Commentary on Amos (No. F030)

Introduction

Amos is the Third book in terms of the OT Canon on the Twelve Prophets but is regarded as the First of them in time. The significance is examined in detail.

The name Amos is thought to have been derived from Amaziah (7:10) or Amasiah (2Chr. 17:16). The Talmudic Rabbis decided he must have been heavy of speech like Moses (cf. Soncino Intro., p. 81). He was a herdsman and dresser of sycamore trees (1:1, 7:14). While so employed he was called by God to go to Israel and inform them that their cup of wickedness was full and without their immediate repentance and return to God they would suffer dire punishment and captivity. This call by God forced him to leave his home in northern Judea and take up residence in Samaria and Bethel in order to deal with these centres of immorality and vice and of paganism and idolatry.

Amos is generally accepted as writing between the years 765 and 750 BCE in the reign of Jeroboam II (782-743). His book is listed third in the Canon but he is accepted to have been first of the later prophets and his work distances himself from the earlier prophets with whom corruption had entered their schools as we see from his writings. His denial of the prophets does not mean that he was not one but rather he condemned their corruption and was not one of them.

The earthquake to which he refers in 1:1 is held to have occurred in the time of Uzziah (Zech. 14:5). The eclipse of the sun referred to in 8:9 is calculated to have occurred in 763 BCE (cf. Soncino Intro., p. 81).

Once again we see the period of thirty and forty years come into play in the repentance of Israel (cf. also Cox. Commentary on Jonah (No. F032)). The warning is marked at 763-2 BCE and in 733 the Assyrians captured Damascus and made Israel a tributary system. In 723-2 they moved on Samaria and in 722 BCE the Israelites were taken into captivity and removed north of the Araxes not to return until the Second Advent of the Messiah.

He is acknowledged as attacking the corrupt priests and prophets in his writing and that he was killed by a blow to the forehead with an iron. The first view is that he was killed by a blow to the forehead by Uzziah with a glowing iron. The second is that he was killed with a blow struck by Amaziah priest of Bethel. Both accounts agree on the method of his death merely which authority did it (cf. Soncino, ibid). He was either killed by a leprous king of Judah or a corrupt priest of Israel. Either way, as usual, the prophets of God were killed in the course of their duty.

The Message

It is worth quoting the rabbinical view in that although they understand the thrust of the message Judah ignores it and is still under condemnation because of it. Modern Christianity also is absolutely condemned by the Twelve Prophets and Amos in particular.

“As an expounder of the moral and ethical aspects of religion the importance of Amos is pre-eminent. God is not the God of Israel only, but of the entire universe. Nor is His covenant with Israel indissoluble. They will be punished for their sins even more severely than other nations, and the evil which deserves most punishment is social injustice. Meticulous observance of ritual worship will not save them. Amos is most emphatic when denouncing the delusion that ritual of itself can have the approval of God Who demands righteousness and mercy. True, Israel was His chosen people, but the complement of privilege is obligation.

His message of eternal import is that society, if it is to exist, must rest on justice between man and man, as well as between nations. For Amos, honesty and fair dealing were the mainsprings of national welfare. His Golden Age is one in which noble thought and simplicity of life are harmoniously blended.”(Soncino, ibid).

It is however God that is issuing the prophecy at the end of Amos talking directly to Israel and aside from the prophecies we have mentioned in the Pentateuch and the mentions of the earlier prophets of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, Amos is acknowledged as the earliest prophecy that has survived intact.

The Book falls naturally into three divisions. The first two chapters are considered a preamble to the prophet’s thesis or more correctly the preparation through the prophet by God to deal with Israel.

Israel of all nations played the idolatrous harlot and as the other nations did not escape nor will Israel and God is about to deal with Israel first using a nation that has already been condemned. Then we will go on to deal with all nations as we see from the Twelve Prophets. Not one of these religious whores will survive and all will be brought to destruction.

The next four chapters deal with the people who looked upon their prosperity as a sign of their righteousness. This is still the fundamental flaw of the nations of Israel who still to this day do not understand that what they have been given was theirs by right of inheritance from Abraham and the Patriarchs and has nothing to do with their value as a people and their righteousness is as dirty rags in the eyes of God. The rot stems from Western Europe through the Commonwealth and all nations and especially the USA. The antinomianism of the so-called Modern Christians is about to be punished and Amos looks forward from the Assyrian captivity to the final war of the end and the Messiah. There can be no righteousness without God’s Law and Justice. Tsedek is the same word in Hebrew for both concepts.

Note the text identifies him as among the shepherds of Tekoa. This is part of the traditions of the prophets and the Qur’an says that there is no prophet that has not been a shepherd.

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Amos Chapters 1-9 (RSV)

Chapter 1

¹The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Teko'a, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzzi'ah king of Judah and in the days of Jerobo'am the son of Jo'ash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ²And he said: "The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers." ³Thus says the LORD:"For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron. ⁴So I will send a fire upon the house of Haz'ael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-ha'dad. ⁵I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and him that holds the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir," says the LORD. ⁶Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom. ⁷So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour her strongholds. ⁸I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and him that holds the scepter from Ash'kelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish," says the Lord GOD. ⁹Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. ¹⁰So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour her strongholds." ¹¹Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever. ¹²So I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah." ¹³Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have ripped up women with child in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border. ¹⁴So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour her strongholds, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind; ¹⁵and their king shall go into exile, he and his princes together," says the LORD. (RSV)

Intent of Chapter 1

Thus the nations to the north were taken into exile as a warning to Israel but they did not heed the warning.

Then Moab the son of Lot was destroyed for their persecution of Edom. Judah is prophesied against but their destruction was to be long after that of Israel with Israel out by 722 and Judah not destroyed until 586 CE.

The Syrians and Philistines and Edomites were to be destroyed, as was Tyre. These punishments were inflicted again and again and will carry through to the end in the Last Days. The 40 years of Repentance for Syria was given from the end of the Yom Kippur war in 1974 in May and the wars destroying Syria escalated from May 2014. Gaza also was enmeshed as was Lebanon. Edom is now part of Judaism.

Moab on the east bank of the Jordan at that time spoke a dialect of Hebrew and was subject to Israel until the reign of Ahab. The revolt of King Mesha against the authority of Ahab is referred to in 2Kings 3 and also on the Moabite stone.

Chapter 2

¹Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom. ²So I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ker'ioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet; ³I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and will slay all its princes with him," says the LORD. ⁴Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have rejected the law of the LORD, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked. ⁵So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem." ⁶Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes -- ⁷they that trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same maiden, so that my holy name is profaned; ⁸they lay themselves down beside every altar upon garments taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. ⁹"Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and who was as strong as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above, and his roots beneath. ¹⁰Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. ¹¹And I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?" says the LORD. ¹²"But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, `You shall not prophesy.' ¹³"Behold, I will press you down in your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses down. ¹⁴Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life; ¹⁵he who handles the bow shall not stand, and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself, nor shall he who rides the horse save his life; ¹⁶and he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day," says the LORD. (RSV)

Intent of Chapter 2

Moab was judged here. Ammon had been judged in Chapter 1. The judgment was more severe because Israel was commanded not to attack them and they attacked Israel (Deut. 2:4ff.). Thus the entire country of Jordan is judged and dealt with in this time. They were asked not to attack Israel in the 1967 war and they attacked them but abstained from the Yom Kippur War in 1973/4. Their refraining in the Last Days will keep them out of the hands of the Beast power of the North but they will be brought under the Nation of Israel under Messiah from the War of Hamon –Gog (No. 294).

Note that Israel is judged on sins of the flesh as well as corrupting the religious Nazarites and failure to carry out the prophecies of God and for suppressing the prophets and indeed killing them as they did to Amos himself. Father and son share the same woman and they persecute the righteous and sell them for silver. They take garments in pledge and go to the altar of the Lord as righteous. Israel today is worse than it was when this was written. God broke their military power on which they relied and He will do it again in the Last Days.

That on which they rely will be taken from them and they will be forced to rely on God alone.

v. 4 Amos proceeds to judgment on Judah for their sin in rejecting the Torah. This theme carries through also to the Last Days. To this very day they turn the Torah on its head with the Talmud and pervert the calendar with their traditions and the Babylonian intercalations. In Isa. 5:24 and Hos. 4:6 we see the same charges as Amos regarding the moral aspects of the law.

Their lies refer to the idols and false gods. They are extent today and people do not even realise their origins.

v. 5 A fire on Judah refers to the Babylonian destruction of 586 BCE.

Chapter 3

¹Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt: ²"You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. ³"Do two walk together, unless they have made an appointment? ⁴Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing? ⁵Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing? ⁶Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does evil befall a city, unless the LORD has done it? ⁷Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.⁸The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?" ⁹Proclaim to the strongholds in Assyria, and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Sama'ria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressions in her midst." ¹⁰"They do not know how to do right," says the LORD, "those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds." ¹¹Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "An adversary shall surround the land, and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered." ¹²Thus says the LORD: "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Sama'ria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed." ¹³"Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob," says the Lord GOD, the God of hosts, ¹⁴"that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. ¹⁵I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end," says the LORD. (RSV)

Intent of Chapter 3

In Chapter 3 God is speaking to the entire house of Israel which He brought out of Egypt and that includes Judah. In this chapter God states He does nothing save He first warns them through the prophets.

The fact is the no curse comes without its cause (Prov. 26:2).

