Amos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Amos 8:1
כֹּ֥ה הִרְאַ֖נִי אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֖ה כְּל֥וּב קָֽיִץ׃
Thus, Lord YHWH caused me to see and behold a basket of fruit.
Paraphrase: Then YHWH, the Great King of heaven and earth, gave me another vision. This time, He showed me a kiloot of kayits or a basket of fruit, the last pickings of the summer harvest. It was lovely ripe fruit which looked so good and appetizing. It reminded me of the prosperity of Israel and the wealth and power it had obtained for itself.
Comments:
Amos 8:2
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ עָמ֔וֹס וָאֹמַ֖ר כְּל֣וּב קָ֑יִץ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י בָּ֤א הַקֵּץ֙ אֶל־עַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹא־אוֹסִ֥יף ע֖וֹד עֲב֥וֹר לֽוֹ׃
And He said, “What are you seeing, Amos?”
And I said, “A basket of fruit.”
And YHWH said to me, “The end has come to My people, Israel; I will not again be passing over for him.”
Paraphrase: Then He spoke to me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“I see a kiloot of kayits or a basket of beautiful and lovely fruit,” I replied. “It makes me think of the wealth and prosperity of Israel.”
Then YHWH said to me, “Look closer, Amos. You see a kiloot of kayits and indeed it is a basket of the most lovely fruits, but here is what I see. I see the full kayits or end I will make of My people, Israel. This fruit basket doesn’t represent Israel’s prosperity; on the contrary, it represents their destruction. They are finished; My patience has come to an end. I will no longer put up with the sin they commit on a daily basis.” Then, the connection between the fruit and the end of Israel dawned on me. I looked again at the basket and trembled to think of what it represented, and how wrong I had been.
Comments:
Amos 8:3
וְהֵילִ֜ילוּ שִׁיר֤וֹת הֵיכָל֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה רַ֣ב הַפֶּ֔גֶר בְּכָל־מָק֖וֹם הִשְׁלִ֥יךְ הָֽס׃פ
Amos 8:4
שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֕את הַשֹּׁאֲפִ֖ים אֶבְי֑וֹן וְלַשְׁבִּ֖ית עַנְוֵי אָֽרֶץ׃
Amos 8:5
לֵאמֹ֗ר מָתַ֞י יַעֲבֹ֤ר הַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ וְנַשְׁבִּ֣ירָה שֶּׁ֔בֶר וְהַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וְנִפְתְּחָה־בָּ֑ר לְהַקְטִ֤ין אֵיפָה֙ וּלְהַגְדִּ֣יל שֶׁ֔קֶל וּלְעַוֵּ֖ת מֹאזְנֵ֥י מִרְמָֽה׃
Amos 8:6
לִקְנ֤וֹת בַּכֶּ֙סֶף֙ דַּלִּ֔ים וְאֶבְי֖וֹן בַּעֲב֣וּר נַעֲלָ֑יִם וּמַפַּ֥ל בַּ֖ר נַשְׁבִּֽיר׃
Amos 8:7
נִשְׁבַּ֥ע יְהוָ֖ה בִּגְא֣וֹן יַעֲקֹ֑ב אִם־אֶשְׁכַּ֥ח לָנֶ֖צַח כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם׃
Amos 8:8
הַ֤עַל זֹאת֙ לֹֽא־תִרְגַּ֣ז הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאָבַ֖ל כָּל־יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בָּ֑הּ וְעָלְתָ֤ה כָאֹר֙ כֻּלָּ֔הּ וְנִגְרְשָׁ֥ה וְנִשְׁקָה כִּיא֥וֹר מִצְרָֽיִם׃ס
Amos 8:9
וְהָיָ֣ה׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ בַּֽצָּהֳרָ֑יִם וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י לָאָ֖רֶץ בְּי֥וֹם אֽוֹר׃
Amos 8:10
וְהָפַכְתִּ֨י חַגֵּיכֶ֜ם לְאֵ֗בֶל וְכָל־שִֽׁירֵיכֶם֙ לְקִינָ֔ה וְהַעֲלֵיתִ֤י עַל־כָּל־מָתְנַ֙יִם֙ שָׂ֔ק וְעַל־כָּל־רֹ֖אשׁ קָרְחָ֑ה וְשַׂמְתִּ֙יהָ֙ כְּאֵ֣בֶל יָחִ֔יד וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖הּ כְּי֥וֹם מָֽר׃
Amos 8:11
הִנֵּ֣ה יָמִ֣ים בָּאִ֗ים נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ לֹֽא־רָעָ֤ב לַלֶּ֙חֶם֙ וְלֹֽא־צָמָ֣א לַמַּ֔יִם כִּ֣י אִם־לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
Behold, days are coming, a declaration of Lord YHWH, that I will cause a famine to come on the land, not a famine for bread and not a thirst for water but rather for hearing the words of YHWH.
Paraphrase: Now listen, My people; this is a declaration of the Great King, YHWH. There is a time coming, be sure of it, when a great famine will come on the land. It will not be a famine where you are starving for food or desperate for water to drink. No, it will be a famine of hearing anything from Me.
Comments:
כִּי אִם can mean “…but rather…” (p475)
Amos 8:12
וְנָעוּ֙ מִיָּ֣ם עַד־יָ֔ם וּמִצָּפ֖וֹן וְעַד־מִזְרָ֑ח יְשֽׁוֹטְט֛וּ לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ אֶת־דְּבַר־יְהוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יִמְצָֽאוּ׃
And they will wander from sea to sea and from north and to the east; they will stagger for seeking a word of YHWH and they will not find.
Paraphrase: Their distress will be terrible to see. They will wander about without home or safety. Then, they will cry out to Me; they will beg for help. They will pray for My intervention; they will ask for a word from Me which will give them hope and solace, but there will be no such word. I will not hear them or speak to them again.
Comments:
Amos 8:13
בַּיּ֨וֹם הַה֜וּא תִּ֠תְעַלַּפְנָה הַבְּתוּלֹ֧ת הַיָּפ֛וֹת וְהַבַּחוּרִ֖ים בַּצָּמָֽא׃
In that day, the beautiful virgins will faint, and the young men will thirst.
Paraphrase: Oh what a pitiful sight it will be. The beautiful young women of Israel, who normally would be planning weddings and looking forward to marrying and bearing children (Zechariah 9:17), will drop down in exhaustion and distress. Even the strongest of the young men will falter and stagger for lack of water.
Comments:
Amos 8:14
הַנִּשְׁבָּעִים֙ בְּאַשְׁמַ֣ת שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן וְאָמְר֗וּ חֵ֤י אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ דָּ֔ן וְחֵ֖י דֶּ֣רֶךְ בְּאֵֽר־שָׁ֑בַע וְנָפְל֖וּ וְלֹא־יָק֥וּמוּ עֽוֹד׃ס
Swearing by the trespass of Samaria, and they say, “Your god lives, oh Dan and the way of Beersheba, and they fall and do not arise again.
Paraphrase: In a desperate attempt to get Me to speak, they swear an oath by their home baked gods which their king set up for them in Dan and Bethel. They swear oaths and cut themselves in a desperate attempt to find a word from Me. When this fails, they fly to Beersheba and see if they can find Me there. But their distress is too great; they are so weak that they stumble and fall. They never reach Beersheba; they fall and never get back up again.
Comments: