Amos 1:1
דִּבְרֵ֣י עָמ֔וֹס אֲשֶׁר־ הָיָ֥ה בַנֹּקְדִ֖ים מִתְּק֑וֹעַ אֲשֶׁר֩ חָזָ֨ה עַל־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בִּימֵ֣י׀ עֻזִּיָּ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־ יְהוּדָ֗ה וּבִימֵ֞י יָרָבְעָ֤ם בֶּן־ יוֹאָשׁ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שְׁנָתַ֖יִם לִפְנֵ֥י הָרָֽעַשׁ׃
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen from Tekoa which he perceived about Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam II, son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the shaking.
Paraphrase: This book is a collection of the revelations which God gave to Amos, the prophet. He was one of the men who tended the herds in the hill country of Tekoa. He received these revelations when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam was king of the ten tribes north of Judah. You all will remember the great earthquake (Zechariah 14:5) which shook the earth violently (Amos 9:1, 5); Amos received these revelations two years before that mighty shaking.
Comments:
The word חָזָה is translated as perceived here because it is more than just a mere seeing. The word usually means a prophetic vision of some kind.
Amos 1:2
וַיֹּאמַ֓ר׀ יְהוָה֙ מִצִּיּ֣וֹן יִשְׁאָ֔ג וּמִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם יִתֵּ֣ן קוֹל֑וֹ וְאָֽבְלוּ֙ נְא֣וֹת הָרֹעִ֔ים וְיָבֵ֖שׁ רֹ֥אשׁ הַכַּרְמֶֽל׃ פ
And He said, “YHWH, from Zion, will roar and from Jerusalem, He gives His voice, and the pastures of the shepherds mourns and the head of Carmel withers.
Paraphrase: Here is the first message which Amos received for the people of Israel. “Hear the voice of YHWH, the Great King! He will make a dreadful and terrifying roar from Jerusalem where He dwells between the cherubim. He will shout to the nations with the result that the shepherds will lose their profits and even the lush mountaintops of Carmel will wither and dry up. (Leviticus 26:19; Deuteronomy 28:22–24)
Comments:
The vertical line after the first word is a explained by Joüon §m, p63. It’s real significance is uncertain. The last letter of יְהוָה֙ has a disjunctive accent on it called a Pasta (see #8 in this list). The symbol under the yod in מִצִּיּוֹן is a munah. Together, these accents help make sense of what is the subject and verb here.
Amos 1:3
כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־ שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י דַמֶּ֔שֶׂק וְעַל־ אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ עַל־ דּוּשָׁ֛ם בַּחֲרֻצ֥וֹת הַבַּרְזֶ֖ל אֶת־ הַגִּלְעָֽד׃
Thus says YHWH, “On account of three transgressions of Damascus and on account of four, I will not cause it to return because they threshed with sharp iron points Gilead.”
Paraphrase: Thus says YHWH, the Great Sovereign of all nations, “Oh Damascus; Here are the charges against you! Your cup of sin is full (Genesis 15:16; Matthew 23:32), but you didn’t even stop there. You went on and added more sin to it. On account of this, I will not revoke my verdict. You cruelly oppressed Gilead (2 Kings 10:32–33) such that this fertile country now looks like a field that was just threshed. It’s completely barren.
Comments:
For עַל with an infinitive, see §158c. דּוּשָׁם is the infinitive; the third plural pronoun suffix becomes the agent of this infinitive.
Gilead is the fertile land east of the Jordan river; the present day country of Jordan.
These judgments on the nations show that God is not a local or tribal deity. He is the Creator and Ruler of heaven and earth. Keown gives (Jeremiah 26–52, p275) three purposes for these oracles:
- to pronounce doom on a foreign nation, sometimes for mistreatment of Israel;
- to serve as a salvation oracle or oracle of encouragement for Israel;
- to warn Israel about depending on foreign alliances for their security.
Benefield (1559–1630) also provides (p2) three reasons:
- That he might be the more patiently heard of his countrymen, the Israelites. The Israelites seeing their Prophet Amos so sharpe against the Syrians, and other their enemies, could not but with more quiet heare him, when he should prophecie against them also. Consolatio quædam est afflictio inimici: Some comfort it is to a distressed naturall man, to see his enemie in distresse likewise.
- That they might haue no cause to wonder, if God should at any time come against them in vengeance, seeing that he would not spare the Syrians, and other their neighbor countries, though they were destitute of the light of Gods word, and ignorant of his will.
- That they might the more tremble at the words of this prophecie, when they should see the Syrians and other Nations afflicted, and tormented according to the heinousnes of their iniquities.
Amos 1:4
וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי אֵ֖שׁ בְּבֵ֣ית חֲזָאֵ֑ל וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנ֥וֹת בֶּן־ הֲדָֽד׃
And I will send fire on the house of Hazael and she will devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad.
Paraphrase: This is the punishment I have decreed for you, Oh Damascus. I will send a mighty conflagration on Hazael and his family. This fire will devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad of which you are so proud. They will be reduced to rubble.
Comments:
Amos 1:5
וְשָֽׁבַרְתִּי֙ בְּרִ֣יחַ דַּמֶּ֔שֶׂק וְהִכְרַתִּ֤י יוֹשֵׁב֙ מִבִּקְעַת־ אָ֔וֶן וְתוֹמֵ֥ךְ שֵׁ֖בֶט מִבֵּ֣ית עֶ֑דֶן וְגָל֧וּ עַם־ אֲרָ֛ם קִ֖ירָה אָמַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃ פ
I will break the bar of Damascus and will cut off the one sitting from the valley of vanity and the holder of the scepter from Beth-Eden, and the people of Aram will be exiled to Qir, says YHWH.
Paraphrase: I will smash the bars that hold the gates of Damascus shut and enter into the city as a conquering king. The king of Damascus, the one who holds the royal scepter, will be run out of this worthless town. The rest of the Arameans will be sent off into exile to Qir. This is the word of YHWH.
Comments:
Amos 1:6
כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־ שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י עַזָּ֔ה וְעַל־ אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ עַל־ הַגְלוֹתָ֛ם גָּל֥וּת שְׁלֵמָ֖ה לְהַסְגִּ֥יר לֶאֱדֽוֹם׃
Amos 1:7
וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי אֵ֖שׁ בְּחוֹמַ֣ת עַזָּ֑ה וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנֹתֶֽיהָ׃
Amos 1:8
וְהִכְרַתִּ֤י יוֹשֵׁב֙ מֵֽאַשְׁדּ֔וֹד וְתוֹמֵ֥ךְ שֵׁ֖בֶט מֵֽאַשְׁקְל֑וֹן וַהֲשִׁיב֨וֹתִי יָדִ֜י עַל־ עֶקְר֗וֹן וְאָֽבְדוּ֙ שְׁאֵרִ֣ית פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים אָמַ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃ פ
Amos 1:9
כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־ שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵי־ צֹ֔ר וְעַל־ אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ עַֽל־ הַסְגִּירָ֞ם גָּל֤וּת שְׁלֵמָה֙ לֶאֱד֔וֹם וְלֹ֥א זָכְר֖וּ בְּרִ֥ית אַחִֽים׃
Amos 1:10
וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי אֵ֖שׁ בְּח֣וֹמַת צֹ֑ר וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנֹתֶֽיהָ׃ פ
Amos 1:11
כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־ שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י אֱד֔וֹם וְעַל־ אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ עַל־ רָדְפ֨וֹ בַחֶ֤רֶב אָחִיו֙ וְשִׁחֵ֣ת רַחֲמָ֔יו וַיִּטְרֹ֤ף לָעַד֙ אַפּ֔וֹ וְעֶבְרָת֖וֹ שְׁמָ֥רָה נֶֽצַח׃
Amos 1:12
וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי אֵ֖שׁ בְּתֵימָ֑ן וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנ֥וֹת בָּצְרָֽה׃ פ
Amos 1:13
כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־ שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־ עַמּ֔וֹן וְעַל־ אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ עַל־ בִּקְעָם֙ הָר֣וֹת הַגִּלְעָ֔ד לְמַ֖עַן הַרְחִ֥יב אֶת־ גְּבוּלָֽם׃
Amos 1:14
וְהִצַּ֤תִּי אֵשׁ֙ בְּחוֹמַ֣ת רַבָּ֔ה וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנוֹתֶ֑יהָ בִּתְרוּעָה֙ בְּי֣וֹם מִלְחָמָ֔ה בְּסַ֖עַר בְּי֥וֹם סוּפָֽה׃
Amos 1:15
וְהָלַ֥ךְ מַלְכָּ֖ם בַּגּוֹלָ֑ה ה֧וּא וְשָׂרָ֛יו יַחְדָּ֖ו אָמַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃ פ