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Numbers 25
New English Translation

Israel’s Sin with the Moabite Women

25 [a] When[b] Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality[c] with the daughters of Moab. 2 These women invited[d] the people to the sacrifices of their gods; then the people ate and bowed down to their gods.[e] 3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal Peor,[f] the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel.

God’s Punishment

4 The Lord said to Moses, “Arrest all the leaders[g] of the people, and hang them up[h] before the Lord in broad daylight,[i] so that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must execute those of his men[j] who were joined to Baal Peor.”

6 Just then[k] one of the Israelites came and brought to his brothers[l] a Midianite woman in the plain view of Moses and of[m] the whole community of the Israelites, while they[n] were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it,[o] he got up from among the assembly, took a javelin in his hand, 8 and went after the Israelite man into the tent[p] and thrust through the Israelite man and into the woman’s abdomen.[q] So the plague was stopped from the Israelites.[r] 9 Those that died in the plague were 24,000.

The Aftermath

10 The Lord spoke to Moses: 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites, when he manifested such zeal[s] for my sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in my zeal.[t] 12 Therefore, announce:[u] ‘I am going to give[v] to him my covenant of peace.[w] 13 So it will be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of a permanent priesthood, because he has been zealous for his God,[x] and has made atonement[y] for the Israelites.’”

14 Now the name of the Israelite who was stabbed—the one who was stabbed with the Midianite woman—was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of a clan[z] of the Simeonites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur. He was a leader[aa] over the people of a clan of Midian.[ab]

16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 17 “Bring trouble[ac] to the Midianites, and destroy them, 18 because they bring trouble to you by their treachery with which they have deceived[ad] you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian,[ae] their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague that happened as a result of Peor.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 25:1 sn Chapter 25 tells of Israel’s sins on the steppes of Moab, and God’s punishment. In the overall plan of the book, here we have another possible threat to God’s program, although here it comes from within the camp (Balaam was the threat from without). If the Moabites could not defeat them one way, they would try another. The chapter has three parts: fornication (vv. 1-3), God’s punishment (vv. 4-9), and aftermath (vv. 10-18). See further G. E. Mendenhall, The Tenth Generation, 105-21; and S. C. Reif, “What Enraged Phinehas? A Study of Numbers 25:8, ” JBL 90 (1971): 200-206.
  2. Numbers 25:1 tn This first preterite is subordinated to the next as a temporal clause; it is not giving a parallel action, but the setting for the event.
  3. Numbers 25:1 sn The account apparently means that the men were having sex with the Moabite women. Why the men submitted to such a temptation at this point is hard to say. It may be that as military heroes the men took liberties with the women of occupied territories.
  4. Numbers 25:2 tn The verb simply says “they called,” but it is a feminine plural. And so the women who engaged in immoral acts with Hebrew men invited them to their temple ritual.
  5. Numbers 25:2 sn What Israel experienced here was some of the debased ritual practices of the Canaanite people. The act of prostrating themselves before the pagan deities was probably participation in a fertility ritual, nothing short of cultic prostitution. This was a blatant disregard of the covenant and the Law. If something were not done, the nation would have destroyed itself.
  6. Numbers 25:3 tn The verb is “yoked” to Baal Peor. The word is unusual, and may suggest the physical, ritual participation described below. It certainly shows that they acknowledge the reality of the local god.sn The evidence indicates that Moab was part of the very corrupt Canaanite world, a world that was given over to the fertility ritual of the times.
  7. Numbers 25:4 sn The meaning must be the leaders behind the apostasy, for they would now be arrested. They were responsible for the tribes’ conformity to the Law, but here they had not only failed in their duty, but had participated. The leaders were executed; the rest of the guilty died by the plague.
  8. Numbers 25:4 sn The leaders who were guilty were commanded by God to be publicly exposed by hanging, probably a reference to impaling, but possibly some other form of harsh punishment. The point was that the swaying of their executed bodies would be a startling warning for any who so blatantly set the Law aside and indulged in apostasy through pagan sexual orgies.
  9. Numbers 25:4 tn Heb “in the sun.” This means in broad daylight.
  10. Numbers 25:5 tn Heb “slay—a man his men.” The imperative is plural, and so “man” is to be taken collectively as “each of you men.”
  11. Numbers 25:6 tn The verse begins with the deictic particle וְהִנֵּה (vehinneh), pointing out the action that was taking place. It stresses the immediacy of the action to the reader.
  12. Numbers 25:6 tn Or “to his family”; or “to his clan.”
  13. Numbers 25:6 tn Heb “before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of.”
  14. Numbers 25:6 tn The vav (ו) at the beginning of the clause is a disjunctive because it is prefixed to the nonverbal form. In this context it is best interpreted as a circumstantial clause, stressing that this happened “while” people were weeping over the sin.
  15. Numbers 25:7 tn The first clause is subordinated to the second because both begin with the preterite verbal form, and there is clearly a logical and/or chronological sequence involved.
  16. Numbers 25:8 tn The word קֻבָּה (qubbah) seems to refer to the innermost part of the family tent. Some suggest it was in the tabernacle area, but that is unlikely. S. C. Reif argues for a private tent shrine (“What Enraged Phinehas? A Study of Numbers 25:8, ” JBL 90 [1971]: 200-206).
  17. Numbers 25:8 tn Heb “and he thrust the two of them the Israelite man and the woman to her belly [lower abdomen].” Reif notes the similarity of the word with the previous “inner tent,” and suggests that it means Phinehas stabbed her in her shrine tent, where she was being set up as some sort of priestess or cult leader. Phinehas put a quick end to their sexual immorality while they were in the act.
  18. Numbers 25:8 sn Phinehas saw all this as part of the pagan sexual ritual that was defiling the camp. He had seen that the Lord himself had had the guilty put to death. And there was already some plague breaking out in the camp that had to be stopped. And so in his zeal he dramatically put an end to this incident, that served to stop the rest and end the plague.
  19. Numbers 25:11 tn Heb “he was zealous with my zeal.” The repetition of forms for “zeal” in the line stresses the passion of Phinehas. The word “zeal” means a passionate intensity to protect or preserve divine or social institutions.
  20. Numbers 25:11 tn The word for “zeal” now occurs a third time. While some English versions translate this word here as “jealousy” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), it carries the force of God’s passionate determination to defend his rights and what is right about the covenant and the community and parallels the “zeal” that Phinehas had just demonstrated.
  21. Numbers 25:12 tn Heb “say.”
  22. Numbers 25:12 tn Here too the grammar expresses an imminent future by using the particle הִנְנִי (hineni) before the participle נֹתֵן (noten)—“here I am giving,” or “I am about to give.”
  23. Numbers 25:12 tn Or “my pledge of friendship” (NAB), or “my pact of friendship” (NJPS). This is the designation of the leadership of the priestly ministry. The terminology is used again in the rebuke of the priests in Mal 2.
  24. Numbers 25:13 tn The motif is reiterated here. Phinehas was passionately determined to maintain the rights of his God by stopping the gross sinful perversions.
  25. Numbers 25:13 sn The atonement that he made in this passage refers to the killing of the two obviously blatant sinners. By doing this he dispensed with any animal sacrifice, for the sinners themselves died. In Leviticus it was the life of the substitutionary animal that was taken in place of the sinners that made atonement. The point is that sin was punished by death, and so God was free to end the plague and pardon the people. God’s holiness and righteousness have always been every bit as important as God’s mercy and compassion, for without righteousness and holiness mercy and compassion mean nothing.
  26. Numbers 25:14 tn Heb “a father’s house.” So also in v. 15.
  27. Numbers 25:15 tn Heb “head.”
  28. Numbers 25:15 sn The passage makes it clear that this individual was a leader, one who was supposed to be preventing this thing from happening. The judgment was swift and severe, because the crime was so great, and the danger of it spreading was certain. Paul refers to this horrible incident when he reminds Christians not to do similar things (1 Cor 10:6-8).
  29. Numbers 25:17 tn The form is the infinitive absolute used in place of a verb here; it clearly is meant to be an instruction for Israel. The idea is that of causing trouble, harassing, vexing Midian. The verb is repeated as the active participle in the line, and so the punishment is talionic.
  30. Numbers 25:18 tn This is the same word as that translated “treachery.”
  31. Numbers 25:18 sn Cozbi’s father, Zur, was one of five Midianite kings who eventually succumbed to Israel (Num 31:8). When the text gives the name and family of a woman, it is asserting that she is important, at least for social reasons, among her people.
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Judges 6-7
New English Translation

