The Book of
Author
Amos, whose name means “Burden-Bearer,” was a native of the small town of Tekoa in the Judean hills, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Jerusalem. He is the first of the so-called “writing prophets” of the eighth century B.C. The others include Hosea to Israel, and Micah and Isaiah to Judah. Amos disclaimed training as a professional prophet, admitting he was a shepherd and one who tended sycamore-fig trees. In spite of his nonprofessional background, Amos was called to deliver God’s message to the northern kingdom of Israel.
Date
Amos prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah of Judah (792–740 B.C.) and Jeroboam II of Israel (793–753 B.C.). His ministry was between 760 and 750 B.C. and seems to have occupied less than two years.
Background
The middle of the eighth century B.C. was a time of great prosperity for both Israel and Judah. Under Jeroboam, Israel had again gained control of the international trade routes—the King’s Highway through Transjordan, and the Way of the Sea through the Jezreel Valley and along the coastal plain. According to 2 Kings 14:25, he restored the borders of Israel from Lebo Hamath (in the north) to the Sea of the Arabah (the Dead Sea in the south). Judah, under Uzziah, regained Elath (the seaport on the Gulf of Aqaba), and expanded to the southwest at the expense of the Philistines. Israel and Judah had reached new political and military heights, but the religious situation was at an all-time low. Idolatry was rampant; the rich were living in luxury while the poor were oppressed; there was widespread immorality; and the judicial system was corrupt. The people interpreted their prosperity as a sign of God’s blessing on them. Amos’s task was to deliver the message that God was displeased with the nation. His patience was exhausted. Punishment was inevitable. The nation would be destroyed unless there was a change of heart—a change that would “let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream” (5:24).
Content
The Book of Amos is basically a message of judgment: judgment on the nations, oracles and visions of divine judgment on Israel. The central theme of the book is that the people of Israel have broken their covenant with God. As a result, God’s punishment of their sin will be severe. Amos begins with a series of indictments against the seven neighbors of Israel, including Judah, and then he indicts Israel, too (1:3—2:16). Each foreign nation is to be punished for specific offenses either against Israel or some other nation. This judgment on the nations teaches us that God is a universal Monarch. All nations are under His control. They must answer to Him for their mistreatment of other nations and peoples. Israel and Judah, however, will be punished because they have broken their covenant with God. The next section (3:1—6:14) is a series of three oracles or sermons directed against Israel. These include the threat of exile. A third section (7:1—9:10) is a series of five visions of judgment, in two of which God withdraws. Finally, Amos promises restoration for Israel (9:11–15).
Literary Features
Even though Amos downplays his professional training, his style suggests a well-educated person. He skillfully uses puns or wordplays. In 8:1, 2, for example, the Hebrew word for “summer fruit” sounds similar to the word for “end.” Like summer fruit, Israel is ripe for harvest. The geographical-psychological approach in the judgment of the nations (1:3—2:16) is another indication of literary craftsmanship. Beginning with the nations on the four corners (Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, and Edom), Amos crosses the land twice and draws the circle ever tighter with Ammon, Moab, and Judah. He uses a literary method known as graduated numbers or numerical parallelism: “For three transgressions…and for four” (see, for example, 1:3, 6, 9). This numerical system suggests the meaning, “For enough transgressions…for more than enough.” Similar uses of graduated numerals are found in Proverbs 6:16; 30:15, 18, 21, 29; Micah 5:5.
Amos uses the messenger style of speech, indicating he is speaking in the name of another: “Thus says the LORD” (1:3, 6) or “Hear this word” (3:1; 4:1; 5:1). Amos sings a funeral dirge for Israel in anticipation of her demise (5:1, 2). He uses many metaphors from the country life he knew as a shepherd and farmer (1:3; 2:13; 3:12; 4:1; 9:9). Amos has the ability to develop a series of sayings into a powerful climax: the oracles against the nations (1:3—2:10), the recitation of calamities leading to God’s visitation (4:6–12), and the visions that move from God’s forbearance to His judgment (7:1–19; 8:1–3).
Personal Application
Amos stresses that righteousness and justice are essential to a healthy society. Religion is more than observing feast days and holding sacred assemblies; true religion demands righteous living. The way a man treats his neighbor reveals his relationship with God. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God. The second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is the message of Amos. This is the message needed today. We also are living in a prosperous, materialistic society. Because we are prosperous, we may also deceive ourselves into believing that we have God’s blessing on us. The tendency to give God material goods and believe we have satisfied Him is ever with us. Material prosperity often leads to religious and moral corruption. Observation of external rites is not enough. God demands our obedience—a heartfelt attitude that issues in action to meet the needs of our fellow human beings.
Christ Revealed
There are no direct references to Christ in Amos. No typology is present either. There does seem to be an allusion, however, to Amos 1:9, 10 in Jesus’ statement in Matthew 11:21, 22. Amos speaks of the judgment to come upon Tyre. Jesus says that if the mighty works performed in Chorazin and Bethsaida “had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” One other concept from Amos is picked up by John in Revelation. Amos speaks of God’s prophets as servants and says that God does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). John speaks about the sounding of the seventh trumpet when the “mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets” (Rev. 10:7).
The Holy Spirit at Work
The work of the Holy Spirit is not mentioned specifically in Amos. The process of inspiring the prophet and revealing God’s message is usually attributed by other prophets to the Spirit (see Is. 48:16; Ezek. 3:24; Mic. 3:8). As is the case in most of the prophets, it is almost impossible to draw a distinction between the Lord and His Spirit. Amos does not happen to mention the Spirit in his work, but those activities ascribed to the Spirit by other prophets are present in Amos.
Outline of Amos
II. Judgment on the nations 1:3—2:16
A. Damascus 1:3–5
B. Gaza 1:6–8
E. Ammon 1:13–15
F. Moab 2:1–3
H. Israel 2:6–16
III. Oracles against Israel 3:1—6:14
A. Judgment on God’s chosen people 3:1–15
1. Punishment announced 3:1, 2
2. Punishment deserved 3:3–10
3. Punishment described 3:11–15
B. Judgment on God’s unresponsive people 4:1–13
1. The oppressive women of Samaria 4:1–3
2. Sacrificial transgression 4:4, 5
3. Failure of Israel to respond to calamities 4:6–11
4. Punishment on hardened people 4:12, 13
C. Judgment on God’s unrepentant people 5:1—6:14
1. A funeral dirge for Israel 5:1–3
2. A call to repentance 5:4–9
3. Enumeration of evil acts 5:10–13
4. A second call to repentance 5:14, 15
5. Judgment will bring wailing and mourning 5:16, 17
6. The Day of the Lord 5:18–20
7. Need for justice instead of festivals 5:21–27
8. Woe to those who are complacent 6:1–7
9. Judgment on unrepentant people 6:8–14
IV. Visions of judgment 7:1—9:10
A. Relented visions 7:1–6
1. Locust swarms 7:1–3
2. Consuming fire 7:4–6
B. Unrelented visions 7:7—9:10
1. The plumb line 7:7–17
a. The vision 7:7–9
b. Opposition of Amaziah 7:10–17
2. The basket of summer fruit 8:1–14
a. The vision 8:1–3
b. The exposition 8:4–14
3. The Lord beside the altar 9:1–10
a. The vision 9:1–4
b. The exposition 9:5–10
V. Restoration of Israel 9:11–15
A. Tabernacle of David raised up 9:11, 12
B. The land and people restored and blessed 9:13–15
1 THE words of Amos, who was among the asheepbreeders of bTekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of cUzziah king of Judah, and in the days of dJeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the eearthquake.
2 And he said:
And utters His voice from Jerusalem;
The pastures of the shepherds *mourn,
And the top of bCarmel withers.”
Judgment on the Nations
3 Thus says the LORD:
“For three *transgressions of aDamascus, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they have bthreshed Gilead with implements of iron.
4 aBut I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,
Which shall devour the palaces of bBen-Hadad.
5 I will also break the gate abar of Damascus,
And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven,
And the one who 1holds the scepter from 2Beth Eden.
The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,”
Says the LORD.
6 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of aGaza, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they took captive the whole captivity
To deliver them up to Edom.
7 aBut I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
Which shall devour its palaces.
8 I will cut off the inhabitant afrom Ashdod,
And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will bturn My hand against Ekron,
And cthe remnant of the Philistines shall *perish,”
Says the Lord GOD.
9 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of aTyre, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom,
And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre,
Which shall devour its palaces.”
11 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of aEdom, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he pursued his bbrother with the sword,
And cast off all pity;
His anger tore perpetually,
And he kept his wrath forever.
12 But aI will send a fire upon Teman,
Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.”
13 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of athe people of Ammon, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead,
That they might enlarge their territory.
14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of aRabbah,
And it shall devour its palaces,
bAmid *shouting in the day of battle,
And a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
15 aTheir king shall go into captivity,
He and his princes together,”
Says the LORD.
1 Thus says the LORD:
a“For three transgressions of Moab, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he bburned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2 But I will send a fire upon Moab,
And it shall devour the palaces of aKerioth;
Moab shall die with tumult,
With shouting and trumpet sound.
3 And I will cut off athe judge from its midst,
And slay all its princes with him,”
Says the LORD.
Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of aJudah, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
bBecause they have despised the law of the LORD,
And have not kept His commandments.
cTheir lies lead them astray,
Lies dwhich their fathers followed.
5 aBut I will send a fire upon Judah,
And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of aIsrael, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because bthey sell the *righteous for silver,
And the cpoor for a pair of sandals.
7 They 1pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor,
And apervert the way of the humble.
bA man and his father go in to the same girl,
cTo defile My holy name.
8 They lie down aby every altar on clothes btaken in pledge,
And drink the wine of 1the condemned in the house of their god.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the aAmorite before them,
Whose height was like the bheight of the cedars,
And he was as strong as the oaks;
Yet I cdestroyed his fruit above
And his roots beneath.
10 Also it was aI who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And bled you forty years through the wilderness,
To possess the land of the Amorite.
11 I raised up some of your sons as aprophets,
And some of your young men as bNazirites.
Is it not so, O you children of Israel?”
Says the LORD.
12 “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,
And commanded the prophets asaying,
‘Do not prophesy!’
13 “Behold,a I am 1weighed down by you,
As a cart full of sheaves 2is weighed down.
14 aTherefore 1flight shall perish from the swift,
The strong shall not strengthen his power,
bNor shall the mighty 2deliver himself;
15 He shall not stand who handles the bow,
The swift of foot shall not 1escape,
Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.
16 The most 1courageous men of might
Shall flee naked in that day,”
Says the LORD.
Authority of the Prophet’s Message
1 Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:
2 “Youa only have I known of all the *families of the earth;
bTherefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Will a young lion 1cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
5 Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no 1trap for it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
6 If a 1trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
aIf there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it?
7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing,
Unless aHe reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
Who will not *fear?
The Lord GOD has spoken!
aWho can but prophesy?
Punishment of Israel’s Sins
9 “Proclaim in the palaces at 1Ashdod,
And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say:
‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;
See great tumults in her midst,
And the 2oppressed within her.
10 For they ado not know to do right,’
Says the LORD,
‘Who store up violence and 1robbery in their palaces.’ ”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“An adversary shall be all around the land;
He shall sap your *strength from you,
And your palaces shall be plundered.”
12 Thus says the LORD:
“As a shepherd 1takes from the mouth of a lion
Two legs or a piece of an ear,
So shall the children of Israel be taken out
Who dwell in Samaria—
In the corner of a bed and 2on the edge of a couch!
13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,”
Says the Lord GOD, the God of hosts,
14 “That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions,
I will also visit destruction on the altars of aBethel;
And the horns of the altar shall be cut off
And fall to the ground.
15 I will 1destroy athe winter house along with bthe summer house;
The chouses of ivory shall perish,
And the great houses shall have an end,”
Says the LORD.
1 Hear this word, you acows of Bashan,who are on the mountain of Samaria,
Who oppress the bpoor,
Who crush the needy,
Who say to 1your husbands, “Bring wine, let us cdrink!”
2 aThe Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness:
“Behold, the days shall come upon you
When He will take you away bwith fishhooks,
And your posterity with fishhooks.
3 aYou will go out through broken walls,
Each one straight ahead of her,
And you will 1be cast into Harmon,”
Says the LORD.
4 “Comea to Bethel and transgress,
At bGilgal multiply transgression;
cBring your sacrifices every morning,
dYour tithes every three 1days.
5 aOffer a sacrifice of *thanksgiving with leaven,
Proclaim and announce bthe freewill offerings;
For this you love,
You children of Israel!”
Says the Lord GOD.
Israel Did Not Accept Correction
6 “Also I gave you 1cleanness of teeth in all your cities.
And lack of bread in all your places;
aYet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the LORD.
7 “I also withheld rain from you,
When there were still three months to the harvest.
I made it rain on one city,
I withheld rain from another city.
One part was rained upon,
And where it did not rain the part withered.
8 So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water,
But they were not satisfied;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the LORD.
9 “Ia blasted you with blight and mildew.
When your gardens increased,
Your vineyards,
Your fig trees,
And your olive trees,
bThe locust devoured them;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the LORD.
10 “I sent among you a plague aafter the manner of Egypt;
Your young men I killed with a sword,
Along with your captive horses;
I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the LORD.
11 “I overthrew some of you,
As God overthrew aSodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the LORD.
12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
aPrepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
13 For behold,
He who forms mountains,
And creates the 1wind,
aWho declares to man what 2his thought is,
And makes the morning darkness,
bWho treads the high places of the earth—
A Lament for Israel
1 Hear this word which I atake up against you, a lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 The *virgin of Israel has fallen;
She will rise no more.
She lies forsaken on her land;
There is no one to raise her up.
3 For thus says the Lord GOD:
“The city that goes out by a thousand
Shall have a hundred left,
And that which goes out by a hundred
Shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”
A Call to Repentance
4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
Nor enter Gilgal,
Nor pass over to bBeersheba;
For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity,
And cBethel shall come to nothing.
Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
And devour it,
With no one to quench it in Bethel—
7 You who aturn justice to wormwood,
And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!”
8 He made the aPleiades and Orion;
He turns the shadow of death into morning
bAnd makes the day dark as night;
He ccalls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the face of the earth;
dThe LORD is His name.
9 He 1rains ruin upon the strong,
So that fury comes upon the fortress.
10 aThey hate the one who rebukes in the gate,
And they babhor the one who speaks uprightly.
11 aTherefore, because you 1tread down the poor
And take grain 2taxes from him,
Though byou have built houses of hewn stone,
Yet you shall not dwell in them;
You have planted 3pleasant vineyards,
But you shall not drink wine from them.
12 For I aknow your *manifold transgressions
And your mighty sins:
bAfflicting the just and taking bribes;
cDiverting the poor from justice at the gate.
13 Therefore athe prudent keep silent at that time,
For it is an evil time.
14 Seek *good and not evil,
That you may live;
So the LORD God of hosts will be with you,
aAs you have spoken.
15 aHate evil, love good;
Establish justice in the gate.
bIt may be that the LORD God of hosts
Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
The Day of the LORD
16 Therefore the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, says this:
“There shall be wailing in all streets,
And they shall say in all the highways,
‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmer to mourning,
aAnd skillful lamenters to wailing.
17 In all vineyards there shall be wailing,
For aI will pass through you,”
Says the LORD.
18 aWoe to you who desire the day of the LORD!
For what good is bthe day of the LORD to you?
It will be darkness, and not light.
19 It will be aas though a man fled from a lion,
And a bear met him!
Or as though he went into the house,
Leaned his hand on the wall,
And a serpent bit him!
20 Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light?
Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?
21 “Ia hate, I *despise your feast days,
And bI do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 aThough you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs,
For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 aBut let justice run down like water,
And righteousness like a mighty stream.
25 “Dida you offer Me sacrifices and *offerings
In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26 You also carried 1Sikkuth2 ayour king
And 2Chiun, your idols,
The star of your gods,
Which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into captivity abeyond Damascus,”
Says the LORD, bwhose name is the God of hosts.
Warnings to Zion and Samaria
1 Woe ato you who are at bease in Zion, And ctrust in Mount Samaria,
Notable persons in the dchief nation,
To whom the house of Israel comes!
2 aGo over to bCalneh and see;
And from there go to cHamath the great;
Then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
dAre you better than these kingdoms?
Or is their territory greater than your territory?
3 Woe to you who aput far off the day of bdoom,
cWho cause dthe seat of violence to come near;
4 Who lie on beds of ivory,
Stretch out on your couches,
Eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall;
5 aWho sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments,
And invent for yourselves bmusical instruments clike David;
6 Who adrink wine from bowls,
And anoint yourselves with the best ointments,
bBut are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
7 Therefore they shall now go acaptive as the first of the captives,
And those who recline at banquets shall be removed.
8 aThe Lord GOD has sworn by Himself,
The LORD God of hosts says:
“I abhor bthe pride of Jacob,
And hate his palaces;
Therefore I will deliver up the city
And all that is in it.”
9 Then it shall come to pass, that if ten men remain in one house, they shall die.
10 And when 1a relative of the dead, with one who will burn the bodies, picks up the 2bodies to take them out of the house, he will say to one inside the house, “Are there any more with you?” Then someone will say, “None.” And he will say, a“Hold your tongue! bFor we dare not mention the name of the LORD.”
11 For behold, athe LORD gives a command:
bHe will break the great house into bits,
And the little house into pieces.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
Does one plow there with oxen?
Yet ayou have turned justice into gall,
And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
13 You who rejoice over 1Lo Debar,
Who say, “Have we not taken 2Karnaim for ourselves
By our own strength?”
14 “But, behold, aI will raise up a nation against you,
O house of Israel,”
Says the LORD God of hosts;
“And they will afflict you from the bentrance of Hamath
To the Valley of the Arabah.”
Vision of the Locusts
1 Thus the Lord GOD showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the 1beginning of the late crop; indeed it was the late crop after the king’s mowings.
2 And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said:
“O Lord GOD, *forgive, I pray!
For he is small!”
3 So athe LORD relented concerning this.
“It shall not be,” said the LORD.
Vision of the Fire
4 Thus the Lord GOD showed me: Behold, the Lord GOD called 1for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the 2territory.
“O Lord GOD, cease, I pray!
aOh, that Jacob may stand,
For he is small!”
6 So the LORD relented concerning this.
“This also shall not be,” said the Lord GOD.
Vision of the Plumb Line
7 Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His *hand.
8 And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said:
“Behold, aI am setting a plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel;
bI will not pass by them anymore.
9 aThe 1high places of Isaac shall be desolate,
And the 2sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste.
bI will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam.”
Amaziah’s Complaint
10 Then Amaziah the apriest of bBethel sent to cJeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to 1bear* all his words.
‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
And Israel shall surely be led away acaptive
From their own land.’ ”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos:
“Go, you seer!
Flee to the land of Judah.
There eat bread,
And there prophesy.
13 But anever again prophesy at Bethel,
bFor it is the king’s 1sanctuary,
And it is the royal 2residence.”
14 Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah:
“I was no *prophet,
Nor was I aa son of a prophet,
But I was a bsheepbreeder
And a tender of sycamore fruit.
15 Then the LORD took me 1as I followed the flock,
And the LORD said to me,
‘Go, aprophesy to My people Israel.’
16 Now therefore, hear the word of the LORD:
You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
And ado not 1spout against the house of Isaac.’
17 “Thereforea thus says the LORD:
b‘Your wife shall be a harlot in the city;
Your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword;
Your land shall be divided by survey line;
You shall die in a cdefiled land;
And Israel shall surely be led away captive
From his own land.’ ”
Vision of the Summer Fruit
1 Thus the Lord GOD showed me: Behold, a basket of summer fruit.
2 And He said, “Amos, what do you see?” So I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me:
a“The end has come upon My people Israel;
bI will not pass by them anymore.
3 And athe songs of the temple
Shall be wailing in that day,”
Says the Lord GOD—
“Many dead bodies everywhere,
bThey shall be thrown out in silence.”
4 Hear this, you who 1swallow up the *needy,
And make the poor of the land fail,
5 Saying:
“When will the New Moon be past,
That we may sell grain?
And athe Sabbath,
That we may 1trade wheat?
bMaking the ephah small and the shekel large,
Falsifying the scales by cdeceit,
6 That we may buy the poor for asilver,
And the needy for a pair of sandals—
Even sell the bad wheat?”
7 The LORD has sworn by athe pride of Jacob:
“Surely bI will never forget any of their works.
8 aShall the land not tremble for this,
And everyone mourn who dwells in it?
All of it shall swell like 1the River,
Heave and subside
bLike the River of Egypt.
9 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord GOD,
a“That I will make the sun go down at noon,
And I will darken the earth in 1broad daylight;
10 I will turn your feasts into amourning,
bAnd all your songs into lamentation;
cI will bring sackcloth on every waist,
And baldness on every head;
I will make it like mourning for an *only son,
And its end like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But aof hearing the words of the LORD.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD,
But shall anot find it.
13 “In that day the fair virgins
And strong young men
Shall faint from thirst.
14 Those who aswear by bthe 1sin of Samaria,
Who say,
‘As your god lives, O Dan!’
And, ‘As the way of cBeersheba lives!’
They shall fall and never rise again.”
The Destruction of Israel
1 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said:
“Strike the 1doorposts, that the thresholds may shake,
And abreak them on the heads of them all.
I will slay the last of them with the sword.
bHe who flees from them shall not get away,
And he who escapes from them shall not be delivered.
2 “Thougha they dig into 1hell,
From there My hand shall take them;
bThough they climb up to heaven,
From there I will bring them down;
3 And though they ahide themselves on top of Carmel,
From there I will search and take them;
Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea,
From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them;
4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies,
From there aI will command the sword,
And it shall slay them.
bI will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good.”
5 The Lord GOD of hosts,
He who touches the earth and it amelts,
bAnd all who dwell there mourn;
All of it shall swell like 1the River,
And subside like the River of Egypt.
6 He who builds His alayers1 in the sky,
And has founded His strata in the earth;
Who bcalls for the waters of the sea,
And pours them out on the face of the earth—
cThe LORD is His name.
7 “Are you not like the 1people of Ethiopia to Me,
O children of Israel?” says the LORD.
“Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt,
The aPhilistines from bCaphtor,2
And the Syrians from cKir?
8 “Behold, athe eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom,
And I bwill destroy it from the face of the earth;
Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,”
Says the LORD.
9 “For surely I will command,
And will 1sift the house of Israel among all nations,
As grain is sifted in a sieve;
aYet not the smallest 2grain shall fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword,
aWho say, ‘The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’
Israel Will Be Restored
11 “Ona that day I will raise up
The 1tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And 2repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
12 aThat they may possess the remnant of bEdom,1
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,”
Says the LORD who does this thing.
13 “Behold, athe days are coming,” says the LORD,
“When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
And the *treader of grapes him who sows seed;
bThe mountains shall *drip with sweet wine,
And all the hills shall flow with it.
14 aI will bring back the captives of My people Israel;
bThey shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them;
They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
15 I will plant them in their land,
aAnd no longer shall they be pulled up
From the land I have given them,”
Says the LORD your God.
1:1 See section 2 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
1:1 Amos: The name, used only in this book, means “Burden-Bearer.” Sheepbreeders: This term appears in the OT with reference to one other man (Mesha, king of Moab) and probably means a “breeder” of small cattle (sheep and goats). Tekoa: See Introduction to Amos: Author. Saw: Received by revelation. Amos reports five visions. Earthquake: Mentioned also in Zech. 14:5. The excavators at Hazor found evidence of an earthquake, which they date to about 760 B.C.
1:2 Roars: The voice of the Lord thunders from Jerusalem, south of Israel, to Mt. Carmel in the north. Amos will tell us in 3:8 that “a lion [the Lord] has roared,” and this is why he is prophesying. The Lord’s voice is described as producing drought, which affects the verdant area of Carmel (see Ps. 29).
1:3—2:3 This section consists of various oracles against the nations. The specific atrocities mentioned apparently occurred in connection with various border wars during the previous 200 years. The list of specific nations given here is the most comprehensive of all the prophetic oracles against the nations. Although specific judgments against specific nations are apparently in view, precise historical fulfillment of all the judgments is difficult to determine. In this sense, it is best to see Amos’s larger purpose in keeping with the futuristic judgment oracles of the Day of the Lord. See notes on Obad. 15 and Zech. 9—14.
1:3 Three transgressions: See Introduction to Amos: Literary Features, for the use of graduated numerals. Damascus: Capital of Aram, a city-state to the northeast of Israel. Also translated “Syria” (v. 5), Aram was constantly at war with Israel. Threshed Gilead is a description of the cruel military campaigns waged against the Israelite inhabitants of Gilead, the territory east of the Jordan. This may be the campaign recorded in 2 Kin. 13:3–7.
1:4 Hazael murdered the ruling Ben-Hadad (2 Kin. 8:7–15) and ruled from about 842 to 806 B.C. The son of Hazael was also named Ben-Hadad (2 Kin. 13:3).
1:5 Valley of Aven may be a pun on the name “On,” the ancient city of Baalbek. “Aven” and “On” look similar in Hebrew. Beth Eden: If this is the Bit-adini mentioned in Akkadian texts, it is another Aramean city-state far to the north of Damascus. Kir: According to 9:7, God brought the Arameans from Kir, an area in Mesopotamia near Elam. God will now send them back to where they came from.
1:6 Gaza was one of the five main cities of the Philistines. The others were Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron (v. 8), and Gath. Took captive: This charge of selling an entire population to Edom is also brought against Tyre (v. 9). Edom was the country southeast of the Dead Sea. It was the home of Esau, the brother of Jacob. See notes on Obad. 10, 11.
1:8 The Philistines were part of the Sea Peoples who invaded Canaan in the thirteenth century B.C. The name “Palestine” comes from this word.