Philistia and Egypt were summoned to come and witness the destruction of Israel. This was also to stand as a lesson to them over the Last Days. These two were punished and destroyed and Israel was to remember their fate and then in the Last Days all of their lands will be dealt with finally.

vv. 9-10 Mountains of Samaria: They were to be able to view the vices in Samaria from mountains surrounding them. The state has sunk to violent confusion through corruption and force. Their moral sense had become corrupted.

v. 14 The horns of the altar were grasped by those seeking sanctuary from God. The capacity to seek sanctuary from God will be removed. Some rabbinical sources even claim that the foundations of the altar are removed.

v. 15 The winter house is mentioned again in Jeremiah 36:22. It seems to refer to the opulence of the ruling classes versus the poor who have nothing. Their opulence will be removed and the ruling classes will be left with nothing.

The tribes were to be punished for their idolatry and the Sun cults and for what they did in Bethel. In this captivity the major sections of the Levites went into captivity also and the 24 divisions had to be recreated from the three divisions still in Judah so the Temple priesthood could function. It was a great blow to Levi throughout Israel. They all went into captivity beyond the Araxes and were absorbed among the northern Hittites or Celts.

vv. 11-12 we see that the prophecy was fulfilled and after thirty years Syria was surrounded and captured by the Assyrians after a three year siege. The costly furniture of Samaria so despised by Amos was broken up by the Assyrians.

Chapter 4

¹"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are in the mountain of Sama'ria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, `Bring, that we may drink!' ²The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks. ³And you shall go out through the breaches, every one straight before her; and you shall be cast forth into Harmon," says the LORD. ⁴"Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; ⁵offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!" says the Lord GOD. ⁶"I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me," says the LORD. ⁷"And I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain upon one city, and send no rain upon another city; one field would be rained upon, and the field on which it did not rain withered; ⁸so two or three cities wandered to one city to drink water, and were not satisfied; yet you did not return to me," says the LORD. ⁹"I smote you with blight and mildew; I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards; your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me," says the LORD. ¹⁰"I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I slew your young men with the sword; I carried away your horses; and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me," says the LORD. ¹¹"I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomor'rah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me," says the LORD. ¹²"Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!" ¹³For lo, he who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought; who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth -- the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name! (RSV)

Intent of Chapter 4

The text in Chapter 4 shows God is specifically against the women of Israel, the Cows of Bashan that oppress the poor. They are to be sent into captivity and punished for their idolatry and revelry at Bethel instigated by Jezebel in the Sun Cults. The corruption of Samaria was identified by Amos as emanating from the greed of its women and they are likened to cattle of Bashan.

This idolatry is seen in Israel to this very day.

Note the Lord of Hosts deals with Israel on a selective basis and forces them by groups and cities yet still they did not repent and turn to Him.

The text in verses 4-13 begins with Come to Bethel. This vein is similar to Elijah on Mt. Carmel (1Kgs. ch. 18). It rebukes their idolatrous hollow ceremonials from which they derive no satisfaction and are rejected by God who rebuked them by drought and fire, earthquakes, famine, pestilence and war. And still they did not listen.

For the message on Gilgal see the note on Hosea 4:15.

The sacrifices were done to false gods and the tithes were given to support the false system of Baal in Israel and it is so to this very day. The rolling of their sin which was the intent of Gilgal was not rolled away.

Chapter 5

¹Hear this word which I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: ²"Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up." ³For thus says the Lord GOD: "The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel." ⁴For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live; ⁵but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nought."⁶Seek the LORD and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel, ⁷O you who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth! ⁸He who made the Plei'ades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name, ⁹who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress. ¹⁰They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. ¹¹Therefore because you trample upon the poor and take from him exactions of wheat, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. ¹²For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins -- you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. ¹³Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time. ¹⁴Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. ¹⁵Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. ¹⁶Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord: "In all the squares there shall be wailing; and in all the streets they shall say, 'Alas! alas!' They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation, ¹⁷and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through the midst of you," says the LORD. ¹⁸Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light; ¹⁹as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned with his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. ²⁰Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? ²¹"I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. ²²Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon. ²³Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. ²⁴But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. ²⁵"Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? ²⁶You shall take up Sakkuth your king, and Kaiwan your star-god, your images, which you made for yourselves; ²⁷therefore I will take you into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

Intent of Chapter 5

Chapter Five goes on to deal with the structure of the disasters. There will be none to raise Israel up. The entire nation is to be decimated. The first verses are a dirge over Israel beginning with a lamentation. Israel is fallen. The verb is in the prophetic perfect and thus described as having taken place. She lies abandoned. This text thus goes on into prophecy.

The nation was decimated and thus was intended to not be strong again.

God is giving express direction to Israel saying that they are not to go to Gilead across the Jordan as they are to go into captivity before Samaria. Neither are they to ask assistance from the idol worshippers at Bethel nor are they permitted to go to Judah and occupy the southlands at Gilgal and Beersheba. None of that will help them. Alliances will be of no help and the Lord of Hosts will follow them wherever they go and persecute them.

If they turn to God they will live but they will not survive if they do not do that. God will inflict starvation and drought upon Israel until they repent and this will continue at the Last Days.

vv. 1-6 This religious system that destroyed Israel from Bethel is nurtured among Israel and they do not repent and they set up a system of injustice in their courts (gates).

The Sun Cults of Baal are to this day entrenched in Israel and they worship on the day of the Sun and they keep the Festivals of Christmas and Easter and for this they will be punished (see the paper The Origins of Christmas and Easter (No. 235)).

vv. 7-9 Their systems of injustice become entrenched. Corruption is everywhere and those in power hate to be reproved. Truth is cast to the ground. In the end God is forced to intervene. This goes on to the Last Days as we see the prophecy take us over time to the Day of the Lord. We are told to be prudent and to hate evil and love good and the Lord of Hosts will be with us. The injustice in the centuries before the Settlement of Canada and the US and of Australia and New Zealand was horrendous and God used that abuse to resettle the poor in other lands and to save many nations until the time of the end.

They have persecuted the faith and the speakers of truth and observers of the law of God over the centuries.

vv. 10-17 Corruption is everywhere in the Last Days and the prudent dare not say anything. It is only by the justice of the courts in Israel will it be saved. As it becomes more corrupt it will be punished.

The droughts cause the farmers mourning and the wine growers will lament.

vv. 18-20 The Day of the Lord is not the thing that the people should desire as they will be harmed in it without repentance.

vv. 21-23 God declares that He hates and despises their feasts. Many of the Churches of God have introduced the false calendar and their feasts do not fall on the commanded days such as they have done in the Hillel Calendar in Judah. In Israel the majority declare their assemblies as the Pagan rites of Baal as were worshipped at Bethel in the Sun and Mystery Cults of Christmas and Easter of the goddess. (See the papers God’s Calendar (No. 156); The Calendar and the Moon: Postponements or Festivals (No. 195); Distortion of God’s Calendar in Judah (No. 195B) and The Origins of Christmas and Easter (No. 235).) God will accept nothing from them anywhere.

vv. 24-27 It is the requirement that justice and moral and ethical conduct flow from the center of Israel and its religious system and it is not to be an empty shell as it is now.

Summary

The systems of worship in Israel are corrupted and God will not accept them.

Sakkuth and Kaiwan are pagan deities and the star of Chiun or Kaiwan or Remphan is still used in Judah even to this day. These are Babylonian and Assyrian deities found to this day and worshipped together. There they were forced to carry their foreign gods into Assyria and beyond, north of the Araxes. They will be dealt with again in the Last Days for the same sins.

Chapter 6

¹"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Sama'ria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come! ²Pass over to Calneh, and see; and thence go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory, ³O you who put far away the evil day, and bring near the seat of violence? ⁴"Woe to those who lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the stall; ⁵who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David invent for themselves instruments of music; ⁶who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! ⁷Therefore they shall now be the first of those to go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves shall pass away." ⁸The Lord GOD has sworn by himself (says the LORD, the God of hosts): "I abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his strongholds; and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it." ⁹And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die.¹⁰And when a man's kinsman, he who burns him, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, "Is there still any one with you?" he shall say, "No"; and he shall say, "Hush! We must not mention the name of the LORD." ¹¹For behold, the LORD commands, and the great house shall be smitten into fragments, and the little house into bits. ¹²Do horses run upon rocks? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood -- ¹³you who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, "Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?" ¹⁴"For behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel," says the LORD, the God of hosts; "and they shall oppress you from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of the Arabah."

Intent of Chapter 6

vv. 1-2 Note that Chapter six goes on to specifically reprimand Judah in Zion as well as Samaria indicating that the worship has permeated both.

vv. 3-9 Calneh and Hamath fell in 738 and 720 BCE.

Thus it is thought that they may have suffered earlier catastrophes to which Amos refers (cf. Soncino fn.). Gath is the principal city of the Philistines (cf. 1:6) and the text should be read to imply a rhetorical question to Israel i.e. Do you think you are better that you will escape their fates?

vv. 10-11 Thus the wealthy and powerful that were the rich and also the rich of Israel in the Last Days will be the first to be destroyed. Those who lay on ivory beds and hide from the destruction will be taken and burnt as will they of the Last Days also. They will die and none of the house will survive, and they will rely on relatives to burn them because of the plagues that will be inflicted on them; and especially in the Last Days those plagues will be great.

v. 14 God has turned His back on them and their prayers will be turned to punishment.

According to the Targum the Great House refers to Israel and the Little House refers to Judah. Both shall be smashed to pieces. The text refers to the perversion of justice. It is as dangerous to pervert justice as it is to ride horses on rocks and as useless as it is to plough the sea with oxen. Israel and Judah have perverted Justice and Righteousness into poison and wormwood. They are the same thing Tsedek.

Summary

Lo debar is a thing of nought or nothing. (A No-people, Deut. 32:21). They are concerned with the inconsequential and trivialities and that which lacks substance.

The name Karnaim means horns and is a wordplay used by Amos to deal with the names of Israel. Graetz is noted as suggesting that Lo Debar and Karnaim were place names in Gilead. Lidbir and Lo Dabar are listed in Joshua 13:26; 2Samuel 9:4f; 17:27. Ashtaroth Karnaim is mentioned in Genesis 14:5 and associated with the goddess Ashtaroth or Easter the consort of Baal worshipped in Israel to this very day. Gilead was the scene of war between Jeroboam II and the Syrians and Amos thus prophesied against them by using a play on words. The term “a nation” refers to Syria and onwards into the Last Days (cf. Soncino fns).

The term of Hamath unto the Brook of the Arabah is likened to Dan to Beersheba. Thus the whole country over which Israel rules will be overrun (cf. 2Kgs. 14:25). This prophecy of destruction concludes this section of the prophecy.

Chapter 7

¹Thus the Lord GOD showed me: behold, he was forming locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. ²When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, "O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!" ³The LORD repented concerning this; "It shall not be," said the LORD. ⁴Thus the Lord GOD showed me: behold, the Lord GOD was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. ⁵Then I said, "O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!" ⁶The LORD repented concerning this; "This also shall not be," said the Lord GOD. ⁷He showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. ⁸And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them; ⁹the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jerobo'am with the sword." ¹⁰Then Amazi'ah the priest of Bethel sent to Jerobo'am king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words.¹¹For thus Amos has said, `Jerobo'am shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'" ¹²And Amazi'ah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there; ¹³but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." ¹⁴Then Amos answered Amazi'ah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, ¹⁵and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, `Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' ¹⁶"Now therefore hear the word of the LORD. You say, `Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.' ¹⁷Therefore thus says the LORD: `Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'"

Intent of Chapter 7

The next phase begins with the First Vision: A Plague of Locusts.

Amos’ fervent intervention manages to stop the plague. Thus God is showing that it is only by the intervention of His servants the prophets will they be saved.

This continues right up until the end and it is only by the prayers of the elect will they be saved.

There are five visions.

vv. 1-2 The species of locusts used here to show that God was forming them was Gobai also used in Nahum 3:17. The latter growth (Heb. Lekesh the roots appearing in malkosh as the “latter rain”) refers to the growth of the crops in Spring.

The “King’s Mowings” was the tribute paid in kind to the kings of Israel in provender for the cavalry (cf. 1Kgs 18:5). After this tax had been paid people could cut the grass for their own use but the locusts came and devoured it (Driver).

The Hebrew word translated grass here is rendered herb in Genesis 1:12 and is a general term for vegetation.

v. 3 Amos basically said by using the term rise up that “How could Israel recover from such a disaster.” He also understood that the punishment was to be inflicted by God on a sinful people and hence asked for forgiveness for them. He argued that despite their view of their wealth their resources were considered too small to recover from the disaster.

The locusts were symbolic of the hordes from the North as used in later prophets e.g. Nahum for all the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions.

Thus Amos intervened on behalf of Israel. They were spared from the Northern Locusts but Judah was allowed to return to their lands after the destruction by the Babylonians so they could see the Messiah in their own lands.

vv. 4-6 Then the Lord God showed Amos that He was calling for a judgment by fire because they had not repented. Then the Lord dispersed Judah into the earth and destroyed Jerusalem by fire and scattered the church also.

The Soncino makes the point here that God is always citing the people before the bar of Judgment (e.g. Isa. 3:13; Jer. 2:9; Hos. 4:1 Mic. 6:1). The “great deep” was thought to refer to the oceans on which the earth was raised and critics argue that it was based on faulty science. However, the great deep has just been discovered by scientists as the great store of waters under the North American continent. That may be the threatened judgment of the Last Days that would swamp the earth.

It may also refer to the people of the world among which Israel and Judah were scattered.

vv. 7-9 The next vision concerned the Plumb Line. This was God’s Judgment against the House of Isaac and it was thus that Israel was sentenced to go into captivity due to the idolatry of its kings and its priests and its people.

vv. 10-17 Amaziah the Priest of Bethel tried then to get Amos killed and sought to prevent the captivity. In this way all the false priests and prophets have sought to silence the word of God in Israel.

Summary

God spoke His judgment on Israel and on the false prophets of the Sun cults in Israel and that judgment will be executed on them over the Last Days as well.

Then in the next chapter God takes Amos beyond the dispersal under the Assyrians where He likens Israel to a basket of summer fruit. This is the time of the end. It is the Fourth Vision.

Chapter 8

¹Thus the Lord GOD showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. ²And he said, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass by them. ³The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day," says the Lord GOD; "the dead bodies shall be many; in every place they shall be cast out in silence." ⁴Hear this, you who trample upon the needy, and bring the poor of the land to an end, ⁵saying, "When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great, and deal deceitfully with false balances, ⁶that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the refuse of the wheat?" ⁷The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: "Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. ⁸Shall not the land tremble on this account, and every one mourn who dwells in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?" ⁹"And on that day," says the Lord GOD, "I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight. ¹⁰I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day. ¹¹"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. ¹²They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it. ¹³"In that day the fair virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst. ¹⁴Those who swear by Ash'imah of Sama'ria, and say, `As thy god lives, O Dan,' and, `As the way of Beer-sheba lives,' they shall fall, and never rise again."

Intent of Chapter 8

God is now refusing to pass by Israel. He had destroyed the physical Temple but the Psalms were still sung. The New Moons and Sabbaths were properly kept on the correct days all over the time of Christ and up until the time of the destruction. They were not turned into wailings or howlings until the Last Days when the US Protestantism made the church services of Israel a complete farce and a disgrace and they have corrupted the world with their howlings. So-called Christianity keeps neither Sabbaths nor New Moons and no feasts except the feasts of the Sun God Baal and the Mystery Cults (see the paper Origins of Christmas and Easter (No. 235)). The Sardis Era of the Churches of God did away with the New Moons and the Feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread and kept the Holy Days on the wrong days according to Hillel and even the wrong months due to the Babylonian intercalations. For that they will go to the Second Resurrection as will the Laodicean system.

So also has Judah turned the New Moons into a farce and the Holy Days are never kept on the correct days except when there is no other choice or by accident.

vv. 4-6 Note that the deceit over the New Moons and Sabbaths is also attributed to the use of false weights and measures and deceit in their financial arrangements. Recently the US repaid the Germans in fake gold after causing the Global Financial Crisis with Fraudulent Collateralised Debt Obligations (CDOs).

God is intolerant of this conduct (cf. Lev. 19:35ff; Deut. 25:13ff; Prov. 20:10). The ephah was about eight gallons.

vv. 7-10 Note now what the Lord God of Israel has said about what He will do to them. This is in the Last Days in the very near future. If Israel does not repent they will die in large numbers and God will not spare them.

This will be at the time of the end when the people will not hear the words of the Living God from the mouths of the Churches of God and the last three prophets (Jer. 4:15-16; Rev. 11:3-14) will deal with them as God directs. This is the famine of the word of God which has been over the last century and the priests are measured and judged for it. All the Sunday worshipping priests of Baal are about to be dealt with and destroyed. Those that follow after them will in like manner suffer.

The eclipse of 15 June 763 BCE is assumed to have been taken as a herald of that fact (cf. Soncino n to v. 9).

The baldness referred to in verse 10 is a reference to the heathen practice in Arabia and Greece of shaving the forehead and leaving the hair on the tomb as to establish a covenant between the living and the dead and here condemned by God as a punishment. The death of an only son was the bitterest form of bereavement a couple could suffer in old age (cf. Jer. 6:26; Zech. 12:10).

vv. 11-14 The sin (Ashemath) of Samaria: The word for sin was a deliberate distortion of Ashima the name of a Syrian Goddess they had adopted in the Mother goddess system of Baal worship (cf. 2Kgs. 17:30). It is mentioned in Papyri discovered at Elephantine and some rabbinical authorities associate it with the Golden Calf introduced by Jeroboam 1. Thy God O Dan refers to the Golden calf set up there (1Kgs. 12:29). This Moon God Sin and the Sun Cults is endemic to Israel in the Last Days

The text: As the way of Beersheba lives is a reference to the pilgrimages to the idolatrous shrines especially among the Sun and Mystery Cults. That happens all over the world in the modern era. Muslims to this very day swear an oath by the sacred way to Mecca (G. A. Smith).

Summary

None of these people who seek knowledge from their false priests and false prophets will learn and repent and live. Only with the removal of the false priests of the Sun cults will they live.

God has said that none of them shall escape judgment. Their structures will be destroyed and their people put to the sword. They will not escape.

We go on to the final destruction in the next chapter; The Fifth Vision, God’s Sentence of Israel.

Chapter 9

¹I saw the LORD standing beside the altar, and he said: "Smite the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and what are left of them I will slay with the sword; not one of them shall flee away, not one of them shall escape. ²"Though they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. ³Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search out and take them; and though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them. ⁴And though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall slay them; and I will set my eyes upon them for evil and not for good." ⁵The Lord, GOD of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises like the Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt; ⁶who builds his upper chambers in the heavens, and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth -- the LORD is his name. ⁷"Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, O people of Israel?" says the LORD. "Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir? ⁸Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground; except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob," says the LORD. ⁹"For lo, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes with a sieve, but no pebble shall fall upon the earth. ¹⁰All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, `Evil shall not overtake or meet us.' ¹¹"In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; ¹²that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name," says the LORD who does this. ¹³"Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. ¹⁴I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. ¹⁵I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be plucked up out of the land which I have given them," says the LORD your God.

Intent of Chapter 9

vv. 1-3 They can dig bunkers of protection and hide in the rocks of the earth but they will not escape. This is the section of Revelation that shows that the kings of the earth hide underground and seek to avoid the wrath of God in the coming of the Messiah, but they will not escape. They have nowhere to hide.

Note that even in captivity in the Last Days they will not escape. There is only one way and that is to repent and call on the name of God and obey His Laws. There is no escape.

Each person that desires to enter the millennial system will have repented and be baptized and keep the Sabbaths, New Moons and the Feast of God.

Not one devotee of the Sun cults will remain alive unrepentant.

The reference to Carmel refers to the fact that it was a high mountain (1800 ft.) laced with serpentine limestone caves exceeding 2000 in number and in the days of Strabo were inhabited by robbers hiding in the caves and forests (cf. Soncino).

Their escape to the sea will simply see more attacks and God will set his eyes upon them for their punishment and not for gain.

vv. 4-10 The sinful kingdom refers to the entire nation of Israel and Judah. The surviving remnant will not belong to Judah only but to Israel desolate (cf. also v. 11).

The last grain is lit. pebble and the dispersion of the people is like grain through a sieve. The Day of the Lord is a time of discipline and purification.

Thus Israel will be sifted and all those in it who sin and do not repent will die. Only those that repent will live. Then the world will face the First Resurrection and the restoration of the Booth of David. This is a reference to the sons of God at the resurrection of the House of David referred to in Zechariah 12:8 which is the church under Jesus Christ the Angel of the Lord at their head.

vv. 11-12 The remnant of Edom is the reference to the Edomites that are now part of the remnant of Judah among Judaism and all the nations refers to the Sons of Isaac by whom Israel is known.

vv. 13-15 Then God will restore Israel. This restoration is that mentioned in Isaiah chapters 65 and 66 through its entirety to the Second Resurrection and also in Zechariah 14:16-19 through the Millennium.

Summary

So from the return of the Messiah, Israel and Judah will be sifted like wheat. They will be judged and restored and corrected.

The saints will form the household of David as it was on Zion before the Temple of Solomon representing the elect of the First Resurrection and the Temple being the full City of God.

The human race with the Angelic Host will then form the basis of the City of God in what will become the Garden of Eden restored in the Millennium and the Second Resurrection.

Notes on the Hebrew of the original text

The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel used the name of God Yahovih (SHD 3069) which refers to the One True God Eloah as Ha Elohim. It is read by the rabbis as Elohim and not Adonai. Strong makes this important observation in his Exhaustive Concordance in reference to 3068 Yahovah and 3069 Yahovih. They are two or more beings.

Amos continues this important naming whereas the others of the twelve prophets only use 3069 in Micah 1:2; Zephaniah 1:7 and Zechariah 9:14. In the works of the prophet Zechariah the term Yahovah Sabaioth is used 44 times in chapters 1-8 and nine times in chapters 9-14 where it is Yahovah Sabaioth that speaks and is characteristic of the prophecies in Zechariah.

In Amos the word Yahovih for the One True God is used 22 times: at Amos 1:8; 3:7,8,11,13; 4:2,5; 5:3; 6:8; 7:1,2,4,4,5,6; 8:1,3,9,11; 9:5,8,15. Other instances use elohim for the God of Hosts and for elohim in general.

The use of Yahovih 22 times is the number of completion and refers only to the One True God and is a stamp of the prophecy taking the sequence to the Last Days. Elohim is used only 11 times, indicating the sequence of incompleteness regarding the elohim and the creation of God, whereas the prophecy is complete and finished in the sequence to the Last Days. For comparison: the use of elohim 11 times and translated God and SHD 410 only once occurs in Micah and Yahovih is used only once. Yahovah is used 37 times in that sequence and translated Lord. SHD 136 is used twice with the other words for the Lord of the Temple and Lord God and SHD 113 is used once for Lord of the Whole earth.

Yahovah 3068 is used in Amos 60 times and translated as Lord. This is the number of the plan of creation multiplied as a sequence.

SHD 136 occurs 25 times and is coupled with and as Lord God or God of Hosts the Lord.

These number sequences are stamps of authority and differentiate the beings and prophecies and are a verification of the authority of the texts.

It also shows that the translators knew that SHD 3069 Yahovih was the One True God and translated it that way and rendered Yahovah as according to its prefixes.

This shows the insanity of referring to God simply as Yahweh as the term does not exist in Hebrew and has no meaning aside from the specific words of the texts.

We will examine the other aspect in Hosea and Micah.

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Bullinger’s Notes on Chs. 1-9 (for KJV)

Chapter 1

Verse 1

TITLE. The words of Amos. But the words of Yahovah by Amos. See 1:3.

Amos = Burden.

herdmen = shepherds. Heb. nokdim; so called from a peculiar breed of stunted sheep (with fine wool). Mesha was called a noked, rendered "sheepmaster" (2Kgs 3:4). See Ap. 54. Occurs only in these two places. But Amos was also a herdman, as is clear from 7:14; where boker is from bakar, an ox, and hence is connected with ploughing (1Kgs 19:19, 21, &c.) See note on 7:14.

Tekoa. Now Khan Telkua, five miles south of Bethlehem, and ten from Jerusalem. Cp. 2Sa 14:2. 2Ch 20:20.

which = which [words].

saw = saw [in a vision]. Cp. Num 24:4, 16. Isa 30:10. Eze 12:27.

Israel. This gives us the subject of the book. in the days. Cp. Hos 1:1.

Jeroboam. See 7:10.

two years before the earthquake: i.e. before the one well known and remembered. Cp. Zec. 14:5.

the earthquake. Fig. Hysteresis. Ap. 6.

Verse 2

The LORD. Heb. Yahovah. Ap. 4. This title is not the usual one in this book.

roar = roar as a lion, or thunder. It is always, when predicated of the Lord, connected with the end of Gentile dominion. Cp. Jer 25:30, Joe 3:16.

utter = give out.

habitations = pastures.

shepherds. Not the same word as in 1:1, but the usual word (raah = tenders).

top of Carmel. Mount Carmel in the north, thus embracing the whole land; now Jebel Kurmul; not Carmel in Judah (south of Hebron); now el Kurmul. Cp. 1Sa 25:2. Isa 33:9.

wither = be dried up.

Verse 3

Thus saith the LORD. Yahovah's words: not the words of Amos. The prophetic formula. See Ap. 82. See the twelve with Yahovah, in vv. 3:6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6; 8:12; 5:4; 16; 7:17; and the two with Adonai Yahovah in 3:11; 5:3.

three . . . four. Hebrew idiom to express several, or many (Job 33:29, marg.) Cp. Pro 30:15, 18, 21, 29.

transgressions. Heb. pasha. Ap. 44.

turn away = turn it back, or avert it. the punishment thereof. There is no Ellipsis to be supplied, and no separate Heb. word for "thereof". The Heb. is lo' ashibennu, I will not cause it to turn back: i.e. I will not avert it.

The pronoun "it" is masc., agreeing with and referring to earthquake (v. 1), and means that Yahovah would not avert it. So in all the eight occurrences (vv. 3:6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6).

thrashed Gilead. Cp. Joe 8:14. The very term used in 2Kgs 13:7.

With = [as it were] with. Fig. Hypocatastasis. Ap. 6.

Verse 4

I will send a fire. Cp. 1:7, 10, 12; 2:2, 5. Refer to Jer. 17:27; 49:27; 50:32. Hos. 8:14.

Hazael. Cp. 2Kgs 8:12; 10:32, 33; 13:3.

palaces: or fortresses. Heb. 'armon. Occurs (in pl.) twelve times in Amos (see Ap. 10): 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14; 2:2, 5; 3:9, 10, 11; 6:8; seven times with the verb "devour" (Heb. akal).

Ben-hadad. An official title of the Syrian kings = son of Hadad i.e. the sun-god. The Ben-hadad of 2Kgs 13:3; not of 2Kgs 8:7-15.

Verse 5

the bar. Note the Fig. Metalepsis (Ap. 6), by which "bar" is put by Fig. Metalepsis, Ap. 6, for the gates, and then the gates put for defence of the city. Cp. Deut. 3:5. 1Kgs. 4:13. Jer. 51:30. Lam. 2:9.

the inhabitant: or, him that is seated: i.e. the ruler, corresponding with the next line.

Avon. Same a Beth-aven, east of Beth-el, belonging to Benjamin. Cp. Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5, 8.

the house of Eden = Beth-eden.

Kir. So in 9:7, 2Kgs 16:9. Isa. 22:6.

Verse 6

Gaza (Ghuzzeh), in Philistia.

the whole captivity = a wholesale captivity.

captivity = captives. Put by Fig. Metonymy (of Adjunct), Ap. 6, for a whole body of captives. See Jer. 13:19. Cp. Jer. 47:1. 2Ch. 21:16, 17; 28:17.

Verse 7

wall. Put by Fig. Synecdoche (of Part), Ap. 6, for the whole city.

Verse 8

Ashdod. Afterward called by the Greeks, "Azotus". Now Esclud, in the plain of Philistia, thirty-five miles north of Gaza.

Ashkelon. Now 'Askalan, on the coast of Philistia.

Ekron. Afterward, Greek, "Accaron" (1 Macc. 10.89), Now 'Akir, six miles west of Gezer. For "Gezer "see Bullinger’s note on 1Kgs. 9:15-17.

saith = hath said.

the Lord GOD. Heb. Adonai Jehovah. Ap. 4. and II. This Divine title occurs twenty-one times (7 x 3. See Ap. 10) in this book (1:8, 3, 7, 8, 11, 13; 4:2, 5; 5:3; 6:8; 7:1-6; 8:1, 3, 9, 11; 9:5, 8). For "thus hath said Adonai Jehovah" See 3:11.

Verse 11

Edom. Cp. Isa,. 21:11; 34:5. Jer. 49:8, etc. Ezek. 25:12-14; Ezek. 35:2. Joel 3:19; Oba. 1:1. Mal. 1:4.

because, etc. Ref. to Pent. (Gen 27:41. Cp. Deut. 23:7). (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 92. Cp. Mal. 1:2.

his brother. Ref. to Pent. (Gen. 25:24-26).

tear perpetually : or, tear [his prey] perpetually. Ginsburg thinks = kept his grudge. Cp. 2Chr. 28:17.

he. The 1611 edition of the A.V. omits "he".

Verse 12

Teman. Cp. Jer. 49:7. Oba. 1:9. Hab. 3:3. Eliphaz was a Temanite (Job 2:11, &c.)

Bozrah; Now el Buseirah, south-east of the Dead Sea.

Verse 13

children = sons.

Ammon. Cp. 1Sa 11:1.

ripped up, &c. Foretold in Hos 13:16. 2Ki 8:12; 15, 16.

that they might, &c. Cp. Jer. 49:1.

14 Rabbah. Now 'Amman (on the highlands of Gilead), "the city of waters", twenty-five miles north of the Dead Sea. Cp. 2Sam. 11:1, and 2Sam. 12:26, 27. Jer. 49:2. Ref. to Pent. (Deut. 3:10, 11). Ap. 92.

shouting = a great war-cry.

the day of battle: i.e. the day of their foe's tumultuous assault.

Verse 15

he. Ginsburg thinks it = his priests, with Sept.

(cf. Companion Bible).

Their king (Malkam). The same consonants with different vowel points give Milcom the god of the Ammonites (1Kgs 11:5). This is allegedly referring to the polic of their rulers in its presentation but it is referring to the entire religious structure of these people (cf. Soncino).

Chapter 2

Verse 1

Burned ...lime. So vindictive were the Moabites that they would not allow the dead to rest and they were judged here because they burned the bones of the King of Edom (an enemy of Israel) to lime. Thus the judgment here in Amos shows God’s impartiality in the judgment of these tribes.

Verse 2

Kirioth: lit., his cities. Now el Kureiyat, or Kiraiathaim, between Dibon and Medeba. (cf. Jer. 48:24) Mentioned by Mesha on the Moabite Stone. (See Comp. Bible, Ap. 54.) Centre of the worship of Chemosh.

shouting = war-cry. Cp. 1:14

trumpet. Heb, shophar.

Verse 3

Judge = ruler (sceptre-holder; Num. 24:17)

Verse 6

they sold. Ref. to Pent. (Lev. 25:39. Deut. 15:12). Comp. Bible, Ap. 92, A Hebrew might sell himself, but not his brother or an insolvent debtor (2Kgs. 4:1; Neh. 5:5),

the righteous = the righteous one.

the poor = a needy one. Heb. ebyon. (cf. also Pro. 6:11).

a pair of shoes. Put by Fig. Metonymy (of Adjunct), see Comp. Bible, Ap. 6, for the title-deeds of which it was the token (Cp. Rth. 4:7).

Verse 7

pant = crush. Heb. shaaph, A Homonymyn, meaning (1) to gasp or long for (Job 7:2; 36:20, Psa. 119:131. Ecc. 1:5. Jer 2:24); (2) to crush (like shuph in Gen. 3:15 Rendered "swallow up" in 8:4. Job 5:5. Psa. 56:1, 2; 57:3. Ezek. 36:3. So here it = crush. See Oxford Gesenius, p. 983, vol. 2. Render: "crush the head of the poor ones in the dust of the earth".

the poor = impoverished ones. Heb. dal (pl.) See note on "poverty", Pro 6:11. Not the same word as in 2:6.

turn aside the way = pervert their whole way.

the meek = humble ones, Heb, pl. of `ani, See note on "poverty", Pro 6:11

a man. Heb. 'ish. Ap. 14.

and his father. This was done in the Canaanite idolatry, with the women of the temples, called Kadeshoth (fem.) and Kadeshhim (masc.)

maid = a young person (male or female). So called because of youthful vigour.

to profane, &c. This marks the result, not the intention, and shows the enormity of the sin in Yahovah's sight. Ref. to Pent, (Lev. 18:21; 20:3). (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 92). Cp. Isa. 48:11. Ezek. 20:9, 14; 36:20-23, Rom. 2:24. 1Cor. 5:1.

holy. See note on Exo. 3:5.

Verse 8

lay themselves down, &c. Ref. to Pent. (Exo. 22:26. Deut. 24:12), (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 92). every altar. The sin lay in the fact that the law of the one altar had been known as an ancient commandment as well as the law concerning the restoration of pledged garments.

wine, Heb. Yayin. Cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 27.I and Wine in the Bible (No. 188).

of the condemned: or, exacted wine.

Verse 9

Yet. Former blessings now cited to heighten the crime of their fivefold rebellion.

the Amorite. Ref. to Pent. (Num. 21:24. Deut. 2:32-34). (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 92). Cp. Jos. 24:8. These being the descendants of the Nephilim were all to have been destroyed, with the other Canaanite nations, by the sword of Israel. (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 23 and Ap. 25).

them. Some codices, with three early printed editions, read "you".

height. Ref. to Pent. (Num. 21:24. Deut. 2:32-34).(cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 92).

Verse 11

I raised up, &c. Not till the priests had failed in their duty to teach the law. See Lev. 10:8, 11. Deut. 33:8, 10. Prophets were not provided originally for Nazarites; Ref to Pent. (Num. 6:2). (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 92.

It is not . . . ? Fig. Erotesis. Ap. 6.

Children = sons.

saith the Lord = [is] Yahovah's oracle.

Verse 16

courageous = stout in heart. (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 92).

naked: or, armourless.

(cf. Bullinger, Companion Bible.)

Chapter 3

Verse 1

the LORD. Heb. Yahovah.

children = sons. Some codices, with one early printed edition, Aram, and Sept., read "house". Either reading shows that these chapters relate to the twelve-tribed nation.

I brought up, etc. Ref. to Pent. (Exo. 12:51, etc.)

you only have I known, etc. See the Structure above. Ref. to Pent. (Deut. 7:6). (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 92; cf. Ps. 147:19, 20.)

earth = soil. Heb. addamah.

punish you = visit upon you, as in 3:14. Ref. to Pent. (Exo. 32:34). (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 92)

iniquities. Heb. `avah. (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 44).

Verse 3

Can two . . . ? Fig. Erotesis (in neg. affirmation). Ap. 6. This is the first of five parables. The answer to each is self-evident,

be agreed = have met together by appointment [of time and (place].

Verse 6

Shall . . . ? Fig Erotesis. (cf. Comp Bible, Ap. 6).

trumpet. Heb. shophar.

not be afraid = not run together.

evil = calamity; as in 5:13. Ps. 141:5.

Heb. ra'a'. = evil: not moral evil, but evil inflicted in judgment, (as in 5:13. Isa. 45:7. Jer. 18:11. Lam. 3:38).

and the LORD hath not done it? With the true meaning of "evil" Bullinger is of the view that there is no need to do violence to the Heb. to defend Yahovah's righteous dealings.

done = inflicted.

Verse 8

The lion hath roared. Fig. Hypocatastasis (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 6).

the Lord GOD hath spoken. Fig. Hermeneia (cf also Ap. 6 ibid). Explaining the Fig. Hypocatastasis. in the preceding line.

who can but prophesy ? Fig. Erotesis. (cf. Ap. 6 ibid). Some modern critics alter the Heb. to "be frightened", not seeing that it is through the prophets that God speaks (Heb 1:1).

Verse 9

PALACES. See note on Amos 1:4. THE OPPRESSED. oppressive acts. Hebrew. _'ashukim =_ oppressed by violent and forcible exactions. Occurs only here; Job 35:9. and Ecclesiastes 4:1. Reference to Pentateuch Leviticus 19:13.Deuteronomy 24:14; Deuteronomy 24:14

Verse 10

THEY KNOW NOT. Marking the Structure. RIGHT. straight forward. Hebrew. _nakah_. A rare word. Occurs only in 2 Samuel 15:3.Proverbs 8:9 ("plain"); Amo 24:26. Isaiah 26:10 ("uprightness"); Amo 30:10 ("right things"); Amo 57:2 ("uprightness"); Amo 59:14 ("equity"). SAITH THE LORD. [is] Jehovah's orac...

Verse 11

THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD. The first of three occurrences of this formula in Amos. See note on Amos 1:3. AN ADVERSARY. An adversary [shall] come. Figure of speech _Ellipsis_. App-6. Compare 2 Kings 17:3 2 Kings 17:6. 2 Kings 18:9; 2 Kings 18:10; 2 Kings 18:11

Verse 12

taketh = rescueth, like a brand plucked from the burning.

a piece = the tip.

in a couch = [in the corner of] a couch: i.e. luxuriously. Cp. 6:1-4. Ellipsis (of Repetition). (cf. Ap. 6, ibid).

Verse 13

THE HOUSE OF JACOB: i.e. the whole of the natural seed. See note on Amos 3:1. GOD. Hebrew. _Elohim_. App-4. SAITH THE LORD GOD, THE GOD OF HOSTS. [is] the oracle of Adonai, the Elohim of Zebaioth....

Verse 14

IN THE DAY THAT, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 32:34). App-92. GROUND. earth. Hebrew. _erez_....

Verse 15

WINTER HOUSE. Compare Jeremiah 36:22. SUMMER HOUSE. Compare Judges 3:20. HOUSES OF IVORY. Put by Figure of speech _Synecdoche_ (of the Whole), App-6, for the parts inlaid, paneled, or overlaid with ivory. Compare 1 Kings 22:39; Psalms 45:8. THE GREAT. many....

Chapter 4

Verse 3

cow, i.e. woman.

at that which is before her = each woman through the breach [in the wall of Samaria].

before her i.e. without turning to the left or right. Cp. Jos. 6:5, 20.

ye shall cast them into the palace. Palace, Heb. harmon (see note on 1:4). Here it is Ha-Harmonah, which forms the Fig. Paronomasia (cf. Comp. Bible, Ap. 6) with 'arman (3:11). The clause is to be interpreted by 3:11, 12, end 5:27, and would then read: "ye shall be cast forth toward Ha-Harmon". The place is not known, but it may mean "ye women who are at ease in your palaces" (arman, 3:11, 12) will be cast forth into Ha-Harmonah: into exile. The text is not necessarily "corrupt" because we do not happen to know a place of that name.

Verse 4

Come to Beth-el, etc. Here we have Divine irony, as though it meant "Fill up the measure of your iniquity". Cp. Mat. 23:32.

transgress . . . transgression. Heb. pasha'. Ap. 44.

Beth-el . . . Gilgal. Cp. 3:14; 5:5; Hos 4:15; 9:15; 12:11.

after three years. The ref is to the Pent. (Num. 28:3. Deut. 14:28), (Ap. 92 ibid); not to "days", or to modern "Mohammedan pilgrimages".

Verse 7

The heavy rains of winter occur from the end of October to the end of February. The “Latter Rain” is in March and April.

The three months to the harvest is when the soil needs the rain most. To aggravate the punishment it falls where it is least needed and does not fall where it is needed.

Verse 9

Why build gardens since they will all be destroyed.

Palmerworm is also in Joel 1:4.

Verse10

The way of Egypt is better in the manner of Egypt (cf. Isa. 10:24,26) and as severe as Egypt (cf. Ex. 9:3ff).

Verse 12

prepare to meet, etc. i.e. in judgment. cf. Ezek. 13:5; 22:30. Verses 11 and 12 are not "out of place" or an "interpolation", but are required by the Structure, "M", (Bullinger, p. 1236).

Verse 13

CREATETH. Some modern critics allege that this word (Hebrew. _bara, Genesis 1_ Amos 1:1) was not used before the time of Jeremiah; but it is used, besides the Pentateuch, in Psalms 51:10; Psalms 89:12; Psalms 89:47; Psalms 102:18; Psalms 104:30; Psalms 148:5. ..

Chapter 5

Verse 1

take up = lift up as a burden.

lamentation = dirge.

house of Israel. See note on Amos 8:1 .

Verse 2

virgin. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for the house of Israel, a young girl who is beloved, as in Hosea. Compare Isaiah 37:22 ; Isaiah 47:1 .Jeremiah 14:17 ; Jeremiah 46:11 , &c.

she. Some codices, with one early printed edition, Syriac and Vulgate, read "and shall not": i.e. cannot rise again.

land = soil. Hebrew. 'adamah.

there. Some codices read "and [there]".

Verse 3

the Lord GOD. Hebrew. Adonai Jehovah . App-4 .

went out = goeth out [to war].

by a thousand = a thousand strong. Ref to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:30 ). App-92 .

by an hundred = a hundred strong.

to = [belonging] to.

Verse 4

thus saith. Note the prophetic formula (see App-82 ), introducing the exhortation, and emphasising it.

the Lord . Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

Seek ye Me, &c.

Note this word "seek" in the several exhortations. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 12:5 ). App-92 . As in Psalms 9:10 . Isaiah 9:13 .Jeremiah 10:21 .Hosea 10:12 .Zephaniah 1:6 .

ye shall live. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 18:5 , see note there. Deuteronomy 30:19 ). App-92 . Compare Isaiah 55:3 .

Verse 5

Bethel. Gilgal. Beer-sheba. Compare Hosea 4:15 ; Hosea 10:8 . These were the seats of Israel's idolatrous worship.

pass not = pass not through; which was necessary in order to get from the north to Beer-sheba in the south. Compare Amos 4:4 ; Amos 8:14 .

Gilgal shall surely go into captivity. Note the Figure of speech Paronomasia ( App-6 ), for emphasis. Hebrew. Gilgal galoh yigleh = The Roller, rolling, shall roll away : i.e. be utterly removed. This is emphasized by the Figure of speech Polyptoton ( App-6 ).

Verse 6

Joseph. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Part), App-6 , for the whole Northern Kingdom.

Verse 7

wormwood. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 29:18 ).

leave off. in = cast down. to.

Verse 8

the seven stars. Hebrew. kimah = cluster. Modern name, the Pleiades. See notes on Job 9:9 ; Job 38:31 , Job 38:32 . Compare Isaiah 13:10 ; and see App-12 .

Orion. Hebrew. kesel = rigidity, strength; from kesalim = loins (Job 15:27 ): hence, "confidence" derived from strength (Job 8:14 ; Job 31:24 , where the Septuagint has ichun = strength. Psalms 78:7 . Proverbs 3:26 ). In the Denderah Zodiac his name is oar , from the Hebrew root 'Or = light: hence the glorious One. See App-12 . Compare Job 9:9 ; Job 38:31 .

the shadow of death. Hebrew. tzalmaveth . Not "a late word". We find it ten times in Job; four times in Psalms. Isaiah 9:2 .Jeremiah 2:6 ; Jeremiah 13:16 .

Maketh the day, &c. Compare Psalms 104:20 .

That = [Seek Him] That.

calleth, &c. Compare Amos 9:6 . Job 38:34 .Isaiah 48:13 .

is = it[is].

Verse 9

strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong = that makes destruction to corns suddenly to flash upon the strong.

so that the, &c = and destruction will come upon the fortress.

Verse 10

They hate, &c. The connection is not "difficult". The Structure is the commentary. Compare Isaiah 29:21 .

him that rebuketh, &c. = the reprover.

in the gate: i.e. before the judge.

uprightly = truthfully.

Verse 11

the poor an impoverished one. Hebrew. dal, See note on "poverty", Proverbs 6:11 .

burdens = exaction. Singular.

ye have built, &c. Reference to Deut. (Deuteronomy 28:30 , Deuteronomy 28:39 ).

pleasant vineyards = vineyards of desire. wine. Hebrew. yayin. App-27 .

Verse 12

transgressions. Hebrew pasha. App-44 .

sins. Hebrew. chata App-44 .

they afflict = oppressors [as ye are] of.

the just = a righteous one.

take a bribe. Reference to Pentateuch (Numbers 35:31 , Numbers 35:32 , the same word). App-92 , turn aside. Reference to Pentateuch, (Exodus 23:6 . Deuteronomy 16:19 ; Deuteronomy 24:17 . The same Hebrew word in all three cases). App-92 , Compare Isaiah 29:21 .Malachi 3:5 .

the poor' needy ones. Hebrew. 'ebyee . See note on "poverty", Proverbs 6:11 . Compare Amos 2:7 . Isaiah 29:21 .

Verse 13

Therefore, &c. Compare Proverbs 28:11 , Proverbs 28:28 . an evil time, a time of calamity. Hebrew raa'. App-44 . See note on Amos 3:6 .

Verse 14

Seek good. Note the Structure ("u1", "u2":u3", p. 1237).

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

as = according as. Compare Micah 3:11 .

Verse 15

Hate the evil, he. Compare Psalms 34:14 ; Psalms 97:10 . Romans 12:9 , This concludes the last of the three exhortations.

it may be . Hebrew. u lay. The whole versa is the exhortation: but the Heb, accent marks off this sentence, calling attention, not to uncertainty on the part of Jehovah, but to the difficulty on Israel's part; and this order to stimulate obedience to the exhortation. Compare Exodus 32:30 . 2 Kings 19:4 .Joel 2:14 .

Joseph. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Part), App-6 , for the whole of the Northern Kingdom.

Verse 16

the LORD". One of the 134 places where the Sopherirm say they altered "Jehovah" ( App-4 .) of the primitive test to "Adenai" ( App-4 . See App-32 .

streets = open places.

skilful of lamentation: i.e. the professional mourners. Compare 2 Chronicles 35:25 .Ezekiel 12:5 .Jeremiah 9:17 .

Verse 17

pass through. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 12:12 ). App-92 .

Verse 18

Woe. The first woe. See the Structure above. the day of the LORD. See notes on Isaiah 2:12 ; Isaiah 13:6 . Joel 2:1

darkness, and not light. Note the Figure of speech Pleonasm ( App-6 ) for emphasis. Compare Jeremiah 30:7 . Joel 2:2 .Zephaniah 1:15 .

Verse 19

man. Hebrew. 'ish . App-14 .

a lion . Hebrew the face of a lion. A special various reading called Sevir ( App-34 ) reads "the mouth of a lion".

a bear. The Syrian bear is fiercer than a lion (Daniel 7:5 . Compare 2 Kings 2:24 .Lamentations 3:10; Lamentations 3:10 ).

Verse 20

Shall not. ? Figure of speech Erotesis ( App-6 ), for emphasis

and no brightness. Note the Figures of speech Pleonasm and Erotesis ( App-6 ). Some codices omit "and".

Verse 21

I hate, &c. Compare Proverbs 21:27 , Isaiah 1:11-14 .Jeremiah 6:20 .

I will not smell, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:31 ) App-92 .

solemn assemblies Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 23:36 . Numbers 29:35 .Deuteronomy 16:8; Deuteronomy 16:8 ). App-92 .

Verse 22

offer = offer up.

burnt offerings . . . meat offerings. See App-43 .

I will not accept, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 1:4 . App-92 .

peace offerings. See App-43

Take thou away &c. Compare Isaiah 1:13

viols = lutes

Verse 24

rundown = roll on. Reference to Gilgal

mighty = inexhaustible.

stream. Hebrew. nahal = a wady, or intermittent stream; not nahar, a constant-flowing river.

