Amos 2:15-16

2:15 Archers ¹  will not hold their ground; ² 

fast runners will not save their lives,

nor will those who ride horses. ³ 

2:16 Bravehearted ⁴  warriors will run away naked in that day.”

The Lord is speaking!

[2:15]  ¹ tn Heb “the one who holds the bow.”

[2:15]  ² tn For the idiom of “holding [or “standing”] one’s ground” in battle, there is a similar phrase in Ezek 13:5; also related is the expression “to hold one’s own against” (or “to withstand”) in Judg 2:14; 2 Kgs 10:4; Dan 8:7 (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 97). Other options include “will not endure” or “will not survive.”

[2:15]  ³ tn The last two lines read literally, “The one fast in his feet will not rescue [his life], and the rider of the horse will not rescue his life.” The phrase “his life” does double duty in the parallelism and should be understood in both lines.

[2:16]  ⁴ tn Or “the most stouthearted” (NAB); NRSV “those who are stout of heart.”