1:9 Tyre is situated on the Mediterranean coast, north of Israel. Tyre represents the nation of Phoenicia. Covenant of brotherhood refers to an international treaty between Tyre and another state.
1:11 Edom: See note on v. 6. Pursued his brother is probably a reference to Judah.
1:12 Teman was the most important city in southern Edom, and Bozrah held the same position in the north. Thus Teman and Bozrah designate the whole nation.
1:13 Ammon was a state on the east side of Jordan between Moab to the south and Gilead to the north. The atrocity charged, they ripped open the women with child, is a reference to a border war when Ammon tried to expand her territory north into Gilead. Ammon attempted to expand on every possible occasion (see Judg. 10:7–9; 11:4–33; 1 Sam. 11:1–11; 14:47).
1:14 Rabbah: Also known as Rabbath Ammon, this city was the Ammonite capital. It is the present city of Amman in Jordan.
1:15 Captivity: Previously Amos had spoken of people and rulers “cut off” (v. 5) from their land. Here he alludes to captivity, which introduces the motif of exile. This is the fate facing Israel.
2:1 Moab was situated east of the Dead Sea, with the northern border along the Arnon River. Burned the bones: This act was considered an outrage in the culture of that time.
2:2 Kerioth may be simply the plural form of “cities,” but Jer. 48:24 lists it as a city. The site is unknown. Its identification with Ar is a possibility.
2:3 Again the country and rulers are destroyed. The term judge is a synonym for “king.”
2:4–16 The final two oracles are against God’s people. They suggest a long history of rebellion and a lack of gratitude.
2:4 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
2:4 The judgment on Judah is not for an atrocity against another state or people, but for the breach of contract with Yahweh.
2:5 Although a prophet primarily to northern Israel, Amos prophesied fire upon Judah as well. Judah fell to Babylon in 587 B.C.
2:6 After crisscrossing the land from northeast to southwest and northwest to southeast, Amos tightened the circle with Ammon, Moab, and Judah. Now he reaches the climax, the goal for which he has been striving from the first. Israel, too, is guilty before God. Specific sins that spell out the alienation of the people from God are enumerated. In a society where justice and righteousness prevail, the sins mentioned here would never occur. Sell the righteous refers to selling persons into slavery. People captured in war or people with debts were candidates for slavery (see 2 Kin. 4:1–7). The righteous one is the innocent party in the lawsuit (see 5:12). Pair of sandals may mean “a cheap price.” On the other hand, since a sandal played a part in transactions for land (see Ruth 4:7, 8), perhaps the person is sold for land.
2:7 An alternate reading for pant after the dust is “trample on the head of the poor” (see 8:4). This statement parallels v. 6. The legal process has been perverted. The courts are used to oppress the poor rather than to defend their rights. The same girl could refer to a cultic prostitute, but it may also refer to a woman who is a bondservant and is forced to be a concubine for both a man and his father. Both are forbidden (see Deut. 23:17; 22:28–30). Defile My holy name: See Lev. 18:21; 19:12; Jer. 34:16.
2:8 Social practices are placed within a ceremonial setting. Clothes were regularly given as pledge for a debt. Wine is payment in kind from a debtor. The practice in itself may be legal, but Amos sees something here that borders on the oppression of the poor by the rich. The rich are engaged in worship at the altar or in the house of their God and see no incongruity between their social action and their worship.
2:9 Amorite is used for the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan (Gen. 15:16). Since they were tall and strong, only Yahweh could have defeated them. Fruit above and his roots beneath: Totally.
2:10 The historical relationship upon which the covenant is based is here recited by Amos. God delivered the people and brought them to the land (see 3:1; 9:7).
2:11, 12 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
2:11 Amos considered himself one of the prophets God had raised up. Nazirites were dedicated wholly to God. The vow of the Nazirites prohibited them from drinking wine. Children of Israel: Israel was used to designate the 10 tribes who made up the northern kingdom as distinct from Judah, the southern kingdom. Here, however, he may merely be calling attention to their descent from Jacob, and thus all the people—both north and south—are included.
2:13 I am weighed down can be read “I will press you” or “I let [the ground] totter under you.” Cart full of sheaves: A metaphor drawn from the pastoral experience of Amos.
2:14–16 Amos presents successive scenes of the powerlessness of men too frightened to function properly. The appearance of Yahweh will render them helpless.
2:16 That day: The day God visits His people to carry out His plan of punishment. See note on 5:18–20.
3:1—6:14 Further oracles directed specifically against Israel to demonstrate Israel’s sin and God’s judgment.
3:1 Hear this word: A proclamation formula used by Amos (see 4:1; 5:1), directed specifically to the children of Israel (see note on 2:11).
3:2 You only have I known: God has a special relationship with Israel. This is expressed in the Hebrew word “to know.” It is more than cognitive, for God is aware of all the nations, as Amos so forcefully demonstrates in 1:3—2:3. Here it involves concern, pity, sympathy, and care. Because of this relationship Israel has special responsibility. God’s intent was to bless the world through their righteousness.
3:3–8 Amos uses a series of rhetorical questions involving well-known cause and effect relationships (vv. 3–6) designed to elicit a positive agreement from the audience. He lays a foundation for the explanation (vv. 7, 8) of his radical prophesying.
3:6, 7 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
3:8 Lion has roared: God has spoken (see 1:2).
3:9 Prominent people from Ashdod (see 1:8) and Egypt (the empire to the south) are summoned to come and see what Samaria (Israel) is like. Instead of order there are great tumults, and instead of justice there is oppression.
3:10 They had strayed so far for so long from doing right, that it had become an unfamiliar concept to them. Who store up: What is stored up is the result of violence and robbery, the proceeds from their wrongful acts.
3:12 The shepherd saved what he could to prove to the owner that the animal was killed by a wild beast, not stolen and sold by him. In the same way, only a chewed-up remnant of the rich of Samaria will be found.
3:13 Hear and testify: The prominent people (v. 9) are called upon to testify against Israel. House is a catchword in these verses. House of Jacob—the Israelites; Bethel—the house of God (v. 14); the winter house, the summer house, and the houses of ivory (v. 15). Both temple and mansion will be destroyed.
3:14 Altars of Bethel: Bethel marked the southern boundary of Israel, just 10 miles north of Jerusalem. Here Jeroboam I had set up one of the golden calves, and the city became a center of religious life.
3:15 Houses of ivory: Mansions decorated with ivory inlay (see 6:4).
4:1 Hear this word: See note on 3:1. Cows of Bashan: The wives of the principal men of Samaria are likened to the cows raised in the verdant pastures of Bashan in Transjordan. Mountain of Samaria: The capital city of the northern kingdom was built by Omri on a hill he purchased from Shemer (1 Kin. 16:24). Oppress the poor: The same charge of ruthless exploitation of the poor is brought against the women. Their desire for more wealth and luxury spurs their husbands to do more wicked deeds.
4:2 GOD has sworn emphasizes the solemnity and certainty of God’s action. His holiness is in contrast to the people’s wickedness. The days shall come are the days of Yahweh (5:18). Fishhooks: Assyrian reliefs depict prisoners led away with hooks through the nose or lip.
4:3 The meaning of Harmon is unclear. It may be the name of a place.
4:4–12 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
4:4 The customary priestly invitation is turned to sarcasm and irony by Amos as he calls the people to come and transgress. Similar irony is used by Jeremiah (Jer. 7:21). For Bethel see note on 3:14. Gilgal was an ancient shrine connected with Joshua (Josh. 4:19) and Saul (1 Sam. 11:14, 15). Sacrifices every morning: According to Ex. 29:38, 39, a lamb was to be offered every morning and evening. If this is a peace offering, the worshiper would do it only once a year or, at most, three times a year; thus, Amos is continuing his irony. Tithes: Usually considered to be a tenth of the yield of the land. Deut. (14:28; 26:12) speaks of paying tithes every three years. Amos may be using hyperbole by making it every three days, but sometimes the Hebrew word for “days” stands for years (see Lev. 25:29; 1 Sam. 27:7).
4:5 This you love: The people loved the form and ritual, but this is not what God wanted.
4:6–11 A series of “natural disasters” (famine, drought, crop-failure, plague, war, natural calamity) were used by God to awaken the people to their sin, but these have not been successful. They have not returned.
4:6 Cleanness of teeth: Their teeth were clean because they had nothing to eat.
4:11 Sodom and Gomorrah were totally destroyed by brimstone and fire from heaven (Gen. 19:24, 25).
4:12 Prepare to meet your God: Because Israel has not returned to God, God will now come to them in punishment. This is a solemn warning.
4:13 Amos inserts a part of a hymn here and at 5:8, 9 and 9:5, 6. All three share the same concluding line, The LORD … is His name. All portray God as Creator and Sustainer.
5:1 Hear this word: See note on 3:1. Lamentation: A dirge in the form of a funeral song. Amos considers Israel already dead.
5:2 Virgin of Israel: Or “Virgin Israel.” The phrase occurs for the first time in Scripture. Jeremiah uses the identical expression (Jer. 18:13; 31:4, 21) as a personification of the nation that has not yet been taken by another nation.
5:3 The cities, whether large or small, will have their armies cut down.
5:4 Seek Me: God, not the sanctuaries, is to be sought. If they turn to Him, there is a chance to live. This alternative to judgment is offered also in vv. 6, 14, and 24. Ps. 27:8 uses the expression, “Seek My face.” It was expected that God could be found at the sanctuaries, but the priests seem to have offered “life” through the cult offerings without stressing the kind of living required by those who “seek God.”
5:5 Bethel: See note on 3:14. Gilgal: See note on 4:4. Beersheba was in the south. Abraham (Gen. 21:31–33), Isaac (Gen. 26:23–25), and Jacob (Gen. 46:1) all worshiped God at Beersheba. It was a place of pilgrimage for some from Israel even after the kingdom divided. Bethel shall come to nothing: “Nothing” is the Hebrew word “aven.” Hosea speaks of Bethel with a similar pun, as Beth Aven, “House of Nothing” (Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5).
5:6 House of Joseph: The northern kingdom of Israel. Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Joseph.
5:7 Justice and righteousness are two of the most important concepts in the prophets. They are used in a similar way in v. 24 and 6:12. Righteousness is the quality of life demonstrated by those who live up to the established norms in a relationship. They “do right by” another person. Justice is the judicial process of determining who is right in a case of law. The just party was helped by the court. Amos’s contention is that the poor are not being defended in the court. Therefore, justice is not done. Wormwood: A plant of the genus Artemisia. The juice of the leaves has a bitter taste. In 6:12 it is used in parallel with “gall.”
5:8, 9 Part of a hymn. See note on 4:13.
5:8 Pleiades is the star cluster in the constellation Taurus, near the constellation Orion (see Job 9:9; 38:31). God is Creator and Sustainer. He regulates nature so that morning follows night and night follows day; waters are drawn up from the sea and return as rain to the sea (see Eccl. 1:7).
5:10 Who rebukes: This is the one who judges, reproves, or decides the case in the gate. Court was held in the gate of the city (see vv. 12, 15; Ruth 4:1).
5:11 Hewn stone: Most houses were made of mud brick or, at most, of uncut field stones. Only large public buildings, such as the temple, palace, and extravagant homes, used cut stones.
5:16, 17 The punishment of evildoers is portrayed as a funeral scene with wailing in the streets.
5:18–20 Israel looked on the day of the LORD as a time of joy and vindication. Israel would be exalted, her enemies brought low (see note on Obad. 15). Amos questions the validity of their assumptions. Darkness can be expected because it is God’s judgment upon Israel for sin. Two metaphors speak of persons who think they have escaped, only to find disaster: from the lion to the bear and from the supposed safety of the house to the serpent bite. Israel fell captive to Sargon II of Assyria within four decades in 722 B.C.
5:18 Woe is the cry of grief over the dead (1 Kin. 13:30; Jer. 22:18; 34:5). Here Amos uses it to call attention to impending doom (see 6:3).
5:21–24 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
5:21–24 The Lord does not delight in sacrifices at the shrines (vv. 21–23) as much as He delights in justice and righteousness in the courts and markets (v. 24). Unless the proper relationships are maintained between the worshiper and God and the worshiper and his neighbor, sacrifices are meaningless (see Is. 1:10–17). The list of feast days, sacred assemblies, burnt offerings, peace offerings, and songs makes it clear that all of Israel’s worship is rejected. The people were zealous in their public worship, but they neglected the weightier matters—justice and righteousness.
5:21 Hate is a very strong verb (see v. 15; Is. 1:14).
5:24 For justice and righteousness, see note on v. 7; Is. 1:10–17; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6–8.
5:25–27 Amos contends that sacrifice had no real place in the relationship of God with His people in the wilderness experience. Instead, Israel responded to God with obedience, justice, and righteousness (see Jer. 2:2, 3; Hos. 2:14–20).
