Amos 3:11

3:11 Therefore,” says the sovereign Lord, “an enemy will encircle the land. ¹ 

He will take away your power; ² 

your fortresses will be looted.”

Lamentations 2:5

ה (He)

2:5 The Lord, ³  like an enemy,

destroyed ⁴  Israel.

He destroyed ⁵  all her palaces;

he ruined her ⁶  fortified cities.

He made everyone in Daughter Judah

mourn and lament. ⁷ 

[3:11]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.

[2:5]  ³ tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the tc note at 1:14.

[2:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “swallowed up.”

[2:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “swallowed up.”

[2:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “his.” For consistency this has been translated as “her.”

[2:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “He increased in Daughter Judah mourning and lamentation.”