Amos 6:6-7

6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, ¹ 

and pour the very best oils on themselves. ² 

Yet they are not concerned over ³  the ruin ⁴  of Joseph.

6:7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile, ⁵ 

and the religious banquets ⁶  where they sprawl on couches ⁷  will end.

Amos 6:13

6:13 You are happy because you conquered Lo-Debar. ⁸ 

You say, “Did we not conquer Karnaim ⁹  by our own power?”

[6:6]  ¹ sn Perhaps some religious rite is in view, or the size of the bowls is emphasized (i.e., bowls as large as sacrificial bowls).

[6:6]  ² tn Heb “with the best of oils they anoint [themselves].”

[6:6]  ³ tn Or “not sickened by.”

[6:6]  ⁴ sn The ruin of Joseph may refer to the societal disintegration in Israel, or to the effects of the impending judgment.

[6:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “they will go into exile at the head of the exiles.”

[6:7]  ⁶ sn Religious banquets. This refers to the מַרְזֵחַ (marzeakh), a type of pagan religious banquet popular among the upper class of Israel at this time and apparently associated with mourning. See P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 137-61; J. L. McLaughlin, The “Marzeah” in the Prophetic Literature (VTSup). Scholars debate whether at this banquet the dead were simply remembered or actually venerated in a formal, cultic sense.

[6:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “of the sprawled out.” See v. 4.

[6:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “those who rejoice over Lo-Debar.”

[6:13]  sn Lo-Debar was located across the Jordan River in Gilead, which the Israelite army had conquered. However, there is stinging irony here, for in Hebrew the name Lo-Debar means “nothing.” In reality Israel was happy over nothing of lasting consequence.

[6:13]  ⁹ sn Karnaim was also located across the Jordan River. The name in Hebrew means “double horned.” Since an animal’s horn was a symbol of strength (see Deut 33:17), the Israelites boasted in this victory over a town whose very name symbolized military power.