The Hebrew that is translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness” (Goldingay 2018: “commitment”) or similar in English is translated in a number of ways:
Vidunda: “love of enduring” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Bura-Pabir: “love which cannot be-changed” (hyirkur na a palidzi wa)
HausaCommon Language Bible “his love without changing” (kaunarsa marar canjawa) (source for this and above: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Elhomwe: “love that does not finish” (echikondi yoohisintheya) (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Nyamwezi: chelu, combining “love,” “faithfulness,” “loyalty,” and “kindness” (source: James Lundeen)
Newari: dayāmāyā (दयामाया), a compound word made from two Sanskrit-derived terms: dayā (दया) or “compassion, mercy, kindness” and māyā (माया) or “love, affection” (source: Newari Back Translation)
In Pijintinghevi long or “think heavy about” is used. “The Pijin expression ‘think heavy about’ is very much within the domain of committed relationships. The relationship between father and child, husband and wife, God and His people. There is a very strong element of ‘loyalty’ in this expression.” (Source: Bob Carter)
In Latvian the term žēlastība is used both for “steadfast love” and grace.
In a number of languages, the terms for for “steadfast love” and mercy are used interchangeably.
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.
While the Englishmercy originates from the Latinmerces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Friulian) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ephraim” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “palm tree” referring to the palm of Deborah in the land of Ephraim (see Judges 4:5. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 6:4:
Kupsabiny: “God says, ‘What might I do with you, Ephraim? What shall I do with you, Judah? Your love disappears like the morning fog. It is like dew that vanishes when the day dawns.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “O Ephraim, what should I do with you? O Judah, what should I do with you? Your love seems to disappear like the morning mist and like the water of the dew. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “But the LORD said, ‘Peoples of Israel and Juda, what shall- I -do with you (plur.)? Your (plur.) love to me just vanishes soon like a mist or dew in the morning.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But God said, ‘When then will I do to you Israel and Juda? Your love for me is like cloud/fog or dew in the morning which in-a-little-while ceases-to-exist.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “But Yahweh knows they are insincere; so he says to them, ‘You people of Israel, and you people of Judah, I do not know what I should do to you. Your being faithful to me will disappear as quickly as the morning mist disappears, like the dew on the ground that disappears quickly when the sun shines.” (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).
To indicate who is speaking here, Good News Translation adds the quote frame “But the LORD says.” Bible en français courant is similar with “But the Lord responds to you.” The conjunction “But” indicates that Yahweh does not accept Israel’s repentance in 6.1-3. Since 6.4-6 is not necessarily a response to their repentance, this conjunction should not be used. If it is necessary to make the speaker explicit, translators can say simply “The LORD says.”
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah?: The repeated question here is rhetorical, so Yahweh does not expect an answer. He is expressing his frustration with his people. The translation depends on the use and occurrence of rhetorical questions in the receptor language. If they do not occur in the receptor language, or they function differently, an emphatic statement is recommended, for example, “I don’t know what to do with you.” The Hebrew phrase rendered do with you is ambiguous. It can mean “do about you,” “do to you [as punishment],” or “do for you [to help you to become better].” The ambiguity reflects God’s frustration, and it resembles the frustration expressed in chapters 1–3 over what Hosea should do with an unfaithful wife whom he continues to love. Discipline is perhaps the most important idea to reflect in the translation of this question. Andersen and Freedman express it well with “How shall I deal with you…?” (also New English Bible).
The Hebrew pronoun for you is singular in both rhetorical questions. In the next line the pronoun for your is plural. In translation the use of singular in the first two lines depends on the translation of Ephraim and Judah. If it is necessary to make explicit that the text talks about “the people of…,” the use of plural is the obvious choice.
O Ephraim and O Judah show that Yahweh is addressing both the northern and the southern kingdoms, and the fact that these two nations—both of them God’s people—were at war with each other seems to add to Yahweh’s sense of frustration. O is the old English form for introducing direct address (sometimes called vocative form) and is no longer used in English. However, the receptor language may still have vocative forms that are part of everyday usage, for example, a special case to indicate the vocative. If so, it makes sense to use it here. The natural position of the vocative, at the beginning or the end of the sentence, may also be language specific. For Ephraim as another name for “Israel” (Good News Translation), see the comments on 4.17.
Good News Translation combines the two questions into one and addresses the two nations at the beginning of the question, “Israel and Judah.” This may not be the best solution in all receptor languages. The repetitive element in these lines marks emphasis. This is lost if the two are combined. In many languages this repetitive type of parallelism is totally natural and adds to the poetic character of the passage.
Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away: Love translates the Hebrew word chesed. It is closely related to the idea of a covenant, in which both parties are to be faithful and loyal to each other. Therefore, an emotion-filled word for love should not be used unless it primarily implies that a person will not leave or desert the one loved. Compare the use of the same term in 2.19 and 4.1. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders it “goodness,” which is a weak expression. New American Bible‘s “piety” loses the central component of being reliable. New English Bible and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch both have “loyalty,” which is very appropriate here. Another option is “faithfulness” ( NET Bible). In this sentence, of course, Yahweh complains that their love lasts only a short time and then disappears. In Hebrew the object of love is not expressed, but Good News Translation makes it explicit by saying “Your love for me” (similarly Bible en français courant).
The Hebrew word for cloud normally refers to clouds high in the sky, but it can also refer to anything near ground level, for example, a cloud of incense or a mist or fog. In Palestine there is often mist early in the morning, but it soon disappears. Yahweh compares their faithfulness to such a morning fog that quickly vanishes. Good News Translation makes this explicit by saying “Your love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist.” Similarly, dew condenses during the night on cool plants and on the ground. It is often heavy in Palestine and is an important source of moisture, but the heat of the sun dries it up, so it goes early away, meaning it disappears shortly after dawn, at an early hour. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “it goes away as quickly as dew before the sun.” New International Version says “like the early dew that disappears,” which is not accurate since in Hebrew the word for early modifies the verb goes … away, not the noun dew.
It is important to notice how a morning cloud and the dew are mentioned in contrast with the showers and the spring rains in the previous verse. The moisture from Israel and Judah disappears quickly, while the moisture from Yahweh is far more steady and reliable. If at all possible, the choice of words in the receptor language should reflect this difference.
A translation model for this verse is:
• Ephraim, what should I do with you?
Judah, what should I do with you?
Your loyalty disappears quickly like fog in the morning,
like dew that goes away early.
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 section, the LORD again spoke to the people of Israel and Judah. In contrast to the people’s future repentance (6:1–3), he gave examples of their current disloyalty and corruption, including their reliance on other nations instead of him. They continued to commit sins, and they refused to seek him. He announced that he would judge them, and he illustrated his coming judgment in various ways.
In this section, the Hebrew text sometimes uses second person pronouns (“you”) and sometimes third person pronouns (“they” or “he”) to refer to the people of Israel. The Berean Standard Bible follows the Hebrew pronoun usage. It uses “they” in 6:5–10, “you” in 6:4 & 11, and “they” or “he” in 7:1–16. Throughout these verses the LORD is the speaker, and he either addresses the people directly or speaks about them.
English versions all use “you” in 6:11 and “they” in chapter 7, but they differ in the way they use the pronouns in 6:5–10. You should use the most natural and least confusing way in your language to handle the pronouns in 6:5–10. In 6:7–10, the Display will follow the Berean Standard Bible pronoun choice in the first meaning line and give another pronoun choice in the second meaning line. See the note on “you” in 2:16b–c, where the pronoun changes are similar.
Here are some other examples of section headings:
Transitory Faithfulness and Imminent Judgment (NET Bible) -or-
Impenitence of Israel and Judah (New Revised Standard Version)
Paragraph 6:4–6
This paragraph contrasts with the previous one (6:1–3). That paragraph described a time when the people would truly repent. Here in 6:4–6, the LORD told the people of Israel and Judah how unreliable their love was. He expressed his despair over the way that the people truly behaved. He also told them what he desired from them.
In some languages, it may be helpful to make explicit the contrast between this paragraph and 6:1–3. For example:
But you, Ephraim, What am I to do with you? -or-
Yet you people of Ephraim do not seek to know me. What can I do with you?
6:4a–b
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
4a What shall I do with you, O Ephraim ?
4b What shall I do with you, O Judah ?
In many languages, it will be necessary to specify that the LORD is now the speaker. For example:
“O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the Lord. (New Living Translation (1996))
What shall I do with you…What shall I do with you: These two clauses are rhetorical questions. Their function is to express the LORD’s frustration and hopelessness with the people of Israel and Judah. They are not requests for information.
Here are some ways to translate these rhetorical questions:
• As rhetorical questions. You may use slightly different questions if that is more natural in your language. For example:
4a How shall I deal with you, Ephraim? (Revised English Bible)
4b What should I do with you, Judah? (God’s Word)
• As statements. For example:
4a Ephraim, how frustrating you are!
4b Judah, I don’t know what I should do with you!
O Ephraim…O Judah: The name Ephraim is a figure of speech (synecdoche) that represents the people of the northern kingdom of Israel. Judah refers to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah. Some versions translate Ephraim as Israel here. For example:
The Lord says, “Israel, what should I do with you? Judah, what should I do with you? (New Century Version)
General Comment on 6:4a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine these parallel lines into one. For example:
People of Israel and Judah, what can I do with you? (Contemporary English Version)
6:4c–d
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
4c For your loyalty is like a morning mist,
4d like the early dew that vanishes.
There is an ellipsis (deliberate omission) of the first three words in 6:4d. In many languages, these words will need to be supplied from 6:4c. For example:
4d
⌊ your loyalty is⌋like the early dew that vanishes.
These lines explain the source of the LORD’s frustration with the people of Israel and Judah. They contain figures of speech (similes) in which he compared their love to morning mist and dew. The love that the people had for him and others was not dependable. It was similar to morning mist and dew because it quickly disappeared. It did not last long.
6:4c
For your loyalty: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as loyalty refers to faithful love within a covenant relationship. Here it refers mainly to the people’s love and loyalty to the LORD, but it also includes their kindness to one another.
a morning mist: This phrase probably refers to low-lying clouds or fog that disappears by the time the morning is over.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
a morning cloud (New Revised Standard Version) -or-
like fog in the morning (God’s Word)
6:4d
the early dew that vanishes: In some languages, it may be redundant to make the word early explicit.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
the dew that quickly disappears (New Jerusalem Bible) -or-
disappears like dew in the sunlight (New Living Translation (2004))
General Comment on 6:4c–d
Some versions make explicit the point of comparison in both similes. For example:
For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight. (New Living Translation (2004))
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