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Good News Translation

Hosea 12:12

Our ancestor Jacob had to flee to Mesopotamia, where, in order to get a wife, he worked for another man and took care of his sheep.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Idolatry;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Jacob;   Marriage;  

Dictionaries:

- Easton Bible Dictionary - Aram-Naharaim;   Jacob;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Padan Aram;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hosea;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jacob;   Paddan, Paddan-Aram;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Possession;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Division of the Earth;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Hosea;   Jacob (1);   Paddan-Aram;   Syrians;   Text of the Old Testament;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Aram;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Tortoise;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Jacob fled to the territory of Aram.Israel worked to earn a wife;he tended flocks for a wife.
Hebrew Names Version
Ya`akov fled into the country of Aram, And Yisra'el served to get a wife, And for a wife he tended flocks and herds.
King James Version
And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
English Standard Version
Jacob fled to the land of Aram; there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep.
New American Standard Bible
Now Jacob fled to the land of Aram, And Israel worked for a wife, And for a wife he kept sheep.
New Century Version
Your ancestor Jacob fled to Northwest Mesopotamia where he worked to get a wife; he tended sheep to pay for her.
Amplified Bible
Now Jacob (Israel) fled into the open country of Aram (Paddan-aram), And [there] Israel (Jacob) worked and served for a wife, And for a wife he kept sheep.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Iaakob fled into the countrey of Aram, and Israel serued for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheepe.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now Jacob fled to the land of Aram, And Israel worked for a wife, And for a wife he kept sheep.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now Jacob fled to the field of Aram,And Israel worked for a wife,And for a wife he kept sheep.
Berean Standard Bible
Jacob fled to the land of Aram and Israel worked for a wife-for a wife he tended sheep.
Contemporary English Version
Jacob escaped to Syria where he tended sheep to earn himself a wife.
Complete Jewish Bible
Is Gil‘ad given to iniquity? Yes, they have become worthless. In Gilgal they sacrifice to bulls; therefore their altars are like piles of stones in a plowed field."
Darby Translation
And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept [sheep].
Easy-to-Read Version
"Jacob ran away to the land of Aram. There Israel worked for a wife. He kept sheep to get another wife.
George Lamsa Translation
Jacob fled to the land of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
Lexham English Bible
Jacob fled to the open field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he watched over sheep.
Literal Translation
And Jacob fled into the field of Syria, and Israel served for a wife; yea, he shepherded for a wife.
American Standard Version
And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
Bible in Basic English
And Jacob went in flight into the field of Aram, and Israel became a servant for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
If Gilead be given to iniquity becoming altogether vanity, in Gilgal they sacrifice unto bullocks; yea, their altars shall be as heaps in the furrows of the field.
King James Version (1611)
And Iacob fled into the countrey of Syria, and Israel serued for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheepe.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Iacob fled into the lande of Syria, and Israel serued for a wife, and for a wife he kept [sheepe.]
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Jacob retreated into the plain of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and waited for a wife.
English Revised Version
And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
World English Bible
Jacob fled into the country of Aram, And Israel served to get a wife, And for a wife he tended flocks and herds.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Jacob fledde in to the cuntrei of Sirie, and Israel seruyde for a wijf, and seruyde, ether kepte, for a wijf.
Update Bible Version
And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept [sheep].
Webster's Bible Translation
And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept [sheep].
New English Translation
Jacob fled to the country of Aram, then Israel worked to acquire a wife; he tended sheep to pay for her.
New King James Version
Jacob fled to the country of Syria; Israel served for a spouse, And for a wife he tended sheep.
New Living Translation
Jacob fled to the land of Aram, and there he earned a wife by tending sheep.
New Life Bible
Jacob ran away to the land of Aram. There he worked for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
New Revised Standard
Jacob fled to the land of Aram, there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When Jacob fled to the country of Syria, then Israel served for a wife, and, for a wife, he watched over a flock.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and was a keeper for a wife.
Revised Standard Version
(Jacob fled to the land of Aram, there Israel did service for a wife, and for a wife he herded sheep.)
Young's Literal Translation
And Jacob doth flee to the country of Aram, And Israel doth serve for a wife, Yea, for a wife he hath kept watch.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Iacob fled into the londe of Siria, and Israel serued for a wife, and for a wife he kepte shepe.
THE MESSAGE
Are you going to repeat the life of your ancestor Jacob? He ran off guilty to Aram, Then sold his soul to get ahead, and made it big through treachery and deceit. Your real identity is formed through God-sent prophets, who led you out of Egypt and served as faithful pastors. As it is, Ephraim has continually and inexcusably insulted God. Now he has to pay for his life-destroying ways. His Master will do to him what he has done.

