Hosea 1:9

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Hosea 1:9 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And [Jehovah] said, Call his name Lo-ammi; for ye are not my people, and I will not be your [God].” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And [Jehovah] said, Call his name Lo-ammi; for ye are not my people, and I will not be your [God].
Hosea 1:9 — American Standard Version

Context — Hosea 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
9And [Jehovah] said, Call his name Lo-ammi; for ye are not my people, and I will not be your [God].

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then said God, call his name Loammi, etc.] 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 Daniel and Bethel; and therefore did not deserve the name of his people: hence he says, and I will not be your or “yours”f24; that is, as we supply it, and so…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Lo-Ammi--once "My people," but henceforth not so (Eze 16:8). The intervals between the marriage and the successive births of the three children, imply that three successive generations are intended. Jezreel, the first child, represents the dynasty of Jeroboam I and his successors, ending with Jehu's shedding the blood of Jeroboam's line in Jezreel; it was there that Jezebel was slain, in vengeance for Naboth's blood shed in the same Jezreel (Kg1 16:1; Kg2 9:21, Kg2 9:30). The scenes of Jezreel were to be enacted over again on Jehu's degenerate race. At Jezreel Assyria routed Israel [JEROME]. The child's name associates past sins, intermediate punishments, and final overthrow. Lo-ruhamah…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Call his name Lo-ammi - that is, “not My people.” The name of this third child expresses the last final degree of chastisement. As the “scattering by God” did not involve the being wholly “unpitied;” so neither did the being wholly “unpitied” for the time involve the being wholly rejected, so as to be no more His people. There were corresponding degrees in the actual history of the kingdom of Israel. God withdrew his protection by degrees. Under Jeroboam, in whose reign was this beginning of Hosea’s prophecy, the people was yet outwardly strong. This strength has been thought to be expressed by the sex of the oldest child, that he was a son. On this, followed extreme weakness, full of mutual…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Loammi - That is, not my people. Tho' once you were a peculiar people, you are so no more; you are cast off as you deserved. I will not be your God - I will be a God to you, no more than to any of the Heathen nations. This God executed when he gave them up into the hands of Salmaneser, who sent them where none now can find them. Hosea 1:10”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“1:9 The name Lo-ammi carries the harshest judgment of all, because it seems to announce the end of Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord. The cherished title my people—bestowed upon Israel when they lived obediently in covenant with the Lord their God (Lev 26:12; see also Exod 6:7)—was now withdrawn due to their blatant unfaithfulness. • I am not their God: The Hebrew behind this declaration can be translated I am not ‘I Am’ for you (cp. Exod 3:14). The third child’s name prophetically announces that the Israelites stand outside the covenant and are no longer privileged to call upon the I Am.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Loammi: that is, Not my people, Jer 15:1 Hosea 1:10”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification