Hosea 12:4

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

In the womb, he grasped his brother’s heel; and in his strength, he struggled with God.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

בַּבֶּ֖טֶן עָקַ֣ב אֶת־אָחִ֑יו וּבְאוֹנ֖וֹ שָׂרָ֥ה אֶת־אֱלֹהִֽים׃

Transliteration

In-the-beṭen ʿāqab ʾet-brother-his û-bĕ-ʾônô śārâ ʾet-ʾĕlōhîm

Grammar Details

• *beṭen*: noun, feminine singular - womb
• *ʿāqab*: verb, qal perfect 3rd masculine singular - he grasped heel/supplanted
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *ʾāḥîw*: noun, masculine singular construct with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his brother
• *û-bĕ*: conjunction + preposition - and in
• *ʾônô*: noun, masculine singular with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his strength/vigor
• *śārâ*: verb, qal perfect 3rd masculine singular - he strove/contended/struggled
• *ʾĕlōhîm*: noun, masculine plural - God/divine being

Word Meanings

• *ʿāqab*: grasped by the heel/supplanted/deceived
• *beṭen*: womb/belly/inner part
• *ʾônô*: his strength/his power/his vigor
• *śārâ*: strove/contended/struggled/wrestled with

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Beth-el, and there he spake with us;

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Yes, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept and made supplication to him; he found him in Bethel, and there He spoke with us;

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  yea, he had power{H7786} over the angel,{H4397} and prevailed;{H3201} he wept,{H1058} and made supplication{H2603} unto him: he found{H4672} him at Beth-el,{H1008} and there he spake{H1696} with us,

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Yea, he had power{H7786}{(H8799)} over the angel{H4397}, and prevailed{H3201}{(H8799)}: he wept{H1058}{(H8804)}, and made supplication{H2603}{(H8691)} unto him: he found{H4672}{(H8799)} him in Bethel{H1008}, and there he spake{H1696}{(H8762)} with us;

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  He stroue with the Angel, and gat the victory: so that he prayde and desyred him. He fande him at Bethel, & there he talked wt vs.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And had power ouer the Angel, and preuailed: he wept and praied vnto him: he founde him in Beth-el, and there he spake with vs.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  He stroue with the angel and gat the victorie, he wept and prayed to him: he founde him at Bethel, and there he spake with vs.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him [in] Bethel, and there he spake with us;

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Indeed, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; He wept, and made supplication to him. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with us,

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  Yea, he is a prince unto the Messenger, And he overcometh `by' weeping, And he maketh supplication to Him, At Bethel He doth find him, And there He doth speak with us,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him at Beth-el, and there he spake with us,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him at Beth-el, and there he spake with us,

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  In the body of his mother he took his brother by the foot, and in his strength he was fighting with God;

• World English Bible (2000)

  Indeed, he struggled with the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication to him. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with us,

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  He struggled with an angel and prevailed; he wept and begged for his favor. He found God at Bethel, and there he spoke with him!

Referenced Verses

• Gen 35:15 : 15 Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
• Gen 48:15 : 15 Then he blessed Joseph and said, 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,'
• Exod 3:2-5 : 2 The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that the bush was burning with fire, but it was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this remarkable sight—why the bush is not burning up.' 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' And Moses replied, 'Here I am.' 5 God said, 'Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.'
• Ps 66:6 : 6 He turned the sea into dry land; they crossed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in Him.
• Isa 63:9 : 9 In all their distress, he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and compassion, he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
• Mal 3:1 : 1 Behold, I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Suddenly, the Lord whom you are seeking will come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—behold, he is coming,
• Acts 7:30-35 : 30 After forty years had passed, an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the wilderness near Mount Sinai. 31 Moses was amazed at what he saw. As he approached to look more closely, he heard the voice of the Lord say, 32 'I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look closely. 33 Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.' 34 'I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning. I have come down to rescue them. Now come, I will send you to Egypt.' 35 This same Moses, whom they had rejected by saying, 'Who made you ruler and judge?'—this is the one God sent as ruler and deliverer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
• 1 Thess 4:17 : 17 After that, we who are alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.
• Heb 5:7 : 7 During His earthly life, He offered prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.
• Heb 6:13-18 : 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, 'Surely I will bless you abundantly and multiply your descendants greatly.' 15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. 16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath. 18 So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
• Gen 28:11-19 : 11 He came to a certain place, stayed there for the night because the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it under his head, and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed; behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven. The angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And there was the Lord standing above it, and He said, 'I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying, I will give to you and to your descendants.' 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. Through you and your descendants, all the families of the earth will be blessed. 15 Look, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, because I will not leave you until I have done everything I promised you. 16 Jacob woke up from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.' 17 He was afraid and said, 'How amazing is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.' 18 Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone he had used as a pillow, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on its top. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but previously the name of the city was called Luz.
• Gen 32:9-9 : 9 He thought, 'If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp that is left will escape.' 10 Then Jacob said, 'O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 11 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown to your servant. With only my staff, I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 12 Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from Esau, for I am afraid of him. He might come and strike me, the mothers, and the children.
• Gen 32:29 : 29 Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.'
• Gen 35:9-9 : 9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan-Aram, and He blessed him. 10 God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So He named him Israel.