Oppression and Confrontation

6 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight,[a] so the Lord turned them over to[b] Midian for seven years. 2 The Midianites[c] overwhelmed Israel.[d] Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters[e] for themselves in the hills, caves, and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops,[f] the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them.[g] 4 They invaded the land[h] and devoured[i] its crops[j] all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat,[k] and they took away[l] the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. 5 When they invaded[m] with their cattle and tents, they were as thick[n] as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted.[o] They came to devour[p] the land. 6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a prophet[q] to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘I brought you up from Egypt[r] and took you out of that place of slavery.[s] 9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power[t] and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you. 10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship[u] the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living.” But you have disobeyed me.’”[v]

Gideon Meets Some Visitors

11 The angel of the Lord[w] came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon[x] was threshing[y] wheat in a winepress[z] so he could hide it from the Midianites.[aa] 12 The angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” 13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me,[ab] but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster[ac] overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said,[ad] ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 Then the Lord himself[ae] turned to him and said, “You have the strength.[af] Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites![ag] Have I not sent you?” 15 Gideon[ah] said to him, “But Lord,[ai] how[aj] can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.”[ak] 16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but[al] I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.”[am] 17 Gideon[an] said to him, “If you really are pleased with me,[ao] then give me[ap] a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 18 Do not leave this place until I come back[aq] with a gift[ar] and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat,[as] along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food[at] to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 20 God’s angel said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock,[au] and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed.[av] 21 The angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff.[aw] Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The angel of the Lord then disappeared.[ax]

22 When Gideon realized[ay] that it was the angel of the Lord, he[az] said, “Oh no![ba] Sovereign Lord![bb] I have seen the angel of the Lord face-to-face!” 23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe![bc] Do not be afraid. You are not going to die!” 24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.”[bd] To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Gideon Destroys the Altar

25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old.[be] Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern.[bf] Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants[bg] and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family[bh] and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.[bi]

28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw[bj] the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 29 They said to one another,[bk] “Who did this?”[bl] They investigated the matter thoroughly[bm] and concluded[bn] that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him![bo] He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him,[bp] “Must you fight Baal’s battles?[bq] Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause[br] will die by morning![bs] If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles![bt] After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.”[bu] 32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub Baal,[bv] because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”

Gideon Summons an Army and Seeks Confirmation

33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east[bw] assembled. They crossed the Jordan River[bx] and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 34 The Lord’s Spirit took control of[by] Gideon. He blew a trumpet,[bz] summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.[ca] 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well.[cb] He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.

36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel,[cc] as you promised, then give me a sign as proof.[cd] 37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it[ce] is dry, then I will be sure[cf] that you will use me to deliver Israel,[cg] as you promised.” 38 The Lord did as he asked.[ch] When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl.[ci] 39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign.[cj] Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.”[ck] 40 That night God did as he asked.[cl] Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.

Gideon Reduces the Ranks

7 Jerub Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men[cm] got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod.[cn] The Midianites[co] were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you.[cp] Israel might brag,[cq] ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’[cr] 3 Now, announce to the men,[cs] ‘Whoever is shaking with fear[ct] may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’”[cu] 22,000 men[cv] went home;[cw] 10,000 remained. 4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men.[cx] Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more.[cy] When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go;[cz] when I say,[da] ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.”[db] 5 So he brought the men[dc] down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.”[dd] 6 Only 300 men lapped with their hands to their mouths;[de] the rest of the men[df] kneeled to drink water. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will deliver the whole army[dg] and I will hand Midian over to you.[dh] The rest of the men should go home.”[di] 8 The men[dj] who were chosen[dk] took supplies[dl] and their trumpets. Gideon[dm] sent all the men of Israel back to their homes;[dn] he kept only 300 men. Now the Midianites[do] were camped down below[dp] in the valley.

Gideon Reassured of Victory

9 That night the Lord said to Gideon,[dq] “Get up! Attack[dr] the camp, for I am handing it over to you.[ds] 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave[dt] and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp.[du] 12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts.[dv] Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had.[dw] The man[dx] said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw[dy] a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.”[dz] 14 The other man said,[ea] “Without a doubt this symbolizes[eb] the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”

Gideon Routs the Enemy

15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God.[ec] Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 16 He divided the 300 men into three units.[ed] He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them.[ee] 17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely![ef] I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

19 Gideon took 100 men to the edge of the camp[eg] at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying.[eh] 20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right.[ei] Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 They stood in order[ej] all around the camp. The whole Midianite[ek] army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away.[el] 22 When the 300 men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords[em] throughout[en] the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went[eo] to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites.[ep]

Gideon Appeases the Ephraimites

24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites.[eq] Take control of the fords of the streams[er] all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.”[es] When all the Ephraimites had assembled,[et] they took control of the fords[eu] all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb.[ev] They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb[ew] in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites[ex] and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River.[ey]

