Hosea 6

Hosea 6, the sixth of the fourteen chapters of Hosea, continues the thought of the preceding chapter. At the close of chapter 5 (5:15), God declares that when the people are afflicted they will seek him earnestly. Chapter 6 follows directly from that statement and opens with a song of repentance sung by the people.

Structure

• Verses 1–3: The people urge one another, "Come, and let us return unto the LORD." They sing that he who has torn them will heal them, that after two days he will revive them and on the third day raise them up, and they liken his going forth to the morning light and the latter rain.
• Verses 4–6: God laments that the steadfast love (enduring love and faithfulness) of Ephraim and Judah is like a morning cloud or the early dew. He declares that he has brought judgment upon them through the prophets and that he desires steadfast love rather than sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
• Verses 7–10: The people are charged with transgressing the covenant. The charges include bloodshed in Gilead, a band of priests committing murder on the road to Shechem, and Ephraim's whoredom (idolatry).
• Verse 11: God declares that a harvest, that is, a time of judgment, has been appointed for Judah as well.

Key Verses

• Hosea 6:1 "Come, and let us return unto the LORD" — the classic call to repentance.
• Hosea 6:3 "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD" — presents the knowledge of God as central to faith.
• Hosea 6:6 "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice" — a verse quoted by Jesus.

People and Places

• Ephraim: The largest tribe of northern Israel; in the Book of Hosea the name stands for the Northern Kingdom as a whole.
• Judah: The Southern Kingdom.
• Adam: Appears in the phrase "like Adam" in verse 7 (see below).
• Gilead: A region east of the Jordan River.
• Shechem: An ancient city in the hill country of Ephraim.

Points for Reflection

• Interpreters differ on the song in verses 1–3. Some regard it as genuine repentance, while others, in light of the lament in verse 4, regard it as shallow and short-lived.
• Since the early church, some interpreters have connected the words "after two days … in the third day" in verse 2 with Christ's resurrection on the third day. Other scholars hold that the text itself uses an idiom for a restoration that will come about within a short time.
• Some read the phrase "like Adam" in verse 7 as a reference to Adam, the first man, while others take it as the place name Adam beside the Jordan (Joshua 3:16) and translate it "at Adam." Reformed covenant theology cites this verse as one of the grounds for a covenant made with Adam.
• Jesus quoted verse 6 in Matthew 9:13 and 12:7. The verse is commonly read not as a call to abolish sacrifice but as a rebuke of ritual performed without the heart. This reading also accords with the message of Micah 6:6–8. "Steadfast love" translates the Hebrew word hesed.

In the Korean Church

Verses 1 and 3 frequently serve as texts for sermons on repentance and revival. The phrase "Let us strive to know the LORD" (v. 3) is also used as a church motto.