5:13a–b
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
13a When Ephraim saw his sickness
13b and Judah his wound,
These lines contain parallel metaphors. In these metaphors the LORD compares the hardship of the people of Israel and Judah to the suffering caused by a sickness and a wound.
When: This word introduces what happened at that time, following the start of the LORD’s judgment. At that time, Ephraim and Judah realized their difficult situations. This word also introduces the reason that they turned to the king of Assyria for help in 5:13c–d.
Ephraim…Judah: Here these names probably refer particularly to the leaders of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The leaders are the ones who would turn to Assyria for help. If it will be clearer or more natural to make this information explicit in your language, you may do so. For example:
⌊ the leaders of⌋Israel…⌊the leaders of ⌋ Judah
saw: In this context, this word means “became aware of” or “realized.” For example:
when Ephraim became aware of his sickness (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
When ⌊the leaders of ⌋ Ephraim realized that their nation was sick
his sickness…his wound: The first of these parallel terms can refer to any illness or disease. The second term is more specific. It refers to an infected wound or to an oozing ulcer or boil. Here both terms are figurative. They probably refer to hardships or weakness that the people were experiencing as a result of war.
General Comment on 5:13a–b
In some languages, the metaphors in these parallel lines may be incorrectly understood as literal sickness or wounds.
If that is true in your language, here are some other ways to translate these metaphors:
• Change the metaphors to similes. If necessary, make explicit what is being compared. For example:
13a
⌊ The hardship that⌋⌊the people of ⌋ Israel ⌊were experiencing was like ⌋ a sickness.
13b
⌊ The people of⌋Judah ⌊were suffering like a person who has ⌋ infected/oozing sores/boils. When they saw this,
-or-
13a When ⌊the leaders of ⌋ Israel realized that ⌊the hardship of ⌋ their people ⌊was like ⌋ a sickness,
13b and when ⌊the rulers of ⌋ Judah found out that the people were ⌊as if ⌋ covered with infected sores,
• Translate the meaning without using figures of speech. For example:
13a When the people of Israel noticed the troubles that they were facing,
13b when the people of Judah saw how weak their country had become,
In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder and/or combine these parallel statements. For example:
When Israel and Judah saw how sick they were (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
⌊ The leaders of⌋Israel and Judah realized that their countries had become very weak and their people were undergoing great hardship.
5:13c–d
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
13c then Ephraim turned to Assyria,
13d and sent to the great king.
These lines give the result of the action described in 5:13a–b. There it says that Ephraim and Judah saw their sicknesses.
Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king: There are two ways to interpret the subject of the verb sent in these parallel verse parts:
(1) Both Ephraim and Judah turned to the king of Assyria for help. Judah is the implied subject of the verb sent in 5:13d. For example:
13c
Ephraim went to Assyria,
13d and Judah sent to the great king. (New American Bible)
(New American Bible)
(2) Ephraim turned to the king of Assyria for help. Ephraim is the implied subject of the verb sent in the second line. For example:
13c then Ephraim went to Assyria,
13d and sent to the great king. (New Revised Standard Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with a slight majority of commentaries. However, most versions follow interpretation (2). You may decide to follow (2) if it will be more acceptable to your readers.
The parallelism, pronoun use, and historical context all favor interpretation (1). To be more specific:
(a) Ephraim and Judah occur as a parallel pair in both the preceding and following contexts (5:5b–c, 5:12a–b, 5:13a–b, and 5:14a–b).
(b) The plural pronoun “you” in 5:13e–f suggests that both Ephraim and Judah are referred to here. Plural pronouns are also used in 5:6–7 and 5:15, where the context indicates both Ephraim and Judah.
(c) Historically, King Hoshea of Israel and King Ahaz of Judah both sought the help of Assyria in situations that fit the context of these verses.
turned to Assyria and sent to the great king: These two parallel phrases refer to the same event. They indicate that the leaders of Israel and Judah requested help from the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria was very powerful at that time.
In context, it is implied that the leaders sent for help. In some languages, it may be helpful to make this information explicit. For example:
and sent to the great king for help (New International Version)
It is implied that the leaders sent representatives to request this help. In some languages, it may be helpful to make this information explicit. For example:
sent messengers (New Jerusalem Bible)
General Comment on 5:13c–d
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these parallel statements. For example:
they each asked the king of Assyria to help them
5:13e–f
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
13e But he cannot cure you
13f or heal your wound.
These lines continue to use the metaphors from 5:13a–b. Here the LORD compares the king’s inability to relieve the people’s hardships to a doctor’s inability to cure an illness or an infected wound.
But: This word introduces a negative conclusion to the leaders’ request for help in 5:13c–d. They hoped that the king of Assyria could help them, but he could not. Use a natural way in your language to introduce this kind of negative contrast.
he cannot cure you or heal your wound: These parallel lines both refer to the same situation. The king does not have the ability to cure their figurative sicknesses and wounds. He cannot deliver them from the hardships that result from the LORD’s judgment.
you or…your: In Hebrew, these pronouns are plural. They probably refer to both Israel and Judah.
General Comment on 5:13e–f
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these parallel statements. For example:
But he is not able to rescue you from my punishment.
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