Hosea 1:6

And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And [God] said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.

And she conceived again {H2029}, and bare {H3205} a daughter {H1323}. And God said {H559} unto him, Call {H7121} her name {H8034} Loruhamah {H3819}: for I will no more {H3254} have mercy {H7355} upon the house {H1004} of Israel {H3478}; but I will utterly {H5375} take them away {H5375}.

She conceived again and bore a daughter. ADONAI said to him, "Name her Lo-Ruchamah [unpitied], for I will no longer have pity on the house of Isra'el. By no means will I forgive them.

Gomer 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.

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.

Hosea 1:6 is a pivotal verse in the prophet Hosea's early ministry, marking a severe declaration of God's judgment against the Northern Kingdom of Israel, often called Ephraim.

Context

This verse continues the deeply symbolic narrative of God commanding the prophet Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman of harlotry, to illustrate Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness to God. After the birth of their first son, Jezreel, whose name signified God's impending judgment on the house of Jehu and the nation (Hosea 1:4), Gomer conceives again and bears a daughter. The naming of this second child is a direct divine pronouncement of God's withdrawal of mercy from His chosen people due to their persistent idolatry and moral corruption. This period foreshadows the devastating Assyrian exile, which would utterly take Israel away from their land.

Key Themes

  • Divine Judgment and Withdrawal of Mercy: The name Loruhamah encapsulates God's decision to temporarily cease extending mercy to the Northern Kingdom. This was not an arbitrary act but a just response to centuries of covenant breaking, spiritual adultery, and rebellion against His laws and prophets.
  • Symbolic Naming as Prophecy: Just as with Jezreel, the name Loruhamah ("not pitied" or "no mercy") serves as a living prophecy, a visible sign to Israel of their dire spiritual state and the coming consequences of their actions. These names underscore the seriousness of God's warnings.
  • Covenant Unfaithfulness: The verse highlights the tragic outcome of Israel's persistent unfaithfulness to the covenant they made with God. Their pursuit of foreign gods and disregard for divine instruction led to a breaking point where divine compassion, for a time, would be withheld.

Linguistic Insights

The name Loruhamah (KJV) is derived from the Hebrew לֹא רֻחָמָה (Lo-ruhamah), meaning "not pitied" or "no mercy." The prefix לֹא (lo') signifies negation, and רֻחָמָה (ruhamah) comes from the root רחם (racham), which conveys deep compassion, pity, or mercy, often associated with a mother's tender love. The stark negation of this deep mercy underscores the gravity of God's declaration of judgment against Israel.

Reflection and Application

Hosea 1:6 serves as a somber reminder of the consequences of persistent disobedience and unfaithfulness to God. While God is rich in mercy and slow to anger, there is a point where His justice demands action against unrepentant sin. This verse teaches us that God's warnings are real, and His patience has limits when faced with deliberate and prolonged rebellion. However, it is crucial to remember that even in judgment, God's ultimate purpose is redemptive. Later in Hosea, and echoed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:25, God promises a future day when He would again show mercy and call His people "Ruhamah" (pitied) and "Ammi" (my people) (Hosea 2:23). This demonstrates that even severe judgment is often a pathway to eventual restoration for those who turn back to Him.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 1 Peter 2:10

    Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

  • Hosea 2:23

    And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to [them which were] not my people, Thou [art] my people; and they shall say, [Thou art] my God.

  • Hosea 2:4

    And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they [be] the children of whoredoms.

  • 2 Kings 17:6

    In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

  • Isaiah 27:11

    When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, [and] set them on fire: for it [is] a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.

  • Hosea 9:15

    All their wickedness [is] in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes [are] revolters.

  • Hosea 9:17

    My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

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