5:26 Sikkuth and Chiun are difficult to identify. Their present forms are the result of reading the Hebrew consonants with the vowel letters for “abomination.” This process of disparaging the names of false gods is found also in 2 Sam. 2:8 (Ishbosheth for Ish-Baal) and 2 Kin. 1:2 (Baal-Zebub for Baal-Zebul). The gods were probably Sakkut and Kaiwan, both known as names for Saturn in Assyrian sources. Some prefer to translate “tabernacle” and “pedestal,” but names seem to have support from the LXX (the Greek translation of the OT) and Acts 7:43.
5:27 Ultimate punishment will be exile beyond Damascus, being removed from land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
6:1 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
6:1 The middle of the eighth century B.C. was a time of great economic prosperity for both Israel and Judah. Those at ease in Zion and those who trust in Mount Samaria are one of a kind. They are complacent because of their wealth and exalted position. They consider themselves the chief nation because of their newly acquired power and wealth. Their optimism is unwise.
6:2 Israel compares herself to Calneh and Hamath (two cities in the north taken by Jeroboam II) and Gath (a Philistine city conquered by Uzziah). They gloat over their exalted position.
6:3–8 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
6:3 Day of doom is another term for the Day of the Lord. See note on 5:18–20.
6:4 Beds of ivory: See note on 3:15.
6:5 Like David: See 1 Chr. 23:5; Neh. 12:36.
6:7 First of the captives: The upper class, usually better educated and trained, will be the first to go into exile, and they will “lead” the columns of refugees.
6:8 The Lord GOD has sworn: See note on 4:2.
6:10 Burn the bodies: Cremation was not a usual practice in Israel. The burning of the bodies of Saul and his sons (1 Sam. 31:12) is exceptional and seems to follow a Greek custom. If a pestilence was the cause of death, perhaps burning the body was practiced (as did also the Greeks), but there is no evidence for this. Hold your tongue continues the sense of dread. The speaker is interrupted so that he will not continue and inadvertently mention the name of the LORD. The Lord’s appearance was responsible for the disaster that has come upon the people, and the mention of His name may touch off another round of punishment.
6:12 Plow there with oxen: The Hebrew text may also be translated “plow the sea with an ox.” Either meaning would require an answer of “no.” For justice and righteousness, see note on 5:7. Wormwood: See note on 5:7.
6:13 Lo Debar and Karnaim are used as puns by Amos. Lo Debar, as Amos pronounced it, means “Nothing,” and Karnaim means “Horns,” which is a symbol for strength. Both were cities recovered by Jeroboam. Lo Debar is located in Gilead, and Karnaim was on the Yarmuk River farther to the northeast.
6:14 Hamath to the Valley of the Arabah indicates the full extent of the territory of Jeroboam (the Orontes River to the Dead Sea), just as Dan to Beersheba designates all the land of Israel and Judah.
7:1–9 Three of the five visions of Amos. The first two—locusts and fire—are relented because Amos intercedes with God and asks for a change in His intention. The third vision—the plumb line—is not relented.
7:1–3 Vision of locusts. See notes on Joel 1:4; 2:3.
7:1 Late crop: The late planting. It is uncertain whether this is a food crop, such as grain, or a grass that would provide pasture for the flocks and herds. The loss of either would be devastating for the people. King’s mowings: The tax or tribute due the king had already been collected.
7:3 Relented: Man’s way of describing God’s decision not to send the locusts. See v. 6.
7:4 Great deep: Either the underground water that is the source of springs and rivers, or the Mediterranean Sea. Territory: The area portioned out or assigned to Israel. See Mic. 2:4.
7:7, 8 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
7:7 A vision of a wall built with the use of a plumb line. The plumb line is symbolic. Israel had been built “true” to God’s standard; now she will be measured or tested by that same standard.
7:8 My people Israel: Israel will be judged as a covenant people. She has been tested and found defective. The principal structures, the shrines, and the dynasty, will be torn down. I will not pass by: The time of forgiveness has passed, and judgment is approaching. Amos has no opportunity to intercede for the people. Their fate is sealed.
7:10–17 The opposition of Amaziah, the priest of Bethel. This confrontation points up the tension between a functionary at the shrine and a prophet called by God. See a similar situation with Jeremiah and Pashhur in Jer. 20:1–6.
7:10 Amos has conspired: The prophets often interfered in the life of the monarchy. Ahijah informed Jeroboam I that God would tear the kingdom from Solomon, and Jeroboam would rule 10 tribes (1 Kin. 11:29–32). A man of God anointed Jehu king of Israel and instructed him to destroy the house of Ahab (2 Kin. 9:6–10).
7:12 Seer: An alternate term for prophet. There prophesy: Amaziah insinuates that Amos makes his living as a prophet; therefore, he should return to Judah and ply his trade there. This forms the basis for the reply in v. 14.
7:13 Amaziah was in command at Bethel and had authority to order Amos not to prophesy anymore at the sanctuary.
7:14, 15 See section 2 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Amos.
7:14 No prophet: Amos denies that he is a professional prophet. Sheepbreeder: See note on 1:1. Tender of sycamore fruit: The sycamore-fig tree is from the mulberry family. The fruit must be punctured or scraped while it is ripening so that it will sweeten and be edible.
7:15 Go, prophesy: Amos is in Bethel because God commanded him to go. Here is where he needs to be, not in Judah. And he is to prophesy to the people of Israel, not at his home in Judah. The authority is not Amaziah’s, but the Lord’s, and Amos must obey the Lord.
7:17 Amos does not stop prophesying, but he repeats his message of exile. This time the judgment is directed not to the house of Jeroboam, but to the family of Amaziah. Harlot: Deprived of family and support, the wife of Amaziah will have to support herself as a prostitute, or at the very least would be violated by the conquerors. Defiled land: A land where Amaziah will have difficulty observing the ritual laws of a priest. And Israel: These last two lines are a repetition of the summary of Amos’s message given by Amaziah in v. 11.
8:1–3 Amos’s fourth vision, a basket of summer fruit. The message is the same as the third vision (see 7:7–9).
8:2 A pun or sound-play is used with the Hebrew words for summer fruit (qayis)and end (qēs). The “end” has come for attempts to correct and for passing by. All that is left now is death and destruction. A similar wordplay is found in Jeremiah’s vision of the almond rod (Jer. 1:11, 12 and note). I will not pass by: See note on 7:8.
8:3 In that day: See note on Obad. 15. The sound of wailing and the sight of dead bodies will signal that the Day of the Lord has come. The songs of the temple will be silenced on that Day.
8:4–14 Indictments against religious hypocrisy. The wealthy are continuing in their religious duty, but are exploiting the poor. God will never forget their social injustices in spite of their being strict Sabbath-keepers.
