The big picture
Hosea 6 opens in verse 1 with “Come, and let us return unto the LORD : for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 6 with “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt…”, and closes in verse 11 with “Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my…” Repeated or prominent terms include Ephraim, goeth, Israel, Judah, know. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Hosea · King James Version · 11Hosea 6:1-6
1–6: Come, and let us return unto the LORD : for he hath torn, and he will…
Hosea 6:1–6 opens with “Come, and let us return unto the LORD : for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten…” and reaches “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Hosea 6 develops its own movement around Ephraim, goeth, Israel, Judah, know, with particular weight carried by goeth, know, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD : for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Hosea 6:1-6
King James Version1Come, and let us return unto the LORD : for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
2After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
3Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD : his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
4O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
5Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
6For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:7-11
7–11: They like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt…
Hosea 6:7–11 opens with “But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against…” and reaches “Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Hosea 6 develops its own movement around Ephraim, goeth, Israel, Judah, know, with particular weight carried by Israel, blood, captivity.
Context that brings the passage to life
“But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Hosea 6:7-11
King James Version7But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
8Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood.
9And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.
10I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.
11Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Hosea 6:1 begins with “Come, and let us return unto the LORD : for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.”
Where the chapter turns
Hosea 6:5 forms a natural hinge: “Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.”
The final note
Hosea 6:11 leaves the reader with “Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words Ephraim, goeth, Israel, Judah, know, LORD help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What repeated description explains the judgment?
The earth is corrupt and filled with violence, especially in verses 11-13.
What does obedience look like here?
Detailed preparation, gathering provisions and constructing what God commands.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.