Lo-Ammi

Lo-ammi is the symbolic name given to a son of Hosea, declaring God's verdict on a people he no longer claims as his own.

The naming oracle

When the prophet's third child is born, the name is itself the message: "And [Yahweh] said, Call his name Lo-ammi; for you⁺ are not my people, and [my Speech] will not be [with] you⁺" (Hos 1:9). The name and its explanation move together — "Lo-ammi" meaning "not my people," and the second clause stating the corresponding withdrawal of presence: "[my Speech] will not be [with] you⁺." The naming of the child enacts the broken relationship between Yahweh and Israel that Hosea is sent to proclaim.