Diblaim

Biblical Record

Diblaim appears only once, in Hosea 1:3. When God commanded the prophet Hosea to take a wife, Hosea "took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim." Scripture says nothing about Diblaim's life, tribe, occupation, or deeds. He is named only as Gomer's father when she is introduced.

According to Hosea 1:1, Hosea prophesied during the reigns of the kings of Judah from Uzziah to Hezekiah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. Diblaim is therefore generally thought to have lived in the northern kingdom of Israel around the eighth century BC, although scholars differ on the precise dates.

Significance Within Scripture

The Hebrew name Diblaim is often interpreted to mean "two cakes of figs." According to this explanation, the name shares a root with the word for a food made by pressing figs into cakes. The Old Testament commonly records a father's name when introducing a son or daughter, and the prevailing interpretation is that Diblaim's name likewise serves to establish that Gomer was a real person who belonged to a particular family.

The New Testament does not mention Diblaim. Although Hosea is quoted in passages such as Romans 9:25–26, these citations concern the message conveyed by the names of Gomer's children; Diblaim himself does not appear.

Interpretation and Debate

Interpreters differ on whether the marriage of Hosea and Gomer should be read as a historical event or as a prophetic symbol or allegory. Those who read it as historical point to the inclusion of the father's name as evidence that Gomer was a real person. Some who read it symbolically hold that the names "Gomer" and "Diblaim" themselves carry symbolic meaning. Rabbinic literature in the Jewish tradition is also reported to contain interpretations linking the name Diblaim to Gomer's reputation or character. Such interpretations, however, are derived from the meaning of the name. Because the text does not say what kind of man Diblaim was, claims about his character or family circumstances should be distinguished from the biblical record.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Diblaim is rarely treated as a subject in his own right. His name is mentioned mainly in the phrase "Gomer the daughter of Diblaim" when the passage is read in sermons or Bible studies on the book of Hosea.