They turn to Baal: The Hebrew verb for turn is the same one rendered “restore” in 6.11b. Since the corresponding section D-a (6.11b–7.2) speaks of Yahweh’s attempts to have Israel “return” to him, it will be good if the same expression can be used for turn in this verse to demonstrate how the two sections are related in a sad way.

Instead of They turn to Baal, the Hebrew text reads “They return, [but] not upwards” (similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives a {C} rating. However, its meaning is not clear. King James Version claims to be following the Hebrew with “They return, but not to the Most High” (similarly New International Version, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling), but it is questionable whether the Hebrew means this. They turn to Baal (also NET Bible, Bible de Jérusalem) is based on an emendation that makes sense but is not supported by any ancient version. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy is similar with “They turn to the idols.” In Good News Translation‘s “They keep on turning away from me to a god that is powerless,” the words “away from me” are understood as implied by the context. “To a god that is powerless” is an emendation that makes sense. Bible en français courant says “If they return to someone, it is not to me,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “They turn to what does not exist.” The message of the prophet, in any case, appears to be that if the people do return, they turn in the wrong direction toward something other than Yahweh.

Recent study of Hebrew opens a new perspective on this line. The Hebrew word for “upwards” is ʿal. This word has appeared as a shorter divine name, probably referring to Baal. If this shorter name is what we find here, then Hosea is saying that the people are returning to “Not-god” (loʾ ʿal in Hebrew) instead of to Ba-al. In this way he is saying that “Baal” is a “No-god”! This is therefore a play on words. Not all translators will be able to capture this wordplay in their own language, but some may be successful. A possible model for this line is “They return to a non-god” or “They return to one that is not God.” The meaning behind all this is simply “They return to Baal, who is not really a god.” If the translation can make it seem that the prophet is making Baal look ridiculous or foolish, or even non-existent, that will capture the intended meaning even better. This interpretation seems to provide the best meaning of this line in the Hebrew text.

The play on words in this line can go even farther. The Hebrew words loʾ ʿal, which can mean “not over [or, above/up],” probably made the original listeners think of “Baal,” as explained already. By using loʾ ʿal the prophet is saying that the “Baal” to which the people turn is really not so “high up” after all! To make the statement stronger, he then refers to Egypt in the last line—a country thought of as “lower” than the highlands of Israel and Judah. Even that lower country will ridicule them.

They are like a treacherous bow: For bow see 1.7. A treacherous bow (also Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Bible de Jérusalem) is a bow that does not shoot straight (Good News Translation “a crooked bow,” New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible “a faulty bow,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “a warped bow”), or it is deceptively weak so that an arrow will not reach its target (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “a slack bow,” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “a failing bow”). Biblia Dios Habla Hoy makes the entire image explicit: “they are like a twisted bow, whose arrow does not hit the mark.” Since this expression is used in northern Israel, its Hebrew dialect seems to favor the idea of a “slack” bow, meaning one whose string is not tight enough to shoot an arrow properly (compare Psa 78.57). Israel was untrustworthy in its relations with God like such a bow for its user.

Their princes shall fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongue: For the Hebrew word rendered princes, see 7.3. Fall by the sword is an idiom for being killed in war. The sword is used as a metonym for “war” (Bible en français courant). If the receptor language uses another metonym for “war” it can be used here, provided it suits the historical setting of this text.

It is not clear what event is referred to by the insolence of their tongue. Wolff suggests it is “Their resistance against the divine word.” These leaders may have spoken against Yahweh and against Egypt when they went to Assyria for help. The Hebrew word for insolence refers to angry, indignant speech, possibly even curses. Good News Translation says “their leaders talk arrogantly.” Another interpretation is followed by NET Bible: “their prayers to Baal have made me angry.” The NET footnote on this line explains that it views tongue as a metonym for “prayers” (in this context to Baal). Contemporary English Version is less specific with “Their leaders will die in war for saying foolish things,” which is a helpful model.

This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt means the people in Egypt will make fun of the Israelites when their leaders die in war. The Israelites had gone to Assyria for help against Egypt, but eventually the Assyrians captured Israel and killed its leaders. The demonstrative pronoun This refers to the death of the Israelite leaders and the pronoun their points to the Israelites. Good News Translation expresses this line more simply: “and the Egyptians will laugh.”

A translation model for this verse is:

• They turn to a non-god,
they are like a slack bow.
Their leaders will be killed in war,
because of their foolish talk.
Then the people of Egypt will mock them.

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 .