29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, 1
who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate 2
and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges. 3
1 tn Heb “the ones who make a man a sinner with a word.” The Hiphil of חָטָא (khata’) here has a delocutive sense: “declare a man sinful/guilty.”
2 sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.
3 tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”
4 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
5 tn Heb “for it is a temple of a king and it is a royal house.” It is possible that the phrase “royal house” refers to a temple rather than a palace. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 243.