Humanitext Reader

Septuagint · Hosea §11.1-11.12

God's Love for Israel, Their Rebellion, and the Promise of Compassion

Passage 11 of 14 · Greek

Summary

God reflects on His love for Israel since childhood, but the people continue to rebel and invite judgment through Assyria. Yet, out of compassion, God promises not to destroy them utterly and foretells their return.

§11.1ὄρθρου ἀπερίφησαν· ἀπερίφη βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ.
At dawn they were cast off; the king of Israel was cast off.
Ὅτι νήπιος Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐγὼ ἠγάπησα αὐτόν, καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ.
Because Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called his children.
§11.2καθὼς μετεκάλεσα αὐτούς, οὕτως ἀπῴχοντο ἐκ προσώπου μου· αὐτοὶ τοῖς Βααλεὶμ ἔθυον καὶ τοῖς γλυπτοῖς ἐθυμίων.
As I called them, so they went away from my presence; they sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to graven images.
§11.3καὶ ἐγὼ συνεπόδισα τὸν Ἐφράιμ, ἀνέλαβον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν βραχίονά μου· οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι ἴαμαι αὐτούς.
And I guided the feet of Ephraim, I took him up upon my arm; they did not know that I healed them.
§11.4ἐν διαφθορᾷ ἀνθρώπων, ἐξέτεινα αὐτοὺς ἐν δεσμοῖς ἀγαπήσεώς μου, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς ὡς ῥαπίζων ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τὰς σιαγόνας αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπιβλέψομαι πρὸς αὐτόν, δυνήσομαι αὐτῷ.
In the destruction of men, I drew them with the bands of my love, and I will be to them as a man striking them upon their cheeks; and I will look upon him, I will give him strength.
§11.5κατῴκησεν Ἐφράιμ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ Ἀσσοὺρ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ἐπιστρέψαι·
Ephraim dwelt in Egypt, and Assyria himself is his king, because he would not return.
§11.6καὶ ἠσθένησεν ῥομφαίᾳ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατέπαυσεν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ· καὶ φάγονται ἐκ τῶν διαβουλίων αὐτῶν.
And the sword grew weak in his cities, and consumed in his hands; and they shall eat of their own counsels.
§11.7καὶ ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ ἐπικρεμάμενος ἐκ τῆς κατοικίας αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὰ τίμια αὐτοῦ θυμωθήσεται, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑψώσῃ αὐτόν.
And his people are hanging in suspense from their dwelling; and God shall be angry with his precious things and shall not exalt him.
§11.8τί σε διαθῶμαι, Ἐφράιμ;
How shall I deal with you, Ephraim?
ὑπερασπιῶ σου, Ἰσραήλ;
Shall I protect you, Israel?
τί σε διαθῶ;
How shall I deal with you?
ὡς Ἀδαμὰ θήσομαί σε καὶ ὡς Σεβωείμ.
I will make you as Adama, and as Seboim.
μετεστράφη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ, συνεταράχθη ἡ μεταμελία μου·
My heart is turned within me, my compassion is deeply stirred.
§11.9οὐ μὴ ποιήσω κατὰ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ θυμοῦ μου, οὐ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπω τοῦ ἐξαλειφθῆναι τὸν Ἐφράιμ· διότι θεὸς ἐγὼ εἰμι καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος· ἐν σοὶ ἅγιος, καὶ οὐκ εἰσελεύσομαι εἰς πόλιν.
I will not execute according to the fierceness of my anger, I will not desert Ephraim so that he should be wiped out; for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not enter into the city.
§11.10ὀπίσω Κυρίου πορεύσομαι· ὡς λέων ἐρεύξεται, ὅτι αὐτὸς ὠρύσεται, καὶ ἐκστήσονται τέκνα ὑδάτων.
They shall go after the Lord; he shall roar like a lion, for he himself shall roar, and the children of the waters shall be astonished.
§11.11ἐκπτήσονται ὡς ὄρνεον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ὡς περιστερὰ ἐκ γῆς Ἀσσυρίων· καὶ ἀποκαταστήσω αὐτοὺς εἰς τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν, λέγει Κύριος.
They shall fly as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of the Assyrians; and I will restore them to their houses, says the Lord.
§11.12Ἐκύκλωσέν με ἐν ψεύδει Ἐφράιμ, καὶ ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα. νῦν ἔγνω αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός, καὶ λαὸς ἅγιος κεκλήσεται θεοῦ.
Ephraim compassed me with falsehood, and the house of Israel and Judah with ungodliness; now God knows them, and they shall be called the holy people of God.

Notes

  1. 11.1ὄρθρου — Genitive of time, meaning 'at dawn'. While some interpret this as connecting to the end of 10.15, it is here placed at the beginning of 11.1.
  2. 11.3συνεπόδισα — The verb συμποδίζω originally means 'to fetter' or 'to hinder from walking', but here it functions to translate a specific Hebrew idiom meaning 'to teach to walk' or 'to guide the steps'.
  3. 11.4ὡς ῥαπίζων ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τὰς σιαγόνας αὐτοῦ — Literally 'as a man striking upon his cheeks'. This structure arises because the Hebrew source text ('as those who lift the yoke from their jaws') was translated in the Septuagint using ῥαπίζω ('to strike, slap').
  4. 11.7ἐπικρεμάμενος ἐκ τῆς κατοικίας αὐτοῦ — Present middle/passive participle. Literally 'hanging from his dwelling', serving as a metaphorical expression for being in suspense, wavering, or detached from their original home.
  5. 11.9τοῦ ἐξαλειφθῆναι — Genitive infinitive of purpose (passive). It functions as a complement to the verb ἐγκαταλείπω, indicating 'to abandon Ephraim so that he should be wiped out'.
  6. 11.10τέκνα ὑδάτων — Literally 'children of waters'. This expression arose because the Septuagint translators interpreted the Hebrew word for 'west' (often associated with the Mediterranean Sea) literally as 'waters'.

Cite this passage

Septuagint, Hosea §11.1-11.12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0527.tlg036.humanitext-grc1:11.1-11.12

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.