Amos 1
1The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoaa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,b when Uzziahc was king of Judah and Jeroboamd son of Jehoash was king of Israel.e
2He said:
“The LORD roarsf from Zion
and thundersg from Jerusalem;h
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmeli withers.”j
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
3This is what the LORD says:
“For three sins of Damascus,k
even for four, I will not relent.l
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,
4I will send firem on the house of Hazaeln
that will consume the fortresseso of Ben-Hadad.p
5I will break down the gateq of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.r
The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,s”
says the LORD.t
6This is what the LORD says:
“For three sins of Gaza,u
even for four, I will not relent.v
Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,w
7I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
8I will destroy the king of Ashdodx
and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my handy against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistinesz are dead,”a
says the Sovereign LORD.b
9This is what the LORD says:
“For three sins of Tyre,c
even for four, I will not relent.d
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,e
10I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.f”
11This is what the LORD says:
“For three sins of Edom,g
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a swordh
and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
and his fury flamed unchecked,i
12I will send fire on Temanj
that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.k”
13This is what the LORD says:
“For three sins of Ammon,l
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant womenm of Gilead
in order to extend his borders,
14I will set fire to the walls of Rabbahn
that will consumeo her fortresses
amid war criesp on the day of battle,
amid violent windsq on a stormy day.
15Her king will go into exile,
he and his officials together,r”
says the LORD.s
Amos 2
1This is what the LORD says:
“For three sins of Moab,a
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashesb
the bones of Edom’s king,
2I will send fire on Moab
that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.,c
Moab will go down in great tumult
amid war criesd and the blast of the trumpet.e
3I will destroy her rulerf
and kill all her officials with him,”g
says the LORD.h
4This is what the LORD says:
“For three sins of Judah,i
even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the lawj of the LORD
and have not kept his decrees,k
because they have been led astrayl by false gods,,m
the gods their ancestors followed,n
5I will send fireo on Judah
that will consume the fortressesp of Jerusalem.q”
Judgment on Israel
6This is what the LORD says:
“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.r
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.s
7They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.t
8They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.u
In the house of their god
they drink winev taken as fines.w
9“Yet I destroyed the Amoritesx before them,
though they were tally as the cedars
and strong as the oaks.z
I destroyed their fruit above
and their rootsa below.
10I brought you up out of Egyptb
and ledc you forty years in the wildernessd
to give you the land of the Amorites.e
11“I also raised up prophetsf from among your children
and Naziritesg from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the LORD.
12“But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.h
13“Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.i
14The swift will not escape,j
the strongk will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.l
15The archerm will not stand his ground,
the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
and the horsemann will not save his life.o
16Even the bravest warriorsp
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the LORD.
Amos 3
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
1Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the LORD has spoken against youa—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:b Map: Nations and Cities Mentioned in Amos
2“You only have I chosenc
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punishd you
for all your sins.e”
3Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
4Does a lion roarf in the thicket
when it has no prey?g
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
5Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
when no baith is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything?
6When a trumpeti sounds in a city,
do not the people tremble?
When disasterj comes to a city,
has not the LORD caused it?k
7Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing
without revealing his planl
to his servants the prophets.m
8The lionn has roaredo—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign LORD has spoken—
who can but prophesy?p
9Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdodq
and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;r
see the great unrest within her
and the oppression among her people.”
10“They do not know how to do right,s” declares the LORD,
“who store up in their fortressest
what they have plunderedu and looted.”
11Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
“An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.v”
12This is what the LORD says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’sw mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
with only the head of a bed
and a piece of fabric from a couch.,x”
13“Hear this and testifyy against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the LORD God Almighty.
14“On the day I punishz Israel for her sins,
I will destroy the altars of Bethel;a
the hornsb of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15I will tear down the winter housec
along with the summer house;d
the houses adorned with ivorye will be destroyed
and the mansionsf will be demolished,g”
declares the LORD.h Photo
Amos 4
Israel Has Not Returned to God
1Hear this word, you cows of Bashana on Mount Samaria,b
you women who oppress the poorc and crush the needyd
and say to your husbands,e “Bring us some drinks!f”
2The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness:
“The timeg will surely come
when you will be taken awayh with hooks,i
the last of you with fishhooks.
3You will each go straight out
through breaches in the wall,j
and you will be cast out toward Harmon,”
declares the LORD.
4“Go to Bethelk and sin;
go to Gilgall and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,m
your tithesn every three years.,o
5Burn leavened breadp as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offeringsq—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign LORD.
6“I gave you empty stomachs in every city
and lack of bread in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the LORD.r
7“I also withhelds rain from you
when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
but withheld it from another.t
One field had rain;
another had none and dried up.
8People staggered from town to town for wateru
but did not get enoughv to drink,
yet you have not returnedw to me,”
declares the LORD.x
9“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
destroying them with blight and mildew.y
Locustsz devoured your fig and olive trees,a
yet you have not returnedb to me,”
declares the LORD.
10“I sent plaguesc among you
as I did to Egypt.d
I killed your young mene with the sword,
along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stenchf of your camps,
yet you have not returned to me,”g
declares the LORD.h
11“I overthrew some of you
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.i
You were like a burning stickj snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the LORD.k
12“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”
13He who forms the mountains,l
who creates the wind,m
and who reveals his thoughtsn to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the eartho—
the LORD God Almighty is his name.p
Amos 5
A Lament and Call to Repentance
1Hear this word, Israel, this lamenta I take up concerning you:
2“Fallen is Virginb Israel,
never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
with no one to lift her up.c”
3This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Israel:
“Your city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left.d”
4This is what the LORD says to Israel:
“Seeke me and live;f
5do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,g
do not journey to Beersheba.h
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.,i”
6Seekj the LORD and live,k
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;l
it will devour them,
and Bethelm will have no one to quench it.n
7There are those who turn justice into bitternesso
and cast righteousnessp to the ground.q
8He who made the Pleiades and Orion,r
who turns midnight into dawns
and darkens day into night,t
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the LORD is his name.u
9With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.v
10There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in courtw
and detest the one who tells the truth.x
11You levy a straw tax on the poory
and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,z
you will not live in them;a
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.b
12For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.c
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribesd
and deprive the poore of justice in the courts.f
13Therefore the prudent keep quietg in such times,
for the times are evil.h
14Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.i
Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15Hate evil,j love good;k
maintain justice in the courts.l
Perhapsm the LORD God Almighty will have mercyn
on the remnanto of Joseph.
16Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says:
“There will be wailingp in all the streetsq
and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmersr will be summoned to weep
and the mourners to wail.
17There will be wailings in all the vineyards,
for I will pass throught your midst,”
says the LORD.u
The Day of the LORD
18Woe to you who long
for the day of the LORD!v
Why do you long for the day of the LORD?w
That day will be darkness,x not light.y
19It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,z
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.a
20Will not the day of the LORD be darkness,b not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?c
21“I hate,d I despise your religious festivals;e
your assembliesf are a stench to me.
22Even though you bring me burnt offeringsg and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.h
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.i
23Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.j
24But let justicek roll on like a river,
righteousnessl like a never-failing stream!m
25“Did you bring me sacrificesn and offerings
forty yearso in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
the pedestal of your idols,p
the star of your god—
which you made for yourselves.
27Therefore I will send you into exileq beyond Damascus,”
says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty.r
Amos 6
Woe to the Complacent
1Woe to youa who are complacentb in Zion,
and to you who feel securec on Mount Samaria,d
you notable men of the foremost nation,
to whom the people of Israel come!e
2Go to Kalnehf and look at it;
go from there to great Hamath,g
and then go down to Gathh in Philistia.
Are they better off thani your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
3You put off the day of disaster
and bring near a reign of terror.j
4You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.k
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.l
5You strum away on your harpsm like David
and improvise on musical instruments.n
6You drink wineo by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grievep over the ruin of Joseph.q
7Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;r
your feasting and lounging will end.s
The LORD Abhors the Pride of Israel
8The Sovereign LORD has sworn by himselft—the LORD God Almighty declares:
“I abhoru the pride of Jacobv
and detest his fortresses;w
I will deliver upx the city
and everything in it.y”
9If tenz people are left in one house, they too will die. 10And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them,a asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!b We must not mention the name of the LORD.”
11For the LORD has given the command,
and he will smashc the great housed into pieces
and the small house into bits.e
12Do horses run on the rocky crags?
Does one plow the sea with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poisonf
and the fruit of righteousnessg into bitternessh—
13you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar
and say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?i”
14For the LORD God Almighty declares,
“I will stir up a nationj against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
from Lebo Hamathk to the valley of the Arabah.l”
Amos 7
Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
1This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me:a He was preparing swarms of locustsb after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2When they had stripped the land clean,c I cried out, “Sovereign LORD, forgive! How can Jacob survive?d He is so small!e”
3So the LORD relented.f
“This will not happen,” the LORD said.g
4This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: The Sovereign LORD was calling for judgment by fire;h it dried up the great deep and devouredi the land. 5Then I cried out, “Sovereign LORD, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!j”
6So the LORD relented.k
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign LORD said.l
7This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. 8And the LORD asked me, “What do you see,m Amos?n”
“A plumb line,o” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.p
9“The high placesq of Isaac will be destroyed
and the sanctuariesr of Israel will be ruined;
with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.s”
Amos and Amaziah
10Then Amaziah the priest of Bethelt sent a message to Jeroboamu king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracyv against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.w 11For this is what Amos is saying:
“ ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and Israel will surely go into exile,x
away from their native land.’ ”y
12Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer!z Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.a 13Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel,b because this is the king’s sanctuary and the templec of the kingdom.d”
14Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophete nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.f 15But the LORD took me from tending the flockg and said to me, ‘Go,h prophesyi to my people Israel.’j 16Now then, heark the word of the LORD. You say,
“ ‘Do not prophesy againstl Israel,
and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’
17“Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“ ‘Your wife will become a prostitutem in the city,
and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up,
and you yourself will die in a pagan country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,n
away from their native land.o’ ”
Amos 8
A Basket of Ripe Fruit
1This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me:a a basket of ripe fruit. 2“What do you see,b Amos?c” he asked.
“A basketd of ripe fruit,” I answered.
Then the LORD said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.e
3“In that day,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.,f Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!g”
4Hear this, you who trample the needy
and do away with the poorh of the land,i
5saying,
“When will the New Moonj be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may marketk wheat?”l—
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheatingm with dishonest scales,n
6buying the pooro with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.p
7The LORD has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob:q “I will never forgetr anything they have done.s
8“Will not the land tremblet for this,
and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
it will be stirred up and then sink
like the river of Egypt.u
9“In that day,” declares the Sovereign LORD,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.v
10I will turn your religious festivalsw into mourning
and all your singing into weeping.x
I will make all of you wear sackclothy
and shavez your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only sona
and the end of it like a bitter day.b
11“The days are coming,”c declares the Sovereign LORD,
“when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famined of hearing the words of the LORD.e
12People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the LORD,
but they will not find it.f
13“In that day
“the lovely young women and strong young meng
will faint because of thirst.h
14Those who swear by the sin of Samariai—
who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’j
or, ‘As surely as the god of Beershebak lives’—
they will fall,l never to rise again.m”
Amos 9
Israel to Be Destroyed
1I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:
“Strike the tops of the pillars
so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the headsa of all the people;
those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
none will escape.b
2Though they dig down to the depths below,c
from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,d
from there I will bring them down.e
3Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,f
there I will hunt them down and seize them.g
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,h
there I will command the serpenti to bite them.j
4Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
there I will command the swordk to slay them.
“I will keep my eye on them
for harml and not for good.m”n
5The Lord, the LORD Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,o
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;p
6he builds his lofty palace,q in the heavens
and sets its foundation on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the LORD is his name.r
7“Are not you Israelites
the same to me as the Cushites?”s
declares the LORD.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
the Philistinest from Caphtor,u
and the Arameans from Kir?v
8“Surely the eyes of the Sovereign LORD
are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroyw it
from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the LORD.x
9“For I will give the command,
and I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations
as grainy is shaken in a sieve,z
and not a pebble will reach the ground.a
10All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword,b
all those who say,
‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’c
Israel’s Restoration
11“In that day
“I will restore David’sd fallen sheltere—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruinsf—
and will rebuild it as it used to be,g
12so that they may possess the remnant of Edomh
and all the nations that bear my name,,i”
declares the LORD, who will do these things.j
13“The days are coming,”k declares the LORD,
“when the reaperl will be overtaken by the plowmanm
and the planter by the one treadingn grapes.
New wineo will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,p
14and I will bringq my people Israel back from exile.,r
“They will rebuild the ruined citiess and live in them.
They will plant vineyardst and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.u
15I will plantv Israel in their own land,w
never again to be uprootedx
from the land I have given them,”y
says the LORD your God.z
1 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
2 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
3 1:5 Aven means wickedness.
1 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
2 3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.
1 4:2 Or away in baskets, / the last of you in fish baskets
2 4:3 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew (see Septuagint) out, you mountain of oppression
1 5:5 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see Hosea 4:15.
2 5:26 Or lifted up Sakkuth your king / and Kaiwan your idols, / your star-gods; Septuagint lifted up the shrine of Molek / and the star of your god Rephan, / their idols
1 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
2 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
3 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
4 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.
1 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
2 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain; also in verse 8.
1 8:3 Or “the temple singers will wail
1 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
2 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
3 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
5 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
6 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel
1:1 Amos. Apparently a shortened form of a name like Amasiah (2Ch 17:16), meaning “The LORD carries” or “The LORD upholds.” See photo. shepherds. The Hebrew for this word occurs elsewhere in the OT only in reference to the king of Moab (2Ki 3:4, where it is translated “raised sheep”). Cf. 7:14, where a different Hebrew word is used. Amos was not a professional prophet who earned his living from his ministry; he stood outside religious institutions. Tekoa. See Introduction: Author; see also photo. vision he saw. By divine revelation. earthquake. Evidently a major shock, long remembered, and probably the one mentioned in Zec 14:5. Recent geological studies have detected a mammoth seismic event in this area dating to c. 750 bc. Reference to the earthquake suggests that the author viewed it as a kind of divine reinforcement of the words of judgment. Uzziah. See Introduction: Date and Historical Situation; see also note on Isa 6:1. Jeroboam. See Introduction: Date and Historical Situation.
1:2 A thematic verse, ominously announcing the main thrust of Amos’s message. roars. Amos, a shepherd, was sent to Israel to warn them that he had heard a lion roar and that the lion is none other than the Lord himself, who has only wanted to be Israel’s shepherd. For the use of this imagery in other contexts, see Jer 25:30; Joel 3:16. from Zion. The Lord established his earthly throne in Jerusalem, among his special people, and from there he announces his judgments on them, as well as on the other nations. pastures . . . top of Carmel. See 9:3. From the lowest and driest portions of the land to the highest and greenest, the Lord’s judgment will be felt like a severe drought that devastates the whole land.
1:3—2:16 A series of prophecies against the nations; for parallel sections, see Isa 13:1—23:18 and note. After pronouncing judgment on Israel’s neighbors for various atrocities—judgment that Israel would naturally applaud—Amos announces God’s condemnation of his own two kingdoms for despising God’s laws. By listing Israel’s sins under the same form of indictment used against the other nations, the shocking similarities between Israel’s sins and those of their pagan neighbors were emphasized. See map.
1:4 fire . . . that will consume. See vv. 7,10,12,14; 2:2,5; a common description of the threat of divine judgment, usually carried out by a devastating war that resulted in the burning of major cities and fortresses (see Jer 17:27 and note; Hos 8:14). Hazael. King of Damascus (c. 843–796 bc) and founder of a new line of kings (see 2Ki 8:7–15 and note on 8:15). fortresses. See vv. 7,10,12,14; 2:2,5; perhaps referring not only to citadels but also to the fortress-like palatial dwellings of the rich and powerful. Ben-Hadad. Ben-Hadad III (c. 796–770 bc), son of Hazael (see 2Ki 13:3 and note; cf. 2Ki 8:14–15; see also chart).
1:5 Valley of Aven. Possibly the Beqaa Valley between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains, but may refer to the river valley in which Damascus is located (see note on 2Ki 5:12), calling it the “valley of wickedness” (see NIV text note). Beth Eden. Probably Damascus, the garden spot of that region. Aram. See note on Dt 26:5. Kir. An unidentified place, possibly in the vicinity of Elam (see 2Ki 16:9 and note), from which the Arameans are said to have come (9:7).
1:6 Gaza. One of the five major Philistine cities (see map); it guarded the entry to Canaan from Egypt. whole communities. See v. 9; not just warriors captured in battle. The reference may be to villages in south Judah on the trade route from Edom to Gaza. to Edom. See v. 9.
