Hosea 6:6 kjv
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 nkjv
For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 niv
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 esv
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 nlt
I want you to show love,
not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me
more than I want burnt offerings.
Hosea 6 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea | "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." | Hos 6:6 |
| Matthew | "Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." | Matt 9:13 |
| Matthew | "I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations." | Matt 15:14 |
| Mark | "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." | Mark 12:30 |
| 1 Samuel | "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams." | 1 Sam 15:22 |
| Psalm | "For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with burnt offering." | Ps 51:16 |
| Psalm | "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." | Ps 51:17 |
| Jeremiah | "What use are to me your multiplying sacrifices? says the LORD. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, and of he-goats." | Jer 7:21 |
| Micah | "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" | Micah 6:8 |
| John | "This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil." | John 3:19 |
| John | "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him." | John 4:23 |
| Romans | "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." | Rom 12:1 |
| 1 Corinthians | "Though I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." | 1 Cor 13:1 |
| Philippians | "so that in everything you are enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge—" | Phil 1:5 |
| 1 Peter | "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow into salvation—" | 1 Peter 2:2 |
| Exodus | "And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness," | Ex 34:6 |
| Deuteronomy | "for the LORD your God is a God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and takes no bribe." | Deut 10:17 |
| Amos | "“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." | Amos 5:24 |
| Titus | "Not because of works done in righteousness have we made for ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit," | Titus 3:5 |
| 1 John | "This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments." | 1 John 2:3 |
| 1 John | "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." | 1 John 4:8 |
Hosea 6 verses
Hosea 6 6 Meaning
This verse emphasizes that God desires mercy and knowledge of Him over burnt offerings and sacrifices. It highlights the spiritual bankruptcy of outward religious observance without genuine inner devotion and understanding of God's character. True worship flows from a heart that loves and understands God.
Hosea 6 6 Context
Hosea chapter 6, verse 6 comes after a call for Israel to return to God (Hos 6:1). The preceding verses describe a false repentance and a superficial religiosity on the part of Israel. They are engaging in ritualistic practices but lack genuine understanding of and love for God. This verse directly addresses this hypocrisy, stating God's preference for heartfelt devotion over empty ritual. Historically, this was during the period of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, where syncretism and a disregard for true worship were rampant, leading to their eventual destruction. The prophet Hosea, called to minister to them, uses his own broken marriage as a metaphor for God's relationship with unfaithful Israel.
Hosea 6 6 Word analysis
- "For" (Hebrew: ki - כִּי): Introduces a reason or explanation for what has preceded. It links the statement about God's desire to the preceding call to repentance and the description of Israel's superficial faith.
- "I desire" (Hebrew: chafetz - חָפֵץ): Expresses delight, pleasure, or inclination. God is not merely indifferent; He actively wants or finds pleasure in something.
- "steadfast love" (Hebrew: checed - חֶסֶד): A rich Hebrew word signifying loyal love, kindness, mercy, enduring covenant loyalty. It is a core attribute of God and is expected in return from His people.
- "and not" (Hebrew: u'mow'ad - וּמֹעַד, literally "and not," used here as a negation contrasting the two elements): Indicates a rejection of the first part of the phrase in favor of the second.
- "sacrifice" (Hebrew: zebach - זֶבַח): Refers to any animal offered as a sacrifice in worship. It's a general term for sacrificial offerings.
- "the knowledge" (Hebrew: da'ath - דַּעַת): Implies intimate, experiential knowledge, not just intellectual understanding. It speaks to a deep, relational knowing of God.
- "of God" (Hebrew: Elohim - אֱלֹהִים): The general Hebrew word for God, often used to emphasize God's power and sovereignty.
- "rather than" (Hebrew: tachat - תַּחַת): Indicates preference or substitution.
- "burnt offerings" (Hebrew: 'olah - עוֹלָה): A specific type of sacrifice where the entire animal was consumed by fire on the altar, symbolizing complete devotion.
Words Group Analysis:
- "steadfast love and not sacrifice": This is a pivotal contrast. It’s not that sacrifice is inherently evil, but that when it is performed without chesed (loving-kindness and covenant loyalty), it is unacceptable. God's mercy and relational covenant love are prioritized over the outward ritual.
- "the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings": Similarly, an intimate, relational knowledge of God (knowing Him personally) is more valuable to God than the act of complete burnt offerings, which symbolize devotion. This emphasizes relationship over ritualistic performance.
Hosea 6 6 Bonus section
The phrase "steadfast love and not sacrifice" is a direct echo of passages like 1 Samuel 15:22, where Samuel tells Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice." This thematic consistency underscores that obedience rooted in love and knowledge of God is the true expression of worship. The New Testament fulfillment is seen in Jesus’ quoting of Hosea 6:6 in Matthew 9:13, demonstrating that His ministry was about calling sinners to relationship and mercy, not about reinforcing the perversions of religious observance. The emphasis on chesed connects to God’s own character as revealed in Exodus 34:6, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." The prophet's own life, detailed in the early chapters of Hosea, serves as a living illustration of God’s enduring chesed toward an unfaithful people, mirroring the very demand made in this verse.
Hosea 6 6 Commentary
This verse is foundational to understanding the heart of true worship. God is not a vending machine for divine favor, to be appeased with religious acts devoid of internal transformation. He deeply desires a people who know Him, who understand His loving, covenant character (chesed), and whose lives reflect that knowledge through merciful actions and devoted hearts. The Israel of Hosea’s time had become proficient in religious performances but ignorant of God’s ways, a condition Christ also condemned in the Pharisees. This principle extends to all ages, calling believers to pursue an authentic relationship with God characterized by love, mercy, and genuine understanding, not just outward compliance with religious forms.