The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 12:2:
Kupsabiny: “God is fierce against the people of Judah. (He) punishes Jacob according to his ways and repays (him) according to how his actions are.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “The Lord has a charge against Judah. And he will punish Jacob for what he did. He will repay him according to his deeds.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Hoseas said, ‘The LORD has also an accusation against those (who) come-from-Juda who (are) also descendants of Jacob. He will-punish them according to their behavior/character; he will-repay them according to their acts/deeds.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Yahweh says that he will bring accusations against the leaders of Judah, and that he will punish the descendants of Jacob for what they have done.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 1:22:
Kankanaey: “The plants will grow on the earth and there-will-be alcoholic-beverage (any type) and (vegetable)-oil so that the prayers of my people the Israelita will-be-answered.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
In the first line of this verse there is no doubt that Hosea is speaking against Judah, the country to the south of Israel. But then, in the next verse, the writer changes to ancient history, showing how Jacob began his bad behavior even before he was born, and even struggled against God himself. It is as if this ancestor who did wrong in his day is continuing to do wrong through his descendants.
The LORD has an indictment against Judah: In Hebrew this verse begins with the waw conjunction (literally “And”). Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation do not translate this conjunction, which is acceptable. It may be rendered “also” (King James Version, NET Bible) or “But also” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) to indicate that the LORD also has a complaint against the people of Judah. New Living Translation begins with the adverb “Now” to mark the shift from Israel to Judah. Several other translations mark this shift by inserting a paragraph break (Good News Translation), a stanza break (Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or a section heading (New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Bijbel in Gewone Taal). However, the Hebrew conjunction does not necessarily mark a major transition in the text.
The Hebrew word for indictment (Good News Translation “accusation”) refers to a legal charge, a complaint, brought before a judge, although the Hebrew word can also refer to a quarrel (see 4.1, where it is rendered “controversy”). However, in this context it clearly has legal overtones, linking it with of the covenant mentioned in the previous verse.
Good News Translation renders Judah as “the people of Judah.” The descendants of Judah, living in the territory of Judah, are charged with a crime. Some commentators suspect that Judah was originally “Israel” in the Hebrew text. However, there is no substantial textual evidence to support this point.
And will punish Jacob according to his ways, and requite him according to his deeds: Jacob is parallel with Judah. He was the ancestor of both the northern and the southern kingdoms, Israel and Judah. It is not entirely clear whether only the kingdom of Judah is meant here, or whether the meaning of the name Jacob is extended to include the entire nation, that is, both the southern and northern kingdoms. Although the following verses describe some details from the life of the patriarch Jacob, it is highly unlikely that he as an individual is in focus here. In a poetic way, it is as if Jacob is alive and still doing the mischief, through his people, that he began from the time he was born. So we may assume that what follows includes both the northern and the southern kingdoms, even though in outward form this poetry talks about their ancestor. The reference to both kingdoms is probably most clearly understood by rendering Jacob as “Israel” (Good News Translation).
The parallel expressions punish Jacob according to his ways and requite him according to his deeds mean that God will punish the Israelites in accordance with the sins they have committed (see comments on 4.9). The verbs punish and requite (Good News Translation “pay … back”) indicate that ways (literally “paths”) and deeds refer to their negative behavior. Ways refers figuratively to their sinful lifestyle, and deeds points to their individual sins as they took the wrong pathways.
A translation model for this verse is:
• The LORD also has a case against Judah.
He will punish Israel because of their misbehavior,
he will repay them according to their evil deeds.
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 .
In this paragraph and also in 12:12, Hosea gives examples from the life of Jacob. Scholars do not agree on the purpose of the examples. There are two main views:
(1) These examples show the similarity between Jacob and his descendants. Jacob set a bad example and his descendants followed it.
(2) These examples show the contrast between Jacob and his descendants. Jacob set a good example but his descendants did not follow it.
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Hosea 12:2 says that the LORD will punish Jacob according to his ways. Examples from Jacob’s life immediately follow in 12:3. It is reasonable to assume that these are examples of behavior or character traits that deserve punishment. Most versions and commentaries support this interpretation. For more details, see the following notes on these verses.
12:2a–c
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
2a The Lord also brings a charge against Judah.
2b He will punish Jacobaccording to his ways
2c and repay himaccording to his deeds.
There is an ellipsis in the third line. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words from the second line. For example:
2c and ⌊He will ⌋ repay himaccording to his deeds
In these lines, Hosea tells the descendants of Jacob that the LORD will punish them. The first line is a general statement. The second and third lines give more detail. He includes the people of Judah and the people of Israel. He will punish them fairly, just as they deserve.
12:2a
The LORD also brings a charge against Judah: Here Judah is parallel with “Jacob” in line 2b. This line is a figure of speech (synecdoche) in which Judah refers to all the descendants of Jacob. So the charge against the southern kingdom of Judah is also a charge against the northern kingdom of Israel.
charge: The Hebrew word means “to fight with words,” as in a quarrel or a legal case. The same word is used in Hosea 4:1, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “case.” In both verses, some English versions use an expression that refers to an actual trial. For example:
The Lord also has a covenant lawsuit against Judah (NET Bible)
But this verse may refer to an informal accusation. If possible, use a general expression that could be understood as either a formal or an informal accusation. For example:
The Lord has an accusation to bring against the people of Judah (Good News Translation)
12:2b
He will punish Jacob according to his ways: This clause means that the LORD will punish Jacob fairly. The expression punish…according to his ways indicates the degree or extent of punishment. The punishment will be exactly what people deserve. It will not be too much or too little. The expression his ways refers to his sinful conduct. Here are some other ways to translate this expression:
he will punish Jacob as his conduct merits (New Jerusalem Bible) -or-
He is about to punish Jacob for all his deceitful ways (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
punishes Jacob because of the way their people act (God’s Word)
Jacob: Jacob is the ancestor of the people of Israel and Judah. But here Jacob is a figure of speech (metonymy) in which the name represents all his descendants. Some versions make this meaning explicit. For example:
the descendants of Jacob (Contemporary English Version)
12:2c
and repay him according to his deeds: The meaning of this line is very similar to 2b. The Hebrew word for repay means “to give back.” Here the word deeds refers to wicked actions. This line describes the LORD’s punishment of the people of Israel. As in the previous line, the expression according to his deeds means that the extent of the LORD’s punishment will be exactly what the descendants of Jacob deserve. Here are some other ways to translate this line:
he will give them what they deserve (New Century Version) -or-
he will repay him as his deeds deserve (New Jerusalem Bible)
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