Hosea 1:8 kjv
Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
Hosea 1:8 nkjv
Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son.
Hosea 1:8 niv
After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son.
Hosea 1:8 esv
When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son.
Hosea 1:8 nlt
After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again became pregnant and gave birth to a second son.
Hosea 1 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 27:11 | For it is a people of no understanding; therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them... | God withholds compassion from the unperceptive. |
| Jer 13:14 | And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together... I will not pity... | God's decision to show no pity in judgment. |
| Eze 7:9 | My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; but according to your ways I will bring your deeds upon you... | Divine judgment without pity for disobedience. |
| Lam 2:2 | The Lord has swallowed up without pity all the habitations of Jacob; he has thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah... | God’s judgment delivered without mercy. |
| Zec 7:12-13 | ...they made their hearts adamant so as not to hear the law and the words... Therefore great wrath came from the Lord... and I called, but they did not listen... | Consequences of refusing to listen leading to divine silence and no mercy. |
| Rom 9:15-16 | For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will... but on God... | God's sovereign right to show or withhold mercy. |
| Hos 2:1 | ...where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' it shall be said to them, 'Children of the living God.' | Direct reversal of "Lo-Ammi" to "Ammi" (future hope). |
| Hos 2:23 | And I will sow her for myself in the land... and I will have mercy on Lo-Ruhamah, and I will say to Lo-Ammi, 'You are my people,' and he shall say, 'You are my God.' | Prophecy of future mercy and restoration, reversing "Lo-Ruhamah" and "Lo-Ammi". |
| Rom 9:25-26 | As indeed he says in Hosea, "Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call 'beloved.'" | Paul quotes Hosea, applying its reversal to include Gentiles in God's people. |
| 1 Pet 2:9-10 | But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood... Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. | Applies Hosea's reversal of judgment to the Christian church. |
| Jer 31:31-34 | Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant... I will put my law within them... And I will forgive their iniquity... | The New Covenant promises a restoration of mercy and a renewed relationship. |
| Eze 36:26-28 | And I will give you a new heart... And you shall be my people, and I will be your God. | God's promise of spiritual restoration and a renewed covenant relationship after judgment. |
| Deut 4:30-31 | When you are in tribulation... if you return to the Lord your God... For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant... | Suggests judgment precedes potential return to God's mercy within the covenant framework. |
| Isa 7:14 | Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. | Example of a child's birth as a prophetic sign. |
| Isa 8:1-4 | ...the Lord said to me, "Take a large tablet and write on it with a man's stylus concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz..." before the boy knows how to cry 'My father'... | Prophetic child symbolizing imminent judgment (Maher-shalal-hash-baz). |
| Gen 21:8 | And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. | Example of the significance of weaning as a milestone. |
| 1 Sam 1:23-24 | ...then she said, "As soon as he is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord..." | Example of weaning as a set time for a significant life event/dedication. |
| Heb 12:5-6 | "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves..." | God's discipline, even severe, is for a good purpose. |
| Deut 32:39 | "...I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." | God's ultimate sovereignty over life, death, blessing, and judgment. |
| Nah 1:3 | The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm... | Reiterates God's character of justice; slowness to anger but certainty of punishment for sin. |
| Judg 2:20-21 | So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel... I will not drive out before them again any of the nations that Joshua left when he died. | God's response to Israel's unfaithfulness through leaving enemies as judgment. |
Hosea 1 verses
Hosea 1 8 Meaning
Hosea 1:8 describes the birth of Hosea and Gomer's third child, a son, which immediately follows the "weaning" of their second child, Lo-Ruhamah. This sequence of events is crucial as each child represents a further stage in God's escalating judgment against unfaithful Israel, particularly the northern kingdom. The "weaning" signifies the culmination and completion of the period of divine withdrawal of mercy towards Israel, symbolized by Lo-Ruhamah, meaning "Not Pitied" or "No Mercy." Once this specific phase of judgment concludes, a new one begins swiftly, leading to the conception and birth of the third child who will embody an even deeper rejection, that of God severing His covenant relationship with Israel.
Hosea 1 8 Context
Hosea 1:8 is part of the opening chapter of the book of Hosea, which establishes the foundational metaphor for God's relationship with Israel: the prophet Hosea's marriage to Gomer, an unfaithful wife. Each child born of this union is given a symbolic name by divine command, representing a distinct phase of God's unfolding judgment against the northern kingdom of Israel (also known as Ephraim or Samaria). The verse follows the naming of the second child, Lo-Ruhamah, meaning "No Mercy" (1:6), and precedes the naming of the third child, Lo-Ammi, meaning "Not My People" (1:9). Historically, Hosea prophesied during a period of extreme spiritual apostasy and political instability in Israel, just prior to its conquest and exile by Assyria in 722 BC. Israel had abandoned their covenant with Yahweh for Baal worship and relied on unstable foreign alliances. The births of Hosea's children, and the associated names, are a living parable enacted to illustrate God's grief over Israel's spiritual infidelity and His impending, progressive judgment leading to national destruction.
