Although the discourse of chapter 8 continues as an overall unit, a subsection has clearly ended with verse 10, so at least a paragraph should begin here (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). In verses 11-13 God complains that the Israelites do not take sin and his teachings seriously, even when they observe outwardly the sacrificial system. Verse 13 therefore announces God’s punishment. Some translators may wish to have a separate heading for verses 11-13. Jerusalem Bible uses “Against the outward show of worship.”
Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning, they have become to him altars for sinning: According to 5.6 and 6.6, sacrifices without dedication and love are not acceptable to God. Here God says that for many Israelites the offerings “for removing sin” (Good News Translation) became an excuse, even an opportunity, “for sinning” (Good News Translation), since they knew even before committing a sin that they would have the means for removing the guilt.
The Hebrew word ki rendered Because can also be understood as an emphatic particle, so it may be translated “Indeed” or “Truly” (see comments on 8.6-7). Good News Translation expresses the emphasis by saying “The more … the more….”
As usual, Good News Translation identifies Ephraim as “the people of Israel” for clarity (see comments on 4.17). Altars are the tables or platforms on which people offer gifts or burn sacrifices to their gods. If there is no word for altars in a language, translators may say “tables [or, platforms] for sacrifice.” Sinning renders the most generic Hebrew term for “sin.” It refers to a wrongful act against God or against other people. The context makes it clear that God’s Law is the benchmark in this regard.
Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew quite closely by repeating altars for sinning, but this repetition sounds strange and does not make sense. Some translations omit the first occurrence; for example, Moffatt says “Many an altar has Ephraim raised, altars that only serve for sin” (similarly Jerusalem Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Zürcher Bibel). New International Version emends the Hebrew text of the first occurrence slightly, using different vowels, so that it reads “altars for sin offerings.” Good News Translation is similar with “altars … for removing sin.” This reading makes good sense and avoids the awkward repetition in the Hebrew (so also New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Einheitsübersetzung).
Wolff suggests that this verse consists of three lines, not two, with “Altars for sinning!” as the final line, using repetition to express surprise and shock over the situation (similarly Bible en français courant, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling). This suggestion does not require emendation of the Hebrew text, which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives a {B} rating. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch also retains the Hebrew without emendation, but expands the verse to make the impact explicit: “Oh, yes, Ephraim has multiplied its altars; but they only serve him for burdening himself with new failures [sins]; they are altars for sinning!”
Altars for sinning in the second line can be thought of, first, as altars that make it easy to sin because sacrificing is easy; second, as altars to gods other than Yahweh, thus involving the sin of idolatry; or third, altars at which worship involved temple prostitutes, and thus encouraging further sinning. It will be wise for translators to avoid a translation that would restrict itself to any one of these interpretations, since all of them may have been involved.
A translation model for this verse is:
• How many altars has Ephraim built!
But just for sinning!
Altars for sinning!
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 .