The Greek, Ge’ez, and Hebrew phrases that are often translated as “birds of the air” or similar in English “refer to the undomesticated song birds or wild birds, to be distinguished in a number of languages from domesticated fowl. In Tzeltal these former are ‘field birds’.” (source: Bratcher / Nida)
Q’anjob’al also uses an established term for non-domesticated birds. Newberry and Kittie Cox (in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. ) explain: “Qʼanjobʼal has two distinct terms, one to identify domesticated birds and the other non-domesticated birds. The additional descriptive phrase ‘of the air’ seemed entirely misleading, for Qʼanjobʼal speakers had never heard of such creatures. Actually, of course, all that was necessary was the term for non-domesticated birds, for that is precisely the meaning of the Biblical expression.”
In Elhomwe they are just translated as “birds” or “birds of the bush” (i.e., wild birds) to “not give the impression that these are special type of birds.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).
In Cherokee it is translated as “going around feeling badly” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16).
The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated in English as “wild animal” or “wild beast” is translated in Newari as “animal that lives in the jungle.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 4:3:
Kupsabiny: “So, the land shall suffer the consequences and the things inside (it). Animals and birds shall perish including the fish.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “That being the case, this land is in mourning, all the people who live here, together with the animals and the birds that fly in the sky, and the fish that live in the sea – all will be destroyed.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Because of these your (plur.) land dries-up and all who live there are-dying, as-well-as all the animals — the one-who-walks, the one-who-flies and the one-who-swims.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “It is because of their doing those things that there is no rain , the land has become dry, the people are mourning, and the people are dying from hunger. Even the wild animals and the birds and the fish in the sea are dying.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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.)
The conjunction Therefore introduces what may be considered the result of the crimes, or else the judgment that prescribes the punishment. The three main verbs that follow refer to an incomplete event, usually translated with present or future tense. Most English versions use the present tense, except Good News Translation and NET Bible, which use the future tense. These verbs show how things gradually become worse and finally end in death: mourns, languish, and are taken away.
The land mourns is a poetic picture of the land as if it were mourning the death of a loved one. If this image is not understood, it may be better translated “the land will wither” or “the land will dry up” (Good News Translation). The Hebrew verb for mourns can also mean “wither,” which fits well in this context of a drought. The land is not yet dead but is drying up. Moreover, the verb “wither” provides a beautiful contrast with the crimes that “flourish” in the previous verse.
And all who dwell in it languish: All who dwell in it may refer to “the inhabitants of the land” (4.1), but the Hebrew text here also seems to include all other living creatures, as is confirmed in the following lines of this verse. The Hebrew verb for languish means “grow weak,” and it implies that death is near. Good News Translation says “will die,” but it may be better to retain the three climactic stages referred to in the three main Hebrew verbs of this verse by rendering them “wither,” “weaken,” and “die.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch relates the weakening to the drought, saying “thirst away,” which means to die of thirst.
And also the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air; and even the fish of the sea are taken away: Beasts of the field is a Hebrew expression meaning “animals” (Good News Translation), but more specifically “wild animals” (New Living Translation, NET Bible). Birds of the air can be rendered simply “birds” (Good News Translation). For both these expressions, see 2.18. The Hebrew expression for fish of the sea does not refer only to fish living in large bodies of salt water, but to any “fish” (Good News Translation). It therefore includes those fish that will die when the lakes and streams dry up from the drought. Are taken away resembles the Hebrew euphemism for dying, “to be gathered to one’s people” (as in Gen 35.29), so it may be rendered “die” (Good News Translation). For these three lines Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (1982) has “people as well as animals, even the fish come to an end.”
A translation model for this verse is:
• Therefore the land withers,
and all that lives in it wastes away.
The wild animals, the birds,
and even the fish are dying.
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 .
