Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God: Return is the crucial word here. While this word does not in itself refer to repentance, in a context such as this it is clearly implied (compare 7.10). Hosea tells the Israelites to go back to their original situation, when Yahweh was truly the God they worshiped. This call to return to Yahweh takes place after they are punished. This is an invitation for a new beginning.

O Israel clearly refers to the entire northern kingdom, not just to their king or capital city. The vocative word O is not in the Hebrew text, but is used in old English to emphasize that one is speaking to the person or people mentioned. Most languages have other ways of doing this. Good News Translation says “people of Israel.”

The LORD your God shows that Yahweh is still their God, even though they have worshiped other gods.

For you have stumbled because of your iniquity: The Hebrew word ki translated for in certain contexts expresses emphasis rather than a causal relationship with the previous statement. It is more likely an emphatic marker in this context, so it is better rendered “Surely” or “Indeed.” Frequently the emphasis given is on the reason as well. Good News Translation‘s simple statement is a good example: “Your sin has made you stumble and fall.” However, an exclamation point would have reflected the Hebrew emphasis even better, as in New International Version: “Your sins have been your downfall!”

For you have stumbled because of your iniquity, see the comments on 5.5, where the Hebrew words for stumbled and iniquity (“guilt”) also occur. As in 5.5, stumbled is a figure for Israel’s downfall as punishment from God. New American Bible says “collapsed,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “fallen.” The Hebrew word for iniquity often refers both to the sin itself and to the idea of guilt that someone carries after having sinned (see 4.8). Although this word is singular, it refers to all wrongdoings of the people, so plural may be the more natural solution in the receptor language; for example, New Living Translation says “your sins have brought you down.”

A translation model for this verse is:

• People of Israel, return to the LORD your God.
Your own sins have caused your downfall!

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 .