Hosea 2:6 (DRB)

Passage

Wherefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and I will stop it up with a wall, and she shall not find her paths.

Nearby Context

Hosea 2:4 And I will not have mercy on her children, for they are the children of fornications.

Hosea 2:5 For their mother hath committed fornication, she that conceived them is covered with shame: for she said: I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread, and my water, my wool, and my flax, my oil, and my drink.

Hosea 2:6 Wherefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and I will stop it up with a wall, and she shall not find her paths.

Hosea 2:7 And she shall follow after her lovers, and shall not overtake them: and she shall seek them, and shall not find, and she shall say: I will go, and return to my first husband: because it was better with me then than now.

Hosea 2:8 And she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver, and gold, which they have used in the service of Baal.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "behold", "hedge", "thorns", "stop", "wall", "shall", and "find". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "behold", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "For their mother hath committed fornication she..." into verse 7's "And she shall follow after her lovers...", so "wherefore" and "behold" 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 "wherefore" and "behold" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.