Hosea 1:7 (DBY)

Passage

But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God; and I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by battle, [or] by horses, or by horsemen.

Nearby Context

Hosea 1:5 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jizreel.

Hosea 1:6 And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And he said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah; for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, so that I should pardon them.

Hosea 1:7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God; and I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by battle, [or] by horses, or by horsemen.

Hosea 1:8 And she weaned Lo-ruhamah; and she conceived and bore a son;

Hosea 1:9 and he said, Call his name Lo-ammi; for ye are not my people, and I will not be for you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mercy", "upon", "house", "judah", "save", "jehovah", and "sword". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mercy" and "upon", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And she conceived again and bore a..." into verse 8's "And she weaned Lo-ruhamah and she conceived...", so "mercy" and "upon" 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 "mercy" and "upon" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.