Paragraph 2:23
2:23a
And I will sow her as My own in the land: One meaning of the name Jezreel (2:22) is “God plants.” Here the LORD states that he will sow the people of Israel in the land of Israel. This figurative statement means that he will again establish the Israelites as a strong and prosperous nation.
If it is not possible to keep this metaphor in your language, here are some other ways to translate it:
• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
⌊ The people of Israel⌋⌊will be like crops ⌋ that I plant in the land. They will be my people ⌊and I will cause them to grow and become strong ⌋.
• Translate the meaning directly without using a figure of speech. For example:
I will establish my people in the land and make them prosper. (Good News Translation)
Try to keep the figurative idea of planting if possible. It will help your readers to understand the connection with the name “Jezreel” in the previous verse.
her: The New Revised Standard Version translates this pronoun as “him” since it refers to Jezreel, which is normally masculine in gender. However, in Hebrew, this pronoun is feminine, probably since Jezreel represents Israel, the LORD’s bride.
In many languages, there is no distinction between masculine and feminine pronouns. Translate this pronoun so that it refers clearly to the people of Israel. In some cases, it may be clearer to use a more specific phrase. For example:
At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites and raise them for myself! (New Living Translation (2004))
as My own: This phrase indicates that the LORD will once more accept the Israelites as his own people.
2:23b–c
Notice the parallelism:
23b
and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’
23c
I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’ ‘You are My people,’
These parallel lines refer back to the names of Hosea’s second and third children given in 1:6–9. Each of these names had a negative meaning. In 1:10 and 2:1, the LORD said that he would give those names a positive meaning. In this verse, he spoke about the fulfillment of that promise. The LORD’s covenant with Israel will be restored and the Israelites will once more be his people.
Some versions, such as the New Jerusalem Bible, keep the names Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-ammi here. Others, such as the Good News Translation, replace these Hebrew names with their meanings “Not my loved one” and “Not my people.” The NET Bible includes both the meanings and the Hebrew names:
I will have pity on ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah). (NET Bible)
I will say to ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), ‘You are my people!’
See the discussion in 1:6b and 1:9a on how to translate these names and their meanings. Depending on how you translated the names there, you may be able to translate them the same way here. But notice that the Berean Standard Bible transliterated the Hebrew names in 1:6b and 1:9, but it used the meanings of the names here in 2:23. That is because the names in chapter 1 referred to the literal children of Hosea and Gomer. Here in chapter 2, they refer to the people of Israel. You will need to decide whether it is appropriate to treat these names in the same way as you did in 1:6–9. You may want to add a footnote that cross-references these verses.
2:23d
and they will say: The Hebrew pronoun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they is literally “he,” as in the New Revised Standard Version. This pronoun refers back to Lo-Ammi. Here Lo-Ammi clearly refers to the people of Israel, not to the literal son of Hosea. Use a pronoun or phrase that refers clearly to the people of Israel.
You are my God: You should translate this clause in a way that clearly shows the contrast with the words “I am not your God” in 1:9b. Compare 1:9b and 2:23d in the Display for examples.
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