Hosea 6:7 (KJV)

What does Hosea 6:7 mean?

Hosea 6:7 presents God’s accusation that his people have broken their binding agreement with him. In the KJV, “like men” portrays their conduct as human unfaithfulness, while “dealt treacherously against me” makes the breach personal: God is the one they have wronged.

God is speaking through Hosea. After the contrast between mercy and sacrifice in verse 6, the accusation turns to the people’s conduct. The word “there” points to a place associated with that betrayal.

The Hebrew behind Hosea 6:7

• “men” — אָדָם (adam): This word can mean humanity or a human being. It can also be a name, so some translations read “like Adam” or “at Adam”; the KJV reads “like men.”
• “transgressed” — עָבַר (ʿavar): This word often means to cross over or pass beyond. Here it gives the picture of crossing a boundary set by an agreement.
• “treacherously” — בָּגַד (bagad): This word carries the sense of acting faithlessly or betraying trust. It makes the broken agreement more than a failure to follow a rule.

Why Hosea 6:7 matters

• The agreement is central to the charge. “The covenant” means a binding agreement, so the people’s actions are judged against a relationship already established.
• The accusation includes places and practices. “There” in verse 7 leads into references to Gilead and Shechem in verses 8–9, where Hosea describes violence and wrongdoing.
• The passage contrasts outward worship with conduct. Verse 6 places “mercy” above sacrifice, and verse 7 exposes the faithlessness against which that demand stands.