1:8 Ashdod . . . Ashkelon . . . Ekron. Three more cities of the Philistine group (see note on v. 6; see also photo). Gath, the fifth (cf. 6:2), may already have been subdued by Uzziah (2Ch 26:6). the last. There would be no remnant. Philistia was finally destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
1:9 Tyre. The dominant Phoenician merchant city, allied to Israel by a “treaty of brotherhood” in the days of David (1Ki 5:1), later in the time of Solomon (1Ki 5:12) and later still during the reign of Ahab, whose father-in-law ruled Tyre and Sidon (1Ki 16:30–31). she sold. Her crime was like Philistia’s (v. 6).
1:10 walls. Tyre was an almost impregnable island, boastful of its security (cf. Eze 26:1—28:19).
1:11 Edom. The nation descended from Esau (Ge 36; see Ge 25:23–30; 27:39–40). brother. Israel (see Ob 8–10 and note on Ob 10). Reference may be to a treaty partner (see note on v. 9). Edom’s crime was in violating this relationship by persistent hostility.
1:12 Teman . . . Bozrah. Major cities of Edom, the former thought to be near Petra (see note on Ob 9), the latter now identified with Buseirah, 37 miles to the north. With their destruction, Edom would lose its capacity for continual warfare.
1:13 Ammon. Judgment centered on Rabbah (v. 14; see note on Dt 3:11), modern Amman. Greed for land bred a brutal genocide that would be punished, leaving the state without leaders to continue such practices (see 1Ki 8:12 and note).
1:14–15 Fulfilled by the Assyrian conquest.
2:1 Moab. Located east of the Dead Sea (see note on Isa 15:1). burned . . . the bones of Edom’s king. Thus depriving the king’s spirit of the rest that was widely believed to result from decent burial.
2:2 Kerioth. Perhaps a plural noun meaning “cities” (see NIV text note) or the name of a major town (Jer 48:24) and shrine of Chemosh, the national god of Moab (1Ki 11:7,33).
2:4–5 The Lord’s indictment of Judah. As a prelude to the judgment against Israel, these verses more generally address disobedience to the law and so prepare for the specific covenant infractions of Israel in 2:6–8.
2:5 fire . . . consume the fortresses. See 1:4 and note. Judah’s punishment is the same as Aram’s (1:4), Philistia’s (1:7), Phoenicia’s (1:10), Edom’s (1:12), Ammon’s (1:14) and Moab’s (2:2)—loss of the defenses and wealth in which they trusted.
2:6 Israel. Finally and climactically, Amos indicts his own audience—the northern kingdom. Israel’s sins revealed the general moral deterioration of the nation. the innocent. Probably those who were not in debt and whom there was no lawful reason to sell (cf. Lev 25:39–43). Alternatively, the “innocent” here may refer to “the poor” (v. 7; cf. 5:12; 8:6), in contrast to the sinfully wicked behavior of the wealthy and powerful (4:1–5; 6:1–7). the needy. God had commanded that they be helped (see Dt 15:7–11 and note on 15:11), but they were instead sold for failure to repay a (perhaps paltry) debt, for which a “pair of sandals” had been given in pledge (8:6).
2:7 trample. See 5:11; 8:4. poor . . . oppressed. To care for them and to protect them from injustice were clearly commanded by Israel’s law (see Ex 23:6–8 and note on Ex 22:21–27); also, throughout the ancient Near East, kings were supposed to defend such people. Father and son use the same girl. Demonstrates the depth of Israel’s moral corruption. For a father and son to have sexual relations with the same girl or woman was strictly forbidden (Lev 18:7–8, 15; 20:11–12). Also the law required that if a man had sexual relations with a young woman (virgin), marriage was obligatory (Ex 22:16; Dt 22:28–29). profane my holy name. Cf. Lev 18:21 and note; 19:12; 20:3; 21:6; 22:2,32; see Jer 34:16; Eze 20:9 and notes; 36:20–23; 39:7.
2:8 beside every altar . . . In the house of their god. Israelites who broke the laws protecting the powerless brazenly used their wrongly gotten gains even in places supposed to be holy. garments taken in pledge. The law prohibited keeping a man’s cloak overnight as security for a debt (see Ex 22:26–27 and note; Dt 24:12–13), or taking a widow’s cloak at all (Dt 24:17). fines. Claimed as restitution for damages suffered. Exorbitant claims or even false charges of damage seem to be suggested.
2:9 I destroyed. Israel not only had known God’s law but had been specially favored by his powerful help. Amorites. Here used for all the inhabitants of Canaan (see notes on Ge 10:16; 15:16; Jdg 6:10). tall . . . strong. Neither the size of Canaan’s people nor their military power (Nu 13:27–33) was able to prevent God’s victory over them (Jos 10:5,12–13). their fruit above and their roots below. Representing total destruction.
2:10 I brought you up. See 3:1; see also Ex 20:2 and note. God’s great blessings to Israel in the past added to their guilt, and now those blessings are recalled as a part of the Lord’s indictment against his people.
2:11 I also raised up prophets . . . and Nazirites. Prophets, as God’s faithful spokespersons (see Dt 18:15–20 and note on 18:15), and Nazirites, as those uniquely dedicated to him (see Nu 6:1–21 and note on 6:2; Jdg 13:5 and note), are singled out as special gifts to his people. These persons who were outside the priesthood were used by God through word and example to call his people to faithfulness.
2:12 But you. Israel showed utter disdain for God’s faithful servants and thus demonstrated its callous insensitivity to God’s working among his people (cf. 7:16).
2:14–16 None who might be expected to stand their ground or escape would be able to save themselves.
2:16 that day. The day God comes in judgment (see 5:18; Joel 1:15 and notes)—as he did through the Assyrian invasion that swept the northern kingdom away.
3:1—5:17 Prophecies that underscore the certainty of God’s judgment on Israel.
3:2 You only. Cf. Dt 7:6–9. Israel’s present strength and prosperity gave rise to complacency about their privileged status as the Lord’s chosen people. They are shockingly reminded of the long-forgotten responsibilities their privileges entailed.
3:3–6 With these rhetorical questions (involving comparisons) Amos builds up to the statements of vv. 7–8, to explain why he is speaking such terrifying words. Each picture is of cause and effect, using figures drawn from daily life—and culminating in divine action (v. 6).
3:8 lion has roared. Echoes 1:2 (see note there). who can but prophesy? Amos must speak because God has spoken.
3:9 The rich and powerful of Philistia and Egypt are summoned to witness the Lord’s indictment against those who store up ill-gotten riches in the fortresses of Samaria (v. 15). fortresses. See note on 1:4. great unrest. The result of a violent, selfish power structure that was heedless of the justice called for in God’s law.
3:10 who store up. Cf. 2:6–8. The prosperity of Israel’s wealthy depended on oppression and robbery. The following verses announce God’s judgment on such greed (cf. Hab 2:6–11).
3:11 enemy. Assyria. plunder your fortresses. Those that Samaria’s wealthy had greedily filled with plunder.
3:12 As a shepherd rescues . . . only two leg bones. To prove to the owner that the sheep had been eaten by a wild animal, not stolen by the shepherd (Ex 22:13). be rescued. Only a remnant of Israel would be rescued. If the NIV text note represents the correct reading of the Hebrew, reference would be to “those who sit” in idle luxury (6:4) “in Samaria on the edge of their beds and in Damascus on their couches.” Since at this time Israel had extended its influence over Damascus, the rich merchants of Samaria may have maintained luxurious houses also in Damascus and enjoyed market privileges in that city (see 1Ki 20:34 and note).
3:13 Hear . . . testify. Addressed to those summoned in v. 9. The rich and powerful of Philistia and Egypt are called upon to hear the Lord’s indictment of the rich and powerful in Samaria and to testify that his indictment is true and that his judgment is warranted. Even these pagans will agree with God’s judgment.
3:14 altars of Bethel. Israel’s sins were rooted in the false shrine built by Jeroboam I at Bethel (1Ki 12:26–33). horns of the altar. Even the last refuge for a condemned person (cf. 1Ki 1:50–53) will afford Israel no protection.
3:15 winter house . . . summer house. Cf. 6:11; further signs of opulence that would not benefit their owners on the day of God’s judgment—nor would expensive imported decorations, carvings and inlays of ivory (cf. 6:4; see photo). Many examples of such carvings have been found in ruined palaces in Samaria and other cities (see 1Ki 22:39 and note).
4:1 Hear this word. See note on 3:1. cows of Bashan. Upper-class women, directly addressed, are insulted by being compared with the best breed of cattle in ancient Canaan, which were raised (and pampered) in the pastures of northern Transjordan (see Ps 22:12; Eze 39:18 and notes). Mount Samaria. See 6:1 and note.
4:2 The Sovereign LORD has sworn. Stresses the solemnity of the situation and the certainty of the events. by his holiness. Contrasts with Israel’s sin, reminding God’s people of what they could have been (see Ex 19:6 and note) if they had faithfully kept their side of the covenant—as God had his. hooks. According to Assyrian reliefs (pictures engraved on stone), prisoners of war were led away with a rope fastened to a hook that pierced the nose or lower lip (see 2Ki 19:28 and note; 2Ch 33:11; Eze 19:4, 9; Hab 1:15; see photo).
4:3 breaches in the wall. Cf. 2Ki 17:5; Eze 13:5. Harmon. Appears to be a place-name, though it is not otherwise known (see NIV text note).
4:4–5 Spoken in irony to hypocrites.
4:5 leavened bread. The burning of leavened bread in the sacrifices was strictly forbidden (Lev 2:11; 6:17). Either Amos rebukes the Israelites for willful transgression of the law, or he speaks of burning in a general way for offering inappropriate gifts to the Lord. Leavened bread could accompany a fellowship offering (Lev 7:13). what you love to do. They loved to boast about their adherence to the law but did not love what was at the heart of the law—goodness, mercy, kindness, justice (see 5:15; Isa 5:7; 61:8; Hos 6:6 and note; Mic 6:8).
4:6–11 In the past, God had used natural disasters to discipline and warn his people, but those lessons were soon forgotten (cf. the covenant curses in Dt 28:22–24, 39–40,42,48,56–57).
4:7–8 Lack of rain three months before harvest would prevent full development of the grain.
4:11 Sodom and Gomorrah. God’s judgment on those cities (Ge 19:24–25), exemplifying total destruction, eventually became proverbial (see Dt 29:23; Isa 1:9; 13:19; see also Jer 49:18; Zep 2:9 and notes). burning stick snatched from the fire. Saved only by God’s grace (see Zec 3:2 and note).
4:12 prepare to meet your God. Devastated Israel, brought to their knees by the Assyrians, would meet the God they had covenanted with at Sinai and had now so grievously offended.
4:13 See note on 5:8–9. The God of such power and majesty is easily able to execute the judgment announced in v. 12.
5:1 Hear this word. See note on 3:1. this lament. Amos sorrowfully fashioned a lament as if Israel were already dead.
5:2 Virgin Israel. A personification of Israel (see note on 2Ki 19:21). deserted. Left like a dead body on the open field (Jer 8:2; 9:22).
5:3 city . . . town. Communities of varying size would suffer.
5:4 Seek me and live. This gracious invitation is expanded in v. 6, and yet again in v. 14, to heighten the rhetorical effect. If the people of Israel would seek the Lord, they (or at least a “remnant,” v. 15) could yet escape the violent death anticipated in Amos’s lament (see Zep 2:3 and note).
5:5 Bethel . . . Gilgal. See note on 4:4. Beersheba. Located in the south of Judah, it also had evidently become a place of pilgrimage and idolatry (8:14). All shrines where the worship of God was abused would be destroyed.
5:6 The places of idolatry were doomed; yet if Israel turned to God, there was hope for them as a nation. Otherwise they too would be destroyed. Seek . . . live. See v. 4 and note. tribes of Joseph. The northern kingdom of Israel, dominated by the tribe of Ephraim, descendants of Joseph (see v. 15; 6:6; Hos 4:7 and note). Bethel. The main religious center of the northern kingdom (see 3:14; 4:4; 7:13; Hos 12:4 and notes). The god the Israelites worshiped there would be powerless to save the place when the true God brought his judgment.
5:7 those who turn justice into bitterness. They corrupted the procedures and institutions of justice (the courts), making them instruments of injustice (“bitterness”). Turning God’s order upside down is inevitable in a society that ignores his law and despises true religion (see 6:12 and note).
5:8–9 As in 4:13, a brief hymn is inserted (see 9:5–6 and notes). Here Amos highlights the contrast between “those who turn” good into bad (v. 7) and the One “who turns” night into day and governs the order of the universe—and whose power can smash the walls his people hide behind.
5:10 Continues the sentence begun in v. 7.
5:11 levy a straw tax on the poor. Echoes the initial indictment against Israel (2:7). though you have built. God would take away their prized possessions acquired through wrongful gain. Their prosperity would be turned to grief (see the covenant curses in Dt 28:30, 38–40).
5:13 the prudent. They know they cannot change the state of affairs, so they become very cautious about what they say. Amos is not suggesting silence or inactivity in the face of injustice (see vv. 14–15).
5:14 Seek good. Cf. “Seek me” (v. 4; see note there; see also Isa 1:16–17 and note on 1:17). that you may live. The purpose is more definitely expressed than in vv. 4,6, and the way to change is explicit. with you. As your security and source of blessing.
5:15 remnant. Implies that a change now would benefit the individual survivors of the disaster, though the nation as a whole would perish. Joseph. See note on v. 6.
5:16–17 A return to the theme of lament with which this section began (vv. 1–2). streets . . . square . . . farmers . . . vineyards. All will be affected by God’s punishment. Even farmers, usually too busy for such things, would join the professional mourners in lament, and mourning would overflow from the cities to the vineyards (see Joel 1:5 and note). When the holy God “will pass through” (as he did in Egypt, Ex 12:12), punishment for the unholy and unjust will be inescapable (cf. Isa 6:5).
5:18 day of the LORD. The time when God will show himself the victor over the world, vindicating his claims to be the Lord over all the earth (see notes on 8:9; Isa 2:11, 17,20; Joel 1:15; see also article). Israel expected to be exalted as his people and longed for that day to come. Amos warned that the day would come, but not as Israel expected—it would be a day of “darkness, not light” (v. 20; see 8:9 and note) for them, because they had not been faithful to God. (Cf. “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” and variations in 1Co 1:8; 3:12–15; 5:5; 2Co 1:14; Php 1:6, 10; 2:16.) Amos speaks primarily of an imminent and decisive judgment on Israel, not exclusively of the last day.
5:19–20 The two pictures (v. 19) emphasize vividly the inescapability of God’s coming judgment.
5:21–27 Again God directly addresses Israel with the charge of unfaithfulness.
5:24 justice . . . righteousness. Prerequisites for acceptance by God (see Mic 6:8 and note); but these are what Israel had rejected and scorned (cf. vv. 7,10,12b). river . . . never-failing stream. In contrast to stream beds that are dry much of the year (see Jer 15:18 and note). The simile is especially apt: As plant and animal life flourishes where there is water, so human life flourishes where there is justice and righteousness.
5:25 Israel’s right relationship with the Lord was never established primarily by sacrifices. It was above all based on obedience (see 1Sa 15:22 and note; cf. Ro 1:5). forty years in the wilderness. See Nu 14:32–35 and note on 14:34.
5:26 The obscure language of this verse speaks of Israelite idolatry, but whether it was in the wilderness long ago or more recently in the promised land, or both, is not clear. The NIV text note takes two nouns as proper names derived from Akkadian. The Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT) represents a somewhat different text, which is followed by Ac 7:43.
5:27 This punishment is the final one—exile from the God-given land to remote foreign places in the Assyrian empire.
6:1 in Zion . . . on Mount Samaria. Although Amos spoke primarily to Israel, Judah and Jerusalem (Zion) also deserved his rebuke (cf. 2:4–5), for Israel properly comprised all 12 tribes. Mount Samaria. See 4:1; Israel’s capital city, founded by King Omri. It was located on an easily defended, lofty hill (see 1Ki 16:24 and note). foremost nation. In Israel’s self-complacent eyes in this time of their newly recovered power and prosperity (see Introduction: Date and Historical Situation).
6:2 Perhaps Kalneh and Hamath had fallen in Jeroboam II’s campaign (see 2Ki 14:25,28 and notes), and the wall of Gath had been broken down by Uzziah (2Ch 26:6).
6:3 day of disaster. See note on 5:18.
6:4 lie . . . lounge on your couches. See 3:12 and note. ivory. See 3:15 and note.
6:6 by the bowlful. To extravagant and intemperate excess. Joseph. See note on 5:6.
