Book of Hosea Chapter 6 Vs. 7

 Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant

But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me. Hos. 6:7

But they...

הֵם

hēm, הֵמָּה

hēmmāh: A masculine plural pronoun meaning they, these. Both forms are used alike. Its basic uses are: (1) with a verb form to serve as its subject or to emphasize its subject, meaning they or they themselves respectively (Gen. 6:4; Exo. 5:7; 18:22); (2) as a linking verb meaning is, are (Gen. 3:7; 48:5; Exo. 5:8; Job 6:7; Pro. 30:24); (3) as a demonstrative adjective coming after a noun and bearing the definite article (Gen. 6:4; Exo. 2:11) meaning those (Num. 14:38); (4) as an object of prepositions (Exo. 30:4; 36:1) meaning them, whom (Jer. 36:32) and translated as the particular preposition demands.

like men... The prophets and priests of Hos. 5:1-15, 9:1-17. The people had transgressed the covenant: A reference to the Mosaic Covenant (compare 8:1; Exo. 19:5-6), they made with God at Mount Sinai (Exo. 19 and 20). According to this covenant, God would punish them for their disobedience (Deut. Chapter 28), which was a personal affront to Him they dealt treacherously with Me.

אָדָם

’āḏām: A masculine noun meaning a male, any human being, or generically the human race. The word is used to signify a man, as opposed to a woman (Gen. 2:18; Ecc. 7:28); a human (Num. 23:19; Pro. 17:18; Isa. 17:7); the human race in general (Gen. 1:27; Num. 8:17; Psm. 144:3; Isa. 2:17); and the representative embodiment of humanity, as the appellation "son of man" indicates (Ezk. 2:1, 2:3). The first man used this word as a proper noun, "Adam" (Gen. 2:20).

have transgressed...

עָבַר

‛āḇar: A verb meaning to pass through or over, to cover, to go beyond, to go along, to be crossed over, to make to cross over, to go through, to go away. This verb indicates the physical act of crossing or passing over and takes on a figurative usage that exhibits many variations in meaning. Two figurative meanings are of primary importance theologically; the verb means going beyond, overstepping a covenant or a command of God or man. Moses uses the word when charging the people with disobeying and overstepping the Lord's commands (Num. 14:41; Jos. 7:11, 7:15). Est. 3:3 depicts Mordecai's transgressing of the king's command. The word is used of God's passing over His people's rebellion (Mic. 7:18); but also of His decision not to pass over or spare them any longer (Amos 7:8; 8:2). The verb relates to the placement of a yoke of punishment on the neck of Ephraim, God's rebellious nation (Hos. 10:11; cf. Job 13:13).

The word indicates the literal movement of material subjects and objects in time and space in various contexts: a stream or river is passed over (Jos. 3:14); as are boundaries (Num. 20:17). An attacking army passes through its enemies' territories, conquering them like a flood (cf. Jos. 18:9; Isa. 8:8; Dan. 11:10, 11:40); and as the literal flood waters of Noah's day covered the earth (Psm. 42:7,8; 88:16,17; Isa. 54:9). In a figurative sense, the word describes the feeling of jealousy that can come over a suspecting or jealous husband (Num. 5:14, 5:30); or the movement of God's Spirit (1Kgs. 22:24; 2Chr. 18:23; Jer. 5:28). The location of an event could move or pass on, as when the Israelites routed the Philistines, and the battle, both in location and progress, passed by Beth Aven (1Sam. 14:23; 2Sam. 16:1; Jer. 5:22).

The word indicates passing away or leaving (emigrating) from a certain territory (Mic. 1:11). It indicates dying or perishing, as when the Lord described the perishing of Assyria's allies (Nam. 1:12); or the disappearance of Job's safety (Job 30:15; 33:18); it describes the passing of a law's validity or its passing out of use (Est. 1:19; 9:27).

The causative stem adds the aspect of making these things happen as described in the simple stem. Jacob caused his family to cross over the Jabbok River (Gen. 32:23,24). The word is used of the heinous act of devoting children to pagan gods (Jer. 32:35; Ezk. 23:37). A proclamation or the sound of the shofar can pass through the land (Exo. 36:6; Lev. 25:9).

The word means to cause something to pass away. Many things could be noted: God caused Saul's kingdom to pass over to David (2Sam. 3:10); evil could be put away, as when Asa, king of Judah, put away male prostitutes from the religions of Israel (1Kgs. 15:12); or holy persons turned away their eyes from vain things (Psm. 119:37).

The word is used one time in the passive stem to indicate a river that cannot be crossed (Ezk. 47:5); and in the factitive or intensive stem to describe Solomon's stringing gold chains across the front area inside the Holy Place in the Temple (1Kgs. 6:21).

the covenant...

בְּרִית

b^eriyṯ: A feminine noun meaning covenant, treaty, alliance, agreement. The word is used many times in the Old Testament. Its basic uses are outlined here. It describes covenants, or agreements between and among human beings: between Abraham and the Amorites, Abraham and the Philistines, Jacob and Laban, etc. (Gen. 14:13; 21:27, 21:32; 31:44). The nations were said to have made a covenant against Israel (Psm. 83:5,6). It is used figuratively to depict a covenant with death (Isa. 28:15, 28:18) or with the stones of the field (Job 5:23).

It denotes an alliance, ordinance, or agreement between persons. References to covenants between people included Abraham's military treaty with the Ammorites (Gen.14:13); Jonathan and David's pledge of friendship (1Sam. 18:3); David's covenant with Abner (2Sam. 3:12); the covenant of marriage (Pro. 2:17). The word b^eriyṯ is often preceded by the verb karaṯ to express the technical idea of "cutting a covenant."

This word is used to describe God's making a covenant with humankind. It may be an alliance of friendship (Psm. 25:14). The covenants made between God and humans defined the basis of God's character in the Old Testament. They showed the strength of His divine promise from Adam all the way through to the exile and restoration. It is employed many times: God's covenant with Noah (Gen 9:, 11-13, 9:15-17; Isa. 54:10) in the form of a promise; with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 15:18; 17:2, 17:4, 17:7, 17:9-11, 17:13-14, 17:19, 17:21; Exo. 2:24; Lev. 26:42) to increase their descendants, giving them Canaan and making them a blessing to the nations; with all Israel and Moses at Sinai (Exo. 19:5; 24:7-8; 34:10; Deu. 29:1; 28:69) with the stipulations of the Ten Commandments, including the guiding cases in the Book of the Covenant. The words of this covenant diḇrēy habb^eriyṯ were kept in the ark in the Holy of Holies (Exo. 34:28; 40:20). A covenant with Phinehas established an everlasting priesthood in Israel (Num. 25:12-13). It is used to refer to the covenant established with David and his house (Psm. 89:3,4, 89:28,29; Jer. 33:21), an eternal covenant establishing David and his descendants as the inheritors of an everlasting kingdom. Jeremiah refers to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31) that God will establish in the future. The concept is personified in a person, a Servant who becomes the covenant of the people (Isa. 42:6; 49:8).

In addition to the verb kāraṯ mentioned above, the verb qûm is employed with b^eriyṯ meaning to establish a covenant (Gen. 6:18; 9:9; Exo. 6:4) or to confirm a covenant (Lev. 26:9; Deu. 8:18). The word is used with nāṯan, to give, meaning to give or make a covenant (Gen. 17:2; Num. 25:12). Five other verbs are used in this way less often (Deu. 29:12,11; 2Sam. 23:5; 2Chr. 15:12; Psm. 50:16; 111:9; Ezk. 16:8. A covenant could be transgressed or violated (Deu. 17:2; Jdg. 2:20), but the Lord never broke His covenants; He always remembered a covenant (Gen. 9:15-16; Exo. 2:24; 6:5; Lev. 26:42).

there...

שָׁם

šām: An adverb meaning there, where, in that direction. It indicates a place or the place where: there (Gen. 2:8, 2:12); where (Job 39:30); where, when preceded with the relative ’^ašer (Gen. 2:11; Exo. 20:21); to where, thither after motion verbs (Deu. 1:37; Jdg. 19:15). It often has a he ה on the end indicating motion there, to a place (Gen. 19:20; Deu. 1:38). With min on the front, it means from there miššām (Gen. 2:10; 11:8-9; 12:8). It can express the source or origin of something, e.g., man from the ground (Gen. 3:23); Philistines from . . . (Gen. 10:14; Jdg. 19:18); a goat from the flock (Gen. 27:9).

have they dealt treacherously...

בָּגַד

bāg̱aḏ: A verb meaning to deal treacherously with, to be traitorous, to act unfaithfully, to betray. The verb connotes unfaithfulness in relationships like marriage (Exo. 21:8; Jer. 3:20; Mal. 2:14); Israel's covenant with the Lord (Psm. 78:57; 119:158); friendships (Job 6:15; Jer. 3:20; Mal. 2:10); leadership (Jdg. 9:23).

against me...

These Israelite's thought they were better than the rest of the people of the world. Every person who ever lived, whether Jew or Gentile, has sinned.

Rom. 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

1 Jhn. 1:10 "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

Rather than pleasing God, the people had broken the covenant and been unfaithful (bāgad; cf. see Hos. 5:7) to God. The Hebrew word for like Adam has been translated variously. At Adam (RSV) requires a slight change in the Hebrew and suggests a geographical place near the Jordan River. The presence of the word there in the next line, as well as references to other places in Hos. 6:8-9, might support this reading. Like men (KJV) takes the Hebrew 'ādām in its widely attested generic sense, rather than as a proper name. In this case a comparison is made with fallen mankind, whose propensity to be unfaithful is well established (cf. Isa. 40:6-8, man’s ḥesed glory, Isa. 40:6 is as transitory as grass and flowers that wither in the sun). On the other hand, the NIV and the NASB suggest a comparison with the first man, Adam, who blatantly violated God’s requirement by eating from the forbidden tree.