Hosea 1:6
in Hosea 1Gomer again conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And Jehovah said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah; for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, that I should in any wise pardon them.
KJV
And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo–ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
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This verse in Hosea 1
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAnd she conceived again, and bare a daughter,.... One of the weaker sex; denoting the weaker state of the kingdom of Israel after Jeroboam, as Kimchi thinks; Zachariah his son reigning but six months, and Shallum the son of Jabesh, his successor, reigned but one month, 2Ki 15:8, and God said unto him, call her name Loruhamah; which signifies, "she hath not obtained mercy": and what follows explains it to the same sense.
This site's exposition
Call her name Lo–ruhamah
on Hosea 1:6-7
The daughter's name, not pitied, revokes the mercy that had shielded Israel even in her sin, the Lord stating the reversal outright, I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel. Judah is set apart and spared in the same breath, saved not by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen, which the commentators tie forward to Sennacherib's siege lifted in a single night by the angel of the Lord rather than by Judah's own arms in 2 Kings 19. The two houses stand side by side under one prophecy, mercy withdrawn from one and reserved without cause for the other.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And he said to her: Call her name without mercy, for I will not add any more to show mercy to the house of Israel, but I will utterly forget them. And I will have mercy on the house of Juda, and I will save them in the Lord their God: and I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battles, nor by horses, nor by horsemen." LXX: "And she conceived again, and bore a daughter.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
If pardoning mercy is denied, no other mercy can be expected, for that opens the door to all the rest. Some make this to speak comfort: I will no more have mercy upon them till in pardoning I shall pardon them, that is, till the Redeemer comes to Zion to turn away ungodliness from Jacob. The Chaldee reads it, But, if they repent, in pardoning I will pardon them.
He must speak comfortable to the kingdom of Judah, which still retained the pure worship of God, and assure them of the salvation of the Lord,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Call her Lo-ruhamah - לא רהמה, “Not having obtained mercy.” This also was a prophetic or typical name; and the reason of its imposition is immediately given: For I will no more have mercy - כי לא אושיף עיד ארחם ki lo osiph od arachem, “For I will no more add to have mercy upon the house of Israel.” This refers to the total destruction of that kingdom.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Lo-ruhamah--that is, "not an object of mercy or gracious favor." take . . . away--Israel, as a kingdom, was never restored from Assyria, as Judah was from Babylon after seventy years. MAURER translates according to the primary meaning, "No more will I have mercy on the house of Israel, so as to pardon them."
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Call her name Lo-ruhamah - The name is rendered in Paul “not beloved” Rom 9:25, in Peter, “hath not obtained mercy” 1Pe 2:10. Love and mercy are both contained in the full meaning of the intensive form of the Hebrew word, which expresses the deep tender yearnings of the inmost soul over one loved; as in the words Psa 103:13, “As a father pitieth (yearneth over) his own children, so the Lord pitieth (yearneth over) them that fear Him.” It is “tender love” in Him who pitieth; “mercy,” as shown to him who needeth mercy. The punishment, foretold under the name of the daughter, “Unpitied,” is a great enlargement of that conveyed under the name of the first son, “God shall scatter.” Judah too was carried captive, and scattered; but after the 70 years, she was restored. The 10 tribes, it is now foretold, when scattered, should, as a whole, be cut off from the tender mercy of God, scattered by Him, and as a whole, never be restored. Those only were restored, who, when Judah returned from captivity, clave to her, or subsequently, one by one, were united to her. But I will utterly take them away - Literally, “for, taking away, I will take away from them, or with regard to them,” namely, everything . He specifies nothing; He excepts nothing; only, with that awful emphasis, He dwells on the taking away, as that which He had determined to do to the utmost. This is the thought, which He wills to dwell on the As a little while after, God says, that He would be nothing to them, so here, where He in fact repeats this one thought, “take away, take away, from them,” the guilty conscience of Israel would at once, supply, “all.” When God threatens, the sinful or awakened soul sees instinctively what draws down the lightning of God’s wrath, and where it will fall.
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתַּ֤הַר | vatahar | and she conceived | H2029 → | 43 times |
| עוֹד֙ | ʾod | again | H5750 → | 490 times |
| וַתֵּ֣לֶד | vateled | and she bore | H3205 → | 496 times |
| בַּ֔ת | bat | a daughter | H1323 → | 588 times |
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | to him | ||
| קְרָ֥א | kera' | call | H7121 → | 733 times |
| שְׁמָ֖הּ | shemah | name her | H8034 → | 864 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | Lo- | H3819 → | 4 times |
| רֻחָ֑מָה | ruchamah | Ruhamah | H3819 → | 4 times |
| כִּי֩ | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לֹ֨א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אוֹסִ֜יף | ʾosif | I will repeat | H3254 → | 212 times |
| ע֗וֹד | od | again | H5750 → | 490 times |
| אֲרַחֵם֙ | ʾarachem | I will have compassion on | H7355 → | 47 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נָשֹׂ֥א | naso' | certainly <forgive> | H5375 → | 656 times |
| אֶשָּׂ֖א | ʾesa' | I will forgive | H5375 → | 656 times |
| לָהֶֽם׃ | lahem | <to> them |
וַתַּ֤הַרand she conceived
vataharH2029 →43 times
עוֹד֙again
ʾodH5750 →490 times
וַתֵּ֣לֶדand she bore
vateledH3205 →496 times
בַּ֔תa daughter
batH1323 →588 times
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
ל֔וֹto him
lo
קְרָ֥אcall
kera'H7121 →733 times
שְׁמָ֖הּname her
shemahH8034 →864 times
לֹ֣אLo-
lo'H3819 →4 times
רֻחָ֑מָהRuhamah
ruchamahH3819 →4 times
כִּי֩for
kiH3588 →4482 times
לֹ֨אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
אוֹסִ֜יףI will repeat
ʾosifH3254 →212 times
ע֗וֹדagain
odH5750 →490 times
אֲרַחֵם֙I will have compassion on
ʾarachemH7355 →47 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בֵּ֣ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
נָשֹׂ֥אcertainly <forgive>
naso'H5375 →656 times
אֶשָּׂ֖אI will forgive
ʾesa'H5375 →656 times
לָהֶֽם׃<to> them
lahem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hosea 2:23And I will sow her as My own in the land, and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’ I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’ ‘You are My people,’ and they…
it leads to
- Romans 9:25–26
As He says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘My People’ who are not My people, and I will call her ‘My Beloved’ who is not My beloved,”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Hosea 1:9–10
And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Peter 2:9–10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
- Zechariah 13:9
This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They…
- Romans 3:29
Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
- Romans 9:25–26
Through
1 Peter 2:10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
it leads to
- Hosea 2:23
And I will sow her as My own in the land, and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’ I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’ ‘You are My people,’ and they…
- Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
- Romans 11:6–7
And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
- Hosea 2:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this chapter
About Hosea
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Hosea 1:6-7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.