Amos 1:1-2

Introduction

1:1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. ¹  He ²  was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him ³  during the time of ⁴  King Uzziah of Judah and ⁵  King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ⁶ 

God Will Judge the Surrounding Nations

1:2 Amos ⁷  said:

“The Lord comes roaring ⁸  out of Zion;

from Jerusalem ⁹  he comes bellowing! ¹⁰ 

The shepherds’ pastures wilt; ¹¹ 

the summit of Carmel ¹²  withers.” ¹³ 

Amos 1:4

1:4 So I will set Hazael’s house ¹⁴  on fire;

fire ¹⁵  will consume Ben Hadad’s ¹⁶  fortresses.

Amos 1:7

1:7 So I will set Gaza’s city wall ¹⁷  on fire;

fire ¹⁸  will consume her fortresses.

Amos 1:10

1:10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; ¹⁹ 

fire ²⁰  will consume her fortresses.”

Amos 1:12

1:12 So I will set Teman ²¹  on fire;

fire ²²  will consume Bozrah’s ²³  fortresses.”

Amos 1:14

1:14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s ²⁴  city wall; ²⁵ 

fire ²⁶  will consume her fortresses.

War cries will be heard on the day of battle; ²⁷ 

a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm. ²⁸ 

Amos 2:2

2:2 So I will set Moab on fire, ²⁹ 

and it will consume Kerioth’s ³⁰  fortresses.

Moab will perish ³¹  in the heat of battle ³² 

amid war cries and the blaring ³³  of the ram’s horn. ³⁴ 

Amos 2:5

2:5 So I will set Judah on fire,

and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses.” ³⁵ 

Amos 2:8

2:8 They stretch out on clothing seized as collateral;

they do so right ³⁶  beside every altar!

They drink wine bought with the fines they have levied;

they do so right in the temple ³⁷  of their God! ³⁸ 

Amos 2:15

2:15 Archers ³⁹  will not hold their ground; ⁴⁰ 

fast runners will not save their lives,

nor will those who ride horses. ⁴¹ 

Amos 3:5-6

3:5 Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?

Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something?

3:6 If an alarm sounds ⁴²  in a city, do people not fear? ⁴³ 

If disaster overtakes a ⁴⁴  city, is the Lord not responsible? ⁴⁵ 

Amos 4:7

4:7 “I withheld rain from you three months before the harvest. ⁴⁶ 

I gave rain to one city, but not to another.

One field ⁴⁷  would get rain, but the field that received no rain dried up.

Amos 6:3

6:3 You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come, ⁴⁸ 

but you establish a reign of violence. ⁴⁹ 

Amos 8:9-10

8:9 In that day,” says the sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun set at noon,

and make the earth dark in the middle of the day. ⁵⁰ 

8:10 I will turn your festivals into funerals, ⁵¹ 

and all your songs into funeral dirges.

I will make everyone wear funeral clothes ⁵² 

and cause every head to be shaved bald. ⁵³ 

I will make you mourn as if you had lost your only son; ⁵⁴ 

when it ends it will indeed have been a bitter day. ⁵⁵ 

[1:1]  ¹ tn Heb “The words of Amos.” Among the prophetic books this opening phrase finds a parallel only at Jer 1:1 but is not that uncommon in other genres (note, e.g., Prov 30:1; 31:1; Eccl 1:1; Neh 1:1).

[1:1]  ² tn Heb “who.” Here a new sentence has been started in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:1]  ³ tn Heb “which he saw concerning Israel.”

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “in the days of.”

[1:1]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text repeats, “and in the days of.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:1]  ⁶ sn This refers to a well-known earthquake that occurred during the first half of the 8th century b.c. According to a generally accepted dating system, Uzziah was a co-regent with his father Amaziah from 792-767 b.c. and ruled independently from 767-740 b.c. Jeroboam II was a co-regent with his father Joash from 793-782 b.c. and ruled independently from 782-753 b.c. Since only Uzziah and Jeroboam are mentioned in the introduction it is likely that Amos’ mission to Israel and the earthquake which followed occurred between 767-753 b.c. The introduction validates the genuine character of Amos’ prophetic ministry in at least two ways: (1) Amos was not a native Israelite or a prophet by trade. Rather he was a herdsman in Tekoa, located in Judah. His mere presence in the northern kingdom as a prophet was evidence that he had been called by God (see 7:14-15). (2) The mighty earthquake shortly after Amos’ ministry would have been interpreted as an omen or signal of approaching judgment. The clearest references to an earthquake are 1:1 and 9:1, 5. It is possible that the verb הָפַךְ (hafakh, “overturn”) at 3:13-15, 4:11, 6:11, and 8:8 also refers to an earthquake, as might the descriptions at 2:13 and 6:9-10. Evidence of a powerful earthquake has been correlated with a destruction layer at Hazor and other sites. Its lasting impact is evident by its mention in Zech 14:5 and 2 Chr 26:16-21. Earthquake imagery appears in later prophets as well (cf. D. N. Freedman and A. Welch, “Amos’s Earthquake and Israelite Prophecy,” Scripture and Other Artifacts, 188-98). On the other hand, some of these verses in Amos could allude to the devastation that would be caused by the imminent military invasion.

[1:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “he;” the referent (Amos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:2]  ⁸ sn The Lord, in his role of warrior-king, is compared to a lion. See 3:4, 8.

