Hosea 1:5 (DRB)

Passage

And in that day I will break in pieces the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezrahel.

Nearby Context

Hosea 1:3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Debelaim: and she conceived, and bore him a son.

Hosea 1:4 And the Lord said to him: Call his name Jezrahel: for yet a little while, and I will visit the blood of Jezrahel upon the house of Jehu, and I will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Hosea 1:5 And in that day I will break in pieces the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezrahel.

Hosea 1:6 And she conceived again, and bore a daughter, and he said to him: Call her name, Without mercy: for I will not add any more to have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly forget them.

Hosea 1:7 And I will have mercy on the house of Juda, and I will save them by the Lord, their God: and I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "break", "pieces", "israel", "valley", and "jezrahel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "break" and "pieces", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And the Lord said to him Call..." into verse 6's "And she conceived again and bore a...", so "break" and "pieces" 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 "break" and "pieces" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.