Hosea 6:9 (LSB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Hosea 6:11 Also, O Judah, there is a harvest set for you When I restore the fortunes of My people,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "raiders", "wait", "band", "priests", "murder", "shechem", "surely", and "committed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "raiders" and "wait", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Gilead is a city of workers of..." into verse 10's "In the house of Israel I have...", so "raiders" and "wait" 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 "raiders" and "wait" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.