What Does It Mean That the LORD Is “Ishi”?

In the Book of the Prophet Hosea, the LORD prophesied that Israel would call Him "Ishi". But, what does this mean?

"And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali." (Hosea 2:16)

The first step is to define what the word means. The word אִישִׁי ('ishi) literally means "my Man," and is understood as "my Husband." The first impression is that it refers to God saying Israel will call Him "my Husband", which is part of it. To understand the passage, we will need to look at the context (Hosea 1–2). At the beginning of the Book, we learn that Hosea and his wife have a child, Jezreel.

"[3] So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. [4] And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. [5] And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." (Hosea 1:3-5)

The Kingdom of Israel would be destroyed. It says the LORD would cause "to cease" Israel as a nation and kingdom. He even goes so far as to say He would not even be their God!

"[8] ¶ Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. [9] Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God." (Hosea 1:8-9)

At this point, it is still looking forward to the destruction, which is why it says "will". But when Israel was destroyed, the LORD was no longer their God. Now, thankfully, this is not where the passage ends!

"[1:10] ¶ Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. [1:11] Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel. [2:1] Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah." (Hosea 1:10-2:1)

Ammi means "my people," and ruhamah, "mercy." This takes place during the Time of Jacob's Trouble, when the LORD will work to bring Israel back to Himself. In contrast to "ye are not my people, and I will not be your God", Jeremiah's prophecy (which is yet future) states, "ye shall be my people, and I will be your God."

"[7] Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. [8] For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: [9] But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. [10] ¶ Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. [11] For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. ... [22] And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Jeremiah 30:7-11, 22)

This passage cross-references with Ezekiel 36, which likewise says, "ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." The LORD will cleanse Israel and make them His people once more.

"[24] For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. [25] ¶ Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. [26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. [28] And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36:24-28)

In the "day of Jezreel" (Hosea 1:11), when God gathers the nation back together, the people will say to each other, "Ammi", "my people!" Hosea 2 continues in verse 2 by saying:

"Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;" (Ibid.)

The Lord had put away Israel (Jeremiah 3:8) and Judah (Isaiah 50:1) for their wickedness and adulteries. Adultery is the only instance where divorce is permitted (Matthew 5:32), thus, the LORD put away the adulteress for her unrepentant sin.

"[14] ¶ Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. [15] And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. [16] And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali." (Hosea 2:14-16)

"And it shall be at that day," that is, the day of Jezreel, the day that the Lord allures Israel and restores her. On that day, Israel will no longer call the LORD Baali, "my Lord," a cold, distant term, but rather Ishi, "my Husband."

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There is another aspect of this word Ishi. As I said above, its literal meaning is "my Man." Not only does this verse mean Israel will one day call Jehovah God "my Husband," but likewise "my Man." In Numbers 23:19, it says:

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Ibid.)

A lot of Jewish people will attack the incarnation of Christ Jesus based on this verse. "God is not a man," they state. Firstly, this is merely making a connection that, because God is not a man, He cannot lie. It never says the LORD could not or would not take upon flesh. Ishi, as I have repeated several times, means "my Man." So Israel will call the LORD a man! Why would they do this?

"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... [14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:1, 14)

The Word is God, and the Word became flesh. God, the LORD, took flesh upon Himself. He became a man. Paul refers to the Lord as "the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Even in His glorified state, Christ is called a man. Doesn't this make sense with what we find in Hosea 2:16? Jesus, the God-man, will be, by Israel, called "my Man," only making sense if He were a man.

 

What can we learn from this? Firstly, it teaches us about the end times. It tells us about a coming time, the time of Jacob's trouble, when God will bring Israel back to Him. Secondly, on the topic of Israel, it shows us that God has not "cast away" His people (Romans 11:1). Thirdly, it shows us that the LORD would become man, thus teaching us about the deity of Christ.

 

Sadly, many, and most, modern translations remove this dual meaning from the Scriptures when they just translate it as "my Husband" instead of leaving it as Ishi. When they do this, they do retain part of the verse's meaning, but they miss the prophecy of the LORD becoming man!