in your language to handle the pronouns in 6:5–10. In 6:7–10, the Display will follow the BSB pronoun choice in the first meaning line and give another pronoun choice in the second meaning line. See the note on “you” in 2:16b–c, where the pronoun changes are similar.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

Transitory Faithfulness and Imminent Judgment (NET)

Impenitence of Israel and Judah (NRSV)

Paragraph 6:4–6

This paragraph contrasts with the previous one (6:1–3). That paragraph described a time when the people would truly repent. Here in 6:4–6, the LORD told the people of Israel and Judah how unreliable their love was. He expressed his despair over the way that the people truly behaved. He also told them what he desired from them.

In some languages, it may be helpful to make explicit the contrast between this paragraph and 6:1–3. For example:

But you, Ephraim, What am I to do with you?

Yet you people of Ephraim do not seek to know me. What can I do with you?

6:4a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ But Yahweh says, “You^(plur) people of Israel and Judah will not seek me. What can I do with you?

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^4a What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?

^4b What shall I do with you, O Judah?

In many languages, it will be necessary to specify that the LORD is now the speaker. For example:

“O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the Lord. (NLT96)

What shall I do with you…What shall I do with you: These two clauses are rhetorical questions. Their function is to express the LORD’s frustration and hopelessness with the people of Israel and Judah. They are not requests for information.

Here are some ways to translate these rhetorical questions:

As rhetorical questions. You may use slightly different questions if that is more natural in your language. For example:
^4aHow shall I deal with you, Ephraim? (REB)
^4bWhat should I do with you, Judah? (GW)
As statements. For example:
^4aEphraim, how frustrating you are!
^4bJudah, I don’t know what I should do with you!

O Ephraim…O Judah: The name Ephraim is a figure of speech (synecdoche) that represents the people of the northern kingdom of Israel. Judah refers to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah. Some versions translate Ephraim as Israel here. For example:

The Lord says, “Israel, what should I do with you? Judah, what should I do with you? (NCV)

General Comment on 6:4a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine these parallel lines into one. For example:

People of Israel and Judah, what can I do with you? (CEV)

6:4a

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?

¶ “O people of Ephraim, what can I do with you?^(plur)
¶ But Yahweh says, “You Israelites, if only you sought to know me like this. But you do not. What should I do with you?
¶ Yahweh says, “You people of Israel, how frustrating you are!

6:4b

What shall I do with you, O Judah?

And you^(plur) people of Judah, what can I do with you?
You descendants of Judah, what should I do with you?
You people of Judah, you are so exasperating!

6:4c–d

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^4cFor your loyalty is like a morning mist,

^4d like the early dew that vanishes.

There is an ellipsis (deliberate omission) of the first three words in 6:4d. In many languages, these words will need to be supplied from 6:4c. For example:

^4d your loyalty is like the early dew that vanishes.

These lines explain the source of the LORD’s frustration with the people of Israel and Judah. They contain figures of speech (similes) in which he compared their love to morning mist and dew. The love that the people had for him and others was not dependable. It was similar to morning mist and dew because it quickly disappeared. It did not last long.

6:4c

For your loyalty is like a morning mist,

Your^(plur) love lasts no longer than the mist in the morning.
Your love for me does not endure. It is like a fog/cloud

For your loyalty: The word that the BSB translates here as loyalty refers to faithful love within a covenant relationship. Here it refers mainly to the people’s love and loyalty to the LORD, but it also includes their kindness to one another.Keil understands ḥesed to refer here “to goodwill towards other men flowing out of love to God” (page 98). McComiskey (page 91) and Hubbard (page 126) give similar definitions. However, both the immediate context and the overall theme of Hosea focus on the people’s unfaithfulness to their covenant relationship with God. NIDOTTE (#2876) specifically cites Hosea 6:4 as an example of “the human response to God.” Wood (page 194) also notes that the basis of the indictment against Israel and Judah is that their love “for God” was unstable.

a morning mist: This phrase probably refers to low-lying clouds or fog that disappears by the time the morning is over.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

a morning cloud (NRSV)

like fog in the morning (GW)

6:4d

like the early dew that vanishes.

It is like the dew that disappears early in the day.
or dew that can be seen early in the morning, but soon it vanishes.

the early dew that vanishes: In some languages, it may be redundant to make the word early explicit.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the dew that quickly disappears (NJB)

disappears like dew in the sunlight (NLT)

General Comment on 6:4c–d

Some versions make explicit the point of comparison in both similes. For example:

For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight. (NLT)

Parallel HOS 6:4