6:8 sworn by himself. See notes on Ge 22:16; Heb 6:13. By this oath God declares that the verdict is final. the pride of Jacob. The strongholds in which the people took pride (“his fortresses”; cf. Eze 32:12 and note). fortresses. See note on 1:4.
6:10–11 A fearful scene: Apparently a survivor is cowering inside the house, the relative forbidding him even to pray because God’s wrath had fallen on the city.
6:11 great house . . . small house. Perhaps the “summer house” and “winter house” of 3:15, or a rhetorical device to indicate all houses.
6:12 plow the sea with oxen. See NIV text note. Israel’s perversion of justice flies in the face of even common human wisdom about the right order of things. See 5:7 and note.
6:13 Lo Debar . . . Karnaim. See NIV text notes for Amos’s ironic play on the meanings of these place-names. The towns may have been regained from Hazael by Jehoash (2Ki 10:32–33; 13:25) or by Jeroboam II (see 2Ki 14:25 and note), then taken by the Assyrians soon after Amos’s day (2Ki 15:29)—beginning the sequence of events that would lead to the loss of all territory conquered by Jeroboam II.
6:14 nation. Assyria. from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah. From the Orontes River in north Lebanon to the Dead Sea—thus the whole land (2Ki 14:25).
7:1 showed me. Introduces reports of visions that convey God’s message through things seen, as well as heard (see vv. 4,7; 8:1; Jer 1:11 and note; cf. Am 9:1). locusts. See 4:9; Ex 10:4 and note. king’s share. Apparently the earlier crop, from which the royal taxes were taken. late crops. The growth that came up in the fields after the grains and early hay were harvested. On these the flocks and herds pastured until the summer dry season stopped all growth.
7:2 See v. 5. How . . . survive? Mass starvation would afflict all the people. Jacob. Israel. so small. Powerless to withstand the calamity. Amos makes no appeal to the Lord’s covenant with Israel—perhaps because Israel’s unfaithfulness had removed all right to such an appeal.
7:3 See v. 6. the LORD relented. In response to the prophetic intercession (Ge 20:7), God would not send the locust plague.
7:4 great deep. Probably the Mediterranean Sea. land. Probably referring to the promised land or, more precisely, to everything growing on the land (cf. Joel 1:19).
7:6 See note on v. 3. God would not send fire to destroy the land.
7:7 Israel is compared to a wall built “true to plumb”—what they should have been, after all the Lord had done for them.
7:8–9 In vv. 1–6 God proposed destruction of crops and land but relented at Amos’s prayer. Now the Lord would carry out the judgment of the third vision against sanctuaries and the royal dynasty. Now even Amos’s intercession would not delay God’s judgment (cf. Jer 7:16; 15:1 and notes).
7:9 high places . . . sanctuaries . . . house. The centers of religious and political pretension and of self-righteous pride would be wiped out. Isaac. Israel’s (Jacob’s) father, a way of referring to Israel found only in Amos (v. 16). Jeroboam. The prophecies of chs. 1–6 were spoken to the leading people of Israel and Samaria as a whole; here Amos names one man, King Jeroboam II.
7:11 Amaziah’s words summarize Amos’s message (see note on v. 17). Jeroboam. That is, his “house” (v. 9), the king’s name also representing his dynasty. will die. Jeroboam died naturally (2Ki 14:29), but his son and successor Zechariah (2Ki 15:8) was assassinated (2Ki 15:10).
7:12 seer. Amaziah dismissed Amos as a prophet for hire whom he need not take seriously. Go back to . . . Judah . . . and do your prophesying there. Return to your homeland (see Introduction: Author). You have no business or standing among us.
7:13 king’s sanctuary. Amaziah served the king in Samaria, not Israel’s heavenly King; hence he would not allow a prophetic word to be spoken against Jeroboam or his realm at the royal chapel.
7:14 neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet. Amos denied any previous connection with the prophets or their disciples (see note on 1Ki 20:35). No one had hired him to come and announce judgment on Jeroboam and Israel. prophet. See note on Zec 1:1. shepherd. See note on 1:1, but the Hebrew uses a different word here—one not found elsewhere in the OT. The Hebrew for this word is, however, related to a word for “cattle,” suggesting that Amos may also have tended cattle. sycamore-fig trees. They yield fig-like fruit, though smaller than figs and of inferior quality. To ensure good fruit, the gardener had to slit the top of each fig—which may be the procedure referred to by the obscure Hebrew word here rendered “took care of.”
7:15 tending. Or “following,” the Hebrew for which stresses the location of the shepherd rather than his activity. Go. Amos was in Bethel because God had sent him to prophesy there.
7:17 Amos turned to condemn the priest personally. prostitute. With the exile of Amaziah, the death of his children and the loss of the family estate, Amaziah’s wife would be reduced to prostitution to survive. Your land. Amaziah’s private estate would be “divided up” and given to others. pagan country. Where his ceremonial purity as a priest would be defiled (see NIV text note). And Israel . . . native land. Amos repeats—verbatim in the Hebrew—the last two lines of Amaziah’s earlier summary of Amos’s message (v. 11).
8:1 showed me. See note on 7:1.
8:2 What do you see . . . ? See 7:8 and note. ripe fruit . . . time is ripe. A wordplay in Hebrew; Israel was ready to be plucked. my people. See 7:8 and note. spare them no longer. See 7:8.
8:3 that day. See 5:18 and note. wailing . . . Silence! There would be no thanksgiving songs for this harvest (contrast Lev 23:39–41)—only silence in the face of divine judgment (see note on Hab 2:20).
8:5 New Moon . . . Sabbath. The rich couldn’t wait to resume their business, with their dishonest practices toward the poor. The official religious festivals, when commerce ceased (see Nu 28:9–15; 2Ki 4:23 and note). skimping on the measure, boosting the price . . . dishonest scales. See Lev 19:35; Pr 11:1 and notes; Hos 12:7.
