Amos · Chapter 4

V. 1. Kine of Bashan-So Amos compares the mighty, wanton, and oppressive rulers of Israel, to those full-fed, strong, and wanton beasts which in the herds did push at, hurt, and disturb the weaker cattle.

Verse 1. Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan] Such an address was quite natural from the herdsman of Tekoa. Bashan was famous for the fertility of its soil, and its flocks and herds; and the prophet here represents the iniquitous, opulent, idle, lazy drones, whether men or women, under the idea of fatted bullocks, which were shortly to be led out to the slaughter.

Verse 1. Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan — Bashan was famous for its flocks and herds, Deuteronomy 32:14; Ezekiel 39:18. The proud and luxurious matrons of Israel may be here described. In this sense the words are understood by Grotius, and some other commentators. Thus rich, proud, and tyrannical men are compared, Psalm 22:13, to the bulls of Bashan; because cattle fed in the pastures of Bashan, which were remarkably rich, were more than commonly large, and wanton, or headstrong, by reason of their full feeding. Which say to their masters — To their husbands; Bring, and let us drink — From these expressions we may infer the dissoluteness and intemperance of the women. And it may be observed here also, that even the women are accused of oppressing the poor, and crushing the needy; from whence we may gather to how great a height cruelty, oppression, and insolence were grown among them, since even the women were guilty of these vices. Some, however, think that the description contained in this verse is not to be confined to the matrons, but that the rich, luxurious, and profligate rulers and nobles are also and even especially intended; and that these might be represented as kine rather than bulls, in order to reprove their effeminacy and cowardice when assaulted by their enemies; while at the same time they crushed and trampled on their unresisting brethren, and sold them for slaves, saying to the masters who bought them, Bring, and let us drink. Having made the iniquitous bargain, perhaps, on low terms, they required from the purchaser to be treated with wine. This is Mr. Scott’s view of the passage.

Verse 1. Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan. The strong bulls of Bashan are celebrated in scripture. Psalm 22:13. Vaccæ pingues, fat cows, haughty women, abandoned to luxurious ease, and who, equally with their husbands, oppressed the poor to indulge in feasts and wine.

1. Hear this word — As in Amos 3:1; 5:1. Ye kine — Jerome, who was followed by some later writers, understood this to apply to the effeminate nobility, “the rulers of Israel and all the leading men of the ten tribes who spent their time in pleasure and robbery”; others limit it to the nobles condemned in Amos 3:9ff. However, it is better to understand the words as addressed to the wanton women of Samaria, whose thoughtlessness and luxury had transformed their gentle natures into those of brutes (compare Isaiah 3:16ff.; 32:9ff.). Bashan — The very fertile district east of the Jordan and north of the Yarmuk, which was rich in pasture land (Micah 7:14; compare Psa 22:12). Mountain of Samaria — See on Amos 3:9. Which oppress… crush — Indirectly, by insisting upon the gratification of their appetites, though the means with which to do this had to be secured unjustly. The two verbs are combined in Deuteronomy 28:33; 1 Samuel 12:3, 4, etc. Masters — R.V., “lords”; or, husbands, which is another meaning of the word. Let us drink — Or, feast, the feasts including drinking and carousing of every sort.

V. 2. By his holiness-By himself as he is the holy God. The days-Of famine, desolation and captivity. He-God by the Assyrian army will take you, as fish are taken with the hook. Your posterity-The children of these oppressors.

Verse 2. He will take you away with hooks] Two modes of fishing are here alluded to: 1. Angling with rod, line, and baited hook. 2. That with the gaff, eel-spear, harpoon, or such like; the first used in catching small fish, by which the common people may be here represented; the second, for catching large fish, such as leave the sea, and come up the rivers to deposit their spawn; or such as are caught in the sea, as sharks, whales, dolphins, and even the hippopotamus, to which the more powerful and opulent inhabitants may be likened. But as the words in the text are generally feminine, it has been supposed that the prophecy is against the proud, powerful, voluptuous women. I rather think that the prophet speaks catachrestically; and means men of effeminate manners and idle lives. They are not the bulls of Bashan, but the cows; having little of the manly character remaining. Some understand the latter word as meaning a sort of basket or wicker fish-nets.

Verse 2. The Lord hath sworn by his holiness — As sure as God is holy and true, so certainly will he bring the threatened judgment upon you; that he will take you away with hooks — “The original word in the masculine is used for thorns; but in the feminine it signifies shields. So that, perhaps, a fishing instrument may be denoted, which, like some now in our use, resembled a shield, or a basket, in its form. Our translators render the word hooks, from their analogy to thorns.” — Newcome. And your posterity — Or remainder; with fish-hooks — Invaders and spoilers are often compared to fishers. The sense here seems to be, that the several invaders of Israel, coming after one another, should make an entire riddance of the whole nation, so that their posterity, or remainder, which had escaped the first invaders, should certainly fall into the hands of those that came after.

Ver. 2. The Lord God hath sworn—that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fish hooks. The Chaldaic has “your daughters.” This language is both natural and impressive. The Philistines cover their seas with fishing smacks, and the Egyptians their river with anglers. It was equally proper for Ezekiel to menace the same offenders with Chaldean hunters, whose princes, according to Xenophon, were famed for hunting the boar. In one of those excursions, Belshazzar, in a moment of anger, pierced his friends. Cyropædia. The nets which providence would cast upon them should so entangle them, as to leave no hope of escape through the meshes or breaches.