Footnotes

  1. Judges 6:1 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  2. Judges 6:1 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
  3. Judges 6:2 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
  4. Judges 6:2 tn Heb “The hand of Midian was strong against Israel.”
  5. Judges 6:2 tn Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.
  6. Judges 6:3 tn Heb “Whenever Israel sowed seed.”
  7. Judges 6:3 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east would go up, they would go up against him.” The translation assumes that וְעָלוּ (veʿalu) is dittographic (note the following עָלָיו, ʿalayv).
  8. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “They encamped against them.”
  9. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “destroyed.”
  10. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “the crops of the land.”
  11. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “They left no sustenance in Israel.”
  12. Judges 6:4 tn The words “they took away” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  13. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “came up.”
  14. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “numerous.”
  15. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “To them and to their camels there was no number.”
  16. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “destroy.” The translation “devour” carries through the imagery of a locust plague earlier in this verse.
  17. Judges 6:8 tn Heb “a man, a prophet.” Hebrew idiom sometimes puts a generic term before a more specific designation.
  18. Judges 6:8 tc Some ancient witnesses read “from the land of Egypt.” מֵאֶרֶץ (meʾerets, “from the land [of]”) could have been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton (note the following מִמִּצְרַיִם [mimmitsrayim, “from Egypt”]).
  19. Judges 6:8 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
  20. Judges 6:9 tn Heb “hand” (also a second time later in this verse).
  21. Judges 6:10 tn Heb “Do not fear.”
  22. Judges 6:10 tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”
  23. Judges 6:11 sn The angel of the Lord is also mentioned in Judg 2:1.
  24. Judges 6:11 tn Heb “Now Gideon his son….” The Hebrew circumstantial clause (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + predicate) breaks the narrative sequence and indicates that the angel’s arrival coincided with Gideon’s threshing.
  25. Judges 6:11 tn Heb “beating out.”
  26. Judges 6:11 sn Threshing wheat in a winepress. One would normally thresh wheat at the threshing floor outside the city. Animals and a threshing sledge would be employed. Because of the Midianite threat, Gideon was forced to thresh with a stick in a winepress inside the city. For further discussion see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63.
  27. Judges 6:11 tn Heb “Midian.”
  28. Judges 6:13 tn Heb “But my lord.”
  29. Judges 6:13 tn Heb “all this.”
  30. Judges 6:13 tn Heb “saying.”
  31. Judges 6:14 tc The LXX reads “the angel of the Lord” here and in v. 16. The translation follows the MT and adds “himself” to draw attention to the change. sn Some interpreters equate the Lord and the messenger in this story. Since the messenger represents the Lord, perhaps when the Lord is mentioned in vv. 14 and 16 it means so indirectly, while Gideon’s direct encounter is with the angel. Indicators that the Lord and the angel of the Lord are distinct include: 1) the Hebrew text says only “Lord” in vv. 14 and 16; 2) in verse 16 the speaker in the Hebrew text says “I will be with you” referring to the Lord (but see the note at v. 16); 3) Gideon addresses the angel as ‎אֲדֹנִי (ʾadoni, “my lord”) but the Lord as אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “my Lord”); 4) in vv. 22-23 the Lord and Gideon continue to carry on a conversation after the messenger has vanished (v. 21). On the other hand, if the Lord was present, appearing visibly in human form (called a theophany), as implied by “turning” [his head] to Gideon, why would Gideon not be more fearful at the end of the story for having seen God rather than his angel? The story could be pictured as an exchange with the angel followed by calling out to the Lord in prayer. The translation assumes that the angel and the Lord are distinct in the conversation, but the matter is difficult.
  32. Judges 6:14 tn Heb “Go in this strength of yours.”
  33. Judges 6:14 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
  34. Judges 6:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  35. Judges 6:15 tn Note the switch to אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “Lord”). Gideon seems aware that he is speaking to someone other than, and superior to, the messenger, whom he addressed as אֲדֹנִי (ʾadoni, “my lord”) in v. 13.
  36. Judges 6:15 tn Heb “with what.”
  37. Judges 6:15 tn Heb “in my father’s house.”
  38. Judges 6:16 tn Or “certainly.”
  39. Judges 6:16 tn Heb “You will strike down Midian as one man.” The idiom “as one man” emphasizes the collective unity of a group (see Judg 20:8, 11). Here it may carry the force, “as if they were just one man.”
  40. Judges 6:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  41. Judges 6:17 tn Heb “If I have found favor in your eyes.”
  42. Judges 6:17 tn Heb “perform for me.”
  43. Judges 6:18 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  44. Judges 6:18 tn Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, “gift”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission. In some cases it is used of a gift offered to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. The word can also carry a sacrificial connotation.
  45. Judges 6:19 tn Heb “a kid from among the goats.”
  46. Judges 6:19 tn The words “the food” are not in the Hebrew text (an implied direct object). They are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  47. Judges 6:20 tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”
  48. Judges 6:20 tn Heb “and he did so.”
  49. Judges 6:21 tn Heb “extended the tip of the staff which was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread.”
  50. Judges 6:21 tn Heb “went from his eyes.”
  51. Judges 6:22 tn Heb “saw.”
  52. Judges 6:22 tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  53. Judges 6:22 tn Or “Ah!”
  54. Judges 6:22 tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (ʾadonay yehvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15], Lord”).
  55. Judges 6:23 tn Heb “Peace to you.” For a similar use of this idiom to introduce a reassuring word, see Gen 43:23.
  56. Judges 6:24 tn Heb “The Lord is peace.” Gideon’s name for the altar plays on the Lord’s reassuring words to him, “Peace to you.”
  57. Judges 6:25 tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar.
  58. Judges 6:26 tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.
  59. Judges 6:27 tn Heb “men from among his servants.”
  60. Judges 6:27 tn Heb “house.”
  61. Judges 6:27 tn Heb “so he did it at night.”
  62. Judges 6:28 tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men.
  63. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “each one to his neighbor.”
  64. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “this thing.”
  65. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “they inquired and searched.” The synonyms are joined to emphasize the care with which they conducted their inquiry.
  66. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “and said.” Perhaps the plural subject is indefinite. If so, it could be translated, “they were told.”
  67. Judges 6:30 tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause.
  68. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “to all who stood against him.”
  69. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?”
  70. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fights for him.”
  71. Judges 6:31 sn Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning. This may be a warning to the crowd that Joash intends to defend his son and to kill anyone who tries to execute Gideon. Then again, it may be a sarcastic statement about Baal’s apparent inability to defend his own honor. Anyone who takes up Baal’s cause may end up dead, perhaps by the same hand that pulled down the pagan god’s altar.
  72. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fight for himself.”
  73. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “for he pulled down his altar.” The subject of the verb, if not Gideon, is indefinite (in which case a passive translation is permissible).
  74. Judges 6:32 tn Heb “He called him on that day Jerub Baal.” The name means, at least by popular etymology, “Let Baal fight” or “Let Baal defend himself.”
  75. Judges 6:33 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east.”
  76. Judges 6:33 tn The words “the Jordan River” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  77. Judges 6:34 tn Heb “clothed.”
  78. Judges 6:34 tn That is, “mustered an army.”
  79. Judges 6:34 tn Heb “Abiezer was summoned after him.”
  80. Judges 6:35 tn Heb “and he also was summoned after him.”
  81. Judges 6:36 tn More literally, “you are about to deliver Israel by my hand.”
  82. Judges 6:36 tn The words “then give me a sign as proof” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  83. Judges 6:37 tn Heb “and on all the ground.”
  84. Judges 6:37 tn Or “know.”
  85. Judges 6:37 tn Heb “you will deliver Israel by my hand.”
  86. Judges 6:38 tn Heb “And it was so.”
  87. Judges 6:38 tn Heb “dew dripped from the fleece—a bowl full of water.”
  88. Judges 6:39 tn Heb “Let your anger not rage at me, so that I might speak only this once.”
  89. Judges 6:39 tn Heb “Let the fleece alone be dry, while dew is on all the ground.”
  90. Judges 6:40 tn Heb “God did so that night.”
  91. Judges 7:1 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him.”
  92. Judges 7:1 sn The name Harod means, ironically, “trembling.”
  93. Judges 7:1 tn Heb “Midian.” The LXX reads “and Amalek” (cf. v. 12; 6:33).
  94. Judges 7:2 tn Heb “the people who are with you are too numerous for me to give Midian into their hand.”
  95. Judges 7:2 tn Heb “might glorify itself against me.”
  96. Judges 7:2 tn Heb “my hand has delivered me.”
  97. Judges 7:3 tn Heb “call into the ears of the people.”
  98. Judges 7:3 tn Heb “afraid and shaking.”
  99. Judges 7:3 tc Many interpreters reject the MT reading “and leave Mount Gilead” for geographical reasons. A possible alternative, involving rather radical emendation of the Hebrew text, would be, “So Gideon tested them” (i.e., thinned the ranks in this manner).
  100. Judges 7:3 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because warriors are in view, and in ancient Israelite culture these would be only males. (This is also the case in vv. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.)
  101. Judges 7:3 tn Or “turned around, back.”
  102. Judges 7:4 tn Heb “too many people.”
  103. Judges 7:4 tn Heb “test them for you there.”
  104. Judges 7:4 tn Heb “he should go with you.”
  105. Judges 7:4 tn Heb also has “about anyone to you.”
  106. Judges 7:4 tn Heb “he should not go.”
  107. Judges 7:5 tn Heb “the people.”
  108. Judges 7:5 tn Heb “Everyone who laps with his tongue from the water, as a dog laps, put him by himself, as well as the one who gets down on his knees to drink.”
  109. Judges 7:6 tc The Hebrew phrase, “with their hands to their mouths.” is difficult in light of v. 5, which distinguishes between dog-like lappers (who would not use their hands to drink) and those who kneel (who would presumably use their hands). The words “with their hands to their mouths” may have been misplaced. They fit better at the end of v. 5 or v. 6. Perhaps these words were originally a marginal scribal note which was later accidentally inserted into the text in the wrong place. But on the other hand since the 300 men were the men selected for the army, lapping with their hands to their mouth would allow them to see their surroundings which would be a good procedure for a soldier. The kneelers were sent away presumably because they made themselves more vulnerable to enemy attack.
  110. Judges 7:6 tn Heb “the people.”
  111. Judges 7:7 tn Heb “you.” The Hebrew pronoun is masculine plural, probably referring to the entire army.
  112. Judges 7:7 tn The Hebrew pronoun here is singular.
  113. Judges 7:7 tn Heb “All the people should go, each to his place.”
  114. Judges 7:8 tn Heb “The people.”
  115. Judges 7:8 tn The words “who were chosen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  116. Judges 7:8 tn The Hebrew text has “in their hands.”
  117. Judges 7:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  118. Judges 7:8 tn Heb “tents.”
  119. Judges 7:8 tn Heb “Midian.”
  120. Judges 7:8 tn The Hebrew text adds “him” (i.e., Gideon).
  121. Judges 7:9 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  122. Judges 7:9 tn Heb “Go down against.”
  123. Judges 7:9 tn The Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, emphasizing the certainty of the promise.
  124. Judges 7:11 tn Heb “your hands will be strengthened.”
  125. Judges 7:11 tn Heb “to the edge of the ones in battle array who were in the camp.”
  126. Judges 7:12 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east were falling in the valley like locusts in great number.”
  127. Judges 7:13 tn Heb “And Gideon came, and, look, a man was relating to his friend a dream.”
  128. Judges 7:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned in the previous clause) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  129. Judges 7:13 tn Heb “Look!” The repetition of this interjection, while emphatic in Hebrew, would be redundant in the English translation.
  130. Judges 7:13 tn Heb “It came to the tent and struck it and it fell. It turned it upside down and the tent fell.”
  131. Judges 7:14 tn Heb “answered and said.”
  132. Judges 7:14 tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”
  133. Judges 7:15 tn Heb “he bowed down” or “worshiped.”
  134. Judges 7:16 tn Heb “heads.”
  135. Judges 7:16 tn Heb “the jars.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.sn They hid the torches inside the earthenware jars to disguise their approach and to keep the torches from being extinguished by the breeze.
  136. Judges 7:17 tn Or “look.”
  137. Judges 7:19 tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the 100 men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”
  138. Judges 7:19 tn Heb “that were in their hands.”
  139. Judges 7:20 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  140. Judges 7:21 tn Heb “each in his place.”
  141. Judges 7:21 tn “Midianite” has been supplied here for clarity.
  142. Judges 7:21 tn Or “fled.”
  143. Judges 7:22 tn Heb “the Lord set the sword of each one against his friend.”
  144. Judges 7:22 tc MT has “and throughout the camp,” but the conjunction (“and”) is due to dittography and should be dropped. Compare the ancient versions, which lack the conjunction here.
  145. Judges 7:22 tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  146. Judges 7:23 tn Heb “Midian.”
  147. Judges 7:24 tn Heb “to meet Midian.”
  148. Judges 7:24 tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”
  149. Judges 7:24 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (also later in this verse).
  150. Judges 7:24 tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”
  151. Judges 7:24 tn Heb “they captured the waters.”
  152. Judges 7:25 sn The names Oreb and Zeeb, which mean “Raven” and “Wolf” respectively, are appropriate because the Midianites had been like scavengers and predators to Israel.
  153. Judges 7:25 tn The Hebrew text repeats the verb “executed.” This has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  154. Judges 7:25 tn Heb “Midian.”
  155. Judges 7:25 tn Heb “beyond the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in 8:4).
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Hosea 9
New English Translation

