Hosea 6:9
in Hosea 6Like raiders who lie in ambush, so does a band of priests; they murder on the way to Shechem; surely they have committed atrocities.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way toward Shechem; yea, they have committed lewdness.
KJV
And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.
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This verse in Hosea 6
Commentary
9 notes on this verse"The participation of the priests on the road of those going to kill from Shechem: for they have committed a crime." LXX: "The priests have hidden" "the way of the Lord and killed Shechem: for they have committed iniquity."
This site's exposition
Gilead is a city
on Hosea 6:8-10
"Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with footprints of blood", a place east of the Jordan with a name for violence. Like raiders, "a band of priests" lies in ambush and murders "on the way to Shechem". The LORD has "seen a horrible thing", for "Ephraim practices prostitution there".
This site's exposition
murder on the way to Shechem
Shechem was a city of refuge, and Barnes adds that it was a city of priests (Joshua 20:7; 21:21). A band of priests lay in ambush on the way to the city where a man fled for safety. The refuge became the ambush.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And as troops of robbers wait for a man,.... As a gang of highwaymen or footpads lie in wait in a ditch, or under a hedge, or in a cave of a rock or mountain, for a man they know will come by that way, who is full of money, in order to rob him; or, as Saadiah interprets it, as fishermen stand upon the banks of a river, and cast in their hooks to draw out the fish; and to the same purpose is Jarchi's note from R.
Note, Those who are disposed to turn to God themselves should do all they can to excite, and engage, and encourage others to return to him. What it is they engage to do: " Come, and let us return to the Lord,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
): The company of priests are so, not here and there one that is the scandal of his order, but the whole order and body of them, the priests go all one way by consent, with one shoulder (as the word is), one and all; and they make one another worse, more daring, and fierce, and impudent, in sin, more crafty and more cruel.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent - Or (more probably) “in the way to Shechem.” Shechem too was a “city of refuge” Joh 20:7, and so also a city of Levites and priests Joh 21:21. It was an important city. For there Joshua assembled all Israel for his last address to them, and made a covenant with them John 24:1, 25. There, Rehoboam came to be accepted by Israel as their king 1Ki 12:1, and was rejected by them.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The image is from oxen putting their shoulders together to pull the same yoke [RIVETUS]. MAURER translates, "in the way towards Shechem." It was a city of refuge between Ebal and Gerizim; on Mount Ephraim (Jos 20:7; 21:21), long the civil capital of Ephraim, as Shiloh was the religious capital; now called Naploos; for a time the residence of Jeroboam (1Ki 12:25).
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
As troops of robbers - What a sad picture is this of the state of the priesthood! The country of Gilead was infamous for its robberies and murders. The idolatrous priests there formed themselves into companies, and kept possession of the roads and passes; and if they found any person going to Jerusalem to worship the true God, they put him to death. The reason is given: - For they commit lewdness - They are gross idolaters.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּכְחַכֵּ֨י | ukhechakei | and as wait for | H2442 → | |
| אִ֜ישׁ | ʾish | a person | H376 → | 1663 times |
| גְּדוּדִ֗ים | gedudim | marauding bands | H1416 → | |
| חֶ֚בֶר | chever | an association of | H2269 → | |
| כֹּֽהֲנִ֔ים | kohanim | priests | H3548 → | 750 times |
| דֶּ֖רֶךְ | derekh | [the] way | H1870 → | 707 times |
| יְרַצְּחוּ־ | yeratzechu- | they murder | H7523 → | |
| שֶׁ֑כְמָה | shekhmah | Shechem towards | H7927 → | |
| כִּ֥י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| זִמָּ֖ה | zimah | wickedness | H2154 → | |
| עָשֽׂוּ׃ | ʾasu | they have done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
וּכְחַכֵּ֨יand as wait for
ukhechakeiH2442 →
אִ֜ישׁa person
ʾishH376 →1663 times
גְּדוּדִ֗יםmarauding bands
gedudimH1416 →
חֶ֚בֶרan association of
cheverH2269 →
כֹּֽהֲנִ֔יםpriests
kohanimH3548 →750 times
דֶּ֖רֶךְ[the] way
derekhH1870 →707 times
יְרַצְּחוּ־they murder
yeratzechu-H7523 →
שֶׁ֑כְמָהShechem towards
shekhmahH7927 →
כִּ֥יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
זִמָּ֖הwickedness
zimahH2154 →
עָשֽׂוּ׃they have done
ʾasuH6213 →2628 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hosea 5:1“Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O royal house! For this judgment is against you because you have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on…
it leads to
- Hosea 9:8
The prophet is Ephraim’s watchman, along with my God, yet the snare of the fowler lies on all his paths. Hostility is in the house of his God!
- Habakkuk 1:15–17
The foe pulls all of them up with a hook; he catches them in his dragnet, and gathers them in his fishing net; so he rejoices gladly.
- Micah 3:9
Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and pervert all that is right,
- Micah 7:2
The godly man has perished from the earth; there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt one another with a net.
- Hosea 9:8
Through
Hosea 7:1When I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim will be exposed, as well as the crimes of Samaria. For they practice deceit and thieves break in; bandits raid in the streets.
it leads to
- Hosea 7:13
Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against Me! Though I would redeem them, they speak lies against Me.
- Micah 7:3–7
Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.
- Hosea 6:4
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes.
- Hosea 7:13
Through
Zephaniah 3:3Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning.
it leads to
- Habakkuk 1:8
Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour.
- Habakkuk 1:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies11
About Hosea
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Edward Bouverie Pusey, The Minor Prophets: A Commentary; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Hosea 6:9; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.