“Lo-ammi.” The Hebrew word Am means “people” and Ammi is the possessive, “my people.” The Hebrew word “lo” means “no,” and thus “Lo-ammi” was a name that meant “Not my people.” The people of the country of Israel (the ten northern tribes) had sinned so greatly and for so long that God rejected them as His people. Nevertheless, He will in the future regather them and give them their inheritance in the land of Israel.

[For more on the ten lost tribes of Israel being regathered in the Millennial Kingdom, see commentary on Jer. 32:37.]

“and I will not be your God.” The Hebrew is more literally, “and I will not be yours.” Although many translations add the word “God” for clarity, some scholars suggest that it should not be supplied here. God is still the God of Israel in reality, and so what the text is saying is that from a practical and experiential sense, God will no longer be Israel’s God. But we know from many verses of scripture that Israel will eventually be regathered and God will be their God again (see commentary on Hos. 1:11).