Hosea 6:6 (LSB)

Passage

For I delight in lovingkindness rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Nearby Context

Hosea 6:4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your lovingkindness is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early.

Hosea 6:5 Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have killed them by the words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth.

Hosea 6:6 For I delight in lovingkindness rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:7 But like Adam they have trespassed against the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously against Me.

Hosea 6:8 Gilead is a city of workers of iniquity, With a track of blood.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Therefore I have hewn them in pieces..." into verse 7's "But like Adam they have trespassed against...", so "light" and "delight" 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 "light" and "delight" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.