Hosea 12:2

12:2 The Lord also has a covenant lawsuit ¹  against Judah;

he will punish Jacob according to his ways

and repay him according to his deeds.

Isaiah 1:18

1:18 ² Come, let’s consider your options,” ³  says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,

you can become ⁴  white like snow;

though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,

you can become ⁵  white like wool. ⁶ 

Isaiah 3:13-14

3:13 The Lord takes his position to judge;

he stands up to pass sentence on his people. ⁷ 

3:14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment

on the leaders of his people and their officials.

He says, ⁸  “It is you ⁹  who have ruined ¹⁰  the vineyard! ¹¹ 

You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor. ¹² 

Isaiah 5:3

5:3 So now, residents of Jerusalem, ¹³ 

people ¹⁴  of Judah,

you decide between me and my vineyard!

Isaiah 34:8

34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, ¹⁵ 

a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. ¹⁶ 

Jeremiah 25:31

25:31 The sounds of battle ¹⁷  will resound to the ends of the earth.

For the Lord will bring charges against the nations. ¹⁸ 

He will pass judgment on all humankind

and will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’ ¹⁹ 

The Lord so affirms it! ²⁰ 

Micah 6:2

6:2 Hear the Lord’s accusation, you mountains,

you enduring foundations of the earth!

For the Lord has a case against his people;

he has a dispute with Israel! ²¹ 

[12:2]  ¹ tn The noun רִיב (riv, “dispute”) is used in two contexts: (1) nonlegal contexts: (a) “dispute” between individuals (e.g., Gen 13:7; Isa 58:1; Jer 15:10) or (b) “brawl, quarrel” between people (e.g., Exod 17:7; Deut 25:1); and (2) legal contexts: (a) “lawsuit, legal process” (e.g., Exod 23:3-6; Deut 19:17; 21:5; Ezek 44:24; Ps 35:23), (b) “lawsuit, legal case” (e.g., Deut 1:12; 17:8; Prov 18:17; 25:9), and (c) God’s “lawsuit” on behalf of a person or against his own people (Hos 4:1; 12:3; Mic 6:2; HALOT 1225-26 s.v. רִיב). The term in Hosea refers to a covenant lawsuit in which Yahweh, the suzerain, lodges a legal case against his disobedient vassal, accusing Israel and Judah of breach of covenant which will elicit the covenant curses. Cf. NLT “is bringing a lawsuit.”

[1:18]  ² sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).

[1:18]  ³ tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.

[1:18]  ⁴ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ⁵ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.

[3:13]  ⁷ tc The Hebrew text has “nations,” but the preceding and following contexts make it clear that the Lord is judging his covenant people. עָמִים (’amim) should be changed (with support from the LXX) to עמו. The final mem (ם) on the form in the Hebrew is either dittographic or enclitic. When the mem was added or read as a plural ending, the vav (ו) was then misread as a yod (י).

[3:14]  ⁸ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:14]  ⁹ tn The pronominal element is masculine plural; the leaders are addressed.

[3:14]  ¹⁰ tn The verb בָּעַר (ba’ar, “graze, ruin”; HALOT 146 s.v. II בער) is a homonym of the more common בָּעַר (ba’ar, “burn”; see HALOT 145 s.v. I בער).

[3:14]  ¹¹ sn The vineyard is a metaphor for the nation here. See 5:1-7.

[3:14]  ¹² tn Heb “the plunder of the poor [is] in your houses” (so NASB).

[5:3]  ¹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.

[34:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”

[34:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”

[25:31]  ¹⁷ tn For the use of this word see Amos 2:2; Hos 10:14; Ps 74:23. See also the usage in Isa 66:6 which is very similar to the metaphorical usage here.

[25:31]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the Lord has a lawsuit against the nations.” For usage of the term see Hos 4:1; Mic 6:2, and compare the usage of the related verb in Jer 2:9; 12:1.

[25:31]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “give the wicked over to the sword.”

[25:31]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[6:2]  ²¹ tn This verse briefly interrupts the Lord’s statement (see vv. 1, 3) as the prophet summons the mountains as witnesses. Because of this v. 2 has been placed in parentheses in the translation.