Amos 5

Am 5:1-27.

ELEGY OVER THE

PROSTRATE

KINGDOM:

RENEWED

EXHORTATIONS TO

REPENTANCE:

GOD

DECLARES THAT THE

COMING

DAY OF

JUDGMENT

SHALL

BE

TERRIBLE TO THE

SCORNERS

WHO

DESPISE

IT:

CEREMONIAL

SERVICES

ARE

NOT

ACCEPTABLE TO

HIM

WHERE

TRUE

PIETY

EXISTS

NOT:

ISRAEL

SHALL

THEREFORE

BE

REMOVED

FAR

EASTWARD.

1. lamentation--an elegy for the destruction coming on you. Compare

Eze 32:2,

"take up," namely, as a mournful burden

(Eze 19:1; 27:2).

2. virgin of Israel--the Israelite state heretofore unsubdued by

foreigners. Compare

Isa 23:12;

Jer 18:13; 31:4, 21;

La 2:13;

may be interpreted, Thou who wast once the "virgin daughter of Zion."

Rather, "virgin" as applied to a state implies its beauty, and the

delights on which it prides itself, its luxuries, power, and wealth

[CALVIN].

no more rise--in the existing order of things: in the Messianic

dispensation it is to rise again, according to many prophecies. Compare

2Ki 6:23; 24:7,

for the restricted sense of "no more."

forsaken upon her land--or, "prostrated upon," &c. (compare

Eze 29:5; 32:4)

[MAURER].

3. went out by a thousand--that is, "the city from which there used

to go out a thousand" equipped for war. "City" is put for "the

inhabitants of the city," as in

Am 4:8.

shall leave . . . hundred--shall have only a hundred

left, the rest being destroyed by sword and pestilence

(De 28:62).

4. Seek ye me, and ye shall live--literally, "Seek

. . . Me, and live." The second imperative expresses

the certainty of "life" (escape from judgment) resulting from

obedience to the precept in the first imperative. If they perish, it is

their own fault; God would forgive, if they would repent

(Isa 55:3, 6).

5. seek not Beth-el--that is, the calves at Beth-el.

Gilgal--(See on

Am 4:4).

Beer-sheba--in Judah on the southern frontier towards Edom. Once

"the well of the oath" by Jehovah, ratifying Abraham's covenant with

Abimelech, and the scene of his calling on "the Lord, the everlasting

God"

(Ge 21:31, 33),

now a stronghold of idolatry

(Am 8:14).

Gilgal shall surely go into captivity--a play on similar sounds in the

Hebrew, Gilgal, galoh, yigleh: "Gilgal (the place of rolling)

shall rolling be rolled away."

Beth-el shall come to naught--Beth-el (that is, the "house of God"),

called because of its vain idols Beth-aven (that is, "the house of

vanity," or "naught,"

Ho 4:15; 10:5, 8),

shall indeed "come to naught."

6. break out like fire--bursting through everything in His way. God

is "a consuming fire"

(De 4:24;

Isa 10:17;

La 2:3).

the house of Joseph--the kingdom of Israel, of which the tribe of

Ephraim, Joseph's son, was the chief tribe (compare

Eze 37:16).

none to quench it in Beth-el--that is, none in Beth-el to quench it;

none of the Beth-el idols on which Israel so depended, able to remove

the divine judgments.

7. turn judgment to wormwood--that is, pervert it to most bitter wrong.

As justice is sweet, so injustice is bitter to the injured. "Wormwood"

is from a Hebrew root, to "execrate," on account of its noxious and

bitter qualities.

leave on righteousness in . . .

earth--MAURER translates, "cast righteousness to the ground," as in

Isa 28:2;

Da 8:12.

8. the seven stars--literally, the heap or cluster of seven larger stars and others smaller

(Job 9:9; 38:31).

The former whole passage seems to have been in Amos' mind. He names the

stars well known to shepherds (to which class Amos belonged), Orion as

the precursor of the tempests which are here threatened, and the

Pleiades as ushering in spring.

shadow of death--Hebraism for the densest darkness.

calleth for the waters of the sea--both to send deluges in

judgment, and the ordinary rain in mercy

(1Ki 18:44).

9. strengtheneth the spoiled--literally, "spoil" or

"devastation": hence the "person spoiled." WINER,

MAURER, and the best modern critics translate,

"maketh devastation (or destruction) suddenly to

arise," literally, "maketh it to gleam forth like the dawn."

Ancient versions support English Version. The Hebrew is

elsewhere used, to make, to shine, to make glad: and as

English Version here

(Ps 39:13),

"recover strength."

the spoiled shall come--"devastation," or "destruction shall come

upon" [MAURER].

English Version expresses that, strong as Israel

fancies herself after the successes of Jeroboam II

(2Ki 14:25),

even the weakest can be made by God to prevail against the strong.

10. him that rebuketh in the gate--the judge who condemns their

iniquity in the place of judgment

(Isa 29:21).

abhor him that speaketh uprightly--the prophet telling them the

unwelcome truth: answering in the parallelism to the judge, "that

rebuketh in the gate" (compare

1Ki 22:8;

Pr 9:8; 12:1;

Jer 36:23).

11. burdens of wheat--burdensome taxes levied in kind from the

wheat of the needy, to pamper the lusts of the great

[HENDERSON]. Or

wheat advanced in time of scarcity, and exacted again at a burdensome

interest [RABBI

SALOMON].

built houses . . . but not dwell in them . . . vineyards, . . . but

not drink wine of them--according to the original prophecy of Moses

(De 28:30, 38, 39).

The converse shall be true in restored Israel

(Am 9:14;

Isa 65:21, 22).

12. they afflict . . . they take--rather, "(ye) who afflict . . .

take."

bribe--literally, a price with which one who has an unjust cause

ransoms himself from your sentence

(1Sa 12:3,

Margin;

Pr 6:35).

turn aside the poor in the gate--refuse them their right

in the place of justice

(Am 2:7;

Isa 29:21).

13. the prudent--the spiritually wise.

shall keep silence--not mere silence of tongue, but the prudent

shall keep himself quiet from taking part in any public or private

affairs which he can avoid: as it is "an evil time," and one in which

all law is set at naught.

Eph 5:16

refers to this. Instead of impatiently agitating against irremediable

evils, the godly wise will not cast pearls before swine, who would

trample these, and rend the offerers

(Mt 7:6),

but will patiently wait for God's time of deliverance in silent

submission

(Ps 39:9).

14. and so--on condition of your "seeking good."

shall be with you, as ye have spoken--as ye have boasted; namely, that

God is with you, and that you are His people

(Mic 3:11).

15. Hate . . . evil . . . love . . . good--

(Isa 1:16, 17;

Ro 12:9).

judgment in the gate--justice in the place where causes

are tried.

it may be that the Lord . . . will be gracious--so,

"peradventure"

(Ex 32:30).

Not that men are to come to God with an uncertainty whether or

no He will be gracious: the expression merely implies the difficulty in

the way, because of the want of true repentance on man's part, so as to

stimulate the zealous earnestness of believers in seeking God (compare

Ge 16:2;

Joe 2:14;

Ac 8:22).

the remnant of Joseph--(see

Am 5:6).

Israel (represented by "Ephraim," the leading tribe, and descendant of

Joseph) was, as compared to what it once was, now but a remnant, Hazael

of Syria having smitten all the coasts from Jordan eastward, Gilead and

Bashan, Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh

(2Ki 10:32, 33)

[HENDERSON]. Rather, "the remnant of Israel that

shall have been left after the wicked have been destroyed" [MAURER].

16. Therefore--resumed from

Am 5:13.

