The Father Whose Daughter Became the Sign of Israel’s Apostasy
The Word of God often uses the most private and personal events of a prophet’s life to illustrate the grandest spiritual truths. Diblaim is known only through his daughter, Gomer, whose marriage to the prophet Hosea was commanded by God to serve as a living, painful, and uncompromising metaphor for Israel’s relationship with the Lord. Diblaim’s lasting significance is that he fathered the woman who became the physical representation of the nation’s spiritual treason.
The Source of the Symbol
Diblaim is named only once in the entire Bible, at the beginning of the book of Hosea:
“The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.” (Hosea 1:2-3, KJV)
The name Gomer is generally interpreted as meaning “completeness” or “cessation,” which in this context foreshadows the complete spiritual failure of Israel. While the name Diblaim is more debated, it is often connected to “a cake of pressed figs” or possibly “two fig cakes,” which was sometimes associated with fertility cults or pagan festivals.
Regardless of the precise etymology, the lineage is instantly defined by its association with “whoredoms.” The text does not name Gomer’s mother, but instead names the father, Diblaim, whose house was already characterized by the spiritual uncleanness and cultic practices that God was condemning in the nation.
The Living Prophecy
By commanding the prophet Hosea to marry Gomer the daughter of Diblaim (a woman whose spiritual nature was already compromised), the Lord performed an astonishing act of costly grace and physical obedience. Hosea’s broken heart became a proxy for God’s own relentless love for His apostate people.
The life of Gomer became a perfect analogy for Israel:
- Marrying the Prophet: Israel was wedded to the Lord through the covenant at Sinai.
- Bearing Covenant Children: Gomer bore children who were named prophetically (e.g., Jezreel, Lo-ruhamah, Lo-ammi) to signify God’s pending judgment and temporary rejection of Israel.
- Returning to Whoredoms: Just as Gomer left Hosea to pursue other lovers, Israel consistently left the Lord to follow the fertility gods (Baal, Asherah) and the political alliances of the surrounding pagan nations.
The Conclusion of God’s Love
The prophecy culminates not in permanent rejection, but in the ultimate demonstration of God’s unwavering conviction—Hosea is commanded to buy Gomer back after she had fallen into ruinous slavery:
“Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.” (Hosea 3:1, KJV)
The lineage of Diblaim serves as the starting point for one of the most powerful theological statements in the Old Testament: sin and spiritual corruption are real and traceable, but they are ultimately overpowered by the redemptive, enduring love of the Lord who will purchase His beloved bride out of her bondage and restore her to the covenant.