homer

The weight measure that is translated as “homer” or with a modern equivalent in English is translated in the 1989 Tsonga BIBELE Mahungu Lamanene into a measurement of a traditional container rather than weight: masaka or “bag.” (Source: The Bible Translator 1998, p. 215ff. )

See also cor.

complete verse (Hosea 3:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 3:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “So, I went to buy that woman with fifteen pieces of silver and three bags of barley.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “So I bought that woman back for fifteen shekels of silver and a hundred and fifty kilogram of barley.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So I bought her for the amount of 15 pieces of silver and four sacks of barley.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And-so I redeemed my spouse with ten and five silver-coins and seven gantas (one ganta = three liters) of barley.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “My wife had become a slave, but I bought her for 6 ounces/179 grams of silver and ten bushels of barley.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

barley

Barley Hordeum distichum or Hordeum vulgare is a type of grass like wheat and rice. It has been cultivated in the Middle East for thousands of years and is now one of the most prominent seed crops grown in the world. Twenty species are known, of which eight are European. Barley needs less rain than wheat does, so in the Holy Land it was typically found in the drier areas above the coastal plain and near the desert. From 2 Kings 7:1 and Revelation 6:6 we know that barley was considered inferior to wheat and was often used to feed animals, as it is today. When the wheat supply ran out, people had to make their bread with barley. Barley was gathered before wheat, the harvest coming around March or April in the lower regions and in May in the mountains (see Exodus 9:31 et al.). In Egypt and in ancient Greece barley was used to make beer.

Barley plants look like wheat or rice. They are less than 1 meter (3 feet) tall, and have a single head on each stalk, with six rows of kernels, although the biblical kind may have had only two rows. The head bends at a down-ward angle when it is ripe.

In the story of Gideon and the Midianites in Judges 7:13, “a cake of barley” representing the (despised) Israelite army tumbles into the Midianite camp and knocks down the tent (representing the nomadic Midianites).

Barley is a plant of temperate zones, like Europe and the Near East; it does not grow well in the tropics. However, barley has been recently introduced along with wheat into many parts of the world for brewing beer and other malted drinks. It is also known to have grown in Korea as early as 1500 B.C. along with wheat and millet. It is becoming known in Malay as barli. Except for the reference in Judges, all references to barley in the Bible are non-rhetorical, so unrelated cultural equivalents are discouraged. Some receptor language speakers may coin a name for it as in Malay, or the translator can use a transliteration from Hebrew (se‘orah), Latin (horideyo), or from a major language (for example, Arabic sha’ir, Spanish cebada, French orge, Portuguese cevada, Swahili shayiri), together with a classifier, if there is one (for example, “grain of shayir”).

Barley, Wikimedia Commons

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

See also barley bread.

Translation commentary on Hosea 3:2

So I bought her at first seems to imply paying a bride price, but it is equally possible that the woman had become the property of another person, not of her own family, or that she was hired. The Hebrew word for bought is difficult to interpret exactly. Many translations have the same rendering as Revised Standard Version (for example, New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “hired,” which follows the Septuagint. This reading comes from a different Hebrew verbal form. The meaning “to hire” (also based on a related word in Arabic) fits the context of 3.3-4 well. However, many scholars opt for a different root of the Hebrew verb here, which implies “purchase for marriage.” Bargaining over the price was involved. In this case the price is approximately that paid for a slave. There is no clear record that a wife or a concubine was ever sold to someone else in this manner in Israel. In many cultures negotiating a dowry requires the involvement of relatives from both sides of the negotiating parties. This is certainly not implied here. New English Bible makes it explicit the woman in view here is Gomer by saying “So I got her back,” but we do not recommend this interpretation. If buying the woman as a slave is intended here, she may have become someone’s personal slave, or else a temple prostitute.

The price agreed upon was fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. A shekel weighed about 11.4 grams (0.4 ounce), so fifteen shekels of silver is about 170 grams (6 ounces) of silver. This phrase is literally “fifteen silver,” so Good News Translation provides a good model with “fifteen pieces of silver.” It is best not to convert this amount into modern currency values, since modern currencies tend to fluctuate in value.

A homer is equivalent to about 220 liters (6 bushels). Originally a homer probably referred to the amount of grain carried by a donkey. According to tradition a lethech was half of a homer, but this is just a guess. A homer and a lethech may equal approximately “seven bushels” (Good News Translation). The translation of this phrase depends on the translation brief. A translation may maintain the original measurements, convert them into a metric or other current system, or use other alternatives. De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling translates “one and a half donkey loads.”

Barley is a type of grass like wheat and rice. In Old Testament times barley was less valuable than wheat, and it was commonly fed to animals. It was also made into bread when wheat was not available or was too expensive. It has been estimated that seven bushels of barley would be worth about fifteen silver shekels. If this is the case, Hosea paid in all the equivalent of thirty silver shekels, the standard price of a slave (Exo 21.32). The fact that Hosea paid part in silver and part in two different measures of barley may show that he was not rich and had difficulty in bringing the amount together. The combination of silver and barley in a context like this is unusual. That fact encourages us to search for other solutions.

Some scholars doubt that the traditional Hebrew text for a homer and a lethech of barley is accurate, since it is literally “a homer of barley and a lethech of barley.” This text seems to have a useless repetition of “barley,” so the Septuagint changes “a lethech of barley” to read “a wineskin/vessel of wine.” New Living Translation and New English Bible follow this reading by saying “a measure of wine,” and so does New Jerusalem Bible with “a skin of wine.” However, the evidence is weak for such a rendering, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project supports the traditional Hebrew text (a {B} decision). A footnote that gives the Septuagint reading may be useful.

Translation models for this verse are:

• So I hired her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and one and a half donkey loads of barley.

• So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and one and a half homers of barley.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Hosea 3:2

Paragraph 3:2–3

In this paragraph, Hosea bought Gomer. Although they were still married, he told her that they would not be intimate with each other, nor would she be intimate with anyone else. This situation was probably a symbol that the LORD would restore his relationship with Israel and purify her.

3:2

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley: Some scholars say that the value of the barley added to the fifteen shekels of silver made Hosea’s total expense approximately thirty shekels. It is not clear why Hosea paid this specific amount. He may have redeemed her from a debt that she could not pay. This price was equal to the value of a slave in Exodus 21:32, so it is possible that Gomer had sold herself into slavery to be someone’s mistress.

Here are some other ways to translate this idea:

I paid…to buy her (Good News Translation)
-or-
I redeemed her with…

fifteen shekels of silver: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “fifteen silver.” The word shekels is not in the Hebrew text.

Here are some ways to translate this amount of money:

• Add the word “shekels ” for clarity. The shekel was the standard unit of measure for silver, so it is implied. For example:

fifteen shekels of silver (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Add the word “pieces ” for clarity instead of shekels. For example:

fifteen pieces of silver (Good News Translation)

• Some versions give the total weight in the text. They do not translate fifteen or add the word shekels or “pieces.” For example:

six ounces of silver (New Century Version)

Any of these translation options are acceptable. It is recommended that you add a footnote that gives the equivalent weight in units of measurement that the readers will understand. For example:

The Hebrew literally says “fifteen silver.” This amount of silver money weighed about 6 ounces or 170 grams.

a homer and a lethech of barley: There is a textual issue here:

(1) The Masoretic Text has “a homer of barley and a lethech of barley.” For example:

a homer and a half of barley (New American Standard Bible)

(2) The LXX has “a homer of barley and a measure of wine.” For example:

a homer of barley and a skin of wine (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions.

Both homer and lethech were units of dry measure. According to tradition, a lethech equaled half a homer. Scholars disagree on the size of a homer. Estimates vary from 100 liters to 394 liters. As a result, versions disagree on the amount of barley that is equivalent to a homer and a lethech. Some versions have “seven bushels” (Good News Translation and NET Bible). Others have “ten bushels” (Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, New International Version, and God’s Word). You may want to use an amount that agrees with a major language translation used in your area.

There are two main options for translating this amount of barley:

• Transliterate the Hebrew words homer and lethech. An example is the Berean Standard Bible above. You can also include a footnote that gives the equivalent amount, using the unit of measurement that is most common in your area for measuring grain. For example:

That is, probably about 10 bushels (about 330 liters) (New International Version footnote)

• Do not transliterate the Hebrew words homer and lethech in the text of the translation. Instead, state the equivalent amount using the unit of measurement that is most common in your area for measuring grain. For example, a bushel is a common English unit of measure, so the Contemporary English Version has “ten bushels.”

barley: If barley is unknown in your area, here are some ways to translate it:

• Use a more general term. For example:

grain (Contemporary English Version)

• If there is no general term, you may use a specific kind of grain that is known in your area. For example:

rice

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