Amo 9:1

Amo 9: “The final chapter of the prophecy of Amos reveals… Yahweh over the Altar. The Altar represents the sacrificial principles by which the judgment of Yahweh over sin and the elevation of His character are revealed. It demonstrates that the divine glory will be achieved, through the redemptive work of the Son-Altar, Yahshua the Anointed. But the altar of Jerusalem has disgraced its purpose; it no longer was identified with the work of Yahweh, but with the elevation of those who worshiped in Jerusalem. So the altar was to be destroyed, as later the temple would be shaken and removed. The vision describes: (1) Yahweh’s command to destroy the altar: vv 1-6. (2) Israel’s elevation shall not save those who are guilty: vv 7-10. (3) Yahweh will purify, restore and glorify the faithful remnant in the nation: vv 11-15. Thus ultimately Israel will be purged of sin, and become the foundation of the divine mercy for a purified and regenerated people. It is a wonderful conclusion to the book of severe and uncompromising judgment. Despite the wickedness of His people, Yahweh will vindicate the promise inherent in the Name (v 6; Exo 36:22), and that Name will be manifested in the earth (Psa 8:1; Zec 14:9; Num 14:21)” (GEM).

THE ALTAR: Probably the altar at Bethel, since Bethel was the worship site in view in most of this book and since Amos’ encounter with Amaziah occurred there (Amo 7:10-17).

STRIKE THE TOPS OF THE PILLARS SO THAT THE THRESHOLDS SHAKE. BRING THEM DOWN ON THE HEADS OF ALL THE PEOPLE: Cp Samson in Jdg 16:29,30, and the temple in the days of Uzziah, in Isa 6:4.

Amo 9:2

THOUGH THEY DIG DOWN TO THE DEPTHS OF THE GRAVE, FROM THERE MY HAND WILL TAKE THEM. THOUGH THEY CLIMB UP TO THE HEAVENS, FROM THERE I WILL BRING THEM DOWN: It would be impossible for those whom the LORD chose to slay to escape, even if they tried to dig into the earth or climb into the sky (cp Psa 139:7,8; Jon 1; 2). If neither heights nor depths can separate people from the love of God (Rom 8:38,39), they are also unable to hide them from the wrath of God!

Cp also Job 20:6,7; 26:6; Isa 2:19; Jer 49:16; 51:53.

Amo 9:3

THOUGH THEY HIDE THEMSELVES ON THE TOP OF CARMEL: Where there might be excellent hiding places: “Ascending [Mount Carmel] from the south, we followed a wild gorge, through which my guide thought we could get up, and therefore led us on into the most frightful chasms, overhung by trees, bushes, and dark creepers, until it became absolutely impracticable, and we were obliged to find our way back again. And even after we reached the summit, it was so rough and broken, and the thorn bushes so thick-set and sharp, that our clothes were torn, and our hands and faces severely lacerated; nor could I see my guide ten steps ahead of me” (LB 487,488).

THOUGH THEY HIDE FROM ME AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, THERE I WILL COMMAND THE SERPENT TO BITE THEM: Yahweh would seek the guilty out and command His agents to execute them, even if that agent had to be a serpent in the sea (cp Amo 5:19; Job 26:12,13; Psa 74:13,14; 89:9,10; Isa 27:1; 51:9-10).

Amo 9:5

Earthquakes accompany awesome manifestations of God: Exo 19:18; Jdg 5:4; Psa 77:18; 114:4; Isa 2:10-22; Jer 4:24; Eze 38:20; Joe 3:16; Amo 9:1,5; Zec 14:4; Rev 6:12; 11:19; 16:18.

THE WHOLE LAND RISES LIKE THE NILE, THEN SINKS LIKE THE RIVER OF EGYPT: Cp Amo 8:8n.

Amo 9:7

ARE NOT YOU ISRAELITES THE SAME TO ME AS THE CUSHITES?: Thus exploding the great delusion of the people of Israel, both then and now, that they were somehow special to God — so special that their actions made no difference to that status!

DID I NOT BRING ISRAEL UP FROM EGYPT, THE PHILISTINES FROM CAPHTOR AND THE ARAMEANS FROM KIR?: God had separated the Philistines from Caphtor (Crete; cp Deut 2:23) and the Syrians (Arameans) from Kir in Mesopotamia (cf Amo 1:5) just as He had led Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. The Philistines and Syrians were Israel’s enemies, but God had done for them what He had done for Israel. He could justly send the Israelites into another part of the world since He had formerly relocated these other nations. The Israelites considered themselves superior because of their election, but really they were no better or less accountable than any other nation.

Amo 9:8

I WILL DESTROY IT FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH: “Destroy”, ie politically (see Ezek 22:15-22) and as a nation: spoken to Zedekiah, last king to sit on David’s throne: Ezek 21:25-27. Decline of Israel was foretold by David: Psa 89:38-44.

YET I WILL NOT TOTALLY DESTROY THE HOUSE OF JACOB: No matter how much they might be punished by God, Israel will yet be preserved as a race: Jer 30:11.

Amo 9:9

Vv 9-15: Promise of a final, glorious restoration.

AND NOT A PEBBLE WILL REACH THE GROUND: “[Amos] foretold the desolation of the kingdom in all its elements, but also that Jehovah will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob; but that he would sift them among all nations as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet that not one good seed should fall to the earth to rise no more” (Eur 1:45).

Amo 9:11

Vv 11,12: “Isaiah had expected Gentile converts to come to Jerusalem to learn God’s ways so that they might walk in them. But Isaiah also spoke of the Gentiles’ persistence as nations whose salvation did not destroy their national identities (cf Isa 2:4; 25:6,7). Likewise, Amos spoke of ‘the remnant of men’ (LXX, DSS) in the last days when ‘David’s fallen tent’ would be rebuilt as being ‘all the Gentiles who bear my name’ and whose continuance as Gentiles was understood. In the end times, James [Act 15:17] is saying, God’s people will consist of two concentric groups. At their core will be restored Israel (ie, David’s rebuilt tent); gathered around them will be a group of Gentiles (ie, ‘the remnant of men’) who will share in the Messianic blessings but will persist as Gentiles without necessarily becoming Jewish proselytes. It is this understanding of Amos’ message, James insisted, that Peter’s testimony has affirmed, the result being that the conversion of Gentiles in the last days should be seen not as proselytizing but in an eschatological context. James’ quotation of Amo 9:11,12 is both textually and exegetically difficult. As given in Acts, the text of v 12 deviates from the MsTx and agrees with the LXX in reading ‘they will seek’ (Gr ‘ekzetesosin’) for ‘they will inherit’ (Heb ‘yiresu’), in reading ‘of men’ (Gr ‘ton anthropon’) for ‘of Edom’ (‘edom’), and in treating ‘the remnant’ (Gr ‘hoi kataloipoi’) as the subject of the sentence rather than its object. It would have been impossible, in fact, for James to have derived his point from the text had he worked from the MsTx. On the other hand, the text of v 11 here differs from the LXX in reading ‘after this’ (Gr ‘meta tauta’) for ‘in that day’ (Gr ‘en te hemera ekeine’), in reading ‘I will return and rebuild’ (Gr ‘anastrepso kai anoikodomeso’) for ‘I will raise up’ (Gr ‘anasteso’), in reading ‘I will restore’ (Gr ‘anorthoso’) for ‘I will raise up’ (Gr ‘anasteso’), and in omitting the clause ‘and I will rebuild it as in the days of old’ (Gr ‘kai anoikodomeso auten kathos hai hemerai tou aionos’). Focusing on the quotation’s difference from the MsTx and essential agreement with the LXX, many commentators have complained that ‘the Jewish Christian James would not in Jerusalem have used a LXX text, differing from the Heb original, as scriptural proof,’ and have therefore concluded, ‘It is not James but Luke who is speaking here’ (Haenchen, ‘Acts of the Apostles’ 448). But while the text of Amo 9:11,12 differs from the MsTx in meaning and the LXX in form, ‘it is exactly identical with… [some attested readings of the DSS]” (EBC).

I WILL RESTORE DAVID’S FALLEN TENT: “Tabernacle” (AV), or “booth”. “Most prob a figurative allusion to the restoration of stricken Hezekiah” (WIsa 217).

AND BUILD IT AS IT USED TO BE: In “days of old” (as AV), David’s great kingdom encompassed all the Gentile nations listed in Amo 1; 2, as well as all 12 tribes — both Israel and Judah. And so it will be again! In the near future God will restore the Davidic house and rebuild it as in former days, when it was a united kingdom with a descendant of David ruling over all Israel (Jer 30:3-10; Ezek 37:15-28; Hos 3:4,5). That day will be a day of restoration as well as a day of judgment. The restoration will follow in the Millennium, after the judgments of the Last Days tribulation period.

Amo 9:13

A virtual removal of the Adamic curse upon the earth (Gen 3:17-19). Instead of drought and famine (Amo 1:2; 4:6-8) there would be abundant harvests (cp Lev 26:3-5; Deut 28:4,5,8,11,12).

“The land would become so productive that farmers planting seed for the next harvest would push reapers of the same fields to finish their work so they could plant the next crop. Normally the Israelites plowed their fields in October and the reaping ended in May, but in the future reaping would still be going on in October because of the huge harvests. Wine-makers would similarly push the farmers to sow more seed. The grape harvest took place in August, and farmers planted new vines in November. Harvests would be so abundant that the gathering of one crop would not end before it was time to begin the new crop” (Const).

Amo 9:15

I WILL PLANT ISRAEL IN THEIR OWN LAND, NEVER AGAIN TO BE UPROOTED FROM THE LAND I HAVE GIVEN THEM: The Israelites would put roots down in the Promised Land and never have to leave it again (cf Gen 13:14,15; 17:7,8; Deut 30:1-5; 2Sa 7:10; Jer 30:10-11; Eze 37:25; Joel 3:17-21; Mic 4:4-7; Zech 14:11). They would not fear exile (Amo 4:2-3; 5:5,27; 6:7; 7:11,17; 9:4) but would be secure from every foe (Lev 26:7,8; Deut 28:7,10). Yahweh, Israel’s true God, promised this.

Amo 4:1

HEAR THIS WORD, YOU COWS OF BASHAN: Amos addressed the wealthy women of Samaria, calling them “cows of Bashan”. Bashan was a very luxuriant region of Transjordan east and northeast of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee) where cattle had plenty to eat and grew fat (cp Psa 22:12; Jer 50:11,19; Eze 39:18; Mic 7:14; Deu 32:14,15).

ON MOUNT SAMARIA: The mountain is mentioned, as though it afforded them some kind of security — which surely it didn’t.

YOU WOMEN WHO OPPRESS THE POOR AND CRUSH THE NEEDY: These women, by the silly and selfish demands they made upon their husbands, were in effect oppressing the poor and crushing the needy.

AND SAY TO YOUR HUSBANDS: There is a sharp irony here: the word “husbands” is “adonim” — LORDS, or MASTERS! But who were the “masters” in these households? Certainly not the men!

“BRING US SOME DRINKS!”: In the heights of laziness and self-indulgence, they were even ordering their husbands to wait on them and bring them drinks.

Amo 4:2

THE TIME WILL SURELY COME WHEN YOU WILL BE TAKEN AWAY WITH HOOKS, THE LAST OF YOU WITH FISHHOOKS: An enemy would cart them off as butchers carry beef with large meat hooks and as fishermen carry fish with hooks. They would become so much “meat on the hoof”! This description may imply that the enemy would tie them in lines with ropes and lead them away — since this is how fishermen strung their fish on lines. Alternatively it may mean that their bodies would be treated as nothing but “dead meat”!

