4:6 “But surely I gave 1 you no food to eat in any of your cities;
you lacked food everywhere you live. 2
Still you did not come back to me.”
The Lord is speaking!
7:12 Amaziah then said to Amos, “Leave, you visionary! 3 Run away to the land of Judah! Earn your living 4 and prophesy there!
8:11 Be certain of this, 5 the time is 6 coming,” says the sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine through the land –
not a shortage of food or water
but an end to divine revelation! 7
1 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic (pronoun + verb). It underscores the stark contrast between the judgments that the Lord had been sending with the God of blessing Israel was celebrating in its worship (4:4-5).
2 tn Heb “But I gave to you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of food in all your places.” The phrase “cleanness of teeth” is a vivid way of picturing the famine Israel experienced.
3 tn Traditionally, “seer.” The word is a synonym for “prophet,” though it may carry a derogatory tone on the lips of Amaziah.
4 tn Heb “Eat bread there.”
5 tn Heb “behold” or “look.”
6 tn Heb “the days are.”
7 tn Heb “not a hunger for food or a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of the