The Greek and Hebrew that is translated in English as “grain” (or: “corn”) is translated in Kui as “(unthreshed) rice.” Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) explains: “Padddy [unthreshed rice] is the main crop of the country and rice the staple diet of the people, besides which [grain] is unknown and there is no word for it, and it seemed to us that paddy and rice in the mind of the Kui people stood for all that corn meant to the Jews.” “Paddy” is also the translation in Pa’o Karen (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. ).
Other translations include: “wheat” (Teutila Cuicatec), “corn” (Lalana Chinantec), “things to eat” (Morelos Nahuatl), “grass corn” (wheat) (Chichimeca-Jonaz) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “millet” (Lambya) (source: project-specific notes in Paratext), “food” (Nyamwezi) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)or ntimumma lujia / “seeds for food” (Lokạạ — “since Lokạạ does not have specific terms for maize and rice that can be described as grains”) (source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
The Hebrew and Greek that is typically transliterated as “Baal” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “idol.” (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that are translated as “wine” in English is translated into Pass Valley Yali as “grape juice pressed long ago (= fermented)” or “strong water” (source: Daud Soesilo). In Guhu-Samane it is also translated as “strong water” (source: Ernest L. Richert in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 198ff. ), in Noongar as “liquor” (verbatim: “strong water”) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang), in Hausa as ruwan inabi or “water of grapes” (with no indication whether it’s alcoholic or not — source: Mark A. Gaddis), in sar as kasə nduú or “grape drink” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin), or in Papantla Totonac and Coyutla Totonac as “a drink like Pulque” (for “Pulque,” see here ) (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1971, p. 169ff. ).
In Swahili, Bible translations try to avoid local words for alcoholic drinks, because “drinking of any alcohol at all was one of the sins most denounced by early missionaries. Hence translators are uncomfortable by the occurrences of wine in the Bible. Some of the established churches which use wine prefer to see church wine as holy, and would not refer to it by the local names used for alcoholic drinks. Instead church wine is often referred to by terms borrowed from other languages, divai (from German, der Wein) or vini/mvinyo (from ltalian/Latin vino/vinum). Several translations done by Protestants have adapted the Swahili divai for ‘wine,’ while those done by Catholics use vini or mvinyo.” (Source: Rachel Konyoro in The Bible Translator 1985, p. 221ff. )
The Swahili divai was in turn borrowed by Sabaot and was turned into tifaayiik and is used as such in the Bible. Kupsabiny, on the other hand, borrowed mvinyo from Swahili and turned it into Finyonik. (Source: Iver Larsen)
In Nyamwezi, two terms are used. Malwa ga muzabibu is a kind of alcohol that people specifically use to get drunk (such as in Genesis 9:21) and ki’neneko is used for a wine made from grapes (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext).
In some Hindi translations (such as the Common Language version, publ. 2015 ), one term (dākharasa दाखरस — grape juice) is used when that particular drink is in the focus (such as in John 2) and another term (madirā मदिरा — “alcohol” or “liquor”) when drunkenness is in the focus (such as in Eph. 5:18).
In Mandarin Chinese, the generic term jiǔ (酒) or “alcohol(ic drink)” is typically used. Exceptions are Leviticus 10:9, Numbers 6:3, Deuteronomy 29:6, Judges 13:4 et al., 1 Samuel 1:15, and Luke 1:15 where a differentiation between weak and strong alcohol is needed. The Mandarin Chinese Union Version (2010) translates that as qīngjiǔ lièjiǔ (清酒烈酒) and dànjiǔ lièjiǔ (淡酒烈酒), both in the form of a Chinese proverb and meaning “light alcohol and strong drink.” (Source: Zetzsche)
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about wine in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)
The different Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” in English are translated in Kwere with only one term: mavuta. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 2:8:
Kupsabiny: “(She) did not understand that it was me who gave her wheat, wine and oil, or the silver and gold that she used to go and give to Baal.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “She never admitted that I was the one who gave her grain, new wine and olive oil and who gave her much silver and gold, that they used to do worship to the god Baal.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “She does- not -think that I was- the -one-who-gave her grains, wine/[lit. juice of grapes], oil, and many silver and gold which they made into an image of Baal.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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.
