וּזְרַעְתִּ֤יהָ לִּי֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ וְרִֽחַמְתִּ֖י אֶת־לֹ֣א רֻחָ֑מָה וְאָמַרְתִּ֤י לְלֹֽא־עַמִּי֙ עַמִּי־אַ֔תָּה וְה֖וּא יֹאמַ֥ר אֱלֹהָֽי׃ (פ)
Aku akan menaburkannya bagi-Ku di negeri itu, dan Aku akan menyayangi Lo-Ruhama, dan Aku akan berkata kepada Lo-Ami: “Engkaulah umat-Ku,” dan ia akan berkata: “Allahku!”
Ramban
THE CORRUPTION WAS TOWARDS HIM; THEY ARE NOT HIS CHILDREN [BECAUSE OF] THEIR BLEMISH. The blemish is called “corruption,” as it is said, their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them,12Leviticus 22:25. Here the word “corruption” is clearly associated with “blemish.” and similarly, and he sacrificeth unto the Eternal ‘a corrupted’ thing,13Malachi 1:14. [which means “a blemished” thing]. He [Moses] thus states that the blemish of Israel is the corruption towards the Rock of His people and His inheritance, and [therefore] he calls them not His children, just as, in an acceptable time14Isaiah 49:8. [a time when they conduct themselves properly] he calls them “His children.”15See above, 14:1. He states that they are a generation crooked and perverse, for crookedness is the opposite of uprightness, similar to what is said, and they make crooked all equity,16Micah 3:9. The text reads: v’eith kol hayesharah ye’akeishu. The contrast between yashar (straight) and akeish (crooked) is thus clear. and the perverse is the opposite of the righteous. Consequently, since He is just and right17Verse 4. and they are the opposite of that, they are not [considered] His children; rather, they are considered by Him to be corrupted. And the sequence of the verse is thus: “their corruption towards Him — which is their blemish — has caused them not to be considered His children, [for they are] a generation crooked and perverse.” The sense thereof is that the dimunition of their status did not result from the deed of the Rock, for He is perfect and there can never be imperfection in Him, but it is their blemish that corrupts them before their Father. And the meaning of the expression not His children is like And I will say to them that were not My people: ‘Thou art My people.’18Hosea 2:25. The expression not His ‘children’ is thus identical with not His ‘people.’ Similarly, They have aroused Me to jealousy with a no-god,19Further, Verse 21. meaning, with something that is not a god. So also, and they have sworn by no-gods.20Jeremiah 5:7. Or it may be that the verse here states: “The corruption towards Him is their blemish, that they are not His children, for they are a generation crooked and perverse, the opposite of Him.”
Rabbeinu Bahya
A Midrashic approach based on Tanchuma Massey 7: Bileam who foresaw that there would arise a man in the future who would proclaim himself as god (the founder of Christianity) exclaimed how can it be that a mere mortal so deceives his peers? He predicted that this individual would have to regret what he said seeing he would not be able to demonstrate the truth of it [seeing he was executed. Who can execute a god? Even men who had not claimed to be god were saved from fiery furnaces, etc. Should the god not be able to take care of himself if he really were god? Ed.].
However, of G’d it is to be expected that when He promises something good that He will invariably fulfill this promise, i.e. לא איש אל ויכזב, “G’d is not like man who promises without delivering.” On the other hand, when G’d threatens something harmful, such a threat need not come true (as it is merely a warning for the intended victim to change his ways). This is expressed here in the words ההוא אמר ולא יעשה, “He may say something (and is not bound by it) to carry it out.” Example: G’d told Avraham (Genesis 15,5) to count the stars and to see if he could count them, meaning that his descendants would be equally numerous. The promise was fulfilled as Moses told the people in Deut. 1,10: “here you are today as numerous as the stars in heaven” [no one challenged that statement. Ed.]. This was an illustration of the words: “G’d is not man that He deceives.” On the other hand, although we find the prophet Hoseah 1,9 telling the people (in the name of G’d) “you are not My people,” in Hoseah 2,25 the same prophet assures the people “I will say to Lo-Ammi,“ [the people who had previously been told that they were not G’d’s people. Ed.] “you are My people.” This is an illustration of what Bileam meant when he said about G’d: “He may say, but need not do.” This is the way Tanchuma understands the verse.
However, of G’d it is to be expected that when He promises something good that He will invariably fulfill this promise, i.e. לא איש אל ויכזב, “G’d is not like man who promises without delivering.” On the other hand, when G’d threatens something harmful, such a threat need not come true (as it is merely a warning for the intended victim to change his ways). This is expressed here in the words ההוא אמר ולא יעשה, “He may say something (and is not bound by it) to carry it out.” Example: G’d told Avraham (Genesis 15,5) to count the stars and to see if he could count them, meaning that his descendants would be equally numerous. The promise was fulfilled as Moses told the people in Deut. 1,10: “here you are today as numerous as the stars in heaven” [no one challenged that statement. Ed.]. This was an illustration of the words: “G’d is not man that He deceives.” On the other hand, although we find the prophet Hoseah 1,9 telling the people (in the name of G’d) “you are not My people,” in Hoseah 2,25 the same prophet assures the people “I will say to Lo-Ammi,“ [the people who had previously been told that they were not G’d’s people. Ed.] “you are My people.” This is an illustration of what Bileam meant when he said about G’d: “He may say, but need not do.” This is the way Tanchuma understands the verse.