complete verse (Hosea 2:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 2:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “That woman will be following after he lovers and not get them.
    She shall search for those lovers and not see them.
    Then (she) will say,
    ‘I am going back to my husband from before,
    because I was in a better position then than I am in now.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “She will go in pursuit of her lovers, but she will not be able to catch up with them.
    She will search for them but will not find them.
    Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my former husband,
    for my former situation was better than my situation now.’” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “She will-chase her lovers/(lit. men) but she can- not -catch them. She will-look for them but she can- not -find them. Then she will-say, ‘I will- just -go back to my first husband, for my situation (is) better before than now.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Hosea 2:7

She shall pursue her lovers, but not overtake them is semantically parallel with and she shall seek them, but shall not find them. These four lines are two ways of saying the same thing, and some languages may prefer combining them into one statement; for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (1982) says “Then she will no longer be able to find her lovers, no matter how much she may seek them.” However, if the translation aims at maintaining the poetic nature of the passage, appropriate literary devices have to be used in the receptor language. The allegorical nature of the text may require a more poetic or elevated style of language. The grammatical structure of lines one and two is identical to the grammatical structure of lines three and four. This repetitive element strengthens the point that the author wants to make. Translators should try to maintain this emphasis.

In this allegory Israel’s lovers are symbols of pagan gods (see 2.5). The verbs pursue and seek describe Israel’s eager worship of these gods. Pursue shows an eager chase and indicates again that Israel is like a woman taking the initiative. Similarly, the verb seek shows that the lovers definitely did not initiate this adulterous relationship. The Hebrew verb for seek appears in 5.6 and 5.15 as a technical term for visiting a shrine. The phrases not overtake them and not find them are figures indicating that Israel will fail to receive the prosperity she is seeking by worshiping the pagan gods. All this is the result of the thorny hedge and the wall of 2.6 that prevent Israel from going wherever she wishes.

Then she shall say: This quote frame introduces her thoughts; she does not necessarily say the following words aloud (compare the comments on “For she said” in 2.5).

I will go and return to my first husband: This expression implies repentance, although it may not be sincere. Go and return uses two verbs for one action. Good News Translation says “I am going back,” and New International Version has “I will go back.” My first husband is Yahweh. It was not legal for her to be remarried to her first husband if a second marriage had taken place (Deut 24.1-4). However, if no second marriage actually took place, it seems she could return to husband even if she had acted as a prostitute. Apart from that, it is not clear if Deuteronomy was known at the time this text was written. The context does not suggest that she was married for a second time. No divorce has been mentioned. The Hebrew word for first can also refer to the “original” husband.

For it was better with me then than now: Israel recognizes that she was “better off” (Good News Translation) when she was true to Yahweh. It was better refers to general well-being in life. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders this line as “With him it was better for me!”

A translation model for this verse is:

• She will chase after her lovers, but not catch up with them.
She will look for them, but not find them.
She will say to herself, “I will go back to my own husband,
for then I was better off than I am now.”

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 2:7

2:7a–b

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

7a
She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;

7b
she will seek them but not find them.

The underlined parts indicate the woman’s persistence in trying to have sex with her lovers. The parts in italics indicate the failure of her efforts.

2:7a

She will pursue her lovers but not catch them: This verse describes what the woman will do after her husband has figuratively enclosed her with a wall of thornbushes. In Hebrew, a conjunction is used at the start of this verse to introduce the woman’s action. Some versions, such as the Berean Standard Bible, do not translate this conjunction explicitly. Other versions use an explicit conjunction. For example:

then if she chases her lovers she will not catch them (New Jerusalem Bible)

Use a natural word or phrase in your language to introduce the next thing that will happen.

but not catch them: This phrase describes an intended result that will not happen. The woman will try to catch her lovers, but she will not succeed.

Here is another way to express this relationship:

Though she pursues her lovers, she will not overtake them (Revised English Bible)

This line has a similar meaning to 2:5c. It refers to the woman’s persistent efforts to go and have sex with other men. In some languages, a literal translation may wrongly imply that the lovers are trying to run away or that the woman cannot run fast enough to catch them. Use an expression in your language that gives the right meaning. For example:

Then, although she keeps trying to go and have sex with other men, she will not succeed.

If it is inappropriate to refer directly to having sex, use an acceptable euphemism in your language. For example:

sleep with other men

2:7b

she will seek them but not find them: This line is very similar in meaning to 2:7a. It describes the woman’s persistent searching for her lovers. In some languages, a literal translation may wrongly imply that the lovers are lost and that the woman is trying to find them. The correct meaning is that she tries hard to find opportunities to have sex with them. For example:

she will look carefully/diligently for opportunities to go and meet with her lovers.

General Comment on 2:7a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these two verse parts. For example:

Then, her repeated efforts to go and sleep with other men will not succeed.

2:7c

Then she will say, ‘I will return: See the note on the direct quote in 2:5c. In some languages, it may be more natural to use indirect speech. For example:

Then she will say ⌊to herself ⌋ that she will return to her first husband…
-or-
Then she will decide to go back to her first husband…

Then: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible and some other versions translate as Then introduces the woman’s next action or decision. Here is another way to translate this:

At last (Revised English Bible)

I will return: This phrase emphasizes her deliberate, willful intention to return. It contrasts with her willful intention to be unfaithful in 2:5c.

to my first husband: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “to my man/husband the original/former.” It refers to the woman’s true, original husband in contrast to the many men she had slept with since she first got married.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

to my husband as at first (New International Version)

The word first does not imply that she had actually married other men. Some versions leave first implied to avoid implying this wrong meaning. For example:

my husband (NET Bible)

Translate this verse part in a way that clearly refers to Gomer’s/Israel’s intention to return to Hosea/the LORD.

2:7d

for: This word introduces the reason that she will decide to return to her husband. Some versions leave it implied. Use a natural way in your language to introduce a reason. See the note on 2:4b.

then I was better off than now: The word then indicates the time in her past when she lived with her husband. Her memory of that better time was the reason she decided to return to her husband.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

it was better for me then than now (English Standard Version)
-or-
my life with him was better than my life now

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