This verse starts with the Hebrew waw conjunction, which is rendered And. New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and New International Version omit it. In the described sequence of events this is a good solution. However, it is also possible that this conjunction introduces a contrast with the preceding verses, so NET Bible renders it “Yet,” and the New Century Version uses “But.”
She did not know that it was I who gave her …: A new accusation begins here, in which Yahweh says that Israel did not know that he was the source of agricultural products and of precious metals obtained through commerce. Israel in fact did know this as part of their tradition, but it is as if they carelessly forgot it, or they behaved as though they forgot it. Good News Translation renders know as “acknowledge,” which implies that Israel knew but would not admit openly that Yahweh provided for them. The Hebrew verb for know does not suggest anything other than ignorance of Yahweh’s help, but the historical context shows that they knew better, so “acknowledge” is a valid option. Alternative translations are “realize” (New Living Translation) and “understood” (Harper).
As in 2.2, she and I render independent pronouns in Hebrew. Unlike in 2.2, here these independent pronouns still occur even though the two verbs involved (know and gave) already give information about the person (third person and first person, respectively). It is for this reason that these independent pronouns are emphatic. In 2.2 Gomer and Hosea were in focus. Here the focus is on the people of Israel and the LORD.
The grain, the wine, and the oil: The Hebrew words for grain, wine, and oil refer to raw products. They do not refer to humanly processed products, but they come directly from the LORD, representing the wealth of the area. The word for grain includes the seed crop of both wheat and barley, before it is ground into flour. There is some debate about the exact meaning and origins of the Hebrew word for wine. It probably refers to freshly-squeezed grape juice. It may be a loan word from Hittite, which also occurred in Greek (as a loan from Hittite). The word mainly occurs in poetic passages. New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible say “new wine.” “Sweet wine” is also possible. The Hebrew word for oil refers to freshly squeezed olive oil, not yet processed for use. These raw products are not mentioned by these names in 2.5, where most of the things listed have gone through some process of preparation.
And who lavished upon her silver and gold: Lavished means “caused to be abundant.” Silver and gold are probably the result of trading the wealth that the land produced in an economically prosperous time during the reign of Jeroboam II and are therefore also considered as gifts of the LORD. Mining did not take place in Israel.
Which they used for Baal: The pronoun they refers to the people of Israel, so there is an unexpected change in the Hebrew text from speaking about a woman as a symbol of Israel, to speaking about the people of Israel directly. In some languages such an abrupt change may not be good style, and it may be better to retain the symbolic language, as in Good News Translation with the pronoun “she.” The Hebrew expression for used for Baal can also mean “made into Baal,” meaning that the silver and gold were used to make images for worshiping Baal, the Canaanite storm and fertility god (so Jerusalem Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, Wolff). Silver and gold were used to overlay wooden statues of this Canaanite god. Good News Translation renders this clause in a very general way, saying “that she used in the worship of Baal.” If translators follow this model, it would be helpful to add a footnote to indicate that the Hebrew text uses the pronoun “they” instead of “she.”
A translation model for this verse is:
• She herself did not understand
that I was the one who gave her
the grain, the wine and the oil,
and that I gave her silver and gold in abundance,
which she made into [idols of] Baal.
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 paragraph, Hosea continues to use the image of an adulterous wife to represent the unfaithful nation of Israel. The LORD will punish the Israelites for their worship of the false god Baal. They trusted Baal to provide for their needs instead of trusting the LORD. Similarly, Hosea will punish Gomer, because she was unfaithful to him.