Amo 4:3

YOU WILL EACH GO STRAIGHT OUT THROUGH BREAKS IN THE WALL: The enemy would carry the bodies of these women (living or dead) off through breaches in Samaria’s walls. The women would be carried off without any complications; each one would go straight ahead to captivity or to burial through any one of the many passageways made through the broken walls.

TOWARD HARMON: There are two possibilities: (1) Mount Hermon, toward the north, the direction the Assyrians took the Israelite captives as they deported them to Assyria; or (2) Heb “harmon” sig “oppression” — as though the mount of Samaria, in which they trusted (v 1), would instead be a mount of oppression for them!

Amo 4:4

Vv 4,5: An ironical indictment of their hypocritical practices. A show of piety, but behind the scenes, a gross individual self-indulgence.

GO TO BETHEL AND SIN: Ironically the Lord told these sinful Israelites to go to Bethel but to transgress, not to worship. Such a call parodied the summons of Israel’s priests to come to the sanctuary to worship (Psa 95:6; 96:8-9; 100:2-4). Bethel was the most popular religious site in Israel, but Yahweh looked at what the people did there as transgressing His law rather than worshipping Him.

GO TO GILGAL, AND SIN YET MORE: Another worship center, and the place where the Israelites had entered the Promised Land and had erected memorial stones (Josh 4:20-24). Visited by pilgrims, who sacrificed there in Amos’ day (Amo 5:5; Hos 4:15; 9:15; 12:11). At Gilgal (from Heb “galal”, to roll) God had rolled away the reproach of Egypt from His people (Josh 5:9), but now they were bringing reproach on themselves again by their behavior at Gilgal.

BRING YOUR SACRIFICES EVERY MORNING, YOUR TITHES EVERY THREE YEARS: Lit, “your tithes on the third day” — poss ironical again: ie, ‘No matter how often you bring your tithes, it will not be enough!’

Amo 4:6

I GAVE YOU EMPTY STOMACHS: This is interpretive: the Heb is, lit, “cleanness of teeth” — as though there were no food at all!

YET YOU HAVE NOT RETURNED TO ME: Famine was one of the curses that God said He might bring if His people proved unfaithful to His covenant (Lev 26:26,29; Deut 28:17,48). But it was all to no avail; still they did not repent.

Amo 4:7

Vv 7,8: Drought was also a punishment for Israel’s unfaithfulness (Lev 26:19; Deut 28:22-24,48). But still they did not repent.

Amo 4:9

V 9: Yahweh sent plant diseases and insects to blight their gardens, vineyards, and fruit trees, yet they did not return to Him (1Ki 8:37). These were also threatened judgments in the Mosaic Covenant (Lev 26:20; Deut 28:18,22,30,38-40,42).

Amo 4:10

V 10: Wars had brought various plagues on the Israelites, and many of their soldiers had died (cp 1Ki 8:33,37). The plagues on the Israelites should have made them conclude that God was now judging them. God had plagued His people as He formerly had plagued the Egyptians. The stench of dead bodies should have led the people to repent, but it did not (cp Lev 26:16-17,25,31-39; Deut 28:21,22,25-27,35,49-52,59-61; 29:23-28).

PLAGUES… AS I DID TO EGYPT: Prob bubonic plague, from the Nile River’s unhealthy delta (Deu 28:60; HistGeo 120).

Amo 4:11

SODOM AND GOMORRAH: Sym complete, utter destruction (Isa 1:9; 13:19; Jer 50:40; Zeph 2:9).

A BURNING STICK SNATCHED FROM THE FIRE: Just as Yahweh had rescued Lot and his daughters from Sodom (Gen 19).

Amo 4:12

PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD, O ISRAEL: The Israelites should prepare to meet their God because they had failed to repent (cf Exod 19:10-19; 2Co 5:10). He would confront them with even greater punishments (cf Amo 3:11-15; generally, Isa 47:3 and Mat 24:45-51). The prophet’s call was a solemn summons to judgment, not a call to repentance or an invitation to covenant renewal.

Amo 4:13

HE WHO FORMS THE MOUNTAINS, CREATES THE WIND, AND REVEALS HIS THOUGHTS TO MAN, HE WHO TURNS DAWN TO DARKNESS, AND TREADS THE HIGH PLACES OF THE EARTH — THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY IS HIS NAME: This “enemy” whom they must meet was the LORD God of Hosts!

“In one bold sweep, this hymn shows the sovereignty of God — from his creation of the world to his daily summoning of the dawn, from his intervention in history to his revelation of mankind’s thoughts. Every believer can take comfort in the fact that, while sometimes it seems that God does not interfere in human affairs, the world is never out of his control. His sovereignty extends to every aspect of human experience” (McComiskey).

Amo 5:1

LAMENT: Heb “qinah”. A dirge was a lament that was sung at the funeral of a friend, relative, or prominent person (eg, 2Sa 1:17-27; 3:33,34; 2Ch 35:25). The prophets used the dirge to prophesy the death of a city, people, or nation (Jer 7:29; 9:10,11,17-22; all of Lam; Eze 19; 26:17,18; 27:2,32; 28:12; 32:2). Amos announced Israel’s death at the height of its prosperity under Jeroboam II.

Amo 5:2

FALLEN IS VIRGIN ISRAEL, NEVER TO RISE AGAIN: The human phase of the Northern Kingdom of Israel is now to be irrevocably closed. Fallen” in funeral songs usually means “fallen in battle” (2Sa 1:19,25,27; 3:34; Lam 2:21).

NO ONE TO LIFT HER UP: No one came to her aid, even Yahweh (Jdg 6:13; 2Ki 21:14; Isa 2:6).

Amo 5:4

SEEK ME AND LIVE: Yahweh invited the Israelites to seek Him so they might live. Even though national judgment and death were inevitable, individuals could still live. Announcements of impending judgment almost always allow for the possibility of individual repentance (Jer 18:1-10).

Amo 5:5

BETHEL WILL BE REDUCED TO NOTHING: Or “to Aven” (nought, vanity, nothingness). A play on words: ref to Beth Aven (the other name for Bethel, given derisively: cp Hos 4:15; 10:5). “Aven” (nothing) often referred to the powerless (ie non-existent) idols of the Gentile nations (cf Isa 41:22-24,28,29).

Amo 5:7

YOU WHO TURN JUSTICE INTO BITTERNESS AND CAST RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THE GROUND: A total contempt for what was right (cp Pro 1:3; 2:9; 8:20; 21:3; Isa 1:21; 5:7; 28:17). Right conduct was the proper action, and justice was the result, but the Israelites had despised both in their courts.

Amo 5:8

HE WHO MADE THE PLEIADES AND ORION, WHO TURNS BLACKNESS INTO DAWN AND DARKENS DAY INTO NIGHT: Since Yahweh made the Pleiades and Orion, constellations of stars, He could bring His will to pass on earth too. The rising of the Pleiades before daybreak heralded the arrival of spring and the rising of Orion after sunset signaled the onset of winter. Since Yahweh brings light out of darkness in the morning and darkens the day at night, He could easily change the fate of Israel from prosperity to adversity.

“The prophet first draws the attention of Israel to the living God who stands behind nature, determining all its movements. The atheist is rebuked by this view of things. The thought of the prophet is full of God; nature does not deny God — it demonstrates Him. God is. Those who identify God with nature until they confound the personal God with the laws and forces of the world, are also rebuked by the text. Nature is not God. ‘He maketh the seven stars and Orion.’ And the view that nature is independent of God is equally repudiated. On the contrary, the teaching of Amos is that God acts through nature. The people of Israel are summoned to look up and to behold the supreme, self-existent God, standing before and above the world, acting upon it, acting through it, with sovereign sway. He maketh the seven stars and Orion, and all the rest. But the argument of Amos goes farther than this; he argues that God rules in the midst of the nations just as He rules in the midst of nature, and we must see His hand in human affairs as we see it in the rising and setting of stars, in the ebbing and flowing of seas. He setteth up kings and captains, and casteth them down; He smites the splendour of nations into desolation; and again He restores their greatness and joy. The argument of the prophet proceeds on the assumption that a Divine purpose, a vast design, runs through all the evolutions of nature and all the movements of history’ (BI).

Amo 5:10

IN COURT: Lit, “in the gate” (AV) — the ANE scene of judgment and public witness: cp Deu 16:18; 17:5; 21:19; 25:7; Rth 4:1,10; Job 29:7; 31:21.

Amo 5:11

YOU TRAMPLE ON THE POOR AND FORCE HIM TO GIVE YOU GRAIN: Thru various “legal” devices, the rich got the better of the poor financially, until they were forced to “lease” their land to the rich. Then they imposed high rents and taxes of grain on the poor to keep them tenants on the land (cp, generally, Exo 23:2,6).

Amo 5:13

THEREFORE THE PRUDENT MAN KEEPS QUIET IN SUCH TIMES, FOR THE TIMES ARE EVIL: Life had become so corrupt that keeping quiet about these abuses of power had become the only prudent thing to do. If a person spoke out against them, he could count on feeling the wrath of the powerful.

Amo 5:14

SEEK GOOD, NOT EVIL, THAT YOU MAY LIVE: Cp vv 4-6.

THEN THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY WILL BE WITH YOU, JUST AS YOU SAY HE IS: Cp Num 23:21; Deut 20:4; 31:8; Jdg 6:12; Isa 8:10; Zeph 3:15,17.

Amo 5:15

HATE EVIL, LOVE GOOD: In the permissive and tolerant society in which we live, it is quite hard to hate evil in the way that we clearly should do in order to please God: Psa 34:14; 36:4; 37:27; 97:10; 119:104; 139:21,22; Rom 7:15,16,22; 8:7; 12:9; 1Th 5:21,22; 3Jo 1:11.

THE COURTS: Lit, “the gates”, as in v 10.

Amo 5:17

“FOR I WILL PASS THROUGH YOUR MIDST,” SAYS THE LORD: Earlier God had passed through Egypt with similar devastating results (cf Exo 11:4-7; 12:12,13).

Amo 5:18

Vv 18,19: Two hunters came across a bear so big that they dropped their rifles and ran for cover. One man climbed a tree while the other hid in a nearby cave. The bear was in no hurry to eat, so he sat down between the tree and the cave to reflect upon his good fortune. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, the hunter in the cave came rushing out, almost ran into the waiting bear, hesitated, and then dashed back in again. The same thing happened a second time. When he emerged for the third time, his companion in the tree frantically called out, “Woody, are you crazy? Stay in the cave till he leaves!” “Can’t,” panted Woody, “There’s another bear in there.”

A similar kind of dilemma will someday come upon the godless. They will find trouble in the very place they run for safety (Amo 5:18). According to the prophet Amos, these people may be religious, and even long for the coming of the Lord, without realizing that His arrival will present for them the greatest problem of all — judgment of their wrongdoing.

THAT DAY WILL BE DARKNESS, NOT LIGHT: As the pillar of cloud was darkness to Egypt, but light to Israel (Exo 14:20). God would judge His people before He blessed them: see Jer 46:10; Joel 3:1-17; Zeph 3:8; Zech 14:1-3. Cp idea, 1Th 5:3.

Amo 5:19

IT WILL BE AS THOUGH A MAN FLED FROM A LION ON TO MEET A BEAR, AS THOUGH HE ENTERED HIS HOUSE AND RESTED HIS HAND ON THE WALL ONLY TO HAVE A SNAKE BITE HIM: The coming day of the Lord would mean inescapable tragedy for Israel. The Israelites may have thought they had escaped one enemy, but they would have to face another. They might think they were secure and safe in their homeland, but deadly judgment would overtake them in that secure environment. There would be no safe haven from God’s coming judgment.

Amo 5:20

WILL NOT THE DAY OF THE LORD BE DARKNESS, NOT LIGHT — PITCH-DARK, WITHOUT A RAY OF BRIGHTNESS?: A brighter day of the Lord was also coming (Amo 9:11-15; Jer 30:8-11; Hos 2:16-23; Mic 4:6,7; Zeph 3:11-20), but first a dark one would appear. The Israelites wanted to hasten the good day of the Lord, but they wanted to forget about the bad one. This prophecy found fulfillment when the Assyrians overran Israel and took most of the people into exile in 722 BC. Likewise, the later tribulation period for Israel, which will precede her millennial day of blessing, will be similar to what Amos predicted here.

Amo 5:21

I HATE, I DESPISE YOUR RELIGIOUS FEASTS; I CANNOT STAND YOUR ASSEMBLIES: The Israelites enjoyed participating in the religious festivals and assemblies in which they professed to worship Yahweh. But He hated their worship assemblies, because the people were not worshipping Him from their hearts. They were only going through the motions of worship. And what good is such “worship” without at least the commitment to personal purity and holiness?

Amo 5:23

In vv 23,24 the singular pronoun “your” appears indicating that the call is for individuals to repent.

Amo 5:24

LET JUSTICE ROLL ON LIKE A RIVER, RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE A NEVER-FAILING STREAM!: “Instead of a constant stream of blood flowing from sacrifices, and an endless stream of verbal and ritual praise from His people, He wanted these ethical qualities to flow without ceasing from them. The Israelites were inundating Him with rivers of religiosity, but He wanted rivers of righteousness. This is the key verse in the book since it expresses so clearly what God wanted from His people. It is a clear statement of the importance of moral and ethical righteousness over mere ritual worship. ‘With Hos 6:6 and Mic 6:8 this text stands as one of the great themes in prophetic literature with regard to the nature of sacrifices and true religion. God is not pleased by acts of pomp and grandeur but by wholehearted devotion and complete loyalty’ (Smith)” (Const).

Amo 5:25

DID YOU BRING ME SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS FORTY YEARS IN THE DESERT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL?: No, they did not! — as becomes plain in v 26.

Amo 5:26

YOU HAVE LIFTED UP THE SHRINE OF YOUR KING, THE PEDESTAL OF YOUR IDOLS, THE STAR OF YOUR GOD — WHICH YOU MADE FOR YOURSELVES: “During the wilderness wanderings the Israelites had also carried shrines of their king. This may refer to unauthorized shrines honoring Yahweh or, more probably, shrines honoring other deities (cf Acts 7:42,43). ‘Sikkuth, your king’ probably refers to Sakkut, the Assyrian war god also known as Adar. ‘Kiyyun, your images’ probably refers to the Assyrian astral deity also known as Kaiwan or Saturn. Amos evidently ridiculed these gods by substituting the vowels of the Hebrew word for ‘abomination’ (shiqqus) in their names (Anderson and Freeman). ‘The star of your gods [or god]’ probably refers to the planet Saturn that represented Kiyyun (Mays; Stephen’s quotation of v 26 in Acts 7:42,43 was from the LXX, which interpreted these names as references to pagan idols.) They may have carried pedestals for their images of various idols including astral deities. Many scholars believe the Israelites conceived of the golden calf as a representation of that on which Yahweh rode, a visible support for their invisible God (another view is that the golden calf represented Yahweh Himself). The bull in Egyptian iconography was a symbol of strength and power. Jeroboam I had erected bulls at Dan and Bethel in Israel and had revived this idolatrous form of worship. Amos pointed out that Israel had always mixed idolatry with the worship of Yahweh, so Israel’s worship of Him had been hypocritical throughout her history. (Certainly at times the Israelites worshipped God exclusively and wholeheartedly, but throughout their history there had been these instances of syncretistic hypocrisy)” (Const).

YOUR GOD: LXX has “Rephan”. Poss related to “Raphion” = the “giant”, the constellation of Orion (v 8).

Amo 5:27

Amos 5:27.

BEYOND DAMASCUS: They did go into exile in Assyria, to the northeast of Damascus, after 722 BC. (cp Amo 4:3).

This becomes “beyond Babylon” in Acts 7:43. Implying a second captivity — one for Israel (here), and one for Judah (in Acts 7).

Amo 6:1

Amo 6: “The voice of the ‘Burden Bearer’ continues to describe the sinful condition of the nation and the spiritual decadence of its leaders. He describes them as reclining at their entertainments, upon splendid couches, anointing their guests with rich perfumes, indulging freely in wine, and enjoying vocal and instrumental music, whilst neglecting the true worship of Yahweh (Isa 5:12-13). So he indicts (v 1), warns (v 2), rebukes (vv 3-6), pronounces impending judgment (vv 7-11), and declares that it is inevitable (vv 12-14). His indignation is against the excessive luxury of its leaders. His language is unequivocal and without doubt as to its meaning. His language is descriptive, but very true. There is no doubt that the ecclesia was in a parlous state, and about to be brought into the divine judgment. Thus he sets out: [1] The luxury revelling of the leaders: vv 1-6. [2] The punishment to fit the crime: vv 7-11. [3] The folly of evildoers who think they can resist the divine judgment: vv 12-14” (GEM).

WOE TO YOU WHO ARE COMPLACENT IN ZION: This is the last reference to the people of Zion in this message; from now on Amos spoke only of the Northern Kingdom. He had referred to the Judean leaders because they were also guilty of the same sins (cp Isa. 32:9-11), but judgment was not decreed against them… yet!

AND TO YOU WHO FEEL SECURE IN MOUNT SAMARIA: With masterful irony, Amos addressed the self-satisfied rich, secure in their affluence (cp Luke 6:24,25; 12:13-21).

“It must be one of the biggest curses in the western world. It was the disease that caused the downfall of the greatest world power that ever existed — Rome. It was one of the main contributors to the downfall of Israel and Judah and it will most likely be the downfall of the world today. How does it affect you?

“The disease is complacency. When our time and possessions are more than we need we can tend to relax and take things easy. We stop working hard and — because we don’t seem to need anything — we can tend to forget God. When we become complacent we may decide that we don’t need to read the Bible — because we have already read it and we know what it says. At those times we decide that we don’t need to attend meetings with other believers to worship, study and encourage one another — because other things are easier or more fun to do, and we drift from prayer because we have no need of God.

“The message is to snap out of your complacency — Wake up! Pay attention! and Get going again for God! Israel’s complacency led to their deaths. May we snap out of ours before it is too late” (RP).

Amo 6:2

GO TO CALNEH AND LOOK AT IT; GO FROM THERE TO GREAT HAMATH, AND THEN GO DOWN TO GATH IN PHILISTIA. ARE THEY BETTER OFF THAN YOUR TWO KINGDOMS? IS THEIR LAND LARGER THAN YOURS?: Amos challenged these proud leaders to visit other cities that had once considered themselves great. Calneh (or Calno, Isa 10:9) and Hamath were city-states in northern Aram. Shalmaneser III of Assyria had overrun them in 854-846 BC, but Israel controlled them in Amos’ day. Gath had been a notable city in Philistia, but it had fallen before King Hazael of Aram in 815 BC and again to King Uzziah of Judah in 760 BC. Presently Judah controlled it. Samaria was no better than those city-states, and their territories were larger than Samaria’s. Yet they had fallen to foreign invaders. What had happened to them could happen to Samaria even though the people of Israel believed that Yahweh would protect it.

Amo 6:3

YOU PUT OFF THE EVIL DAY AND BRING NEAR A REIGN OF TERROR: The leaders of Samaria dismissed the possibility that calamity would overtake their city. But they were really hastening that day by refusing to acknowledge and repent of their sins.

This phrase (“to put off the evil day”) is still proverbial for a procrastination in doing the job that should be done, but which is unpleasant or onerous. Cp Amo 9:10; Ecc 8:11; Isa 47:7; 56:12; Eze 12:22,27; Mat 24:48; 1Th 5:3; 2Pe 3:4; Rev 18:7.

A REIGN OF TERROR: The 31 years following King Jeroboam II’s reign saw increasingly worse conditions for Israel (2Ki 15:8–17:6). Six kings reigned, three of whom seized power by political coup and assassination. Fear and violence marked this period (2Ki 15:16).

Amo 6:4

Vv 4-6: “The leaders of Israel… lie on ivory divans, sprawl on couches, feast of tender lamb and veal, amuse themselves by ‘babbling to the sound of the harp’ (the word ‘chant’ [AV; ‘improvise’ in NIV] is said to suggest a flow of trivial words in which the rhythm of words and music was everything and the sense nothing; the description has a modern sound). David had introduced instruments of music into the service of the temple, but these corrupt leaders debase them for their own amusement. The bowls in which they drink wine are really ewers, often translated ‘basons’ (AV) [‘bowlful’: NIV] as used in the service of the tabernacle. Silver bowls were dedicated to that service by the heads of the tribes (Num 7). The finest ointments may have been in imitation of, or in rivalry with, the holy ointment appointed by God and forbidden to be copied. Both these features suggest that the Israelites were using holy things for profane ends. They were intent upon their pleasures, but they did not grieve for the ‘breach of Joseph’ ” (PHZ).

Amo 6:6

YOU DRINK WINE BY THE BOWLFUL AND USE THE FINEST LOTIONS, BUT YOU DO NOT GRIEVE OVER THE RUIN OF JOSEPH: The reference is to Gen 37:25, where Joseph’s brothers sat down to enjoy their meal, while Joseph languished in the cistern, waiting to be sold into slavery.

Amo 6:8

THE PRIDE OF JACOB: That is, the city of Samaria.

Amo 6:9

IF TEN MEN ARE LEFT IN ONE HOUSE, THEY TOO WILL DIE: A picture of the survivors (of plague or war) grouping together for support and to sustain life — all in one house. Yet they too will die.

Amo 6:10

A RELATIVE: “Uncle” in AV — because the nearer relatives are all dead!?

TO BURN THE BODIES: Because of fear of plague or contagion — there being so many deaths. The bodies of Saul and his son may have been burned because they had been badly mutilated (1Sa 31:12); but more likely it was necessary to dispose of the bodies in haste before the Philistines could mutilate them further (KD).

WE MUST NOT MENTION THE NAME OF THE LORD: Superstitiously, they would beg him not even to mention the name of Yahweh in anger, lament, or praise, because to do so might draw His attention to them and result in their deaths.

Amo 6:12

THE ROCKY CRAGS: The minds of the Israelites were like ROCKS, unreceptive, impenetrable, unchangeable. Cp the seed falling on rocky places (Mat 13:5).

BITTERNESS: “Hemlock” (KJV), or “wormwood” (cp Amo 5:7; Jer 9:15).

Amo 6:13

YOU WHO REJOICE IN THE CONQUEST OF LO DEBAR AND SAY, “DID WE NOT TAKE KARNAIM BY OUR OWN STRENGTH?”: The leaders felt very proud and confident because under Jeroboam II Israel had recaptured some territory that it had formerly lost to Aram (2Ki 14:25). This included the town of Lo-debar in Transjordan (2Sa 9:4; 17:27). Amos, however, cleverly made light of this feat by mispronouncing the city ‘Lo-dabar’, which means ‘not a thing.’ They had taken nothing of much value. The people were also claiming that they had taken the town of Karnaim (lit, a pair of horns, symbols of strength) by their own strength. It was not they but Yahweh, however, who had strengthened them to achieve this victory over a symbolically strong town. Really Karnaim was quite insignificant also.