2. This shameful conduct has aroused the anger of Jehovah. Hath sworn — An anthropomorphism. As a man affirms a statement by an oath and thus makes certain its fulfillment, so Jehovah is represented as having affirmed the sentence of doom by an oath (Amos 6:8; 8:7; compare Genesis 15:9-18). By his holiness — Mitchell renders, “by his sacred, awe-inspiring personality.” Jehovah has pledged his holiness that he will fulfill his threat. The expression is practically equivalent to “by himself” (Amos 6:8). A.B. Davidson says, “The two phrases have virtually the same sense.” “Holy as applied to Jehovah is an expression that in some way describes him as God, either generally or on any particular side of his nature, the manifestation or thought of which impresses men with the sense of his Godhead.” For a discussion of holiness see on Hosea 11:9. That, lo, the days shall come — Better, Lo, the days are about to come (see on Amos 2:13). The conjunction translated “that” serves here to introduce the direct address (G.-K., 157b). He will [“they shall”] — Literally, one shall take you — you shall be taken (G.-K., 144d). The prophet expects the punishment to take the form of an exile (Amos 5:27; 6:7; 7:17). With hooks — Both words so translated mean primarily thorns; probably the latter served as fishhooks to primitive man. The figure apparently changes in verse 2 to that of catching fish. As fish are taken by fishermen with hooks, so the women are to be carried away by the foreign invader (Habakkuk 1:14). The picture may be based upon the Assyrian custom alluded to also in Isaiah 37:29; Ezekiel 29:4 (compare Rawlinson, Seven Great Monarchies, i, plate 35). Some, to retain the figure of verse 1, understand it to allude to the putting of hooks into the nostrils of unruly cattle, “but so many should the cattle of Samaria be, that for the last of them fishhooks must be used.” Marti understands both words to designate hooks in general, and he thinks that the prophet has in mind the removal of the carcasses of the fat cattle with hooks put in the nose and the hinder part. Whatever the basis of the picture, the figure is one of absolute helplessness. Posterity — R.V., “residue.” Posterity cannot be correct, since the prophet looks for the judgment in the immediate future (Amos 7:17); the thought is “every last one of you”; not one shall escape. In verse 3 the figurative language is abandoned. Ye shall go out — As captives. At the breaches — Made by the besiegers. Every cow at that which is before her — Better, R.V., “every one straight before her,” which some interpret to mean that there will be no need of looking for a gate, since the breaches are so numerous (Joshua 6:5, 20); others, without turning to the right or to the left; hurriedly they will be driven away “as a herd of cows go one after another through a gap in a fence.” Ye shall cast them — The context fails to indicate who is addressed. This difficulty was felt by the Revisers, who translate, without warrant in the Hebrew, “ye shall cast yourselves,” and state in the margin, “The text (including the next two words) is obscure.” The difficulty vanishes if one vowel point is altered; then it may be translated “ye shall be cast,” that is, by your captors. Into the palace — R.V., “into Harmon.” A.V. is incorrect. The word is the name of the city or district to which the women are to be exiled. Concerning the identification of the locality there exists disagreement both among the ancient versions and among modern commentators. A few of the latter consider the case hopeless; many attempt emendations, but none are quite satisfactory. In all probability the text is corrupt. If it is the name of a city or district it must lie “beyond Damascus” (5:27). The district suggested by three of the ancient versions (Peshitto, Targum, Symmachus), and by Jerome in a note, namely, Armenia, would meet this condition, and this translation might be defended on linguistic grounds without serious difficulties.

ISRAEL’S FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND THE DIVINE JUDGMENTS 4-13. With Amos 4:4, begins a new discourse, addressed to the people at large. The occasion was probably a religious gathering, when the people, by their zeal for the external requirements, accompanied by an utter disregard of the divine ethical demands, had revealed their utter misapprehension of the will of Jehovah. In an ironical vein Amos exhorts them to continue their heartless ceremonial worship, “for this pleaseth you,” implying at the same time that Jehovah takes no delight in it (4, 5). Again and again he sought to make them understand his dissatisfaction with their conduct, and to bring them to their senses, but in vain (6-11). Hence he can do nothing but send a final blow, for which they must now prepare themselves (12, 13).

V. 3. Ye-Kine of Bashan. Go out-Ye shall endeavour to make your escape. The breaches-Which the besieging enemy make in your walls, when Samaria is besieged. Before her-Taking the readiest way. The things-All the riches and ornaments of your palaces.

Verse 3. And ye shall go out at the breaches] Probably the metaphor is here kept up. They shall be caught by the hooks, or by the nets; and though they may make breaches in the latter by their flouncing when caught, they shall be taken out at these very breaches; and cast, not in the palace, but into a reservoir, to be kept awhile, and afterwards be taken out to be destroyed. Samaria itself is the net; your adversaries shall besiege it, and make breaches in its walls. At those breaches ye shall endeavour to make your escape, but ye shall be caught and led into captivity, where most of you shall be destroyed. See Houbigant on this passage.

Verse 3. And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow, &c. — The prophet pursues the metaphor taken from the kine of Bashan, verse 1, and tells the people, that as cattle strive to get out at every breach they can find in a mound or fence: so should they, with all possible haste, endeavour to make their escape at the several breaches which should be made in the walls of Samaria. And ye shall cast them into the palace — The marginal reading is preferable, Ye shall cast away the things; namely, the riches and ornaments, of the palace. Or the clause may be rendered, Ye shall cast out yourselves, that is, ye shall with haste betake yourselves to Harmon: so the Vulgate, Et projiciemini in Armon, that is, says Grotius, “into Armenia. So the Hebrews understand it.”

V. 4. Come to Beth-el-A strong irony, giving them over as incorrigible. At Gilgal-Gilgal was a place where much idolatry was acted. Every morning-In the same irony God reproves their sins tho’ they imitated the instituted worship at Jerusalem. Three years-God had Deuteronomy 14:28, commanded every third year that all the tithe of that year should be brought, and laid up in a publick store-house.

Verse 4. Come to Beth-el and transgress] Spoken ironically. Go on to worship your calves at Beth-el; and multiply your transgressions at Gilgal; the very place where I rolled away the reproach of your fathers, by admitting them there into my covenant by circumcision. A place that should have ever been sacred to me; but you have now desecrated it by enormous idolatries. Let your morning and evening sacrifices be offered still to your senseless gods; and continue to support your present vicious priesthood by the regular triennial tithes which should have been employed in my service; and,

Verses 4, 5. Come to Beth-el — The known place of the calf-worship; and transgress — A strong irony, giving them over as incorrigible: like that of Ezekiel 20:39, Go ye, serve every man his idols. At Gilgal multiply transgression — This place also, as well as Beth-el, was the scene of idolatry, as appears from the cotemporary Prophet Hosea. And bring your sacrifices every morning — According to the law of the daily burnt-offering, Numbers 28:4, which they observed in the worship of the golden calves. The prophet continues in the same strain of irony to reprove their idolatry, though in it they imitated the instituted worship at Jerusalem. And your tithes after three years — God had commanded,

Deuteronomy 14:28, that every third year all the tithe of that year should be brought and laid up in a public storehouse, upon which account the third year is called the year of tithing. And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven — Or, with leavened bread, as the law prescribes, Leviticus 7:13. And proclaim the free-offerings — Or freewill-offerings, as the word is translated in other places. For this liketh you, &c. — Vulgate, sic enim voluistis, for such is your will, or so it pleases you to act. Your hearts are so set upon your idolatrous worship, that it is in vain to use any arguments to dissuade you from it.

Ver. 4. Come to Bethel and transgress. Bethel was the place where Messiah the God of Abraham appeared to Jacob. Genesis 28.—At Gilgal multiply transgression. Near this place, while the Hebrews were recovering from circumcision, Jehovah the Angel appeared to Joshua: Joshua 5:13, 15. These sacred places, which had been consecrated by the divine presence, were now polluted with Baal’s altars. Such were the grievous and daring sins committed by this idolatrous people. The Lord therefore, by way of contempt, bids them sin on, and be bold in transgression. He bids them bring the tithe of the third year into their cities, an extra-tithing for the levite and the poor, though the word extra is not mentioned. Deuteronomy 14. 26. The levites had nine tenths of the whole tithe of the nation, and the priests one tenth, as stated by Dr. Lightfoot.

4, 5. A mistaken zeal. Beth-el — See on Amos 3:14. Gilgal — The first camping ground of the Israelites west of the Jordan. Its very name (circle, that is, of stones — cromlech) testifies to its sacred character. It is mentioned frequently in the Old Testament; and even after the ark had been removed to a more permanent location it continued to be a favorite sanctuary (1 Samuel 10:8; Hosea 4:15, etc.). It is commonly identified with the modern Jiljul, four and one half miles from the Jordan, one and one half miles east-southeast of Jericho. Others identify the sanctuary mentioned by Amos and Hosea with Julejil, two and one half miles southeast of Nablus, near Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (Deuteronomy 11:30), while some suggest a still different location (2 Kings 4:38), the modern Jil-jiliyeh, about seven miles north of Beth-el, in a southwesterly direction from Shiloh. Come — The tone of voice would indicate whether Amos was in earnest or not; that he was not is proved by the next verb. Transgress — Their religious observances were of no value; they were an abomination, a transgression in the sight of Jehovah. Why? Not because the prophet or Jehovah was opposed to sacrifice and forms of worship as such (see on Hosea 6:6), but because their coming and their sacrificing was of a character to arouse the divine wrath. This was due to the absence of the proper spirit in their worship, the inconsistency and corruption of their lives, the introduction of foreign heathenish practices into their worship (Amos 2:7, 8), and the consequent disregard of Jehovah as the supreme God of Israel and his reduction to the level of the Baalim of Canaan. At Gilgal — The construction reproduced in R.V. is preferable: “(Come) to Gilgal and multiply transgressions.” For the reasons just suggested, the more zealous they were in their heartless worship, the farther they traveled to the sanctuaries, and the more numerous the places visited, the greater the indignation of Jehovah. Sacrifices — A general term for sacrifices and offerings, though the word used here is employed frequently in the restricted sense of animal sacrifice. Tithes — The tenth part of the income consecrated to the deity. The system of tithing was known among many nations of antiquity. The Hebrew laws on the subject are not very explicit, and it seems, that the details in the administration of the system were not always the same (Deuteronomy 12:6, 11, 17; 14:22-29; 26:12). Every morning,… after three years — R.V., following more closely the Hebrew reads for the last, “every three days.” The reference is to the bringing of the annual sacrifice (1 Samuel 1:3, 7, 21), and to the triennial payment of tithes (Deuteronomy 14:28; 26:12). The prophet exhorts the people ironically to increase their zeal; to bring sacrifice every morning, instead of once a year, and to pay tithes every three days, instead of every three years. Wellhausen suggests a different translation, which is permitted by the Hebrew, “in the morning… on the third day.” He assumes that it was customary to offer sacrifice on the morning after arrival, and to pay the tithes on the third day; and he interprets the ironical exhortation as calling for the punctilious observance of the prescribed routine. This interpretation does not imply the exaggeration involved in the other, but its accuracy is doubtful because it is based upon an apparently unwarranted assumption. Offer — Margin, “offer by burning.” See on Hosea 2:13, where the same word is translated “burn incense.” Sacrifice of thanksgiving — Offered in recognition of unmerited and unexpected blessings (Leviticus 7:12, 13, 15; Jeremiah 17:26, etc.). With leaven — R.V., “of that which is leavened”; Targum, “from violence”; some translate “without leaven.” The translation of the R.V. is to be preferred. According to Leviticus 2:11; Exodus 23:18, the use of leaven as a part of sacrifice was forbidden; on the other hand, Leviticus 7:13, would seem to permit its use, and the language of Amos implies that its use was regarded as an indication of special virtue, a conception that may be traced to the extreme zeal of the people, which would cause them to consider hard, unleavened bread too common for their God. Assuming this viewpoint of the people, the prophet exhorts them to do even more than the law requires. Proclaim and publish — Not in the sense of exhorting others to bring them, but of letting everyone know their piety and good works; they are urged to sound the trumpet before them (Matthew 6:2). Free [“freewill”] offerings — The offerings brought out of a spontaneous impulse as an expression of irresistible love (Deuteronomy 12:6, 17). This liketh you — Better, R.V., “this pleaseth you,” with the emphasis on you; Jehovah has no delight in their performances.

V. 5. With leaven-As all the rest of your will-worship, so this also is against the express law, Leviticus 2:11. However, do so at your peril, try whether it will end in good. Proclaim-Publickly persuaded your people to voluntary sacrifices.

Verse 5. Over a sacrifice of thanksgiving] To the senseless metal, and the unfeeling stock and stone images, from which ye never did, and never could receive any help. Proceed yet farther, and bring free-will offerings; testify superabundant gratitude to your wooden and metallic gods, to whom ye are under such immense imaginary obligations! Proclaim and publish these offerings, and set forth the perfections of the objects of your worship; and see what they can do for you, when I, Jehovah, shall send drought, and blasting, and famine, and pestilence, and the sword among you.

Verses 4, 5. Come to Beth-el — The known place of the calf-worship; and transgress — A strong irony, giving them over as incorrigible: like that of Ezekiel 20:39, Go ye, serve every man his idols. At Gilgal multiply transgression — This place also, as well as Beth-el, was the scene of idolatry, as appears from the cotemporary Prophet Hosea. And bring your sacrifices every morning — According to the law of the daily burnt-offering, Numbers 28:4, which they observed in the worship of the golden calves. The prophet continues in the same strain of irony to reprove their idolatry, though in it they imitated the instituted worship at Jerusalem. And your tithes after three years — God had commanded,

Deuteronomy 14:28, that every third year all the tithe of that year should be brought and laid up in a public storehouse, upon which account the third year is called the year of tithing. And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven — Or, with leavened bread, as the law prescribes, Leviticus 7:13. And proclaim the free-offerings — Or freewill-offerings, as the word is translated in other places. For this liketh you, &c. — Vulgate, sic enim voluistis, for such is your will, or so it pleases you to act. Your hearts are so set upon your idolatrous worship, that it is in vain to use any arguments to dissuade you from it.

4, 5. A mistaken zeal. Beth-el — See on Amos 3:14. Gilgal — The first camping ground of the Israelites west of the Jordan. Its very name (circle, that is, of stones — cromlech) testifies to its sacred character. It is mentioned frequently in the Old Testament; and even after the ark had been removed to a more permanent location it continued to be a favorite sanctuary (1 Samuel 10:8; Hosea 4:15, etc.). It is commonly identified with the modern Jiljul, four and one half miles from the Jordan, one and one half miles east-southeast of Jericho. Others identify the sanctuary mentioned by Amos and Hosea with Julejil, two and one half miles southeast of Nablus, near Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (Deuteronomy 11:30), while some suggest a still different location (2 Kings 4:38), the modern Jil-jiliyeh, about seven miles north of Beth-el, in a southwesterly direction from Shiloh. Come — The tone of voice would indicate whether Amos was in earnest or not; that he was not is proved by the next verb. Transgress — Their religious observances were of no value; they were an abomination, a transgression in the sight of Jehovah. Why? Not because the prophet or Jehovah was opposed to sacrifice and forms of worship as such (see on Hosea 6:6), but because their coming and their sacrificing was of a character to arouse the divine wrath. This was due to the absence of the proper spirit in their worship, the inconsistency and corruption of their lives, the introduction of foreign heathenish practices into their worship (Amos 2:7, 8), and the consequent disregard of Jehovah as the supreme God of Israel and his reduction to the level of the Baalim of Canaan. At Gilgal — The construction reproduced in R.V. is preferable: “(Come) to Gilgal and multiply transgressions.” For the reasons just suggested, the more zealous they were in their heartless worship, the farther they traveled to the sanctuaries, and the more numerous the places visited, the greater the indignation of Jehovah. Sacrifices — A general term for sacrifices and offerings, though the word used here is employed frequently in the restricted sense of animal sacrifice. Tithes — The tenth part of the income consecrated to the deity. The system of tithing was known among many nations of antiquity. The Hebrew laws on the subject are not very explicit, and it seems, that the details in the administration of the system were not always the same (Deuteronomy 12:6, 11, 17; 14:22-29; 26:12). Every morning,… after three years — R.V., following more closely the Hebrew reads for the last, “every three days.” The reference is to the bringing of the annual sacrifice (1 Samuel 1:3, 7, 21), and to the triennial payment of tithes (Deuteronomy 14:28; 26:12). The prophet exhorts the people ironically to increase their zeal; to bring sacrifice every morning, instead of once a year, and to pay tithes every three days, instead of every three years. Wellhausen suggests a different translation, which is permitted by the Hebrew, “in the morning… on the third day.” He assumes that it was customary to offer sacrifice on the morning after arrival, and to pay the tithes on the third day; and he interprets the ironical exhortation as calling for the punctilious observance of the prescribed routine. This interpretation does not imply the exaggeration involved in the other, but its accuracy is doubtful because it is based upon an apparently unwarranted assumption. Offer — Margin, “offer by burning.” See on Hosea 2:13, where the same word is translated “burn incense.” Sacrifice of thanksgiving — Offered in recognition of unmerited and unexpected blessings (Leviticus 7:12, 13, 15; Jeremiah 17:26, etc.). With leaven — R.V., “of that which is leavened”; Targum, “from violence”; some translate “without leaven.” The translation of the R.V. is to be preferred. According to Leviticus 2:11; Exodus 23:18, the use of leaven as a part of sacrifice was forbidden; on the other hand, Leviticus 7:13, would seem to permit its use, and the language of Amos implies that its use was regarded as an indication of special virtue, a conception that may be traced to the extreme zeal of the people, which would cause them to consider hard, unleavened bread too common for their God. Assuming this viewpoint of the people, the prophet exhorts them to do even more than the law requires. Proclaim and publish — Not in the sense of exhorting others to bring them, but of letting everyone know their piety and good works; they are urged to sound the trumpet before them (Matthew 6:2). Free [“freewill”] offerings — The offerings brought out of a spontaneous impulse as an expression of irresistible love (Deuteronomy 12:6, 17). This liketh you — Better, R.V., “this pleaseth you,” with the emphasis on you; Jehovah has no delight in their performances.

V. 6. And I-The Lord who gave many blessings to win you to repentance, hath also tried what might be done by judgments. Cleanness of teeth-This is a description of famine.

Verse 6. Cleanness of teeth] Scarcity of bread, as immediately explained. Ye shall have no trouble in cleaning your teeth, for ye shall have nothing to eat.

Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.] This reprehension is repeated five times in this chapter; and in it are strongly implied God’s longsuffering, his various modes of fatherly chastisement, the ingratitude of the people, and their obstinate wickedness. The famine mentioned here is supposed to be that which is spoken of 2 Kings 8:1; but it is most likely to have been that mentioned by Joel, Joel 1:1-2:17.

Verses 6-8. And I also have given you — Or, for this cause I have given you, cleanness of teeth — An expression signifying a scarcity of food, or a famine. The famine which we read of 2 Kings 8:1, seems to be that which is here referred to. Yet have ye not returned unto me — Nevertheless ye have not been brought to a sense of your sins, to any sorrow for them, or to any sincere purpose of amendment. Also I have withholden the rain, when there were yet three months to the harvest — At a season when your country most needed it, and when it had been wont to fall most plentifully. And I caused it to rain upon one city, and not upon another — And, to make it more remarkable, I caused it to rain upon cities or places adjoining to yours, at the same time that the drought was so great on all your territories. This may import that God punished them with drought at the same time when he sent rain upon the cities of Judah; making a remarkable difference between Israel and Judah, like that which he formerly made between Egypt and the land of Goshen. One piece was rained upon, &c. — This seems to be spoken of those parts which lay quite contiguous to the lands of other nations, of which parts, though they touched each other, yet rain fell upon the one and not upon the other; the consequence of which was, that the one piece of land was withered, or scorched up for want of moisture, while the adjoining one was green and flourishing. So two or three cities wandered, &c. — So the inhabitants of several of your cities went to some city or other without your territories for the sake of getting water to quench their thirst. But they were not satisfied — They could not obtain a sufficient quantity.

6. Famine. And I also — The contrast is brought out more clearly by rendering, “But I on my part” (Amos 2:9). Have given — See on Amos 3:6. Cleanness of teeth — That is, famine, identical in meaning with “want of bread.” All your cities,… all your places — Throughout the whole land. Several famines are recorded in the Old Testament. The two most recent preceding the time of Amos are those mentioned in 1 Kings 17:12; 2 Kings 4:38. These, severe enough to be remembered for a long while as special divine judgments, or other famines, unrecorded in the Old Testament, may be alluded to by Amos. The judgment was sent for a purpose, to bring the people to their senses and to lead them back to Jehovah in obedience and love; but the purpose was not accomplished. Returned — See on Hosea 14:1. The fivefold repetition of the phrase, “yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah,” emphasizes both the love of Jehovah, who wearied not in his efforts to win back Israel, and the stubbornness of the people who would not yield to his pleas.

V. 7. When-At a season when your country most needed it. Upon one city-That you might see my hand in it, I gave rain to one city, and withheld it from the next; nay one part of the same field was watered and flourished: another part, dry and withered.

Verse 7. When there were yet three months to the harvest] St. Jerome says, from the end of April, when the latter rain falls, until harvest, there are three months, May, June, and July, in which no rain falls in Judea. The rain, therefore, that God had withheld from them, was that which was usual in the spring months, particularly in April.

I caused it to rain upon one city] To prove to them that this rain did not come fortuitously or of necessity, God was pleased to make these most evident distinctions. One city had rain, and could fill all its tanks or cisterns, while a neighbouring city had none. One farm or field was well watered, and abundant in its crops, while one contiguous to it had not a shower. In these instances a particular providence was most evident. “And yet, they did not return to the Lord.”

Verses 6-8. And I also have given you — Or, for this cause I have given you, cleanness of teeth — An expression signifying a scarcity of food, or a famine. The famine which we read of 2 Kings 8:1, seems to be that which is here referred to. Yet have ye not returned unto me — Nevertheless ye have not been brought to a sense of your sins, to any sorrow for them, or to any sincere purpose of amendment. Also I have withholden the rain, when there were yet three months to the harvest — At a season when your country most needed it, and when it had been wont to fall most plentifully. And I caused it to rain upon one city, and not upon another — And, to make it more remarkable, I caused it to rain upon cities or places adjoining to yours, at the same time that the drought was so great on all your territories. This may import that God punished them with drought at the same time when he sent rain upon the cities of Judah; making a remarkable difference between Israel and Judah, like that which he formerly made between Egypt and the land of Goshen. One piece was rained upon, &c. — This seems to be spoken of those parts which lay quite contiguous to the lands of other nations, of which parts, though they touched each other, yet rain fell upon the one and not upon the other; the consequence of which was, that the one piece of land was withered, or scorched up for want of moisture, while the adjoining one was green and flourishing. So two or three cities wandered, &c. — So the inhabitants of several of your cities went to some city or other without your territories for the sake of getting water to quench their thirst. But they were not satisfied — They could not obtain a sufficient quantity.

Ver. 7. Three months to the harvest. The Lord denied them the latter rain, as described in Deuteronomy 11:14. This was the rain which caused the corn to grow and flourish for a luxuriant harvest. He adds, I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another. The locality of the rain designated a particular providence.

7, 8. Drought. The rain — Hebrews geshem (see on Joel 2:23), here rain in general. When there were yet three months to the harvest — Since the harvest is in April and May, the drought must have set in during January or February. A drought at that time would be disastrous, and might completely destroy the prospects of harvest. A similar phenomenon occurred in Palestine in the winter of 1894-95. “After raining several times quite heavily in December, especially on the coast, the weather has been since before Christmas pleasant and mild, and if no more rain falls there will be great suffering, for up till now (February 16) no one has filled his cisterns.” Caused it to rain — The tenses in verses 7, 8 are frequentatives. Jehovah did the things mentioned again and again. To the ancients the phenomenon of a partial drought would be an even stronger proof of the presence of the supernatural than a universal withholding of rain. Partial rainfall such as is described here has been experienced in Palestine in more modern times. “There has been a smart shower here (Tiberias), while at Samakh the ground was baked hard, and the grain drooping sadly. The same was true on a former occasion when I came up the Jordan valley. The ground in the Ghor was like a parched desert. There had not been sufficient rain to bring up the grain,… while here at Tiberias the whole country was a paradise of herbs and flowers.” And again, “It was literally so about Samakh and ‘Abadiyeh, while their nearest neighbors were rejoicing in abundant showers” (Thomson, ii, p. 66). Piece — Field (Ruth 2:3; 4:3). Two or three cities — That had suffered from the drought. For the ascending enumeration see on 1:3. Wandered — Literally, tottered, or, staggered. The people were so weak from thirst that they could not walk with a firm step. One city — One favored with rain. With reference to this passage Thomson says (on the same page): “A fact often repeated in this country. No longer ago than last autumn it had its exemplification complete in Belad Besharah, the ancient inheritance of Naphtali.” Since there are few springs throughout Palestine, people are dependent largely upon rain water stored in cisterns; when the rainfall is irregular the water supply soon becomes exhausted. They were not satisfied — The water was not sufficient to supply the needs of all. This judgment also was in vain.

9a. Blasting and mildew. 9b. Locusts. You — Your fields and crops. Blasting and mildew — The two words are frequently joined (Deuteronomy 28:22; 1 Kings 8:37; Haggai 2:17). The former, from a verb to burn, describes the disastrous effects of the scorching east wind or Sirocco (see on Hosea 12:1); the latter, literally, greenness, is “a blight in which the ears turn untimely a pale yellow, and have no grain.” One word in the Hebrew makes the rest of verse 9 awkward. With a very slight change, favored by most modern commentators, it may be translated, “I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards; and your fig trees and your olive trees hath the palmerworm devoured.” I laid waste — By some blow not specified by the prophet. Fig trees — See on Joel 1:7. Olive trees — See on Hosea 14:6; Joel 1:10. Palmer-worm — See on Joel 1:4, where reference is made to the frequency with which locusts visit Palestine.

V. 8. Not satisfied-Either that had not enough for them, or durst not part with it.

Verses 6-8. And I also have given you — Or, for this cause I have given you, cleanness of teeth — An expression signifying a scarcity of food, or a famine. The famine which we read of 2 Kings 8:1, seems to be that which is here referred to. Yet have ye not returned unto me — Nevertheless ye have not been brought to a sense of your sins, to any sorrow for them, or to any sincere purpose of amendment. Also I have withholden the rain, when there were yet three months to the harvest — At a season when your country most needed it, and when it had been wont to fall most plentifully. And I caused it to rain upon one city, and not upon another — And, to make it more remarkable, I caused it to rain upon cities or places adjoining to yours, at the same time that the drought was so great on all your territories. This may import that God punished them with drought at the same time when he sent rain upon the cities of Judah; making a remarkable difference between Israel and Judah, like that which he formerly made between Egypt and the land of Goshen. One piece was rained upon, &c. — This seems to be spoken of those parts which lay quite contiguous to the lands of other nations, of which parts, though they touched each other, yet rain fell upon the one and not upon the other; the consequence of which was, that the one piece of land was withered, or scorched up for want of moisture, while the adjoining one was green and flourishing. So two or three cities wandered, &c. — So the inhabitants of several of your cities went to some city or other without your territories for the sake of getting water to quench their thirst. But they were not satisfied — They could not obtain a sufficient quantity.

