Lexical Summary Lo Ruchamah: Not Pitied, No Mercy Original Word: לֹא רֻחָמָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Lo-ruhamah From lo' and racham; not pitied; Lo- Ruchamah, the symbol. Name of a son of Hosea -- Lo-ruhamah. see HEBREW lo' see HEBREW racham NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom lo and racham Definition "without compassion," symbolic name of Hosea's daughter NASB Translation Lo-ruhamah (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs לֹא רֻחָ֫מָה proper name, feminine (uncompassionated: Ges§ 152a, N) symbolic name of Hosea's daughter, Hosea 1:6,8, compare Hosea 2:25 (see also Hosea 2:3). רֻחָ֫מָה in ׳לֹא ר proper name, feminine. Topical Lexicon Canonical placement and occurrences Lo-ruhamah appears twice, both in Hosea 1:6 and Hosea 1:8, as the God-given name of the prophet’s daughter. The entire narrative is set in the northern kingdom of Israel about three decades before its fall to Assyria (722 BC). Narrative context in Hosea The LORD commands Hosea to marry Gomer, whose unfaithfulness will mirror Israel’s covenant infidelity. Their children’s names function as living oracles: 1. Jezreel – impending national judgment (Hosea 1:4). Lo-ruhamah thus occupies the theological center of the threefold pronouncement, emphasizing the removal of mercy before the final declaration of disowning. The renders Hosea 1:6: “And she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then 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.’” Prophetic symbolism 1. Covenant breach: The name proclaims that Israel’s persistent idolatry has exhausted the forbearance promised in Exodus 34:6–7. Reversal of judgment The same prophet swiftly announces a future inversion of the name. Hosea 2:23 declares, “I will show love to Lo-ruhamah,” revealing that judgment is penultimate; restoration is God’s ultimate purpose. The apostle Paul quotes this promise in Romans 9:25-26, and Peter applies the language to the Church in 1 Peter 2:10: “Once 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.” Lo-ruhamah therefore prefigures the global extension of covenant mercy through Christ. Theological themes • Justice and mercy in tension: The name demonstrates that God’s mercy is not sentimental but holy; it can be withdrawn when righteousness demands. Historical significance Within three decades of Hosea’s ministry, Assyria devastated Israel. The historical removal of mercy validates the prophetic sign-name. Yet Judah’s survival and the later return from exile testify to the promised reversal, anchoring readers’ confidence in the veracity of Scripture. Ministry applications • Preaching: Lo-ruhamah warns against presuming upon grace, underscoring the call to repentance. Related references for further study Hosea 1:4-9; Hosea 2:1, 23; Romans 9:25-26; 1 Peter 2:10; Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Exodus 34:6-7. Forms and Transliterations רֻחָ֑מָה רחמה ru·ḥā·māh ruChamah ruḥāmāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Hosea 1:6 HEB: שְׁמָ֖הּ לֹ֣א רֻחָ֑מָה כִּי֩ לֹ֨א NAS: to him, Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no KJV: her name Loruhamah: for I will no more INT: Call her name her Lo-ruhamah for will no Hosea 1:8 2 Occurrences |
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