Hosea 12:3 (Hosea 12:2)

וְרִ֥יב לַֽיהוָ֖ה עִם־יְהוּדָ֑ה וְלִפְקֹ֤ד עַֽל־יַעֲקֹב֙ כִּדְרָכָ֔יו כְּמַעֲלָלָ֖יו יָשִׁ֥יב לֹֽו׃

For YHWH has a dispute with Yehuda, and He will punish Yaʿaqov according to his ways; according to his deeds He will repay him.

Morphology

1. וְרִיב (ve-riv) – Root: ריב (riv); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and a dispute” or “and a contention”; Notes: The term often appears in prophetic contexts referring to a covenant lawsuit motif—YHWH bringing legal charges against His people.
2. לַיהוָה (la-YHWH) – Root: יהוה (YHWH); Form: Preposition לְ + divine proper noun; Translation: “for YHWH”; Notes: Indicates possession or agency—YHWH is the initiator of the contention.
3. עִם־יְהוּדָה (ʿim-Yehudah) – Root: יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Preposition עִם + proper noun; Translation: “with Yehudah”; Notes: Reflects divine confrontation—Judah is not exempt from the same covenant accountability as Ephrayim.
4. וְלִפְקֹד (ve-lifqod) – Root: פקד (paqad); Form: Conjunction וְ + infinitive construct with preposition לְ; Translation: “and to punish” or “and to visit upon”; Notes: The verb paqad can mean “to attend, visit, or punish,” depending on context—here, divine judgment is implied.
5. עַל־יַעֲקֹב (ʿal-Yaʿaqov) – Root: יעקב (Yaʿaqov); Form: Preposition עַל + proper noun; Translation: “upon Yaʿaqov”; Notes: “Yaʿaqov” here stands for the entire people of Yisraʾel, invoking their ancestral identity under covenant.
6. כִּדְרָכָיו (kidrakhav) – Root: דרך (derekh); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine plural construct + suffix 3ms; Translation: “according to his ways”; Notes: Indicates proportional justice—divine recompense measured by moral conduct.
7. כְּמַעֲלָלָיו (ke-maʿalalav) – Root: עלל (ʿalal); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine plural + suffix 3ms; Translation: “according to his deeds”; Notes: Parallelism to the previous phrase; the repetition reinforces the idea of moral accountability in divine judgment.
8. יָשִׁיב (yashiv) – Root: שׁוב (shuv); Form: Hiphil imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He will repay” or “He will restore”; Notes: The Hiphil stem gives a causative sense—YHWH will cause retribution or recompense in line with behavior.
9. לֹו (lo) – Root: לו (lo); Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 3ms; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Marks the recipient of divine repayment—Yaʿaqov (i.e., Yisraʾel) will bear the consequences of his conduct.