Amos 2:9

2:9 For Israel’s sake I destroyed the Amorites. ¹ 

They were as tall as cedars ² 

and as strong as oaks,

but I destroyed the fruit on their branches ³ 

and their roots in the ground. ⁴ 

Amos 5:8

5:8 (But there is one who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion;

he can turn the darkness into morning

and daylight ⁵  into night.

He summons the water of the seas

and pours it out on the earth’s surface.

The Lord is his name!

Amos 5:19

5:19 Disaster will be inescapable, ⁶ 

as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear,

then escaped ⁷  into a house,

leaned his hand against the wall,

and was bitten by a poisonous snake.

Amos 9:4

9:4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity, ⁸ 

from there ⁹  I will command the sword to kill them.

I will not let them out of my sight;

they will experience disaster, not prosperity.” ¹⁰ 

Amos 9:6

9:6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace ¹¹  in heaven

and sets its foundation supports ¹²  on the earth. ¹³ 

He summons the water of the sea

and pours it out on the earth’s surface.

The Lord is his name.

Amos 1:1

Introduction

1:1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. ¹⁴  He ¹⁵  was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him ¹⁶  during the time of ¹⁷  King Uzziah of Judah and ¹⁸  King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ¹⁹ 

Amos 9:8

9:8 Look, the sovereign Lord is watching ²⁰  the sinful nation, ²¹ 

and I will destroy it from the face of the earth.

But I will not completely destroy the family ²²  of Jacob,” says the Lord.

[2:9]  ¹ tn Heb “I destroyed the Amorites from before them.” The translation takes מִפְּנֵי (mippÿney) in the sense of “for the sake of.” See BDB 818 s.v. פָּנֻה II.6.a and H. W. Wolff, Joel and Amos (Hermeneia), 134. Another option is to take the phrase in a spatial sense, “I destroyed the Amorites, [clearing them out] from before them [i.e., Israel]” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[2:9]  ² tn Heb “whose height was like the height of cedars.”

[2:9]  ³ tn Heb “his fruit from above.”

[2:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “and his roots from below.”

[5:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “darkens the day into night.”

[5:19]  ⁹ tn The words “Disaster will be inescapable” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “went” (so KJV, NRSV).

[9:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “Even if they go into captivity before their enemies.”

[9:4]  ¹⁴ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “I will set my eye on them for disaster, not good.”

[9:6]  ¹⁷ tc The MT reads “his steps.” If this is correct, then the reference may be to the steps leading up to the heavenly temple or the throne of God (cf. 1 Kgs 10:19-20). The prefixed מ (mem) may be dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem). The translation assumes an emendation to עֲלִיָּתוֹ (’aliyyato, “his upper rooms”).

[9:6]  ¹⁸ tn Traditionally, “vault” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV). The precise meaning of this word in this context is unclear. Elsewhere it refers to objects grouped or held together. F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman (Amos [AB], 845-46) suggest the foundational structure of a building is in view.

[9:6]  ¹⁹ sn Verse 6a pictures the entire universe as a divine palace founded on the earth and extending into the heavens.

[1:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “The words of Amos.” Among the prophetic books this opening phrase finds a parallel only at Jer 1:1 but is not that uncommon in other genres (note, e.g., Prov 30:1; 31:1; Eccl 1:1; Neh 1:1).

[1:1]  ²² tn Heb “who.” Here a new sentence has been started in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:1]  ²³ tn Heb “which he saw concerning Israel.”

[1:1]  ²⁴ tn Heb “in the days of.”

[1:1]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew text repeats, “and in the days of.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:1]  ²⁶ sn This refers to a well-known earthquake that occurred during the first half of the 8th century b.c. According to a generally accepted dating system, Uzziah was a co-regent with his father Amaziah from 792-767 b.c. and ruled independently from 767-740 b.c. Jeroboam II was a co-regent with his father Joash from 793-782 b.c. and ruled independently from 782-753 b.c. Since only Uzziah and Jeroboam are mentioned in the introduction it is likely that Amos’ mission to Israel and the earthquake which followed occurred between 767-753 b.c. The introduction validates the genuine character of Amos’ prophetic ministry in at least two ways: (1) Amos was not a native Israelite or a prophet by trade. Rather he was a herdsman in Tekoa, located in Judah. His mere presence in the northern kingdom as a prophet was evidence that he had been called by God (see 7:14-15). (2) The mighty earthquake shortly after Amos’ ministry would have been interpreted as an omen or signal of approaching judgment. The clearest references to an earthquake are 1:1 and 9:1, 5. It is possible that the verb הָפַךְ (hafakh, “overturn”) at 3:13-15, 4:11, 6:11, and 8:8 also refers to an earthquake, as might the descriptions at 2:13 and 6:9-10. Evidence of a powerful earthquake has been correlated with a destruction layer at Hazor and other sites. Its lasting impact is evident by its mention in Zech 14:5 and 2 Chr 26:16-21. Earthquake imagery appears in later prophets as well (cf. D. N. Freedman and A. Welch, “Amos’s Earthquake and Israelite Prophecy,” Scripture and Other Artifacts, 188-98). On the other hand, some of these verses in Amos could allude to the devastation that would be caused by the imminent military invasion.

[9:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the eyes of the sovereign Lord are on.”

[9:8]  ²⁶ tn Or “kingdom.”

[9:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “house” (also in the following verse).