Amo 6:14

FROM LEBO HAMATH TO THE VALLEY OF THE ARABAH: From extreme north to extreme south of the Land.

VALLEY: Heb “nachal”: the seasonal stream, or “wadi” — the dry creek bed of the Negev.

Amo 7:1

Vv 1-3: Fulfilled in 2Ki 15:19,20 — when Tiglathpileser king of Assyria came against Israel, c 740 BC.

HE WAS PREPARING SWARMS OF LOCUSTS: Locusts swarming indicated that they were about to sweep through an area and destroy all the crops. There was no way to prevent this in Amos’ day. Locust invasions were a perennial threat, and they were a method of discipline that God had said He might use if His people proved unfaithful to His covenant with them (Deut 28:38,42; cf Joel 1:1-7; Amos 4:9).

Amo 7:2

HOW CAN JACOB SURVIVE?: God had promised to take care of Jacob when that patriarch encountered Yahweh at Bethel, now a center of apostate worship in Israel (Gen 28:10-22). Perhaps that is why Amos appealed to God with the name of Jacob (Amo 3:13; 6:8; 7:5; 8:7; 9:8).

HE IS SO SMALL: Amos’ view of Israel as small and weak stands in contrast to that of Israel’s leaders who believed it was strong and invincible (Amo 6:1-3,8,13; 9:10). Israel occupied a large territory under Jeroboam II, second only to what Solomon controlled, but it was still small in relation to the larger empires of the ANE. Amos may have meant that Israel was small in the sense of helpless.

Amo 7:3

SO THE LORD RELENTED. “THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN,” THE LORD SAID: But the full fury of this invasion was turned back, by Yahweh.

Amo 7:4

V 4: A second coming of the king of Assyria, c 730 BC, carrying away many captives (2Ki 15:29).

THE GREAT DEEP: Subterranean waters that feed springs (cf Gen 1:2; 7:11; 8:2; 49:25; Deu 8:7; Eze 31:4). So intense was the fire that Amos saw that it dried up even these underground water reservoirs. Great heat with consequent drought was one of the punishments that the Lord warned of for covenant unfaithfulness (Deut 28:22).

Amo 7:6

SO THE LORD RELENTED. “THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN EITHER,” THE SOVEREIGN         LORD SAID: Again, the full force of this attack was mitigated, by Yahweh.

Amo 7:7

A PLUMB LINE: For measuring and reckoning. God was carefully measuring Israel, for a further trial at the hand of the Assyrians: “Your land will be measured and divided up” (v 17).

Amo 7:8

I WILL SPARE THEM NO LONGER: The 3rd and final judgment is coming, from the Assyrians again, and this time (in ct vv 3,6) there will be no relenting!

Amo 7:9

The overthrow of Israel by Shalmaneser (2Ki 17:6).

Amo 7:10

Amaziah, who was one of the apostate priests who served at the Bethel sanctuary (1Ki 12:26-33), felt that Amos was being unpatriotic in what he was prophesying.

Amo 7:12

GET OUT, YOU SEER!: By referring to Amos as a seer (another term for a prophet: 1Sa 9:9; 2Sa 24:11; Isa 29:10), Amaziah was probably disparaging the visions that Amos said he saw (vv 1-9).

GO BACK TO THE LAND OF JUDAH: That is, to your own country (cp Amo 1:1).

Amo 7:13

Ahaziah told Amos to stop prophesying in Bethel (emphatic in the Hebrew text) because it was one of the king’s sanctuaries (places of worship) as well as one of the king’s residences (places of living). Amos had become an embarrassment to the political and religious establishment in Israel.

THE KING’S SANCTUARY: The KING’S sanctuary, but evidently not GOD’S sanctuary! It was to be laid waste (v 9).

THE TEMPLE OF THE KINGDOM: Consecrated to the special worship of the golden calves: as Amos said, it was a “polluted land” (v 17)!

Amo 7:14

I AM NEITHER A PROPHET: Amos replied that he was not a prophet by his own choosing; he did not decide to pursue prophesying as a career.

NOR A PROPHET’S SON: Neither had he become a prophet because his father had been one. In Amos’ culture it was common and expected for sons to follow in their father’s line of work. Possibly Amos meant that he was not the son of a prophet in the sense that he had not been trained in one of the schools of the prophets under the tutelage of a fatherly mentor (2Ki 2:1-15; 4:1,38; 5:22; 6:1-7; 9:1). Rather Amos had earned his living in a totally unrelated form of employment.

I ALSO TOOK CARE OF SYCAMORE-FIG TREES: “A gatherer of sycamore fruit” (AV). This also — like the “shepherd” — sig a wanderer or traveler, for the sycamore fig trees do not grow near Tekoa (Baly 89).

“A ‘nipper’ of sycamore figs was one who pruned sycamore fig trees so they would produce more fruit. Thus Amos had a respectable agricultural business background before he moved to Israel to prophesy. He had not been a professional prophet; he did not occupy the office of prophet but only functioned as a prophet. Therefore, Amaziah should not think that Amos came to Israel to prophesy because that was the only work that he could do” (Const).

Amo 7:15

THE LORD TOOK ME FROM TENDING THE FLOCK: Just as He had called David: Psa 78:70-72. Ct Zec 13:5.

AND SAID TO ME, ‘GO, PROPHESY TO MY PEOPLE ISRAEL’: In other words, ‘Don’t think that I do this because I have nothing else to do, nor because I especially enjoy it! But God Almighty called me — so what am I to do?’

Amo 7:17

YOUR WIFE WILL BECOME A PROSTITUTE IN THE CITY: Amos then announced a prophecy from the Lord for Amaziah. Because the priest had told the prophet to stop doing what Yahweh had commanded him to do (cf Amo 2:12), Amaziah’s wife would become a harlot in Bethel. She would have to stoop to this to earn a living because she would have no husband or sons to support her.

YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS WILL FALL BY THE SWORD: Implying the end of Amaziah’s family line.

Amo 2:1

MOAB: Another nation — like Ammon — descended from Lot (Gen 19:30-38).

HE BURNED, AS IF TO LIME, THE BONES OF EDOM’S KING: Cp 2Ki 3:26,27. Burning the bones of a dead person dishonored that individual since there was then nothing substantial left of him. This was a despicable crime in the ANE, where a peaceful burial was the hope of every person. This treatment of a dead corpse reflected a lack of respect for human life, life made in the image of God.

In contrast to the other judgments, this was not for a crime against God’s people, but against other Gentiles. Amos understood that an aspect of God’s law transcended Israel. Crimes against humanity bring God’s punishment. This observation is a powerful motivation for God’s people to oppose the mistreatment and neglect of their fellow human beings.

Amo 2:2

KERIOTH: A major city in Moab (Jer 48:24).

Amo 2:3

I WILL DESTROY HER RULER AND KILL ALL HER OFFICIALS: Nebuchadnezzar conquered Moab shortly after 598 BC, which opened the way for other Arab tribes to occupy its land.

Amo 2:4

Vv 4-16: Whereas the Gentile nations sinned against God’s people, Judah and Israel sinned against God Himself.

JUDAH… THEY HAVE REJECTED THE LAW OF THE LORD AND HAVE NOT KEPT HIS DECREES: God would treat Judah with the same justice that He promised Israel’s other neighbor nations. Judah’s overflowing sin was her failure to live by the Torah, the instruction that Yahweh had given her, including the Mosaic Covenant (Rom 2:12-15).

THEY HAVE BEEN LED ASTRAY BY FALSE GODS: Listening to false prophets and worshipping idols (Heb “kazib”, a lie, something deceptive) had been major evidences of this apostasy (Deut 6:14; 7:16; 8:19; 11:16,28).

Amo 2:5

I WILL SEND FIRE UPON JUDAH THAT WILL CONSUME THE FORTRESSES OF JERUSALEM: The fulfillment came with Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC (2Ki 25:1-12). Prophesied in Jer 17:27; Hos 8:14.

Amo 2:6

Vv 6-16: Judgments against Israel. The greater length of this oracle as well as its last position in the group of oracles points to its preeminent importance. V 10, by using the second person rather than the third, suggests that all these oracles were originally spoken to Israel.

There are four sections to this oracle: Israel’s recent sins (vv 6-8), God’s past gracious activity on Israel’s behalf (vv 9-11), Israel’s response (v 12), and Israel’s punishment (vv 13-16).

One may imagine the glee that the men of Israel felt to hear their rival Judah receive its rebuke (vv 4,5)! But wait a moment: now… finally… begins a great rebuke of Israel — which lasts (in one form or another) almost to the end of the whole prophecy!

ISRAEL… THEY SELL THE RIGHTEOUS FOR SILVER, AND THE NEEDY FOR A PAIR OF SANDALS: Israel’s first sin was that the Israelites took advantage of righteous, needy people for their own personal, material advantage and sold them into slavery, perhaps into debt (cf 2Ki 4:1-7). They sold, for the price of what they owed, honest people who would have repaid their debts if given the opportunity. They would even sell into slavery someone who could not pay the small price of a pair of sandals. Another interpretation is that they would take as a bribe as little as what a pair of sandals cost. The Israelites should have been generous and openhanded toward the poor (Deut 15:7-11). Sin often results in the devaluation of human life.

Amo 2:7

THEY TRAMPLE ON THE HEADS OF THE POOR AS UPON THE DUST OF THE GROUND AND DENY JUSTICE TO THE OPPRESSED: The Israelites were perverting the legal system to exploit the poor. The courts were siding with creditors against their debtors; they were “stepping on” the poor. This was as painful and humiliating as having one trample on one’s head as it lay in the dust. The oppressors longed to see the poor reduced to extreme anguish. The Mosaic Covenant called for justice in Israel’s courts (Exo 23:4; Deu 16:19).

FATHER AND SON USE THE SAME GIRL AND SO PROFANE MY HOLY NAME: The women in view may be temple prostitutes, servant girls taken as concubines, or female relatives (cf Exod 21:7-11; Lev 18:8,15). This showed contempt for Yahweh’s holy character (Exo 3:13-15). The Law forbade fornication, including incest (Lev 18:6-18; 20:11,17-21).

Amo 2:8

THEY LIE DOWN BESIDE EVERY ALTAR ON GARMENTS TAKEN IN PLEDGE: They failed to return garments taken as collateral for debts owed them. The Law specified that the Israelites could take a garment as a pledge, except the garment of a widow (Deu 24:17), but that they were to return it to the owner before nightfall (Exo 22:26,27; Deut. 24:10-13; cp Deut 24:6; Job 22:6). The Israelites were even taking these garments with them and displaying them at the public feasts honoring whatever god they worshipped.

IN THE HOUSE OF THEIR GOD THEY DRINK WINE TAKEN AS FINES: They had worshipped other gods (cp v 4). They were using the wine that they had received as fines, or had extracted from the poor, to honor heathen gods. The proper course of action would have been to drink wine that the worshipper had paid for himself, or to present it in worship of the true God.

Amo 2:9

THE AMORITE: Here the Amorites, the most formidable of the Canaanites, represent all the Canaanites, by metonymy (cf Gen 15:16). The defeat of these giants demonstrated Yahweh’s superior power as well as His love for His people. By implication, if God drove the Amorites out of the land, He might also drive the Israelites out.

I DESTROYED THE AMORITE BEFORE THEM: The Israelites had committed the previous breaches of covenant in spite of God’s having driven the giant Amorites out of the Promised Land for them (Num 13:22-33).

THOUGH HE WAS TALL AS THE CEDARS AND STRONG AS THE OAKS: These enemies had been as strong and tall as cedar or oak trees (Num 13:28-33; Deu 1:26-28), but the Lord destroyed them completely.

I DESTROYED HIS FRUIT ABOVE AND HIS ROOTS BELOW: Destruction of “his fruit” left no possibility of future life from seed. Destruction of “roots” left no possibility of future life from the tree. God is able to deal decisively with the enemies of His people — thus leaving of this great symbol of fertility nothing but a lifeless stake!

Amo 2:10

I BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF EGYPT, AND I LED YOU FORTY YEARS IN THE DESERT TO GIVE YOU THE LAND OF THE AMORITES: Going back even further in their history, Yahweh reminded His people that He had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and had led them safely through the wilderness for 40 years. He had preserved them so they could take possession of the Promised Land, the land of the Amorites. By shifting to the second person, Amos strengthened the force of God’s appeal.

Amo 2:11

I ALSO RAISED UP PROPHETS FROM AMONG YOUR SONS AND NAZIRITES FROM AMONG YOUR YOUNG MEN: In the land, God had raised up prophets and godly Nazirites from among the Israelites’ sons. Prophets relayed God’s messages to them, and Nazirites were examples of ordinary citizens who dedicated themselves completely to the Lord. These individuals were blessings to the nation because by their words and deeds they encouraged the people to follow the Lord faithfully.

Amo 2:12

BUT YOU MADE THE NAZIRITES DRINK WINE AND COMMANDED THE PROPHETS NOT TO PROPHESY: Even though God gave His people prophets and Nazirites, the Israelites had encouraged the Nazirites to compromise their dedication to Yahweh and the prophets to stop prophesying — thus the Israelites showed that they were uncommitted to God and unwilling to hear and obey His Word.

This graphically describes the manner in which those who have turned aside from God’s ways will try to carry the righteous with them to the same level of sin. If we allow ourselves to keep company with those whose moral standards are not scripturally upheld, we can be sure they will make the same effort with us. Separation from evildoers is still the only answer.

Amo 2:13

I WILL CRUSH YOU AS A CART CRUSHES WHEN LOADED WITH GRAIN: Two possibilities: (1) God felt burdened by the sinfulness of His people, as heavy as a wagon filled to its capacity with grain. Or (2) He will crush Israel like an object under the wheels of a heavily laden cart.

Amo 2:14

Vv 14-16: The fulfillment of this threatened judgment came when the Assyrians besieged and destroyed Samaria, Israel’s capital, in 722 BC, and carried many of the people of that land into captivity.

Amo 2:16

EVEN THE BRAVEST WARRIORS WILL FLEE NAKED ON THAT DAY: In the Day of God’s great judgment, we will all stand “naked” and open before our Judge (Heb 4:13). And those who have denied their God will be stripped of their garments — the robes of righteousness given them by God (Rev 3:3; 16:15).

Amo 3:1

Amo 3: “Israel is described by the humble prophet herdsman, used to the hardships and sacrifices of a herdman’s existence as apostate (Amo 2:4), oppressive (Amo 2:6), immoral (Amo 2:7), vain and indolent (Amo 6:16), idolatrous (Amo 2:8), exceeding the guilt of other nations (Amo 3:2). He described the seat of royal power as the foundation of transgression (Amo 7:13; 3:14; 4:4; 5:5). Though it was the period of Israel’s greatest power, when the people doubtless imagined that all was well, Amos warned of national judgments soon to fall on it (Amo 6:14). He prophesied two years before the great earthquake in the death of king Uzziah, which is typical of the greater earthquake at Christ’s return (Zec 14:4). Amos 3-6 provides an explanation of Yahweh’s judgment, with three discourses stating the sins of the Ecclesia, and revealing impending judgment. They are each commenced with the solemn call: ‘Hear this word’. So the record has: [1] Responsibilities resting on Israel: Amo 3:1-2. [2] Responsibilities resting on Amos: vv 3-8; [3] The heathen are invited to witness to Samaria1s sins: vv 9,10; [4] Retribution: The punishment impending: vv 11-15. The ch concludes with the amazing contrast between the altars of Bethel (v 14), and the luxurious and pretentious homes of the wealthy ecclesia (v 15)” (GEM).

Amo 3: Amos’ first message explained that God would judge His people because they had oppressed others in spite of their uniquely privileged relationship with Yahweh. The prophet addressed this message initially to both Israel and Judah (vv 1,2), but he focused it mainly on Israel (vv 9,12).

Amo 3:2

YOU ONLY HAVE I CHOSEN OF ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH; THEREFORE I WILL PUNISH YOU FOR ALL YOUR SINS: God knew and chose the Jews in the sense of Psa 147:19,20: “He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws” (cp the covenant made on mount Sinai (Exo 19:3-6; Deu 28:1-14). But in the broader sense, now, any person or people to whom the word of God has been given could be considered “known” and “chosen” in the same way! There is a great warning in this.

“Closeness must not be mistaken for divine favoritism or immunity from chastisement, but, on the contrary, it means being more seriously exposed to divine judgment and chastisement” (Abraham Heschel).

Amo 3:3

Vv 3-8: Amos asked seven rhetorical questions in vv 3-6 to help the Israelites appreciate the inevitability of their judgment. In each one the prophet pointed out that a certain cause inevitably produces a certain effect. The five questions in vv 3-5 expect a negative answer, and the two in v 6 expect a positive one. Vv 7,8 draw the conclusion.

DO TWO WALK TOGETHER UNLESS THEY HAVE AGREED TO DO SO?: The verse is used to suggest the notion that only when there is perfect agreement among brethren can they “walk together” in the bonds of fellowship. In the first place such a blanket assertion is not true, and in the second place such a usage of the verse is entirely beside the point.

It is certainly wrong to state as a matter of fact or principle that two men cannot cooperate unless they are perfectly agreed in every particular. In actual practice, nothing is further from the truth. Two men or a group can work together quite well on a common project by agreeing beforehand to submerge their differences in matters of secondary importance. If in their minds there is the same major goal, then minor considerations are modestly set aside so that their full energies may be directed toward its achievement. Such a policy is wise, and Scriptural! Peter’s “Be ye subject one to another” (1Pe 5:5) surely expresses such a spirit of “compromise” in the best sense, as does Paul’s exhortation to the strife-prone Corinthians: “There should be no schism in the body… the members should have the same care one for another” (1Co 12:25).

What then is the point of Amos 3:3? Perhaps the RSV rendering here would be helpful: “Do two walk together, unless they have made an appointment?” Or, as the Heb: ‘unless they have met together?’ This sounds very much like the thoughts expressed above: Two men can and do walk together IF they have agreed beforehand to walk together; it is as simple as that.

However, a consideration of the prophet’s message in the broader sense indicates that the two who must agree in order to walk together are God and man. God knew Israel in the sense that to Israel He had committed His laws (v 2; Psa 147:19,20). This knowledge placed upon Israel the burden of responsibility to obey God, to agree to walk with Him; else Israel would be punished above all the nations for her transgressions. But, responsibilities aside, there are also great privileges in such a close association with the Almighty: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amo 3:7). Man must walk in communion and harmony of heart and purpose with God. In doing so his blessings will be many, but if he deserts such a partnership then he may expect fiery judgment. God is saying, ‘Can you think to ignore My advice and still claim to be My friend?’

The very first thing God asks us to agree with Him about is that we are sinners, not that we are as perfect as He is. An awareness of our weaknesses before God should make us considerably more sympathetic toward the weaknesses of our brethren. The goal of all is that we learn day by day to walk more and more in conformity with God’s will. In the awesome shadow cast by our Father, we are all no better than toddlers, and our petty quarrels with His other babes are just so much futility, and are due to our limited horizons. The Lord of all creation has condescended to grasp each of us by the hand; like a natural father, He has shortened His pace so that we may be helped and guided in our first faltering steps upward toward manhood. Let us set our attentions upon His standard and strive to conform to it; let us walk with God (Gen 5:22; 6:9; 17:1), and not be so concerned to scrutinize the faltering steps of our brothers.

One final thought: Today divorce has become a widespread practice in the world around us, so much so that many young people enter marriages fully intending to terminate them at the first sign of trouble, on such flimsy grounds as “incompatibility”. It is as if they are saying, ‘We can no longer walk together, because we do not agree on such-and-such.’ There are few in the brotherhood who would not deplore such a childish disregard for the marriage bond. And yet how often do brethren put forward this same excuse for “divorcing” themselves from a bond just as sacred — the tie that binds (or should bind) all Christ’s brethren together! They thus put asunder in the spiritual realm what they would never think of dissolving on the domestic level; and this means a debris of broken homes and lingering recriminations. And all because they will not apply the same restraint and reasonableness and patience and understanding in the ecclesial family that every husband and wife knows is essential in the natural family.

Amo 3:6

“The seven examples of related events began innocuously, but become increasingly foreboding. The first example (v3) had no element of force or disaster about it. The next two (v 4), however, concerned the overpowering of one animal by another, and the two after that (v 5) pictured man as the vanquisher of animal prey. In the final two examples (v 6), people themselves were overwhelmed, first by other human instruments, then by God Himself. This ominous progression, to the point where God Himself is seen as the initiator of human calamity, brought Amos to a climactic statement (vv 7,8)” (Sunukjian).

WHEN DISASTER COMES TO A CITY, HAS NOT THE LORD CAUSED IT?: “When we consider how much depends, both in public and private matters, upon the moods and desires of particular individuals, and how easy it is for divine power to affect those moods without the person being aware of the cause, or that any cause at all is in operation, it is easy to realise how God can raise trouble or give peace, without any apparent interference with the order of nature. A man has not yet learnt the ways of God thoroughly, who does not recognise that most of His dealings with the children of men in the present state of racial alienation, are performed with gloved hand, and from within the veil so to speak, by means of regulated natural circumstances which are none the less the work of God because under a mask” (WP 206,207).

Amo 3:7

SURELY THE SOVEREIGN GOD DOES NOTHING WITHOUT REVEALING HIS PLAN TO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS: Who, as with Amos, add nothing of their own to the message — since they are in agreement with the words of God (cp v 3).

The rising crescendo of observations of impending danger (vv 3-6) introduces two other events (v 8). But first of all, the prophet reminds his listeners that God does nothing to His people unless He first warns them through one of His prophets (cf Psa 25:14; Jer 23:18, 22): ‘Be alert! You HAVE been warned!’

“This revelation is made that his people’s faith may be confirmed and enlarged; and that in every generation they may know the times and seasons to which they stand related. Knowing the signs they are enabled to discern the times; and while consternation and dismay cause men’s hearts to fail, they are courageous, and rejoice in perceiving the approach of the kingdom of God. This is the proper use of the prophetic word. It was thus that the ancients used it, and were enabled to live in advance of their contemporaries. This appears from the exhortation of the apostle who says, ‘We have a sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well to take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day-star arise…” [2Pe 1:19]. Some were not unmindful of this exhortation, which is as applicable to us as to them; for the day has not yet dawned, nor has the day-star arisen” (Elp).

Amo 3:8

THE LION HAS ROARED — WHO WILL NOT FEAR?: Cp Amos 1:2; 3:4.

THE SOVEREIGN LORD HAS SPOKEN — WHO CAN BUT PROPHESY?: Indeed, how could the mouthpiece of the “Lion” not prophesy since Yahweh had spoken? Just as the prey is powerless in the jaws of the great lion, so the prophet Amos is powerless in the grip of divine inspiration — he must declare the LORD’s message!

