The word of the LORD that came to Hosea …: This is a typical introductory verse to a prophetic book, although Hosea is not explicitly identified in the text as a prophet. The phrase The word of the LORD that came to also occurs in other prophetic books (see Joel 1.1; Micah 1.1; Zeph 1.1). We advise translators to use a standard formula for this type of opening sentence. This opening sentence gives the source of the message (the LORD), the messenger (in this case Hosea), and the time of the message. The time is shown by listing kings who ruled Israel and Judah while Hosea was a prophet.
The word of the LORD is the main topic in the sentence. Word does not refer to a single vocabulary item but to an entire “message” (Good News Translation). Since this statement serves as the title of the book in Hebrew, it refers to the whole book as a message from God, including Hosea’s unhappy life with his wife, as well as all the prophetic utterances in the book. If a literal translation of word conveys the sense of “message,” translators should keep it. If not, the plural form “words” is also acceptable.
Wherever the word LORD appears in capital letters in Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation and other English translations, the term represents the personal name of God. In Hebrew consonants the divine name is written as YHWH, so the Jerusalem Bible (Jerusalem Bible) renders it as “Yahweh,” which is one possible way in which the name was pronounced. The name YHWH is related to the Hebrew expression used by God when he said of himself “I AM WHO I AM” (Exo 3.14), and it may therefore mean “he is,” “he is the one who exists,” or “he is the one who causes all things to exist.” Many years later, especially after the Babylonian captivity, people were afraid to pronounce the name of God. They did not want to risk pronouncing God’s name “in vain” (Exo 20.7). And so it became a Jewish custom for a reader in the congregation to substitute God’s name with the Hebrew word for “my Lord” (ʾadonay), when they came to the name of God. (The form “Jehovah” is not correct, because it only mixes up the vowels of ʾadonay and the consonants of YHWH.) The name “Yahweh” can be transliterated, because it is usually seen as a proper name. However, it is important to consider the (church)tradition of the target audience and existing influential translations in the area. In some languages it may be better to use a general term such as “Lord” or “Master,” as in many English translations (for example, Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation). However, this term is a title and not a proper name. There are also translations that have used a traditional praise name that refers to the deity, for example, Chauta in Chewa, a major Bantu language of south-central Africa. The word Chauta literally means “Great-One-of-the-Bow,” probably the rainbow. The name is used in sermons, hymns, and prayers. It has positive emotive overtones since it refers to the God who “owns” and also “belongs” to them.
In this Handbook the word “LORD” in all capital letters will occur only when quoted. Elsewhere “Yahweh” will be used as an indication that the LORD is being referred to by his personal name. It will be up to each translation committee to decide how to express the divine name in their own language and culture.
In Hebrew The word of the LORD that came to is literally “The word of Yahweh that was/happened/occurred to,” which is an idiom that occurs almost exclusively in prophetic speech. Just as in this context, it usually refers to an oracle or revelation received from God.
The phrase Hosea son of Be-eri links Hosea with his father, as is common in Hebrew literature. The name Hosea means “he [or, Yahweh] has saved,” but we recommend transliterating the name as it is commonly known rather than translating it. His father Be-eri is not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament.
In the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel: People not acquainted with Bible history and geography could be confused by the list of kings and the two countries Judah and Israel. It may be necessary to say that the kings ruled one after another, so that the reader will not think of them as chiefs of tribes who were neighbors to each other; for example, the German common language version (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) has “during the time when the kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah reigned after each other in Judah, while Jeroboam, the son of Joash, was the king in Israel.” It may also be necessary to make explicit that Judah was the kingdom to the south, while Israel was the kingdom to the north, and that together they were the twelve tribes; this means that they were all descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons, although it may be better to provide this information in a footnote if necessary, as does the French common language version (Bible en français courant) as follows:
Israel, set apart here from Judah, refers to the Israelite kingdom in the north, founded by Jeroboam I after the death of Solomon (see 1 Kgs 12.16-20). The king Jeroboam mentioned here is the second king with that name; he ruled over Israel from 787 to 747 B.C. (see 2 Kgs 14.23-29). – Uzziah: see the note at Amos 1.1. – Jotham: 2 Kgs 15.32-38; 2 Chr 27.1-3, 7-9. – Ahaz: 2 Kgs 16.1-20; 2 Chr 28.1-27. – Hezekiah: 2 Kgs 18–20; 2 Chr 29–32.
Translation models for this verse are:
• This is the revelation that Hosea the son of Beeri received from the LORD. It was during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings in Judah, while Jeroboam the son of Joash was king of Israel.
• The message of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri. At that time Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah ruled as kings in Judah, and Jeroboam the son of Joash was king in Israel.
Quoted with permission from Dorn, Louis & van Steenbergen, Gerrit. A Handbook on Hosea. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2020. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .