Hosea 6:6 (DRB)

Passage

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than holocausts.

Nearby Context

Hosea 6:4 What shall I do to thee, O Ephraim? what shall I do to thee, O Juda? your mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth away in the morning.

Hosea 6:5 For this reason have I hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments shall go forth as the light.

Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than holocausts.

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

Hosea 6:8 Galaad is a city of workers of idols, supplanted with blood.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mercy", "desired", "sacrifice", "knowledge", "than", and "holocausts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mercy" and "desired", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "For this reason have I hewed them..." into verse 7's "But they like Adam have transgressed the...", so "mercy" and "desired" 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 "desired" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.