Hosea 6:9 (ASV)

Passage

And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way toward Shechem; yea, they have committed lewdness.

Nearby Context

Hosea 6:7 But they like Adam have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.

Hosea 6:8 Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity; it is stained with blood.

Hosea 6:9 And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way toward Shechem; yea, they have committed lewdness.

Hosea 6:10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: there whoredom is [found] in Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

Hosea 6:11 Also, O Judah, there is a harvest appointed for thee, when I bring back the captivity of my people.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "troops", "robbers", "wait", "company", "priests", "murder", "toward", and "shechem". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "troops" and "robbers", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Gilead is a city of them that..." into verse 10's "In the house of Israel I have...", so "troops" and "robbers" belong inside that flow. In Hosea context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "troops" and "robbers" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.