On the day of our king: Most translations interpret this phrase as a celebration in connection with the king, although the Hebrew text is not explicit about it. It literally says “Day of our king,” without a preposition or definite article. The context does not make clear what kind of celebration might be intended. It could be his birthday or his coronation (which is very possible within the given historical setting). Good News Translation translates “On the day of the king’s celebration,” which is a good model to follow. Other possibilities include “On their king’s festal day” (New English Bible) and “On the day [or, When] the king prepared a feast.” Bible en français courant (1982) says “When one celebrated their king,” using a French idiom. New Jerusalem Bible is similar: “At the holiday for our king.” The Hebrew text has our king, but since Yahweh is the speaker (through the mouth of the prophet), it may be necessary to say “the king” (Good News Translation). Some scholars claim that the context (with some textual support) leads to the translation “their king” (Contemporary English Version, New English Bible), but the basis for this decision is unconvincing.
The princes became sick with the heat of wine: This line may be understood in two ways, depending upon the meaning given for the Hebrew word rendered heat. Recent studies indicate that it is a northern Israelite term for “poison.” Some may argue that “poison” refers figuratively to the evil effects that result when someone drinks too much of the alcohol found in wine. But there was so much assassination and political fighting going on in the northern kingdom of Israel at the time, that the idea of “poison” added to the wine is a genuine possibility. In any case, two interpretations are possible. According to the first interpretation, which is the usual one, this line means the king’s officials became drunk. The Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the Peshitta follow this interpretation. In some cultures the link between heat and “drinking too much” is not uncommon. In that case a more literal translation will do. It is important though to use the right idiom. According to the second interpretation, which is the more recent one, heat should be translated as “poison.” The king’s officials became sick from the poison in the wine.
He stretched out his hand with mockers is rather obscure. The Hebrew here can be understood to say “his hand drew mockers.” Some scholars believe hand refers figuratively to power, in this case the power of the wine; for example, Wolff says “whose power enchants the mockers,” and Mays has “whose power draws the scorners.” Another interpretation is that the officials invite disloyal people to join in the drinking; for example, NET Bible says “they conspire with evildoers.” However, the Hebrew pronouns for he and his are singular, which makes the NET Bible translation less credible. These pronouns probably refer to the king (as made explicit in Good News Translation). He stretched out his hand is then a gesture indicating that the king joined in companionship with mockers. The mockers were people present who spoke in derision about the drunkenness of their leaders, but these people were undoubtedly the very ones who plotted to overthrow the king when he and his officials were drunk. New Jerusalem Bible says “while he accepts the homage of people who laugh at him,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “He gave his hand to the traitors.” A translation that makes clear the probable meaning of this line is “the king included in his celebration those mockers who plotted against him.”
The Hebrew text separates what happened to the princes from what the king did. Good News Translation joins them, assuming that became sick … wine implies drunken celebration, and that stretched out his hand similarly refers to joining in that celebration. Good News Translation says “they made the king and his officials drunk and foolish with wine.” This model misses the idea that the king extended his friendship to traitors, so we do not recommend it.
In this verse many translations use the present tense (New International Version, New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible), either to indicate the historic present, or to indicate that this is what regularly occurs. Other translations use the past tense, relating a specific incident in the past (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Assassinations did occur regularly, and this account can be understood as referring to either repeated incidents or a single past incident. Translators are free to select the tense that is appropriate for their own language.
Translation models for this verse are:
• During the festivities of the king
they fired up the officials with wine,
while the king joined those who laughed at him.
• During the coronation of the king
they made the officials sick with wine,
and the king colluded with his mockers.
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 .