BAALI bā’ ə lī (בַּעְלִֽי, my lord). A name used by some in Hosea’s day to describe God (Hos 2:16). This name was not approved by God because it implied a view of the Lord that was degrading. It used a pagan term for “god” and thus carried with it the pagan concepts of God. God preferred and demanded that He be called “Ishii” (my husband) which emphasized the covenant relationship that God had established between His people and Himself.