Call her name Lo-ruhamah - The name is rendered in Paul “not beloved” Romans 9:25, in Peter, “hath not obtained mercy” 1 Peter 2:10. Love and mercy are both contained in the full meaning of the intensive form of the Hebrew word, which expresses the deep tender yearnings of the inmost soul over one loved; as in the words Psalms 103:13, “As a father pitieth (yearneth over) his own children, so the Lord pitieth (yearneth over) them that fear Him.” It is “tender love” in Him who pitieth; “mercy,” as shown to him who needeth mercy. The punishment, foretold under the name of the daughter, “Unpitied,” is a great enlargement of that conveyed under the name of the first son, “God shall scatter.” Judah too was carried captive, and scattered; but after the 70 years, she was restored. The 10 tribes, it is now foretold, when scattered, should, as a whole, be cut off from the tender mercy of God, scattered by Him, and as a whole, never be restored. Those only were restored, who, when Judah returned from captivity, clave to her, or subsequently, one by one, were united to her.
But I will utterly take them away - Literally, “for, taking away, I will take away from them, or with regard to them,” namely, everything . He specifies nothing; He excepts nothing; only, with that awful emphasis, He dwells on the taking away, as that which He had determined to do to the utmost. This is the thought, which He wills to dwell on the As a little while after, God says, that He would be nothing to them, so here, where He in fact repeats this one thought, “take away, take away, from them,” the guilty conscience of Israel would at once, supply, “all.” When God threatens, the sinful or awakened soul sees instinctively what draws down the lightning of God’s wrath, and where it will fall.