The LORD the God of hosts, the LORD is his name: There are two main ways of interpreting this verse:
(1) Some commentators assume that at this point the prophet interrupts what he is saying and inserts a confession of faith, an expression of praise. Wolff calls it a doxology, a formula, often used in liturgies as part of worship. Here it also serves to identify who the speaker was. Who is it that spoke with Jacob? Yahweh, the God of hosts! Given the different character of this verse, the translator can emphasize this character through formatting of the text, for example, by placing blank lines around it, or by using dashes or other punctuation markers (depending on punctuation that is acceptable in the receptor language).
(2) Others interpret this verse as the climax of the LORD’s self-revelation to Jacob (described in verse 5), and by extension to the people of Israel. They interpret it as a quote in which the LORD reveals his identity (with reference to Exo 3.13-15). For example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “In Bethel God appeared to him and said to him: 6 ‘As certainly as I am the God who has all power, as true as my name is the LORD: ….’ ” This self-revelation of God is followed by a promise in the next verse. Bijbel in Gewone Taal is similar with “I am the God who has all power. My name is Lord.”
The LORD renders the personal name for God, which is YHWH in Hebrew. Most translators will have already made a decision on how to render this name in their language (see comments on 1.1). The LORD has become the regular expression in most English translations, although some have chosen to reflect the actual name by saying “Yahweh” (New Jerusalem Bible). In many cases translators will have to follow the decision of major translations in the area. If not, it seems appropriate to be faithful to the Hebrew text and retain the name of God as revealed in Exo 3.14-15 by using the transliterated name “Yahweh.”
The Hebrew word for hosts (tsebaʾoth) is literally “armies.” The ancient Israelites may have thought of the hosts as their own armies in the service of Yahweh, or else the heavenly armies of angels, or perhaps both heavenly and earthly armies. In many versions the God of hosts is rendered “God Almighty” (Good News Translation), thinking of the power and might of all God’s armies. Other possible models are “the God of power and might,” “the God of the universe” (Bible en français courant), and “God Sabaoth” (New Jerusalem Bible).
The LORD is his name is a final identification of who this God is who spoke with Jacob at Bethel. This emphasis on the name of God may have been to show that the later worship of Baal at Bethel was not worship of the God who revealed himself at that place. The Hebrew word for name is literally “remembrance,” but most commentators agree that it has the sense of “name” in this context. English Standard Version says “memorial name,” and New International Version has “name of renown.”
A translation model for this verse is:
• The LORD, the Almighty God,
the LORD is his name!
Quoted with permission from Dorn, Louis & van Steenbergen, Gerrit. A Handbook on Hosea. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2020. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .