Hosea 1:4 New English Translation
4 Then the Lord said to Hosea,[a] “Name him ‘Jezreel,’ because in a little while I will punish the dynasty[b] of Jehu on account of the bloodshed[c] in the valley of Jezreel,[d] and I will put an end to the kingdom[e] of Israel.[f]
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- Hosea 1:4 tn Heb “to him.” The referent (Hosea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Hosea 1:4 tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NRSV); cf. NCV “family,” and CEV “descendants.”
- Hosea 1:4 tn The plural form of דָּם (dam, “blood”) refers to “bloodshed” (BDB 196 s.v. דָּם 2.f). This is an example of a plural of abnormal condition (GKC 400 §124.n). The plural is used to represent natural objects that are found in an unnatural or abnormal condition. The plural is used because the natural object is normally found as a whole or in one unit, but in the abnormal condition the object is found in many parts. Normally, blood is contained as a whole within the body. However, when a brutal murder occurs, blood is shed and literally spilled all over the place (cf. NIV “the massacre”; TEV, CEV, NLT “the murders”).
- Hosea 1:4 tn Heb “I will take note of the bloodshed of Jezreel against the house of Jehu.”
- Hosea 1:4 tn Heb “the kingdom of the house of Israel” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Hosea 1:4 sn The proper name יִזְרְעֶאל (yizreʿeʾl, “Jezreel”) sounds like יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisraʾel, “Israel”). This phonetic wordplay associates the sin at Jezreel with the judgment on Israel, stressing poetic justice.
New English Translation (NET)
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