Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Hosea
Chapter 6: I Desired Mercy, and Not Sacrifice
After God withdrew until His people would seek His face, chapter 6 opens with the words of return He was waiting for: 'Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us.' The same hand that wounded will bind up, and the promise glows with resurrection hope, 'in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.' The call is to 'follow on to know the LORD,' whose coming is as sure as the dawn and as refreshing as the rain. But God grieves that their goodness is 'as a morning cloud' that quickly fades, and He states the priority that pierces all empty religion, the words the Lord Jesus Himself would quote twice: 'I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.'
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Hosea chapter 6, the call to return and God's desire for mercy over sacrifice. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Verse 6 is quoted twice by the Lord Jesus, and verse 2's "third day" resonates with His resurrection. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
He Will Heal Us
The God who tore His people will bind them up again.
The Third Day
He will raise us up to live in His sight.
Goodness Like Morning Cloud
God laments a repentance that fades like the dew.
Mercy, Not Sacrifice
God desires love and the knowledge of Him above ritual.
In the Third Day He Will Raise Us Up (Hosea 6:1-3)
The people resolve to return to the God who wounded them, confident He will heal and revive them; they urge one another to press on to know the LORD, whose coming is as certain as dawn and as refreshing as rain.
Follow On to Know the LORD
"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."
Hebrew Study
"he hath torn, and he will heal us." The returning people rightly see that the same God who wounded them is the only One who can heal them. God had said He would be "as a lion" and "tear" (5:14); now they say, "he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up." This is His own testimony of Himself: "I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal" (Deuteronomy 32:39); "he maketh sore, and bindeth up" (Job 5:18). The discipline was never meant to destroy but to heal, so the wounded are to run back to the hand that struck them.
"in the third day he will raise us up." "After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." The immediate sense is a swift, sure revival, God will not delay His restoring work. But the words carry a deeper resonance that the Spirit wove into them, for the pattern of being raised to life "in the third day" finds its fulfillment and guarantee in Jesus Christ, who "rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:4). Because He was raised, His people are "revived" and "raised... up together" with Him (Ephesians 2:5-6), to "live in his sight." Israel's hoped-for resurrection life is ours in the risen Lord.
Explanation
These are the words of return God had been waiting for. "Come, and let us return unto the LORD," they say, and they say it with faith in His mercy: "he hath torn, and he will heal us." They trust that the discipline had a healing aim, and that revival is near, "After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight."
Then comes the resolve to press on: "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD." The knowledge of God that Israel had lost (chapter 4) is to be pursued, "followed on" after, with perseverance. And the promise is sure and sweet: "his going forth is prepared as the morning", as certain as sunrise, "and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth", as refreshing and life-giving as the seasonal rains that make the land bear fruit. Those who keep pressing on to know God will find His presence dependable and reviving.
Gospel Focus
This little song of return is full of gospel. First, it sends the wounded back to the God who wounded them, because His striking was surgery, not slaughter, "he hath torn, and he will heal us." When God's discipline hurts, the answer is not to flee Him but to return to Him, for the hand that struck is the only hand that heals. Second, it breathes resurrection hope, "in the third day he will raise us up," a hope fulfilled beyond Israel's dreams when Christ rose the third day, so that all who are in Him are made alive and "shall live in his sight." Third, it calls us to "follow on to know the LORD", not a single burst of feeling but a persevering pursuit, and it promises that such seekers will not be disappointed: God's coming is "as the morning," as sure as the dawn, and "as the rain," as refreshing as the showers of His Spirit. If you have been wounded, return; if you would be revived, look to the risen Christ; and if you would know God, follow on, and He will come to you like the rain.
I Desired Mercy, and Not Sacrifice (Hosea 6:4-11)
God grieves that His people's goodness fades like a morning cloud, tells how His word has cut and judged them, and declares the priority that exposes all empty religion: He desires mercy and the knowledge of God more than sacrifice.
The Knowledge of God More Than Burnt Offerings
"O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me. Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood. And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness. I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled. Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people."
Hebrew Study
"your goodness is as a morning cloud," chesed (חֶסֶד). The word for "goodness" here is the rich word for covenant-love and loyalty. Israel's loyalty to God, when it appeared at all, was tragically short-lived, "as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away", burning off with the first heat of the day. God grieves not that they never repented, but that their repentance kept evaporating. It is a warning against the fleeting emotion that feels like devotion but vanishes by noon. God looks for a steadfast, enduring love, not a mist that fades.
"I desired mercy, and not sacrifice," chesed again. The same word: God desires chesed, steadfast love and mercy, "and not sacrifice," and "the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." He is not first after our rituals but after our love for Him and our mercy toward others. So central is this that the Lord Jesus quoted it twice, once defending His welcome of sinners, "go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:13), and once defending His disciples, "if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless" (Matthew 12:7). Religion that keeps its rituals while lacking mercy and the knowledge of God has missed the very thing God desires.