7, 8. Drought. The rain — Hebrews geshem (see on Joel 2:23), here rain in general. When there were yet three months to the harvest — Since the harvest is in April and May, the drought must have set in during January or February. A drought at that time would be disastrous, and might completely destroy the prospects of harvest. A similar phenomenon occurred in Palestine in the winter of 1894-95. “After raining several times quite heavily in December, especially on the coast, the weather has been since before Christmas pleasant and mild, and if no more rain falls there will be great suffering, for up till now (February 16) no one has filled his cisterns.” Caused it to rain — The tenses in verses 7, 8 are frequentatives. Jehovah did the things mentioned again and again. To the ancients the phenomenon of a partial drought would be an even stronger proof of the presence of the supernatural than a universal withholding of rain. Partial rainfall such as is described here has been experienced in Palestine in more modern times. “There has been a smart shower here (Tiberias), while at Samakh the ground was baked hard, and the grain drooping sadly. The same was true on a former occasion when I came up the Jordan valley. The ground in the Ghor was like a parched desert. There had not been sufficient rain to bring up the grain,… while here at Tiberias the whole country was a paradise of herbs and flowers.” And again, “It was literally so about Samakh and ‘Abadiyeh, while their nearest neighbors were rejoicing in abundant showers” (Thomson, ii, p. 66). Piece — Field (Ruth 2:3; 4:3). Two or three cities — That had suffered from the drought. For the ascending enumeration see on 1:3. Wandered — Literally, tottered, or, staggered. The people were so weak from thirst that they could not walk with a firm step. One city — One favored with rain. With reference to this passage Thomson says (on the same page): “A fact often repeated in this country. No longer ago than last autumn it had its exemplification complete in Belad Besharah, the ancient inheritance of Naphtali.” Since there are few springs throughout Palestine, people are dependent largely upon rain water stored in cisterns; when the rainfall is irregular the water supply soon becomes exhausted. They were not satisfied — The water was not sufficient to supply the needs of all. This judgment also was in vain.

9a. Blasting and mildew. 9b. Locusts. You — Your fields and crops. Blasting and mildew — The two words are frequently joined (Deuteronomy 28:22; 1 Kings 8:37; Haggai 2:17). The former, from a verb to burn, describes the disastrous effects of the scorching east wind or Sirocco (see on Hosea 12:1); the latter, literally, greenness, is “a blight in which the ears turn untimely a pale yellow, and have no grain.” One word in the Hebrew makes the rest of verse 9 awkward. With a very slight change, favored by most modern commentators, it may be translated, “I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards; and your fig trees and your olive trees hath the palmerworm devoured.” I laid waste — By some blow not specified by the prophet. Fig trees — See on Joel 1:7. Olive trees — See on Hosea 14:6; Joel 1:10. Palmer-worm — See on Joel 1:4, where reference is made to the frequency with which locusts visit Palestine.

V. 9. Increased-When they were most fruitful. Devoured-Eat up all, as is the manner of them.

Verse 9. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew] He sent blasting and mildew on the crops, and the locust on the gardens, vineyards, and fields; and this in such a way as to show it was a Divine judgment. They saw this; “yet they did not return to the Lord!”

6-11. Seven unheeded chastisements. Through various acts of providence Jehovah attempted to win back the rebellious people, but without success.

V. 10. Your horses-The riders being killed. The stink-So great slaughter hath been made in your camp that there were not sufficient to bury the slain.

Verse 10. I have sent—the pestilence] After the blasting and the mildew, the pestilence came; and it acted among them as one of the plagues of Egypt. Besides this, he had suffered their enemies to attack and prevail against them; alluding to the time in which the Syrians besieged Samaria, and reduced it to the most extreme necessity, when the head of an ass was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five; and mothers ate the flesh of their children that had died through hunger, 2 Kings 6:25. And the people were miraculously relieved by the total slaughter of the Syrians by the unseen hand of God, 2 Kings 7:1, &c. And yet, after all those signal judgments, and singular mercies, “they did not return unto the Lord!”

Verses 10, 11. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt — I have sent such pestilence among you as I formerly sent upon Egypt: Or, such as has frequently taken place in Egypt. “The unwholesome effluvia, on the subsiding of the Nile, caused some peculiarly malignant diseases in this country.” — Newcome. Maillet also tells us, (Lett. 1. page 14,) that “the air is bad in those parts, where, when the inundations of the Nile have been very great, this river, in retiring to its channel, leaves marshy places, which infect the country round about. The dew is also very dangerous in Egypt.” Your young men have I slain, &c. — I have caused your young men to fall in battle with your enemies. And have taken away your horses — Have enabled your enemies to take them from you. Horses being very scarce in the land of Israel, the loss of them was a great affliction. I have made the stink of your camps, &c. — I have sent diseases into your camps; so that they have been rendered quite noisome by the smell of the dead carcasses, or so great has been the slaughter in your camps, that there were not a sufficient number left alive to bury the slain. The Syrians made frequent incursions on the Israelites, which obliged the latter to be often encamped. I have overthrown some of you, &c. — Some of your cities I have caused to be burned with fire and utterly consumed, as Sodom and Gomorrah were. And ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning — Those that remained very narrowly escaped. A proverbial expression, used both by sacred and profane authors, to signify a narrow escape out of imminent danger.

Ver. 10. Pestilence, after the manner of Egypt. When the waters of the Nile retired, it was often a sickly time, owing to the vegetable decomposition of the wreck which was left behind.

10. Pestilence and war. Pestilence — “What we should term an epidemic accompanied by great mortality.” After the manner of Egypt — Of the many interpretations suggested the two most probable are, (1) with the severity with which the plagues fell upon Egypt at the time of the Exodus (compare Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 7:15; 28:60); and (2) with the severity with which pestilence is accustomed to visit Egypt. The latter interpretation sees no specific historical allusion in the phrase. Violent plagues were not infrequent in the Nile lands; it is said that “a violent plague used to occur formerly about once in ten or twelve years.” The Hebrew is literally in the way of Egypt, which has been interpreted also as equivalent to from Egypt, or, from the direction of Egypt, indicating not a comparison but the direction from which the pestilence came. It is a matter of history that the northeast corner of the Nile Delta, which is “in the way of Egypt,” has always been a nursery of epidemics (compare G.A. Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land, 157ff.). Slain with the sword — In battle. War is thought to come from Jehovah (Amos 1:4, 7, etc.). Young men — The strength and flower of the nation. 2 Kings 9ff. records how bloody the wars, and how great the losses during the century preceding the time of Amos. Have taken away your horses — Literally, with the captivity of your horses, that is, with your captured horses, the words connecting with the verb “have slain” (2 Kings 13:7). Since horses were scarce in Palestine, their destruction would be an additional calamity. Stink — R.V., “stench.” Camps — After the defeat (Isaiah 34:3). The slaughter was so great that the bodies of the dead soldiers and the carcasses of the beasts could not be buried; in a short time they filled the air with a sickening stench. LXX., “I caused your camp to go up in fire in my anger.” Again the effect was disappointing.

V. 11. Overthrew-By grievous and desolating judgments. As a fire-brand-Such of you as escaped were yet as fire-brands in the midst of the fire, ‘till infinite mercy saved a remnant.

Verse 11. I have overthrown some of you] In the destruction of your cities I have shown my judgments as signally as I did in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; and those of you that did escape were as “brands plucked out of the fire;” if not consumed, yet much scorched. And as the judgment was evidently from my hand, so was the deliverance; “and yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.”