8:5 The New Moon and Sabbath were days when all customary work was forbidden (Lev. 23:3; Num. 28:18; 29:6; Hos. 2:11). The ephah small and the shekel large are both means of cheating the customer through dishonest scales. The ephah was a dry measurement for grain, and the shekel was a basic weight for payment. Therefore, a small ephah and a large shekel meant the customer received less and paid more (see Deut. 25:13–16).
8:6 See note on 2:6. Bad wheat: A mixture of chaff and other impurities with the wheat.
8:7 In 4:2 and 6:8 God swore by Himself. In 6:8 the pride of Jacob is the people’s pride that God abhors. Here, however, it seems to be positive and may be a synonym for God Himself.
8:8 Using the analogy of the Nile River, which rose and fell annually, Amos speaks of an earthquake that will cause the land to heave and subside.
8:9 Sun go down: Amos earlier described that Day as one of darkness (5:18).
8:10 Sackcloth and baldness were signs of mourning (Gen. 37:34; Lev. 21:5; Jer. 16:6). An only son: This cut off all hope for the future.
8:11 Famine and drought were two of the punishments God had used against Israel (4:6–8). Now Amos speaks of a new kind of famine—a lack of the word of God. This refers specifically to the message delivered by a prophet. No assurance will be available that God has heard their cry for help. No direction from God will guide them in their time of need. All will be silent.
8:12 Sea to sea: From the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea. The whole extent of the land is meant. Seeking the word: Trying to find or obtain a divine oracle.
8:14 Sin of Samaria: Perhaps the goddess Ashimah, the patron deity of the men of Hamath. Prominent shrines were located at Dan and Beersheba. The use of these two names encompasses the whole of the land.
9:1–4 Amos’s fifth vision: the Lord standing by the altar. Destruction of the people is ordered; none will escape.
9:1 I saw the Lord: As Isaiah saw the Lord in the temple (Is. 6:1), so Amos sees the Lord. He is present, not to bring blessing and assurance but judgment and destruction. Doorposts: See Is. 6:4 where the doorposts were shaken. On the heads: The fall of the temple will kill most of the people (see Judg. 16:30). Flees: A scene similar to 5:19. No one will be able to escape.
9:2–4 No matter where mankind tries to flee, they will not escape. Every place belongs to God, and He is present. Hell and heaven are the extremes of the universe; Mt. Carmel and the bottom of the sea are the extremes of the Earth.
9:5, 6 Part of a hymn. See note on 4:13.
9:5 Swell like the River: See note on 8:8.
9:6 His strata: The Hebrew word is used of “something bound together.” Perhaps the idea is that the heavens are gathered and bound together as a vault, and the ends of this vault are on Earth.
9:7–10 Statements verifying how Israel can be Yahweh’s object of wrath rather than protection.
9:7 A series of rhetorical questions to emphasize the sovereignty and control of God over the nations. People of Ethiopia: The Ethiopians or Cushites lived in the Nile Valley, south of Syene, modern Aswan (Ezek. 29:10). The color of their skin is mentioned by Jeremiah (Jer. 13:23). They serve as slaves and officials (2 Sam. 18:21; Jer. 38:7), and they are from a distant country. Any of these factors may be the reason God mentions them here, for they are compared to the children of Israel. As they view the Ethiopians, so God views them. The Israelites can claim no more favored position than any other nation. Bring up Israel is a reference to the Exodus (see Ex. 20:2). Philistines from Caphtor: The migration of the Philistines (a part of the Sea Peoples) from Caphtor (Crete and parts of Asia) and the Syrians from Kir (see 1:5), occurred in the twelfth century B.C. The Philistines and Syrians had been enemies of Israel for centuries, but God claims His guiding hand was responsible for their presence.
9:8 The sinful kingdom is any nation that is morally guilty (see 1:3—2:8).
9:9 Sift: Shake. God will shake Israel as a sieve is shaken. In a large mesh screen the impurities, such as chaff and pebbles, are separated from the grain which falls through to the ground. This sifting by God will not allow the smallest grain (pebble) to fall through. Anything undesirable will be removed.
9:11–15 The restoration of Israel. In light of James’s quote of vv. 11, 12 in Acts 15:16, 17, the fulfillment of vv. 11–15 can be seen in the church. The returned remnant in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah will also fulfill Amos’s words.
9:11 On that day: See note on Obad. 15. Here, its blessings and not its punishments are emphasized. Tabernacle of David is literally a “booth” or “hut,” usually made of branches. Here it stands for the dynasty of David and its descendants, which is most often termed a “house” (2 Sam. 7:5, 11).
9:12 Remnant of Edom: Whatever is left of this enemy of Israel (1:11, 12). Edom was particularly hostile to Judah when the final assault was made on Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Obad. 11–15). Ultimately, God’s people shall possess all their enemies. All the Gentiles: All the nations that had ever been possessed by Yahweh (or by Israel) are referred to as those called by My name. They will be included in the future kingdom.
9:13–15 A poetic picture of the fertility of the land and the security and stability of life for God’s people, especially in His future kingdom. This blessing is seen as reversing the fortunes of the Israelites in Amos’s day (I will bring back the captives); conditions will be the opposite of those portrayed in 4:6–11.
9:13 The plowman … sows seed: The blessings will be so great that Amos compares them to land producing so quickly and so richly that it is difficult to finish one cycle before the next cycle begins.
9:15 I will plant: In v. 14 God says that the Israelites will plant vineyards and make gardens and enjoy the fruit of their labor. But God will also plant the people in their land, and they will never be pulled up. This promise reverses much of what has been proclaimed by Amos in the earlier part of the book. The restoration and blessing is usually associated with repentance on the part of God’s people. No mention of that is made here as Amos stresses God’s mercy and grace. The possession of the land is part of the promise to Abraham and his descendants, and its fulfillment is based on the unconditional blessing of God.
CHAPTER 1
* See WW at Ezek. 18:31.
1 Rules
2 Lit. House of Eden
* See WW at Judg. 5:31.
a Jer. 49:1; Ezek. 25:2; Zeph. 2:8, 9
a Deut. 3:11; 1 Chr. 20:1; Jer. 49:2
CHAPTER 2
a Is. 15:1–16; Jer. 25:21; Ezek. 25:8–11; Zeph. 2:8–11
a 2 Kin. 17:19; Hos. 12:2; Amos 3:2
c Is. 9:15, 16; 28:15; Jer. 16:19; Hab. 2:18
d Jer. 9:14; 16:11, 12; Ezek. 20:13, 16, 18
a Judg. 2:17–20; 2 Kin. 17:7–18; 18:12; Ezek. 22:1–13, 23–29