Fertility Cult Festivals Have Intoxicated Israel

9 O Israel, do not rejoice jubilantly[a] like the nations,
for you are unfaithful[b] to your God.
You love to receive a prostitute’s wages[c]
on all the floors where you thresh your grain.
2 Threshing floors and wine vats will not feed the people,[d]
and new wine only deceives them.[e]

Assyrian Exile Will Reverse the Egyptian Exodus

3 They will not remain in the Lord’s land.
Ephraim will return to Egypt;
they will eat ritually unclean food in Assyria.
4 They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the Lord;
they will not please him with their sacrifices.
Their sacrifices will be like bread eaten while in mourning;
all those who eat them will make themselves ritually unclean.
For their bread will be only to satisfy their appetite;
it will not come into the temple of the Lord.
5 So what will you do on the festival day,
on the festival days of the Lord?

No Escape for the Israelites This Time

6 Look![f] Even if[g] they flee from the destruction,
Egypt will take hold of[h] them,
and Memphis will bury them.
The weeds will inherit the silver they treasure[i]—
thorn bushes will occupy their homes.[j]
7 The time of judgment[k] is about to arrive![l]
The time of retribution[m] is imminent![n]
Israel will be humbled![o]

Israel Rejects Hosea’s Prophetic Exhortations

The prophet is considered a fool[p]—
the inspired man[q] is viewed as a madman[r]—
because of the multitude of your sins
and your intense[s] animosity.
8 The prophet[t] is a watchman[u] over Ephraim[v] on behalf of God,[w]
yet traps[x] are laid for him along all his paths;[y]
animosity rages against him in the land[z] of his God.

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

9 They have sunk deep into corruption[aa]
as in the days of Gibeah.
He will remember their wrongdoing.
He will repay them for their sins.
10 When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the wilderness.
I viewed your ancestors[ab] like an early fig on a fig tree in its first season.
Then they came to Baal Peor and they dedicated themselves to shame—
they became as detestable as what they loved.

The Fertility Worshipers Will Become Infertile

11 Ephraim will be like a bird;
what they value[ac] will fly away.
They will not bear children—
they will not enjoy pregnancy—
they will not even conceive![ad]
12 Even if they raise their children,
I will take away every last one of them.[ae]
Woe to them!
For I will turn away from them.
13 Ephraim, as I have seen, has given their children for prey;[af]
Ephraim will bear his sons for slaughter.
14 Give them, O Lord—
what will you give them?
Give them wombs that miscarry,
and breasts that cannot nurse![ag]
15 Because of all their evil in Gilgal,
I hate them there.
On account of their evil deeds,
I will drive them out of my land.[ah]
I will no longer love them;
all their rulers are rebels.
16 Ephraim will be struck down[ai]—
their root will be dried up;
they will not yield any fruit.
Even if they do bear children,
I will kill their precious offspring.
17 My God will reject them,
for they have not obeyed him;
so they will be fugitives among the nations.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 9:1 tn Heb “do not rejoice unto jubilation”; cf. KJV “Rejoice not…for joy,” NASB “Do not rejoice…with exultation.”
  2. Hosea 9:1 tn Heb “you have committed adultery”; cf. NRSV “you have played the whore.”
  3. Hosea 9:1 tn Heb “you love the wages of the prostitute” (NIV similar); cf. NAB “loving a harlot’s hire.”
  4. Hosea 9:2 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. Hosea 9:2 tn Heb “her” (so KJV, ASV). This is taken as a collective singular (so also most modern English versions).
  6. Hosea 9:6 tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “Behold!”) is used frequently in prophetic announcements, introducing a solemn or important declaration, particularly in threats of judgment (BDB 244 s.v. הִנֵּה b.β). Many modern English versions leave this particle untranslated here.
  7. Hosea 9:6 tn The conjunction כִּי (ki) introduces a concessive clause: “Although, when, if, even if” (BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.c.β). It has a force approximating “even if” (so NIV, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT), but it represents a situation as more likely to occur than אִם (‘im, “if”). The concessive use of כִּי is normally followed by an imperfect, but occasionally a perfect is used, as is the case here (e.g., Mic 7:8; Nah 1:10; Pss 21:12; 119:83).
  8. Hosea 9:6 tn The verb קָבַץ (qavats, “to gather together”) should be nuanced as “grab hold” in this context (HALOT 1063 s.v. קבץ). This pictures a personified Egypt taking the fugitives prisoner.
  9. Hosea 9:6 tn Heb “the treasured things of their silver”; cf. NASB, NIV, TEV, NLT “treasures of silver.”
  10. Hosea 9:6 tn Heb “their tents” (so NIV, NRSV); cf. CEV “your tents.”
  11. Hosea 9:7 tn Heb “the days of the visitation”; cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “the days of punishment.”
  12. Hosea 9:7 tn Heb “has come” (בָּאוּ, baʾu). The two perfect-tense (suffix-conjugation) verbs בָּאוּ (Qal perfect third person common plural from בּוֹא, boʾ, “to come”) repeated in this verse are examples of the so-called “prophetic perfect.” The perfect, which connotes completed or factual action, is used in reference to future events to emphasize the certainty of the announced event taking place.
  13. Hosea 9:7 tn Heb “the days of the retribution”; cf. NIV “of reckoning,” and NRSV “of recompense.”
  14. Hosea 9:7 tn Heb “has come”; cf. NIV “are at hand,” NLT “is almost here.”
  15. Hosea 9:7 tc The MT reads יֵדְעוּ (yedeʿu, “Let them know”; cf. NIV, NAS, and see note below). The LXX reads κακωθήσεται (kakōthēsetai; “they will be afflicted”). The LXX reads a resh (ר) rather than a dalet (ד), a common scribal error, and probably understood it as יָרִעוּ (yariʿu), a Hiphil imperfect from the root רעע (resh, ʿayin, ʿayin), meaning to “treat badly.” These same consonants could also be understood as יֵרְעוּ (yereʿu), a Qal jussive from the root ירע (yaraʿ): “Let them tremble/be apprehensive.” This is a rare root that the LXX also did not recognize in Isa 15:4. Additionally, the MT breaks the verse after יֵדְעוּ (yedeʿu) by placing the atnakh (colon-divider) here, while the LXX includes the verb with the second half of the verse. The Old Greek reads the verb with the following lines as יָרִעוּ (yariʿu), a Hiphil from the root רוּעַ (ruaʿ) meaning “to shout” (cf. NRSV), appearing to introduce quotations of Israel mocking Hosea (but this is not a known function of that verbal root). Aquila (ἔγνω, egnō) and Symmachus (γνώσεται, gnōsetai) both reflect the proto-MT tradition. For a discussion of this textual and syntactical problem, see H. W. Wolff, Hosea (Hermeneia), 150.tn The verb may be imperfect “they will X” (KJV, ESV) or jussive “let them X” (NIV, NASB). The common verb יָדַע (yadaʿ) means “to know.” Among homophonous roots DCH includes יָדַע II (yadaʿ) meaning “be submissive, humbled; be quiet, at rest” (cf. Job 21:19; Prov 5:6; Isa 45:4; Jer 14:18). Reading either יֵדְעוּ (yedeʿu) “Israel will be humbled” or יֵרְעוּ (yereʿu) “Israel will tremble” makes equally good sense in context.
  16. Hosea 9:7 tn Or “is distraught”; cf. CEV, NLT “are crazy.”
  17. Hosea 9:7 tn Heb “the man of the Spirit”; cf. NAB, NRSV “spirit.”
  18. Hosea 9:7 tn Or “is driven to despair.” The term מְשֻׁגָּע (meshuggaʿ, Pual participle masculine singular from שָׁגַע, shagaʿ, “to be mad”) may be understood in two senses: (1) a predicate adjective as a figure of speech: “to be maddened,” to be driven to despair (Deut 28:34); or (2) a substantive: “a madman,” referring to prophets who attempted to enter into a prophetic state through whipping themselves into a frenzy (1 Sam 21:15 HT [21:15 ET]; 2 Kgs 9:11; Jer 29:26; see BDB 993 s.v. שָׁגַע). The prophetic context of 9:7 favors the latter option, which is followed by most English versions. Apparently, the general populace viewed these mantics with suspicion and questioned the legitimacy of their claim to be true prophets (e.g., 2 Kgs 9:11; Jer 29:26).
  19. Hosea 9:7 tn Heb “great.”
  20. Hosea 9:8 tc The Leningrad Codex (the MT ms used for BHS) and Aleppo Codex both place the atnakh (colon divider) after אלהי (“my God”) and connect נָבִיא (naviʾ, “prophet”) with the following colon. On the other hand, BHS suggests that נָבִיא belongs with the first colon. For discussion of this syntactical problem, see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea (AB), 533-34.
  21. Hosea 9:8 tc The syntax of this line is difficult, and the questionable text has four main interpretive options. First, one could adopt the MT vocalization and BHS line division: צֹפֶה אֶפְרַיִם עִם־אֱלֹהָי נָבִיא (tsofeh ʾefrayim ʿim elohay naviʾ, “The prophet is a watchman over Ephraim with my God [= on behalf of God]”). There are two problems with this view. Although BHS places נָבִיא (“prophet”) with this colon, the Aleppo Codex and Leningrad Codex both connect נָבִיא with the next colon (as do KJV, ASV). Also, the phrase עִם־אֱלֹהָי (“with my God”) is difficult to explain. Second, one could adopt the MT vocalization and the MT line division:צֹפֶה אֶפְרַיִם עִם־אֱלֹהָי נָבִיא (“Ephraim is a watchman with my God”; cf. NASB). The problem with this view is that Ephraim hardly fits the description of a prophetic watchman. Third, one could revocalize the MT and adopt BHS line division: צֹפֶה אֶפְרַיִם עַם אֱלֹהָי נָבִיא (“Ephraim—the people of my God!—lies in ambush for the prophet”). This involves: (a) revocalization of the preposition עִם (ʿim, “with”) to the noun עַם (ʿam, “people”), (b) taking עַם־אֱלֹהָי (“people of my God”) in apposition to אֶפְרַיִם (“Ephraim”), and (c) nuancing צֹפֶה as “to lie in wait (=set ambush)” (e.g., Ps 37:32). This is contextually attractive and harmonizes well with the following line: “traps are laid along all his paths.” However, it has two problems: (a) there is no textual evidence supporting the revocalization of עם as “people,” and (b) the unusual nuance, “to lie in wait,” for צֹפֶה occurs only in Ps 37:32, where it takes the preposition לְ (lamed, i.e., “to lie in wait for the righteous”; HALOT 1044 s.v. צפה 4). Fourth, one could emend אֱלֹהָי (“my God”) to אֹהֶל (ʾohel, “tent”), as suggested in the BHS textual apparatus: אֶפְרַיִם עִם־אֹהֶל נָבִיא צֹפֶה (“Ephraim spies on the prophet’s tent”). The verb צָפָה may mean “to spy” (BDB 859 s.v. צָפָה; HALOT 1044 s.v. צפה 3). However, the preposition עִם (ʿim) does not normally mean “upon,” and צָפָה is not used with עִם elsewhere.
  22. Hosea 9:8 tn Or “Ephraim is a watchman with my God”; cf. ASV and NASB.
  23. Hosea 9:8 tn Heb “with my God” (so ASV, NASB).
  24. Hosea 9:8 tn Heb “bird trap of a bird catcher,” or “snare of a fowler” (so KJV).
  25. Hosea 9:8 tc Or “The prophet is like a trap along all his paths.” The Aleppo Codex and Leningrad Codex (ms used in BHS) both connect נָבִיא (naviʾ, “prophet”) with this colon. On the other hand, BHS places נָבִיא at the end of the preceding colon.
  26. Hosea 9:8 tn Heb “house.” The term בַּיִת (bayit, “house”) is used as a figure of speech, referring to either (1) the temple or official sanctuaries (so TEV, CEV) or (2) the land of Israel (e.g., Hos 9:15).
  27. Hosea 9:9 tn Or more literally, “they are deeply corrupted.” The two verbs הֶעְמִיקוּ־שִׁחֵתוּ (heʿmiqu shikhetu; literally, “they have made deep, they act corruptly”) are coordinated without a conjunction vav to form a verbal hendiadys: the second verb represents the main idea, while the first functions adverbially (GKC 386-87 §120.g). Here Gesenius suggests: “they are deeply/radically corrupted.” Several translations mirror the syntax of this hendiadys: “They have deeply corrupted themselves” (KJV, ASV, NRSV), “They have been grievously corrupt” (NJPS), and “They are hopelessly evil” (TEV). Others reverse the syntax for the sake of a more graphic English idiom: “They have gone deep in depravity” (NASB) and “They have sunk deep into corruption” (NIV). Some translations fail to represent the hendiadys at all: “You are brutal and corrupt” (CEV). The translation “They are deeply corrupted” mirrors the Hebrew syntax, but “They have sunk deep into corruption” seems preferable as a more graphic English idiom (cf. NAB “They have sunk to the depths of corruption”).
  28. Hosea 9:10 tn Heb “fathers”; a number of more recent English versions use the more general “ancestors” here.
  29. Hosea 9:11 tn Heb “their glory” (so NASB); cf. TEV “Israel’s greatness.”
  30. Hosea 9:11 tn Heb “no childbearing, no pregnancy, no conception.” The preposition מִן (min) prefixed to the three parallel nouns functions in a privative sense, indicating deprivation (BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7).
  31. Hosea 9:12 tn Heb “I will bereave them from a man”; cf. NRSV “I will bereave them until no one is left.”
  32. Hosea 9:13 tc The MT is difficult here. The first line of the MT reads, “Ephraim as I have seen like Tyre is planted in a meadow.” The verse may suggest that as Tyre had a pleasant location but will be judged (cf. Isa 23:1-18; Amos 1:9-10), so now also Ephraim will be. The BHS editors suggest emending the text of 13a to follow the LXX reading, which substantially follows the MT consonantal text and is given above. See D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:250-51.
  33. Hosea 9:14 tn Heb “breasts that shrivel up dry”; cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV “dry breasts.”
  34. Hosea 9:15 tn Heb “out of my house” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV, NCV, and NLT have “my land.”
  35. Hosea 9:16 tn Or perhaps, following the plant metaphor: “will be blighted” (the NIV is similar).
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