[1:2]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “gives his voice.”

[1:2]  ¹¹ tn Lexicographers debate whether there are two roots אָבַל (’aval), one signifying “mourn” and the other “be dry,” or simply one (“mourn”). The parallel verb (“withers”) might favor the first option and have the meaning “wilt away.” It is interesting to note, however, that the root appears later in the book in the context of lament (5:16; 8:8, 10; 9:5). Either 1:2 is a possible wordplay to alert the reader to the death that will accompany the judgment (the option of two roots), or perhaps the translation “mourns” is appropriate here as well (cf. KJV, NASB, NKJV, NJPS; see also D. J. A. Clines, “Was There an ’BL II ‘Be Dry’ in Classical Hebrew?” VT 42 [1992]: 1-10).

[1:2]  ¹² sn Carmel was a region known for its abundant plants and trees. See Isa 33:9; 35:2; Jer 50:19.

[1:2]  ¹³ sn Loss of a land’s fertility is frequently associated with judgment in the OT and ancient Near Eastern literature.

[1:4]  ¹⁴ tn “Hazael’s house” (“the house of Hazael”) refers to the dynasty of Hazael.

[1:4]  sn Hazael took the throne of Aram in 843 b.c. and established a royal dynasty. See 2 Kgs 8:7-15 and W. Pitard, Ancient Damascus, 145-60.

[1:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:4]  ¹⁶ sn Ben-hadad may refer to Hazael’s son and successor (2 Kgs 13:3, 24) or to an earlier king (see 1 Kgs 20), perhaps the ruler whom Hazael assassinated when he assumed power.

[1:7]  ¹⁷ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:10]  ¹⁹ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ²¹ sn Teman was an important region (or perhaps city) in Edom.

[1:12]  ²² tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ²³ sn Bozrah was a city located in northern Edom.

[1:14]  ²⁴ sn Rabbah was the Ammonite capital.

[1:14]  ²⁵ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:14]  ²⁶ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:14]  ²⁷ tn Heb “with a war cry in the day of battle.”

[1:14]  ²⁸ 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.

[2:2]  ²⁹ sn The destruction of Moab by fire is an example of a judgment in kind – as the Moabites committed the crime of “burning,” so the Lord will punish them by setting them on fire.

[2:2]  ³⁰ sn Kerioth was an important Moabite city. See Jer 48:24, 41.

[2:2]  ³¹ tn Or “die” (KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV); NAB “shall meet death.”

[2:2]  ³² tn Or “in the tumult.” This word refers to the harsh confusion of sounds that characterized an ancient battle – a mixture of war cries, shouts, shrieks of pain, clashes of weapons, etc.

[2:2]  ³³ tn Heb “sound” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[2:2]  ³⁴ sn The ram’s horn (used as a trumpet) was blown to signal the approaching battle.

[2:5]  ³⁵ 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.

[2:8]  ³⁶ tn The words “They do so right” are supplied twice in the translation of this verse for clarification.

[2:8]  ³⁷ tn Heb “house.”

[2:8]  ³⁸ tn Or “gods.” The Hebrew term אֱלֹהֵיהֶם (’elohehem) may be translated “their gods” (referring to pagan gods), “their god” (referring to a pagan god, cf. NAB, NIV, NLT), or “their God” (referring to the God of Israel, cf. NASB, NRSV).

[2:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the one who holds the bow.”

[2:15]  ⁴⁰ tn For the idiom of “holding [or “standing”] one’s ground” in battle, there is a similar phrase in Ezek 13:5; also related is the expression “to hold one’s own against” (or “to withstand”) in Judg 2:14; 2 Kgs 10:4; Dan 8:7 (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 97). Other options include “will not endure” or “will not survive.”

[2:15]  ⁴¹ tn The last two lines read literally, “The one fast in his feet will not rescue [his life], and the rider of the horse will not rescue his life.” The phrase “his life” does double duty in the parallelism and should be understood in both lines.

[3:6]  ⁴² tn Heb “If the ram’s horn is blown.”

[3:6]  ⁴³ tn Or “tremble” (NASB, NIV, NCV); or “shake.”

[3:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “is in”; NIV, NCV, NLT “comes to.”

[3:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “has the Lord not acted?”

[4:7]  ⁴⁶ sn Rain…three months before the harvest refers to the rains of late March-early April.

[4:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “portion”; KJV, ASV “piece”; NASB “part.” The same word occurs a second time later in this verse.

[6:3]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “those who push away a day of disaster.”

[6:3]  ⁴⁹ 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.

[8:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “in a day of light.”

[8:10]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “mourning.”

[8:10]  ⁵² tn Heb “I will place sackcloth on all waists.”

[8:10]  sn Mourners wore sackcloth (funeral clothes) as an outward expression of grief.

[8:10]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and make every head bald.” This could be understood in a variety of ways, while the ritual act of mourning typically involved shaving the head (although occasionally the hair could be torn out as a sign of mourning).

[8:10]  sn Shaving the head or tearing out one’s hair was a ritual act of mourning. See Lev 21:5; Deut 14:1; Isa 3:24; 15:2; Jer 47:5; 48:37; Ezek 7:18; 27:31; Mic 1:16.

[8:10]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “I will make it like the mourning for an only son.”

[8:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and its end will be like a bitter day.” The Hebrew preposition כְּ (kaf) sometimes carries the force of “in every respect,” indicating identity rather than mere comparison.