¹tn Heb “sons of Israel.”
²tn The noun byr] (riv, “dispute, lawsuit”) is used in two contexts: (1) nonlegal contexts: (a) “dispute” between individuals (e.g., Gen 13:7; Isa 58:1; Jer 15:10) or (b) “brawl; quarrel” between people (e.g., Exod 17:7; Deut 25:1); and (2) legal contexts: (a) “lawsuit; legal process” (e.g., Exod 23:3-6; Deut 19:17; 21:5; Ezek 44:24; Ps 35:23), (b) “lawsuit; legal case” (e.g., Deut 1:12; 17:8; Prov 18:17; 25:9), and (c) God’s “lawsuit” on behalf of a person or against his own people (Hos 4:1; 12:3; Mic 6:2; HALOT 1225-26 s.v. byr]). The term in Hosea refers to a covenant lawsuit in which Yahweh the suzerain lodges a legal case against his disobedient vassal, accusing Israel and Judah of breach of covenant which will elicit the covenant curses.
³tn Heb “with the inhabitants of the land.”
⁴tn Heb “there is no truthfulness nor loyalty nor knowledge of God in the land.” Here “knowledge” of God refers to recognizing his authority and obeying his will.
⁵tn Heb “they break out and bloodshed touches bloodshed.” The Hebrew term Jr^P* (parats, “to break out”) refers to violent and wicked actions (BDB 829 s.v. Jr^P* 7; HALOT 972 s.v. Jrp 6.c). It is used elsewhere in a concrete sense to describe breaking through physical barriers. Here it is used figuratively to describe breaking moral barriers and restraints.
⁶tn Or “languish.”
⁷tn Heb “the beasts of the field.”
⁸tn Or “Let no one contend or accuse.”
⁹tc The MT reads /h@k) yb@yr]m=K! ;M=u^w+ (v^e’amm^ekha kimrive khohen): “And your people [are] like those who contend against the priest.” This is reflected in the LXX and the versions; however, it is syntactically awkward and makes little contextual sense. Several text-critics suggest that the text be emended to read /h@k) yb!yr] ;M=u!w+ (v^e’imm^ekha rivi khohen): “My contention is with/against you, O priest!” This involves (1) the revocalization of ;M=u^ (“your people”) to ;M=u! (“with/against you”) and (2) positing dittography (letter written twice instead of once) of K= (kaf) between original yb!yr] ;M=u^w+ to create yb!yr]K! ;M=u^w+ (MT). The BHS editors suggest that the MT is corrupt and should be emended. However, the editors of the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project retain the MT reading with a “B” rating. Likewise, the English translations are split: (1) “for thy people are as they that strive with the priest” (KJV), “for your people are like those who contend with the priest” (NASB), “for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest” (NIV); (2) “for with you is my contention, O priest” (RSV), “for this your people has a grievance against [you], O priest!” (NJPS), “my complaint is against you priests” (TEV), “My case is against you, the priests!” (CEV).
tn The singular noun /h@K) (cohen, “priest”) may be understood as a singular of number, referring to a singular individual (perhaps the high priest); however, it is more likely that it functions as a collective singular, referring to the priesthood as a whole (e.g., 4:7-10). Collective singular forms alternate with plural forms throughout the oracle against the priests in 4:4-10.
¹⁰tc The MT reads ;M#a! yt!ym!d*w+ (v^edamiti ’immekha, “and I will destroy your mother”); however, the text should probably be emended to ;M#u^ tym!d*w+ (v^edamit ’ammekha, “and you have destroyed your own people”). The 2ms form tym!d*w+ (v^edamit, “and you have destroyed”) is preserved in several medieval Hebrew mss and reflected in Jerome’s Vulgate. For discussion in favor of the MT reading, see D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:232.
tn Or “and I will destroy your mother.”
¹¹tn Heb “they have destroyed” or “my people are destroyed.”
¹²tn Heb “Because you reject knowledge.”
¹³tn Heb “have forgotten.”
¹⁴tn Heb “forget.”
¹⁵tc The MT reads rym!a* (’amir, “I will change, exchange”; Hiphil imperfect 1cs from rWm, mur, “to change, exchange”). However, an alternate scribal tradition (tiqquneh sopherim, that is, an intentional scribal change when the Masoretes believed that the received consonantal reading was corrupt) preserves the reading Wrym!h@ (hemiru, “they have exchanged”; Hiphil perfect 3cpl from rWm). This alternate scribal tradition is also found in the Targum and reflected in the Syriac Peshitta. Several translations follow the MT: “I will change their glory into shame” (KJV, RSV, NASB) and “I will turn your honor into disgrace” (TEV); however, others adopt the alternate tradition: “they changed their glory into shame” (NRSV) and “they exchanged their Glory for something shameful” (NIV). For discussion in favor of the MT reading, see D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:232.
¹⁶tn Heb “And it shall be, like people, like priest.”
¹⁷tn Heb “by guarding harlotry.” The translation assumes that the first word of v. 11 in the Hebrew text is to be taken with the infinitive at the end of v. 10.
¹⁸tn Heb “take away the heart of my people.” The translation assumes that the first word of v. 12 in the Hebrew text is to be construed with the noun at the end of v. 11.
¹⁹tn The term “spiritual” does not appear in the Hebrew text here, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
²⁰tn The phrase “they sacrifice” does not appear in the Hebrew text here but is implied by parallelism; it is provided in the translation for the sake of clarity.
²¹tn The words “it is true” are supplied in the translation to indicate that this is a conclusion drawn on the preceding behavior.
²²sn Beth-Aven means “house of wickedness” in Hebrew; it is a polemic reference to “Bethel,” which means “house of God.”
²³tn The Hebrew verb “has rebelled” (rr^s*, sarar) can also mean “to be stubborn.” This is the same root used in the simile: “like a stubborn (hr*r@s), sorerah) heifer.” The similarity between Israel and a stubborn heifer is emphasized by the repetition of the same term.
²⁴tn The particle hT*u^ (’attah) often refers to the imminent or the impending future: “very soon” (BDB 774 s.v. hT*u^ 1.b). In Hosea it normally introduces imminent judgment (Hos 2:12; 4:16; 5:7; 8:8, 13; 10:2).
²⁵tn Or “How can the Lord feed them like a lamb in a meadow?” The syntax of this line is difficult and has been understood in two ways: (1) declarative statement as an announcement of judgment (BDB 774 s.v. hT*u^ 1.b): “Now the Lord will feed them like a lamb in the broad field” and (2) rhetorical question lamenting the uncooperative spirit of Israel: “How can the Lord feed them like a lamb in a meadow?”), designed to produce a negative answer (“He cannot feed them…!”). However, this statement lacks an explicit interrogative marker. Although Hosea occasionally asks a rhetorical question without an explicit interrogative marker (e.g., 10:9; 13:14a), he normally does use a rhetorical particle to introduce rhetorical questions (e.g., 6:4; 8:5; 9:5, 14; 11:8; 13:9-10, 14b). Elsewhere, Hosea uses the introductory temporal adverb hT*u^ (“soon”) to introduce announcements of imminent future judgment (2:12; 4:16; 5:7; 8:8, 13; 10:2) and accusations of sin (5:3; 13:2). Although Israel has been as rebellious as a stubborn heifer, the Lord will indeed gain control of Israel: they will be like lambs (weakened and defeated) when he puts them out to pasture in a broad field (exile).
²⁶tn Heb “their altars” or “their sacrifices.” <t*ojb=z] (zivkhotam, “altars; sacrifices”) is a metonymy of association for Israel’s apostate idolatrous Baal worship.