Amos · Chapter 5

Verse 1. Hear ye this word] Attend to this doleful song which I make for the house of Israel.

Verses 1-3. Hear ye, &c. — It is justly observed by Grotius, that this verse would be translated more according to the Hebrew thus; Hear ye this word, even a lamentation, which I take up over you — It alludes to the lamentations made at funerals: so here the prophet bemoans the state of the kingdom of Israel as dead. The virgin of Israel — Such she was when first espoused to God, a chaste virgin to a husband: she was then peculiarly beloved and delighted in, and was under the peculiar protection and care of her heavenly Lord; but she is now fallen from her glory and felicity, and for her idolatries and other sins delivered up to the will of her enemies. She shall no more rise — That is, says Grotius, non iterum surget; she shall not rise again, namely, if she so goes on in the wicked way in which she now walks: for it was always understood in God’s threatenings against the Jewish people, that if they turned to him in true repentance they might, by that means, avert the judgments threatened. And there are repeated promises of the restoration of Israel as well as Judah; but these were all made on the condition of their repentance and reformation, which as they never performed in general, so they have not been restored in general, as the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were. She is forsaken upon her land — She is abandoned of all, and there is none to assist her to rise up again: like an infant that is fallen upon the ground and hath none to take it up; or, broken to pieces upon her own land; and so left, as a broken vessel. The city that went out by a thousand, &c. — A city which was able to send out a thousand men fit for war, shall have but a hundred of them left. And so it shall be in proportion for any less number; only one in ten of them shall escape the sword and other chances of war.

THREATS OF RUIN, 1-17.

It seems more in accord with the contents of chapter v to separate verses 1-17 from verses 18-27; verse 18 introduces a new thought, and the form of address differs from that in the preceding verses, resembling more closely Amos 6:1ff. Even within 1-17, distinct breaks may be recognized. In some cases the logic would be improved by a rearrangement of the verses. As they stand now, the discourse opens with a dirge, in which the overthrow of Israel is represented as accomplished (1-3). This fate is well merited, since the people have disregarded utterly the demands of Jehovah. They have sought him by a ritual which he does not value; on the other hand, they have spurned the virtues which he prizes (4-10). Verses 8, 9 contain another ascription of praise to Jehovah (compare Amos 4:13), to remind the hearers of the majesty of Jehovah, and thus to impress them with the importance of heeding his message. They are apparently incorrigible, therefore swift judgment will overtake them (11-13); nevertheless, sincere repentance may result in the salvation of at least a remnant (14, 15). But the prophet seems to realize that such hope is vain; at any rate, he reiterates the sentence of doom (16, 17). 1-3. A dirge. Hear ye this word — Compare Amos 3:1; 4:1. Lamentation — Hebrews kinah. A technical term for a dirge in memory of a departed friend. It is not a spontaneous expression of grief, but a formal composition, long or short, artificially constructed. These dirges are composed in a peculiar meter, the so-called kinah verse, in which the lines are longer than ordinarily in Hebrew poetry, each consisting of two parts, of which the second is a little shorter than the first, the ratio being about 3 to 2. The lament is contained in verses 2, 3; verse 3 giving the explanation of verse 2. The kinah meter is observed only in verse 2; it may be restored approximately in verse 3 by omitting the introductory words and “to the house of Israel” at the close. While it is not possible to reproduce exactly the meter of the Hebrew, the following rendering of verses 2, 3 (with the omissions suggested) indicates approximately the character of the kinah compositions: —

(a) Fallen, no more shall she rise, (b) virgin Israel,

(a) Flung down on her own ground (b) no one to raise her. (a) The city that goeth forth a thousand (b) shall have left a hundred, (a) And she that goeth forth a hundred (b) shall have left ten. Virgin of Israel — “The earliest extant example of the personification of a nation or community as a woman.” Later such personifications became quite common (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21; compare Isaiah 10:32; 37:22, etc.; see on Hosea 2:2). Is fallen — The prophetic perfect. The calamity is still future, but the prophet is so certain of its coming that he sings the dirge as if the nation had already died. The wounds inflicted are so grievous that she cannot rise, nor is there anyone to help her up. Forsaken — R.V., “cast down.” The verb implies the use of force — flung down — and the abandonment to destruction (Ezekiel 29:5; 32:4). Verse 3 indicates the nature of the calamity that will reduce Israel to such sore straits; her fighting force is to be reduced to one tenth of its present numbers. Went out — To battle. A thousand — A city that can furnish a thousand fighting men must be of considerable size. An hundred — A smaller town. Great and small cities shall suffer alike.

Justification of the judgment, and exhortation to repentance, 4-10. That Amos believed in the possibility of a universal “return” of Israel is nowhere stated or implied; that he hoped for some salutary effects of his preaching cannot be doubted; it is implied in Amos 5:15, and in the fact that he continues his exhortation to “seek Jehovah.” Who of the people would repent and who would persist in rebellion he could not know; therefore he must exhort all that he may “save some.” This he does in verses 4ff. At the same time his exhortation supplies the justification for the divine judgment; they have done the things that are not acceptable to God, and have left undone the things in which he takes delight. Notwithstanding the abruptness of transition from 1-3 to 4 the logical connection between the two parts is not difficult to see. In 1-3 the prophet bemoans the humiliation of Israel. He would have been unfit to act as a messenger of Jehovah had not the contemplation of this fate moved him to compassion and aroused a longing that the terrible calamity might be averted. In the anxiety of his heart he bursts forth in a new exhortation, hoping that, perchance, he may yet succeed in bringing at least some to repentance, and thus avert the doom. Harper interprets verses 4, 5 as injunctions given in the past, disobedience to which furnishes the reasons for the disaster described in verses 2, 3; and he makes verse 6 the beginning of Amos’s exhortation. This interpretation is less natural; it certainly is no improvement over the one commonly accepted.

V. 2. The virgin-So she was, when first espoused to God. Upon her land-Broken to pieces upon her own land, and so left as a broken vessel.

Verse 2. The virgin of Israel] The kingdom of Israel, or the ten tribes, which were carried into captivity; and are now totally lost in the nations of the earth.

Verses 1-3. Hear ye, &c. — It is justly observed by Grotius, that this verse would be translated more according to the Hebrew thus; Hear ye this word, even a lamentation, which I take up over you — It alludes to the lamentations made at funerals: so here the prophet bemoans the state of the kingdom of Israel as dead. The virgin of Israel — Such she was when first espoused to God, a chaste virgin to a husband: she was then peculiarly beloved and delighted in, and was under the peculiar protection and care of her heavenly Lord; but she is now fallen from her glory and felicity, and for her idolatries and other sins delivered up to the will of her enemies. She shall no more rise — That is, says Grotius, non iterum surget; she shall not rise again, namely, if she so goes on in the wicked way in which she now walks: for it was always understood in God’s threatenings against the Jewish people, that if they turned to him in true repentance they might, by that means, avert the judgments threatened. And there are repeated promises of the restoration of Israel as well as Judah; but these were all made on the condition of their repentance and reformation, which as they never performed in general, so they have not been restored in general, as the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were. She is forsaken upon her land — She is abandoned of all, and there is none to assist her to rise up again: like an infant that is fallen upon the ground and hath none to take it up; or, broken to pieces upon her own land; and so left, as a broken vessel. The city that went out by a thousand, &c. — A city which was able to send out a thousand men fit for war, shall have but a hundred of them left. And so it shall be in proportion for any less number; only one in ten of them shall escape the sword and other chances of war.

Verse 2. The virgin of Israel is fallen. Babylon, which had never been stormed by a besieging army, is called a virgin. Isaiah 47:1. Thus Israel, whose kingdom had never yet been wholly subdued, is called a virgin. Jeremiah 18:13. Referring to her vile idolatries, the prophet says, “The virgin daughter of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.” Alas, the virgin of Samaria is fallen; the Assyrians have overleaped her walls, and she is fallen to rise no more.

THREATS OF RUIN, 1-17.

It seems more in accord with the contents of chapter v to separate verses 1-17 from verses 18-27; verse 18 introduces a new thought, and the form of address differs from that in the preceding verses, resembling more closely Amos 6:1ff. Even within 1-17, distinct breaks may be recognized. In some cases the logic would be improved by a rearrangement of the verses. As they stand now, the discourse opens with a dirge, in which the overthrow of Israel is represented as accomplished (1-3). This fate is well merited, since the people have disregarded utterly the demands of Jehovah. They have sought him by a ritual which he does not value; on the other hand, they have spurned the virtues which he prizes (4-10). Verses 8, 9 contain another ascription of praise to Jehovah (compare Amos 4:13), to remind the hearers of the majesty of Jehovah, and thus to impress them with the importance of heeding his message. They are apparently incorrigible, therefore swift judgment will overtake them (11-13); nevertheless, sincere repentance may result in the salvation of at least a remnant (14, 15). But the prophet seems to realize that such hope is vain; at any rate, he reiterates the sentence of doom (16, 17). 1-3. A dirge. Hear ye this word — Compare Amos 3:1; 4:1. Lamentation — Hebrews kinah. A technical term for a dirge in memory of a departed friend. It is not a spontaneous expression of grief, but a formal composition, long or short, artificially constructed. These dirges are composed in a peculiar meter, the so-called kinah verse, in which the lines are longer than ordinarily in Hebrew poetry, each consisting of two parts, of which the second is a little shorter than the first, the ratio being about 3 to 2. The lament is contained in verses 2, 3; verse 3 giving the explanation of verse 2. The kinah meter is observed only in verse 2; it may be restored approximately in verse 3 by omitting the introductory words and “to the house of Israel” at the close. While it is not possible to reproduce exactly the meter of the Hebrew, the following rendering of verses 2, 3 (with the omissions suggested) indicates approximately the character of the kinah compositions: —

(a) Fallen, no more shall she rise, (b) virgin Israel,

(a) Flung down on her own ground (b) no one to raise her. (a) The city that goeth forth a thousand (b) shall have left a hundred, (a) And she that goeth forth a hundred (b) shall have left ten. Virgin of Israel — “The earliest extant example of the personification of a nation or community as a woman.” Later such personifications became quite common (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21; compare Isaiah 10:32; 37:22, etc.; see on Hosea 2:2). Is fallen — The prophetic perfect. The calamity is still future, but the prophet is so certain of its coming that he sings the dirge as if the nation had already died. The wounds inflicted are so grievous that she cannot rise, nor is there anyone to help her up. Forsaken — R.V., “cast down.” The verb implies the use of force — flung down — and the abandonment to destruction (Ezekiel 29:5; 32:4). Verse 3 indicates the nature of the calamity that will reduce Israel to such sore straits; her fighting force is to be reduced to one tenth of its present numbers. Went out — To battle. A thousand — A city that can furnish a thousand fighting men must be of considerable size. An hundred — A smaller town. Great and small cities shall suffer alike.

Justification of the judgment, and exhortation to repentance, 4-10. That Amos believed in the possibility of a universal “return” of Israel is nowhere stated or implied; that he hoped for some salutary effects of his preaching cannot be doubted; it is implied in Amos 5:15, and in the fact that he continues his exhortation to “seek Jehovah.” Who of the people would repent and who would persist in rebellion he could not know; therefore he must exhort all that he may “save some.” This he does in verses 4ff. At the same time his exhortation supplies the justification for the divine judgment; they have done the things that are not acceptable to God, and have left undone the things in which he takes delight. Notwithstanding the abruptness of transition from 1-3 to 4 the logical connection between the two parts is not difficult to see. In 1-3 the prophet bemoans the humiliation of Israel. He would have been unfit to act as a messenger of Jehovah had not the contemplation of this fate moved him to compassion and aroused a longing that the terrible calamity might be averted. In the anxiety of his heart he bursts forth in a new exhortation, hoping that, perchance, he may yet succeed in bringing at least some to repentance, and thus avert the doom. Harper interprets verses 4, 5 as injunctions given in the past, disobedience to which furnishes the reasons for the disaster described in verses 2, 3; and he makes verse 6 the beginning of Amos’s exhortation. This interpretation is less natural; it certainly is no improvement over the one commonly accepted.

V. 3. By a thousand-That sent out one thousand soldiers. An hundred-Shall lose nine parts of them.

Verse 3. The city that went out by a thousand] The city that could easily have furnished, on any emergency, a thousand fighting men, can now produce scarcely one hundred—one in ten of the former number; and now of the hundred scarcely ten remain: so reduced was Israel when Shalmaneser besieged and took Samaria, and carried the residue into captivity.

Verses 1-3. Hear ye, &c. — It is justly observed by Grotius, that this verse would be translated more according to the Hebrew thus; Hear ye this word, even a lamentation, which I take up over you — It alludes to the lamentations made at funerals: so here the prophet bemoans the state of the kingdom of Israel as dead. The virgin of Israel — Such she was when first espoused to God, a chaste virgin to a husband: she was then peculiarly beloved and delighted in, and was under the peculiar protection and care of her heavenly Lord; but she is now fallen from her glory and felicity, and for her idolatries and other sins delivered up to the will of her enemies. She shall no more rise — That is, says Grotius, non iterum surget; she shall not rise again, namely, if she so goes on in the wicked way in which she now walks: for it was always understood in God’s threatenings against the Jewish people, that if they turned to him in true repentance they might, by that means, avert the judgments threatened. And there are repeated promises of the restoration of Israel as well as Judah; but these were all made on the condition of their repentance and reformation, which as they never performed in general, so they have not been restored in general, as the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were. She is forsaken upon her land — She is abandoned of all, and there is none to assist her to rise up again: like an infant that is fallen upon the ground and hath none to take it up; or, broken to pieces upon her own land; and so left, as a broken vessel. The city that went out by a thousand, &c. — A city which was able to send out a thousand men fit for war, shall have but a hundred of them left. And so it shall be in proportion for any less number; only one in ten of them shall escape the sword and other chances of war.

THREATS OF RUIN, 1-17.

It seems more in accord with the contents of chapter v to separate verses 1-17 from verses 18-27; verse 18 introduces a new thought, and the form of address differs from that in the preceding verses, resembling more closely Amos 6:1ff. Even within 1-17, distinct breaks may be recognized. In some cases the logic would be improved by a rearrangement of the verses. As they stand now, the discourse opens with a dirge, in which the overthrow of Israel is represented as accomplished (1-3). This fate is well merited, since the people have disregarded utterly the demands of Jehovah. They have sought him by a ritual which he does not value; on the other hand, they have spurned the virtues which he prizes (4-10). Verses 8, 9 contain another ascription of praise to Jehovah (compare Amos 4:13), to remind the hearers of the majesty of Jehovah, and thus to impress them with the importance of heeding his message. They are apparently incorrigible, therefore swift judgment will overtake them (11-13); nevertheless, sincere repentance may result in the salvation of at least a remnant (14, 15). But the prophet seems to realize that such hope is vain; at any rate, he reiterates the sentence of doom (16, 17). 1-3. A dirge. Hear ye this word — Compare Amos 3:1; 4:1. Lamentation — Hebrews kinah. A technical term for a dirge in memory of a departed friend. It is not a spontaneous expression of grief, but a formal composition, long or short, artificially constructed. These dirges are composed in a peculiar meter, the so-called kinah verse, in which the lines are longer than ordinarily in Hebrew poetry, each consisting of two parts, of which the second is a little shorter than the first, the ratio being about 3 to 2. The lament is contained in verses 2, 3; verse 3 giving the explanation of verse 2. The kinah meter is observed only in verse 2; it may be restored approximately in verse 3 by omitting the introductory words and “to the house of Israel” at the close. While it is not possible to reproduce exactly the meter of the Hebrew, the following rendering of verses 2, 3 (with the omissions suggested) indicates approximately the character of the kinah compositions: —

(a) Fallen, no more shall she rise, (b) virgin Israel,

(a) Flung down on her own ground (b) no one to raise her. (a) The city that goeth forth a thousand (b) shall have left a hundred, (a) And she that goeth forth a hundred (b) shall have left ten. Virgin of Israel — “The earliest extant example of the personification of a nation or community as a woman.” Later such personifications became quite common (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21; compare Isaiah 10:32; 37:22, etc.; see on Hosea 2:2). Is fallen — The prophetic perfect. The calamity is still future, but the prophet is so certain of its coming that he sings the dirge as if the nation had already died. The wounds inflicted are so grievous that she cannot rise, nor is there anyone to help her up. Forsaken — R.V., “cast down.” The verb implies the use of force — flung down — and the abandonment to destruction (Ezekiel 29:5; 32:4). Verse 3 indicates the nature of the calamity that will reduce Israel to such sore straits; her fighting force is to be reduced to one tenth of its present numbers. Went out — To battle. A thousand — A city that can furnish a thousand fighting men must be of considerable size. An hundred — A smaller town. Great and small cities shall suffer alike.

