Hosea 6:6

For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6

About this verse

Hosea 6:6 comes from the book of Hosea, written during the Divided Kingdom (~930 BC) period. The setting is Israel. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 40% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include mercy over ritual, heart vs ceremony, knowing God. Notable phrases: desire mercy not sacrifice; knowledge of God.

Era

Divided Kingdom (~930 BC)

Emotion

seeking

Type

prophecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power

40%

Quotability

90%

Memorability

90%

Crisis relevance

50%

Standalone

90%
mercy over ritualheart vs ceremonyknowing God

This verse is part of a bigger story

Hosea 6 has more verses that reveal the full context — who wrote it, what was happening, and why this moment matters.

Read Hosea 6

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