Hosea 2:4-5

2:4 I will have no pity on her children, ¹ 

because they are children conceived in adultery. ² 

2:5 For their mother has committed adultery;

she who conceived them has acted shamefully.

For she said, “I will seek out ³  my lovers; ⁴ 

they are the ones who give me my bread and my water,

my wool, my flax, my olive oil, and my wine. ⁵ 

[2:4]  ¹ tn Heb “her sons.” English versions have long translated this as “children,” however; cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT.

[2:4]  sn The word order is rhetorical: the accusative וְאֶת־בָּנֶיהָ (vé’et-baneha, “her sons”) is moved forward for emphasis.

[2:4]  ² tn Heb “sons of adulteries”; KJV “children of whoredoms.”

[2:4]  sn The word order is rhetorical: the construct clause בְנֵי זְנוּנִים (vÿne zÿnunim, “sons of adulteries”), which functions as the predicate nominative, is moved forward, before the independent personal pronoun הֵמָּה (hemma, “they”) which functions as the subject, to focus on the immoral character of her children.

[2:5]  ³ tn Heb “I will go after” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[2:5]  ⁴ sn This statement alludes to the practice of sexual rites in the Canaanite fertility cult which attempted to secure agricultural fertility from the Canaanite gods (note the following reference to wool, flax, olive oil, and wine).

[2:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “my drinks.” Many English versions use the singular “drink” here, but cf. NCV, TEV, CEV “wine.”