Original Word: לֹא עַמִּי
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Lo' `Ammiy
Pronunciation: lo-ahm-MEE
Phonetic Spelling: (lo am-mee')
KJV: Lo-ammi
NASB: Lo-ammi
Word Origin: [from H3808 (לוֹא לוֹה - no) and H5971 (עַם - People) with pronominal suffix]

1. not my people
2. Lo-Ammi, the symbolic name of a son of Hosea

Lo-ammi

From lo' and am with pronominal suffix; not my people; Lo-Ammi, the symbolic name of a son of Hosea -- Lo-ammi.

see HEBREW lo'

see HEBREW am

Word Origin
from lo and am
Definition
"not my people," symbolic name of Hosea's son
NASB Translation
Lo-ammi (1).

לֹא עַמִּי proper name, masculine (not my people: see לֹא

2d) symbolic name of Hosea's son, Hosea 1:9, compare Hosea 2:25 (see also Hosea 2:1; Hosea 2:3).

Prophetic Context in Hosea

Hosea’s marriage and the naming of his children serve as living illustrations of Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness. The third child, Lo-ammi, embodies the climactic pronouncement of estrangement: “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God” (Hosea 1:9). Spoken during the eighth–seventh centuries BC, the oracle warns the Northern Kingdom that persistent idolatry would sever its covenant relationship and invite exile.

Symbolic Child of Judgment

Lo-ammi (“not My people”) conveys the legal reversal of the Sinai formula, “I will be your God, and you will be My people.” The name underscores:
• Covenant breach—Israel’s sin nullifies the blessings promised in Exodus 19–24.
• Loss of identity—without Yahweh’s favor, Israel becomes indistinguishable from the surrounding nations.
• Imminent exile—the rupture anticipates dispersion under Assyria (722 BC).

Promise of Restoration

The pronouncement of judgment is immediately balanced by hope. “Yet… in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God’” (Hosea 1:10). Hosea 2:23 reinforces the pledge: “I will say to Lo-ammi, ‘You are My people,’ and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” Divine mercy will ultimately overcome human infidelity, reaffirming the irrevocable nature of God’s covenant love.

New Testament Application

Paul cites Hosea to explain the inclusion of Gentiles and the remnant of Israel within one redeemed people (Romans 9:25-26). Peter echoes the same hope to the scattered church: “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God” (1 Peter 2:10). In Christ, the “Lo-ammi” sentence is reversed; Jew and Gentile alike receive a new identity as God’s covenant family.

Historical and Theological Implications

1. Continuity of God’s redemptive plan—judgment serves restoration.
2. Assurance of covenant faithfulness—God’s character guarantees eventual mercy.
3. Missional outlook—the promise anticipates a multi-ethnic people of God, fulfilled in the gospel era.

Practical Ministry Insights

• Preaching: Lo-ammi offers a sobering warning against complacent religiosity while highlighting God’s unwavering grace.
• Discipleship: Believers can rest in their adopted status despite past alienation.
• Evangelism: The reversal from “not My people” to “My people” models the invitation extended to every outsider through faith in Jesus Christ.

עַמִּ֑י עמי ‘am·mî ‘ammî amMiInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts