Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

2:6-7a They sell the righteous perhaps refers to giving false witness for money, but it might also speak of selling someone into slavery for indebtedness over something as paltry as a pair of sandals (cf. Lev. 25:39-43). Instead of helping the afflicted as the law commanded (Ex. 23:6-8), the affluent Israelites were crushing them (see also Amos 8:6).

2:7b-8 a man and his father. It appears that Amos is intentionally linking here the sins of incest (Lev. 18:6-18; Deut. 22:30) and of ritual prostitution (Deut. 23:17-18). God required sexual purity for at least two reasons: faithfulness in heterosexual marriage was an expression of the unique faithfulness of the Creator, and pagan religions sought to use sexual performance as a way of manipulating the divine power of fertility. To make it appear that the Lord was just like the pagan gods--faithless and capable of manipulation--was to profane his holy name, to defame his character. Garments taken in pledge refers to a poor person's cloak that was given to a money-lender as security for a loan. It was to be returned to the poor person at night since he or she probably had no other covering (Ex. 22:26). In the context it seems likely the wine was payment for an unjust fine (Isa. 10:1-2).

2:11-12 Not only had God graciously delivered Israel and given them the land of Canaan (vv. 9-10), he had also raised up from among them prophets to warn them, and Nazirites to shame them with the example of their commitment (see Jer. 35:1-19 for a similar instance). But instead of being warned and shamed, the Israelites had tried to shut up the prophets and to compromise the Nazirites (Num. 6:3 prohibited Nazirites from drinking wine).

2:13 Behold signals the beginning of the conclusion. Israel will be flattened in the road like an animal run over by a loaded cart.

2:14-15 No one will be able to escape the coming destruction. The swift will not be able to run away from it, and the strong and mighty warrior will not be able to stand before it.

3:1-2 Hear this word introduces the first three messages (3:1; 4:1; 5:1). The God of Israel is the Creator who spoke the world into existence and who is characterized from first to last as the God who speaks (Isa. 45:18-19; John 1:1; Rev. 22:18-19). It seems clear that Israel and Judah believed that their role as the chosen people of God would protect them from harm (see note on Amos 5:18-20). Amos says that the very opposite is true. It is precisely because God has known them as he has known no other nation that they are being judged according to a higher standard (see Luke 12:48).

3:3-8 With a series of questions, Amos shows that imminent disaster is for Israel. He points out that in the world of nature, certain sequences of events can lead to predictable outcomes. If a lion (vv. 4, 8) roars, then it has taken, or is about to take, its prey. What he, the prophet, is doing is simply telling Israel that the Lord God (v. 7) has announced judgment and that unless Israel takes immediate corrective action, the outcome is certain. disaster (v. 6). The ESV has correctly captured the sense of the Hebrew word ra‘ah in this verse, a word which has a very broad range of connotations (see chart). Often translated "evil," it is used to express everything from "moral evil" (Gen. 6:5) to "disaster" (as here and also Jonah 3:10). If there is disaster occurring, the people should not attribute it to bad luck but should take note that God is at work, in his sovereign wisdom, and they should respond accordingly to his judgment. without revealing his secret (v. 7). Throughout the OT God often showed the prophets his own perspective on the events of history and revealed to them his purposes and actions, so that the prophets could interpret historical events accurately for God's people.

3:9-11 Israel's capital city of Samaria was a powerful stronghold, located on a high hill (mountains) in a good position of natural defense. It stood just off the great highway that ran along the Mediterranean coast connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia. If Samaria fell to the Assyrians, there was nothing more to prevent the destruction of the Philistine cities (represented by Ashdod) and of Egypt itself. But Israel would fall, not because of the superior power of Assyria but because of its own spiritual and social corruption. The stronghold was filled with oppression, and with violence and robbery. Thus, Israel had forfeited God's protection, and without him all their natural defenses were useless (see Isa. 5:5-6).

3:12 Picturesque prose expresses the total destruction that was to be visited upon Samaria and Israel, though a tiny "remnant" would be left. See also 5:3.

3:13-15 The conclusion of the message emphasizes in a general way the two factors that would account for the coming destruction: (1) false, ritualistic religion and (2) the accumulation of wealth at the expense of the poor.

3:13 God of hosts. This title for God became increasingly popular among the prophets (cf. chart). "Hosts" in this context refers to troops of soldiers. Thus the image expresses the unlimited power of God. He is a general with an infinite number of troops at his command. The term sometimes refers to hosts of heavenly beings (1 Kings 22:19; Neh. 9:6; Ps. 148:2; see also Matt. 26:53).

3:14 Bethel was not only associated with the patriarch Jacob and his vision (Gen. 28:10-22), it also stood close to the border between Israel and Judah. Thus, Jeroboam I chose it as the site of one of his two golden calves (1 Kings 12:25-33). It was not by accident that this was the place where Amos chose to deliver his prophecies (Amos 7:12-13). It represented the corruption of the true religion (4:4-5). Far from appeasing God's anger against Israel, the religious practices carried out there would seal that anger. See also Hosea 10:5, where "Beth-aven" (house of iniquity) is substituted for "Beth-el" (house of God). The horns of the altar were short vertical projections at the four corners of the top of the altar (Ex. 27:2). They had ritual significance as places where God's protection was available (1 Kings 1:50; 2:28), but the horns of Bethel's altar would provide no protection whatsoever.

3:15 All of Israel's social injustice is represented by the sin of amassing property (see also Isa. 5:8). This was a violation of the covenant that said a family's land was a trust from God to be held in perpetuity by that family. There were legal fictions to get around this, but those fictions did not impress God. Here Amos does not condemn wealth in itself, but wealth accompanied by injustice toward the poor (Amos 4:1), fraudulent business practices (5:7, 11, 12; 8:4-6), and living in luxury without care for the needy (5:12; 8:4-6), without concern for sin and evil in the land (6:4-6), and without genuine religious faith (5:21-23). Archaeological excavations at Samaria have uncovered fragmentary remains of rich ivory objects, attesting to the luxury built upon the backs of the poor.

4:1 Bashan was rich pastureland northeast of the Sea of Galilee. Cattle that grazed there tended to be plump and healthy. Amos compares the matrons of Samaria to those cattle. Not just the husbands, but even these wives oppress the poor and crush the needy.

4:2-3 A description of what would happen to these wealthy and self-indulgent women when the city fell to the Assyrians: they would be dragged out through the broken-down walls (breaches) like a fisherman dragging a fish out of the water with fishhooks. But the reference may be literal as well. Some Assyrian illustrations seem to show captives being taken away with ropes attached to rings in the captives' noses. Harmon. This location is unknown.

4:4-5 The prophet denounces the religious activity at Bethel and also at the ancient site of Gilgal (Josh. 4:20; 10:43) with bitter sarcasm. Far from procuring forgiveness for transgression, this activity was itself transgression! The Israelites might love to engage in such worship, but it only disgusted God (Amos 5:14-15, 21-24). The prophets often seem to dismiss sacrificial worship, but careful attention to the context shows that they are concerned with faithful use of the divine ordinances and obedience from the heart. Hosea 6:6; Amos 4:4-5; and 5:21-25 are addressed to the northern kingdom, in which the worship practices blatantly defy the Mosaic prescriptions with golden calves, sanctuaries other than the one in Jerusalem, and priests who were not Levites (see 1 Kings 12:26-33). Texts such as Isa. 1:11-17; Jer. 6:20; 7:21-23; and Mic. 6:6-8 are addressed to Judah, where the external form of the sacrifices may be proper, but is not combined with genuine repentance and godly living. In such cases the worship is worse than empty; it is an attempt to manipulate God.

4:5 Although the people could claim that the thanksgiving offering and the freewill offerings were what God had specified in the Torah (see Lev. 7:12-21), that meant nothing to God because the offerings were not being celebrated in the right place under the Levitical priests, nor were they accompanied by moral obedience (see Amos 5:15, 24).

