Amos 2:14

2:14 Fast runners will find no place to hide; ¹ 

strong men will have no strength left; ² 

warriors will not be able to save their lives.

Amos 6:13

6:13 You are happy because you conquered Lo-Debar. ³ 

You say, “Did we not conquer Karnaim ⁴  by our own power?”

Amos 1:8

1:8 I will remove ⁵  the ruler ⁶  from Ashdod, ⁷ 

the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon. ⁸ 

I will strike Ekron ⁹  with my hand; ¹⁰ 

the rest of the Philistines will also die.” ¹¹ 

The sovereign Lord has spoken!

Amos 5:9

5:9 He flashes ¹²  destruction down upon the strong

so that destruction overwhelms ¹³  the fortified places.)

Amos 3:11

3:11 Therefore,” says the sovereign Lord, “an enemy will encircle the land. ¹⁴ 

He will take away your power; ¹⁵ 

your fortresses will be looted.”

Amos 1:5

1:5 I will break the bar ¹⁶  on the gate of Damascus.

I will remove ¹⁷  the ruler ¹⁸  from Wicked Valley, ¹⁹ 

the one who holds the royal scepter from Beth Eden. ²⁰ 

The people of Aram will be deported to Kir.” ²¹ 

The Lord has spoken!

[2:14]  ¹ tn Heb “and a place of refuge will perish from the swift.”

[2:14]  ² tn Heb “the strong will not increase his strength.”

[6:13]  ³ tn Heb “those who rejoice over Lo-Debar.”

[6:13]  ⁴ sn Karnaim was also located across the Jordan River. The name in Hebrew means “double horned.” Since an animal’s horn was a symbol of strength (see Deut 33:17), the Israelites boasted in this victory over a town whose very name symbolized military power.

[1:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “cut off.”

[1:8]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ sn Ashdod was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashkelon, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath).

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

[1:8]  ⁹ sn Ekron was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, and Gath).

[1:8]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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.”

[5:9]  ⁷ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb בָּלַג (balag, translated here “flashes”) is uncertain.

[5:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “comes upon.” Many prefer to repoint the verb as Hiphil and translate, “he brings destruction upon the fortified places.”

[3:11]  ⁹ tc The MT reads “an enemy and around the land.” It is also possible to take the MT as an exclamation (“an enemy, and all about the land!”; see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 118; NJPS; cf. NLT).Most scholars and versions emend the text to יְסוֹבֵב (yÿsovev, Polel imperfect), “will encircle.”

[3:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “He will bring down your power from you.” Some emend the text to read “Your power will be brought down from you.” The shift, however, from an active to a passive sense also appears at 3:14 (“I will destroy Bethel’s altars. The horns of the altar will be cut off.”) The pronouns (“your…you”) are feminine singular, indicating that the personified city of Samaria is addressed here. Samaria’s “power” here is her defenses and/or wealth.

[1:5]  ¹¹ sn The bar on the city gate symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:5]  ¹² tn Heb “cut off.”

[1:5]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ sn According to Amos 9:7, the Arameans originally came from Kir. The Lord threatens to reverse their history and send them back there.