Verse 25

Have ye offered, &c . . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 . This is a question in some codices and three early printed editions; but other codices, and four early printed editions, read it as an affirmative statement. If a question, the answer is No. See Deuteronomy 32:17 . Joshua 5:5-7 . Jeremiah 7:22 , Jeremiah 7:23 .Ezekiel 20:8 , Ezekiel 20:16 , Ezekiel 20:24 .

unto Me, Not "unto demons". Ref to Pentateuch (Leviticus 17:7 . Deuteronomy 32:17 ). App-92 , Compare Psalms 106:37 . 1 Corinthians 10:7 .

Verse 26

ye have borne = borne aloft. Figure of speech Hysteresis. App-6 .

tabernacle = booth. Hebrew. sikkuth.

Chiun. The Egyptian or Greek equivalent was Remphan (Septuagint Raiphan; another spelling preserved in the Septuagint and in Acts 7:43 ). Proper names frequently differ in spelling: e.g. Ethiopia is the Hebrew Kush; Egypt is Mizrain; Mesopotamia and Syria is 'Aram, or 'Aram naharaim, & c.

the star of your god: or, your star-god.

Verse 27

beyond Damascus. In Acts 7:43 beyond Babylon, which was of course "beyond Damascus", and included it, showing what was in the Divine purpose in the words of Jehovah (Amos 5:27 ) by Amos. Moreover, the road to Assyria lay through Damascus. Compare 2 Kings 15:29 ; 2 Kings 16:9 . Isaiah 8:4 .Isaiah 3:12 . May not the Holy Spirit quote and adapt His own words as He pleases?

saith = hath said.

Chapter 6

Verse 1

'Woe. The second woe. See Amos 5:18 . them: i.e. the nobles of Judah, in comparison with the nobles of Israel (in Samaria) its the next clause. at ease = careless, secure, or easy-going.

trust = confide. Hebrew. batah. App-69 . Here Part. = them that confide.

which are named = [the men of] men. Compare Numbers 1:17

chief of the nations: i.e.

Israel. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 19:5 ). App-92 ,

the house of Israel : i.e. the Northern Kingdom = the People of Israel.

came. Supply the Ellipsis: "came [for judgment and justice]", as shown by the rest of this member ("y1").

Verse 2

Pass = Pass over: i. e, the Euphrates. Compare Jeremiah 2:10 . unto Calneh. The sequence of these cities is logical rather than geographical.

Calneh. On the Tigris. Built by Nimrod (Genesis 10:10 ). Called Calno (Isaiah 10:9 ); Canneh (Ezekiel 27:23 ).

see = consider [its fate]. So in the next two clauses.

Hamath. On the north. Now called Hama , on the Orontes, north of Damascus. Reference to Pent (Genesis 10:18 . Numbers 34:7 , Numbers 34:8 ) Compare Amos 6:14 App-92

Gath. Now Tell es Safi , in the south. See 1 Samuel 5:8 .

be they better : i.e. these nobles and chief men.

these kingdoms: which have been overthrown.

or their border = or [is] their border or boundary greater? &c. your: i.e. the borders of Israel and Judah. Supply the logical Ellipsis : "[yet I overthrew them; how much more shall I judge you! ]".

Verse 3

put = thrust.

the evil day = the day of calamity. Hebrew. ra'a . App-44 . Compare Amos 3:6 ; Amos 5:13 ; Amos 5:9 . Amos 5:10

seat or throne

Verse 5

chant = break out [in song]. Hebrew. parat. Occurs only here.

instruments of music = instruments of song

like David = as David did

Verse 6

wine. Hebrew. yayin . App-27 .

bowls = sacred bowls; not in goblets.

are not greived = do not afflict themselves

affliction = breach: i.e. the breach of the two kingdoms (1 Kings 12:0 ). Compare Isaiah 30:26 . Jeremiah 6:14 .

Joseph. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), App-6 , for the whole of the ten tribes. A reference to the Patriarch, by application.

Verse 8

The Lord God. Hebrew Adonai Jehovah. App-4 . See note on Amos 1:8 .

sworn, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 22:16 ) Compare Jeremiah 51:14 .

By Himself = by His soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 .

saith the LORD the God of Hosts = [is] the oracle of Jehovah,

the God of Hosts. the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .God . Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

I abhor. Hebrew. taab , a Homonym , with two meanings. Here, to abhor. In Psalms 119:20 , Psalms 119:40 , Psalms 119:174 , to desire or long for.

excellency. Figure of speech Ampliatio . It was once such (Compare Amos 8:7 . Psalms 47:4 .Ezekiel 24:21; Ezekiel 24:21 ), but is now no longer so.

all that is therein = the fulness thereof

Verse 9

remain : survive after the seige.

men. Plural of 'enosh App-14 .

die : by pestilence

Verse 10

a man's uncle = a relative

him i.e. the corpse burneth. See note on Amos 4:10 . Here, and 1 Samuel 31:12 are the only two places where burning corpses is mentioned, &c. Both are exceptional cases, but it was the common practice of the Horites (Genesis 14:6 ; Deuteronomy 2:12 , Deuteronomy 2:22 ) whose remains were found in the excavations at Gezer. See note on 1 Kings 9:15-17 .

bones; i.e. one reduced to a mere skeleton. Compare Job 7:15 ; Job 19:20 .

him that is, &c. i.e. the survivor.

by the sides of = in the midst of, or hinder part.

any: i.e. any alive or dead.

make mention of = call upon, or invoke. Compare Isaiah 26:13 ; Isaiah 49:1 ; Isaiah 62:6 .

Verse 11

behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .

Verse 12

Shall horses . . ? will . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 . there or, supply "[the seal". for. Supply "[with equal madness]".

hemlock. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 29:18 , same word as `wormwood"). App-92 .

Verse 13

horns =. powers. "Horns" put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , for the power put forth by them.

Verse 14

I will raise up, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 28:49 ). they shall afflict you. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 3:9 ; Deuteronomy 26:7 ).

from . . . unto : i.e. through the length and breadth of the land.

Hemath. Same as Hamath (Amos 6:2 ), in the north. the river. Hebrew nahal = torrent, or wady.

the wilderness. Hebrew ha ' arabah = the 'Arabah: i.e. the plain, south of Judah. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 1:1 , &c.)

Chapter 7

Verse 1

the Lord GOD. Hebrew Adonai Jehovah. App-4 .

behold . . . lo. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .

formed = was forming.

grasshoppers = locusts. Compare Nahum 3:17 .

the king's mowings. Exacted by the king from the People (1 Kings 4:7 ; 1 Kings 18:1 ). These are the symbols of the army of Amos 6:14 .

Verse 2

by whom shall Jacob arise? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 . Some codices, with Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate, read "who shall raise up Jacob'? "

Jacob. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of the Subject), App-6 , for the whole nation

Verse 3

The LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

repented. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6 Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:36 ). App-92 . Compare Jonah 3:10 .

Verse 4

called, &c. = was calling for fire, to contend [with Israel].

did eat up a part . would have eaten up the land.

a part. Hebrew. hahelek, with 'eth = the very portion [of the earth given to Israel). Compare Micah 2:4 .

Verse 7

the LORD. One of the 134 passages in which the Sopherim say they altered Jehovah of the primitive text to Adonai ( App-32 ).

made, &c.: i. e [made perpendicular] by a plummet.

plumbline = plummet. Occurs only here.

Verse 8

Amos. Note this personal touch.

set, &c. i.e. measure [the doings of Israel] with the plummet of righteousness

and judgment. Compare 2 Kings 21:12 .Isaiah 28:17 ; Isaiah 34:11 .Lamentations 2:8 , &c.

pass by them = forgive them.

Verse 9

high places. Used for idolatrous altars, &c.

Isaac . . . Israel. Used only by Amos in this sense. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for the nation of Israel. Compare Pe. Psalms 105:9 , Psalms 105:10 . Jeremiah 33:26 , &c.

I will rise against, &c. Fulfilled in 2 Kings 15:10 . Jeroboam. Compare Hosea 1:4 .

Verse 10

the priest. The idolatrous priest.

Beth-el. Compare Amos 3:14 ; Amos 4:4 ; Amos 5:5 , Amos 5:6 .

conspired = formed a conspiracy; the calves being connected with Israel's state policy (1 Kings 12:26-33 ).

in the midst, &c. : i.e. openly. Compare Amos 7:8 .

bear = endure.

Verse 11

Jeroboam shall die, &c. This charge was not true. Compare Acts 17:6-7 ; Acts 24:5 . Note what Amaziah omitted to repeat.

Verse 12

into. Judah. Though belonging to Judah (Amos 1:1 ) Amos was a prophet to Israel.

Verse 13

chapel = sanctuary, court: or, palace.

Verse 14

a prophet's son. Prophets were not hereditary as priests were. Compare Hebrews 1:1 .

herdman. See notes on Amos 1:1 ,

gatherer = preparer.

Verse 15

took me: i.e., called me Prophets were called by Jehovah; not born prophets, or made prophets by man. See notes on 1 Samuel 10:5 .Hebrews 1:1 .

as I followed, &c. Compare Psalms 78:70 , Psalms 78:71 .

Verse 16

drop not, the. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:2 ). App-92 . Compare Ezekiel 20:46 ; Ezekiel 20:21 , Ezekiel 20:2 .Micah 2:6 , margin

Verse 17

thus saith the LORD. See note on Amos 1:3 ,

be an harlot : i.e. become a victim to the lust of the invader.

land = soil. Hebrew adamah.

divided , &c.: i e. partitioned.

in a polluted land = on polluted (i e. heathen) soil,

forth of = from upon.

Chapter 8

Verse 1

the Lord GOD. Heb, Adonai Jehovah. See note on Amos 1:8

summer fruit. Hebrew kayitz = ripe, "summer" being put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for ripe fruits characterizing the summer. Compare 2 Samuel 16:2 .Jeremiah 40:12 .

