Amos 6:1
ה֚וֹי הַשַּׁאֲנַנִ֣ים בְּצִיּ֔וֹן וְהַבֹּטְחִ֖ים בְּהַ֣ר שֹׁמְר֑וֹן נְקֻבֵי֙ רֵאשִׁ֣ית הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וּבָ֥אוּ לָהֶ֖ם בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
Woe to the the secure ones in Zion and those having confidence in the mountain of Samaria, those designated heads of the nations, and the house of Israel go to them.
Paraphrase: Alas, what misery awaits the people in Jerusalem who think their city is so secure. Alas, what misery to those who think the fortresses of Samaria are impregnable. You men are considered to be the great ones in the land, the wise and discerning such that all the men of Israel go to you for advice and counsel.
Comments:
Amos 6:2
עִבְר֤וּ כַֽלְנֵה֙ וּרְא֔וּ וּלְכ֥וּ מִשָּׁ֖ם חֲמַ֣ת רַבָּ֑ה וּרְד֣וּ גַת־פְּלִשְׁתּ֗ים הֲטוֹבִים֙ מִן־הַמַּמְלָכ֣וֹת הָאֵ֔לֶּה אִם־רַ֥ב גְּבוּלָ֖ם מִגְּבֻלְכֶֽם׃
Pass through Calneh and see and walk from there to Hamath Rabbah and go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? Is larger their territory than your territory?
Paraphrase: Think of the kingdoms of Calneh and Hamath Rabbah. Take a walk down to Gath and see what’s left of the Philistines. Do you think the kingdoms of Israel and Judah are superior in some way to these nations? Do you think that God will treat you differently for some reason? Be sure of this, oh Israel, these nations were destroyed by God, and so will you if you continue in your sins.
Comments:
Gesenius (§133): Hebrew possesses no special forms either for the comparative or superlative of the adjective. In order to express a comparative, the person or thing which is to be represented as excelled in some particular quality is attached to the attributive word by the preposition min, e.g. 1 Samuel 9:2 “higher than any of the people.” The fundamental idea evidently is, tall away from all the people (beyond all the people); cf. Judges 14:18.
Amos 6:3
הַֽמְנַדִּ֖ים לְי֣וֹם רָ֑ע וַתַּגִּישׁ֖וּן שֶׁ֥בֶת חָמָֽס׃
Dismissing to the day the evil and you cause the seat of violence to draw near.
Paraphrase: You keep dismissing the thought that God is going to hold you accountable for your injustice and oppression. You forget that God restrains Himself from punishing you because He does not wish for you to perish but that you would come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) It makes no difference to you; you push away such thoughts and blunder on in your wickedness. Indeed, the headquarters of violence is right there in Samaria.
Comments:
It’s not clear what is meant here by causing the seat of violence to come near. Does it mean that the wickedness of Israel is causing the judgment of God’s violence to come down on their heads? (Pusey p203) Or is it referring to Israel’s violence and injustice to the poor? (Gill p505)
Amos 6:4
הַשֹּֽׁכְבִים֙ עַל־מִטּ֣וֹת שֵׁ֔ן וּסְרֻחִ֖ים עַל־עַרְשׂוֹתָ֑ם וְאֹכְלִ֤ים כָּרִים֙ מִצֹּ֔אן וַעֲגָלִ֖ים מִתּ֥וֹךְ מַרְבֵּֽק׃
Lying down on couches of ivory and sprawling out on their beds and eating lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stalls.
Paraphrase: Yes, even as the poor are ground down to nothing, you stretch yourself out on ivory couches and plush beds. Your servants bring you tender lamb meat to eat and beef from the herds in your barns.
Comments:
Amos 6:5
הַפֹּרְטִ֖ים עַל־פִּ֣י הַנָּ֑בֶל כְּדָוִ֕יד חָשְׁב֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם כְּלֵי־שִֽׁיר׃
Singing on the mouth of a stringed instrument; like David, they design for themselves instruments of music.
Paraphrase: Then you call for bands and orchestras to make music for you. You sing along while they play, and the party is on. You think that you are just like My servant, David, who played the harp and sang songs of praise to Me.
Comments:
Amos 6:6
הַשֹּׁתִ֤ים בְּמִזְרְקֵי֙ יַ֔יִן וְרֵאשִׁ֥ית שְׁמָנִ֖ים יִמְשָׁ֑חוּ וְלֹ֥א נֶחְל֖וּ עַל־שֵׁ֥בֶר יוֹסֵֽף
Drinking from bowls of wine and the best lotions, they spread, and they do not concern themselves for the fracture of Joseph.
Paraphrase: They don’t drink wine from cups; oh no! They drink wine by the bowlful. Then, their servants come and apply the finest lotions to their skin. They regularly receive full manicures and pedicures from the finest salons in the land. All the while, they don’t even give a thought for the wreck they have made of people’s lives.
