Hosea 1:9

9 And he said, Call thou his name Not my people, for ye shall not be my people, and I shall not be your God. (And he said, Call thou his name Loammi, or Not my people, for ye shall not be my people, and I shall not be your God.)

Hosea 1:9 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 1:9

Then said God, call his name Loammi
Which Aben Ezra interprets of the children of the ten tribes horn in captivity, who never returned; but it rather signifies the ten tribes themselves, who were carried captive and had this name given them for the reason following: for ye are not my people;
though he had chosen them to be his people above all people, and had distinguished them from others by various blessings and privileges; yet they did not behave as such to him; they did not serve, obey, and worship him, but the calves at Dan and Bethel; and therefore did not deserve the name of his people: hence he says, and I will not be your
or "yours" F1; that is, as we supply it, and so Aben Ezra, "your God"; will not behave toward you as such; will not take you under my care and protection, or continue you in your land, and in the enjoyment of the blessings of it; will not be your King, patron, and defender, but give you up into the hands of your enemies. This respects the captivity of the ten tribes by Shalmaneser, ( 2 Kings 17:6 ) . The Targum is,

``for ye are not my people; because ye do not confirm the words of my law, my word shall not be your help.''

FOOTNOTES:

F1 (Mkl hyha al) "non ero vester", Pagninus; "nec ego sum futurus vester", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Hosea 1:9 In-Context

7 And I shall have mercy on the house of Judah, and I shall save them in their Lord God; and I shall not save them in bow, and sword, and battle, and in horses, and in horsemen, either knights. (But I shall have mercy on the house of Judah, and I shall save them by the Lord their God; and I shall not save them by bow, or sword, or battle, or by horses, or by horsemen, or knights.)
8 And (s)he weaned her that was Without mercy. And she conceived, and childed a son to him. (And she weaned Loruhamah. And then she conceived, and gave birth to another son.)
9 And he said, Call thou his name Not my people, for ye shall not be my people, and I shall not be your God. (And he said, Call thou his name Loammi, or Not my people, for ye shall not be my people, and I shall not be your God.)
10 And the number of the sons of Israel shall be as gravel of the sea, which gravel is without measure, and it shall not be numbered; and it shall be in the place, where it shall be said to them, Ye be not my people; it shall be said to them, Ye be the sons of God living. (And the number of the Israelites shall be like the sand of the sea, which sand is without measure, and it cannot be numbered, or counted; and it shall be in the place, where it was said to them, Ye be not my people, but then it shall be said to them, Ye be the children of the living God.)
11 And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall set one head to themselves, and they shall go up from the earth, for the day of Jezreel is great. (And the people of Judah and the people of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall make one person to be their head, or their leader, and then they shall go up from their land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.