Passage
Asshur shall not saue vs, neither wil we ride vpon horses, neither will we say any more to the worke of our handes, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercie.
Hosea 14:4 (GNV)
Nearby Context
Hosea 14:2 O Israel, returne vnto the Lord thy God: for thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie.
Hosea 14:3 Take vnto you words, and turne to the Lord, and say vnto him, Take away all iniquitie, and receiue vs graciously: so wil we render the calues of our lippes.
Hosea 14:4 Asshur shall not saue vs, neither wil we ride vpon horses, neither will we say any more to the worke of our handes, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercie.
Hosea 14:5 I wil heale their rebellion: I wil loue them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
Hosea 14:6 I will be as the dewe vnto Israel: he shall grow as the lilie and fasten his rootes, as the trees of Lebanon.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "asshur", "shall", "saue", "neither", "ride", "vpon", and "horses". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "asshur" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Take vnto you words and turne to..." into verse 5's "I wil heale their rebellion I wil...", so "asshur" and "shall" 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 "asshur" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.