God foresees they will not obey the exhortation

(Am 5:14, 15),

but will persevere in the unrighteousness stigmatized

(Am 5:7, 10, 12).

the Lord--JEHOVAH.

the God of hosts, the Lord--an accumulation of titles, of which His

lordship over all things is the climax, to mark that from His judgment

there is no appeal.

streets . . . highways--the broad open spaces and the

narrow streets common in the East.

call the husbandman to mourning--The citizens shall call the

inexperienced husbandmen to act the part usually performed by

professional mourners, as there will not be enough of the latter for the

universal mourning which prevails.

such as are skilful of lamentation--professional mourners hired to

lead off the lamentations for the deceased; alluded to in

Ec 12:5;

generally women

(Jer 9:17-19).

17. in all vineyards . . . wailing--where usually songs of joy were

heard.

pass through thee--taking vengeance

(Ex 12:12, 23;

Na 1:12).

"Pass over" and "pass by," on the contrary, are used of God's

forgiving

(Ex 12:23;

Mic 7:18;

compare

Am 7:8).

18. Woe unto you who do not scruple to say in irony, "We desire that

the day of the Lord would come," that is, "Woe to you who treat it as if

it were a mere dream of the prophets"

(Isa 5:19;

Jer 17:15;

Eze 12:22).

to what end is it for you!--Amos taking their ironical words in

earnest: for God often takes the blasphemer at his own word, in

righteous retribution making the scoffer's jest a terrible reality

against himself. Ye have but little reason to desire the day of the

Lord; for it will be to you calamity, and not joy.

19. As if a man did flee . . . a lion, and a bear met

him--Trying to escape one calamity, he falls into another. This

perhaps implies that in

Am 5:18

their ironical desire for the day of the Lord was as if it would be an

escape from existing calamities. The coming of the day of the Lord

would be good news to us, if true: for we have served God (that is, the

golden calves). So do hypocrites flatter themselves as to death and

judgment, as if these would be a relief from existing ills of life.

The lion may from generosity spare the prostrate, but the bear

spares none (compare

Job 20:24;

Isa 24:18).

leaned . . . on the wall--on the side wall of the house, to support

himself from falling. Snakes often hid themselves in fissures in a wall.

Those not reformed by God's judgments will be pursued by them: if they

escape one, another is ready to seize them.

21. I hate, I despise--The two verbs joined without a conjunction

express God's strong abhorrence.

your feast days--yours; not Mine; I do not acknowledge them:

unlike those in Judah, yours are of human, not divine institution.

I will not smell--that is, I will take no delight in the sacrifices

offered

(Ge 8:21;

Le 26:31).

in your solemn assemblies--literally, "days of restraint."

Isa 1:10-15

is parallel. Isaiah is fuller; Amos, more condensed. Amos condemns

Israel not only on the ground of their thinking to satisfy God by

sacrifices without obedience (the charge brought by Isaiah against the

Jews), but also because even their external ritual was a mere

corruption, and unsanctioned by God.

22. meat offerings--flour, &c. Unbloody offerings.

peace offerings--offerings for obtaining from God peace and prosperity.

Hebrew, "thank offerings."

23. Take . . . away from me--literally, "Take away, from upon Me";

the idea being that of a burden pressing upon the bearer. So

Isa 1:14,

"They are a trouble unto Me (literally, 'a burden upon Me'): I

am weary to bear them."

the noise of thy songs--The hymns and instrumental music on sacred

occasions are to Me nothing but a disagreeable noise.

I will not hear--Isaiah substitutes "prayers"

(Isa 1:15)

for the "songs" and "melody" here; but, like Amos, closes with "I will

not hear."

24. judgment--justice.

run down--literally, "roll," that is, flow abundantly

(Isa 48:18).

Without the desire to fulfil righteousness in the offerer, the

sacrifice is hateful to God

(1Sa 15:22;

Ps 66:18;

Ho 6:6;

Mic 6:8).