4:6-11 Even though God had sent various natural and social calamities, the people would not turn back. The repeated refrain is yet you did not return to me (vv. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11). In short, the coming destruction of Israel at the hands of the Assyrians would not be a sudden unexpected outbreak by a short-tempered God. It was the final outcome of many patient appeals and warnings that the people should have heeded but did not.

4:6 cleanness of teeth. They had no food to cling to their teeth. yet you did not return to me. Stubbornness, like the stubbornness of Pharaoh in the exodus, increases guilt.

4:7 rain . . . yet three months. After the summer dry season, the rains of November and December were absolutely necessary if the seeds of grain were to germinate in the ground and yield a harvest beginning in April.

4:10 The Bible does not describe the pestilence after the manner of Egypt elsewhere. However, the reference in Ex. 15:26 supports the idea that the swampy areas of the northeast Nile delta where Israel lived in slavery must have been disease-ridden, probably with malaria among other diseases.

4:12 It seems apparent that the Israelites were asking God to appear on their behalf in a great day of vindication, making them the rulers of the world (see 5:18-20). Amos says they are about to meet . . . God, but not at all in the way they expect.

4:13 Amos uses lyrical poetry to underline the seriousness of the situation. Israel is not dealing with some local mountain deity. They are about to come face to face with the Creator of the universe, the Lord, the God of hosts (see note on 3:13). See also 5:8-9 and 9:5-6 and notes. One of the ways God manifests his greatness over the false gods of the pagans is that he alone knows all thoughts and therefore he declares to man what is his thought (cf. Dan. 2:27-28; 1 Cor. 14:24-25).

5:1 lamentation. Neither the prophet nor God takes delight in these pronouncements of doom. Like mourners at a funeral, they grieve at what lies ahead for the unrepentant people. For the same reaction on the part of Jesus, see Matt. 23:37-39 and Luke 19:41-44.

5:2 Virgin Israel is an image used frequently in the prophets to speak of the special value God places on Israel. She is like a virgin daughter to him, and the thought of her selling herself into prostitution or being raped by an enemy is heartbreaking to him.

5:4-9 This is a powerful plea to seek the Lord as he has revealed himself and not in the pagan forms found at Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba. Whenever God is identified with the things of this world, there are two results: ethical behavior as a means of expressing devotion to God disappears (v. 7), and any concept of a purposeful Creator is lost (vv. 8-9).

5:5 On Bethel and Gilgal, see 4:4-5 and note. Since Beersheba was in Judah, it is not clear what its significance was for the Israelites. Perhaps people from the northern kingdom made pilgrimage there, remembering its association with the patriarchs (Gen. 21:14-19, 31; 26:23, 33; 46:1-5); perhaps they also felt that there was a special power available there.

5:6 The religious activities carried on at Bethel would not quench the fire of God's anger. In fact, they would fuel it.

5:7 Wormwood is a plant native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, with a bitter-tasting and poisonous extract (also 6:12). True worshipers of God will manifest justice and righteousness (cf. James 1:26-27). See also Amos 5:21-24. Justice (Hb. mishpat) is much more than legal equity; it refers to the entire scope of God's government of his world. Thus, to "do justice" involves, on the part of government, a fair and just use of power and proper functioning of a fair judicial system, especially to protect the weak from the strong. On the part of individuals, "justice" involves honest and fair business dealings and faithfulness to keep one's word, as well as not taking advantage of the poor or those with less power or protection. Righteousness (Hb. tsedaqah) involves doing what is right in the sight of God, especially with regard to conduct toward others.

5:8-9 This is another piece of lyrical poetry (cf. 4:13 and 9:5-6) used to contrast the limitless glory of the Creator with the paltry things worshiped in the confines of Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba. Pleiades and Orion. Constellations of stars. In ancient Near Eastern religions, the stars were often thought to be gods. See also Isa. 40:26. To say that God calls for the waters of the sea and then pours them out on the surface of the earth is to remind Israel that he alone governs the rainfall, which he can and will use to discipline his people.