Verse 2

Amos. See note on Amos 7:8 .

summer fruit . . . The end . Note the Figure of speech Paronomasia ( App-6 ), for emphasis. Compare Jeremiah 1:11 , Jeremiah 1:12 . Hebrew. kayitz hakketz, meaning that ripe was the fruit; ripe will be the time

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 . IT.

The end. See note above.

pass by = forgive, as in Amos 7:8 .

Verse 3

temple. The 1611 edition of the Authorized Version reads temples".

be = become,

saith the Lord GOD = [is] Adonai. Jehovah's oracle.

dead bodies = corpses. See notes on Amos 6:9 , Amos 6:10 .

cast them forth , i.e. and burn them.

with silence = with "Hush! "as in Amos 6:10 .

Verse 4

swallow up = devour.

the needy = a needy one. Hebrew 'ebyon. See note on ' poverty", Proverbs 6:11 .

make. to fail = destroy, or cause to cease.

the poor = meek ones. Hebrew 'amah, See note on "poverty", Proverbs 6:11 ,

Verse 5

the new moon. Reference to Pentateuch (Numbers 10:10 , &c.) the sabbath. Ref to Pentateuch (Exodus 20:10 ). App-92 . Stopping their business for a day.

set forth wheat. Hebrew = wheat market: "wheat" being put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for the place where it is kept = open granaries, or sell grain. hp

ephah. Measuring the goods. See App-51 .

shekel. Weighing the money. See App-51 .

Verse 6

buy the poor, &c. See note on Amos 2:6 .

the poor = impoverished ones. Hebrew. dal (plural) See note on "poverty", Proverbs 6:11 .

the needy = a needy one. Hebrew. ebyon , as in Amos 8:4 .

sell = sell [as good wheat].

Verse 7

hath sworn, &c. See note on Amos 6:8 .

the Excellency of Jacob: i.e. by Himself, as in Amos 6:8 . Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 15:7 ). App-92 . Compare Amos 4:2 ; Amos 6:8 . Hosea 5:5 ; Hosea 7:10 .

Verse 8

flood. Hebrew. or . Referring to the overflowing of the Nile.

drowned = subside.

Verse 9

cause the sun. This determines the time of the fulfilment of this "threatening". See Isaiah 13:10 ; Isaiah 59:9 , Isaiah 59:10 . Jeremiah 15:5 .Joel 2:2 ; Joel 3:15 .Micah 3:6 . Can this refer to the earthquake of Amos 1:1 ?

Verse 10

your feasts. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 12:14 ; Exodus 23:15 , Exodus 23:16 . Leviticus 23:0 ). App-92 .

sackcloth. baldness. The outward symbols of mourning. Compare Amos 8:3 .Isaiah 15:2 .Ezekiel 7:18 .

it: i.e. the land.

Verse 11

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos, App-6 .

of hearing, &c. Compare 1 Samuel 3:1 , Psalms 74:9 ; Ezekiel 7:26 ,

words, With 'eth = the very words. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "word" (singular)

Verse 12

wander. Hebrew go tottering, or staggering.

Verse 13

virgins. Hebrew. bethulah (plural) See note on Genesis 24:43 .

Verse 14

sin. = guilt., trespass. Hebrew asham. App-44 . Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , for the idol itself.

Dan . . . Beer-sheba . The two places where the calves were set up (1 Kings 12:26-30 ).

manner = mode [of worship]; Acts 9:2 . So used in Acts 16:17 ; Acts 18:25-26 ; Acts 19:9 , Acts 19:23 ; Acts 24:14 .

they : i.e. the two calves, or "they that swear".

Chapter 9

Verse 1

the LORD. One of the 134 places where the Sepherim say they altered "Jehovah" of the primitive text to "Adonai" ( App-2 ). See App-4 . Here it is combined with 'eth = Jehovah Himself.

upon beside, or by.

the altar. Probably the same altar at Beth-al where Jeroboam had once stood (1 Kings 13:1 ). Compare Amos 7:13 , lintel = capital. Render: "smite the capital, shake the foundations, cut them off [i.e. the pillars] by the head, all of them". and I will slay. This is the signification of the symbolical act. the last of them: i.e. the remnant of the People.

Verse 2

Though they dig, &c. Note the Figure of speech Catabasis (Ap'. 6).

hell. Hebrew. Sheol = The grave. App-35 . Compare Psalms 139:8 , &c,

climb up . Compare Job 20:6 . Jeremiah 51:53 .Obadiah 1:4 .

Verse 4

command the sword. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:33 . Deu 26:25 ). App-92 . Compare Ezekiel 5:12 .

I will set Mine eyes , &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 17:10 ; Leviticus 20:5 ). App-92 . Compare Jeremiah 44:11 .

evil = calamity. Hebrew. ra'a'. App-44 . Compare Amos 3:6 .

Verse 5

the Lord GOD , Hebrew. Adonai Jehovah . App-4 . See note on Amos 1:8 . dwell. The 1611 edition of the Authorized Version reads dwelleth". flood. See notes on Amos 8:8 .

Verse 6

stories = chambers above. Compare Psalms 104:3 , Psalms 104:13 ,

troop = band: i.e. the blue vault.

in = over.

calleth . Compare Amos 5:8 . The LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 . It.

is His name. Ref: to Pentateuch (Exodus 15:3 ). App-92 .

Verse 7

children = sons.

saith the LORD [is] Jehovah's oracle.

brought up Israel. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 13:3 , Exodus 13:9 , Exodus 13:14 , Exodus 13:16 ; Exodus 33:1 .Deuteronomy 5:15 ; Deuteronomy 6:21 , &c.) App-92 .

Caphtor = Crete. Ref, to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 2:23 ). App-92 .

Kir. Supposed to be Lower Mesopotamia.

Verse 8

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos . App-6 .

sinful. Hebrew. chata . App-44 .

earth = ground, or soil. Hebrew adamah.

Verse 9

lo = behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .

the least grain. Hebrew. tzeror. A usage common to-day with the fellahheen (see James Niel's Palestine Explored, p. 250).

earth. Hebrew Wets. Not the same word as in Amos 9:8 .

Verse 10

sinners. Hebrew. chata , as in Amos 9:8 . prevent = surprise.

Verse 11

In that day. Passing to the subject of the future restoration (see the Structure). Quoted in Acts 15:14-18

of David. Erected on Zion by David (2 Samuel 6:17 . Compare Amos 7:6 ) before the Temple was built on Moriah by Solomon. in Amos 7:7-9 , it was seen to be "out of plumb", therefore on the point of falling. Here it is fallen down: hence the prophecy here given. In Acts 15:0 the time had come, had the People obeyed Peter's call in Amo 3:18-21 . But it was finally rejected (Acts 28:25-28 ), and this prophecy, therefore, yet awaits its fulfilment.

Verse 12

may possess = may take possession of.

Edom. Compare Numbers 24:18 . 2 Samuel 8:14 .

heathen = nations.

which are called, &c.: or, on whom My name is called.

name : i.e. Israel

Verse 13

the plowman , &c. This shows that the fulfilment of this prophecy is yet in abeyance, for these temporal blessings were postponed on the rejection of the call to repentance in Acts 3:18-26 . Compare Act 28:25-58 . Note the reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:5 ). App-92 .

the mountains , &c. Compare Joel 3:18 .

sweet wine = new wine. Hebrew. asis See App-27 .

melt : i.e. dissolve into wine and oil. Figure of speech Hyperbole ( App-6 ), for emphasis.

Verse 14

I will bring again. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 30:5 ). App-92 . Compare Amos 5:11 .Psalms 53:6 . Jeremiah 30:3 , Jeremiah 30:18 ; Jeremiah 31:23 .Ezekiel 16:53 ; Ezekiel 39:25 .Joel 3:1 , Joel 3:2 .

captivity = the captives. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for captives.

they shall build. Compare Isaiah 61:4 ; Isaiah 65:21 .Jeremiah 30:18 ; Jer 30:31 , Jer 30:36-40 . Ezekiel 36:33-36 ; Ezekiel 37:25-28 .

they shall plant. Compare Amos 5:11 .Isaiah 62:8; Isaiah 62:8 Isaiah 62:9 ; Isaiah 65:21 .Ezekiel 28:26 . Hosea 2:21-23 . Joe 8:18 , &c.

wine. Hebrew. yayin. App-27 .

Verse 15

I will plant. Ref to Pent, (Leviticus 25:18 , Leviticus 25:19 ; Leviticus 26:5 ). App-92 .

their land . Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 13:15 , &c.) App-92 . Compare Isaiah 60:21 .Jeremiah 24:6 ; Jeremiah 32:41 .Ezekiel 34:28 ; Ezekiel 37:25 .Joel 3:20 . Micah 4:4 .

no more be pulled up. Compare Jeremiah 32:41 , margin

which I have given them . This is the ground of' all the blessing. Reference to Pentateuch (Numbers 32:7 , Numbers 32:9 . Deuteronomy 3:18 ; Deuteronomy 26:15 ; Deuteronomy 28:52 ). App-92 . Compare Joshua 2:6 , Joshua 2:15 ; Joshua 18:3 ; Joshua 23:13 , Joshua 23:15 .Jeremiah 25:5 . The so-called "Priests "Code", according to most modern critics, was compiled by the priests in Babylon, and most of the Pentateuch is "post-exilic" (see Encycl. Brit., eleventh (Cambridge) edition, vol. 3, p. 852, col. I). Yet it was well known to Amos (cent. 7 B.C.) Compare Amos 2:4 , Amos 2:7 , Amos 2:8 , Amos 2:12 ; Amos 4:4 , Amos 4:5 ; Amos 5:12 , Amos 5:21 , Amos 5:22 ; Amos 9:4 , &c.

saith = hath said.