25, 26. Have ye offered? &c.--Yes: ye have. "But (all the time with

strange inconsistency) ye have borne

(aloft in solemn pomp) the

tabernacle (that is, the portable shrine, or model tabernacle: small

enough not to be detected by Moses; compare

Ac 19:24)

of your Molech" (that idol is "your" god; I am not, though ye go

through the form of presenting offerings to Me). The question, "Have

ye," is not a denial (for they did offer in the wilderness to

Jehovah sacrifices of the cattle which they took with them in their

nomad life there,

Ex 24:4;

Nu 7:1-89; 9:1,

&c.), but a strong affirmation (compare

1Sa 2:27, 28;

Jer 31:20;

Eze 20:4).

The sin of Israel in Amos' time is the very sin of their forefathers,

mocking God with worship, while at the same time worshipping idols

(compare

Eze 20:39).

It was clandestine in Moses' time, else he would have put it down; he

was aware generally of their unfaithfulness, though not knowing the

particulars

(De 31:21, 27).

Molech . . . Chiun--"Molech" means "king" answering to

Mars [BENGEL]; the Sun [JABLONSKI]; Saturn, the same as "Chiun" [MAURER]. The Septuagint translates "Chiun" into

Remphan, as Stephen quotes it

(Ac 7:42, 43).

The same god often had different names. Molech is the Ammonite

name; Chiun, the Arabic and Persian name, written also

Chevan. In an Arabic lexicon Chiun means "austere"; so

astrologers represented Saturn as a planet baleful in his

influence. Hence the Phœnicians offered human sacrifices to him,

children especially; so idolatrous Israel also. Rimmon was the

Syrian name

(2Ki 5:18);

pronounced as Remvan, or "Remphan," just as Chiun was

also Chevan. Molech had the form of a king; Chevan, or Chiun, of

a star [GROTIUS]. Remphan was the Egyptian name

for Saturn: hence the Septuagint translator of Amos gave

the Egyptian name for the Hebrew, being an Egyptian. [HODIUS II, De Bibliorum Textibus Originalibus.

4.115]. The same as the Nile, of which the Egyptians made the star

Saturn the representative [HARENBERG].

BENGEL considers Remphan or Rephan

akin to Teraphim and Remphis, the name of a king of

Egypt. The Hebrews became infected with Sabeanism, the oldest form of

idolatry, the worship of the Saba or starry hosts, in their stay

in the Arabian desert, where Job notices its prevalence

(Job 31:26);

in opposition, in

Am 5:27,

Jehovah declares Himself "the God of hosts."

the star of your god--R. ISAAC CARO says all the astrologers represented Saturn as

the star of Israel. Probably there was a figure of a star on the

head of the image of the idol, to represent the planet Saturn; hence

"images" correspond to "star" in the parallel clause. A star in

hieroglyphics represents God

(Nu 24:17).

"Images" are either a Hebraism for "image," or refer to the many images

made to represent Chiun.

27. beyond Damascus--In

Ac 7:43

it is "beyond Babylon," which includes beyond Damascus.

In Amos' time, Damascus was the object of Israel's fear because of the

Syrian wars. Babylon was not yet named as the place of their captivity.

Stephen supplies this name. Their place of exile was in fact, as he

states, "beyond Babylon," in Halah and Habor by the river Gozan,

and in the cities of the Medes

(2Ki 17:6;

compare here

Am 1:5; 4:3; 6:14).

The road to Assyria lay through "Damascus." It is therefore specified,

that not merely shall they be carried captives to Damascus, as they had

been by Syrian kings

(2Ki 10:32, 33; 13:7),

but, beyond that, to a region whence a return was not so possible as

from Damascus. They were led captive by Satan into idolatry, therefore

God caused them to go captive among idolaters. Compare

2Ki 15:29; 16:9;

Isa 8:4,

whence it appears Tiglath-pileser attacked Israel and Damascus at the

same time at Ahaz' request

(Am 3:11).