Balaam, imperfect “prophet” that he was, seems to have felt this same overwhelming compulsion (Num 22–24), so that regardless of his desire for reward (2Pe 2:15), he was forced to speak the words of God. This observation demonstrates the power of God in inspiring the writers of the scriptures. The prophets clearly were, at the times of their prophesyings, quite unable to influence the words that they spoke by the action of their own will.

Amo 3:9

PROCLAIM TO THE FORTRESSES OF ASHDOD AND TO THE FORTRESSES OF EGYPT: The Gentiles, specifically the Philistines and the Egyptians, are called to come and witness what the LORD will do to His OWN people because they have turned their back on Him!

ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES ON THE MOUNTAINS OF SAMARIA; SEE THE GREAT UNREST WITHIN HER AND THE OPPRESSION AMONG HER PEOPLE: At Samaria these Gentiles would witness great tumults, not the peace and order that should have prevailed, and oppressions within Samaria. The Israelites were assaulting and robbing one another; the rich were taking advantage of the poor.

If these sins in God’s own Land can call forth His righteous judgments, think what such sins might do in the lands of the Gentiles who do not even claim to serve the God of Israel? “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1Pe 4:17).

Amo 3:10

WHO HOARD PLUNDER AND LOOT IN THEIR FORTRESSES: At least, the heathens plunder and loot their enemies — not their own countrymen!

Amo 3:11

AN ENEMY WILL OVERRUN THE LAND; HE WILL PULL DOWN YOUR STRONGHOLDS AND PLUNDER YOUR FORTRESSES: The Sovereign Yahweh announced that an enemy that would surround the land of Israel would destroy and loot its impressive fortresses. That enemy proved to be Assyria, which besieged and destroyed Samaria and overran all Israel in 722 BC.

Amo 3:12

AS A SHEPHERD SAVES FROM THE LION’S MOUTH ONLY TWO LEG BONES OR A PIECE OF AN EAR: God Himself is the Shepherd of Israel, but so great will the depredations be that the only thing left behind will be that which is too small and inconsequential to be noticed by the beast of prey.

In practical terms, only a very few and very poor will be left in the Land, to tend vines and fields, etc (2Ki 25:12).

THE EDGE OF THEIR BEDS AND… THEIR COUCHES: This phrase is difficult. Perhaps it suggests that an invading army will nothing to the inhabitants of the land except something like a scrap of blanket, or a scrap of broken furniture.

Amo 3:14

I WILL DESTROY THE ALTARS OF BETHEL: God now promised to destroy the pagan altars that Jeroboam I had erected at Bethel at the same time He destroyed the people of Israel (cf 1Ki 12:26-30). This altar, and the one in Dan, had taken the place of the one in Jerusalem for most of the Israelites. The one in Bethel was the most popular religious center in Israel. There the Israelites practiced apostate worship.

THE HORNS OF THE ALTAR WILL BE CUT OFF AND FALL TO THE GROUND: The horns of this altar, symbolic of the strength of its deity, would be cut off and would fall to the ground showing its impotence. The horns of an altar were also places of asylum in the ancient Near East (1Ki1:50), so their cutting off pictures no asylum for the Israelites when God’s judgment came.

Amo 3:15

THE WINTER HOUSE… THE SUMMER HOUSE… ADORNED WITH IVORY… THE MANSIONS: They had embellished their great houses with expensive ivory decorations (1Ki 21:1,18; 22:39; Psa 45:8). The two great sins of the Israelites, false religion (v 14) and misuse of wealth and power (v 15), would be the objects of God’s judgment. “How the flesh loves these monuments of unfaithful stewardship!” (Ber 66:25).

“The enduring principle here is that God will destroy elaborate altars, expensive houses, and other accoutrements of an extravagant lifestyle when these items are acquired through oppression, fraud, and strong-arm tactics. The idolatry of the people led to their opulent lifestyles. Life apart from God may yield temporary material gain, but it will surely result in eternal loss” (Smith, cited in Const).

Joe 3:1

WHEN I RESTORE THE FORTUNES: Or, better, “when I bring again [ie bring back from] captivity” (AV). The translation of the AV is supported by the ancient versions (LXX, Syr) and by such texts as Deu 30:3; Jer 29:14; 30:3; 33:7,11,26 mg; Zep 3:20; Amo 9:14.

THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT: In the context, a place — near Jerusalem — where God enters into judgment with the nations, not necessarily a known valley, as the wordplay makes clear (ie, “The valley of judgment”, “I will judge”: cf v 12). Joel subsequently called it “the valley of decision” (v 14).

Joe 3:2

ALL NATIONS: Cp Zep 3:8; Zec 12:2,3; 14:2. Some of the nations, which joined Assyria in the onslaught on Judah, are named: Tyre and Zidon, Edom and Egypt (Joel 3:4,19). The last of these was an enemy of Assyria, but that did not stop a massive Egyptian army from ravaging southern Judah before meeting with defeat at El-tekeh. Others in the confederacy against Judah are identified in the “Gentile” section of Isaiah (Isa 13-23).

THERE I WILL ENTER INTO JUDGMENT: Much better than the AV: “there I will PLEAD”. This “pleading” is of the very sternest quality!

Joe 3:3

THEY CAST LOTS FOR MY PEOPLE AND TRADED BOYS FOR PROSTITUTES; THEY SOLD GIRLS FOR WINE THAT THEY MIGHT DRINK: Jerusalem will be captured, and half its population (the Jewish half, of course) will be hauled away to endure every horror of captivity that Arab cruelty can devise (Zec 14:2; cp Nah 3:10). There will be competition for possession of slaves (the Arab races have maintained slavery long after the rest of the world has given it up). The prostitute and the saloon keeper and the drug dealer will take their fees in this new currency of slaves.

Joe 3:4

Vv 4-8: “And those miscreant neighbours of Israel [Tyre, Sidon, Philistia, Egypt, Edom…], who had thrown in their lot with the Assyrians, as a means of saving their own skins, took a special pleasure in rounding up captives (besides the two hundred thousand whom Sennacherib’s men had marched off to Nineveh and Babylon; Taylor Prism) in order to sell them off to slave-dealers and those who specialised in catering for the lustful appetites of the legionaries” (WJoel).

PHILISTIA: See Lesson, Philistia in prophecy.

Joe 3:5

FOR YOU TOOK MY SILVER AND MY GOLD AND CARRIED OFF MY FINEST TREASURES TO YOUR TEMPLES: “It goes without saying that there will be a ruthless plundering of every Israeli resource worth plundering. In the prophet’s own day the personal pronouns used here had special force — there being a literal temple to plunder. The sanctuary in Jerusalem was stripped of its finest treasures in a desperate but futile attempt to buy off the invader (2Ki 18:16). And, whilst there is no holy building in Jerusalem today dedicated as it should be to the glory of Yahweh, it may be taken as certain that the magnificent Muslim mosque on Mount Zion (‘temples’ being taken as an intensive plural) will be jubilantly adorned with all the finest trophies captured from the Israelis” (WJoel).

Joe 3:6

THE GREEKS: With whom the city of Tyre traded (Eze 27:2,19).

Joe 3:8

I WILL SET YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS TO THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH, AND THEY WILL SELL THEM TO THE SABEANS, A NATION FAR AWAY: “This v 8 is difficult, for its picture of a restored Judah turning itself into a nation of slave-traders at the behest of Jehovah is unseemly. But ought not this to be seen as the Almighty’s salvation to the mixed population problem in Israel? Wealth appropriated from oil-rich Arabs will easily pay for the transplanting of 800,000 hate-filled sons of Esau back into the land that God assigned to Esau (Gen 36:6,8). It was this very solution, which was advocated by Professor Brodetsky (Leeds University) in 1929. The cost, then: £11m” (WJoel).

Joe 3:9

PREPARE: Heb “qadash” = sanctify, or make holy. Thus a “holy war”, or “jihad”: in Muslim holy writings, an armed struggle against “infidels” (ie anyone who does not believe in Allah and in Mohammed as his prophet). According to the Koran, anyone who dies in a “jihad” goes directly to “Paradise”; it is an irrevocable duty. Notice the nations listed in Joel 3: Tyre and Sidon, Philistia, Egypt, and Edom. Sennacherib regarded this particular campaign as a war between Ashur, the god of Nineveh, and Jehovah. Cp also Joel 2:17: “Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ “

Joe 3:10

BEAT YOUR PLOWSHARES INTO SWORDS AND YOUR PRUNING HOOKS INTO SPEARS: There is an obvious connection between the exhortation to the enemy to “beat plowshares into swords, and pruning hooks into spears” and its converse in Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messianic kingdom (Isa 2:4; Mic 4:3). First the enemy appropriates resources that much more legitimately should have gone to feed and care for the poor, and misuses them in a “holy war” against the infidels. But thereafter, and in the aftermath of Messiah’s victories, all such resources will be returned to their rightful uses, in a kingdom of peace and righteousness and prosperity.

LET THE WEAKLING SAY, “I AM STRONG!”: An easy connection with Muslim terrorists and warriors: (1) a very few terrorists — with modern technology — may wreak the most enormous and hideous damage upon their enemies; and (2) even the weakest soldiers will profess they are strong, and rush headlong into battle, if they believe that death means for them an immediate reward in “heaven”!

Joe 3:11

NATIONS FROM EVERY SIDE: See Lesson, Nations “round about”.

Joe 3:12

THERE WILL I SIT TO JUDGE: A play on the word for “judge” — “shaphat”!

ALL THE NATIONS: See Joel 3:2n.

Joe 3:13

// Rev 14:15-18; Isa 63:1-6.

Joe 3:14

THE VALLEY OF DECISION: “A dramatic declaration of a “day of decision” — and the primary meaning of this word is ‘”threshing” (see Isa 28:22,27; 41:15; Mic 4:13 would seem to be a very close parallel)” (WJoel).

Joe 3:15

// Joel 2:10,31; Mat 24:29; Luk 21:25,26; Rev 6:12,13.

Joe 3:16

THE LORD WILL ROAR FROM ZION AND THUNDER FROM JERUSALEM: “Here comes the only reference in Joel to the Messiah, and that in an indirect fashion, for how will God ROAR out of Zion except through the LION of Judah (Rev 5:5; cp Gen 49:9)? This will be Messiah’s first manifestation when the Glory of the Lord is seen returning to Jerusalem from the mount of Olives, where he ascended to heaven (Eze 43:1,2).

Joel borrows this highly dramatic declaration from Amos 1:2, the introduction to the peremptory sequence of judgments which fill Amos 1; 2 there. But it would be a serious error to attempt to see those ten edicts of punishment as a chronological sequence, for certainly the last two come first, and the others enumerate the ‘all nations’ of Joel 3:2″ (WJoel).

THE EARTH AND THE SKY WILL TREMBLE: See Lesson, Earthquakes.

Earthquakes accompany awesome manifestations of God: Exo 19:18; Jdg 5:4; Psa 77:18; 114:4; Isa 2:10-22; Jer 4:24; Eze 38:20; Joe 3:16; Amo 9:1,5; Zec 14:4; Rev 6:12; 11:19; 16:18.

“An earthquake has one of two associations: (a) the wrath of God (as in Psa 18:7); (b) the removing of an old disreputable system (Heb 12:26,27). Generations later, Haggai picked up Joel’s language ‘Yet once (ie, uniquely)… I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations (Joel 3:2) and the desire of all nations (this implies a gospel preached to the Gentiles) shall come’ (Hag 2:6,7). It is fairly evident that the use of those words in Heb 10:37; 12:26,27 provides another example of the 1st century church’s expectation of an early coming of the Messiah. The ‘shaking’ certainly happened in AD 70 with its shattering of the Mosaic system — but no Messianic kingdom. Here is another passage needing to be explained (and not juggled with). Revelation 16:18 appears to fall into the same category.

