But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash — the divine covenant with the northern kingdom, though strained by perpetual idolatry, remains unabrogated. God's promise not to "blot out the name of Israel" (לִמְחוֹת אֶת־שֵׁם־יִשְׂרָאֵל, *limchot et-shem Yisrael*) echoes the Abrahamic covenant and the promise of preservation through judgment. Yet this salvation through Jeroboam proves temporary; the reprieve purchased by his military victories merely delays the inevitable judgment that will manifest when Assyria rises. The theological irony deepens: mercy granted through a king who perpetuates sin.

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