Hosea 2:4 (Hosea 2:2)

רִ֤יבוּ בְאִמְּכֶם֙ רִ֔יבוּ כִּֽי־הִיא֙ לֹ֣א אִשְׁתִּ֔י וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֣א אִישָׁ֑הּ וְתָסֵ֤ר זְנוּנֶ֨יהָ֙ מִפָּנֶ֔יה וְנַאֲפוּפֶ֖יהָ מִבֵּ֥ין שָׁדֶֽיהָ׃

Plead with your mother, plead, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband; and let her remove her acts of whoredom from before her, and her adulteries from between her breasts.

Morphology

1. רִיבוּ (rivu) – Root: ריב (r-y-v); Form: Qal imperative masculine plural; Translation: “Plead” or “Contend”; Notes: A legal term suggesting a covenantal lawsuit (*riv*) between YHWH and His unfaithful people.
2. בְאִמְּכֶם (be-ʾimmekhem) – Root: אם (ʾ-m); Form: Preposition בְ + noun feminine singular + suffix 2mp; Translation: “with your mother”; Notes: “Mother” represents the nation of Yisraʾel collectively, contrasted with her “children.”
3. רִיבוּ (rivu) – Root: ריב (r-y-v); Form: Qal imperative masculine plural (repeated); Translation: “Plead”; Notes: The repetition intensifies the prophetic urgency to confront national unfaithfulness.
4. כִּי (ki) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for” or “because”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the prophetic lawsuit.
5. הִיא (hiʾ) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “she”; Notes: Refers to the symbolic wife, Yisraʾel, who has broken covenant fidelity.
6. לֹא (lo) – Root: לא (l-ʾ); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Denies the legitimacy of the covenantal marriage bond.
7. אִשְׁתִּי (ʾishti) – Root: אשה (ʾ-š-h); Form: Noun feminine singular + 1cs suffix; Translation: “My wife”; Notes: Indicates covenantal intimacy now annulled due to idolatry and infidelity.
8. וְאָנֹכִי (ve-anokhi) – Root: אנכי (ʾ-n-k-y); Form: Independent pronoun 1cs + conjunction; Translation: “and I”; Notes: Emphasizes YHWH’s personal withdrawal from the marital covenant.
9. לֹא (lo) – Root: לא (l-ʾ); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Continues the covenantal negation parallel to the previous phrase.
10. אִישָׁהּ (ʾishah) – Root: אישׁ (ʾ-y-š); Form: Noun masculine singular + 3fs suffix; Translation: “her husband”; Notes: Expresses relational and covenantal disunion; YHWH no longer functions as her protector or provider.
11. וְתָסֵר (ve-taser) – Root: סור (s-w-r); Form: Hifil jussive 3fs; Translation: “and let her remove”; Notes: Expresses exhortation that the nation cease her spiritual adultery—turning away from idolatry.
12. זְנוּנֶיהָ (zenuneyha) – Root: זנה (z-n-h); Form: Noun masculine plural + 3fs suffix; Translation: “her acts of whoredom”; Notes: Figuratively denotes idolatrous practices and covenantal betrayal.
13. מִפָּנֶיהָ (mi-phaneyha) – Root: פנים (p-n-y); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine plural + 3fs suffix; Translation: “from before her”; Notes: Symbolizes the external display of sin, to be visibly removed.
14. וְנַאֲפוּפֶיהָ (ve-naʾafufeyha) – Root: נאף (n-ʾ-p); Form: Noun masculine plural + 3fs suffix; Translation: “her adulteries”; Notes: Refers metaphorically to Yisraʾel’s repeated idolatries and covenantal breaches.
15. מִבֵּין (mi-bein) – Root: בין (b-y-n); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “from between”; Notes: Indicates removal from an intimate or central place.
16. שָׁדֶיהָ (shadeha) – Root: שד (š-d); Form: Noun masculine dual + 3fs suffix; Translation: “her breasts”; Notes: Metaphorically portrays Yisraʾel’s seductive unfaithfulness—her exposure representing public shame and moral corruption.