Amos 6:8

6:8 The sovereign Lord confirms this oath by his very own life. ¹ 

The Lord, the God who commands armies, is speaking:

“I despise Jacob’s arrogance;

I hate their ²  fortresses.

I will hand over to their enemies ³  the city of Samaria ⁴  and everything in it.”

Amos 7:8

7:8 The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” I said, “Tin.” The sovereign One then said,

“Look, I am about to place tin among my people Israel.

I will no longer overlook their sin. ⁵ 

Amos 9:3-4

9:3 Even if they were to hide on the top of Mount Carmel,

I would hunt them down and take them from there.

Even if they tried to hide from me ⁶  at the bottom of the sea,

from there ⁷  I would command the Sea Serpent ⁸  to bite them.

9:4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity, ⁹ 

from there ¹⁰  I will command the sword to kill them.

I will not let them out of my sight;

they will experience disaster, not prosperity.” ¹¹ 

[6:8]  ¹ tn Heb “swears by his life”; or “swears by himself.”

[6:8]  ² tn Heb “his,” referring to Jacob, which stands here for the nation of Israel.

[6:8]  ³ tn The words “to their enemies” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[6:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “the city”; this probably refers to the city of Samaria (cf. 6:1), which in turn, by metonymy, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[7:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “And I will no longer pass over him.”

[9:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “from before my eyes.”

[9:3]  ⁷ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:3]  ⁸ sn If the article indicates a definite serpent, then the mythological Sea Serpent, symbolic of the world’s chaotic forces, is probably in view. See Job 26:13 and Isa 27:1 (where it is also called Leviathan). Elsewhere in the OT this serpent is depicted as opposing the Lord, but this text implies that even this powerful enemy of God is ultimately subject to his sovereign will.

[9:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “Even if they go into captivity before their enemies.”

[9:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I will set my eye on them for disaster, not good.”