8:7 The LORD has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob. In ironic fashion, Amos echoes the phrase “pride of Jacob” in 6:8, where it refers not to God (as here) but to the fortresses of Israel.
8:8 See 9:5. rise like the Nile. Because of the heavy seasonal rains in Ethiopia, the Nile in Egypt annually rose by as much as 25 feet, flooding the whole valley except for the towns and villages standing above it. Its waters carried a large amount of rich soil, which was deposited on the land—perhaps referred to by the words “stirred up.”
8:10 mourning. Illustrated by King David (2Sa 18:33). wear sackcloth . . . shave your heads. Signs of mourning (see Ge 37:34; Isa 15:2–3 and notes). only son. On whose life the future of the family depended (cf. 2Sa 18:18; Zec 12:10). bitter day. The opposite of the “day of celebration” (Est 9:22).
8:11 days. When God’s judgment begins to take effect. famine of hearing the words of the LORD. In times of great distress Israel turned to the Lord for a prophetic word of hope or guidance (see, e.g., 2Ki 19:1–4, 14–15; 22:13–14; Jer 21:1–2; Eze 14:7), but in the coming judgment the Lord will answer all such appeals with silence—the awful silence of God (see Eze 7:26 and note; 20:1–3; Mic 3:4,7).
8:12 sea to sea . . . north to east. Throughout the land of Israel, from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea, even to the Transjordan.
8:13 thirst. Both physical and spiritual. Their strength sapped, even the healthiest and most virile would faint and fall useless.
8:14 Those who swear. By the gods of their various religious centers—the false gods in which they trusted rather than in the Lord. Samaria. See note on 6:1. Dan . . . Beersheba. Cities that not only marked the northern and southern limits of Israel (see note on Jdg 20:1) but also were noted as sites where pagan shrines had been built (see 5:5; 1Ki 12:29 and notes).
9:1 I saw the Lord. See note on 7:1. God is now poised on earth. by the altar. God is about to initiate the destruction from the very place from which the people expect to hear a word of peace and blessing. tops of the pillars. God will shatter the temple completely, from the decorated capitals down to the heavy stone “thresholds.” The next lines depict the destruction. Not one . . . will escape. See note on 7:8.
9:2–4 See note on 7:8. These verses emphasize the impossibility of escape from God’s impending judgment. The imaginary extremes to which a person might go may be compared with those in Ps 139:7–12 (see note there). God’s domain includes every place, even the realm of the grave (v. 2).
9:3 top of Carmel. See note on 1:2. serpent. In pagan mythology, the fierce monster of the sea (see Ps 74:13–14 and note). If some of “the people” (v. 1) should seek to escape by hiding in the depths, they could still not evade God, for even there all are subject to him.
9:4 driven . . . by their enemies . . . I will command. Even those dispersed among the nations will not escape God’s judgment. I will keep my eye . . . for harm. Contrast Ps 33:18–19; 34:15.
9:5 The Lord . . . he touches. Introduces a hymnic reminder that Israel’s God is the Creator, Sustainer and Judge of the universe, thus underlining the pronouncements of the previous verses (see 4:13; 5:8–9 and notes). the LORD Almighty. See note on 1Sa 1:3. earth . . . melts. See note on Ps 46:6. rises like the Nile. See 8:8 and note.
9:6 his lofty palace. Contrasts the scale of God with the scale of human beings, whose structures fall at the movement of the earth (v. 5). See Ps 104:3 and note. waters of the sea. See 5:8 and note.
9:7 Cushites. A people who lived south of Egypt (see Jer 13:23 and NIV text note there). Did I not bring Israel up . . . ? See note on Ex 20:2. Israel could not rely on God’s past blessings as an assurance of his future benevolence. Their stubborn rebelliousness robbed the exodus of all special meaning for them; their journey from Egypt is reduced to no more significance than the movements of other peoples. Philistines from Caphtor. See note on Jer 47:4. Kir. See note on 1:5.
9:8 sinful kingdom. Israel, the chosen, whose disobedience was considered by God to be far worse than the sins of other nations (see 1:3—2:16; 3:1–2 and note on 3:2). Yet I will not totally destroy. See note on v. 11.
9:9 sieve. Separates the wheat from small stones and other refuse gathered with it when scooped up from the ground. not a pebble will reach. Only the grain drops through, the refuse being screened out to be discarded.
9:10 All the sinners . . . will die. For their persistent rebellion. my people. See 7:8 and note.
9:12 remnant of Edom. Whatever is left of Israel’s bitter enemy (see note on 1:11) after their punishment. all the nations that bear my name. Refers to the extent of the rule of the Lord’s anointed future King, recalling that David had reigned over many nations surrounding Israel. It represents the fulfillment of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. The Messiah will reign even over former enemies, of whom Edom is symbolic (see notes on Isa 34:5; Joel 3:19; Ob 8). will do these things. God does what he says.
9:13–15 After all the forecasts of destruction, dearth and death (see, e.g., 5:9,11,27), Amos’s final words picture a glorious Edenic prosperity, when the seasons will run together so that sowing and reaping are without interval, and there will be a continuous supply of fresh produce—a reversal of the conditions portrayed in 4:6–11 (see notes there).
9:14–15 I will bring . . . They will rebuild . . . They will plant . . . I will plant. In the promised land God will make his people productive, fruitful and secure. my people . . . your God. Covenant terminology (see Zec 8:8 and note).
9:15 never again. When Israel is finally and fully restored, they will never again be destroyed. your God. Contrast Hos 1:9, but see Hos 2:23.