Amos 1:14

1:14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s ¹  city wall; ² 

fire ³  will consume her fortresses.

War cries will be heard on the day of battle; ⁴ 

a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm. ⁵ 

Amos 3:9

Samaria Will Fall

3:9 Make this announcement in ⁶  the fortresses of Ashdod

and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt.

Say this:

“Gather on the hills around Samaria! ⁷ 

Observe the many acts of violence ⁸  taking place within the city, ⁹ 

the oppressive deeds ¹⁰  occurring in it.” ¹¹ 

Amos 4:4

Israel has an Appointment with God

4:4 “Go to Bethel ¹²  and rebel! ¹³ 

At Gilgal ¹⁴  rebel some more!

Bring your sacrifices in ¹⁵  the morning,

your tithes on ¹⁶  the third day!

Amos 8:3

8:3 The women singing in the temple ¹⁷  will wail in that day.”

The sovereign Lord is speaking.

“There will be many corpses littered everywhere! ¹⁸  Be quiet!”

[1:14]  ¹ sn Rabbah was the Ammonite capital.

[1:14]  ² sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:14]  ³ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “with a war cry in the day of battle.”

[1:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “with wind in the day of the windstorm.”

[1:14]  sn A windstorm is a metaphor for judgment and destruction in the OT (see Isa 29:6; Jer 23:19) and ancient Near Eastern literature.

[3:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “on” or “over” (also later in this verse).

[3:9]  ⁷ sn Samaria might refer here both to the region and to the capital city (later known as Sebaste). On the other hand, there actually are hills that surround the mound upon which the city was built. The implication is that the nations can come and sit and see from those hills the sin of the capital city and its judgment.

[3:9]  map For location of the city see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[3:9]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew noun carries the nuance of “panic” or “confusion.” Here it refers metonymically to the violent deeds that terrorize the oppressed.

[3:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “in her midst” (so NAB, NASB); NIV “among her people.”

[3:9]  ¹⁰ tn The translation assumes the form is an abstract plural (see Job 35:9; Eccl 4:1). Another option is to understand the form as a substantival passive participle and translate, “the oppressed” (so KJV).

[3:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “within her.”

[4:4]  ¹² sn Bethel and Gilgal were important formal worship centers because of their importance in Israel’s history. Here the Lord ironically urges the people to visit these places so they can increase their sin against him. Their formal worship, because it was not accompanied by social justice, only made them more guilty in God’s sight by adding hypocrisy to their list of sins. Obviously, theirs was a twisted view of the Lord. They worshiped a god of their own creation in order to satisfy their religious impulses (see 4:5: “For you love to do this”). Note that none of the rituals listed in 4:4-5 have to do with sin.

[4:4]  map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[4:4]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew word translated “rebel” (also in the following line) could very well refer here to Israel’s violations of their covenant with God (see also the term “crimes” in 1:3 [with note] and the phrase “covenant transgressions” in 2:4 [with note]; 3:14).

[4:4]  ¹⁴ sn See the note on Bethel earlier in this verse.

[4:4]  ¹⁵ tn Or “for.”

[4:4]  ¹⁶ tn Or “for.”

[8:3]  ¹⁷ tn Or “palace” (NASB, NCV, TEV).

[8:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Many corpses in every place he will throw out.” The subject of the verb is probably impersonal, though many emend the active (Hiphil) form to a passive (Hophal): “Many corpses in every place will be thrown out.”