am´ı̄ ( עמּי , ‛ammı̄ , "my people"): A symbolic name given to Israel by Hosea (Hosea 2:1; Hosea 2:3 in Hebrew text), descriptive of Israel in the state of restoration, and in contrast to sinful and rejected Israel, represented by Hosea's son, who was called Lo-ammi, "not my people," when born to the prophet ( Hosea 1:9 , Hosea 1:10 ). This restoration to the Divine favor is more fully described in Hosea 2:21 , Hosea 2:23 in words quoted by Paul ( Romans 9:25 , Romans 9:26 ). The use of such figurative and descriptive names is frequent in the Old Testament; compare Isaiah 62:4 , Isaiah 62:12 .
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
WikipediaThe ISBE is a classic Bible reference compiled from nearly 10,000 entries written by over 200 different Bible scholars and teachers. In addition to the encyclopedia articles, all of the major words of the Bible are represented and defined.
The historical, cultural, and linguistic information in the ISBE can be of great value in Bible study and research.
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