“It will be at a time when there seems to be nothing left to salvage from the wreck of the state of Israel (as happened in AD 70), that God’s rescue operation will startle the world. ‘The Lord (note the Covenant Name here) will be the hope of his people.’ When Paul declared with such emphatic witness: ‘For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain’ he was looking back to the great Promise made to Jacob of a multitudinous seed bringing blessing on all nations (Gen 28:13,14). How fitting it will be that at the very time when the national flame appears to be on the verge of extinction, Messiah should be manifest, imparting a new and quite unquenchable vigour to the Hope which Israel itself has not believed for centuries” (WJoel).

Joe 3:17

THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT I, THE LORD YOUR GOD, DWELL IN ZION, MY HOLY HILL: “The primary intention behind this Messianic intervention is not to rebuke the Gentiles or to castigate the pride of Israel’s enemies but to re-assert in plain and utterly undeniable fashion to His own people that God is, and that He is the God of Israel. To be sure, the Gentiles also — and especially the Arab enemies (Psa 83:18; Eze 35:15; see contexts) — will also be made to understand that Yahweh and not Allah is Lord of all.

“And of course He will dwell in Zion, His holy mountain. Where else?” (WJoel). Cp 2Ch 6:6; 12:13; Psa 125:1; 132:13.

JERUSALEM WILL BE HOLY; NEVER AGAIN WILL FOREIGNERS INVADE HER: “Jerusalem truly will become a holy city, not after the fashion of Mecca, nor according to the pattern of the Wailing Wall (whilst the rest of the city is given over to sight-seeing and profit-making), nor after the manner of the first century, Jerusalem with its genius for making God angry. Instead, a true holiness, far out-matching even the best days of David or Solomon or Hezekiah. Today Jews have no rights in what was the temple area. Instead, the ‘strangers’ who at present forbid their entry and who defile that holy site with their false religion shall ‘pass through her no more’ (cp Zech 14:20,21)” (WJoel). Cp Eze 44:9.

Joe 3:18

“Such a land as the Holy Land needs only the blessing of the clouds, and nothing can restrain its fertility. Not for nothing is it called ‘a land flowing with milk and honey’ (grass and flowers!). So the promised Jubilee would bring copious refreshing rains to beautify the Land and to gladden the hearts of men and beasts alike” (WJoel).

(LD) An unimaginable prosperity of the Land, during the Kingdom of God: Psa 72; Isa 35.

A FOUNTAIN WILL FLOW OUT OF THE LORD’S HOUSE: A fountain of cleansing from sin and impurity (Zec 13:1).

Joe 3:19

EGYPT: Where Israeli captives and slaves are taken and installed in labor camps. From their five cities in Egypt they will cry out, speaking the language of Canaan (Isa 19:18-20). When these cry unto the Lord (a phenomenon not known in modern Israel thus far), He will send them their Messiah. The power of Egypt will be completely broken in the Kingdom: Zech 14:18.

EDOM: Cp parallels, Isa 63:1-4; 34:6,8; Oba 1: 19,20; Ezek 35; 36:1-5; Psa 83:1-8; Lam 4:21,22.

Joe 3:20

JUDAH WILL BE INHABITED FOREVER AND JERUSALEM THROUGH ALL GENERATIONS: “Just as king Hezekiah provided an awe-inspiring type of the Messiah, in suffering and in glory, so also the events of that era (Joel’s own) are to be read as a striking and unbelievably accurate foreshadowing of the Last Days. At last a repentant and reformed Judah and Jerusalem will come into their own” (WJoel).

Cp Psa 89:34-37; Luke 1:33.

Joe 3:21

THEIR BLOODGUILT, WHICH I HAVE NOT PARDONED, I WILL PARDON: It was they, in the first place, who declared; “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” (Mat 27:25).

“And so a short but violent Arab oppression will seem to declare to the world that the sins of Jewry are still held against them by their God. But a sensational Messianic deliverance, following immediately on the penitence of Jehovah’s ‘seven thousand’ will be sufficient before God to bring an end to the pogrom (Hebrew for ‘corpse of the People’) of many centuries. They will suddenly find themselves declared blameless, and instead of guilt there will be a clean sheet, a robe of righteousness and loving kindness; they will then know themselves to be in truth ‘beloved for their fathers’ sakes’. And now, after seemingly endless years of estrangement, ‘Jehovah (the Covenant Name!) dwelleth in Zion’. Ezekiel copied this matchless conclusion for his own unique message: ‘Jehovah Shammah: the Lord is gone thither’. [Eze 48:35]” (WJoel).

THE LORD DWELLS IN ZION: Yahweh’s intention will thus be fulfilled (Eze 43:1-7; Zech 14:4; Acts 1:8-11.

The Man: Amos was a native of the little village of Tekoa, a few miles south of Bethlehem in Judah. He is described as a herdsman (Amos 1:1; 7:14: in two different words which probably mean, respectively, a keeper of sheep and a keeper of oxen), as well as a gatherer of sycamore fruit (Amos 7:14: probably figs); this sounds very much like a lowly farm worker. Many of the metaphors used by Amos in his prophecy reflect this humble background, and the natural surroundings which apparently had a profound effect on him (Amos 1:2; 2:9; 3:4-5; 5:19,20,24; 6:12; 7:1-6; 8:1; 9:3-15). [It is possible that, instead of a humble herdsman, Amos was a cattle-driver or “trader” of livestock, an occupation which might explain his traveling between Judah in the south and Israel in the north.]

The Times: The historical period covered by the reigns of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel is very significant. Jeroboam II (who reigned c 783-743 BC) led a great revival of Israel’s political power, casting off the Syrian yoke from Israel and extending her borders even beyond those achieved by Solomon (2Ki 14:25,28). Simultaneously in the south Judah was “benefiting” from a similar political revival. Uzziah conquered the Philistines and the Arabians, took tribute from Ammon, fortified Jerusalem, and built walled cities for defense of his borders (2Ch 26:6-15). Of course, political developments in a wider field, under the hand of God, were the real explanation. The period 800 to 750 BC was marked by Assyrian involvements to its north and internal struggles in Egypt. This left Israel and Judah with more or less free hands to become, for a short while at least, dominant powers in the land of Canaan. The effects of these “successes” were disastrous in both civil and religious life. Owing to increased control of important trade routes, wealthy classes emerged in the people of Israel. The poor were increasingly oppressed, and the rich lived lives of immoral self-indulgence. Civil justice was corrupted; the spirit of the Law of Moses was abandoned, even while nominal worship of Jehovah flourished. Their God was with them! or so it seemed: had He not given them wonderful prosperity? But it was all a delusion. The “sepulchre” was whitewashed on the outside, but inside were “dead men’s bones”: greed, dishonesty, licentiousness.

Outline

1. Judgments against the nations: Amos 1:1-2:16

a) Introduction: Amos 1:1-2 b) Judgment of neighboring nations: Amos 1:3 – 2:3 c) Judgment of Judah and Israel: Amos 2:4-16

2. Three oracles of judgment against Israel: Amos 3:1 – 5:17

a) A declaration of judgment: Amos 3:1-15 b) The depravity of Israel: Amos 4:1-13 c) A lamentation for Israel’s sin and doom: Amos 5:1-17

3. Two oracles of woe against Israel: Amos 5:18 – 6:14

a) Woe against Israel’s perverted religion: Amos 5:18-27 b) Woe against Israel’s complacent pride: Amos 6:1-14

4. Five visions of judgement against Israel: Amos 7:1 – 9:10

a) The devouring locusts: Amos 7:1-3 b) The flaming fire: Amos 7:4-6 c) The plumb line: Amos 7:7-17 d) The basket of ripe fruit: Amos 8:1-14 e) The judgment of the Lord: Amos 9:1-10

5. The promise of Israel’s restoration: Amos 9:11-15

“For Three Sins, and for Four”: The most distinctive feature of Amos’ prophecy is the eight-fold repetition of: “This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of ______ , even for four, I will not turn back my wrath.’ ” (“Three… and four” does not necessarily mean “seven”! In Hebrew, a three-fold repetition suggests finality: ie “I will overturn, overturn, overturn…” in Eze 21:27. So “three sins” would be the fulness of transgression, and “four sins” would be a wretched excess — implying the God had waited far too long to exercise His wrath!) This formula introduces divine statements of judgment about Israel (the northern kingdom) in Amos 2:6-8, and Judah (the southern kingdom) in Amos 2:4,5, as well as six Gentile nations surrounding God’s people: 1. Damascus, or Syria (Amos 1:3-5); 2. Gaza, or Philistia (Amos 1:6-8); 3. Tyre, in Lebanon (Amos 1:9,10); 4. Edom (Amos 1:11,12); 5. Ammon (Amos 1:13-15); and 6. Moab (Amos 2:1-3).

Why these nations? Because, during the general period of Israel’s (and Judah’s) expansion and prosperity, the Jews had allowed themselves to become very much like the idolatrous, immoral nations around them (Amos 3:14-4:2; 6:1-6; 8:11-13). And so the time of God’s judgments upon the Gentile nations would also see severe chastening of Israel and Judah. But there would be this difference: God’s people, or rather a remnant of God’s people, would survive the severe judgments and emerge stronger, their faith having been tested so that they learn once again to trust in the Lord their God (Amos 3:1,2; 9:9).

Coming Judgments: The judgments Amos had in mind were probably those to be brought upon Israel and Judah by the Assyrians, and then the Babylonians. These soon-to-be-powerful nations are not mentioned by Amos at all, but their approaching shadow looms over his message. When they finally came, then the smaller nations, whom Israel had thought they need not fear, rose up against Israel — Syria, Philistia, Edom, Moab, and Ammon joining themselves with first the Assyrian and later the Babylonian against their ancient enemy Israel. The result of God’s judgments was the carrying away into captivity (Amos 5:18-20,27).

The Return: But the promise of Amos was that, after the captivity had run its course, the tested and chastened remnant of Abraham’s seed would be brought back to the Land. The almost unrelieved burden of Amos’ earlier message gives way, in his very last utterance, to a message of hope and renewal (Amos 9:11-15).

Multiple Fulfillments

1. Israel’s return from captivity in the days of Ezra and Zerubbabel, Haggai and Zechariah, was a near-term fulfillment of this prophecy.
2. Amos 9:11,12 is quoted by James in Acts 15:16-18 to support the argument that God intended to include Gentiles among His people. So there was a first-century fulfillment of Amos’ prophecy.
3. The chastening judgments of God, followed by the restoration of a humbled people, provide us a pattern by which we might discern developing events in our own day. How might this be? This outline is suggested:

1. Israel prospering in their own land in the Last Days,
2. but surrounded by Arab nations,
3. and practically indistinguishable from them in character and conduct,
4. is subjected to attack by Assyria/Babylon….
5. …and also by Edom, Moab, Ammon, Syria, and the Philistines,
6. loses all it has worked for and accumulated,
7. and is carried away in another captivity,
8. out of which a remnant turns to God and is saved (by calling upon the Messiah!),
9. so that God will bring them back once again to their own Land,
10. this time in righteousness as well as prosperity!

