Amos 2:1–16

2:1–3 God’s judgment against Moab follows the same pattern as the passages addressing previous nations. Their transgression, however, pertains to actions taken against Edom: burning to lime the bones of its king (v. 1). This was an act of desecration against their neighbors to the south. It likely points to the utter destruction of this king, although the exact way in which it was accomplished remains unclear. Billy Smith suggests several possibilities: “Either Edom’s king was burned to death, or his corpse was burned, or his skeletal remains were exhumed and burned to lime. The last suggestion best fits the wording, since the specific reference is to ‘the bones of Edom’s king.’”¹

In response to this act of desecration, the Lord will send fire to devour Moab and the “strongholds of Kerioth” (v. 2), an important Moabite city (Jer. 48:24, 41). Kerioth is mentioned in the inscription on the famous Moabite stele—known as the Mesha stele after King Mesha, who set it up—as the site of the sanctuary of the Moabite god Chemosh. For their crime, the people of Moab will perish among war cries and trumpet blasts: their violent destruction will take place in battle (Amos 2:2). Their ruler will be cut off and their princes killed by God himself (v. 3). The language here once again emphasizes Yahweh’s sovereignty, as he will personally dispense this punishment.

2:4–5 The covenant people come into view in these verses as Amos accuses the southern kingdom of Judah of rejecting the Lord’s “law” (torah; v. 4). The next line parallels this indictment by furthering the charge: they have not kept God’s “statutes” (khoq). This judgment emphasizes the covenant unfaithfulness of the people. They have not kept God’s covenant, and their actions, which are contrary to God’s word, yields the evidence of this. A holistic failure to uphold the covenant stipulations is clearly implied by this indictment. The word translated “their lies” perhaps refers specifically to false teaching.² These “lies” have led them away from God, and the remainder of verse 4 indicates that the present nation has followed in the footsteps of the previous generations (“their fathers”) in doing so. This is a continuous and ongoing transgression by God’s people.

It is important to note that the punishment of Judah is the same as that of the nations: God will send “fire” to “devour the strongholds of Jerusalem” (1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14; 2:2). The capital city will be destroyed; the entire nation will fall. This eventually took place at the fall of Jerusalem in 587/586 BC and in the subsequent Babylonian captivity (cf. Jer. 52:13).

Interestingly, this is the only time Judah is condemned in the book of Amos. The southern kingdom is not mentioned again except when Amaziah the priest tells Amos to go back to Judah (Amos 7:12). While Judah was guilty of the same sins as Israel, the book of Amos pertains predominately to the judgment of the northern kingdom.

2:6–11 Amos 2:6–16 is the first of many sections in the book condemning the nation of Israel for its sins. This passage begins with the same formula present in the previous passages (“For three transgressions . . . and for four . . .”; v. 6) but lacks the mention of God’s sending fire to devour its strongholds. However, there is fuller elaboration on the reason for this judgment (vv. 6–8) and also a reminder of God’s goodness to the nation in the past (vv. 9–11).

The first several indictments pertain to social injustices. Selling “the righteous for silver” and “the needy for a pair of sandals” (v. 6) may refer to selling people into slavery (cf. Lev. 25:39–42) and/or receiving bribes from the wealthy in exchange for partiality (Ex. 23:6; Jer. 5:28). This implies corruption in the legal and business dealings of the society, as those who are rich take advantage of the innocent and the poor. The abuse of the lower classes of society is also noted in Amos 2:7, which indicts “those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth,” highlighting the oppression of the needy for self-aggrandizement. Further, the accusation that they were turning “aside the way of the afflicted” reveals intentional opposition to the needy. Amos presents this injustice, along with the people’s indifference to it, as a prominent sin in Israel. God challenges the hearers with these indictments, making it clear that they have failed to love their neighbor or protect the less fortunate of society.

