1 '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. 2 After two days will He revive us, on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence. 3 And let us know, eagerly strive to know the LORD, His going forth is sure as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.' 4 O 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 dew that early passeth away. 5 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and thy judgment goeth forth as the light. 6 For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings. 7 But they like men have transgressed the covenant; there have they dealt treacherously against Me. 8 Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, it is covered with footprints of blood. 9 And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so doth the company of priests; they murder in the way toward Shechem; yea, they commit enormity. 10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; there harlotry is found in Ephraim, Israel is defiled. 11 Also, O Judah, there is a harvest appointed for thee! When I would turn the captivity of My people,
Hosea 6 JPS Tanakh (1917)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Numbers like (22-2) in the text give the Hebrew verse numbering where it differs.
Cross references (11)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Job 5:18; Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6; Lamentations 3:40–41; Hosea 14:4
- 2 2 Kings 20:5; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Isaiah 26:19; Ezekiel 37:11–13; Hosea 13:14
- 3 Jeremiah 24:7; Hosea 14:5; Proverbs 2:1–5; Psalm 72:6; Philippians 3:13–15
- 4 Hosea 11:8; Hosea 13:3; Psalm 78:34–37; Psalm 106:12–13; Luke 13:7–9
- 5 Jeremiah 23:29; Jeremiah 1:10; Hebrews 4:12; Jeremiah 5:14; Romans 2:5
- 6 Matthew 9:13; Matthew 12:7; Proverbs 21:3; 1 Samuel 15:22; Amos 5:21
- 7 Genesis 3:11; Jeremiah 9:6; Hosea 8:1; Hosea 5:7; Job 31:33
- 8 Hosea 12:11; Micah 7:2; Hosea 4:2; Psalm 59:2; Jeremiah 11:19
- 9 Proverbs 1:11–19; Zephaniah 3:3; Hosea 7:1; Hosea 5:1; Ezekiel 22:9
- 10 Hosea 5:3; Jeremiah 23:14; Ezekiel 23:5; Jeremiah 3:6; Jeremiah 5:30–31
- 11 Joel 3:13; Job 42:10; Micah 4:12; Jeremiah 51:33; Revelation 14:15
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
As God, when teaching them His will in Hosea the prophet, said, "I desire mercy rather than sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings." Besides, our Lord also exhorted them to the same effect, when He said, "But if ye had known what [this] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the …
In the epistle entitled "To the Hebrews" it is said, "To do good and to communicate, forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." And so, when it is written, "I desire mercy rather than sacrifice," nothing else is meant than that one sacrifice is preferred to another; for that which in common speech is called sacrifice is …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
This, for example, was His complaint against certain Jews, when He said, "My mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away." And His meaning is like this; "I indeed have supplied all my part, but ye, as a hot sun coming over scatters both the cloud and the dew, and makes them vanish, so …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
And in the person of these the Prophet Osee says plainly, After two days will He revive us, and in the third day we shall rise again, and shall live in His sight.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
… according to the flesh." This prophet has also foretold the resurrection of Christ on the third day, as it behoved to be foretold, with prophetic loftiness, when he says, "He will heal us after two days, and in the third day we shall rise again." In agreement with this the apostle says to us, "If ye be risen with Christ, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)