Diblaim is known from the Bible solely as the father of Gomer, the woman whom the prophet Hosea was commanded by God to marry. He is mentioned only once in Scripture, in Hosea 1:3, and his significance lies in his connection to the prophet Hosea's symbolic marriage.
Diblaim is mentioned in connection with the prophet Hosea taking Gomer, Diblaim's daughter, as his wife by God's command. This marriage was to serve as a prophetic sign of God's relationship with unfaithful Israel.
God commanded Hosea to take an unfaithful wife as a symbolic sign of Israel's unfaithfulness toward God. Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, was chosen for this purpose.
2When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to him: "Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of prostitution, for the land commits great prostitution by turning away from the LORD."
4And the LORD said to him, "Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood shed at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
Through his marriage to Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and their children, Hosea conveyed a powerful message about God's love and judgment over Israel.
2When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to him: "Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of prostitution, for the land commits great prostitution by turning away from the LORD."
4And the LORD said to him, "Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood shed at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
6She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, "Name her No Mercy, for I will no longer show mercy to the house of Israel; I will certainly not forgive them.[^1]
[^1]: Or "that I should in any way forgive them"; the Hebrew clause is difficult and has also been understood as "I will utterly take them away."
7But I will show mercy to the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or sword or battle, by horses or horsemen."
9And the LORD said, "Name him Not My People,[^1] for you are not my people, and I will not be your God.[^2]
[^1]: Hebrew Lo-Ammi.
[^2]: Hebrew "and I will not be yours"; the wording echoes the divine name revealed in Exodus 3:14.