Bible History
Bible History

Hosea 11 - New English Translation (NET)

You are here: Home New English Translation (NET) Hosea 11

Reversal of the Exodus: Return to Egypt and Exile in Assyria

11 “When Israel was a young man, I loved him like a son,[a]
and I summoned my son[b] out of Egypt.
2 But the more I summoned[c] them,
the farther they departed from me.[d]
They sacrificed to the Baal idols
and burned incense to images.
3 Yet it was I who led[e] Ephraim;
I took them by the arm,
but they did not acknowledge
that I had healed them.[f]
4 I drew them with leather cords,[g]
with straps of hide;[h]
I lifted the yoke[i] from their neck,[j]
and gently fed them.[k]
5 They will return to Egypt![l]
Assyria will rule over them[m]
because they refuse to repent![n]
6 A sword will flash in their cities,
it will destroy the bars of their city gates,
and will devour them in their fortresses.
7 My people are obsessed[o] with turning away from me;[p]
they call to Baal,[q] but he will never exalt them!

The Divine Dilemma: Judgment or Mercy?

8 “How can I give you up,[r] O Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, O Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?
I have had a change of heart.[s]
All my tender compassions are aroused.[t]
9 I cannot carry out[u] my fierce anger!
I cannot totally destroy Ephraim!
Because I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you—
I will not come in wrath!

God Will Restore the Exiles to Israel

10 “He will roar like a lion,
and they will follow the Lord;
when he roars,
his children will come trembling[v] from the west.
11 They will return in fear and trembling[w]
like birds from Egypt,
like doves from Assyria,
and I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord.

