Amos
Amos 1
Chapter I · Vol. III, pp. 1434–1436
3 Amos showeth God's judgments upon Syria, 6 upon the Philistines, 9 upon Tyrus, 11 upon Edom, 13 upon Ammon.
1 The wordsa of Amos, who was bamong the herdmen of cTekoah, which he saw concerning Israel din the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.e
2 And he said, The LORD will groar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and theh habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.1
3 Thus saith the LORD, For three2 transgressions of Damascus, and3 for four,4 Ii will not turn away the punishment thereof;5 because they have jthrashed Gilead with thrashing instruments of iron:
2 Several, Job 5.19. Pr.6.16. Ec.11.2. Mi.5.5. Ps.62.11. Job 33.29.
3 Or, yea.
4 For three transgressions, and for four. 'For the many transgressions.'—Boothroyd.
i Is.8.4; 17.1. Je.49.23,27. Zec.9.1.
5 Or, convert it, or let it be quiet, and so ver.6,9,11,13.
j Is.41.15. Je.51.33. 2 Ki.10.32,33; 13.3-7.
4 But kI will send la fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.
k De.32.41,43. Ro.12.19. Hab.2.9,12. Is.45.7. Ps.75.7,8. ch.3.6.
5 In will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the 6plain of Aven,7 and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden:8 and othe people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.
6 Or, Bikath-aven.
7 See note * in second column.
8 Or, Beth-eden.
* In Hebrew Bikath-aven. It is highly probable that the place referred to is the great plain or valley between Lebanon and Antilebanon, called Cœle-Syria by the Greeks, and Bukâa by the Arabs. It is worthy of note that in and near it are great numbers of ancient temples and Canaanitish high-places. The most celebrated of these is Baalbek. It is one of the most fertile vales in Syria, and appears to have been densely peopled in all ages. Nothing is known of Eden; and the conjectures hazarded by some commentators are not worth repeating.—P.
n Is.8.4. Je.49.23; 51.30. Zec.9.1.
o ch.9.7. 2 Ki.16.9. Is.17.1-3. Je.49.23-27.
6 Thus saith the LORD, For three transgressions of pGaza,9 and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity,1 to deliver them up to Edom:
9 Gaza being one of the chief cities of Philistia is here mentioned as the representative of the whole of that country. Amos refers in this verse to the invasion of Judah by the Philistines in the time of Joram, 2 Ch.21.16, when they captured many Jews, and sold them to the Edomites and Phoenicians.—P.
A.M. cir. 3204. B.C. cir. 800.
1 Or, carried them away with an entire captivity, 2 Ch.21.16,17; 28.18. Joel 3.6.
p ver.8. Is.14.29-31. Je.47.1-7; 25.20. Eze.25.16,17. Zep.2.4.
8 And rI will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon; and I will sturn mine hand against Ekron: and the tremnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD.
9 Thus saith the LORD, For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; ubecause they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:2
u ver.6,11. Joel 3.4-6.
2 Heb. the covenant of brethren, 2 Sa.5.11. 1 Ki.5.1; 9.11-14.
11 Thus saith the LORD, For three transgressions of xEdom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; ybecause he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity,3 and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:
12 Butz I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.4
4 Teman was a district bordering upon and embracing part of Edom, and Bozrah was the capital of the country. It occupied a strong position on the top of a hill north of Petra.—P.
z Is.21.11; 34.5-15; 63.1. Je.25.9,16,21; 49.7-22. La.4.21,22. Ps.137.7. Eze.25.8,12-14. Joel 3.19. Ob.1-21. Mal.1.3,4. Eze.xxxv.
13 Thus saith the LORD, For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; abecause they have ripped up the women with child5 of Gilead, that they might benlarge their border:
14 But cI will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind:
15 Andd their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the LORD.
d 1 Sa.12.25. Job 21.18. Je.49.3.
Notes
Ver. 2. The just judgments of that God who dwells in his temple on Mount Zion shall in a terrible manner lay waste all the countries around, however fertile and populous. 3, 6, 9, 11, 13. Three, four, or seven transgressions, denote that they have filled up the measure of their iniquities. 4, 7, 10, 12, 14. Fire denotes furious enemies and destructive judgments. 3-5. Because the Syrians, whose capital is Damascus, have, to all their other wickedness, added the terrible oppression and murder of the Hebrews on the east of Jordan, I will cause the Assyrians to destroy their cities and forts, murder their people and princes, and carry the poor remains captives to Media. 6-8. Because the Philistines have completed their wickedness by apprehending the Hebrews in their distress, and giving them up to the cruel Edomites, I will, by the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Maccabees, and others, utterly destroy their cities, rulers, and people. 9-15. For their treachery and cruelty the Edomites and Ammonites shall be served in like manner.
Ver. 2. Roar. Either literally with the thunder as his voice, or with his terrible prophetic denunciations ready to be executed, and as appalling to the conscience of sinners as the lion's voice to the shepherd and his timid flocks. C.
Ver. 5. Bar—the gate; as one of the gates of London is still called 'Temple-bar.'—Aven, vanity. Most probably a plain remarkable for idolatrous rites, as Bethel is called 'Beth-aven' for this reason, Ho. 5. 8.—Kir, a city in Media, Is. 22. 6. See, for the fulfilment, 2 Ki. 16. 9. C.
Ver. 8. Philistines shall perish. While the Jews are still a distinct, numerous, and even great people, the Philistines their oppressors are utterly unknown, and would seem, according to this prophecy, to have been totally extirpated. C.
Ver. 9. The covenant. Begun by David, and continued by Solomon, 2 Sa. 5. 11; 1 Ki. 5. 1; 9. 11. C.
Ver. 10. Houses were often built on the lofty walls of ancient cities, Jos. 2. 15. And it is not improbable that, for sake of the elevated situation and prospect of the open country, there the most splendid buildings would be erected. Hence the threatening of fire to the wall and the palaces. C.
Ver. 13. Because they have, &c. This revolting cruelty proceeded upon the calculation that by destroying the mother and the child there might be no heir to claim the possession coveted. C.
Reflections.—No person need be ashamed of a mean, if honest, original. God can qualify the meanest for the most honourable work. But dreadful is the case of the mightiest nations when the measure of their iniquities is filled up, and the hour of God's judgment is come. Nothing more hastens their destruction than their oppression or murder of the saints, or implacable enmity against near relations. Walls, palaces, cities, or armies are altogether ineffectual to withstand the power of God's wrath. And they who spitefully, covetously, and cruelly thought to drive out others, are often themselves driven out from their dwellings.