The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “love” in English is typically translated in Hakka Chinese as thung-siak / 痛惜 or “pain-love” when it refers to God’s love.
The same term is used for a variety of Hebrew terms that cover a range of English translations that refer to God as the agent, including “love,” “compassion,” and “mercy.”
Paul McLean explains: “[Thung-siak / 痛惜] has been used for many years in a popular Hakka-Christian mountain song based on John 3:16. The translation team decided that for this and other reasons it would be a good rendering here. It helps point to the fact that God’s ‘love’ is a compassionate (cum passio, with suffering) love.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 2:1:
Kupsabiny: “So, you (plur.) shall call your brothers ‘My people’ and call your sisters ‘Being shown mercy.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “‘Call your Israelite brothers ‘Ammi’ and your sisters ‘Ruhamah.’” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “‘Therefore [you (plur.)] call your (plur.) fellow Israelinhon ‘My people’ and Had-been-shown-Mercy.’ ’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “At that time, you will say to your fellow-Israeli men, ‘You are God’s people,’ and you will say to your fellow-Israeli women, ‘You are ones whom God loves.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
In Malagasy culture, the sea is perceived as sacred because it was a path taken by the ancestors. That is why the Malagasy word for the “sea” is ranomasina, which literally means “the sacred water.” The word masina actually has two different meanings: “salted” and “sacred/holy.” Salt is used for the conservation of some foods, such as meat or fish, that are to be set aside for later use. In this sense, the Malagasy phrase for “Holy Spirit” has the literal meaning of “Salted Spirit.” (Source: Brigitte Rabarijaona in The Bible Translator 2022, p. 103ff.)
Revised Standard Version prints this verse as a separate paragraph. Good News Translation and most modern translations print this verse and the two verses before it as one paragraph, and that decision follows the poetic form of the Hebrew text, which keeps this verse together with the verses before it. However, Dorsey has shown that the content of this verse in section A-b fits well with the content of 2.23 in section A-b′.
Say to your brother … and to your sister …: The imperative Hebrew verb rendered Say is plural. The addressees are most likely the people of Judah and Israel who have to speak the names here to one another. In English the verb Say normally introduces a statement rather than a name, so Good News Translation begins this verse with “So call your fellow Israelites….” Bijbel in Gewone Taal has “Address your brothers with … and greet your sisters with….”
There is a textual problem here. Revised Standard Version has the singular expressions brother and sister, which follows the Septuagint. This reading refers more directly to Hosea’s children. The Hebrew text has the plural words “brothers” and “sisters,” which fits the preceding references to the people of Judah and Israel (1.11). Good News Translation combines the two sexes with “fellow Israelites.” However, this rendering loses the specific connection with the brother named “Not my people” and the sister named “Not pitied.” In addition to that it also loses the Hebrew text’s poetic flavor. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project favors the plural reading with only a {C} decision, meaning there is some serious doubt, but the committee decided for the plural as the more reliable text. That decision fits well as we see this verse together with its matching references to Israel in section A-b′.
My people and She has obtained pity translate the names literally. They are the same names used in 1.6 and 1.9 (see comments there), but without the negative particle. Whose people are they, and from whom has she obtained pity? Some understand these names to be the way the people of Judah and Israel are to greet each other, after they are reconciled. Then they would consider each other as My people, that is, they would all belong to each other. But it is possible to continue the idea that they are Yahweh’s people and are loved by him. See 1.10, which also refers to God as the one rejecting and accepting his people. Good News Translation reflects this interpretation with “God’s People” and “Loved-by-the-Lord.” This interpretation can apply even if one relates it to a time of reconciliation between the two Israelite kingdoms. The disadvantage of this solution may be that the contrast with the names “Not my people” and “Not pitied” is less pronounced, while this is clearly intended in the original text.
Since this verse also applies to Hosea’s broken marriage, these names can be understood as Hosea’s efforts to accept these children so that they will be able and willing to confront their mother on his behalf. It is often the case, in the prophetic books, that what is said is intended to have more than one meaning, and this may be the case in this verse.
The following translation of this verse in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (1982) is noteworthy:
• You people of Judah, announce to your brothers and sisters in Israel:
“The Lord says to you ‘My people!’ and ‘Mercy is granted to you!’ ”
Another translation model is:
• Call your brothers, “My-people,”
and say to your sisters, “Pity.”
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 .
This verse refers back to the LORD’s messages of judgment in 1:6 and 1:9. In those verses, the LORD told Hosea to name his children “Not Loved” and “Not My People” (see notes on 1:9b). In this verse, he uses the same words as in 1:6 and 1:9 to promise a renewal of his covenant with them.
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’
and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’
These two parallel statements are a poetic way to emphasize that the LORD is restoring his covenant relationship with all the people.
brothers…sisters: Both of these terms refer to the same people, that is, Israelites. They do not refer to literal brothers and sisters. In languages that do not use gender-specific terms for brothers and sisters, you may need to use phrases such as “male siblings” and “female siblings.”
‘My people’…‘My loved one’: In Hebrew, the name of Hosea’s daughter was Lo-ruhamah “Not Loved” and the name of his son was Lo-ammi “Not My People.” (See 1:6 and 1:9) The word lo in Hebrew means “not.” In this verse, the Hebrew words are literally ruhamah and ammi. These are the exact same words as in 1:6 and 1:9, except that they are not preceded by the word “not.” If it is possible in your language, you should translate these expressions in a way that makes this connection to 1:6 and 1:9 clear.
To do that, use the same method to express My people and My loved one in your translation as you used to express the meaning of Lo-Ruhamah in 1:6b and Lo-ammi in 1:9a. For example, if you used the Hebrew name, lo-ruhamah in your translation of 1:6 and gave the meaning in a footnote, then use the Hebrew word ruhamah here and give the meaning loved in a footnote. Or, if you translated the name Lo-ruhamah as “Not Loved” in your translation of 1:6, then here you should translate “Loved.”
It is also important that in your translation the pronoun referent of “my” will be understood as the LORD and not as the Israelite who is speaking to his brother or sister. In other words, My people means “the LORD’s people” and My loved one means “the LORD’s loved one.” In some languages, it may be clearer to make the pronoun referent explicit. For example:
“the LORD’s People” and “Loved-by-the-Lord.”
General Comment on 2:1
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine the parallel ideas into one line. For example:
So call your fellow Israelites “the LORD’s People” and “Loved-by-the-LORD.”
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