Verses 10, 11. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt — I have sent such pestilence among you as I formerly sent upon Egypt: Or, such as has frequently taken place in Egypt. “The unwholesome effluvia, on the subsiding of the Nile, caused some peculiarly malignant diseases in this country.” — Newcome. Maillet also tells us, (Lett. 1. page 14,) that “the air is bad in those parts, where, when the inundations of the Nile have been very great, this river, in retiring to its channel, leaves marshy places, which infect the country round about. The dew is also very dangerous in Egypt.” Your young men have I slain, &c. — I have caused your young men to fall in battle with your enemies. And have taken away your horses — Have enabled your enemies to take them from you. Horses being very scarce in the land of Israel, the loss of them was a great affliction. I have made the stink of your camps, &c. — I have sent diseases into your camps; so that they have been rendered quite noisome by the smell of the dead carcasses, or so great has been the slaughter in your camps, that there were not a sufficient number left alive to bury the slain. The Syrians made frequent incursions on the Israelites, which obliged the latter to be often encamped. I have overthrown some of you, &c. — Some of your cities I have caused to be burned with fire and utterly consumed, as Sodom and Gomorrah were. And ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning — Those that remained very narrowly escaped. A proverbial expression, used both by sacred and profane authors, to signify a narrow escape out of imminent danger.

11. Earthquake. Some consider verse 11 a summary of all preceding judgments, not a description of a new calamity; others, a figure of devastating wars (2 Kings 13:4, 7); but it is more natural to interpret it as a description of an earthquake causing serious havoc in Israel. Palestine has suffered frequently from earthquakes, especially in the border districts. During the past ten years four earthquakes are said to have visited the country. The most disastrous of which more or less complete accounts have been preserved were those of 31 B.C., in which, according to Josephus, some thirty thousand persons perished, and of January 1, 1837. A vivid account of the horrors of the latter is given in Robinson, Biblical Researches in Palestine, 2:529-531, note 41. The only earthquake mentioned in the Old Testament is that mentioned in the days of Uzziah (Amos 1:1; compare Zechariah 14:5), unless we class in the same category the destruction of the cities of the Plain (compare G.A. Smith, Historical Geography, p. 508f.). The allusion cannot be to the one mentioned in 1:1, unless we suppose that Amos retouched his prophecies when he collected them subsequent to the earthquake (see p. 195). He may have in mind any similar catastrophe. Some of you — R.V., “cities among you”; literally, among you. Not the whole country suffered; nevertheless, all should heed the warning. God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah — The point of comparison is the completeness of the ruin. As an illustration of this the destruction of these cities (Genesis 19) is mentioned several times in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 29:23; Jeremiah 49:18; Isaiah 1:7, etc.). Ye — Those that escaped. A fire brand plucked out of the burning — A picture of narrow escape. They were almost consumed, only the divine mercy saved them (Isaiah 1:9; compare Zechariah 3:2). But even in the face of ruin and with this overwhelming evidence of the divine love the people hardened their hearts. The divine love and mercy (Amos 2:9ff.), as well as the divine judgments (Amos 4:6ff.) failed to accomplish the divine purpose. Nothing more can be done. Destruction is inevitable.

On the philosophy underlying Amos 4:6-11, see in part comment on Amos 3:6. To it may be added that in the ancient world it was customary to ascribe all calamities to the wrath of the deity, manifesting itself either arbitrarily or on account of sins committed by the devotees. The Hebrew prophets believed that Jehovah’s wrath was aroused by sin, that his righteousness demanded the punishment of sin, and that the punishment would take the form of some calamity to be experienced in this present life. They believed also that these calamities had a corrective purpose. These two beliefs underlie the prophetic explanation of calamities. Since secondary causes and the working of natural laws were entirely disregarded, it never occurred to the prophets that any calamity could come without Jehovah’s direct interference, and without a punitive or corrective purpose. With a clearer conception of the character of God we may hesitate to believe that every time a famine or drought or earthquake occurs, God is especially angry with those who have to suffer, and yet there can be no doubt that “the instinct is sound which in all ages has led religious people to feel that such things are inflicted for moral purposes.”

V. 12. Therefore-In a more terrible manner will I now proceed against thee.

Verse 12. Therefore thus will I do unto thee] I will continue my judgments, I will fight against you; and, because I am thus determined,— Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.] This is a military phrase, and is to be understood as a challenge to come out to battle. As if the Lord had said, I will attack you immediately. Throw yourselves into a posture of defense, summon your idols to your help: and try how far your strength, and that of your gods, will avail you against the unconquerable arm of the Lord of hosts! This verse has been often painfully misapplied by public teachers; it has no particular relation to the day of judgment, nor to the hour of death. These constructions are impositions on the text.

Verses 12, 13. Therefore thus will I do unto thee — I will continue to send these several judgments upon thee till I entirely destroy thee. And because, or, forasmuch, as I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel — Expect that he will come to take full vengeance upon thee, and consider whether thou art able to contend with him; (so the expression of meeting an adversary is understood, Luke 14:31;) or if that be impossible, endeavour to avert his anger by confession of sin, humiliation, repentance, and reformation, before it actually break out upon thee. For lo, he that formeth the mountains, &c. — For lo, I am he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind — I am the former of all things, both those which are seen, and those which are so fine and subtle as to escape the discernment of man. And declareth unto man what is his thought — Who can search into the very thoughts of man, and declare what they are before they are put into execution, or are expressed in words. That maketh the morning darkness — The Vulgate reads, Forming the morning cloud. Houbigant and Grotius, however, with some others, read, He that maketh the morning, and the darkness, namely, the day and the night, or, as the latter interprets it, gives prosperity to the godly, and adversity to the wicked, as the Chaldee here explains it. And treadeth upon the high places of the earth — That is, says Grotius, Who treadeth under foot the proud: in other words, who can humble the great and mighty, and overthrow the strongest fortresses, or places of strength. The Lord, The God of hosts is his name — Whose sovereign power all creatures obey, and act for or against us as he willeth. Let us humble ourselves before this God, and give all diligence to make him our God. For happy are the people whose God he is, and who have all this power engaged for them!