The second half of verse 7 notes the presence of sexual immorality, and verse 8 shows that the immorality may be connected to wrongful forms of worship. A man and his father have sexual relations with the same girl, who may be a cultic prostitute or simply an adulteress. The guilty bed down “beside every altar on garments taken in pledge” (v. 8). The mention of multiple altars reveals unorthodox worship in Israel; furthermore, the Israelites were forbidden by Mosaic law to keep overnight the garments of another as a pledge (Ex. 22:26–27). The worship context continues with the mention of drinking “in the house of their God . . . the wine of those who have been fined.” “Wine” refers to goods unjustly acquired, connecting the social crimes with heterodox or syncretistic worship, which further profanes God’s “holy name” (Amos 2:7). By their lives and actions, the people have made a mockery of worship and have broken God’s covenant. No matter how much worship they offer, it is an offense to God because it violates his word and is full of wickedness.

In verses 9–11, God recalls his deliverance of Israel out of Egypt and his bringing them into the Promised Land. He highlights the grace and kindness he has shown them, in contrast to their unfaithfulness and iniquity. The Amorites dwelled in Canaan at the time of the conquest, and Yahweh “destroyed” them even though they were great in stature (v. 9). The description of the Amorites in verse 9 recalls the account given by the spies of the exodus generation (Num. 13:27–33). The Lord defeated this formidable foe after forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Amos 2:10; cf. the book of Joshua). Not only did God bless them by making them a new nation and giving them the land of Canaan; he also gave them special gifts to benefit the people. He raised up “prophets” from among them to proclaim God’s word so that the people would hear from their God. He also made some to be Nazirites (Num. 6:1–21), who were especially dedicated to God for service (e.g., Samson; Judg. 13:7). They served as a reminder of the privileged position that Israel held as God’s chosen people.

All of these blessings and gifts came to Israel by the sheer grace of God, which only highlights by way of contrast the wickedness of the nation. The people have spurned God’s goodness and trampled underfoot his grace, despite knowing full well how good and gracious he has been to them. The Lord even questions the people regarding the history of his love toward them: “Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?” (Amos 2:11).

2:12–16 Amos notes the wicked response of Israel to God’s gifts (v. 12). The people force the Nazirites to break their vows (abstaining from wine was part of the Nazirite vow; Num. 6:2–3), and they forbid the prophets to preach, which is in essence a rejection of God and his word. They do not desire to hear from Yahweh; they desire instead to walk according to their own designs. This repudiation of God’s covenant has incurred his wrath, and the following description reveals that no one will escape the coming judgment.

Amos 2:13 begins with the interjection “Behold,” capturing the hearer’s attention for the ensuing punishment. God will “press down” the people like a cart presses down under the weight of sheaves (v. 13). This agricultural picture presents the crushing nature of God’s judgment. Next the prophet provides a sevenfold description of the pervasive nature of the coming destruction (as seven represents fullness/completion): (1) The “swift” will not be able to find escape (or “refuge,” another possible translation of the Hb. for “flight”; v. 14). (2) The strong will be made weak. (3) The mighty will not deliver his life. (4) The bowman will not stand (meaning he will fall in battle). (5) The “swift of foot” will not escape, another ironic reversal (v. 15). (6) The rider on the horse—far faster than someone on foot—will not be able to deliver his life. (7) Even the bravest among the mighty (i.e., “the stout of heart”) will flee away with nothing (“naked”) at the time of judgment (v. 16), meaning he will be stripped naked or, more likely, stripped of his armor.³ The scene described in these verses is one of utter pandemonium and chaos as the Lord “presses” down the nation in judgment. No one will escape the coming wrath, which is due to the covenant unfaithfulness of the people.

In chapters 1–2, the Lion (1:2) has roared his judgments against the nations and his own people, but his indictments against Israel have only begun. The judgments and pictures of the coming destruction only intensify as the book progresses, as the severity of the people’s sins becomes visible in the severity of the punishments Amos declares. The Lord’s patience with Israel has run out, and the warning cry has begun. The judgment is coming.