Amos 5:5

5:5 Do not seek Bethel! ¹ 

Do not visit Gilgal!

Do not journey down ²  to Beer Sheba!

For the people of Gilgal ³  will certainly be carried into exile; ⁴ 

and Bethel will become a place where disaster abounds.” ⁵ 

Amos 7:13

7:13 Don’t prophesy at Bethel ⁶  any longer, for a royal temple and palace are here!” ⁷ 

Amos 4:4

Israel has an Appointment with God

4:4 “Go to Bethel ⁸  and rebel! ⁹ 

At Gilgal ¹⁰  rebel some more!

Bring your sacrifices in ¹¹  the morning,

your tithes on ¹²  the third day!

Amos 3:14

3:14 “Certainly when ¹³  I punish Israel for their ¹⁴  covenant transgressions, ¹⁵ 

I will destroy ¹⁶  Bethel’s ¹⁷  altars.

The horns ¹⁸  of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.

Amos 5:6

5:6 Seek the Lord so you can live!

Otherwise he will break out ¹⁹  like fire against Joseph’s ²⁰  family; ²¹ 

the fire ²²  will consume

and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel. ²³ 

Amos 7:10

Amos Confronts a Priest

7:10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel ²⁴  sent this message ²⁵  to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel! ²⁶  The land cannot endure all his prophecies. ²⁷ 

[5:5]  ¹ sn Ironically, Israel was to seek after the Lord, but not at Bethel (the name Bethel means “the house of God” in Hebrew).

[5:5]  ² tn Heb “cross over.”

[5:5]  ³ tn Heb “For Gilgal.” By metonymy the place name “Gilgal” is used instead of referring directly to the inhabitants. The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:5]  ⁴ tn In the Hebrew text the statement is emphasized by sound play. The name “Gilgal” sounds like the verb גָּלָה (galah, “to go into exile”), which occurs here in the infinitival + finite verb construction (גָּלֹה יִגְלֶה, galoh yigleh). The repetition of the “ג” (g) and “ל” (l) sounds draws attention to the announcement and suggests that Gilgal’s destiny is inherent in its very name.

[5:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “disaster,” or “nothing”; NIV “Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”

[7:13]  ⁶ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “for it is a temple of a king and it is a royal house.” It is possible that the phrase “royal house” refers to a temple rather than a palace. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 243.

[4:4]  ¹¹ sn Bethel and Gilgal were important formal worship centers because of their importance in Israel’s history. Here the Lord ironically urges the people to visit these places so they can increase their sin against him. Their formal worship, because it was not accompanied by social justice, only made them more guilty in God’s sight by adding hypocrisy to their list of sins. Obviously, theirs was a twisted view of the Lord. They worshiped a god of their own creation in order to satisfy their religious impulses (see 4:5: “For you love to do this”). Note that none of the rituals listed in 4:4-5 have to do with sin.

[4:4]  ¹² tn The Hebrew word translated “rebel” (also in the following line) could very well refer here to Israel’s violations of their covenant with God (see also the term “crimes” in 1:3 [with note] and the phrase “covenant transgressions” in 2:4 [with note]; 3:14).

[4:4]  ¹³ sn See the note on Bethel earlier in this verse.

[4:4]  ¹⁴ tn Or “for.”

[4:4]  ¹⁵ tn Or “for.”

[3:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in the day.”

[3:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “his.” With the referent “Israel” here, this amounts to a collective singular.

[3:14]  ¹⁸ tn Traditionally, “transgressions, sins,” but see the note on the word “crimes” in 1:3.

[3:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “punish” (so NASB, NRSV).

[3:14]  ²⁰ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[3:14]  ²¹ sn The horns of an ancient altar projected upwards from the four corners and resembled an animal’s horns in appearance. Fugitives could seek asylum by grabbing hold of these corners (see Exod 21:14; 1 Kgs 1:50; 2:28). When the altar’s horns were cut off, there would be no place of asylum left for the Lord’s enemies.

[5:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “rush.” The verb depicts swift movement.

[5:6]  ²² sn Here Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[5:6]  ²³ tn Heb “house.”

[5:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “to/for Bethel.” The translation assumes that the preposition indicates advantage, “on behalf of.” Another option is to take the preposition as vocative, “O Bethel.”

[7:10]  ²⁶ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:10]  ²⁷ tn The direct object of the verb translated “sent” is elided in the Hebrew text. The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[7:10]  ²⁸ tn Heb “in the middle of the house of Israel.”

[7:10]  ²⁹ tn Heb “words.”