Hosea 6:8 (LSB)

Passage

Gilead is a city of workers of iniquity, With a track of blood.

Nearby Context

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.

Hosea 6:9 And as raiders wait for a man, So a band of priests murder on the way to Shechem; Surely they have committed lewdness.

Hosea 6:10 In the house of Israel I have seen an appalling thing; Ephraim’s harlotry is there; Israel has defiled itself.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gilead", "city", "workers", "iniquity", "track", and "blood". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gilead" and "city", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "But like Adam they have trespassed against..." into verse 9's "And as raiders wait for a man...", so "gilead" and "city" 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 "gilead" and "city" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.