But at Adam they transgressed the covenant: But renders the Hebrew waw conjunction (literally “And”). Here it introduces a contrast with the preceding section: the disappointing behavior of Yahweh’s people in connection with what he requires. New International Version omits it, but we recommend a contrastive connector in this context.

Instead of at Adam, the Hebrew text reads “like Adam,” which is difficult to interpret. King James Version says “like men” (in the sense of “humanity”), since the name Adam means “man,” but it does not make sense to say that the Israelites, who were men, were “like men.” “Like Adam” (New International Version, New Living Translation, God’s Word) is theologically attractive in the light of Adam’s first sin (Gen 3), and we can be sure that this involved a wordplay that the original listeners immediately recognized. However, the following verses have place names, and the adverb there in the next line normally refers to a place, a so-called locative. So a place name is a likely option here. Revised Standard Version and others assume that an error was made on the first consonant for the Hebrew expression meaning “like Adam,” so they emend the text to read at Adam, but there is no manuscript evidence to support this change. Good News Translation follows Revised Standard Version but makes explicit what it assumes to be implicit, namely that at Adam refers to Israel’s invasion of Canaan: “as soon as they entered the land at Adam.” So Adam would refer to the town on the Jordan River where the river stopped flowing temporarily while the Israelites crossed the dry riverbed downstream into Canaan (see Josh 3.16). The problem with this explanation is that the narratives of the conquest of Canaan mention no action of the Israelites at Adam.

It is also possible that at Adam refers to a more recent sin there that was known to the people of Hosea’s time but is not mentioned in the Bible. This seems to be the most satisfactory interpretation. With this interpretation it is possible to keep the preposition “like” as functioning to compare the deeds of people in Hosea’s time with that town’s actions; for example, Andersen and Freedman say “as at Adam” (so also Hebrew Old Testament Text Project), which is a helpful model.

The pronoun they may refer to the people of the northern kingdom, Israel (Ephraim), but in view of 6.4 and 6.11a it is more likely that people of Judah are also included. The Hebrew verb for transgressed often means “pass over/through” (see, for example, Exo 12.12), but in this context it means “overstep” or “violate” (so New American Bible). For covenant see 2.18. Here it refers to the covenant relationship between Yahweh and his people, spelled out in his Law. In 6.6 “steadfast love” and “knowledge of God” are closely related to the idea of this covenant.

There they dealt faithlessly with me is parallel in meaning with the previous line. For the Hebrew verb rendered dealt faithlessly, see 5.7. It may be translated “were unfaithful” (New International Version) or “dealt treacherously/deceitfully.” No specific crime is mentioned in these lines, but it is clear that the people have not acted loyally in their relationship with Yahweh. The verses that follow show that in this case the emphasis is not merely on the idolatry of the people but is much more on their crimes against each other, which they commit even though they are God’s people. So in sinning against each other they also sin against Yahweh.

For this verse Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (1982) has “The Lord says, ‘At the town Adam they became covenant breakers, and so as there they have always rebelled against me,’ ” and Andersen and Freeman say “They, as at Adam, broke the covenant; there they practiced deception against me.” Another possible model is:

• But at Adam they broke the covenant,
there they dealt unfaithfully with me.

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 .