Justification of the judgment, and exhortation to repentance, 4-10. That Amos believed in the possibility of a universal “return” of Israel is nowhere stated or implied; that he hoped for some salutary effects of his preaching cannot be doubted; it is implied in Amos 5:15, and in the fact that he continues his exhortation to “seek Jehovah.” Who of the people would repent and who would persist in rebellion he could not know; therefore he must exhort all that he may “save some.” This he does in verses 4ff. At the same time his exhortation supplies the justification for the divine judgment; they have done the things that are not acceptable to God, and have left undone the things in which he takes delight. Notwithstanding the abruptness of transition from 1-3 to 4 the logical connection between the two parts is not difficult to see. In 1-3 the prophet bemoans the humiliation of Israel. He would have been unfit to act as a messenger of Jehovah had not the contemplation of this fate moved him to compassion and aroused a longing that the terrible calamity might be averted. In the anxiety of his heart he bursts forth in a new exhortation, hoping that, perchance, he may yet succeed in bringing at least some to repentance, and thus avert the doom. Harper interprets verses 4, 5 as injunctions given in the past, disobedience to which furnishes the reasons for the disaster described in verses 2, 3; and he makes verse 6 the beginning of Amos’s exhortation. This interpretation is less natural; it certainly is no improvement over the one commonly accepted.

V. 4. Ye shall live-It shall be well with you.

Verse 4. Seek ye me, and ye shall live] Cease your rebellion against me; return to me with all your heart; and though consigned to death, ye shall be rescued and live. Deplorable as your case is, it is not utterly desperate.

Verses 4, 5. For — Or rather, nevertheless, seek ye me, and ye shall live — That is, ye shall be prosperous again; for life, in the Scripture language, is used to express prosperity, or happiness. This shows, that what was said in the 2d verse, of their being fallen to rise no more, is to be taken as it is there explained; namely, in case they did not repent, but continued in their wickedness. But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, &c. — The places here named, it is probable, were all seats of idolatrous worship. The sense of the verse, therefore, is, that if they continued in their idolatries they should certainly be carried into captivity, and come to naught — For it was only by returning and seeking God’s favour by true repentance and humiliation, and ceasing from their idolatry, that they could be saved from ruin.

4, 5. The prophet begins again with the solemn “Thus saith Jehovah.” Seek ye me, and ye shall live — Hebrews “Seek ye me, and live”; that is, If ye seek me ye shall surely live (G.-K., 110f.). Return to Jehovah will save them from the threatened calamity. To seek the Deity has a twofold meaning in the Old Testament: (1) To go to the shrine to offer sacrifice (verse 5), or to consult the oracle (Genesis 25:22; 1 Samuel 9:9, etc.); (2) to enter into fellowship with the Deity in love and obedience (Hosea 10:12; Isaiah 9:13, etc.). In the latter sense Amos uses it here. Seek not Beth-el — See on 3:14. Nominally they went to the sanctuaries to “seek” Jehovah (see preceding comment); in reality their desire was to participate in the joyous festivals celebrated there under the guise of religion. Such worship could awaken no response in Jehovah. Gilgal — See on 4:4. Beer-sheba — Also a very ancient sanctuary (Genesis 21:14; 26:25; 46:1). Israelites desirous of visiting it had to pass over their borders and the borders of Judah, for it was located in the extreme south, in the Negeb. The long journeys were undertaken probably only on special occasions. The character of the worship at Beer-sheba, in all probability, differed but little from that at the other Hebrew sanctuaries. Its ruins are represented by the modern Bir-es-Seba’, about fifty miles south-southwest of Jerusalem, about twenty-eight miles southwest of Hebron. These sanctuaries can offer no permanent refuge, for they also are doomed (compare Isaiah 1:29-31). It is difficult to reproduce the paronomasia which is very marked in 5b, Gilgal galoh yigleh and Beth-el (beth) aven. “Gilgal shall taste the gall of exile” (G.A. Smith). “Beth-el (the house of God) shall become Beth-aven (the house of naught).” Wellhausen offers a striking translation: “Gilgal wird zum Galgen gehen, und Beth-el wird des Teufels werden” (Gilgal will go to the gallows, and Beth-el will become the devil’s). Come to naught — Hebrews aven. See on Hosea 4:15.

In verse 6 the exhortation is repeated with a few changes. Jehovah is used instead of me, as if Amos were taking up the exhortation uttered previously by Jehovah himself. A new motive for obedience is introduced. Obedience will mean life; disobedience — what? (Compare Isaiah 1:20.) Lest he break out — A forceful verb, equivalent to cleave, penetrate. Like fire — The point of comparison is destructiveness. Joseph — As the ancestor of Ephraim and Manasseh, the two most powerful tribes of the north (Hosea 13:1), Joseph stands here for Israel, that is, the northern kingdom (Amos 5:15; 6:6). Hosea uses in the same sense Ephraim (Amos 5:3; 6:4, etc.). House of Joseph — house of Israel — kingdom of Israel. And devour it — An unexpected change in the original from masculine to feminine, as if from now on fire were the subject. This makes the construction harsh; therefore Nowack suggests a slight emendation: “lest he will kindle the house of Joseph with fire, which will devour.…” The conflagration will prove disastrous, for there is no one to quench it (Isaiah 1:31; Jeremiah 4:4). Jehovah alone could do it, but he is sending the fire. In Beth-el — Literally, for Beth-el; LXX., “for the house of Israel.” While this is the thought expected here, it is not necessary to suppose that the present Hebrew text is incorrect. Beth-el, as the religious center, might represent the entire kingdom.

The transition from verse 6 to 7ff. is again abrupt, and the logical connection between the two parts has been variously explained. The most natural explanation is to regard verse 7 a justification of the prophet’s earnest exhortation to seek Jehovah. The exhortation is needed, for at present they are not seeking him in a manner that will enable them to find him; far from it, they are doing the very things that will cause him to hide his face. As in Amos 2:7, the participial construction is used, which is reproduced correctly in English by the relative clause connected with the subject implied in seek (verse 6): “You who are living such godless and immoral lives, seek Jehovah.” Wormwood — A plant having a bitter juice (Deuteronomy 29:18; Proverbs 5:4), unpalatable and, when drunk to excess, noxious. In Scripture it is always used as a symbol of that which is unpleasant and bitter (Amos 6:12; Jeremiah 9:15). Judgment — R.V., “justice”; here the administration of justice. Under normal conditions this is desirable and of great value, but they have changed its character so that it has become undesirable and bitter. Leave off righteousness in the earth — More accurately, R.V., “cast down righteousness to the earth,” instead of “establishing” it (verse 15). Righteousness — justice, equity (2 Samuel 8:15; Jeremiah 22:3). This they trample under foot, while they exalt violence and oppression. Primarily these are crimes committed by those in authority, but all have become corrupt (compare Isaiah 3:12), so that the description fits all.

The next two verses (8, 9) resemble closely Amos 4:13. Like the latter, and for similar reasons, they are denied to Amos (see Introduction, pp. 217ff). In this instance the objections derive additional weight from the fact that the interruption of the thought is more apparent, verse 10 being the natural continuation of verse 7. Whether from Amos or not, the verses, like Amos 4:13, present a reason why the listeners should receive the prophetic message with reverence and ready obedience. Assuming that they are authentic, two ways seem open for removing the apparent interruption in thought: (1) It is proposed to change the order, so as to read 7, 10, 8, 9, which would require no alteration in the text itself. True, this would make the transition from 10 to 8 abrupt, but no more so than at present, from 7 to 8. (2) Another possibility is to place 8, 9 after 6, in apposition to Jehovah in 6, followed by 7, 10. If this is done, 7, 10 cannot be connected very well with the preceding, but must be interpreted as introducing a new thought. To make the beginning more natural, it is proposed to prefix “Woe” (compare verse 16; 6:1): “Woe unto those who turn.…” A few commentators deny that the thought is interrupted. Mitchell, for example, seeks to show the logical connection between 7 and 8ff. in the following paraphrase: “Ye oppressors (verse 7), know ye not that Jehovah, whose mercy ye have spurned, is the maker and ruler of all things (verse 8), a mightier than the mightiest (verse 9)? Therefore, ye enemies of righteousness (verse 10), because ye trample… (verse 11).” Absolute certainty on this point is impossible.

V. 5. Seek not-Consult not, worship not the idol at Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba.

Verse 5. But seek not Beth-el] There was one of Jeroboam’s golden calves, and at Gilgal were carved images; both were places in which idolatry was triumphant. The prophet shows them

that all hope from those quarters is utterly vain; for Gilgal shall go into captivity, and Beth-el be brought to naught. There is a play or paronomasia on the letters and words in this clause: לאונ hyhy la tybw hlgy hlg lglgh haggilgal galoh yigleh, ubeith el yiheyeh leaven. “This Gilgal shall go captive into captivity; and Beth-el (the house of God) shall be for Beth-aven,” (the house of iniquity.)

Verses 4, 5. For — Or rather, nevertheless, seek ye me, and ye shall live — That is, ye shall be prosperous again; for life, in the Scripture language, is used to express prosperity, or happiness. This shows, that what was said in the 2d verse, of their being fallen to rise no more, is to be taken as it is there explained; namely, in case they did not repent, but continued in their wickedness. But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, &c. — The places here named, it is probable, were all seats of idolatrous worship. The sense of the verse, therefore, is, that if they continued in their idolatries they should certainly be carried into captivity, and come to naught — For it was only by returning and seeking God’s favour by true repentance and humiliation, and ceasing from their idolatry, that they could be saved from ruin.

Ver. 5. Seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal. That would be to roll back the reproach which was once taken away by circumcision, as stated by Joshua 5:2. Pass not to Beersheba, the favoured abode of Abraham, where he had planted a grove. Idolatry was crafty in establishing its haunts and altars in these three places, once so highly favoured with the divine presence. All this was recession and apostasy from the only altar of the Lord.

4, 5. The prophet begins again with the solemn “Thus saith Jehovah.” Seek ye me, and ye shall live — Hebrews “Seek ye me, and live”; that is, If ye seek me ye shall surely live (G.-K., 110f.). Return to Jehovah will save them from the threatened calamity. To seek the Deity has a twofold meaning in the Old Testament: (1) To go to the shrine to offer sacrifice (verse 5), or to consult the oracle (Genesis 25:22; 1 Samuel 9:9, etc.); (2) to enter into fellowship with the Deity in love and obedience (Hosea 10:12; Isaiah 9:13, etc.). In the latter sense Amos uses it here. Seek not Beth-el — See on 3:14. Nominally they went to the sanctuaries to “seek” Jehovah (see preceding comment); in reality their desire was to participate in the joyous festivals celebrated there under the guise of religion. Such worship could awaken no response in Jehovah. Gilgal — See on 4:4. Beer-sheba — Also a very ancient sanctuary (Genesis 21:14; 26:25; 46:1). Israelites desirous of visiting it had to pass over their borders and the borders of Judah, for it was located in the extreme south, in the Negeb. The long journeys were undertaken probably only on special occasions. The character of the worship at Beer-sheba, in all probability, differed but little from that at the other Hebrew sanctuaries. Its ruins are represented by the modern Bir-es-Seba’, about fifty miles south-southwest of Jerusalem, about twenty-eight miles southwest of Hebron. These sanctuaries can offer no permanent refuge, for they also are doomed (compare Isaiah 1:29-31). It is difficult to reproduce the paronomasia which is very marked in 5b, Gilgal galoh yigleh and Beth-el (beth) aven. “Gilgal shall taste the gall of exile” (G.A. Smith). “Beth-el (the house of God) shall become Beth-aven (the house of naught).” Wellhausen offers a striking translation: “Gilgal wird zum Galgen gehen, und Beth-el wird des Teufels werden” (Gilgal will go to the gallows, and Beth-el will become the devil’s). Come to naught — Hebrews aven. See on Hosea 4:15.

In verse 6 the exhortation is repeated with a few changes. Jehovah is used instead of me, as if Amos were taking up the exhortation uttered previously by Jehovah himself. A new motive for obedience is introduced. Obedience will mean life; disobedience — what? (Compare Isaiah 1:20.) Lest he break out — A forceful verb, equivalent to cleave, penetrate. Like fire — The point of comparison is destructiveness. Joseph — As the ancestor of Ephraim and Manasseh, the two most powerful tribes of the north (Hosea 13:1), Joseph stands here for Israel, that is, the northern kingdom (Amos 5:15; 6:6). Hosea uses in the same sense Ephraim (Amos 5:3; 6:4, etc.). House of Joseph — house of Israel — kingdom of Israel. And devour it — An unexpected change in the original from masculine to feminine, as if from now on fire were the subject. This makes the construction harsh; therefore Nowack suggests a slight emendation: “lest he will kindle the house of Joseph with fire, which will devour.…” The conflagration will prove disastrous, for there is no one to quench it (Isaiah 1:31; Jeremiah 4:4). Jehovah alone could do it, but he is sending the fire. In Beth-el — Literally, for Beth-el; LXX., “for the house of Israel.” While this is the thought expected here, it is not necessary to suppose that the present Hebrew text is incorrect. Beth-el, as the religious center, might represent the entire kingdom.

The transition from verse 6 to 7ff. is again abrupt, and the logical connection between the two parts has been variously explained. The most natural explanation is to regard verse 7 a justification of the prophet’s earnest exhortation to seek Jehovah. The exhortation is needed, for at present they are not seeking him in a manner that will enable them to find him; far from it, they are doing the very things that will cause him to hide his face. As in Amos 2:7, the participial construction is used, which is reproduced correctly in English by the relative clause connected with the subject implied in seek (verse 6): “You who are living such godless and immoral lives, seek Jehovah.” Wormwood — A plant having a bitter juice (Deuteronomy 29:18; Proverbs 5:4), unpalatable and, when drunk to excess, noxious. In Scripture it is always used as a symbol of that which is unpleasant and bitter (Amos 6:12; Jeremiah 9:15). Judgment — R.V., “justice”; here the administration of justice. Under normal conditions this is desirable and of great value, but they have changed its character so that it has become undesirable and bitter. Leave off righteousness in the earth — More accurately, R.V., “cast down righteousness to the earth,” instead of “establishing” it (verse 15). Righteousness — justice, equity (2 Samuel 8:15; Jeremiah 22:3). This they trample under foot, while they exalt violence and oppression. Primarily these are crimes committed by those in authority, but all have become corrupt (compare Isaiah 3:12), so that the description fits all.

The next two verses (8, 9) resemble closely Amos 4:13. Like the latter, and for similar reasons, they are denied to Amos (see Introduction, pp. 217ff). In this instance the objections derive additional weight from the fact that the interruption of the thought is more apparent, verse 10 being the natural continuation of verse 7. Whether from Amos or not, the verses, like Amos 4:13, present a reason why the listeners should receive the prophetic message with reverence and ready obedience. Assuming that they are authentic, two ways seem open for removing the apparent interruption in thought: (1) It is proposed to change the order, so as to read 7, 10, 8, 9, which would require no alteration in the text itself. True, this would make the transition from 10 to 8 abrupt, but no more so than at present, from 7 to 8. (2) Another possibility is to place 8, 9 after 6, in apposition to Jehovah in 6, followed by 7, 10. If this is done, 7, 10 cannot be connected very well with the preceding, but must be interpreted as introducing a new thought. To make the beginning more natural, it is proposed to prefix “Woe” (compare verse 16; 6:1): “Woe unto those who turn.…” A few commentators deny that the thought is interrupted. Mitchell, for example, seeks to show the logical connection between 7 and 8ff. in the following paraphrase: “Ye oppressors (verse 7), know ye not that Jehovah, whose mercy ye have spurned, is the maker and ruler of all things (verse 8), a mightier than the mightiest (verse 9)? Therefore, ye enemies of righteousness (verse 10), because ye trample… (verse 11).” Absolute certainty on this point is impossible.

V. 6. The house of Joseph-The kingdom of the ten tribes, the chief whereof was Ephraim, the son of Joseph. In Beth-el-If once this fire breaks out, all your idols in Beth-el shall not be able to quench it.

Verse 6. Seek the Lord, and ye shall live] Repeated from Amos 5:4. In the house of Joseph] The Israelites of the ten tribes, of whom Ephraim and Manasseh, sons of Joseph, were the chief.

Verse 6. Seek the Lord, and ye shall live — He repeats his exhortation, and also the promise of a good issue on their complying with it. Lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph — That is, the kingdom of the ten tribes, the chief whereof was Ephraim the son of Joseph. And there be none to quench it in Beth-el — As if he had said, If once this fire break out, all your idols in Beth-el shall not be able to quench it. A proper caution this to the Israelites, not to trust in their idolatrous worship for their safety, because it would be so far from averting the divine wrath, or saving them from God’s judgments, that it would provoke that wrath still more, and hasten the execution of his judgments.

THREATS OF RUIN, 1-17.

It seems more in accord with the contents of chapter v to separate verses 1-17 from verses 18-27; verse 18 introduces a new thought, and the form of address differs from that in the preceding verses, resembling more closely Amos 6:1ff. Even within 1-17, distinct breaks may be recognized. In some cases the logic would be improved by a rearrangement of the verses. As they stand now, the discourse opens with a dirge, in which the overthrow of Israel is represented as accomplished (1-3). This fate is well merited, since the people have disregarded utterly the demands of Jehovah. They have sought him by a ritual which he does not value; on the other hand, they have spurned the virtues which he prizes (4-10). Verses 8, 9 contain another ascription of praise to Jehovah (compare Amos 4:13), to remind the hearers of the majesty of Jehovah, and thus to impress them with the importance of heeding his message. They are apparently incorrigible, therefore swift judgment will overtake them (11-13); nevertheless, sincere repentance may result in the salvation of at least a remnant (14, 15). But the prophet seems to realize that such hope is vain; at any rate, he reiterates the sentence of doom (16, 17). 1-3. A dirge. Hear ye this word — Compare Amos 3:1; 4:1. Lamentation — Hebrews kinah. A technical term for a dirge in memory of a departed friend. It is not a spontaneous expression of grief, but a formal composition, long or short, artificially constructed. These dirges are composed in a peculiar meter, the so-called kinah verse, in which the lines are longer than ordinarily in Hebrew poetry, each consisting of two parts, of which the second is a little shorter than the first, the ratio being about 3 to 2. The lament is contained in verses 2, 3; verse 3 giving the explanation of verse 2. The kinah meter is observed only in verse 2; it may be restored approximately in verse 3 by omitting the introductory words and “to the house of Israel” at the close. While it is not possible to reproduce exactly the meter of the Hebrew, the following rendering of verses 2, 3 (with the omissions suggested) indicates approximately the character of the kinah compositions: —

(a) Fallen, no more shall she rise, (b) virgin Israel,

(a) Flung down on her own ground (b) no one to raise her. (a) The city that goeth forth a thousand (b) shall have left a hundred, (a) And she that goeth forth a hundred (b) shall have left ten. Virgin of Israel — “The earliest extant example of the personification of a nation or community as a woman.” Later such personifications became quite common (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21; compare Isaiah 10:32; 37:22, etc.; see on Hosea 2:2). Is fallen — The prophetic perfect. The calamity is still future, but the prophet is so certain of its coming that he sings the dirge as if the nation had already died. The wounds inflicted are so grievous that she cannot rise, nor is there anyone to help her up. Forsaken — R.V., “cast down.” The verb implies the use of force — flung down — and the abandonment to destruction (Ezekiel 29:5; 32:4). Verse 3 indicates the nature of the calamity that will reduce Israel to such sore straits; her fighting force is to be reduced to one tenth of its present numbers. Went out — To battle. A thousand — A city that can furnish a thousand fighting men must be of considerable size. An hundred — A smaller town. Great and small cities shall suffer alike.

Justification of the judgment, and exhortation to repentance, 4-10. That Amos believed in the possibility of a universal “return” of Israel is nowhere stated or implied; that he hoped for some salutary effects of his preaching cannot be doubted; it is implied in Amos 5:15, and in the fact that he continues his exhortation to “seek Jehovah.” Who of the people would repent and who would persist in rebellion he could not know; therefore he must exhort all that he may “save some.” This he does in verses 4ff. At the same time his exhortation supplies the justification for the divine judgment; they have done the things that are not acceptable to God, and have left undone the things in which he takes delight. Notwithstanding the abruptness of transition from 1-3 to 4 the logical connection between the two parts is not difficult to see. In 1-3 the prophet bemoans the humiliation of Israel. He would have been unfit to act as a messenger of Jehovah had not the contemplation of this fate moved him to compassion and aroused a longing that the terrible calamity might be averted. In the anxiety of his heart he bursts forth in a new exhortation, hoping that, perchance, he may yet succeed in bringing at least some to repentance, and thus avert the doom. Harper interprets verses 4, 5 as injunctions given in the past, disobedience to which furnishes the reasons for the disaster described in verses 2, 3; and he makes verse 6 the beginning of Amos’s exhortation. This interpretation is less natural; it certainly is no improvement over the one commonly accepted.

V. 7. Ye-Rulers and judges. Judgment-The righteous sentence of the law. To wormwood-Proverbially understood; bitterness, injustice and oppression. Leave off-Make to cease in your courts of judicature.

Verse 7. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood] Who pervert judgment; causing him who obtains his suit to mourn sorely over the expenses he has incurred in gaining his right.

Verses 7-9. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood — Or into hemlock, as the word here used is translated, Amos 6:12. Ye judges and rulers that pervert the law that was designed to protect innocence, and under colour of it exercise the greatest oppression. True or just judgment is sweet or pleasing; corrupt judgment, mere bitterness. And leave off righteousness — That is, leave off to practise it, or make it to cease in your courts of judicature. Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion — Concerning these constellations see notes on Job 9:9; and 38:31. These and the other constellations were commonly thought to have great influence upon the seasons; and therefore their rising and setting used to be particularly taken notice of by husbandmen and shepherds; whose employments lying abroad, made them more observant of the appearances of the heavenly bodies. So this was a dispensation of providence, which it was very suitable for one of Amos’s profession to mention. “But in Arabia and the neighbouring countries, to this present day, not only the shepherds, but the men in general, the women and children, know the names of the stars. Sanctius assures us, that the shepherds in Spain know perfectly well the stars of Ursa Major, Orion, the Pleiades, &c., and that they generally measure the time of night by the course of these stars.” — Dodd. And turneth the shadow of death into the morning — The greatest adversity into as great prosperity; and maketh the day dark with night — Changes prosperity into adversity: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them upon the earth — Who commandeth the seas and the rivers to overflow the earth in great inundations; or rather, commands the vapours to ascend from the sea, turns them into rain, and then pours it from the clouds, to render the earth fruitful. That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong — Who giveth strength to him that hath been conquered and spoiled, and enables him to subdue his conquerors, and become master even of the strongest places. This was very properly mentioned here as one act of God’s great power, because it implied, that the deplorable state of the Israelitish affairs might be retrieved if they sought to him.

Ver. 7. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, or baneful hemlock, for favour or reward, and abandon the cause of righteousness to be trampled down upon the earth; a double corruption in the elders who filled the bench of justice. They hated him that rebuked in the gate. O tempora! O mores!

THREATS OF RUIN, 1-17.

It seems more in accord with the contents of chapter v to separate verses 1-17 from verses 18-27; verse 18 introduces a new thought, and the form of address differs from that in the preceding verses, resembling more closely Amos 6:1ff. Even within 1-17, distinct breaks may be recognized. In some cases the logic would be improved by a rearrangement of the verses. As they stand now, the discourse opens with a dirge, in which the overthrow of Israel is represented as accomplished (1-3). This fate is well merited, since the people have disregarded utterly the demands of Jehovah. They have sought him by a ritual which he does not value; on the other hand, they have spurned the virtues which he prizes (4-10). Verses 8, 9 contain another ascription of praise to Jehovah (compare Amos 4:13), to remind the hearers of the majesty of Jehovah, and thus to impress them with the importance of heeding his message. They are apparently incorrigible, therefore swift judgment will overtake them (11-13); nevertheless, sincere repentance may result in the salvation of at least a remnant (14, 15). But the prophet seems to realize that such hope is vain; at any rate, he reiterates the sentence of doom (16, 17). 1-3. A dirge. Hear ye this word — Compare Amos 3:1; 4:1. Lamentation — Hebrews kinah. A technical term for a dirge in memory of a departed friend. It is not a spontaneous expression of grief, but a formal composition, long or short, artificially constructed. These dirges are composed in a peculiar meter, the so-called kinah verse, in which the lines are longer than ordinarily in Hebrew poetry, each consisting of two parts, of which the second is a little shorter than the first, the ratio being about 3 to 2. The lament is contained in verses 2, 3; verse 3 giving the explanation of verse 2. The kinah meter is observed only in verse 2; it may be restored approximately in verse 3 by omitting the introductory words and “to the house of Israel” at the close. While it is not possible to reproduce exactly the meter of the Hebrew, the following rendering of verses 2, 3 (with the omissions suggested) indicates approximately the character of the kinah compositions: —

(a) Fallen, no more shall she rise, (b) virgin Israel,

(a) Flung down on her own ground (b) no one to raise her. (a) The city that goeth forth a thousand (b) shall have left a hundred, (a) And she that goeth forth a hundred (b) shall have left ten. Virgin of Israel — “The earliest extant example of the personification of a nation or community as a woman.” Later such personifications became quite common (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21; compare Isaiah 10:32; 37:22, etc.; see on Hosea 2:2). Is fallen — The prophetic perfect. The calamity is still future, but the prophet is so certain of its coming that he sings the dirge as if the nation had already died. The wounds inflicted are so grievous that she cannot rise, nor is there anyone to help her up. Forsaken — R.V., “cast down.” The verb implies the use of force — flung down — and the abandonment to destruction (Ezekiel 29:5; 32:4). Verse 3 indicates the nature of the calamity that will reduce Israel to such sore straits; her fighting force is to be reduced to one tenth of its present numbers. Went out — To battle. A thousand — A city that can furnish a thousand fighting men must be of considerable size. An hundred — A smaller town. Great and small cities shall suffer alike.

Justification of the judgment, and exhortation to repentance, 4-10. That Amos believed in the possibility of a universal “return” of Israel is nowhere stated or implied; that he hoped for some salutary effects of his preaching cannot be doubted; it is implied in Amos 5:15, and in the fact that he continues his exhortation to “seek Jehovah.” Who of the people would repent and who would persist in rebellion he could not know; therefore he must exhort all that he may “save some.” This he does in verses 4ff. At the same time his exhortation supplies the justification for the divine judgment; they have done the things that are not acceptable to God, and have left undone the things in which he takes delight. Notwithstanding the abruptness of transition from 1-3 to 4 the logical connection between the two parts is not difficult to see. In 1-3 the prophet bemoans the humiliation of Israel. He would have been unfit to act as a messenger of Jehovah had not the contemplation of this fate moved him to compassion and aroused a longing that the terrible calamity might be averted. In the anxiety of his heart he bursts forth in a new exhortation, hoping that, perchance, he may yet succeed in bringing at least some to repentance, and thus avert the doom. Harper interprets verses 4, 5 as injunctions given in the past, disobedience to which furnishes the reasons for the disaster described in verses 2, 3; and he makes verse 6 the beginning of Amos’s exhortation. This interpretation is less natural; it certainly is no improvement over the one commonly accepted.

V. 8. The seven stars-A constellation, whose rising about September was usually accompanied with sweet showers. Orion-Which arising about November brings usually cold, rains and frosts intermixt very seasonable for the earth. The shadow of the earth-The greatest adversity into as great prosperity. Dark with might-Changes prosperity into adversity. That calleth-Commands the vapour to ascend, which he turns into rain; and then pours from the clouds to make the earth fruitful.

Verse 8. That maketh the seven stars and Orion] Or, Hyades and Arcturus, Kimah and Kesil. See Clarke’s notes on “Job 9:9”; “Job 38:32”, where the subject of this verse is largely considered. Turneth the shadow of death into the morning] Who makes day and night, light and darkness.

Calleth for the waters of the sea] Raising them up by evaporation, and collecting them into clouds.

And poureth them out] Causing them to drop down in showers upon the face of the earth. Who has done this? JEHOVAH is his name.

Verses 7-9. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood — Or into hemlock, as the word here used is translated, Amos 6:12. Ye judges and rulers that pervert the law that was designed to protect innocence, and under colour of it exercise the greatest oppression. True or just judgment is sweet or pleasing; corrupt judgment, mere bitterness. And leave off righteousness — That is, leave off to practise it, or make it to cease in your courts of judicature. Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion — Concerning these constellations see notes on Job 9:9; and 38:31. These and the other constellations were commonly thought to have great influence upon the seasons; and therefore their rising and setting used to be particularly taken notice of by husbandmen and shepherds; whose employments lying abroad, made them more observant of the appearances of the heavenly bodies. So this was a dispensation of providence, which it was very suitable for one of Amos’s profession to mention. “But in Arabia and the neighbouring countries, to this present day, not only the shepherds, but the men in general, the women and children, know the names of the stars. Sanctius assures us, that the shepherds in Spain know perfectly well the stars of Ursa Major, Orion, the Pleiades, &c., and that they generally measure the time of night by the course of these stars.” — Dodd. And turneth the shadow of death into the morning — The greatest adversity into as great prosperity; and maketh the day dark with night — Changes prosperity into adversity: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them upon the earth — Who commandeth the seas and the rivers to overflow the earth in great inundations; or rather, commands the vapours to ascend from the sea, turns them into rain, and then pours it from the clouds, to render the earth fruitful. That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong — Who giveth strength to him that hath been conquered and spoiled, and enables him to subdue his conquerors, and become master even of the strongest places. This was very properly mentioned here as one act of God’s great power, because it implied, that the deplorable state of the Israelitish affairs might be retrieved if they sought to him.

Ver. 8. The seven stars and Orion. See the note on Job 9:9, and Schulten’s remarks on these terms. Amos was among the shepherds learned in practical astronomy. The seven stars are called the Hiadees by the Vulgate, and the Pleiades in modern versions. Some think that they refer to the warmth of the spring, and Orion or Arcturus to the tempestuous seasons.

8. The seven stars — R.V., “Pleiades”; literally, a cluster, that is, of stars. Orion — Hebrew, literally, a fool, a name that may embody an ancient mythological notion, namely, that this star is some fool who dared to rebel against the majesty of the deity, and who in punishment was chained in the sky. The two constellations attracted notice also among the early Greeks, partly on account of their brilliancy and partly “because their risings and settings with the sun marked the seasons.” The two represent the whole host of stars as a striking manifestation of Jehovah’s creative power (Job 9:9; 38:31). Turneth the shadow of death — R.V. margin, “deep darkness.” The etymology of the word is not quite certain. If it is a compound word it is literally “shadow of death”; if it is derived from a root found in Arabic and Assyrian, but not otherwise in Hebrew, it means simply “darkness” — so LXX. Whatever the etymology, the darkness is the darkness of night, which Jehovah turns into day. With equal ease he turns the day into night. Calleth for the waters of the sea — A poetic description of the giving of rain (Amos 9:6); the waters hear the divine voice and immediately they respond. The natural phenomena enumerated are all evidences of the supreme power of Jehovah. It is less natural to see in the expressions references to extraordinary phenomena, such as eclipses of the sun or the flood. Jehovah is his name — With a similar statement close the doxologies in Amos 4:13, and Amos 9:6; here it should stand at the close of verse 9. Is its presence at the close of verse 8 another evidence of a possible disarrangement of the verses, or is verse 9 a later addition either by Amos or by some one else? From the manifestation of the divine power in nature the prophet passes, in verse 9, to their manifestation in God’s dealings with men. That strengtheneth the spoiled — Better, R.V., “that bringeth sudden destruction”; margin, more literally, “that causeth destruction to flash forth.” Against the strong — Who are able to withstand ordinary foes. The spoiled shall come — Better, R.V., “destruction cometh”; as a result of the divine manifestation. Against the fortress — The defenses in which the strong put their trust, and which in time of ordinary danger serve as a place of refuge. LXX., “he bringeth destruction” instead of “destruction cometh,” which is preferable.

V. 9. The strong-The mighty, victorious and insolent. Shall come-Shall rally and form a siege against their besiegers.

Verse 9. That strengtheneth the spoiled] Who takes the part of the poor and oppressed against the oppressor; and, in the course of his providence, sets up the former, and depresses the latter.

Verses 7-9. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood — Or into hemlock, as the word here used is translated, Amos 6:12. Ye judges and rulers that pervert the law that was designed to protect innocence, and under colour of it exercise the greatest oppression. True or just judgment is sweet or pleasing; corrupt judgment, mere bitterness. And leave off righteousness — That is, leave off to practise it, or make it to cease in your courts of judicature. Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion — Concerning these constellations see notes on Job 9:9; and 38:31. These and the other constellations were commonly thought to have great influence upon the seasons; and therefore their rising and setting used to be particularly taken notice of by husbandmen and shepherds; whose employments lying abroad, made them more observant of the appearances of the heavenly bodies. So this was a dispensation of providence, which it was very suitable for one of Amos’s profession to mention. “But in Arabia and the neighbouring countries, to this present day, not only the shepherds, but the men in general, the women and children, know the names of the stars. Sanctius assures us, that the shepherds in Spain know perfectly well the stars of Ursa Major, Orion, the Pleiades, &c., and that they generally measure the time of night by the course of these stars.” — Dodd. And turneth the shadow of death into the morning — The greatest adversity into as great prosperity; and maketh the day dark with night — Changes prosperity into adversity: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them upon the earth — Who commandeth the seas and the rivers to overflow the earth in great inundations; or rather, commands the vapours to ascend from the sea, turns them into rain, and then pours it from the clouds, to render the earth fruitful. That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong — Who giveth strength to him that hath been conquered and spoiled, and enables him to subdue his conquerors, and become master even of the strongest places. This was very properly mentioned here as one act of God’s great power, because it implied, that the deplorable state of the Israelitish affairs might be retrieved if they sought to him.

THREATS OF RUIN, 1-17.

It seems more in accord with the contents of chapter v to separate verses 1-17 from verses 18-27; verse 18 introduces a new thought, and the form of address differs from that in the preceding verses, resembling more closely Amos 6:1ff. Even within 1-17, distinct breaks may be recognized. In some cases the logic would be improved by a rearrangement of the verses. As they stand now, the discourse opens with a dirge, in which the overthrow of Israel is represented as accomplished (1-3). This fate is well merited, since the people have disregarded utterly the demands of Jehovah. They have sought him by a ritual which he does not value; on the other hand, they have spurned the virtues which he prizes (4-10). Verses 8, 9 contain another ascription of praise to Jehovah (compare Amos 4:13), to remind the hearers of the majesty of Jehovah, and thus to impress them with the importance of heeding his message. They are apparently incorrigible, therefore swift judgment will overtake them (11-13); nevertheless, sincere repentance may result in the salvation of at least a remnant (14, 15). But the prophet seems to realize that such hope is vain; at any rate, he reiterates the sentence of doom (16, 17). 1-3. A dirge. Hear ye this word — Compare Amos 3:1; 4:1. Lamentation — Hebrews kinah. A technical term for a dirge in memory of a departed friend. It is not a spontaneous expression of grief, but a formal composition, long or short, artificially constructed. These dirges are composed in a peculiar meter, the so-called kinah verse, in which the lines are longer than ordinarily in Hebrew poetry, each consisting of two parts, of which the second is a little shorter than the first, the ratio being about 3 to 2. The lament is contained in verses 2, 3; verse 3 giving the explanation of verse 2. The kinah meter is observed only in verse 2; it may be restored approximately in verse 3 by omitting the introductory words and “to the house of Israel” at the close. While it is not possible to reproduce exactly the meter of the Hebrew, the following rendering of verses 2, 3 (with the omissions suggested) indicates approximately the character of the kinah compositions: —

(a) Fallen, no more shall she rise, (b) virgin Israel,

(a) Flung down on her own ground (b) no one to raise her. (a) The city that goeth forth a thousand (b) shall have left a hundred, (a) And she that goeth forth a hundred (b) shall have left ten. Virgin of Israel — “The earliest extant example of the personification of a nation or community as a woman.” Later such personifications became quite common (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21; compare Isaiah 10:32; 37:22, etc.; see on Hosea 2:2). Is fallen — The prophetic perfect. The calamity is still future, but the prophet is so certain of its coming that he sings the dirge as if the nation had already died. The wounds inflicted are so grievous that she cannot rise, nor is there anyone to help her up. Forsaken — R.V., “cast down.” The verb implies the use of force — flung down — and the abandonment to destruction (Ezekiel 29:5; 32:4). Verse 3 indicates the nature of the calamity that will reduce Israel to such sore straits; her fighting force is to be reduced to one tenth of its present numbers. Went out — To battle. A thousand — A city that can furnish a thousand fighting men must be of considerable size. An hundred — A smaller town. Great and small cities shall suffer alike.

Justification of the judgment, and exhortation to repentance, 4-10. That Amos believed in the possibility of a universal “return” of Israel is nowhere stated or implied; that he hoped for some salutary effects of his preaching cannot be doubted; it is implied in Amos 5:15, and in the fact that he continues his exhortation to “seek Jehovah.” Who of the people would repent and who would persist in rebellion he could not know; therefore he must exhort all that he may “save some.” This he does in verses 4ff. At the same time his exhortation supplies the justification for the divine judgment; they have done the things that are not acceptable to God, and have left undone the things in which he takes delight. Notwithstanding the abruptness of transition from 1-3 to 4 the logical connection between the two parts is not difficult to see. In 1-3 the prophet bemoans the humiliation of Israel. He would have been unfit to act as a messenger of Jehovah had not the contemplation of this fate moved him to compassion and aroused a longing that the terrible calamity might be averted. In the anxiety of his heart he bursts forth in a new exhortation, hoping that, perchance, he may yet succeed in bringing at least some to repentance, and thus avert the doom. Harper interprets verses 4, 5 as injunctions given in the past, disobedience to which furnishes the reasons for the disaster described in verses 2, 3; and he makes verse 6 the beginning of Amos’s exhortation. This interpretation is less natural; it certainly is no improvement over the one commonly accepted.

V. 10. They-The judges and people. In the gate-Where judges sat, and where the prophets many times delivered their message.

Verse 10. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate] They cannot bear an upright magistrate, and will not have righteous laws executed.

Verse 10. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate — The usual place of administering justice, and of reproving and passing judgment on iniquity. The prophet now, after having descanted upon God’s wondrous power, returns to enumerate the crimes of the Israelites; and begins with telling them, that they in general hated the judges who reproved them for their injurious conduct and acts of fraud or violence, and endeavoured to do justice to the oppressed. And besides this, they hated the prophets and private persons who rebuked ungodliness and unrighteousness, and exhorted men to the practice of piety and virtue.

Verse 10 continues the accusation of verse 7, presenting other evidences of the corruption which impels the prophet to exhort so earnestly. They persecute those who take a stand for the right. Rebuketh — R.V., “reproveth.” In the gate — The principal public place in an ancient Oriental town, where court was held and justice administered (verses 12, 15; Deuteronomy 25:7; 1 Kings 22:10). The rebuke is that uttered in connection with the administration of justice, chiefly by the judge, who condemns unjust practices and silences false accusers, but also by anyone who rises in defense of the right (Isaiah 29:21). Speaketh uprightly — In defense of those accused unjustly. Abhor — A stronger word than hate.

V. 11. Your treading-You utterly oppress the helpless. Ye take-Ye extort from the poor great quantities of wheat, on which he should live.

Verse 11. Your treading is upon the poor] You tread them under your feet; they form the road on which ye walk; and yet it was by oppressing and improverishing them that ye gained your riches.

Ye take from him burdens of wheat] Ye will have his bread for doing him justice.

Verses 11-13. Forasmuch, therefore, as your treading is upon the poor — It appears by this, that their acts of oppression were more than ordinarily proud and tyrannical. They were the effect of fraud executed with insolence, as the word treading, and the subsequent clause, added in explanation of it, signify. And ye take from him burdens of wheat — This expresses the most grievous inhumanity, implying that they took from the poor their very sustenance by acts of injustice and violence. Ye have built houses of hewn stone, but shall not dwell in them — God often threatens to deprive men of the enjoyment of their ill-gotten substance. For I know your manifold transgressions and mighty sins — Your daring impieties, your sins of the first magnitude, such as idolatry and oppression, reproved in the foregoing part of this chapter. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time — So great is the corruption of manners, and such the insolence of power, that the prudent man, though he be virtuous, and abhor such doings, yet will incline to be silent, perceiving that his speaking by way of reproof or exhortation to others will only bring danger on himself, and be of no real use.

11-13. Israel’s moral depravity demands speedy judgment. The sin which arouses the indignation of the prophet most is the oppression of the poor (Amos 2:6, 7). In punishment the unjustly gained possessions will be withdrawn. Therefore — Introduces the sentence, as in Amos 3:11; 4:12. Your treading is upon the poor — R.V., “ye trample upon the poor.” A figure of excessive cruelty (compare 2:7). Take from him burdens [“exactions”] of wheat — This corn tax does not refer to bribes given to corrupt judges, but to “presents which the poor fellahin had to offer to the grasping aristocrats” in order to secure permission to retain at least a part of their products (1 Samuel 25:7ff.). Hewn stone — In ancient times the houses of the Israelites were built of baked or sun-dried bricks; the use of hewn stone, a sign of wealth and luxury, may have been introduced during the prosperous eighth century B.C. The means which enabled the rich to build these houses were acquired by oppression (Micah 3:10). But Jehovah will drive them from the magnificent palaces. Pleasant vineyards — The vineyards in the fruit of which they expected to take delight. In these expectations also they will be disappointed (Deuteronomy 28:30, 38, 39; Isaiah 5:8-10; Zephaniah 1:13; compare Amos 9:14). In order to secure a more perfect parallelism, consisting of three sentences, each having a protasis and an apodosis, Hitzig suggests as a better translation for the first two clauses, “Forasmuch, therefore, as ye trample upon the poor, ye shall take presents from him of wheat”; that is, you will become so poor that you will be compelled to accept alms from him who is now poor.

In justification of this sentence the prophet continues, in verses 12, 13, the description of the deplorable condition, the maladministration of justice receiving the severest condemnation. In verse 12 the translation of R.V. is to be preferred: “For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins — ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate from their right.” The popular idea was that Jehovah took little or no notice of their conduct (Hosea 7:2); he assures them that he knows both the magnitude and the multitude of their sins. Afflict — G.A. Smith, “browbeat.” Just — See on righteous (Amos 2:6). Bribe — The Hebrew word so translated is used ordinarily in the sense of ransom, the price paid for a life (Exodus 21:30). Numbers 35:31, forbids the taking of a ransom for the life of a murderer. In the light of this passage the words of Amos are thought by some to be a condemnation of the judges who allow rich murderers to escape capital punishment on the payment of an illegal ransom. It is not impossible, however, that here, as in 1 Samuel 13:3, the word is used in the more general sense suggested by the English bribe, an illegal gift presented to the judge to secure exemption from merited punishment of any sort. Turn aside the poor [“needy”] — Discrimination was shown against the needy, who were unable to offer bribes (Isaiah 1:23; 10:2; compare Isaiah 1:17; Exodus 23:6, etc.). In the gate — See on verse 10.

Marti thinks that verse 13 bears every mark of a later interpolation, but without good reason, for the verse fits admirably, not as a reiteration of the announcement of judgment but as an additional indication of the hopelessness of the present situation. No longer are any attempts made to bring about a reformation. The prudent — The worldly wise, who knows when he is well off, and who is interested primarily in his own welfare. There is no indication that Amos approves the attitude of these prudent men; he simply states a fact. He himself, caring first of all for the interests of the people, does not and cannot keep silent (Amos 3:8; 7:15). Shall keep silence — Better, does keep silent; does not lift up his voice in rebuke or exhortation, because he fears the hostility of the powerful. In that time — R.V., “such a time” — as described in verse 12. An evil time — Not only because exhortation is futile, but also because personal inconvenience and suffering come to him who attempts to stem the tide.

V. 12. In the gate-In their courts of justice.

Verse 12. I know your manifold transgressions] I have marked the multitude of your smaller crimes, as well as your mighty offenses. Among their greater offenses were, 1. Their afflicting the righteous. 2. Taking bribes to blind their eyes in judgment. And, 3. Refusing to hear the poor, who had no money to give them.

Verses 11-13. Forasmuch, therefore, as your treading is upon the poor — It appears by this, that their acts of oppression were more than ordinarily proud and tyrannical. They were the effect of fraud executed with insolence, as the word treading, and the subsequent clause, added in explanation of it, signify. And ye take from him burdens of wheat — This expresses the most grievous inhumanity, implying that they took from the poor their very sustenance by acts of injustice and violence. Ye have built houses of hewn stone, but shall not dwell in them — God often threatens to deprive men of the enjoyment of their ill-gotten substance. For I know your manifold transgressions and mighty sins — Your daring impieties, your sins of the first magnitude, such as idolatry and oppression, reproved in the foregoing part of this chapter. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time — So great is the corruption of manners, and such the insolence of power, that the prudent man, though he be virtuous, and abhor such doings, yet will incline to be silent, perceiving that his speaking by way of reproof or exhortation to others will only bring danger on himself, and be of no real use.

11-13. Israel’s moral depravity demands speedy judgment. The sin which arouses the indignation of the prophet most is the oppression of the poor (Amos 2:6, 7). In punishment the unjustly gained possessions will be withdrawn. Therefore — Introduces the sentence, as in Amos 3:11; 4:12. Your treading is upon the poor — R.V., “ye trample upon the poor.” A figure of excessive cruelty (compare 2:7). Take from him burdens [“exactions”] of wheat — This corn tax does not refer to bribes given to corrupt judges, but to “presents which the poor fellahin had to offer to the grasping aristocrats” in order to secure permission to retain at least a part of their products (1 Samuel 25:7ff.). Hewn stone — In ancient times the houses of the Israelites were built of baked or sun-dried bricks; the use of hewn stone, a sign of wealth and luxury, may have been introduced during the prosperous eighth century B.C. The means which enabled the rich to build these houses were acquired by oppression (Micah 3:10). But Jehovah will drive them from the magnificent palaces. Pleasant vineyards — The vineyards in the fruit of which they expected to take delight. In these expectations also they will be disappointed (Deuteronomy 28:30, 38, 39; Isaiah 5:8-10; Zephaniah 1:13; compare Amos 9:14). In order to secure a more perfect parallelism, consisting of three sentences, each having a protasis and an apodosis, Hitzig suggests as a better translation for the first two clauses, “Forasmuch, therefore, as ye trample upon the poor, ye shall take presents from him of wheat”; that is, you will become so poor that you will be compelled to accept alms from him who is now poor.

In justification of this sentence the prophet continues, in verses 12, 13, the description of the deplorable condition, the maladministration of justice receiving the severest condemnation. In verse 12 the translation of R.V. is to be preferred: “For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins — ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate from their right.” The popular idea was that Jehovah took little or no notice of their conduct (Hosea 7:2); he assures them that he knows both the magnitude and the multitude of their sins. Afflict — G.A. Smith, “browbeat.” Just — See on righteous (Amos 2:6). Bribe — The Hebrew word so translated is used ordinarily in the sense of ransom, the price paid for a life (Exodus 21:30). Numbers 35:31, forbids the taking of a ransom for the life of a murderer. In the light of this passage the words of Amos are thought by some to be a condemnation of the judges who allow rich murderers to escape capital punishment on the payment of an illegal ransom. It is not impossible, however, that here, as in 1 Samuel 13:3, the word is used in the more general sense suggested by the English bribe, an illegal gift presented to the judge to secure exemption from merited punishment of any sort. Turn aside the poor [“needy”] — Discrimination was shown against the needy, who were unable to offer bribes (Isaiah 1:23; 10:2; compare Isaiah 1:17; Exodus 23:6, etc.). In the gate — See on verse 10.

Marti thinks that verse 13 bears every mark of a later interpolation, but without good reason, for the verse fits admirably, not as a reiteration of the announcement of judgment but as an additional indication of the hopelessness of the present situation. No longer are any attempts made to bring about a reformation. The prudent — The worldly wise, who knows when he is well off, and who is interested primarily in his own welfare. There is no indication that Amos approves the attitude of these prudent men; he simply states a fact. He himself, caring first of all for the interests of the people, does not and cannot keep silent (Amos 3:8; 7:15). Shall keep silence — Better, does keep silent; does not lift up his voice in rebuke or exhortation, because he fears the hostility of the powerful. In that time — R.V., “such a time” — as described in verse 12. An evil time — Not only because exhortation is futile, but also because personal inconvenience and suffering come to him who attempts to stem the tide.

V. 13. Shall keep silence-Be forced to it. Evil-Both for the sinfulness of it, and for the troubles, wars, and captivity now at hand.

Verse 13. The prudent shall keep silence] A wise man will consider that it is useless to complain. He can have no justice without bribes; and he has no money to give: consequently, in such an evil time, it is best to keep silence.

Verses 11-13. Forasmuch, therefore, as your treading is upon the poor — It appears by this, that their acts of oppression were more than ordinarily proud and tyrannical. They were the effect of fraud executed with insolence, as the word treading, and the subsequent clause, added in explanation of it, signify. And ye take from him burdens of wheat — This expresses the most grievous inhumanity, implying that they took from the poor their very sustenance by acts of injustice and violence. Ye have built houses of hewn stone, but shall not dwell in them — God often threatens to deprive men of the enjoyment of their ill-gotten substance. For I know your manifold transgressions and mighty sins — Your daring impieties, your sins of the first magnitude, such as idolatry and oppression, reproved in the foregoing part of this chapter. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time — So great is the corruption of manners, and such the insolence of power, that the prudent man, though he be virtuous, and abhor such doings, yet will incline to be silent, perceiving that his speaking by way of reproof or exhortation to others will only bring danger on himself, and be of no real use.

11-13. Israel’s moral depravity demands speedy judgment. The sin which arouses the indignation of the prophet most is the oppression of the poor (Amos 2:6, 7). In punishment the unjustly gained possessions will be withdrawn. Therefore — Introduces the sentence, as in Amos 3:11; 4:12. Your treading is upon the poor — R.V., “ye trample upon the poor.” A figure of excessive cruelty (compare 2:7). Take from him burdens [“exactions”] of wheat — This corn tax does not refer to bribes given to corrupt judges, but to “presents which the poor fellahin had to offer to the grasping aristocrats” in order to secure permission to retain at least a part of their products (1 Samuel 25:7ff.). Hewn stone — In ancient times the houses of the Israelites were built of baked or sun-dried bricks; the use of hewn stone, a sign of wealth and luxury, may have been introduced during the prosperous eighth century B.C. The means which enabled the rich to build these houses were acquired by oppression (Micah 3:10). But Jehovah will drive them from the magnificent palaces. Pleasant vineyards — The vineyards in the fruit of which they expected to take delight. In these expectations also they will be disappointed (Deuteronomy 28:30, 38, 39; Isaiah 5:8-10; Zephaniah 1:13; compare Amos 9:14). In order to secure a more perfect parallelism, consisting of three sentences, each having a protasis and an apodosis, Hitzig suggests as a better translation for the first two clauses, “Forasmuch, therefore, as ye trample upon the poor, ye shall take presents from him of wheat”; that is, you will become so poor that you will be compelled to accept alms from him who is now poor.

In justification of this sentence the prophet continues, in verses 12, 13, the description of the deplorable condition, the maladministration of justice receiving the severest condemnation. In verse 12 the translation of R.V. is to be preferred: “For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins — ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate from their right.” The popular idea was that Jehovah took little or no notice of their conduct (Hosea 7:2); he assures them that he knows both the magnitude and the multitude of their sins. Afflict — G.A. Smith, “browbeat.” Just — See on righteous (Amos 2:6). Bribe — The Hebrew word so translated is used ordinarily in the sense of ransom, the price paid for a life (Exodus 21:30). Numbers 35:31, forbids the taking of a ransom for the life of a murderer. In the light of this passage the words of Amos are thought by some to be a condemnation of the judges who allow rich murderers to escape capital punishment on the payment of an illegal ransom. It is not impossible, however, that here, as in 1 Samuel 13:3, the word is used in the more general sense suggested by the English bribe, an illegal gift presented to the judge to secure exemption from merited punishment of any sort. Turn aside the poor [“needy”] — Discrimination was shown against the needy, who were unable to offer bribes (Isaiah 1:23; 10:2; compare Isaiah 1:17; Exodus 23:6, etc.). In the gate — See on verse 10.

Marti thinks that verse 13 bears every mark of a later interpolation, but without good reason, for the verse fits admirably, not as a reiteration of the announcement of judgment but as an additional indication of the hopelessness of the present situation. No longer are any attempts made to bring about a reformation. The prudent — The worldly wise, who knows when he is well off, and who is interested primarily in his own welfare. There is no indication that Amos approves the attitude of these prudent men; he simply states a fact. He himself, caring first of all for the interests of the people, does not and cannot keep silent (Amos 3:8; 7:15). Shall keep silence — Better, does keep silent; does not lift up his voice in rebuke or exhortation, because he fears the hostility of the powerful. In that time — R.V., “such a time” — as described in verse 12. An evil time — Not only because exhortation is futile, but also because personal inconvenience and suffering come to him who attempts to stem the tide.

V. 14. With you-To bless and save you yet.

Verse 14. Seek good, and not evil] Is there a greater mystery in the world, than that a mall, instead of seeking good, will seek evil, knowing that it is evil?

And so the Lord] As God is the Fountain of good, so they who seek the supreme good seek him: and they who seek shall find him; for the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with him.

Verses 14, 15. Seek good, and not evil — Give your minds to the practice of true piety and virtue. Do that which is just and good, and endeavour to make others do the same. That ye may live — That it may be well with you, your families, and the whole kingdom. And so the Lord God of hosts — The eternal, glorious God, who is Lord of all, and can help you, having all the hosts of heaven and earth at his disposal; shall be with you — To bless and save you yet, notwithstanding all your former sins. As ye have spoken — You have boasted of his being with you, you think he is with you, and is bound to be with you, and own you: so he will indeed, but it is on condition that you repent and turn from your idols and violence. Hate the evil — Practised either by yourselves or others. And love the good — Cleave to and practise it yourselves, and commend, encourage, defend, and reward it in others. Let your hearts be toward good things and good men. Establish judgment in the gate — Set up honest and upright judges in the gates of your cities, and see that true judgment be there administered. By this it is evident, that the prophet speaks chiefly to governors and persons in authority among them. It may be the Lord will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph — To those small remains of the ten tribes which the civil wars and the invasions of your enemies have spared. As if he had said, Your case is not so desperate but repentance may yet avert God’s judgments, and he may show himself gracious to those that are left of you.

14, 15. In spite of the apparent hopelessness, the prophet renews his appeal, declaring that, if the exhortation is heeded, Jehovah may yet be gracious to a remnant of Joseph. Seek good — Practically the same as “seek Jehovah” (verse 6; compare verse 4). Jehovah is found by him who is anxious about doing good (Isaiah 1:16, 17; Micah 6:8). Not evil — As they were doing (verse 12). Live — See on verse 4. And so — If you seek good. Jehovah, the God of hosts — See on Amos 3:13. With you — To bless and protect. As ye have spoken — See general remarks on Amos 3:1; 4:3 (p. 207; compare verse 18; Micah 3:11). The exhortation is repeated and explained in even stronger terms in verse 15. A complete transformation is needed. Hate the evil — Not uprightness (verse 10). Love the good — The morally good instead of an elaborate ceremonial (verse 5; Amos 4:5), or actual wrongdoing (Amos 3:10). Establish judgment [“justice”] — Enthrone it, instead of trampling it upon the ground (verse 7). This phase of right doing demanded special emphasis in the days of Amos. In the gate — The place of judgment (verse 10), where it was most persistently outraged (verse 12). If the warning is heeded Jehovah may yet save from utter annihilation. Joseph — See on verse 6. Remnant — The prophet undoubtedly has in mind the remnant mentioned frequently in the prophetic writings, of whose future glorification speaks Amos 9:11-15. All the prophets are convinced of the certainty of judgment; and all believe that out of it will be saved a penitent, faithful few, the holy seed (Isaiah 6:13), which will grow into a new nation of God. Some writers suppose, though without warrant, that the use of the term implies that Israel had already been reduced, at the time of such use, to a remnant, that is, a fragment of its former prestige and power (see general remarks on Hosea 2:14-23, and Introduction, pp. 35ff.).

The prophet continues in verses 16, 17 as if the people had declared their determination to persist in rebellion, and he proceeds to announce once more the imminent doom. Therefore — Because of their corruption and unwillingness to heed the warning. Again weight is given to the announcement by the accumulation of divine titles (Amos 3:13). Wailing… mourning — For the slain (see on Joel 1:13). This wailing will be heard everywhere, in city and country. Streets — Better, R.V., “the broad ways”; literally, wide places, that is, in the open squares in the cities, especially near the gates (Nehemiah 8:1), where the people were accustomed to gather. Highways — Literally, as R.V., “streets,” of cities and villages. Alas! alas! — Hebrew, Ho! ho! probably the usual cry of lamentation. They shall call — The subject is indefinite — (he) shall be called (G.-K., 144f.). Husbandman — Who is at work in the fields. He is called to mourn for some loved one. Evidently the judgment is expected to fall suddenly. And such as are skillful of lamentation to wailing — Literally, and wailing unto those who are skillful of lamentation. In either case the verb “they shall call” must be supplied. The English translators are probably correct in suspecting the accidental transposition of two words. The skillful of lamentation are the professional mourners, ordinarily women, hired, whenever a death occurs, to sing songs of mourning (Jeremiah 9:17; Matthew 9:23). The word lamentation used here is a more general term than that in verse 1. Vineyards — Where joy and gladness are ordinarily looked for (Judges 9:27; Isaiah 16:10). The whole land will become a land of mourners. Why this lamentation? Pass through — In judgment (compare Exodus 12:12).

V. 15. The evil-All evil among the people, and yourselves. Love-Commend, encourage, defend: let your heart be toward good things, and good men. Remnant-What the invasions of enemies, or the civil wars have spared, and left in Samaria and Israel.

Verse 15. Hate the evil, and love the good] What ruins you, avoid; what helps you, cleave to. And as a proof that you take this advice, purify the seats of justice; and then expect God to be gracious to the remnant of Joseph—to the posterity of the ten tribes.

Verses 14, 15. Seek good, and not evil — Give your minds to the practice of true piety and virtue. Do that which is just and good, and endeavour to make others do the same. That ye may live — That it may be well with you, your families, and the whole kingdom. And so the Lord God of hosts — The eternal, glorious God, who is Lord of all, and can help you, having all the hosts of heaven and earth at his disposal; shall be with you — To bless and save you yet, notwithstanding all your former sins. As ye have spoken — You have boasted of his being with you, you think he is with you, and is bound to be with you, and own you: so he will indeed, but it is on condition that you repent and turn from your idols and violence. Hate the evil — Practised either by yourselves or others. And love the good — Cleave to and practise it yourselves, and commend, encourage, defend, and reward it in others. Let your hearts be toward good things and good men. Establish judgment in the gate — Set up honest and upright judges in the gates of your cities, and see that true judgment be there administered. By this it is evident, that the prophet speaks chiefly to governors and persons in authority among them. It may be the Lord will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph — To those small remains of the ten tribes which the civil wars and the invasions of your enemies have spared. As if he had said, Your case is not so desperate but repentance may yet avert God’s judgments, and he may show himself gracious to those that are left of you.

14, 15. In spite of the apparent hopelessness, the prophet renews his appeal, declaring that, if the exhortation is heeded, Jehovah may yet be gracious to a remnant of Joseph. Seek good — Practically the same as “seek Jehovah” (verse 6; compare verse 4). Jehovah is found by him who is anxious about doing good (Isaiah 1:16, 17; Micah 6:8). Not evil — As they were doing (verse 12). Live — See on verse 4. And so — If you seek good. Jehovah, the God of hosts — See on Amos 3:13. With you — To bless and protect. As ye have spoken — See general remarks on Amos 3:1; 4:3 (p. 207; compare verse 18; Micah 3:11). The exhortation is repeated and explained in even stronger terms in verse 15. A complete transformation is needed. Hate the evil — Not uprightness (verse 10). Love the good — The morally good instead of an elaborate ceremonial (verse 5; Amos 4:5), or actual wrongdoing (Amos 3:10). Establish judgment [“justice”] — Enthrone it, instead of trampling it upon the ground (verse 7). This phase of right doing demanded special emphasis in the days of Amos. In the gate — The place of judgment (verse 10), where it was most persistently outraged (verse 12). If the warning is heeded Jehovah may yet save from utter annihilation. Joseph — See on verse 6. Remnant — The prophet undoubtedly has in mind the remnant mentioned frequently in the prophetic writings, of whose future glorification speaks Amos 9:11-15. All the prophets are convinced of the certainty of judgment; and all believe that out of it will be saved a penitent, faithful few, the holy seed (Isaiah 6:13), which will grow into a new nation of God. Some writers suppose, though without warrant, that the use of the term implies that Israel had already been reduced, at the time of such use, to a remnant, that is, a fragment of its former prestige and power (see general remarks on Hosea 2:14-23, and Introduction, pp. 35ff.).

The prophet continues in verses 16, 17 as if the people had declared their determination to persist in rebellion, and he proceeds to announce once more the imminent doom. Therefore — Because of their corruption and unwillingness to heed the warning. Again weight is given to the announcement by the accumulation of divine titles (Amos 3:13). Wailing… mourning — For the slain (see on Joel 1:13). This wailing will be heard everywhere, in city and country. Streets — Better, R.V., “the broad ways”; literally, wide places, that is, in the open squares in the cities, especially near the gates (Nehemiah 8:1), where the people were accustomed to gather. Highways — Literally, as R.V., “streets,” of cities and villages. Alas! alas! — Hebrew, Ho! ho! probably the usual cry of lamentation. They shall call — The subject is indefinite — (he) shall be called (G.-K., 144f.). Husbandman — Who is at work in the fields. He is called to mourn for some loved one. Evidently the judgment is expected to fall suddenly. And such as are skillful of lamentation to wailing — Literally, and wailing unto those who are skillful of lamentation. In either case the verb “they shall call” must be supplied. The English translators are probably correct in suspecting the accidental transposition of two words. The skillful of lamentation are the professional mourners, ordinarily women, hired, whenever a death occurs, to sing songs of mourning (Jeremiah 9:17; Matthew 9:23). The word lamentation used here is a more general term than that in verse 1. Vineyards — Where joy and gladness are ordinarily looked for (Judges 9:27; Isaiah 16:10). The whole land will become a land of mourners. Why this lamentation? Pass through — In judgment (compare Exodus 12:12).

V. 16. Therefore-The prophet foreseeing their obstinacy, proceeds to denounce judgment against them. The husbandman-This sort of men are little used to such ceremonies of mourning, but now such also shall be called upon; leave your toil, betake yourselves to publick mourning.

Verse 16. They shall call the husbandman to mourning] Because the crops have failed, and the ground has been tilled in vain. Such as are skilful of lamentation] See Clarke’s note on “Jeremiah 9:17”.

Verses 16, 17. Therefore the Lord saith thus — The prophet, foreseeing their obstinacy, proceeds in denouncing judgments against them: and the word therefore, which introduces his threatenings, is to be referred to the twelfth verse, and not to the verses immediately foregoing. As if he had said, It is on account of your evil deeds, and because you will not be persuaded to hate the evil and love the good, that the Lord saith thus. Wailing shall be in all streets, and in all the highways — There shall be a general lamentation of all orders and degrees of men; of the citizens, for the loss of their wealth and substance, plundered by the conquerors; of the husbandmen and vine-dressers, for the loss of the fruits of the earth, destroyed or eaten up by the enemies’ army. And such as are skilful of lamentation — Let those, whose profession it is to make lamentation at funerals, join in this public mourning, to make it more solemn. And in all vineyards shall be wailing — Where there used to be shouting and rejoicing, when the summer-fruits were gathered in. For I will pass through thee, saith the Lord — To punish all everywhere: I will act like an enemy that invades and destroys a country as he marches through it.