5:10 reproves in the gate. The walled cities of the ancient Near East had covered gatehouses in which there were multiple sets of gates. Thus, if the enemy broke through one set, they were immediately confronted with another. During times of peace all these gates would be open and the gatehouse would provide a shady place where the old men of the city could sit to observe the comings and goings, and where they could decide the cases of those who came to them for justice. But in Israel, justice was going to the highest bidder. See also vv. 12, 15.

5:11 Shall not dwell in them and shall not drink their wine express frustrated hope; cf. Mic. 6:15; Zeph. 1:13.

5:13 keep silent. The reference is probably to the legal proceedings taking place in the gatehouse (see note on v. 10). If someone were to speak out against the manifest injustice taking place, his own life might be in danger (v. 10), while his objections would do no good because they could not stop the ongoing, entrenched evil.

5:14-15 Speaking through the prophet, God addresses a further appeal to his people (see vv. 4-7). In that evil time (v. 13), they should seek good for those around them. If they will, there may be hope for the nation, even at that late hour. as you have said. There are two possible explanations. It may be that "God be with you" was a popular form of greeting, as in the original "Goodbye" of English. A more theological explanation is that the religious leaders of the nation may have been saying that the nation could not fall because "God is with us." Amos says that God will only be with them if there is a return to godly behavior in the land. establish justice. See note on v. 7. For God of hosts (also vv. 15, 16), see note on 3:13.

5:16-17 Although Israel could have returned to God, the fact is that they would not. As a result, Amos announces that a great funeral cry of wailing . . . mourning . . . lamentation (see v. 1) will go up all over the land from the streets of the cities to the vineyards in the countryside. I will pass through your midst. See 4:12 and note.

5:18-27 The Israelites' religious activities, far from pleasing God, actually alienated him. The recurrence of the pronoun "your" in connection with the several kinds of religious behaviors in these verses gives a clue to the point being made: the feasts and assemblies as they are celebrating them cannot bring them closer to God. God does not want only religious behavior from his people; he wants their total devotion as shown in the ethical character of their lives (v. 24). See note on 4:4-5.

5:18-20 This is the earliest known use of the prophets' expression, the day of the Lord. It also occurs in Isaiah (Isa. 13:6, 9), Jeremiah (Jer. 46:10), Ezekiel (Ezek. 13:5; 30:3), Joel (Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14), Obadiah (Obad. 15), Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:7, 14), and Malachi (Mal. 4:5). (See diagram.) Perhaps in Amos's day the term was in popular use for the time when the Lord would intervene and put Israel at the head of the nations (possibly based on Deut. 32:35-37); but Amos, and all prophets after him, clarify what it would mean for the Lord to visit his people: it means judgment upon them if they are unfaithful. In Amos, the term points forward to the coming judgment on the northern kingdom at the hands of the Assyrians (Amos 5:27); in Zephaniah, it points to the coming judgment on Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. Other prophets use the term to signal God's forthcoming punishment of other nations for their brutalities, e.g., Babylon (Isa. 13:6, 9); Egypt (Jer. 46:10); Edom (Obad. 15); and many nations (Joel 3:14; Obad. 15). In some cases the prophet uses the term to denote something farther off in the future (Mal. 4:5; probably in Joel 3:2). All of this indicates that the "day" is not unique, but may be repeated as circumstances call for it. The NT authors apply the term as well to the return of Christ (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:8; 2 Pet. 3:10).

5:21 God hates and despises Israel's religious feasts and solemn assemblies, their offerings (v. 22) and songs (v. 23) because of their persistent sinful conduct (see note on 3:15) and because of their perversion of worship at Bethel (cf. note on 4:4-5), as well as the absence of "justice" and "righteousness" in their conduct toward one another (5:24). Worshiping God in a way contrary to his Word and without moral integrity in one's life is blatant hypocrisy (cf. Isa. 29:13; Matt. 15:8-9).

5:22 I will not accept them. God graciously extends his fellowship and forgiveness to those who will accept his covenant, as shown by their changed lives. He cannot be manipulated into doing such a thing by ritualism.

5:24 On justice and righteousness, see note on 5:7.

