Amos 1:10

1:10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; ¹ 

fire ²  will consume her fortresses.”

Amos 1:12

1:12 So I will set Teman ³  on fire;

fire ⁴  will consume Bozrah’s ⁵  fortresses.”

Amos 2:5

2:5 So I will set Judah on fire,

and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses.” ⁶ 

Amos 1:15

1:15 Ammon’s ⁷  king will be deported; ⁸ 

he and his officials ⁹  will be carried off ¹⁰  together.”

The Lord has spoken!

Amos 6:7

6:7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile, ¹¹ 

and the religious banquets ¹²  where they sprawl on couches ¹³  will end.

Amos 2:3

2:3 I will remove ¹⁴  Moab’s leader; ¹⁵ 

I will kill all Moab’s ¹⁶  officials ¹⁷  with him.”

The Lord has spoken!

Amos 2:16

2:16 Bravehearted ¹⁸  warriors will run away naked in that day.”

The Lord is speaking!

Amos 3:10

3:10 “They do not know how to do what is right.” (The Lord is speaking.)

“They store up ¹⁹  the spoils of destructive violence ²⁰  in their fortresses.

Amos 5:27

5:27 and I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord.

He is called the God who commands armies!

Amos 7:9

7:9 Isaac’s centers of worship ²¹  will become desolate;

Israel’s holy places will be in ruins.

I will attack Jeroboam’s dynasty with the sword.” ²² 

Amos 1:2

God Will Judge the Surrounding Nations

1:2 Amos ²³  said:

“The Lord comes roaring ²⁴  out of Zion;

from Jerusalem ²⁵  he comes bellowing! ²⁶ 

The shepherds’ pastures wilt; ²⁷ 

the summit of Carmel ²⁸  withers.” ²⁹ 

Amos 1:5

1:5 I will break the bar ³⁰  on the gate of Damascus.

I will remove ³¹  the ruler ³²  from Wicked Valley, ³³ 

the one who holds the royal scepter from Beth Eden. ³⁴ 

The people of Aram will be deported to Kir.” ³⁵ 

The Lord has spoken!

Amos 1:8

1:8 I will remove ³⁶  the ruler ³⁷  from Ashdod, ³⁸ 

the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon. ³⁹ 

I will strike Ekron ⁴⁰  with my hand; ⁴¹ 

the rest of the Philistines will also die.” ⁴² 

The sovereign Lord has spoken!

Amos 8:3

8:3 The women singing in the temple ⁴³  will wail in that day.”

The sovereign Lord is speaking.

“There will be many corpses littered everywhere! ⁴⁴  Be quiet!”

Amos 9:12

9:12 As a result they ⁴⁵  will conquer those left in Edom ⁴⁶ 

and all the nations subject to my rule.” ⁴⁷ 

The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking!

[1:10]  ¹ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:10]  ² tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ³ sn Teman was an important region (or perhaps city) in Edom.

[1:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ⁵ sn Bozrah was a city located in northern Edom.

[2:5]  ⁵ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “their”; the referent (Ammon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “will go into exile.”

[1:15]  ⁹ tn Or “princes” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT); TEV “officers”; CEV “leaders.”

[1:15]  ¹⁰ tn The words “will be carried off” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[6:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “they will go into exile at the head of the exiles.”

[6:7]  ¹⁰ sn Religious banquets. This refers to the מַרְזֵחַ (marzeakh), a type of pagan religious banquet popular among the upper class of Israel at this time and apparently associated with mourning. See P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 137-61; J. L. McLaughlin, The “Marzeah” in the Prophetic Literature (VTSup). Scholars debate whether at this banquet the dead were simply remembered or actually venerated in a formal, cultic sense.

[6:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “of the sprawled out.” See v. 4.

[2:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB “root out”; NCV “bring to an end.”

[2:3]  ¹² tn Heb “the leader [traditionally, “judge”] from her midst.”

[2:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ¹⁴ tn Or “princes” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT); TEV, CEV “leaders.”

[2:16]  ¹³ tn Or “the most stouthearted” (NAB); NRSV “those who are stout of heart.”

[3:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “those who.”

[3:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “violence and destruction.” The expression “violence and destruction” stand metonymically for the goods the oppressors have accumulated by their unjust actions.

[7:9]  ¹⁷ tn Traditionally, “the high places” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “pagan shrines.”

[7:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “And I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.”

[1:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he;” the referent (Amos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:2]  ²⁰ sn The Lord, in his role of warrior-king, is compared to a lion. See 3:4, 8.

[1:2]  ²¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:2]  ²² tn Heb “gives his voice.”

[1:2]  ²³ tn Lexicographers debate whether there are two roots אָבַל (’aval), one signifying “mourn” and the other “be dry,” or simply one (“mourn”). The parallel verb (“withers”) might favor the first option and have the meaning “wilt away.” It is interesting to note, however, that the root appears later in the book in the context of lament (5:16; 8:8, 10; 9:5). Either 1:2 is a possible wordplay to alert the reader to the death that will accompany the judgment (the option of two roots), or perhaps the translation “mourns” is appropriate here as well (cf. KJV, NASB, NKJV, NJPS; see also D. J. A. Clines, “Was There an ’BL II ‘Be Dry’ in Classical Hebrew?” VT 42 [1992]: 1-10).

[1:2]  ²⁴ sn Carmel was a region known for its abundant plants and trees. See Isa 33:9; 35:2; Jer 50:19.

[1:2]  ²⁵ sn Loss of a land’s fertility is frequently associated with judgment in the OT and ancient Near Eastern literature.

[1:5]  ²¹ sn The bar on the city gate symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:5]  ²² tn Heb “cut off.”

[1:5]  ²³ tn Heb “the one who sits.” Some English versions take the Hebrew term in a collective sense as “inhabitants” (e.g., KJV, NKJV, NASB, NRSV). The context and the parallel in the next clause (“the one who holds the royal scepter”), however, suggest that the royal house is in view. For this term (יוֹשֵׁב, yoshev), see N. K. Gottwald, The Tribes of Yahweh, 512-30.

[1:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “valley of wickedness.” Though many English versions take the Hebrew phrase בִקְעַת־אָוֶן (biq’-at ’aven) as a literal geographical place name (“Valley of Aven,” so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), it appears to be a derogatory epithet for Damascus and the kingdom of Aram.

[1:5]  ²⁵ tn Many associate the name “Beth Eden” with Bit Adini, an Aramean state located near the Euphrates River, but it may be a sarcastic epithet meaning “house of pleasure.”

[1:5]  ²⁶ sn According to Amos 9:7, the Arameans originally came from Kir. The Lord threatens to reverse their history and send them back there.

[1:8]  ²³ tn Heb “cut off.”

[1:8]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the one who sits.” Some translations take this expression as a collective singular referring to the inhabitants rather than the ruler (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[1:8]  ²⁵ sn Ashdod was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashkelon, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath).

[1:8]  ²⁶ sn Ashkelon was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath).

[1:8]  ²⁷ sn Ekron was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, and Gath).

[1:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I will turn my hand against Ekron.” For other uses of the idiom, “turn the hand against,” see Ps 81:14; Isa 1:25; Jer 6:9; Zech 13:7.

[1:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and the remnant of the Philistines will perish.” The translation above assumes that reference is made to other Philistines beside those living in the cities mentioned. Another option is to translate, “Every last Philistine will die.”

[8:3]  ²⁵ tn Or “palace” (NASB, NCV, TEV).

[8:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Many corpses in every place he will throw out.” The subject of the verb is probably impersonal, though many emend the active (Hiphil) form to a passive (Hophal): “Many corpses in every place will be thrown out.”

[9:12]  ²⁷ sn They probably refers to the Israelites or to the Davidic rulers of the future.

[9:12]  ²⁸ tn Heb “take possession of the remnant of Edom”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “possess the remnant of Edom.”

[9:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “nations over whom my name is proclaimed.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership, sometimes as a result of conquest. See 2 Sam 12:28.