Hosea 6:6 (YLT)

Passage

For kindness I desired, and not sacrifice, And a knowledge of God above burnt-offerings.

Nearby Context

Hosea 6:4 What do I do to thee, O Ephraim? What do I do to thee, O Judah? Your goodness <FI>is<Fi> as a cloud of the morning, And as dew rising early--going.

Hosea 6:5 Therefore I have hewed by prophets, I have slain them by sayings of My mouth, And My judgments to the light goeth forth.

Hosea 6:6 For kindness I desired, and not sacrifice, And a knowledge of God above burnt-offerings.

Hosea 6:7 And they, as Adam, transgressed a covenant, There they dealt treacherously against me.

Hosea 6:8 Gilead <FI>is<Fi> a city of workers of iniquity, Slippery from blood.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "kindness", "desired", "sacrifice", "knowledge", "above", and "burnt-offerings". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "kindness" and "desired", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Therefore I have hewed by prophets I..." into verse 7's "And they as Adam transgressed a covenant...", so "kindness" and "desired" 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 "kindness" and "desired" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.