And so, in the near future, for the first time, will Amos’ very last words be truly and completely fulfilled: ” ‘I will plant Israel in their own land, NEVER AGAIN TO BE UPROOTED FROM THE LAND I HAVE GIVEN THEM,’ says the LORD your God” (Amos 9:15).

Amo 1:1

See Lesson, Prophet, the.

See Lesson, Minor prophets, and their messages.

AMOS: Sig “burden-bearer”. Altho Amos was pretty much a “nobody” (ie, a shepherd from a small town; cp Amo 7:14) , his messages/burdens were so weighty that the nation was not able to bear them (Amo 7:10). The Book of Amos is practically devoid of the word “love”; he is the prophet of righteous judgment.

TEKOA: A town in Judah (1Ch 2:24; 4:5), six miles south of Bethlehem and ten miles south of Jerusalem, on a hill in the area of the wilderness of Tekoa (2Ch 20:20). “The last outpost overlooking the wilderness of Judea” (Ber 66:19). It was the birthplace of the prophet Amos, and the home of a wise woman for whom Joab sent to turn David’s heart back to Absalom (2Sa 14:1-24). Tekoa’s elevation of 2,790 feet above sea level led to its development as a station for trumpet-blown signals (Jer 6:1), and it was fortified by King Rehoboam to protect Jerusalem (2Ch 11:6). Tekoites helped to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah (Neh 3:5,27).

THE EARTHQUAKE, WHEN UZZIAH WAS KING OF JUDAH: The other seven historic, literal earthquakes in the Bible were all miraculous: at Sinai (Exo 19:18), with Korah (Num 16:31), Jonathan (1Sa 14:15), Elijah (1Ki 19:11), at Philippi (Act 16:26), Christ’s death (Mat 27:51), and resurrection (Mat 28:2). So this one, in the days of Uzziah, was most likely miraculous too (was it the means by which Uzziah was “greatly helped” by God?: 2Ch 26:15). It is remembered by other prophets, as a pattern and “prophecy” (Zech 14:5; cp Isa 6:4; Amo 8:8).

Amo 1:2

THE LORD ROARS: The voice of God as thunder (Psa 18:14; 29:3-9). As a lion roars before it devours its prey or as thunder precedes a severe storm (cf Amo 3:4,8; Jer 25:30; Hos 5:14; 11:10; 13:7).

PASTURES OF THE SHEPHERDS… THE TOP OF CARMEL: Literally, from the far south to the far north of the Land. Figuratively, from the lowly shepherds to the lofty “heights” (the rulers and wealthy of the Land).

Amo 1:3

Amo 1:3–2:15: Judgments upon six Gentile nations, as well as Judah and Israel. All these Gentile nations were related to David’s kingdom, and subject to it. Though punished, they all share in the latter-day gathering of blessing of Israel — when David’s tabernacle is rebuilt (Amo 9:11,12).

FOR THREE SINS OF… AND FOR FOUR: The most distinctive feature of Amos’ prophecy is the eight-fold repetition of: “This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of ______ , even for four, I will not turn back my wrath.’ ” (“Three… and four” does not necessarily mean “seven”! In Hebrew, a three-fold repetition suggests finality: ie “I will overturn, overturn, overturn…” in Eze 21:27. So “three sins” would be the fulness of transgression, and “four sins” would be a wretched excess — implying the God had waited far too long to exercise His wrath!) This formula introduces divine statements of judgment about Israel (the northern kingdom) in Amos 2:6-8, and Judah (the southern kingdom) in Amos 2:4,5, as well as six Gentile nations surrounding God’s people: 1. Damascus, or Syria (Amos 1:3-5); 2. Gaza, or Philistia (Amos 1:6-8); 3. Tyre, in Lebanon (Amos 1:9,10); 4. Edom (Amos 1:11,12); 5. Ammon (Amos 1:13-15); and 6. Moab (Amos 2:1-3).

Why these nations? Because, during the general period of Israel’s (and Judah’s) expansion and prosperity, the Jews had allowed themselves to become very much like the idolatrous, immoral nations around them (Amos 3:14-4:2; 6:1-6; 8:11-13). And so the time of God’s judgments upon the Gentile nations would also see severe chastening of Israel and Judah. But there would be this difference: God’s people, or rather a remnant of God’s people, would survive the severe judgments and emerge stronger, their faith having been tested so that they learn once again to trust in the Lord their God (Amos 3:1,2; 9:9).

“The prophet began with the distant city of Damascus and, like a hawk circling its prey, moved in ever-tightening circles, from one country to another, till at last he pounced on Israel. One can imagine Amos’ hearers approving the denunciation of these heathen nations. They could even applaud God’s denunciation of Judah because of the deep-seated hostility between the two kingdoms that went as far back as the dissolution of the united kingdom after Solomon. But Amos played no favorites; he swooped down on the unsuspecting Israelites as well in the severest language and condemned them for their crimes” (McComiskey).

DAMASCUS: Or Syria, the worst of Israel’s enemies during recent times, as far as Amos was concerned. Damascus was the capital city of Aram (Syria), and it stands for the whole nation by metonymy. Yahweh promised that He would not turn back the punishment due Aram because the Arameans had proved to be a scourge to the people of Israel.

SHE THRESHED GILEAD WITH SLEDGES HAVING IRON TEETH: Threshing Gilead, a transjordanian part of Israel, with sharp iron implements pictures the plowing up of that part of the nation militarily (cf Isa 41:15; Mic 4:13; Hab 3:12). Israelite citizens and territory had suffered greatly during constant battles with the Arameans, esp in Transjordan (cf 2Ki 8:7-12; 10:32,33; 13:3-7).

Amo 1:4

I WILL SEND FIRE UPON THE HOUSE OF HAZAEL THAT WILL CONSUME THE FORTRESSES OF BEN-HADAD: Yahweh promised to send a consuming fire (judgment) on the house (dynasty) and citadels (fortified towns) of the Arameans. Hazael and Ben-Hadad, dynastic names, probably represent all the Aramean kings. The idea of sending fire on the walls of the main cities of the land recurs throughout these oracles (vv 4,7,10,12,14; Amo 2:2,5). It is a vivid metaphor for consuming destruction.

Amo 1:5

THE GATE OF DAMASCUS: Lit, the “bar” (AV). A bolt securing the main city gate, and thus the defense of the city. See 1Ki 4:13.

I WILL DESTROY THE KING WHO IS IN THE VALLEY OF AVEN: “Aven” in Heb means “nothingness” or “wickedness”. This was probably the site of Baalbek.

AND THE ONE WHO HOLDS THE SCEPTER IN BETH EDEN: The “house of pleasure” — possible ref to the immoral temple practices.

THE PEOPLE OF ARAM WILL GO INTO EXILE TO KIR: “The place from which the Aramaeans migrated to Syria (Amos 9:7)… Its militia is represented as allied with Elam against Judah (Isa 22:6). The place has not yet been attested in ancient Near Eastern records, and remains unidentified” (WyE). It was probably in Mesopotamia. Thus God would send them back where they came from after obliterating all they had achieved. The fulfillment of this prophecy came when Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria took the Arameans captive in 732 BC (2Ki 16:7-9).

Amo 1:6

Vv 6-8: There were 5 major Philistine cities (1Sa 6:17; Josh 13:3), but in later days the prophets carefully leave Gath out of the picture (Amo 1:6-8; Zeph 2:4; Jer 25:20; Zech 9:5,6). Why? Uzziah, in his war against the Philistines, smashed up Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod (2Ch 26:6). The last of these was evidently strategic enough to warrant rebuilding (Isa 20:1), but the other two disappeared from history — and from prophecy also.

BECAUSE THEY TOOK CAPTIVE WHOLE COMMUNITIES AND SOLD THEM TO EDOM: The particular sin for which God would judge the Philistines was their capture and deportation of whole communities (or “people at peace”: Heb “shelema”), possibly Israelites and or Judahites, to Edom as slaves (cp Joel 3:4-8).

Amo 1:8

I WILL TURN MY HAND AGAINST EKRON, TILL THE LAST OF THE PHILISTINES IS DEAD: God sends complete retribution upon Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron… by successive attacks from Sennacherib of Assyria, Pharaoh Necho of Egypt, and Alexander the Great of Greece. This prophecy was ultimately fulfilled during the Maccabean period (169-134 BC), when the Philistines passed out of existence as a separate and distinct people.

PHILISTINES: See Lesson, Philistia in prophecy.

Amo 1:9

TYRE: The leading city of Phoenicia.

SHE SOLD WHOLE COMMUNITIES OF CAPTIVES TO EDOM: The sin of the Phoenicians was the same as that of the Philistines. They had sold whole communities of people to the Edomites as slaves.

DISREGARDING A TREATY OF BROTHERHOOD: Remembering the time when Hiram of Tyre was a friend of David and Solomon (1Ki 5:12), and an ally of Israel. Hiram called Solomon “brother” (1Ki 9:13).

Amo 1:10

I WILL SEND FIRE UPON THE WALLS OF TYRE THAT WILL CONSUME HER FORTRESSES: Many Tyrians became captives and were sold as slaves when Alexander the Great destroyed Tyre in 332 BC (cf Ezek 26–28).

Amo 1:11

EDOM… HE PURSUED HIS BROTHER WITH A SWORD, STIFLING ALL COMPASSION: Edom’s sin that brought divine wrath down on its people was the its treatment of the Israelites. The Edomites had been very hostile to their “brother,” Israel (Gen 25:29,30; Num 20:14; Deut 2:4; 23:7; Oba 1:12). This hostility existed throughout the history of these two nations. This animosity even led the Edomites to attack the Israelites with the sword (cf Obad 1:10).

Amo 1:12

I WILL SEND FIRE UPON TEMAN THAT WILL CONSUME THE FORTRESSES OF BOZRAH: Consequently God would send destruction on Edom’s chief southern and northern cities (or districts), and thus on the whole land. The Assyrians subjugated Edom in the eighth century BC, and the Nabateans, an Arabian tribe, took it over in the fourth century BC.

Amo 1:13

AMMON: Ammon hired Balaam against israel (Num 22–25; Deu 23:3,4), hated the people of Jabesh-gilead (1Sa 11:2), and hired the Syrians to fight against David (2Sa 10:1-6).

HE RIPPED OPEN THE PREGNANT WOMEN OF GILEAD IN ORDER TO EXTEND HIS BORDERS: This brutal slaughter terrorized and decimated the population of Gilead, which bordered Ammon on the west. The Ammonites did this to enlarge their territory merely for materialistic advantage, not for self-preservation.

Amo 1:14

RABBAH: The chief city of the Ammonites. Lying east of the territory assigned to the tribe of Gad (Jos 13:25), it is frequently known in the OT as “Rabbah of the children of Ammon” to distinguish it from other towns of the same name. Rabbah was the Ammonite capital until the reign of David, and here Uriah the Hittite was killed on David’s orders (2Sa 11:1,15). Joab finally captured the city, and David subjected the Ammonites to forced labor (2Sa 12:27-31; 1Ch 20:1-3). The prophets referred to Rabbah as if it were the only important city in the territory describing it as a fertile valley (Jer 49:2; Eze 21:20; 25:5).

In recent years Rabbah has regained its ancient splendor. It is now called Amman, the capital of Jordan. Well-watered in fertile environs, the city’s location on the Hejaz railway is strategic.

Amo 1:15

HER KING WILL GO INTO EXILE, HE AND HIS OFFICIALS TOGETHER: This happened when Tiglath-Pileser III invaded Ammon in 734 BC, but Ammon’s final defeat came when Nebuchadnezzar sacked Rabbah and took many of Ammon’s citizens captive to Babylon around 586 BC.