Therefore: In Hebrew, this phrase introduces the result of something that was said previously. The meaning here is that because of all the sins mentioned in 4:1–2, the land mourns.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
And so (Good News Translation) -or-
This is why (New Jerusalem Bible) -or-
Therefore (New American Standard Bible)
the land mourns: There are two ways to interpret this clause:
(1) The land of Israel is undergoing drought. The word land is literal and refers to the land of Israel. The word “mourn” is figurative and refers to drought. For example:
And so the land will dry up (Good News Translation)
(Contemporary English Version, Good News Translation, God’s Word, New Century Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised English Bible)
(2) The people of Israel are mourning. The word land is figurative and refers to the people living in the land of Israel. The word “mourn” is literal and refers to people mourning. For example:
This is why the country is in mourning (New Jerusalem Bible)
(New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions. It better fits the following context that describes animals dying. Drought is a logical cause of their death.
The Hebrew form of the verb “mourn” (the imperfect) can indicate either present or future. So there are two ways to interpret this verse:
(1) It refers to the future. This is an announcement of future judgment. The imperfect tense indicates that the mourning had not yet begun. For example:
And so the land will dry up (Good News Translation)
(2) It refers to the present. The imperfect tense indicates that the mourning was already occurring at that time. For example:
Therefore the land mourns (New Revised Standard Version)
The majority of versions use present tense here. However, interpretation (1) is recommended. This interpretation is supported by the occurrence of the same pattern elsewhere.
In some languages, the verbs have either past or nonpast tense. Nonpast verbs refer to either present or future, as in Hebrew. If that is true in your language, a nonpast verb would be appropriate here.
4:3b
and all who dwell in it will waste away: In Hebrew, a preposition that is attached to each group of animals in 4:3c indicates that all the animals will waste away along with the people. English versions make this clear in different ways:
• Use a word or phrase such as “with,” “together with,” or “even.” The Berean Standard Bible and others do this. For example:
all who live in it languish; together with the wild animals… (New Revised Standard Version) -or-
…everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals…are disappearing. (New Living Translation (2004))
• Use the same word, such as “die” for both people and animals. For example:
…everything that lives on it will die. All the animals…will die. (Good News Translation)
• Combine the terms in 4:3b–c. For example:
Every living creature is dying—people and wild animals, birds and fish. (Contemporary English Version)
Use a natural way in your language to make it clear that both people and animals are included in this judgment.
waste away: Versions translate this term in two main ways:
•To become weak and exhausted. This is the literal meaning of the term. For example:
will languish (Revised English Bible)
•To die. This Hebrew term probably refers to weakness that results in death. Some versions make this result explicit. For example:
will die (Good News Translation)
Either option is acceptable.
4:3c
with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear: These three types of animals, beasts, birds, and fish, are listed together to emphasize the animals that live in the three large regions of the earth—the land, the air, and the water. This list of three types of animals is probably a figure of speech (synecdoche) that represents all animals.
the beasts of the field: This phrase usually refers to untamed animals. However, in this context, it may refer to all animals that live on the land.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
wild animals (New Jerusalem Bible) -or-
animals (Good News Translation)
the birds of the air: As in 2:18a the phrase of the air may be redundant. So some English versions leave the words of the air implied. For example:
birds (God’s Word)
the fish of the sea: In Hebrew, a word that some versions translate as “even” precedes the phrase fish of the sea. This word emphasizes the great extent of the drought. It will be so severe that even bodies of water will dry up. As a result, the fish in them will die. Some versions do not include this emphasis. Others do include it. For example:
even the fish in the sea will perish. (NET Bible)
It is recommended that you include this emphasis in your translation.
The Hebrew word translated as sea sometimes refers to the Mediterranean Sea, which forms the western boundary of the land of Israel. However, it can also refer to rivers and lakes as well as the sea. Here it probably means that the drought will affect the fish that live in the rivers and lakes within the land of Israel.
In English, the words of the sea are redundant, because the word fish implies this idea. So some English versions leave the words of the sea implied. For example:
fish (Contemporary English Version)
disappear: In Hebrew, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disappear can mean to perish or be removed.
Here is another way to translate it:
and the fish of the sea are dying (New International Version)
In this verse, “to die” or disappear are different ways of saying the same thing. The way in which the animals disappear is through death. Use a natural expression in your language to translate the idea of death in this context.
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