The Lord's Mercy on Israel
And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. Hos. 2:16
call me Ishi... Ishi—my husband.
no more Baali... Baali—my Lord.
In Hebrew, the word husband can be translated using two words, one that means “My Husband” (denoting affection and intimacy), and one that means My Master (literally, “my Baal”), speaking of rulership. God was once again urging His people to worship Him for who He is and not to be ruled by false gods.
The fact that she is to call Him Ishi, indicates that she is recognizing Him as her husband. She had acted like the false gods were her husband before. This will be no more. She is the wife of God.
Renewed marriage
In that day, when Israel is restored to the land, she will acknowledge the Lord as her husband. She will address Him as ’ı̂šı̂, my Husband, rather than ba‛ ă̌li, my Master. These two Hebrew words are essentially synonymous. They are used interchangeably in 2Sam. 11:26, “Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband (’ı̂š) was dead, she mourned for her husband (ba‛al; NASB; cf. also Deut. 24:3-4). However, the word ba‛al would be a reminder of Israel’s former Baal worship.
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