1. Hosea 6:1–3 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why do we question the people’s reaction in Hosea 6:1-3?

Hosea 6:1–3 (ESV)

1 “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

We question it especially based on the response of the Lord in Hosea 6:4–6. He responds very clearly to the words of the people. This is also apparent from the fact that he uses the same words as the people (compare Hosea 4:3 and Hosea 4:4 that speaks about the dawn and the dew). So the words of the Lord in Hosea 4:4–6 form a response to the words of the people in Hosea 4:1–3, and they show something of the problem God has with this pious but superficial confession of guilt.