Hosea 12 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 12:1, 12:5, 12:9, 12:12
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 12
Jacob, Ephraim and the prophetic word
Verse 12:1 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:1 Ephraim has surrounded Me with falsehood, and Israel's house with deceit. Judah still rules with God and is faithful with the holy ones.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:1 Ephraim surrounded Me with falsehood, and Israel's house and Judah with impieties. Now God knew them, and he will be called God's holy people.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Greek places Judah with the offenders and then introduces divine recognition and holy-people naming. Hebrew Judah's rad with God and faithfulness is difficult: rules is a provisional positive reading; roaming or restlessness gives a different assessment. The Hebrew plural holy ones is retained. Source twelve verse one equals common English eleven verse twelve.
Verse 12:2 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:2 Ephraim feeds on wind and pursues the east wind all day; he multiplies falsehood and devastation. They make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:2 But Ephraim is an evil spirit; he pursued scorching heat all day, multiplied empty and worthless things, made a covenant with the Assyrians, and traded oil into Egypt.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew feeding on wind becomes Greek being an evil spirit, and falsehood/violence becomes emptiness/worthlessness. The foreign covenant and Egyptian oil trade agree.
Verse 12:3 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:3 YHWH has a dispute with Judah and will call Jacob to account according to his ways; He will repay him according to his deeds.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:3 The Lord has a case against Judah, to exact punishment on Jacob according to his ways; He will repay him according to his practices.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Judah's case and Jacob's recompense correspond, without deleting either name.
Verse 12:4 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:4 In the womb he grasped his brother's heel, and in his strength he strove with God.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:4 In the womb he tripped up his brother, and in his labors he prevailed against God
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew heel-grasping becomes Greek tripping or supplanting, and strength becomes labors. Greek continues its prevailing verb into the next verse; both concern Jacob.
Verse 12:5 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:5 He strove with a messenger and prevailed; he wept and begged his favor. At Bethel He finds him, and there He speaks with us.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:5 and prevailed with an angel and was able. They wept and entreated Me; in the house of On they found Me, and there speech was given to him.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew singular weeping and entreaty become Greek plural people addressing Me. Bethel becomes house of On; Hebrew He finds him becomes they found Me; speech with us becomes speech to him. The Hebrew subjects of the weeping and finding are interpretively disputed, and the pronoun differences remain visible.
Verse 12:6 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:6 YHWH is the God of hosts; YHWH is His memorial name.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:6 The Lord God Almighty will be his memorial.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew repeats YHWH as the commemorated name; Greek has one expanded divine title and a future memorial statement. Greek his is left lower case because the referent is not unambiguous.
Verse 12:7 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:7 But you, return with your God's help; keep steadfast love and justice, and wait continually for your God.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:7 You will return in your God; keep mercy and judgment, and draw near to your God continually.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew waiting for God becomes Greek approaching Him. Both join return, kindness and justice; Hebrew beʾlohekha is smoothed as God's help, with in your God preserved literally in Greek.
Verse 12:8 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:8 A Canaanite trader—in his hand are deceitful scales; he loves to oppress.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:8 Canaan—in his hand is a balance of injustice; he loved to dominate.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew kenaʿan carries both Canaanite identity and trader usage; the combined rendering keeps both. Greek retains Canaan as a name. Fraudulent scales and exploitation agree.
Verse 12:9 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:9 Ephraim says, ‘Surely I have become rich; I have found wealth for myself. In all my toil they will find no guilt in me that is sin.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:9 Ephraim said, ‘Indeed I have become rich; I have found refreshment for myself.’ All his labors will not be found for him because of the injustices in which he sinned.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew wealth becomes Greek refreshment. Hebrew Ephraim denies discoverable guilt; Greek shifts to third person and says his labor will not remain available because of his sins. The difficult Greek relative construction is smoothed without reproducing the Hebrew self-defense.
Verse 12:10 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:10 But I am YHWH your God from Egypt's land; I will make you dwell in tents again, as in the days of the appointed gathering.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:10 But I, the Lord your God, brought you up from Egypt's land; I will still settle you in tents as on a festival day.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Greek explicitly adds the bringing-up action where Hebrew states the relationship from Egypt. Both promise renewed tent dwelling; the text does not specify whether its first force is deprivation or restored festal life.
Verse 12:11 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:11 I spoke to the prophets; I multiplied vision and gave comparisons through the prophets.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:11 I will speak to prophets; I multiplied visions and was represented in likenesses through prophets.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew God gives comparisons; Greek God is likened or represented. The initial speech is completed in Hebrew and future in Greek.
Verse 12:12 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:12 If Gilead is wickedness, surely they have become emptiness. At Gilgal they sacrificed bulls; their altars too are like heaps upon the field's furrows.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:12 If Gilead does not exist—then false were the rulers sacrificing at Gilgal, and their altars are like tortoises upon the field's fallow ground.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Greek's difficult opening lacks Hebrew wickedness, rulers replaces bulls, and tortoises replaces heaps. Chelōnai has object and mound-related possibilities, but tortoises retains its ordinary image pending specialist review; the text is not silently corrected to Hebrew heaps.
Verse 12:13 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:13 Jacob fled to Aram's country; Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept watch.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:13 Jacob withdrew to Syria's plain; Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept guard.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both recall Jacob/Israel's service and guarding for marriage. Greek Syria corresponds to Aram; neither source explicitly supplies flock in this verse.
Verse 12:14 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:14 Through a prophet YHWH brought Israel up from Egypt, and through a prophet he was kept safe.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:14 Through a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt, and through a prophet he was preserved.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Deliverance and preservation through a prophet correspond; the unnamed prophet is not renamed Moses within the text.
Verse 12:15 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
12:15 Ephraim has provoked bitter anger. His Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for his reproach.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
12:15 Ephraim provoked anger and exasperation; his blood will be poured upon him, and the Lord will repay him for his reproach.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew leaving bloodguilt on Ephraim becomes Greek blood poured on him. The provocation and recompense agree. Hebrew ʾadonaw is his Lord here; it is not substituted with YHWH.