5:4 Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God;
because a spirit of idolatry 1 controls their heart, 2
and they do not acknowledge the Lord.
5:7 They have committed treason 3 against the Lord,
because they bore illegitimate children.
Soon 4 the new moon festival will devour them and their fields.
1 tn Heb “a spirit of harlotries”; NIV “a spirit of prostitution”; TEV “Idolatry has a powerful hold on them.” However, CEV takes this literally: “your constant craving for sex keeps you from knowing me.”
2 tn Heb “is in their heart” (so NIV); NASB, NRSV “is within them.”
3 tn Heb “dealt treacherously against” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “dealt faithlessly”; NLT “betrayed the honor of.”
4 tn The particle עַתָּה (’attah) often refers to the imminent or the impending future: “very soon” (BDB 774 s.v. עַתָּה 1.b). In Hosea it normally introduces imminent judgment (Hos 2:12; 4:16; 5:7; 8:8, 13; 10:2).