לֹא H3818
Lo-Ammi; symbolic name meaning 'not my people,' given to Hosea's son
This proper name appears in Hosea 1:9, as God commands the prophet to name his third child 'Lo-Ammi' (Not My People), symbolizing God's rejection of Israel due to their unfaithfulness. The name directly negates the covenant formula 'you are my people,' signaling broken relationship. Yet Hosea 2:1 reverses this judgment, promising restoration when Lo-Ammi becomes 'Ammi' (My People). The name is a prophetic sign, enacted theology through family.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A symbolic personal name meaning 'Not My People,' expressing covenant rupture. Hosea's children bore names that preached judgment: this third child embodied the most severe verdict—Israel was no longer God's people. The consistent transliteration across languages (Spanish, French, German all preserve 'Lo-Ammi') maintains the name's theological weight. The hyphenated form emphasizes the negation, making the name itself a prophetic oracle every time it was spoken. 1×
AR["لا-عَمّي"]·ben["লো-অম্মি"]·DE["[לא עמי]"]·EN["Lo-Ammi"]·FR["Lo-Ammi"]·heb["לא עמי"]·HI["लो-अम्मी"]·ID["Lo-Ami"]·IT["[לא עמי]"]·jav["Sanes-Umat-Kawula"]·KO["로-아미"]·PT["Lo-Ammi"]·RU["Ло-Амми"]·ES["Lo-Ammi"]·SW["Lo-Ami"]·TR["Lo-Ammi"]·urd["لو-عمّی"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
לֹא עַמִּי n.pr.m. (not my people: see לֹא 2 d) symb. name of Hosea’s son, Ho 1:9, cf. 2:25 (v. also 2:1, 3).