6:5a–c
This verse describes the result of the people’s undependable love described in 6:4. Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
5a Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
5b
I have slain them by the words of My mouth,
5c and my judgments go forth like lightning.
In this verse, the LORD told the people how he responded to their lack of love. He disciplined them severely.
The historical context indicates that he disciplined the people many times over a period of many years. Some English versions use past tense verbs here to allow this understanding. However, the Hebrew verbs in this verse have imperfect tense/aspect, which commonly indicates a present or future time reference.
Translate this in a natural way in your language to indicate it happened regularly over a long period of time and will continue to happen.
Verse 6:4 used the second person pronoun “you” to refer to Ephraim and Judah. In that verse, the LORD addressed the people directly. Here in 6:5, the pronoun changes from “you” to “them.” See the summary of Section 6:4–7:16 above for more information.
6:5a
Therefore: In Hebrew and in some English versions, this verse begins with a word that indicates result. For example:
That’s why I slaughtered you with the words of my prophets. (Contemporary English Version)
Some versions do not introduce the verse with a specific word here. Instead, they let the context imply the relationship between the previous verse and this one. For example:
I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces—to slaughter you with my words (New Living Translation (2004))
Use a natural way in your language to indicate that the LORD’s actions here in 6:5 are the result of the people’s undependable love in 6:4.
I have hewn them by the prophets: This clause is a figure of speech that compares the LORD’s prophets to instruments of death. It means that the words the LORD spoke through his prophets announced his judgment against the people. His judgment was a death sentence. The clause does not mean that the LORD used his prophets to literally cut people in pieces.
6:5b
I have slain them by the words of My mouth: The figure of speech in this clause is similar to the previous clause. It means that the words the LORD spoke through his prophets announced his judgment of death against the people. It is left implied that the phrase the words of My mouth are words that the LORD spoke through his prophets.
General Comment on 6:5a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine the parallel lines. It may also be clearer to translate the nonfigurative meaning. For example:
I have sent my prophets to you with my message of judgment and destruction. (Good News Translation)
-or-
I have warned you by my prophets that I will kill you and destroy you. (New Century Version)
6:5c
and My judgments go forth like lightning: This clause is a simile. It compares the way that the LORD’s judgment goes forth to lightning.
In Hebrew, the word the Berean Standard Bible translates here as lightning can refer to the light of day, dawn, lightning, or a lamp, among other things. The way in which the LORD’s judgment is similar to light is not obvious. There are at least three interpretations:
(1) The simile indicates that the LORD’s judgment will certainly occur. For example:
My judgment will strike you as surely as day follows night. (New Living Translation (1996))
(NET Bible, New Living Translation (1996), New Living Translation (2004))
(2) The simile indicates that the LORD’s judgment/justice is clear and obvious for all to see. For example:
My justice comes out like bright light. (New Century Version)
(Good News Translation, New Century Version)
(3) The simile indicates that the LORD’s judgment destroys people. For example:
My judgments flashed like lightning upon you. (New International Version)
(New International Version)
Most versions leave the similarity between judgment and light implicit. For example:
and my judgment goes forth as the light (New Revised Standard Version)
It is recommended that you translate in a way that allows your readers to understand more than one point of similarity. If you need to make the similarity between judgment and lightning/light explicit, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This interpretation is similar to 6:3c, which compares the LORD’s coming to the certainty of dawn.
Here is another way to translate this interpretation:
I will punish you as certainly as the arrival of the dawn/daylight.
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