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 ¹  into night.

He summons the water of the seas

and pours it out on the earth’s surface.

The Lord is his name!

Amos 9:6

9:6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace ²  in heaven

and sets its foundation supports ³  on the earth. ⁴ 

He summons the water of the sea

and pours it out on the earth’s surface.

The Lord is his name.

Amos 9:12

9:12 As a result they ⁵  will conquer those left in Edom ⁶ 

and all the nations subject to my rule.” ⁷ 

The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking!

[5:8]  ¹ tn Heb “darkens the day into night.”

[9:6]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ sn Verse 6a pictures the entire universe as a divine palace founded on the earth and extending into the heavens.

[9:12]  ³ sn They probably refers to the Israelites or to the Davidic rulers of the future.

[9:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “take possession of the remnant of Edom”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “possess the remnant of Edom.”

[9:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “nations over whom my name is proclaimed.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership, sometimes as a result of conquest. See 2 Sam 12:28.