Contextual Overview

7 The Lord says, "The people of Israel are as dishonest as the Canaanites; they love to cheat their customers with false scales. 8 ‘We are rich,' they say. ‘We've made a fortune. And no one can accuse us of getting rich dishonestly.' 9 But I, the Lord your God who led you out of Egypt, I will make you live in tents again, as you did when I came to you in the desert. 10 "I spoke to the prophets and gave them many visions, and through the prophets I gave my people warnings. 11 Yet idols are worshiped in Gilead, and those who worship them will die. Bulls are sacrificed in Gilgal, and the altars there will become piles of stone in the open fields." 12 Our ancestor Jacob had to flee to Mesopotamia, where, in order to get a wife, he worked for another man and took care of his sheep. 13 The Lord sent a prophet to rescue the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and to take care of them. 14 The people of Israel have made the Lord bitterly angry; they deserve death for their crimes. Their Lord will punish them for the disgrace they have brought on him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Jacob: Genesis 27:43, Genesis 28:1 - Genesis 29:35, Deuteronomy 26:5

Israel: Genesis 32:27, Genesis 32:28

served: Genesis 29:18-28, Genesis 31:41

Reciprocal: Genesis 28:2 - Arise Genesis 28:10 - General Genesis 29:20 - served Genesis 29:30 - served Genesis 30:26 - my wives Genesis 31:24 - the Syrian Genesis 31:40 - General Ruth 4:10 - have I Proverbs 18:22 - findeth a wife

Cross-References

Genesis 12:8
After that, he moved on south to the hill country east of the city of Bethel and set up his camp between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There also he built an altar and worshiped the Lord .
Genesis 12:10
But there was a famine in Canaan, and it was so bad that Abram went farther south to Egypt, to live there for a while.
Genesis 20:11
Abraham answered, "I thought that there would be no one here who has reverence for God and that they would kill me to get my wife.
Genesis 26:7
When the men there asked about his wife, he said that she was his sister. He would not admit that she was his wife, because he was afraid that the men there would kill him to get Rebecca, who was very beautiful.
1 Samuel 27:1
David said to himself, "One of these days Saul will kill me. The best thing for me to do is to escape to Philistia. Then Saul will give up looking for me in Israel, and I will be safe."
Proverbs 29:25
It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord , you are safe.
Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Jacob fled into the country of Syria,.... Or, "field of Syria" m; the same with Padanaram; for "Padan", in the Arabic language, as Bochart has shown, signifies a field; and "Aram" is Syria, and is the word here used. This is to be understood of Jacob's fleeing thither for fear of his brother Esau, the history of which is had in

Genesis 28:1; though some interpret this of his fleeing from Laban out of the field of Syria into Gilead, Genesis 31:21; and so make it to be introduced as an aggravation of the sin of the inhabitants of Gilead, that that place, which had been a refuge and sanctuary to their ancestor in his distress, should be defiled with idolatry; but the words will not bear such a construction, and the following seem to militate against it:

and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept [sheep]; and so the last clause is supplied by the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi: this was after his flight into Syria, and before he fled from Laban, whom he served seven years for Rachel; and then served him by keeping his sheep seven years more for the same: though it may be understood of his two wives, thus; he served seven years for a wife, for Rachel intentionally, but eventually it was for Leah; and then he kept sheep seven years more for his other wife Rachel; the history of this is in Genesis 29:1. This is mentioned to show the meanness of Jacob the ancestor of the Israelites, from whom they had their original and name; he was a fugitive in the land of Syria; there he was a Syrian ready to perish, a very poor man, obliged to serve and keep sheep for a wife, having no dowry to give; and this is observed here to bring, down the pride of Israel, who boasted of their descent, which is weak and foolish for any to do; and to show the goodness of God to Jacob, and to them, in raising him and them from so low an estate and condition to such eminency and greatness as they were; and to upbraid their ingratitude to the God of their fathers, and of their mercies, whom they had revolted from, and turned to idols.

m שדה ארם "agrum Aram", Montanus; "in agrum Syriae", Vatablus, Drusius, Rivet, Schmidt.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And Jacob fled into the country of Syria - Jacob chose poverty and servitude rather than marry an idotatress of Canaan. He knew not from where, except from God’s bounty and providence, he should have “bread to eat, or raiment to put on” Genesis 28:20; “with his staff alone he passed over Jordan” Genesis 32:10. His voluntary poverty, bearing even unjust losses Genesis 31:39, and “repaying the things which he never took,” reproved their dishonest traffic; his trustfulness in God, their mistrust; his devotedness to God, their alienation from Him, and their devotion to idols. And as the conduct was opposite, so was the result. Ill-gotten riches end in poverty; stable wealth is gained, not by the cupidity of man, but by the good pleasure of God. Jacob, having “become two bands,” trusting in God and enriched by God, returned from Syria to the land promised to him by God; Israel, distrusting God and enriching himself, was to return out of the land which the Lord his God had given him, to Assyria, amid the loss of all things.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Hosea 12:12. Served for a wife — Seven years for Rachel.

For a wife he kept sheep.] Seven years for Leah; having been cheated by Laban, who gave him first Leah, instead of Rachel; and afterwards made him serve seven years more before he would confirm his first engagement. Critics complain of want of connection here. Why is this isolated fact predicted? Thus, in a detached sentence, the prophet speaks of the low estate of their ancestors, and how amply the providence of God had preserved and provided for them. This is all the connection the place requires.


 
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