THREATS OF RUIN, 1-17.

It seems more in accord with the contents of chapter v to separate verses 1-17 from verses 18-27; verse 18 introduces a new thought, and the form of address differs from that in the preceding verses, resembling more closely Amos 6:1ff. Even within 1-17, distinct breaks may be recognized. In some cases the logic would be improved by a rearrangement of the verses. As they stand now, the discourse opens with a dirge, in which the overthrow of Israel is represented as accomplished (1-3). This fate is well merited, since the people have disregarded utterly the demands of Jehovah. They have sought him by a ritual which he does not value; on the other hand, they have spurned the virtues which he prizes (4-10). Verses 8, 9 contain another ascription of praise to Jehovah (compare Amos 4:13), to remind the hearers of the majesty of Jehovah, and thus to impress them with the importance of heeding his message. They are apparently incorrigible, therefore swift judgment will overtake them (11-13); nevertheless, sincere repentance may result in the salvation of at least a remnant (14, 15). But the prophet seems to realize that such hope is vain; at any rate, he reiterates the sentence of doom (16, 17). 1-3. A dirge. Hear ye this word — Compare Amos 3:1; 4:1. Lamentation — Hebrews kinah. A technical term for a dirge in memory of a departed friend. It is not a spontaneous expression of grief, but a formal composition, long or short, artificially constructed. These dirges are composed in a peculiar meter, the so-called kinah verse, in which the lines are longer than ordinarily in Hebrew poetry, each consisting of two parts, of which the second is a little shorter than the first, the ratio being about 3 to 2. The lament is contained in verses 2, 3; verse 3 giving the explanation of verse 2. The kinah meter is observed only in verse 2; it may be restored approximately in verse 3 by omitting the introductory words and “to the house of Israel” at the close. While it is not possible to reproduce exactly the meter of the Hebrew, the following rendering of verses 2, 3 (with the omissions suggested) indicates approximately the character of the kinah compositions: —

(a) Fallen, no more shall she rise, (b) virgin Israel,

(a) Flung down on her own ground (b) no one to raise her. (a) The city that goeth forth a thousand (b) shall have left a hundred, (a) And she that goeth forth a hundred (b) shall have left ten. Virgin of Israel — “The earliest extant example of the personification of a nation or community as a woman.” Later such personifications became quite common (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21; compare Isaiah 10:32; 37:22, etc.; see on Hosea 2:2). Is fallen — The prophetic perfect. The calamity is still future, but the prophet is so certain of its coming that he sings the dirge as if the nation had already died. The wounds inflicted are so grievous that she cannot rise, nor is there anyone to help her up. Forsaken — R.V., “cast down.” The verb implies the use of force — flung down — and the abandonment to destruction (Ezekiel 29:5; 32:4). Verse 3 indicates the nature of the calamity that will reduce Israel to such sore straits; her fighting force is to be reduced to one tenth of its present numbers. Went out — To battle. A thousand — A city that can furnish a thousand fighting men must be of considerable size. An hundred — A smaller town. Great and small cities shall suffer alike.

Justification of the judgment, and exhortation to repentance, 4-10. That Amos believed in the possibility of a universal “return” of Israel is nowhere stated or implied; that he hoped for some salutary effects of his preaching cannot be doubted; it is implied in Amos 5:15, and in the fact that he continues his exhortation to “seek Jehovah.” Who of the people would repent and who would persist in rebellion he could not know; therefore he must exhort all that he may “save some.” This he does in verses 4ff. At the same time his exhortation supplies the justification for the divine judgment; they have done the things that are not acceptable to God, and have left undone the things in which he takes delight. Notwithstanding the abruptness of transition from 1-3 to 4 the logical connection between the two parts is not difficult to see. In 1-3 the prophet bemoans the humiliation of Israel. He would have been unfit to act as a messenger of Jehovah had not the contemplation of this fate moved him to compassion and aroused a longing that the terrible calamity might be averted. In the anxiety of his heart he bursts forth in a new exhortation, hoping that, perchance, he may yet succeed in bringing at least some to repentance, and thus avert the doom. Harper interprets verses 4, 5 as injunctions given in the past, disobedience to which furnishes the reasons for the disaster described in verses 2, 3; and he makes verse 6 the beginning of Amos’s exhortation. This interpretation is less natural; it certainly is no improvement over the one commonly accepted.

V. 17. Vineyards-In these places were usually the greatest joy. Pass through-To punish all every where.

Verse 17. And in all vineyards shall be wailing] The places where festivity especially used to prevail.

I will pass through thee] As I passed, by the ministry of the destroying angel, through Egypt, not to spare, but to destroy.

Verses 16, 17. Therefore the Lord saith thus — The prophet, foreseeing their obstinacy, proceeds in denouncing judgments against them: and the word therefore, which introduces his threatenings, is to be referred to the twelfth verse, and not to the verses immediately foregoing. As if he had said, It is on account of your evil deeds, and because you will not be persuaded to hate the evil and love the good, that the Lord saith thus. Wailing shall be in all streets, and in all the highways — There shall be a general lamentation of all orders and degrees of men; of the citizens, for the loss of their wealth and substance, plundered by the conquerors; of the husbandmen and vine-dressers, for the loss of the fruits of the earth, destroyed or eaten up by the enemies’ army. And such as are skilful of lamentation — Let those, whose profession it is to make lamentation at funerals, join in this public mourning, to make it more solemn. And in all vineyards shall be wailing — Where there used to be shouting and rejoicing, when the summer-fruits were gathered in. For I will pass through thee, saith the Lord — To punish all everywhere: I will act like an enemy that invades and destroys a country as he marches through it.

Ver. 17. In all vineyards shall be wailing. In these places they indulged in gambols and in feasting, when the fruits were gathered: but soon alas they shall be burned and destroyed by the insolent and wanton invaders.

THREATS OF RUIN, 1-17.

It seems more in accord with the contents of chapter v to separate verses 1-17 from verses 18-27; verse 18 introduces a new thought, and the form of address differs from that in the preceding verses, resembling more closely Amos 6:1ff. Even within 1-17, distinct breaks may be recognized. In some cases the logic would be improved by a rearrangement of the verses. As they stand now, the discourse opens with a dirge, in which the overthrow of Israel is represented as accomplished (1-3). This fate is well merited, since the people have disregarded utterly the demands of Jehovah. They have sought him by a ritual which he does not value; on the other hand, they have spurned the virtues which he prizes (4-10). Verses 8, 9 contain another ascription of praise to Jehovah (compare Amos 4:13), to remind the hearers of the majesty of Jehovah, and thus to impress them with the importance of heeding his message. They are apparently incorrigible, therefore swift judgment will overtake them (11-13); nevertheless, sincere repentance may result in the salvation of at least a remnant (14, 15). But the prophet seems to realize that such hope is vain; at any rate, he reiterates the sentence of doom (16, 17). 1-3. A dirge. Hear ye this word — Compare Amos 3:1; 4:1. Lamentation — Hebrews kinah. A technical term for a dirge in memory of a departed friend. It is not a spontaneous expression of grief, but a formal composition, long or short, artificially constructed. These dirges are composed in a peculiar meter, the so-called kinah verse, in which the lines are longer than ordinarily in Hebrew poetry, each consisting of two parts, of which the second is a little shorter than the first, the ratio being about 3 to 2. The lament is contained in verses 2, 3; verse 3 giving the explanation of verse 2. The kinah meter is observed only in verse 2; it may be restored approximately in verse 3 by omitting the introductory words and “to the house of Israel” at the close. While it is not possible to reproduce exactly the meter of the Hebrew, the following rendering of verses 2, 3 (with the omissions suggested) indicates approximately the character of the kinah compositions: —

(a) Fallen, no more shall she rise, (b) virgin Israel,

(a) Flung down on her own ground (b) no one to raise her. (a) The city that goeth forth a thousand (b) shall have left a hundred, (a) And she that goeth forth a hundred (b) shall have left ten. Virgin of Israel — “The earliest extant example of the personification of a nation or community as a woman.” Later such personifications became quite common (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21; compare Isaiah 10:32; 37:22, etc.; see on Hosea 2:2). Is fallen — The prophetic perfect. The calamity is still future, but the prophet is so certain of its coming that he sings the dirge as if the nation had already died. The wounds inflicted are so grievous that she cannot rise, nor is there anyone to help her up. Forsaken — R.V., “cast down.” The verb implies the use of force — flung down — and the abandonment to destruction (Ezekiel 29:5; 32:4). Verse 3 indicates the nature of the calamity that will reduce Israel to such sore straits; her fighting force is to be reduced to one tenth of its present numbers. Went out — To battle. A thousand — A city that can furnish a thousand fighting men must be of considerable size. An hundred — A smaller town. Great and small cities shall suffer alike.

Justification of the judgment, and exhortation to repentance, 4-10. That Amos believed in the possibility of a universal “return” of Israel is nowhere stated or implied; that he hoped for some salutary effects of his preaching cannot be doubted; it is implied in Amos 5:15, and in the fact that he continues his exhortation to “seek Jehovah.” Who of the people would repent and who would persist in rebellion he could not know; therefore he must exhort all that he may “save some.” This he does in verses 4ff. At the same time his exhortation supplies the justification for the divine judgment; they have done the things that are not acceptable to God, and have left undone the things in which he takes delight. Notwithstanding the abruptness of transition from 1-3 to 4 the logical connection between the two parts is not difficult to see. In 1-3 the prophet bemoans the humiliation of Israel. He would have been unfit to act as a messenger of Jehovah had not the contemplation of this fate moved him to compassion and aroused a longing that the terrible calamity might be averted. In the anxiety of his heart he bursts forth in a new exhortation, hoping that, perchance, he may yet succeed in bringing at least some to repentance, and thus avert the doom. Harper interprets verses 4, 5 as injunctions given in the past, disobedience to which furnishes the reasons for the disaster described in verses 2, 3; and he makes verse 6 the beginning of Amos’s exhortation. This interpretation is less natural; it certainly is no improvement over the one commonly accepted.

V. 18. That desire-Scoffingly, not believing any such day would come. To what end-What do you think to get by it? Is darkness-All adversity, black and doleful. Not light-No joy, or comfort an it.

Verse 18. Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord] The prophet had often denounced the coming of God’s day, that is, of a time of judgment; and the unbelievers had said, “Let his day come, that we may see it.” Now the prophet tells them that that day would be to them darkness— calamity, and not light—not prosperity.

Verses 18-20. Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord — Scoffingly, not believing any such day will come: for this seems to be spoken of some among them, who, in mockery, expressed a desire of seeing those things which the prophet predicted brought to pass. Or, it may respect those who, notwithstanding all the prophet had said, still expected God would appear in their favour, not to their destruction: see Isaiah 5:19. To what end is it for you? — To what purpose should you desire to see the day of the Lord? The day of the Lord is darkness — Adversity, black and doleful, and not light — No joy or comfort in it. It will certainly be a very dismal time to you, and indeed to all in the country, when evils shall succeed one another so fast, that he who seeks to escape one, shall fall into a greater. As if a man did flee from a lion — A creature that has something of generosity in his nature; and a bear met him — Which never spares any thing that comes in its way. Or went into the house — Namely, for fear of being devoured by beasts, or to avoid some other danger which threatened him without; and a serpent bit him — And a viper, whose sting is incurable, should creep out of the wall and bite him. Serpents sometimes concealed themselves in the holes and chinks of the walls of the eastern houses. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness — It might indeed well be described as darkness; even very dark, without any brightness in it — Since it was to be no less than the destruction of the towns and cities, the desolation of the country, the slaughtering of the people, or the carrying of them into captivity, and even the overturning of the whole kingdom.

THE DARKNESS AND DESPAIR OF THE DAY OF JEHOVAH, 18-27.

The new section opens with a startling woe upon those who desire the day of Jehovah. They will be sorely disappointed, for it will be a day of terror and disaster (18-20). It cannot be otherwise since, in truth, they are enemies of Jehovah. Their service is an abomination to him, because it is not in accord with his requirements (21-25). As a result the terrors of Jehovah, in the form of an exile, will fall upon them (26, 27). 18-20. The day of Jehovah a day of calamity and ruin. Woe — Introduces frequently announcements of judgment (Isaiah 5:8ff.; 10:1, etc.). In the light of Amos’s general attitude it becomes exceedingly doubtful that it “implies commiseration rather than denunciation” (Driver). Desire — Literally, desire for themselves, because they expect it to be a day of triumph. Day of Jehovah — See on Joel 1:15. To what end — R.V., “Wherefore would ye have.” A question of amazement that they should desire that day. What good will it be when it does come? The prophet does not leave them in uncertainty as to what they may expect. Would it not be wiser to shrink from it? Darkness — A picture of calamity and distress (compare Joel 2:2, 31; 3:15; Isaiah 5:30; 8:22, etc.). Light — A picture of prosperity and salvation.

The awful character of the day of Jehovah is described in verse 19 by illustrations familiar to the prophet and easily understood by the people. Though one danger may be avoided, another is sure to come; escape is absolutely out of the question. Lion — See on Hosea 5:14. Bear — See on Hosea 13:8. From the one the peasant escapes to meet the other; from him he seeks refuge in the house, only to meet his doom there. Serpent — Here is meant, probably, the small adder (Psalm 91:13; Isaiah 11:8), which sometimes hides in the cracks and crevices of old walls, and which “is one of the few serpents that manifest an aggressive disposition” (Van Lennep, Bible Lands, p. 308). Being disturbed by the terrified fugitive it comes forth to inflict a deadly bite. Verse 20 is an emphatic restatement, in the form of a rhetorical question, of the truth that the day of Jehovah is one of utter darkness and despair; there is in it not one ray of light and hope.

V. 19. And a bear-You may escape one, but shall fall in another calamity. Into the house-At home you may hope for safety, but there other kind of mischief shall meet you.

Verse 19. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him] They shall go from one evil to another. He who escapes from the lion’s mouth shall fall into the bear’s paws:—

Incidit in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Charybdim.

The Israelites, under their king Menahem, wishing to avoid a civil war, called in Pul, king of Assyria, to help them. This led to a series of evils inflicted by the Syrian and Assyrian kings, till at last Israel was ravaged by Shalmaneser, and carried into captivity. Thus, in avoiding one evil they fell into another still more grievous.

Leaned his hand on a wall, and a serpent bit him.] Snakes and venomous animals are fond of taking up their lodging in walls of houses, where they can either find or make holes; and it is dangerous to sit near them or lean against them. In the East Indies they keep the faithful mongose, a species of ichneumon, in their houses, for the purpose of destroying the snakes that infest them.

Verses 18-20. Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord — Scoffingly, not believing any such day will come: for this seems to be spoken of some among them, who, in mockery, expressed a desire of seeing those things which the prophet predicted brought to pass. Or, it may respect those who, notwithstanding all the prophet had said, still expected God would appear in their favour, not to their destruction: see Isaiah 5:19. To what end is it for you? — To what purpose should you desire to see the day of the Lord? The day of the Lord is darkness — Adversity, black and doleful, and not light — No joy or comfort in it. It will certainly be a very dismal time to you, and indeed to all in the country, when evils shall succeed one another so fast, that he who seeks to escape one, shall fall into a greater. As if a man did flee from a lion — A creature that has something of generosity in his nature; and a bear met him — Which never spares any thing that comes in its way. Or went into the house — Namely, for fear of being devoured by beasts, or to avoid some other danger which threatened him without; and a serpent bit him — And a viper, whose sting is incurable, should creep out of the wall and bite him. Serpents sometimes concealed themselves in the holes and chinks of the walls of the eastern houses. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness — It might indeed well be described as darkness; even very dark, without any brightness in it — Since it was to be no less than the destruction of the towns and cities, the desolation of the country, the slaughtering of the people, or the carrying of them into captivity, and even the overturning of the whole kingdom.

THE DARKNESS AND DESPAIR OF THE DAY OF JEHOVAH, 18-27.

The new section opens with a startling woe upon those who desire the day of Jehovah. They will be sorely disappointed, for it will be a day of terror and disaster (18-20). It cannot be otherwise since, in truth, they are enemies of Jehovah. Their service is an abomination to him, because it is not in accord with his requirements (21-25). As a result the terrors of Jehovah, in the form of an exile, will fall upon them (26, 27). 18-20. The day of Jehovah a day of calamity and ruin. Woe — Introduces frequently announcements of judgment (Isaiah 5:8ff.; 10:1, etc.). In the light of Amos’s general attitude it becomes exceedingly doubtful that it “implies commiseration rather than denunciation” (Driver). Desire — Literally, desire for themselves, because they expect it to be a day of triumph. Day of Jehovah — See on Joel 1:15. To what end — R.V., “Wherefore would ye have.” A question of amazement that they should desire that day. What good will it be when it does come? The prophet does not leave them in uncertainty as to what they may expect. Would it not be wiser to shrink from it? Darkness — A picture of calamity and distress (compare Joel 2:2, 31; 3:15; Isaiah 5:30; 8:22, etc.). Light — A picture of prosperity and salvation.

The awful character of the day of Jehovah is described in verse 19 by illustrations familiar to the prophet and easily understood by the people. Though one danger may be avoided, another is sure to come; escape is absolutely out of the question. Lion — See on Hosea 5:14. Bear — See on Hosea 13:8. From the one the peasant escapes to meet the other; from him he seeks refuge in the house, only to meet his doom there. Serpent — Here is meant, probably, the small adder (Psalm 91:13; Isaiah 11:8), which sometimes hides in the cracks and crevices of old walls, and which “is one of the few serpents that manifest an aggressive disposition” (Van Lennep, Bible Lands, p. 308). Being disturbed by the terrified fugitive it comes forth to inflict a deadly bite. Verse 20 is an emphatic restatement, in the form of a rhetorical question, of the truth that the day of Jehovah is one of utter darkness and despair; there is in it not one ray of light and hope.

Verses 18-20. Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord — Scoffingly, not believing any such day will come: for this seems to be spoken of some among them, who, in mockery, expressed a desire of seeing those things which the prophet predicted brought to pass. Or, it may respect those who, notwithstanding all the prophet had said, still expected God would appear in their favour, not to their destruction: see Isaiah 5:19. To what end is it for you? — To what purpose should you desire to see the day of the Lord? The day of the Lord is darkness — Adversity, black and doleful, and not light — No joy or comfort in it. It will certainly be a very dismal time to you, and indeed to all in the country, when evils shall succeed one another so fast, that he who seeks to escape one, shall fall into a greater. As if a man did flee from a lion — A creature that has something of generosity in his nature; and a bear met him — Which never spares any thing that comes in its way. Or went into the house — Namely, for fear of being devoured by beasts, or to avoid some other danger which threatened him without; and a serpent bit him — And a viper, whose sting is incurable, should creep out of the wall and bite him. Serpents sometimes concealed themselves in the holes and chinks of the walls of the eastern houses. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness — It might indeed well be described as darkness; even very dark, without any brightness in it — Since it was to be no less than the destruction of the towns and cities, the desolation of the country, the slaughtering of the people, or the carrying of them into captivity, and even the overturning of the whole kingdom.

THE DARKNESS AND DESPAIR OF THE DAY OF JEHOVAH, 18-27.

The new section opens with a startling woe upon those who desire the day of Jehovah. They will be sorely disappointed, for it will be a day of terror and disaster (18-20). It cannot be otherwise since, in truth, they are enemies of Jehovah. Their service is an abomination to him, because it is not in accord with his requirements (21-25). As a result the terrors of Jehovah, in the form of an exile, will fall upon them (26, 27). 18-20. The day of Jehovah a day of calamity and ruin. Woe — Introduces frequently announcements of judgment (Isaiah 5:8ff.; 10:1, etc.). In the light of Amos’s general attitude it becomes exceedingly doubtful that it “implies commiseration rather than denunciation” (Driver). Desire — Literally, desire for themselves, because they expect it to be a day of triumph. Day of Jehovah — See on Joel 1:15. To what end — R.V., “Wherefore would ye have.” A question of amazement that they should desire that day. What good will it be when it does come? The prophet does not leave them in uncertainty as to what they may expect. Would it not be wiser to shrink from it? Darkness — A picture of calamity and distress (compare Joel 2:2, 31; 3:15; Isaiah 5:30; 8:22, etc.). Light — A picture of prosperity and salvation.

The awful character of the day of Jehovah is described in verse 19 by illustrations familiar to the prophet and easily understood by the people. Though one danger may be avoided, another is sure to come; escape is absolutely out of the question. Lion — See on Hosea 5:14. Bear — See on Hosea 13:8. From the one the peasant escapes to meet the other; from him he seeks refuge in the house, only to meet his doom there. Serpent — Here is meant, probably, the small adder (Psalm 91:13; Isaiah 11:8), which sometimes hides in the cracks and crevices of old walls, and which “is one of the few serpents that manifest an aggressive disposition” (Van Lennep, Bible Lands, p. 308). Being disturbed by the terrified fugitive it comes forth to inflict a deadly bite. Verse 20 is an emphatic restatement, in the form of a rhetorical question, of the truth that the day of Jehovah is one of utter darkness and despair; there is in it not one ray of light and hope.

V. 21. I hate-Impure and unholy as they are. Will not smell-A savour, of rest or delight, I will not accept and be pleased with.

Verse 21. I hate, I despise your feast days] I abominate those sacrificial festivals where there is no piety, and I despise them because they pretend to be what they are not. This may refer to the three annual festivals which were still observed in a certain way among the Israelites.

Verses 21-24. I hate and despise your feast-days — This and the three following verses are the same in sense with Isaiah 1:11-16, and the other texts referred to in the margin, on which the reader is desired to consult the notes. They all show of how little signification the external rites of religion are, unless they be accompanied with living faith in, and sincere love to God, and a universal obedience to his will; or without holiness of heart and life. Take away from me the noise of thy songs — The psalms and hymns sung with vocal and instrumental music, the usual accompaniments of sacrifices among the Jews and heathen. As the worshippers at Beth-el imitated the temple worship in other particulars, (see Amos 4:4,) so it is likely they did in this part of the public worship: see Amos 8:3. The prophet calls their songs a noise, like that of an untuneful voice, because their melody, not proceeding from a true principle of religion, was not grateful to God. There are great authority and majesty in this passage, verses 21-24; and the grandeur of the image in the following words, with which it closes, must strike every reader. But let judgment run down as waters — Rather, let justice have its free course, so that the meanest persons may feel the benefit of it; and let your benignity be great and universal to your fellow-creatures.

21-25. The popular service is an abomination to Jehovah. The prophet represents Jehovah as out of sympathy with and even hostile to the popular worship. In what sense this is to be understood see on Hosea 6:6. Hate,… despise — Exceedingly strong expressions of displeasure. The emphasis throughout is on the pronoun. Their practices are an abomination to Jehovah. Feast days — See on Hosea 2:11. Will not smell — R.V., “will take no delight.” The metaphor is based upon the primitive material conception that the Deity literally smelled the sweet odor of the sacrifice. He indicated his displeasure by refusing to smell it (compare Genesis 8:21; Isaiah 11:3; Leviticus 26:31). Solemn assemblies — See on Joel 1:14; compare on Hosea 2:11, where a different Hebrew word is used. The prophet next enumerates the most common and most popular kinds of sacrifice which Jehovah despises. Burnt offerings — See on Hosea 6:6. Meat offerings — R.V., “meal offerings.” See on Joel 1:9 (compare Leviticus 2:1ff.; Numbers 15:1ff). Peace offerings — Margin, “thank offerings.” Not the same word as in 4:5. They are the offerings prompted by a desire to restore peace, to renew intimate fellowship with God, after, in some manner, it had become interrupted (Leviticus 3:1ff.; 7:15ff.). Fat beasts — Only the choicest animals were used for sacrifice. The joyful music accompanying the sacrifices also was displeasing to Jehovah. From me — Literally, from upon me. It is oppressing Jehovah like a heavy burden (Isaiah 1:14). Noise — The use of this word implies a feeling of disgust. “The best music becomes mere noise when, for any reason, it ceases to appeal to him who hears it.” Songs — Songs and music were undoubtedly a part of religious celebrations from an early period, but their exact nature among the Hebrews in pre-exilic times is not definitely known. Viols — Our knowledge of musical instruments in ancient times is very fragmentary. The instrument named here is probably a harp-shaped instrument with strings. Josephus says that in his day it had twelve strings (compare Psalm 33:2) and was played with the fingers. Here it represents all musical instruments used in connection with worship (compare Encyclopaedia Biblica, article “Music”).

Verse 22. The peace-offerings of your fat beasts.] מריאיכם merieychem probably means buffaloes; and so Bochart.

Verses 21-24. I hate and despise your feast-days — This and the three following verses are the same in sense with Isaiah 1:11-16, and the other texts referred to in the margin, on which the reader is desired to consult the notes. They all show of how little signification the external rites of religion are, unless they be accompanied with living faith in, and sincere love to God, and a universal obedience to his will; or without holiness of heart and life. Take away from me the noise of thy songs — The psalms and hymns sung with vocal and instrumental music, the usual accompaniments of sacrifices among the Jews and heathen. As the worshippers at Beth-el imitated the temple worship in other particulars, (see Amos 4:4,) so it is likely they did in this part of the public worship: see Amos 8:3. The prophet calls their songs a noise, like that of an untuneful voice, because their melody, not proceeding from a true principle of religion, was not grateful to God. There are great authority and majesty in this passage, verses 21-24; and the grandeur of the image in the following words, with which it closes, must strike every reader. But let judgment run down as waters — Rather, let justice have its free course, so that the meanest persons may feel the benefit of it; and let your benignity be great and universal to your fellow-creatures.

21-25. The popular service is an abomination to Jehovah. The prophet represents Jehovah as out of sympathy with and even hostile to the popular worship. In what sense this is to be understood see on Hosea 6:6. Hate,… despise — Exceedingly strong expressions of displeasure. The emphasis throughout is on the pronoun. Their practices are an abomination to Jehovah. Feast days — See on Hosea 2:11. Will not smell — R.V., “will take no delight.” The metaphor is based upon the primitive material conception that the Deity literally smelled the sweet odor of the sacrifice. He indicated his displeasure by refusing to smell it (compare Genesis 8:21; Isaiah 11:3; Leviticus 26:31). Solemn assemblies — See on Joel 1:14; compare on Hosea 2:11, where a different Hebrew word is used. The prophet next enumerates the most common and most popular kinds of sacrifice which Jehovah despises. Burnt offerings — See on Hosea 6:6. Meat offerings — R.V., “meal offerings.” See on Joel 1:9 (compare Leviticus 2:1ff.; Numbers 15:1ff). Peace offerings — Margin, “thank offerings.” Not the same word as in 4:5. They are the offerings prompted by a desire to restore peace, to renew intimate fellowship with God, after, in some manner, it had become interrupted (Leviticus 3:1ff.; 7:15ff.). Fat beasts — Only the choicest animals were used for sacrifice. The joyful music accompanying the sacrifices also was displeasing to Jehovah. From me — Literally, from upon me. It is oppressing Jehovah like a heavy burden (Isaiah 1:14). Noise — The use of this word implies a feeling of disgust. “The best music becomes mere noise when, for any reason, it ceases to appeal to him who hears it.” Songs — Songs and music were undoubtedly a part of religious celebrations from an early period, but their exact nature among the Hebrews in pre-exilic times is not definitely known. Viols — Our knowledge of musical instruments in ancient times is very fragmentary. The instrument named here is probably a harp-shaped instrument with strings. Josephus says that in his day it had twelve strings (compare Psalm 33:2) and was played with the fingers. Here it represents all musical instruments used in connection with worship (compare Encyclopaedia Biblica, article “Music”).

V. 23. Thy songs-Used in their sacrifices, and solemn feasts; herein they imitated the temple-worship, but all was unpleasing to the Lord. Will not hear-Not with delight and acceptance. Thy viols-This one kind of musical instrument is put for all the rest.

Verse 23. The noise of thy songs—the melody of thy viols.] They had both vocal and instrumental music in those sacrificial festivals; and God hated the noise of the one and shut his ears against the melody of the other. In the first there was nothing but noise, because their hearts were not right with God; and in the latter there could be nothing but (trmz zimrath) cutting and scraping, because there was no heart-no religious sense in the thing, and nearly as little in them that used it. See on Amos 6:5.

Verses 21-24. I hate and despise your feast-days — This and the three following verses are the same in sense with Isaiah 1:11-16, and the other texts referred to in the margin, on which the reader is desired to consult the notes. They all show of how little signification the external rites of religion are, unless they be accompanied with living faith in, and sincere love to God, and a universal obedience to his will; or without holiness of heart and life. Take away from me the noise of thy songs — The psalms and hymns sung with vocal and instrumental music, the usual accompaniments of sacrifices among the Jews and heathen. As the worshippers at Beth-el imitated the temple worship in other particulars, (see Amos 4:4,) so it is likely they did in this part of the public worship: see Amos 8:3. The prophet calls their songs a noise, like that of an untuneful voice, because their melody, not proceeding from a true principle of religion, was not grateful to God. There are great authority and majesty in this passage, verses 21-24; and the grandeur of the image in the following words, with which it closes, must strike every reader. But let judgment run down as waters — Rather, let justice have its free course, so that the meanest persons may feel the benefit of it; and let your benignity be great and universal to your fellow-creatures.

21-25. The popular service is an abomination to Jehovah. The prophet represents Jehovah as out of sympathy with and even hostile to the popular worship. In what sense this is to be understood see on Hosea 6:6. Hate,… despise — Exceedingly strong expressions of displeasure. The emphasis throughout is on the pronoun. Their practices are an abomination to Jehovah. Feast days — See on Hosea 2:11. Will not smell — R.V., “will take no delight.” The metaphor is based upon the primitive material conception that the Deity literally smelled the sweet odor of the sacrifice. He indicated his displeasure by refusing to smell it (compare Genesis 8:21; Isaiah 11:3; Leviticus 26:31). Solemn assemblies — See on Joel 1:14; compare on Hosea 2:11, where a different Hebrew word is used. The prophet next enumerates the most common and most popular kinds of sacrifice which Jehovah despises. Burnt offerings — See on Hosea 6:6. Meat offerings — R.V., “meal offerings.” See on Joel 1:9 (compare Leviticus 2:1ff.; Numbers 15:1ff). Peace offerings — Margin, “thank offerings.” Not the same word as in 4:5. They are the offerings prompted by a desire to restore peace, to renew intimate fellowship with God, after, in some manner, it had become interrupted (Leviticus 3:1ff.; 7:15ff.). Fat beasts — Only the choicest animals were used for sacrifice. The joyful music accompanying the sacrifices also was displeasing to Jehovah. From me — Literally, from upon me. It is oppressing Jehovah like a heavy burden (Isaiah 1:14). Noise — The use of this word implies a feeling of disgust. “The best music becomes mere noise when, for any reason, it ceases to appeal to him who hears it.” Songs — Songs and music were undoubtedly a part of religious celebrations from an early period, but their exact nature among the Hebrews in pre-exilic times is not definitely known. Viols — Our knowledge of musical instruments in ancient times is very fragmentary. The instrument named here is probably a harp-shaped instrument with strings. Josephus says that in his day it had twelve strings (compare Psalm 33:2) and was played with the fingers. Here it represents all musical instruments used in connection with worship (compare Encyclopaedia Biblica, article “Music”).

V. 24. Let judgment-Let justice be administered constantly. Righteousness-Equity. Stream-Bearing down all that opposes it.

Verse 24. Let judgment run down] Let the execution of justice be everywhere like the showers that fall upon the land to render it fertile; and let righteousness in heart and life be like a mighty river, or the Jordan, that shall wind its course through the whole nation, and carry every abomination into the Dead Sea. Let justice and righteousness prevail everywhere, and sweep their contraries out of the land.

Verses 21-24. I hate and despise your feast-days — This and the three following verses are the same in sense with Isaiah 1:11-16, and the other texts referred to in the margin, on which the reader is desired to consult the notes. They all show of how little signification the external rites of religion are, unless they be accompanied with living faith in, and sincere love to God, and a universal obedience to his will; or without holiness of heart and life. Take away from me the noise of thy songs — The psalms and hymns sung with vocal and instrumental music, the usual accompaniments of sacrifices among the Jews and heathen. As the worshippers at Beth-el imitated the temple worship in other particulars, (see Amos 4:4,) so it is likely they did in this part of the public worship: see Amos 8:3. The prophet calls their songs a noise, like that of an untuneful voice, because their melody, not proceeding from a true principle of religion, was not grateful to God. There are great authority and majesty in this passage, verses 21-24; and the grandeur of the image in the following words, with which it closes, must strike every reader. But let judgment run down as waters — Rather, let justice have its free course, so that the meanest persons may feel the benefit of it; and let your benignity be great and universal to your fellow-creatures.

Verse 24 is to be interpreted not as a threat, that the righteous judgment of Jehovah will sweep over the land with the destructiveness of a flood, but as an exhortation. In the place of a meaningless ceremonial Jehovah desires a righteous life (Isaiah 1:10-17). Judgment [“justice”]… righteousness — Practiced in the ordinary relations of life (see on verse 7). Run — R.V., “roll”; literally, roll itself; that is, manifest itself continually. As waters — Great masses of water; a picture of abundance and continuity. A mighty stream — R.V. margin, “ever-flowing.” The allusion is to a perennial stream. In nearly all the rivers of Palestine the flow of water is interrupted during the dry season. It is not to be thus with the practice of justice and righteousness; it is to go on unobstructed and uninterrupted forever. Lack of space will not permit even to enumerate the different views held by commentators concerning verses 25, 26. The interpretation suggested here is the one in most complete accord with the context. In verse 25 Amos points out, by the use of a rhetorical question, the absurdity of the people’s attempt to secure the favor of Jehovah by their heartless ceremonial worship; sacrifice is not an essential element in worship at all. Sacrifices — Animal sacrifices. Offerings — R.V. margin, “meal offerings.” The same word as in verse 22, here all offerings not consisting of animals. The two cover all forms of sacrifice (Isaiah 19:21; Psalm 40:6). In the wilderness — During the wanderings preceding the conquest of Canaan (Numbers 14:33, 34; Joshua 5:6). Have ye offered [“Did ye bring”] — The answer expected is an emphatic No! And yet, the prophet would say, during these forty years Jehovah was as near to you as at any time in your history (Amos 2:9, 10). If so, his presence and favor cannot depend upon the bringing of numerous sacrifices (Jeremiah 7:22), hence you are mistaken when you expect your present elaborate ritual to secure for you the divine favor. Sacrifice antedates the time of Moses, and that some sacrifices were offered during the desert wanderings cannot be doubted. But this is not a contradiction of the statement of Amos, for his question does not necessarily imply a denial of the bringing of all sacrifice. The demands of the language are satisfied if his words are interpreted as meaning that during the desert wanderings the people did not conform to a ritual as elaborate as that practiced in his own day; and such interpretation satisfies also the demands of his argument.

V. 25. Have ye-Their fathers and they, tho’ at so great a distance of time, are one people, and so the prophet considers them. Unto me-Was it to me, or to your idols, that you offered, even in the wilderness?

Verse 25. Have ye offered unto me sacrifices] Some have been led to think that “during the forty years which the Israelites spent in the wilderness, between Egypt and the promised land, they did not offer any sacrifices, as in their circumstances it was impossible; they offered none because they had none.” But such people must have forgotten that when the covenant was made at Sinai, there were burnt-offerings and peace-offerings of oxen sacrificed to the Lord, Exodus 24:5; and at the setting up of the tabernacle the twelve princes of the twelve tribes offered each a young bullock, a ram, and a lamb, for a burnt-offering; a kid for a sin-offering; two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs, for a peace-offering, Numbers 7:12, &c.; which amounted to an immense number of victims offered in the course of the twelve days during which this feast of the dedication lasted. At the consecration of priests, bullocks and rams to a considerable number were offered, see Leviticus 8:1, &c.; but they were not offered so regularly, nor in such abundance, as they were after the settlement in the promised land. Learned men, therefore, have considered this verse as speaking thus: Did ye offer to me, during forty years in the wilderness, sacrifices in such a way as was pleasing to me? Ye did not; for your hearts were divided, and ye were generally in a spirit of insurrection or murmuring.

Verse 25. Have ye offered — Or, did you offer, unto me sacrifices and offerings — “Verborum emphasis in MIHI sita est,” says Spencer: The emphasis of the passage lies in ME. “Did ye offer such sacrifices as were acceptable to ME; such an entire and undivided service as I enjoin?” — Newcome. Certainly they did not. They offered sacrifices indeed, but in general did not offer them in a right manner, in a true spirit of piety; in the genuine fear and love of God, and with an upright intention to glorify him. On the contrary, they joined the worship of idols with the worship of God, and thereby polluted it, and rendered it insignificant in God’s sight. Thus Dr. Whitby: “This question is a strong negative, importing, that though they really did offer sacrifices, as he had commanded, yet he did not accept, or look upon them, as offered to him. The expression is like that of the Prophet Zechariah 7:5, When ye fasted, &c., did ye at all fast to me, even to me? And this is here denied, 1st, Because God will accept of no worship as done unto him, which is not done unto him alone; and when any other is worshipped with him, he looks upon himself as not worshipped at all. So, of those nations which came from Assyria into the cities of Samaria, it is said, 2 Kings 17:33, They feared the Lord, and served their own gods; and then it is added, verse 34, They feared not the Lord. 2d, Because God will not own any worship as performed to him, while men continue in their disobedience to his laws, and in their hearts depart from him. Thus the Jews, in Zechariah, are said not to fast to him, because they would not hearken to nor obey his words; and he is said to have been angry with them in the wilderness forty years, because they erred from him in their hearts; that is, says the Chaldee, they had their idols in their hearts.”

21-25. The popular service is an abomination to Jehovah. The prophet represents Jehovah as out of sympathy with and even hostile to the popular worship. In what sense this is to be understood see on Hosea 6:6. Hate,… despise — Exceedingly strong expressions of displeasure. The emphasis throughout is on the pronoun. Their practices are an abomination to Jehovah. Feast days — See on Hosea 2:11. Will not smell — R.V., “will take no delight.” The metaphor is based upon the primitive material conception that the Deity literally smelled the sweet odor of the sacrifice. He indicated his displeasure by refusing to smell it (compare Genesis 8:21; Isaiah 11:3; Leviticus 26:31). Solemn assemblies — See on Joel 1:14; compare on Hosea 2:11, where a different Hebrew word is used. The prophet next enumerates the most common and most popular kinds of sacrifice which Jehovah despises. Burnt offerings — See on Hosea 6:6. Meat offerings — R.V., “meal offerings.” See on Joel 1:9 (compare Leviticus 2:1ff.; Numbers 15:1ff). Peace offerings — Margin, “thank offerings.” Not the same word as in 4:5. They are the offerings prompted by a desire to restore peace, to renew intimate fellowship with God, after, in some manner, it had become interrupted (Leviticus 3:1ff.; 7:15ff.). Fat beasts — Only the choicest animals were used for sacrifice. The joyful music accompanying the sacrifices also was displeasing to Jehovah. From me — Literally, from upon me. It is oppressing Jehovah like a heavy burden (Isaiah 1:14). Noise — The use of this word implies a feeling of disgust. “The best music becomes mere noise when, for any reason, it ceases to appeal to him who hears it.” Songs — Songs and music were undoubtedly a part of religious celebrations from an early period, but their exact nature among the Hebrews in pre-exilic times is not definitely known. Viols — Our knowledge of musical instruments in ancient times is very fragmentary. The instrument named here is probably a harp-shaped instrument with strings. Josephus says that in his day it had twelve strings (compare Psalm 33:2) and was played with the fingers. Here it represents all musical instruments used in connection with worship (compare Encyclopaedia Biblica, article “Music”).

V. 26. Ye have borne-Ye carried along with you in the wilderness; the shrine, or canopy in which the image was placed. Moloch-The great idol of the Ammonites. Chiun-Another idol.

Verse 26. But ye have borne] The preceding verse spoke of their fathers; the present verse speaks of the Israelites then existing, who were so grievously addicted to idolatry, that they not only worshipped at stated public places the idols set up by public authority, but they carried their gods about with them everywhere.

The tabernacle of your Moloch] Probably a small portable shrine, with an image of their god in it, such as Moloch; and the star or representative of their god Chiun. For an ample exposition of this verse, see Clarke’s note on “Ac 7:42”; to which let me add, that from Picart’s Religious Ceremonies, vol. iii. p. 199, we find that there was an idol named Choun worshipped among the Peruvians from the remotest antiquity.

Verse 26. But ye have borne, or did bear, the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun — Your ancestors manifested their want of true devotion toward me, in that they were so prone to practise those idolatries which they learned in Egypt, or which they saw practised in the countries through which they passed: see Numbers 25:2; Joshua 24:14; Ezekiel 20:7, 16; and 23:3, 8. As these words are quoted by St. Stephen, (Acts 7:42, 43,) to prove that God gave them up to worship the host of heaven, it is probable that by Moloch is meant the sun, which the whole East worshipped in ancient times, called also, as almost all interpreters agree, Baal, Bel, or Belus: Baal, the Lord, (as the word signifies,) and Moloch, the king of heaven, being the same. As for the other word, Chiun, rendered by the LXX. Rephan or Remphan, according to Vossius, it signifies the moon; but Aben Ezra understands it of Saturn, an interpretation which many learned men approve: see particularly Lud. de Dieu, upon Acts 7:43, and Dr. Spencer, De Leg. Hebr., lib. 3. cap. 3, where it is shown that Saturn was called Rephan, or Remphan, by the Egyptians. Your images — They had images of these supposed deities, that of Moloch representing the sun, and that of Chiun the star Saturn: see Seldon, 2:396. These images were placed in shrines, here termed twks, a tabernacle, or tabernacles, and these they used to carry about with them, as Grotius and Dr. Hammond, on Acts 7:43, have proved.

Ver. 26. Ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch. Literally, ye have borne Siccuth your king. Dr. Lightfoot reads it so, and also Kimchi. Hence Siccuth was an idol, sometimes written moloch, molech, milchom, and malcham. It is expressly the same with Baal, unless two idols stood in one place. So Jeremiah 32:35. “They built the high places of Baal to offer their sons to Moloch.” So also 2 Chronicles 28:2, 3. See the note in that chapter. Ahab, it would seem, from the bloody worship of Baal’s prophets, had introduced this idol, or rather revived its worship after Solomon. 1 Kings 11:2 Kings 18.

Moloch and Chiun. Ham is the Cronus of the Greeks. His wife was Ashteroth or Astarte. ˆrq karen is the etymology of his name. The LXX read Raifav which in the new testament is altered to Refan. Acts 7:43. The name Rephas was Ham’s title; and being father of the Rephaim, smitten by Chedorlaomer in Ashteroth-karnaim, is so called because Astarte was worshipped there. Genesis 14:5. They chose therefore to call themselves by his more honourable appellation. The Coptics gave his name to a star, which was worshipped at large in the east. Cicero admits that Venus was the Astarte of Syria. Moloch, Melech, or Malchus is a title given to Ham, who offered his son Jeoud, a lutron, an expiatory sacrifice in the time of a plague. Hence the cruel influence it had on his posterity, in making their children pass through the fire to his statue. See Euseb. Præparat. Also the note on Leviticus 18:21.

26, 27. The sentence. The translation of verse 26 and its relation to the context are matters of much dispute. Does it refer to the past, the present, or the future? Should it be rendered “ye have borne,” or “ye bear,” or “ye shall bear”? Is it a condemnation of past or present idolatry, or a threat of judgment? Is the text correct, or has it suffered in transmission? Are the words translated tabernacle and shrine common or proper nouns? Is verse 26 to be connected with 25 or with 27? These and similar questions are responsible for the greatest variety of opinion among interpreters. To the present writer it seems best to connect verse 26 with 27 as a threat of judgment, and to translate, with R.V. margin, “ye shall take up.” This is in harmony with the prophet’s reasoning and is supported by Hebrew usage. He believes also that the order of the words in LXX. is to be preferred, and that the first word, A.V., “But,” R V., “Yea,” should be rendered “Therefore,” which is permissible. The transposition of the words suggested by LXX. results in a more satisfactory connection for the relative clause and in a smoother reading throughout. Verse 26, then, may be rendered, “Therefore ye shall take up the tabernacle of your king, and the shrine of your star-god, your images which ye made to yourselves.” Some, taking greater liberties with the text, propose as the original, “Ye shall lift up the shrine of your king and the image of your god, which ye have made for yourselves.” Tabernacle… shrine — Both these nouns occur only here in the Old Testament; hence the exact meaning is doubtful. The former resembles very closely the common Hebrew word for tabernacle, and it has been customary, from very early times, to regard it as a synonym of the same. With the meaning of this word fixed, the laws of parallelism required that in the next line a word of similar import should be read; hence the rendering shrine, though the most important of the ancient versions take the second as a proper noun. If this translation is adopted king must be understood as a poetic synonym of god (but compare Acts 7:43); and the thought is that they will be compelled to carry the shrines of the false gods with them into exile.

In more recent times, as a result of archaeological discoveries, it has become customary to interpret both words as proper nouns, names of Assyrian deities. In order to do this the vocalization of the Hebrew must be changed, though the consonantal text may remain the same. Schrader was the first to identify the first word — Hebrews sikkuth — with the Assyrian sakkut, a name of the god Ninib. Oppert recognized in the second — Heb, kiy-yun — the Assyrian kaiwan, the name of the planet Saturn. Ninib is the god of Saturn, and the two names have been found together on a Babylonian tablet (see Encyclopaedia Biblica, article “Chiun”). These identifications are accepted by nearly all modern commentators, and verse 26 is now commonly rendered, “Therefore ye shall take up (to carry into exile) Sakkut your king and Kaiwan your star-god, the images which you made to yourselves.” This translation sees here an implied condemnation of Assyrian idolatry, which had been introduced into Palestine and had helped to corrupt Hebrew religion. The “host of heaven” was worshiped in Israel before the fall of Samaria (2 Kings 17:16); however, 2 Kings 17:31, places the introduction of Assyrian religious practices subsequent to the deportation of the northern tribes. That similar customs had been adopted before the time of Amos, as the above interpretation assumes, cannot be asserted with absolute certainty, nor can it be denied. The future may throw additional light on the interpretation of this much-discussed verse.

V. 27. Therefore-For all your idolatry and other sins, in which you have obstinately continued.

Verse 27. Will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus] That is, into Assyria, the way to which, from Judea, was by Damascus. But St. Stephen says, Acts 7:43, beyond Babylon; because the Holy Spirit that was in him chose to extend the meaning of the original text to that great and final captivity of the Jews in general, when Zedekiah, their last king, and the people of Judea, were carried into Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Media; see 2 Kings 17:7, 24. This captivity happened after the time of Amos.

AMOS

Verse 27. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is, &c. — Ye shall be removed further from your own country, than when Hazael, king of Syria, carried away so many Israelites captives to Damascus, (see 2 Kings 10:32, 33,) and consequently shall have less hopes of returning home. The king of Assyria carried the ten tribes captive as far as Media, 2 Kings 17:6. Therefore St. Stephen, in the passage above quoted, expressing rather the sense than the words, reads, I will carry you away beyond Babylon, Media being at a much greater distance than Babylon. Both readings imply, that the captivity of the ten tribes would be far worse than that of the two remaining, and likely to be of much longer duration.

Ver. 27. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus. The empire of the Assyrians beyond the Euphrates is understood; but the districts adjacent to the Caspian sea were then but little known to the jews.

Verse 27 continues the threat. Therefore will I — Better, literally, and I will. Go into captivity — See Amos 4:3; 7:17. Beyond Damascus — The place is not named, but the expression implies a far-distant country. Armenia (see on Amos 4:3) was beyond Damascus, and far distant from Palestine. Acts 7:43, reads, “beyond Babylon.” Jehovah,… The God of hosts — See on Amos 4:13.