Hosea 1 8 Word analysis
- When she had weaned (וַתִּגְמֹל - Va-tigmol): From the Hebrew root gamal, meaning "to ripen, wean, bestow, recompense." Here, specifically denotes the completion of the nursing period for Lo-Ruhamah. Weaning in ancient Israel was a significant event, often taking up to two or three years (Gen 21:8, 1 Sam 1:23-24). Its inclusion in this prophetic narrative highlights that a defined period of God's withdrawal of mercy had fully run its course, marking a transition to the next stage of divine action. It indicates a completion of one specific aspect of judgment.
- Lo-Ruhamah (לֹא רֻחָמָה): A proper name derived from Hebrew "Lo" (no, not) and "Ruhamah" (pitied, mercy), signifying "Not Pitied" or "No Mercy." This name, given in Hosea 1:6, explicitly declares God's decision to no longer show compassion to the northern kingdom of Israel due to their continued unfaithfulness. The mention of her weaning here signals the effective end of the time God would extend pity to them, underscoring the severity and finality of this aspect of judgment before the next phase.
- she conceived (וַתַּהַר - va-tahar): From the Hebrew root harah, meaning "to conceive" or "become pregnant." This indicates an immediate and rapid succession of events after the weaning of Lo-Ruhamah. The swift progression of Gomer's pregnancies mirrors the swift and continuous unfolding of God's escalating judgment against Israel. It underscores that once one stage of divine consequence is complete, another quickly commences.
- and bore (וַתֵּלֶד - va-teled): From the Hebrew root yalad, meaning "to bear, bring forth, give birth." This marks the actual delivery of the third child, further cementing the prophetic enactment. The repeated emphasis on Gomer's procreation and subsequent birth of significant children highlights the central role of this "living parable" in communicating God's message.
- a son (בֵּן - ben): Specifies the gender of the new child. This is significant as the gender determined the specific prophetic name he would receive: Lo-Ammi, "Not My People," an even more profound symbol of God's rejection and withdrawal from Israel. The male line continues, albeit one that is tragically alienated.
Hosea 1 8 Bonus section
The narrative of Gomer's children (Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, Lo-Ammi) showcases a powerful prophetic typology, with the severity of each name escalating, directly paralleling the deterioration of Israel's relationship with God. The sequential births and their names are God's direct commentary on the Northern Kingdom's spiritual state and their covenant standing. The order of "Lo-Ruhamah" then "Lo-Ammi" (meaning "No Mercy" followed by "Not My People") implies that God first withdrew His active compassion, leading to the logical consequence of breaking the relational bond altogether. However, embedded within this very narrative of judgment (Hosea 1:8) and fully realized later in the book (Hosea 2:23), is the promise of future restoration, where the names "Lo-Ruhamah" and "Lo-Ammi" would be gloriously reversed to "Ruhamah" (Mercy) and "Ammi" (My People), demonstrating God's ultimate fidelity despite Israel's infidelity. This points to the new covenant wherein divine mercy and reconciliation would ultimately triumph through Christ.
Hosea 1 8 Commentary
Hosea 1:8 is a precise chronological marker within the prophetic drama of Hosea's family life. The "weaning of Lo-Ruhamah" is not merely a domestic detail but a theological signifier: it indicates the complete fulfillment and cessation of the period where God’s compassionate forbearance was active toward unrepentant Israel. The previous phase, symbolized by "Lo-Ruhamah" (No Mercy), has now run its course, culminating in the northern kingdom's impending fall and exile. The subsequent conception and birth of a third child – "a son" – signals that divine judgment is not static or limited to one stage but is continuous and intensifying. This progression prepares the way for the ultimate symbolic judgment, "Lo-Ammi" ("Not My People"), revealing the total severance of the covenant relationship due to Israel's persistent idolatry and infidelity. Thus, the verse acts as a bridge, marking the completed cycle of God's declared withdrawal of mercy and the immediate initiation of a new, graver stage of divine rejection. It portrays a divine decree that inexorably moves forward in its execution.
- Example: A patient, after ignoring countless warnings and pleas from a doctor to change their unhealthy lifestyle (representing God's pleas), finally receives the grim news that a severe, incurable disease has fully set in (the weaning of Lo-Ruhamah, marking the irreversible onset of a severe condition). Following this, new, worse symptoms immediately appear (the conception and birth of the third child), signaling an even deeper decline in their health.