Amos 2:3

2:3 I will remove ¹  Moab’s leader; ² 

I will kill all Moab’s ³  officials ⁴  with him.”

The Lord has spoken!

Amos 2:5

2:5 So I will set Judah on fire,

and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses.” ⁵ 

Amos 5:7

5:7 The Israelites ⁶  turn justice into bitterness; ⁷ 

they throw what is fair and right ⁸  to the ground. ⁹ 

Amos 5:9

5:9 He flashes ¹⁰  destruction down upon the strong

so that destruction overwhelms ¹¹  the fortified places.)

Amos 5:21

5:21 “I absolutely despise ¹²  your festivals!

I get no pleasure ¹³  from your religious assemblies!

Amos 5:24

5:24 Justice must flow like torrents of water,

righteous actions ¹⁴  like a stream that never dries up.

Amos 6:3

6:3 You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come, ¹⁵ 

but you establish a reign of violence. ¹⁶ 

Amos 6:5

6:5 They sing ¹⁷  to the tune of ¹⁸  stringed instruments; ¹⁹ 

like David they invent ²⁰  musical instruments.

Amos 7:13

7:13 Don’t prophesy at Bethel ²¹  any longer, for a royal temple and palace are here!” ²² 

Amos 8:7

8:7 The Lord confirms this oath ²³  by the arrogance of Jacob: ²⁴ 

“I swear ²⁵  I will never forget all you have done! ²⁶ 

[2:3]  ¹ tn Heb “cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB “root out”; NCV “bring to an end.”

[2:3]  ² tn Heb “the leader [traditionally, “judge”] from her midst.”

[2:3]  ³ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn Or “princes” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT); TEV, CEV “leaders.”

[2:5]  ⁵ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “Those who”; the referent (the Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity. In light of vv. 11-13, it is also possible that the words are directed at a more limited group within the nation – those with social and economic power.

[5:7]  ⁷ tn There is an interesting wordplay here with the verb הָפַךְ (hafakh, “overturn, turn”). Israel “turns” justice into wormwood (cf. 6:12), while the Lord “turns” darkness into morning (v. 8; cf. 4:11; 8:10). Israel’s turning is for evil, whereas the Lord’s is to demonstrate his absolute power and sovereignty.

[5:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “they throw righteousness.”

[5:7]  ⁹ sn In v. 7 the prophet begins to describe the guilty Israelites, but then interrupts his word picture with a parenthetical, but powerful, description of the judge they must face (vv. 8-9). He resumes his description of the sinners in v. 10.

[5:9]  ¹⁰ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb בָּלַג (balag, translated here “flashes”) is uncertain.

[5:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “comes upon.” Many prefer to repoint the verb as Hiphil and translate, “he brings destruction upon the fortified places.”

[5:21]  ¹² tn Heb “I hate”; “I despise.”

[5:21]  ¹³ tn Heb “I will not smell.” These verses are full of vivid descriptions of the Lord’s total rejection of Israelite worship. In the first half of this verse two verbs are used together for emphasis. Here the verb alludes to the sense of smell, a fitting observation since offerings would have been burned on the altar ideally to provide a sweet aroma to God (see, e.g., Lev 1:9, 13, 17; Num 29:36). Other senses that are mentioned include sight and hearing in vv. 22-23.

[5:24]  ¹⁴ tn Traditionally, “righteousness.”

[6:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “those who push away a day of disaster.”

[6:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “you bring near a seat of violence.” The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שֶׁבֶת (shevet, “seat, sitting”) is unclear in this context. The translation assumes that it refers to a throne from which violence (in the person of the oppressive leaders) reigns. Another option is that the expression refers not to the leaders’ oppressive rule, but to the coming judgment when violence will overtake the nation in the person of enemy invaders.

[6:5]  ¹⁷ tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּרַט (parat), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. Some translate “strum,” “pluck,” or “improvise.”

[6:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “upon the mouth of,” that is, “according to.”

[6:5]  ¹⁹ sn The stringed instruments mentioned here are probably harps (cf. NIV, NRSV) or lutes (cf. NEB).

[6:5]  ²⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew phrase חָשְׁבוּ לָהֶם (khoshvu lahem) is uncertain. Various options include: (1) “they think their musical instruments are like David’s”; (2) “they consider themselves musicians like David”; (3) “they esteem musical instruments highly like David”; (4) “they improvise [new songs] for themselves [on] instruments like David”; (5) “they invent musical instruments like David.” However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that given in the translation (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 206-7).

[7:13]  ²¹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:13]  ²² tn Heb “for it is a temple of a king and it is a royal house.” It is possible that the phrase “royal house” refers to a temple rather than a palace. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 243.

[8:7]  ²³ tn Or “swears.”

[8:7]  ²⁴ sn In an oath one appeals to something permanent to emphasize one’s commitment to the promise. Here the Lord sarcastically swears by the arrogance of Jacob, which he earlier had condemned (6:8), something just as enduring as the Lord’s own life (see 6:8) or unchanging character (see 4:2). Other suggestions include that the Lord is swearing by the land, his most valuable possession (cf. Isa 4:2; Ps 47:4 [47:5 HT]); that this is a divine epithet analogous to “the Glory of Israel” (1 Sam 15:29); or that an ellipsis should be understood here, in which case the meaning is the same as that of 6:8 (“The Lord has sworn [by himself] against the arrogance of Jacob”).

[8:7]  ²⁵ tn The words “I swear” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation because a self-imprecation is assumed in oaths of this type.

[8:7]  ²⁶ tn Or “I will never forget all your deeds.”