God’s Lawsuit against Israel: Breach of Covenant

12 (12:1)[x] Ephraim has surrounded me with lies;
the house of Israel has surrounded me[y] with deceit.
But Judah still roams about with[z] God;
he remains faithful to the Holy One.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 11:1 tn The words “like a son” are not in the Hebrew text but are necessary to clarify what sort of love is intended (cf. also NLT).
  2. Hosea 11:1 tc The MT reads בְנִי (veni, “my son”); however, the LXX reflects בָנָיו (vanayv, “his sons”). The MT should be retained as original here because of internal evidence; it is much more appropriate to the context.
  3. Hosea 11:2 tc The MT reads קָרְאוּ (qareʾu, “they called”; Qal perfect third person common plural from קָרַא, qaraʾ, “to call”); cf. KJV and NASB. However, the LXX and Syriac reflect כְּקָרְאִי (keqareʾi, “as I called”; preposition כְּ [kaf] + Qal infinitive construct from קָרַא + first person common singular suffix). The presence of the resumptive adverb כֵּן (ken, “even so”) in the following clause supports the alternate textual tradition reflected in the LXX and Syriac (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
  4. Hosea 11:2 tc The MT reads מִפְּנֵיהֶם (mippenehem, “from them”; preposition + masculine plural noun + third person masculine plural suffix); so KJV, ASV, and NASB. However, the LXX and Syriac reflect an alternate Hebrew textual tradition of מִפָּנַי הֵם (mippanay hem, “they [went away] from me”; preposition + masculine plural noun + first person common singular suffix, followed by third person masculine plural independent personal pronoun); cf. NAB, NIV, and NRSV. The textual variant was caused simply by faulty word division.
  5. Hosea 11:3 tn Or “taught Ephraim to walk” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). The verb תִרְגַּלְתִּי (tirgalti, “I taught [him] to walk, I led [him]”; Tiphil perfect first person common singular from רָגַל, ragal, “to walk”) is an unusual verb stem: the Tiphil (properly Taphel) is attested three times in Biblical Hebrew (Hos 11:3; Jer 12:5; 22:15) and once in Biblical Aramaic (Ezra 4:7; see GKC 153 §55.h).
  6. Hosea 11:3 tn Or “that it was I who had healed them” (NIV and NLT are similar).
  7. Hosea 11:4 tn Or “cords of human [kindness].” The noun אָדָם (ʾadam) is traditionally related to I אָדָם (“man”) and translated either literally or figuratively (as a metonymy of association for humane compassion): “cords of a man” (KJV, RSV margin, NASB), “cords of human kindness” (NIV, NCV), “human ties” (NJPS), and “cords of compassion” (RSV). But while it refers to humanity it rarely if ever means “humanely.” Another view sees the noun as II אָדָם (“leather”; HALOT 14 s.v. אָדָם) or possibly to be revocalized as אֹדֶם (ʾodem, “leather”; DCH rev. 1:153 s.v. אֹדֶם and 152 s.v. אָדָם II) and in parallel in this verse with II אַהֲבָה (ʾahavah, “leather”). This homonymic root is well attested in Arabic ʾadam (“skin”) and ʾadim (“tanned skin; leather”). It could fit the context of 11:4, which compares Israel to an animal: the Lord led him with leather cords, lifted the yoke from his neck, and fed him. Elsewhere, Hosea compares Israel to a stubborn cow (4:6) and harnessed heifer (10:11). It is somewhat common that the infrequent vocabulary of the Old Testament appears in poetic contexts, and this may be the case here. Richard S. Hess, “’ĀDĀM as ‘Skin’ and ‘Earth’: An Examination of Some Proposed Meanings in Biblical Hebrew,” TynBul (39) 1988: 141-42, claims that understanding the words as from the common roots is “acceptable for the context” and that taking the words as the more common roots is “the simplest and most suitable reading of the text.” HALOT cites Hans Walter Wolff for II אָדָם and II אַהֲבָה, but Hess notes that Wolff later rejected “leather” as a translation for these words in a commentary on Hosea. Hess is followed by NIDOTTE (261 s.v. אָדָם I).
