Hosea's Wife and Children

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, (A)“Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have (B)children of whoredom, for (C)the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while (D)I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and (E)I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day (F)I will break the bow of Israel (G)in the Valley of Jezreel.”

She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, (H)“Call her name No Mercy,[a] for (I)I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But (J)I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I (K)will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said, (L)“Call his name Not My People,[b] for (M)you are not my people, and I am not your God.”[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 1:6 Hebrew Lo-ruhama, which means she has not received mercy
  2. Hosea 1:9 Hebrew Lo-ammi, which means not my people
  3. Hosea 1:9 Hebrew I am not yours

Hosea’s Marriage and Children

When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him:

Go and marry a promiscuous wife(A)
and have children of promiscuity,
for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity
by abandoning the Lord.

So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.(B) Then the Lord said to him:

Name him Jezreel,(C) for in a little while
I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel(D)
on the house of Jehu(E)
and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
On that day I will break the bow of Israel(F)
in the Valley of Jezreel.[a](G)

She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, and the Lord said to him:

Name her No Compassion,[b]
for I will no longer have compassion
on the house of Israel.
I will certainly take them away.
But I will have compassion on the house of Judah,(H)
and I will deliver them by the Lord their God.(I)
I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war,
or by horses and cavalry.(J)

After Gomer had weaned No Compassion, she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said:

Name him Not My People,[c]
for you are not My people,
and I will not be your God.[d](K)

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 1:5 = God sows
  2. Hosea 1:6 Or Lo-ruhamah
  3. Hosea 1:9 Or Lo-ammi
  4. Hosea 1:9 Lit not be yours