5:25-26 The Israelites had in fact given such offerings in the desert, but since their hearts were not right (note the mention of Sikkuth and Kiyyun, Mesopotamian astral deities), God nevertheless judged them. Thus the religiosity of the people of Israel in Amos's day will not fool God, either.

5:27 Exile beyond Damascus is just what happened (2 Kings 17:6). This is a startling and significant prediction, as Assyria was comparatively weak in Amos's time. On God of hosts, see note on Amos 3:13.

6:1-3 Amos calls on the complacent (those who believe they have no cause for concern) to consider the other kingdoms (stronger than they) that had already fallen to Assyria.

6:1 The prophet did not leave the Judeans out of his diatribe (see 2:4-5). Both Zion (Jerusalem), the capital of Judah, and Samaria, the capital of Israel, were strong fortresses, easily defended. But pride and self-confidence are never fitting for God's cherished people.

6:2 Stronger cities than either Jerusalem or Samaria had already fallen. Among these were Calneh, in south-central Mesopotamia (see Gen. 10:10; Isa. 10:9); Hamath, in Syria to the north of Israel; and Gath, a Philistine city southeast of Israel. Since the three locations reflect the entire extent of the so-called "Fertile Crescent," they may have been chosen for their representative value. No city in the whole region could claim immunity to destruction.

6:3 The only hope for either Israel or Judah was in the power of God made available through repentance, but Israel, at least, saw no need for such a thing.

6:4-7 Instead of mourning and grieving over their sins and those of their nation (v. 6), the Israelites were treating themselves to the very best of life's pleasures. It was these people, the "cream" of Israelite society, whom the Assyrians would take first into exile (v. 7). On God's requirements concerning wealth and the wealthy, see note on 3:15.

6:4 Ivory was then, as now, a luxury. These people indulged in tender lamb and veal, not the tougher mutton and beef. On ivory, see note on 3:15.

6:5 Although the Israelite elite emulated David in making music, and perhaps congratulated themselves on that, it is clear that they had no real awareness of the deep meaning of the Hebrew psalms with their passion for God and his ways.

6:6 Wine in bowls and finest oils are further indications that any trace of moderation or restraint was gone from this complacent upper echelon of society. They cared extravagantly for their own bodies but cared nothing for the needs of others. The two main tribes in Israel were Ephraim and Manasseh, descended from Joseph.

6:8-14 Israel's paganized religion, their strong fortresses, and their decadent culture would be helpless against the enemy that God was raising up.

6:8 sworn by himself. See Gen. 22:16; Isa. 45:23; Jer. 22:5; 51:14. Hebrews 6:13 explains this on the grounds that "he had no one greater by whom to swear." On strongholds, see Amos 3:9-11 and note.

6:9-11 While the general sense of this vignette is clear--nothing would be left of the great houses and families--the specific sense is not as clear. Perhaps it describes a time when the survivors (v. 10) would be so traumatized that they would be afraid of any mention of the name of the Lord lest it be done inappropriately and bring yet more disaster upon them.

6:12 horses run on rocks. Even the least-educated farmer understands that there are laws of nature that must be obeyed if life and health are to be preserved. But Israel's leaders have no such understanding. Perverting justice and righteousness is ultimately as destructive as trying to get a crop from a rock pile. On both justice and wormwood, see note on 5:7.

6:13 Lo-debar and Karnaim were two cities on the east side of the Jordan. Lo-debar may be the same as Debir in Josh. 13:26. If so, it was located on the northern border of Gad, near Mahanaim (see also 2 Sam. 9:4-5; 17:27). Karnaim was farther north, in the territory of Bashan (see Amos 4:1). Both cities were in areas that were in constant dispute with Syria. It is likely that Israel had succeeded in recapturing them from Syria during the Assyrian weakness just before Amos's time, and that this was a cause for Israelite self-confidence.

6:14 Amos says the little victories of the previous verse will be nothing compared to the destruction that is to come. Lebo-hamath was in the far north, in the valley between the Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The Brook of the Arabah is in the valley in the far south between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The Assyrian conquest and oppression would cover the whole land, not just a few isolated cities.