Comments:
The nifal can be used as a reflexive.
Amos 6:7
לָכֵ֛ן עַתָּ֥ה יִגְל֖וּ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ גֹּלִ֑ים וְסָ֖ר מִרְזַ֥ח סְרוּחִֽים׃פ
Therefore, now they will be removed at the front of the exiles, and the unrestrained shouts will end.
Paraphrase: Now as a result of all this, they will be attacked and conquered. The enemy will round them up and drag them off into exile. Right there at the front of the line will be all these men and women who wallowed in luxury while the poor ground on in poverty. Their obnoxious laughter and wild parties will come to an abrupt end.
Comments:
Amos 6:8
נִשְׁבַּע֩ אֲדֹנָ֨י יְהוִ֜ה בְּנַפְשׁ֗וֹ נְאֻם־יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י צְבָא֔וֹת מְתָאֵ֤ב אָֽנֹכִי֙ אֶת־גְּא֣וֹן יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְאַרְמְנֹתָ֖יו שָׂנֵ֑אתִי וְהִסְגַּרְתִּ֖י עִ֥יר וּמְלֹאָֽהּ׃
Amos 6:9
וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־יִוָּ֨תְר֜וּ עֲשָׂרָ֧ה אֲנָשִׁ֛ים בְּבַ֥יִת אֶחָ֖ד וָמֵֽתוּ׃
Amos 6:10
וּנְשָׂא֞וֹ דּוֹד֣וֹ וּמְסָרְפ֗וֹ לְהוֹצִ֣יא עֲצָמִים֮ מִן־הַבַּיִת֒ וְאָמַ֞ר לַאֲשֶׁ֨ר בְּיַרְכְּתֵ֥י הַבַּ֛יִת הַע֥וֹד עִמָּ֖ךְ וְאָמַ֣ר אָ֑פֶס וְאָמַ֣ר הָ֔ס כִּ֛י לֹ֥א לְהַזְכִּ֖יר בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְהוָֽה׃
Amos 6:11
כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ מְצַוֶּ֔ה וְהִכָּ֛ה הַבַּ֥יִת הַגָּד֖וֹל רְסִיסִ֑ים וְהַבַּ֥יִת הַקָּטֹ֖ן בְּקִעִֽים׃
P
Paraphrase:
Comments:
Amos 6:12
הַיְרֻצ֤וּן בַּסֶּ֙לַע֙ סוּסִ֔ים אִֽם־יַחֲר֖וֹשׁ בַּבְּקָרִ֑ים כִּֽי־הֲפַכְתֶּ֤ם לְרֹאשׁ֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט וּפְרִ֥י צְדָקָ֖ה לְלַעֲנָֽה׃
Will horses run on rock? Will he plow with oxen the sea? For you overturned to poison justice and the fruit of justice to bitterness.
Paraphrase: You foolish people. Do you run your horses at top speed over the rocks? Do you hitch your oxen to a plow and attempt to plow up the sea? Is this not absurd? It’s no more absurd than the way you pervert justice to your own advantage. The poor and weak come to you looking for redress and relief from oppression. Instead, they are poisoned by the injustice which flows from your courtrooms. For them, justice is a sweet thing and their only protection against the wicked schemes of the rich and powerful. They try to live their lives in peace, but you are as foolish as the man who gallops his horses near the rocky cliffs. You turn the sweet results of justice into bitterness for them. They go back to their homes worse off than when they left.
Comments:
אִם is an interrogative particle here.
The noun בקר never occurs in the Bible with a plural ending because it is a collective. This leads many to emend the plural ending here to the word יָם (yam, “sea”)
Amos 6:13
הַשְּׂמֵחִ֖ים לְלֹ֣א דָבָ֑ר הָאֹ֣מְרִ֔ים הֲל֣וֹא בְחָזְקֵ֔נוּ לָקַ֥חְנוּ לָ֖נוּ קַרְנָֽיִם׃
Rejoicing over L0-Dabar; saying, “Was it not in our strength, we took to us Carnaim?”
Paraphrase: Then you brag about your military victories. Didn’t we conquer and take the cities of Lo-Dabar and Carnaim? Didn’t we do this by the power of our own military and the genius of our own commanders?
Comments:
Amos 6:14
כִּ֡י הִנְנִי֩ מֵקִ֨ים עֲלֵיכֶ֜ם בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל נְאֻם־יְהוָ֛ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י הַצְּבָא֖וֹת גּ֑וֹי וְלָחֲצ֥וּ אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִלְּב֥וֹא חֲמָ֖ת עַד־נַ֥חַל הָעֲרָבָֽה׃ס