Paragraph 12:12–14
This paragraph compares/contrasts Jacob and the LORD. Jacob took care of sheep in Aram to attain a wife. The LORD took care of the people in Sinai by sending a prophet. Yet Israel provoked the LORD’s anger, and he will hold them accountable.
Hosea is probably the speaker in this paragraph. This is suggested by the use of the phrase “the/his LORD” rather than “I.”
12:12
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
12a
Jacob fled to the land of Aram
12b and Israel worked for a wife —
12c
for a wife he tended sheep.
These lines continue to describe Jacob from 12:3–4. (See also Genesis 28–29). The verbs, “fled,” “worked” and “tended” indicate that Jacob had a difficult life. He was of low status and served others. This verse is the first part of a comparison/contrast of Jacob to prophets. The second part is 12:13.
In Hebrew, this verse begins with a word that connects it to the previous verse(s). In many other places, this word is translated as “and” or “but.”
Here the connection of this verse to the previous ones is unclear. Most versions leave the connection implied. Use a natural way in your language to indicate the connection of this verse to 12:11.
12:12a
Jacob fled to the land of Aram: The Hebrew word for fled means “ran away.” The word connotes running in a hurry, often from a threatening situation. Here it refers to a time when Jacob fled from Canaan, because Esau threatened to kill him. See Genesis 27:42–45.
Some versions make explicit that Jacob was the ancestor of the people of Israel. For example:
Our ancestor Jacob had to flee to Mesopotamia (Good News Translation)
land of Aram: This phrase is literally “field/territory of Aram.” It refers to Paddan-aram. See Genesis 28:2. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
Northwest Mesopotamia (New Century Version)
-or-
country of Syria (God’s Word)
12:12b
Israel worked for a wife: This clause is literally “Israel served for a wife.” It refers to Jacob serving his uncle Laban by caring for sheep. The clause may indicate that Jacob’s work substituted for a bride price.
In this clause, Jacob is called by the name Israel. Some versions use the pronoun “he” here instead. For example:
he worked for another man (Good News Translation)
12:12c
for a wife he tended sheep: The Hebrew text repeats the same phrase for a wife here as in 12b. It has the same meaning in both lines. Some other versions make explicit that the phrase for a wife means to pay for a wife. Here is another way to translate this clause:
and there he earned a wife by tending sheep (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
and to pay for her he tended sheep (New International Version)
The words he tended sheep make explicit the meaning of the Hebrew word “to guard, watch, protect.”
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