Explanation
God's grief breaks out: "O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee?" Their "goodness", their loyalty, was real but fleeting, "as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away." So God had sent His word to cut and correct them, "I have hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth", His word working like a blade to expose and judge.
Then the heart of the chapter: "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." God makes His priority unmistakable. Sacrifices matter, but not most; what He desires most is steadfast love and a true knowledge of Himself, worked out in mercy. Israel, however, had done the opposite, "they like men have transgressed the covenant," with even the priests turned to violence and "whoredom." Yet the chapter ends with a note of hope, "he hath set an harvest for thee", for God's purpose to restore His people would not fail.
Gospel Focus
Two truths in this section go to the heart of true religion. First, God warns against fading goodness, "as a morning cloud." Much that passes for repentance and devotion is only feeling, real for a moment but gone by the day's heat. God is not moved by bursts of emotion that evaporate; He looks for a love that lasts, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13). Ask not only whether you have felt devotion, but whether it has held. Second, and most importantly, "I desired mercy, and not sacrifice." This is the sentence the Lord Jesus reached back to twice, to rebuke religion that keeps its rules while crushing people. God does not want our ceremonies in place of our love; He wants mercy shown to others and a real knowledge of Himself, "to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God" (Micah 6:8); "to love him... and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33). If your religion is full of sacrifice but empty of mercy, you have missed what God most desires. Learn what this meaneth: God wants your love more than your offerings, and He wants it shown in mercy to others.
Chapter 6 in Review
Hosea 6 opens with the return God longed to hear: "Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us." It is bright with resurrection hope, "in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight", and it calls us to "follow on to know the LORD," whose coming is as sure as the dawn and as refreshing as the rain. But God grieves that their "goodness is as a morning cloud" that fades, and He states His enduring priority, quoted twice by the Lord Jesus: "I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is full of gospel. It sends the wounded back to the God who heals, points to the third-day resurrection fulfilled in the risen Christ, and urges a persevering pursuit of the knowledge of God, rewarded with His reviving presence. And it pierces the heart of all empty religion: God is not first after our sacrifices but after our steadfast love and the knowledge of Himself, expressed in mercy to others. So beware the goodness that fades like the morning dew, follow on to know the Lord, look to the One raised on the third day, and give God what He most desires, not mere ritual, but a lasting love that shows itself in mercy.
- Return to the God who wounds, for He alone heals: "he hath torn, and he will heal us" (6:1; Deuteronomy 32:39).
- The third-day resurrection hope is fulfilled in the risen Christ and shared with His people (6:2; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Ephesians 2:5-6).
- Knowing God is to be pursued: "follow on to know the LORD," and His presence comes like the rain (6:3).
- Beware fleeting devotion: "your goodness is as a morning cloud" (6:4; Matthew 24:13).
- God's word cuts and judges: "I have slain them by the words of my mouth" (6:5; Hebrews 4:12).
- God desires mercy and the knowledge of Him above ritual, quoted twice by Jesus (6:6; Matthew 9:13; 12:7).
Questions for Reflection
- When God's discipline hurts, do you flee Him or return to the hand that heals?
- Is your knowledge of God something you "follow on" after, or something that stalled long ago?
- Is your devotion steadfast, or does it fade like a "morning cloud" when the heat comes?
- Jesus said, "go and learn" the meaning of "mercy, and not sacrifice." Where does your religion need more mercy?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Key term: chesed ("goodness" / "mercy," verses 4, 6), covenant love and kindness. The God who wounds and heals: Deuteronomy 32:39; Job 5:18; Isaiah 30:26; Jeremiah 30:17. The "third day" revival and its fulfillment in Christ's resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Luke 24:46; and the believer's resurrection life in Him: Ephesians 2:5-6; Romans 6:4-5; Colossians 3:1. Following on to know the LORD: Jeremiah 9:23-24; Philippians 3:8-14; the rain of His presence: Deuteronomy 32:2; Joel 2:23; James 5:7. God's word as a blade / fire / hammer: Hebrews 4:12; Jeremiah 5:14; 23:29. Fleeting goodness: Matthew 13:20-21; 24:13. "I desired mercy, and not sacrifice," quoted by the Lord Jesus: Matthew 9:13; 12:7; and the theme that love outweighs ritual: 1 Samuel 15:22; Micah 6:6-8; Mark 12:33; Proverbs 21:3. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The call to return, the third-day hope, and following on to know the LORD: Hosea 6:1-3; Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Ephesians 2:5-6.
- Fading goodness and God's desire for mercy over sacrifice: Hosea 6:4-11; Matthew 9:13; 12:7; Micah 6:8; Mark 12:33.