12, 13. The sentence. The corrupt nation must bear a heavier blow. Therefore — Because previous judgments have failed. Thus — How? One would expect a description of the threatened judgment, for the words point to something not yet mentioned, but no description is given. This very indefiniteness suggests the worst. This — Points to the same thing as thus. Because — Because this terrible and indescribable judgment is about to fall. Prepare to meet thy God — Who is coming in judgment. The words cannot be interpreted as an exhortation to repentance, except in the sense in which “every prediction of disaster was in itself an exhortation to repentance.” They are addressed to the whole nation; but Amos, when delivering this discourse, evidently no longer expected national repentance (but compare Amos 5:4ff.). They are rather an appeal to prepare for the worst. However, this does not exclude the possibility of repentance on the part of isolated individuals (Amos 5:15). 13. The fulfillment of the threat is assured by the character and power of Him who inspired it. For — The transition is abrupt; there is an ellipsis in thought. The connection may be expressed thus: “Prepare to meet thy God. Do not mock or disregard this announcement, for he who formeth the mountains… , the almighty Jehovah, is the author of it.” Verse 13, therefore, serves a purpose similar to that of Amos 2:3-8, to win a reverent hearing for the prophet’s message. The verbs are participial forms throughout, and may be translated, without the relative construction, “He formeth… he createth.…” Formeth the mountains — The verb is one used of the occupation of the potter. Jehovah finds it as easy to fashion mountains as it is for the potter to fashion a vessel (Genesis 2:7, 8, 19; compare Psalm 104:8). Createth — While the verb does not imply the making of “something out of nothing,” it is used in the sense of producing something fundamentally new by powers transcending the ordinary powers of man. Wind — Not “spirit”; may include all the “unseen but mighty forces of nature.” What is his thought — Not the thought of Jehovah, but the thought of man. It requires greater powers to discover the secret thoughts of man than to make known one’s own thoughts to another. Jehovah possesses the greater power; that he can do the other is assumed throughout the Old Testament. The ancient versions present different readings, each one going its own way. Maketh the morning darkness — Or, maketh darkness into morning. The last word is literally dawn. He does this by his sudden appearance in a storm cloud (Psalm 18:9), or by the natural change of day into night, or night into day. Some interpret it, with less probability, of the transformation of spiritual darkness into light. Treadeth upon the high places of the earth — Jehovah is described frequently as riding upon the clouds; in doing so he treads upon the high places, the mountains of the earth (Psalm 18:10; Micah 1:3; compare Judges 5:4, 5). Jehovah, The God of hosts — The mention of this title would in itself call attention to the majesty and power of Jehovah (see on Hosea 12:5; compare Amos 3:15). On the authenticity of Amos 4:13, and the similar passages Amos 5:8, 9; 9:5, 6, see Introduction, pp. 217ff.

V. 13. Declareth-Knows the thoughts of all men. The God of hosts-Whose sovereign power all creatures obey, and acts for or against us as he willeth. Let us humble ourselves before this God, and give all diligence to make him our God. For happy are the people whose God he is, and who have all this power engaged for them.

Verse 13. He that formeth the mountains] Here is a powerful description of the majesty of God. He formed the earth; he created the wind; he knows the inmost thoughts of the heart; he is the Creator of darkness and light; he steps from mountain to mountain, and has all things under his feet! Who is he who hath done and can do all these things? JEHOVAH ELOHIM TSEBAOTH, that is his name. 1. The self-existing, eternal, and independent Being. 2. The God who is in covenant with mankind. 3. The universal Commander of all the hosts of earth and heaven. This name is farther illustrated in the following chapter. These words are full of instruction, and may be a subject of profitable meditation to every serious mind.

AMOS

Verses 12, 13. Therefore thus will I do unto thee — I will continue to send these several judgments upon thee till I entirely destroy thee. And because, or, forasmuch, as I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel — Expect that he will come to take full vengeance upon thee, and consider whether thou art able to contend with him; (so the expression of meeting an adversary is understood, Luke 14:31;) or if that be impossible, endeavour to avert his anger by confession of sin, humiliation, repentance, and reformation, before it actually break out upon thee. For lo, he that formeth the mountains, &c. — For lo, I am he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind — I am the former of all things, both those which are seen, and those which are so fine and subtle as to escape the discernment of man. And declareth unto man what is his thought — Who can search into the very thoughts of man, and declare what they are before they are put into execution, or are expressed in words. That maketh the morning darkness — The Vulgate reads, Forming the morning cloud. Houbigant and Grotius, however, with some others, read, He that maketh the morning, and the darkness, namely, the day and the night, or, as the latter interprets it, gives prosperity to the godly, and adversity to the wicked, as the Chaldee here explains it. And treadeth upon the high places of the earth — That is, says Grotius, Who treadeth under foot the proud: in other words, who can humble the great and mighty, and overthrow the strongest fortresses, or places of strength. The Lord, The God of hosts is his name — Whose sovereign power all creatures obey, and act for or against us as he willeth. Let us humble ourselves before this God, and give all diligence to make him our God. For happy are the people whose God he is, and who have all this power engaged for them!

12, 13. The sentence. The corrupt nation must bear a heavier blow. Therefore — Because previous judgments have failed. Thus — How? One would expect a description of the threatened judgment, for the words point to something not yet mentioned, but no description is given. This very indefiniteness suggests the worst. This — Points to the same thing as thus. Because — Because this terrible and indescribable judgment is about to fall. Prepare to meet thy God — Who is coming in judgment. The words cannot be interpreted as an exhortation to repentance, except in the sense in which “every prediction of disaster was in itself an exhortation to repentance.” They are addressed to the whole nation; but Amos, when delivering this discourse, evidently no longer expected national repentance (but compare Amos 5:4ff.). They are rather an appeal to prepare for the worst. However, this does not exclude the possibility of repentance on the part of isolated individuals (Amos 5:15). 13. The fulfillment of the threat is assured by the character and power of Him who inspired it. For — The transition is abrupt; there is an ellipsis in thought. The connection may be expressed thus: “Prepare to meet thy God. Do not mock or disregard this announcement, for he who formeth the mountains… , the almighty Jehovah, is the author of it.” Verse 13, therefore, serves a purpose similar to that of Amos 2:3-8, to win a reverent hearing for the prophet’s message. The verbs are participial forms throughout, and may be translated, without the relative construction, “He formeth… he createth.…” Formeth the mountains — The verb is one used of the occupation of the potter. Jehovah finds it as easy to fashion mountains as it is for the potter to fashion a vessel (Genesis 2:7, 8, 19; compare Psalm 104:8). Createth — While the verb does not imply the making of “something out of nothing,” it is used in the sense of producing something fundamentally new by powers transcending the ordinary powers of man. Wind — Not “spirit”; may include all the “unseen but mighty forces of nature.” What is his thought — Not the thought of Jehovah, but the thought of man. It requires greater powers to discover the secret thoughts of man than to make known one’s own thoughts to another. Jehovah possesses the greater power; that he can do the other is assumed throughout the Old Testament. The ancient versions present different readings, each one going its own way. Maketh the morning darkness — Or, maketh darkness into morning. The last word is literally dawn. He does this by his sudden appearance in a storm cloud (Psalm 18:9), or by the natural change of day into night, or night into day. Some interpret it, with less probability, of the transformation of spiritual darkness into light. Treadeth upon the high places of the earth — Jehovah is described frequently as riding upon the clouds; in doing so he treads upon the high places, the mountains of the earth (Psalm 18:10; Micah 1:3; compare Judges 5:4, 5). Jehovah, The God of hosts — The mention of this title would in itself call attention to the majesty and power of Jehovah (see on Hosea 12:5; compare Amos 3:15). On the authenticity of Amos 4:13, and the similar passages Amos 5:8, 9; 9:5, 6, see Introduction, pp. 217ff.