The notes and translation advice in this paragraph focus mainly on the way that the LORD intends to punish Israel. So you may want to add a footnote to remind your readers that this paragraph also refers to the way that Hosea will punish his wife Gomer.
2:8a
she does not acknowledge: The Hebrew verb that is used here can mean either “know” or “acknowledge/admit.” So there are two ways to interpret this phrase:
(1) “She does not acknowledge.” She (Israel) knew the truth, but she refused to admit that her husband (the LORD) was the one who supplied her needs. For example:
she would never acknowledge (Good News Translation) -or-
she has refused to acknowledge (NET Bible)
(2) “She did not know.” She (Israel) was not aware that her husband (the LORD) provided her food. For example:
she did not know (New Revised Standard Version) -or-
she had never realized before (New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most commentaries. Verse 2:7d implies that Israel did know that the LORD had been her provider in the past.
2:8b
that it was I who gave her: In Hebrew, the pronoun I that is used here indicates emphasis. The Berean Standard Bible expresses this emphasis by using special wording.
Other languages may be able to use an emphatic pronoun. Use a natural way in your language to express this emphasis.
grain, new wine, and oil: These three items are often listed together in the Old Testament (for example, Deuteronomy 7:13). They were basic products of agriculture that the nation depended upon to sustain them. Together they represented everything that the LORD had provided for the Israelites.
grain: This word refers to any kind of grain. In languages that do not have a general word for grain, here are two other options:
• Use the word for a specific grain crop, such as wheat or rice.
• Use a more general term, such as “crop” or “what is harvested.”
new wine: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as new wine refers to wine that has been pressed recently from grapes. It is not yet fermented or is just beginning to ferment.
Here is another way to translate this word:
fresh wine
Some versions do not specify new wine, probably because the emphasis is on the LORD’s provision of the wine, not on its age. If it is awkward to express the concept of newly made wine, you may want to use a more general term. For example:
wine (New Revised Standard Version)
wine:wine is an alcoholic drink. It is made from the juice of a fruit called grapes. When grape juice ferments, it becomes wine.
In some areas, people may not be familiar with grapes or with wine.
If that is true in your area, here are some other ways to translate wine :
• Use a specific term for another alcoholic drink made from fruit. For example:
pomegranate wine -or-
a drink like palm wine
• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
fruit juice/water -or-
grape juice
oil: See the note in 2:5d.
2:8c
who lavished on her: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lavished is literally “multiplied.” It indicates that the LORD gave it generously.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
giving her more and more (New Jerusalem Bible) -or-
I gave her much (New Century Version)
silver and gold—which they crafted for Baal: These two phrases describe the unexpected way in which the people used the silver and gold that the LORD gave them. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crafted is a somewhat general verb for action taken on an item. It could mean “to do,” “to use,” or “to make.” It does not indicate specifically how the people used silver and gold for Baal. They may have used it to make idols of Baal, but they may also have used it in other ways that were related to Baal worship. For that reason, you should use a general phrase to translate this statement. For example:
which they used for Baal (New International Version) -or-
which they have spent on Baal (New Jerusalem Bible) -or-
which they used in worshiping Baal (NET Bible)
Some versions use punctuation marks to emphasize the fact that the Israelite’s behavior was unexpected. It was the LORD who gave them these gifts, but instead they used the gifts to honor a false god. For example, the NET Bible uses a hyphen and exclamation mark for emphasis:
silver and gold—which they used in worshiping Baal! (NET Bible)
The New Century Version creates similar emphasis by using the word “but”:
I gave her much silver and gold, but she used it for Baal. (New Century Version)
Use a natural way in your language to emphasize that this behavior was unexpected.
they: The preceding pronouns “she/her” in 2:8a–c refer to the nation or people of Israel. The following pronouns in 2:9b–10a are the same. Here in 2:8c, the pronoun they is used. You should use a phrase or pronoun in your language that clearly refers to the nation or people of Israel.
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