Loammi is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Loammi was a son of the prophet Hosea. He appears in the opening chapter of the book that bears his father’s name, in a setting of deep spiritual crisis for the nation of Israel. Hosea had been commanded by God to take a wife and to give his children names that would serve as signs and warnings to the people. Loammi was one of these children, born into a household that was itself a living parable of Israel’s broken relationship with God.
The Bible records that God said, “Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God” (Hosea 1:9). This is the single verse in the King James Bible where Loammi is named. He does not speak, act, or appear again in the text. His entire role in Scripture is bound up in his name and the divine pronouncement that accompanied it. He was, quite literally, a sign—a child whose very identity carried a message of judgment to the nation.
What Scripture says of Loammi, then, is not a record of deeds but a declaration of covenant rupture. His name announced that Israel, because of its unfaithfulness, stood in a place where God was no longer claiming them as His own. The source note explains that his name means “not my people,” symbolizing God’s rejection of Israel. He is a figure of solemn warning, a living word from God to a people who had turned away.
The Name
The name Loammi is well established in meaning. It comes from the Hebrew and carries the sense of “not my people,” as the source note states and as the verse itself makes plain: “Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people.” The name is not obscure or uncertain; its meaning is given directly by God in the text. It was not chosen by his parents in the ordinary way but was assigned as a prophetic sign, so that every time the name was spoken, the message of Israel’s estrangement from God would be heard again.
A Closing Thought
Loammi’s name was a sentence of separation, and yet it was not the last word God spoke to His people. The same chapter that gives us Loammi goes on to promise restoration, where those once called “not my people” would be called “the sons of the living God.” Even the hardest names God gives are spoken with a purpose—to turn hearts back. If you have ever felt far from God, remember that His warnings are never merely rejection; they are invitations to return. The name that declared estrangement was spoken by a God who still longed to reclaim His own.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Hosea 1:9 — Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.