  8. Hosea 11:4 tn Or “ropes of love.” The noun אַהֲבָה (ʾahava) is traditionally related to I אַהֲבָה (“love”; BDB 13 s.v. אַהֲבָה 2). This approach is adopted by most English translations: “bands of love” (KJV, RSV), “bonds of love” (NASB), “ties of love” (NIV), and “cords of love” (NJPS). However, אַהֲבָה could derive from the homonymic root II אַהֲבָה (“leather”; HALOT 18 s.v. II אַהֲבָה). This root is attested in Arabic and Ugaritic. It might occur in the description of Solomon’s sedan chair: “upholstered with purple linen, and inlaid with leather” (Song 3:10). The context of 11:4 compares Israel to a young heifer: the Lord could lead him with leather ropes, lift the yoke from his neck, and bend down to feed him. Elsewhere, Hosea compares Israel to a stubborn cow (4:6) and a young heifer harnessed for plowing (10:11). This may be supported by the parallelism with II אָדָם (ʾadam, “leather”; HALOT 14 s.v. II אָדָם). In addition, this could be an example of a homonymic wordplay on both roots: “ropes of leather/love.” For discussions of II אַהֲבָה, see G. R. Driver, “Supposed Arabisms in the Old Testament,” JBL 55 (1936): 111; G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 133; S. E. Loewenstamm, Thesaurus of the Language of the Bible, 1:39; and D. Grossberg, “Canticles 3:10 in the Light of a Homeric Analogue and Biblical Poetics,” BTB 11 (1981): 75-76. For homonymic wordplays, see W. G. E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry [JSOTSup], 237-38, and J. Barr, Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament, 151-55.
  9. Hosea 11:4 tn Heb “And I was to them like those who lift a yoke.” Eugen J. Pentiuc (Long-Suffering Love, 183, n. 940) says that the Vulgate and Syriac have the singular: “as one who lifts”). BHS suggests emending עֹל (‘ol, “yoke”) to עוּל (‘ul, “suckling”), and this might have originally required only a change of pointing: עֻל. Numerous commentaries and translations (NRSV, NJB, NIV, NAB, CEB) have agreed. The NIV has, “like one who lifts a little child to the cheek.” J. Andrew Dearman (The Book of Hosea (NICOT), 283) notes that this is modern. The Latin and Syriac agree with the MT in the animal imagery. Cords and ropes suit animals. Embracing to the face is not otherwise attested in Scripture. Dearman sees parallels between Hos 11:1-4 and Exod 20:2-5, and the image can be removal of the yoke of slavery in Egypt (see Lev 26:13; Jer 2:20). A yoke was standard imagery for servitude (1 Kgs 12:4, 10-11, 14; Deut 28:48; Jer 28:14; 30:8). A harness on the jaws occurs in Isa 30:28. God’s feeding of Israel would have been in the wilderness. A yoke here would match imagery of a yoke in Hos 10:11. God removed Israel from slavery but will return it to slavery for its sin (10:11).
  10. Hosea 11:4 tn Heb “their jaws” (so KJV, ASV, NASB). This noun (לְחִי, lekhiy) can also mean “cheek,” which is how the NIV, NRSV, NJB, NAB, and CEV take it here.
  11. Hosea 11:4 tn Heb “him.” This is regarded as a collective singular by most English versions and thus translated as a plural pronoun.
  12. Hosea 11:5 tc Or “Will they not return to Egypt?” (so NIV). Following the LXX and BHS, the MT לֹא (loʾ, “not”) should probably be read as לוֹ (lo, “to him”) and connected to the end of 11:4 rather than the beginning of 11:5. The textual confusion between לֹא and לוֹ probably reflects an unintentional scribal error due to a mistake in hearing (cf., e.g., Kethib/Qere in Ps 100:3).
  13. Hosea 11:5 tn Heb “Assyria, he will be his [Israel’s] king” (NASB similar).
  14. Hosea 11:5 tn Heb “return” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). The root שׁוּב (shuv, “to turn, return”) appears at the beginning and ending of this verse, creating an inclusio. This repetition produces an ironic wordplay: because Israel refuses to “return” to God or “turn” from its sin, it will “return” to Egypt. The punishment fits the crime.
  15. Hosea 11:7 tn The term תְלוּאִים (teluʾim, Qal passive participle masculine plural from תָּלָא, talaʾ, “to hang”) literally means “[My people] are hung up” (BDB 1067 s.v. תָּלָא). The verb תָּלָא // תָּלָה (“to hang”) is often used in a concrete sense to describe hanging an item on a peg (Ps 137:2; Song 4:4; Isa 22:24; Ezek 15:3; 27:10) or impaling the body of an executed criminal (Gen 40:19, 22; 41:13; Deut 21:22, 23; Josh 8:29; 10:26; 2 Sam 21:12; Esth 2:23; 5:14; 6:4; 7:9, 10; 8:7; 9:13, 14, 25). It is used figuratively here to describe Israel’s moral inability to detach itself from apostasy. Several English versions capture the sense well: “My people are bent on turning away from me” (RSV, NASB), “My people are determined to turn from me” (NIV), “My people are determined to reject me” (CEV; NLT “desert me”), “My people persist in its defection from me” (NJPS), and “they insist on turning away from me” (TEV).
  16. Hosea 11:7 tn The first person common singular suffix on the noun מְשׁוּבָתִי (meshuvati; literally, “turning of me”) functions as an objective genitive: “turning away from me.”
