Paragraph 10:3–4
In this paragraph, Hosea describes the people’s response to the loss of their king.
10:3a
Surely: This phrase begins with a word that may indicate emphasis. Some versions leave this word implied. The Berean Standard Bible and other versions make the emphasis explicit. For example:
Truly, now they say (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
Surely now they will say (New American Standard Bible)
now they will say: Here Hosea describes the future response of the people after the altars are destroyed and their king has been captured.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
These people will soon be saying (Good News Translation)
-or-
So they’ll say (God’s Word)
We have no king: This statement is a direct quote of what the people say. The direct quote continues to the end of the verse.
This statement indicates that the people of Israel no longer have a king. It probably refers to the capture of Hoshea, the last king of Israel, by the Assyrians.
for we do not revere the LORD: In this clause, the people give the reason why they have no king. They acknowledge that they failed to revere the LORD. In Hebrew, the word for revere is literally “fear.” For people to fear the LORD means that they have a relationship with him in which they submit to him, they are awed by him, and they are afraid to offend him.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
because we didn’t fear the Lord (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
because we didn’t honor the Lord (New Century Version)
10:3b
What can a king do for us?: This statement expresses the people’s despair as they imagine what their situation would be like if they had a king. They did not believe that any king was able to save or help them.
Their words in this verse part contrast with their previous statement in 10:3a that they had no king. Indicate this contrast in a natural way in your language.
This is a rhetorical question. The expected answer to this question is “nothing.” This rhetorical question is one way to express an attitude of hopelessness. This rhetorical question can also be translated as a statement. For example:
As for the king, he couldn’t do anything for us. (New Century Version)
This statement is hypothetical. It does not describe a real situation. Here is another way to indicate this imagined situation:
But would it help us to have a king?
a king: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “the king.” The name of the king is not given. This may indicate that “the king” refers to kings as a group. No human king could help them. It is not recommended that you give the name of a specific king here.
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