This verse has several problems for interpreters and translators. The original text probably had some wordplays or other poetic devices that were not understood, or were wrongly understood, by later copyists. For example, in the first line of the Hebrew, the first word of the second half-line resembles the name of the city Tyre, or an Arabic word for a young palm tree, or a rock. The Hebrew of the first line seems to say “Ephraim, as I see, (goes) to Tyre, planted in the pasture” (Wolff). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh follows this understanding of the Hebrew text: “It shall go with Ephraim as I have seen it go with Tyre, which was planted in a meadow” (similarly New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). But there is no known reason for a reference to the city of Tyre. Furthermore, Tyre was not in a meadow but on a rocky island off the coast of Phoenicia, now Lebanon. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project decides to retain the Hebrew (a {B} decision), but it reads the noun for “Tyre” as “a palm tree.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggests the following translation: “(Ephraim), when I saw it (that is, the land and the people of Ephraim), [it seemed to be destined] to [be] a grove of palm trees, planted in a pasture.” New Revised Standard Version follows this reading, rendering the whole verse as “Once I saw Ephraim as a young palm planted in a lovely meadow, but now Ephraim must lead out his children for slaughter.” English Standard Version is similar: “Ephraim, as I have seen, was like a young palm planted in a meadow; but Ephraim must lead his children out to slaughter.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Like a young palm, planted in fruitful soil, so once was Ephraim to me, and this Ephraim now must lead his sons out to the slaughterer!” This reading of Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is attractive since it remains fairly close to the Hebrew text and fits the context well. In 9.10 is a similar contrast: the LORD found delight in Ephraim, but saw it soon engaged in shameful idolatrous relations.
Many versions simply abandon the Hebrew of the first line, which they question, and follow the Septuagint. For example, Revised Standard Version has Ephraim’s sons, as I have seen, are destined for a prey, and Good News Translation says “LORD, I can see their children being hunted down.” Wolff also prefers the Septuagint because he considers it the oldest phase in the history of this text. He suggests the following translation of the verse:
Ephraim, as I see,
(has exposed his sons to the hunt).
Now Ephraim must lead
his sons to the butcher.
Another emendation of the first line is followed by New English Bible: “As lion-cubs emerge only to be hunted,” but this is not so well supported by the Septuagint. NET Bible has a somewhat similar reading, but it turns the cubs into hunters: “Just as lion cubs are born predators.”
Although many scholars believe the Hebrew of the first line is unreliable, New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch demonstrate that a clear translation can result from following the Hebrew text, and this fact removes an important reason for suspecting the Hebrew. So we recommend their reading of the Hebrew text. The following comments on this line are based on New Revised Standard Version‘s translation.
“Once I saw Ephraim as a young palm planted in a lovely meadow”: Ephraim is compared to a palm tree planted in fertile soil. The “palm” tree probably refers to the date palm.
The pronoun “I” most likely refers to the LORD. Good News Translation believes this pronoun refers to the prophet Hosea, so it moves “LORD” from the next verse to the beginning of this one, to show that the prophet is addressing the LORD in verses 13-14. However, in view of the wider context it is more likely that the LORD is still speaking in this verse to the people of Israel. Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, and Bijbel in Gewone Taal explicitly take this verse as the final lines in the speech of the LORD which began in verse 10. A similar understanding can be drawn from New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and English Standard Version.
“Saw” renders a Hebrew verb that relates to the earliest traditions of Israel’s prophets, that of “seeing” a vision. However, not all interpreters understand the verb to refer to prophetic experience here, since God is speaking.
Instead of “Ephraim,” Good News Translation has the pronoun “their,” which refers to the people of Israel, as do the third person pronouns in the preceding verses. Again, it is suggested to be consistent with the use of pronouns in preceding verses.
Ephraim must lead forth his sons to slaughter: This line may refer to battles with Assyrian invaders, in which many Israelite soldiers perished. Sons may be rendered “children” (New Revised Standard Version) in this context. For this line Good News Translation says simply “and killed.” Good News Translation drastically reduces it, omitting the agent. A better model is “They must send out their sons to be killed in battle.”
A translation model for this verse is:
• Ephraim, once I saw you as a palm tree planted in fertile soil,
but now you must lead your children out for slaughter.
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 .