Hosea 2:6 (KJV)

Passage

Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

Nearby Context

Hosea 2:4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

Hosea 2:5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

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

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

Hosea 2:8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "behold", "hedge", "thorns", "make", "wall", "shall", and "find". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" 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 played the harlot..." into verse 7's "And she shall follow after her lovers...", so "therefore" 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 "therefore" and "behold" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.