Hos 2:7-15 | NET2full | STEP | Then she will pursue her lovers , but she will not catch them; she will seek them, but she will not find them. Then she will say , ‘I will go back to my husband , because I was better off then than I am now .’

Hosea 2:7-15

7 Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch ^{▼▼tn Heb “overtake” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); cf. NLT “be able to catch up with.”} them;
she will seek them, but she will not find them. ^{▼▼tn In the Hebrew text the accusative direct-object pronoun אֹתָם (ʾotam, “them”) is omitted/elided for balanced poetic parallelism. The LXX supplies αὐτούς (autous, “them”); but it is not necessary to emend the MT because this is a poetic literary convention rather than a textual problem.}
Then she will say,
‘I will go back ^{▼▼tn Heb “I will go and return” (so NRSV). The two verbs joined with vav form a verbal hendiadys. Normally, the first verb functions adverbially, and the second retains its full verbal sense (GKC 386-87 §120.d, h). The Hebrew phrase אֵלְכָה וְאָשׁוּבָה (ʾelekhah veʾashuvah, “I will go and I will return”) connotes, “I will return again.” As cohortatives, both verbs emphasize the resolution of the speaker.} to my husband, ^{▼▼tn Heb “to my man, the first.” Many English translations (e.g., KJV, NAB, NRSV, TEV) take this as “my first husband,” although this implies that there was more than one husband involved. The text refers to multiple lovers, but these were not necessarily husbands.}
because I was better off then than I am now.’ ^{▼▼tn Or “because it was better for me then than now” (cf. NCV).}

Agricultural Fertility Withdrawn from Israel

8 “Yet ^{▼▼tn Or “For” (so KJV, NASB); or “But” (so NCV).} until now ^{▼▼tn The phrase “until now” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.} she has refused to acknowledge ^{▼▼tn Heb “she does not know” (so NASB, NCV); or “she does not acknowledge.”} that I ^{▼▼tn The first person common singular independent personal pronoun אָנֹכִי (’anokhi, “I”) is emphatic, since the subject of this verbal clause is already explicit in the verb נָתַתִּי (natatti, Qal perfect first person common singular: “I gave”).} was the one
who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil;
and that it was I who ^{▼▼tn The phrase “that it was I who” does not appear in the Hebrew text here but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.} lavished on her the silver and gold—
that they ^{▼▼sn The third person plural here is an obvious reference to the Israelites, who had been unfaithful to the Lord in spite of all that he had done for them. To maintain the imagery of Israel as the prostitute, a third person feminine singular would be called for; in the interest of literary consistency this has been supplied in some English translations (e.g., NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).} used in worshiping Baal! ^{▼▼tn Heb “for Baal” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); cf. TEV “in the worship of Baal.”}
9 Therefore, I will take back ^{▼▼tn Heb “I will return and I will take.” The two verbs joined with vav conjunction form a verbal hendiadys in which the first verb functions adverbially and the second retains its full verbal sense (GKC 386-87 §120.d, h): אָשׁוּב וְלָקַחְתִּי (’ashuv velaqakhti) means: “I will take back.”} my grain during the harvest time ^{▼▼tn Heb “in its time” (so NAB, NRSV).}
and my new wine when it ripens; ^{▼▼tn Heb “in its season” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).}
I will take away my wool and my flax
that I had provided ^{▼▼tn The words “which I had provided” are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; cf. NIV “intended to cover.”} in order to clothe her. ^{▼▼tn Heb “to cover her nakedness” (so KJV and many other English versions); cf. TEV “for clothing.”} ^{▼▼sn This announcement of judgment is extremely ironic and forcefully communicates poetic justice: the punishment will fit the crime. The Israelites were literally uncovering their nakedness in temple prostitution in the Baal fertility cult rituals. Yahweh will, in effect, give them what they wanted (nakedness) but not in the way they wanted it: Yahweh will withhold the agricultural fertility they sought from Baal, which will lead to nakedness caused by impoverishment.}
10 Soon ^{▼▼tn The particle עַתָּה (ʿattah) often refers to the imminent or the impending future: “very soon” (BDB 774 s.v. עַתָּה 1.b). In Hosea it normally introduces imminent judgment (Hos 2:12; 4:16; 5:7; 8:8, 13; 10:2).} I will expose her lewd nakedness ^{▼▼tn Heb “her lewdness” (so KJV, NIV); cf. NAB, NRSV “her shame.”} in front of her lovers,
and no one will be able to rescue her from me! ^{▼▼tn Heb “out of my hand” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); cf. TEV “save her from my power.”}
11 I will put an end to all her celebrations:
her annual religious festivals,
monthly new moon celebrations,
and weekly Sabbath festivities—
all her appointed festivals.
12 I will destroy her vines and fig trees,
about which she said, ‘These are my wages for prostitution ^{▼▼tn Heb “my wages.” The words “for prostitution” are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied for clarity; cf. CEV “gave…as payment for sex.”}
that my lovers gave to me!’
I will turn her cultivated vines and fig trees ^{▼▼tn Heb “I will turn them”; the referents (vines and fig trees) have been specified in the translation for clarity.} into an uncultivated thicket,
so that wild animals ^{▼▼tn Heb “the beasts of the field” (so KJV, NASB); the same expression also occurs in v. 18.} will devour them.
13 I will punish her for the festival days
when she burned incense to the Baal idols; ^{▼▼tn Heb “the days of the Baals, to whom she burned incense.” The word “festival” is supplied to clarify the referent of “days,” and the word “idols” is supplied in light of the plural “Baals” (cf. NLT “her images of Baal”).}
she adorned herself with earrings and jewelry,
and went after her lovers,
but ^{▼▼tn The vav prefixed to a nonverb (וְאֹתִי, veʾoti) introduces a disjunctive contrastive clause, which is rhetorically powerful.} she forgot me!” ^{▼▼tn The accusative direct-object pronoun וְאֹתִי (veʾoti, “me”) is emphatic in the word order of this clause (cf. NIV “but me she forgot”), emphasizing the heinous inappropriateness of Israel’s departure from the Lord.} says the Lord.

Future Repentance and Restoration of Israel

14 “However, in the future I will allure her; ^{▼▼tn The participle מְפַתֶּיהָ (mefatteha, Piel participle masculine singular + third feminine singular suffix from פָּתָה, patah, “to allure”) following the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “Now!”) describes an event that will occur in the immediate or near future.}
I will lead ^{▼▼tn Following the future-time-referent participle (מְפַתֶּיהָ, méfatteha), there is a string of perfects introduced by vav consecutive that refer to future events.} her back into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her.
15 From there I will give back her vineyards to her
and turn the ‘Valley of Trouble’ ^{▼▼tn Heb “Valley of Achor,” so named because of the unfortunate incident recorded in Josh 7:1-26 (the name is explained in v. 26; the Hebrew term Achor means “disaster” or “trouble” [cf. TEV, CEV “Trouble Valley”]).} into an ‘Opportunity ^{▼▼tn Heb “door” or “doorway”; cf. NLT “gateway.” Unlike the days of Joshua, when Achan’s sin jeopardized Israel’s mission and cast a dark shadow over the nation, Israel’s future return to the land will be marked by renewed hope.} for Hope.’
There she will sing as she did when she was young, ^{▼▼tn Heb “as in the days of her youth” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).}
when ^{▼▼tn Heb “as in the day when” (so KJV, NASB).} she came up from the land of Egypt.