  17. Hosea 11:7 tc The meaning and syntax of the MT is enigmatic: וְאֶל־עַל יִקְרָאֻהוּ (veʾel ʾal yiqraʾuhu, “they call upwards to him”). Many English versions, including KJV, NIV, NRSV, and NLT, take the referent of “him” as the “most High.” The BHS editors suggest reading וְאֶל־בַּעַל יִקְרָא וְהוּא (veʾel baʿal yiqraʾ vehuʾ, “one calls to Baal, but he…”), connecting the third person masculine singular independent personal pronoun וְהוּא (vehuʾ, “but he…”) with the following clause. The early Greek recensions (Aquila and Symmachus), as well as the Aramaic Targum and the Vulgate, vocalized עֹל (ʿol) as “yoke” (as in 11:4): “they cry out because of [their] yoke” (a reading followed by TEV).
  18. Hosea 11:8 tn The imperfect verbs in 11:8 function as imperfects of capability. See IBHS 564 §34.1a.
  19. Hosea 11:8 tn The phrase נֶהְפַּךְ עָלַי לִבִּי (nehpakh ʿalay libbi) is an idiom that can be taken in two ways: (1) a tumult of emotions, not just a clash of ideas, that are afflicting a person (Lam 1:20; HALOT 253 s.v. הפך 1.c) and (2) a decisive change of policy, that is, a reversal of sentiment from amity to hatred (Exod 14:5; Ps 105:25; BDB 245 s.v. הָפַךְ 1; HALOT 253 s.v. 3). Some English versions express God’s emotional discomfort and tension over the prospect of destroying Israel: “mine heart is turned within me” (KJV), “my heart recoils within me” (RSV, NRSV), “My heart is turned over within Me” (NASB), and “My heart is torn within me” (NLT). Others stress volitional reversal of a previous decision to totally destroy Israel: “I have had a change of heart” (NJPS), “my heart is changed within me” (NIV), and “my heart will not let me do it!” (TEV). Both BDB 245 s.v. 1.b and HALOT 253 s.v. 3 suggest that the idiom describes a decisive change of heart (reversal of decision to totally destroy Israel once and for all) rather than God’s emotional turbulence, shifting back and forth between whether to destroy or spare Israel. This volitional nuance is supported by the modal function of the first person common singular imperfects in 11:8 (“I will not carry out my fierce anger…I will not destroy Ephraim…I will not come in wrath”) and by the prophetic announcement of future restoration in 11:10-11. Clearly, a dramatic reversal both in tone and in divine intention occurs between 11:5-11.
  20. Hosea 11:8 tn The Niphal of כָּמַר (kamar) means “to grow warm, tender” (BDB 485 s.v. כָּמַר), as its use in a simile with an oven demonstrates (Lam 5:10). It is used several times to describe the arousal of the most tender affection (Gen 43:30; 1 Kgs 3:26; Hos 11:8; BDB 485 s.v. 1; HALOT 482 s.v. כמר 1). Cf. NRSV “my compassion grows warm and tender.”
  21. Hosea 11:9 tn The three imperfect verbs function as imperfects of capability, similar to the imperfects of capability in 11:8. See IBHS 564 §34.1a.
  22. Hosea 11:10 tn When the verb חָרַד (kharad, “to tremble”) is used with prepositions of direction, it denotes “to go or come trembling” (BDB 353 s.v. חָרַד 4; e.g., Gen 42:28; 1 Sam 13:7; 16:4; 21:2; Hos 11:10, 11). Thus, the phrase מִיָּם…וְיֶחֶרְדוּ (veyekheredu…miyyam) means “to come trembling from the west” (cf. NAB “shall come frightened from the west”).
  23. Hosea 11:11 tn For the meaning of חָרַד (harad, “to tremble”) with prepositions of direction, see 11:10 above.
  24. Hosea 11:12 sn Beginning with 11:12, the verse numbers through 12:14 in the English Bible differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 11:12 ET = 12:1 HT, 12:1 ET = 12:2 HT, etc., through 12:14 ET = 12:15 HT. From 13:1 to 13:16 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
  25. Hosea 11:12 tn The phrase “has surrounded me” is not repeated in the Hebrew text here but is implied by the parallelism in the preceding line. It is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons, smoothness, and readability.
  26. Hosea 11:12 tn The verb רוּד (rud, “to roam about freely”) is used in a concrete sense to refer to someone wandering restlessly and roaming back and forth (BDB 923 s.v. רוּד; Judg 11:37). Here, it is used figuratively, possibly with positive connotations, as indicated by the preposition עִם (ʿim, “with”), to indicate accompaniment: “but Judah still goes about with God” (HALOT 1194 s.v. רוד). Some English versions render it positively: “Judah still walks with God” (RSV, NRSV), “but Judah stands firm with God” (NJPS), and “but Judah yet ruleth with God” (KJV, ASV). Other English versions adopt the negative connotation “to wander restlessly” and nuance עִם in an adversative sense (“against”): “Judah is still rebellious against God” (NAB), “Judah is restive under God” (REB), “Judah is unruly against God” (NIV), and “the people of Judah are still rebelling against me” (TEV).

You Might Also Like:

Hosea 11 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

11 Because Israel [is] a youth, and I love him, Out of Egypt I have called for My Son. 2 They have called to them rightly, They have gone from before them, To lords they do sacrifice, And to graven images they make perfume. 3 And I have caused Ephraim to go on foot, Taking them by their arms, And th...
Read More

Hosea 11 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

11 For Israel was a child, and I loved him; and from Egypt I called my son. (When Israel was a boy, I loved him; and I called my son out of Egypt.) 2 They called them, so they went away from the face of them. They offered to Baalim, and made sacrifice to simulacra. (And I called to them, but they we...
Read More

Hosea 11 - World English Bible (WEB)

11 “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.2 They called to them, so they went from them. They sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to engraved images.3 Yet I taught Ephraim to walk. I took them by his arms; but they didn’t know that I healed them.4 I drew t...
Read More

Hosea 11 - The Voice (VOICE)

11 Eternal One: When Israel was a child, I loved him; and out of Egypt I called My son.[a]2 But the more I called to Israel, the more they walked away from Me.[b] They kept on sacrificing to other divine masters[c] and burning incense to idols! 3 But I was the one who taught Ephraim to walk, hold...
Read More

Hosea 11 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

My Son Called Out11 “When Israel was a youth I loved him,and out of Egypt I called My son.[a]2 They called out to thembut they departed from their presence.They kept sacrificing to the Baalim and burning incense up to idols.3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk.I took them on My arms.But they ne...
Read More

Hosea 11 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

God’s Compassion Despite Israel’s Ingratitude11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.2 The more I[a] called them, the more they went from me;[b]they kept sacrificing to the Ba′als, and burning incense to idols. 3 Yet it was I who taught E′phraim to walk, I took them...
Read More

Hosea 11 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

God’s Compassion Despite Israel’s Ingratitude11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.2 The more I[a] called them, the more they went from me;[b]they kept sacrificing to the Ba′als, and burning incense to idols. 3 Yet it was I who taught E′phraim to walk, I took them...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

God’s Compassion Despite Israel’s Ingratitude11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.2 The more I[a] called them, the more they went from me;[b]they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols. 3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them ...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

God’s Compassion Despite Israel’s Ingratitude11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.2 The more I[a] called them, the more they went from me;[b]they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols. 3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them ...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

God’s Compassion Despite Israel’s Ingratitude11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.(A)2 The more I[a] called them, the more they went from me;[b]they kept sacrificing to the Baals and offering incense to idols.(B)3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took t...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New Living Translation (NLT)

The Lord’s Love for Israel11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt.2 But the more I called to him, the farther he moved from me,[a]offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols.3 I myself taught Israel[b] how to walk, leading him along by th...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New Life Version (NLV)

God’s Love for His Sinful People11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him. And I called My son out of Egypt. 2 The more I called them, the more they went from Me. They kept giving gifts in worship to the Baals and burning special perfume to false gods. 3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk. I t...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New King James Version (NKJV)

God’s Continuing Love for Israel11 “When Israel was a [a]child, I loved him,And out of Egypt (A)I called My (B)son.2 [b]As they called them,So they (C)went [c]from them;They sacrificed to the Baals,And burned incense to carved images. 3 “I(D) taught Ephraim to walk,Taking them by [d]their arms;But t...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

God’s love for Israel11 ‘When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.[a]They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms;but they d...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New International Version (NIV)

God’s Love for Israel11 “When Israel was a child,(A) I loved(B) him, and out of Egypt I called my son.(C)2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.[a](D)They sacrificed to the Baals(E) and they burned incense to images.(F)3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by t...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

God Loves Israel11 The Lord continues,“When Israel was a young nation, I loved them. I chose to bring my son out of Egypt.2 But the more I called out to Israel, the more they went away from me.They brought sacrifices to the statues of the gods that were named Baal. And they burned incense to them.3 ...
Read More

Hosea 11 - New Century Version (NCV)

God’s Love for Israel11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt.2 But when I called the people of Israel, they went away from me.They offered sacrifices to the Baals and burned incense to the idols.3 It was I who taught Israel to walk, and I took them by the arms,but ...
Read More

61 Bible Translations

Popular Articles

Explore the Bible Like Never Before!

Bible History Online

Bible Study Tools

Top Tags