Discovery BoxAmos 8:1--9:10
Context8:1 The sovereign Lord showed me this: I saw 1 a basket of summer fruit. 2
8:2 He said, “What do you see, Amos?” I replied, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end 3 has come for my people Israel! I will no longer overlook their sins. 4
8:3 The women singing in the temple 5 will wail in that day.”
The sovereign Lord is speaking.
“There will be many corpses littered everywhere! 6 Be quiet!”
8:4 Listen to this, you who trample 7 the needy,
and do away with 8 the destitute in the land.
8:5 You say,
“When will the new moon festival 9 be over, 10 so we can sell grain?
When will the Sabbath end, 11 so we can open up the grain bins? 12
We’re eager 13 to sell less for a higher price, 14
and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales! 15
8:6 We’re eager to trade silver for the poor, 16
a pair of sandals 17 for the needy!
We want to mix in some chaff with the grain!” 18
8:7 The Lord confirms this oath 19 by the arrogance of Jacob: 20
“I swear 21 I will never forget all you have done! 22
8:8 Because of this the earth 23 will quake, 24
and all who live in it will mourn.
The whole earth 25 will rise like the River Nile, 26
it will surge upward 27 and then grow calm, 28 like the Nile in Egypt. 29
8:9 In that day,” says the sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun set at noon,
and make the earth dark in the middle of the day. 30
8:10 I will turn your festivals into funerals, 31
and all your songs into funeral dirges.
I will make everyone wear funeral clothes 32
and cause every head to be shaved bald. 33
I will make you mourn as if you had lost your only son; 34
when it ends it will indeed have been a bitter day. 35
8:11 Be certain of this, 36 the time is 37 coming,” says the sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine through the land –
not a shortage of food or water
but an end to divine revelation! 38
8:12 People 39 will stagger from sea to sea, 40
and from the north around to the east.
They will wander about looking for a revelation from 41 the Lord,
but they will not find any. 42
8:13 In that day your 43 beautiful young women 44 and your 45 young men will faint from thirst. 46 8:14 These are the ones who now take oaths 47 in the name of the sinful idol goddess 48 of Samaria.
They vow, 49 ‘As surely as your god 50 lives, O Dan,’ or ‘As surely as your beloved one 51 lives, O Beer Sheba!’
But they will fall down and not get up again.”
9:1 I saw the sovereign One 52 standing by the altar 53 and he said, “Strike the tops of the support pillars, 54 so the thresholds shake!
Knock them down on the heads of all the people, 55
and I will kill the survivors 56 with the sword.
No one will be able to run away; 57
no one will be able to escape. 58
9:2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, 59
my hand would pull them up from there.
Even if they could climb up to heaven,
I would drag them down from there.
9:3 Even if they were to hide on the top of Mount Carmel,
I would hunt them down and take them from there.
Even if they tried to hide from me 60 at the bottom of the sea,
from there 61 I would command the Sea Serpent 62 to bite them.
9:4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity, 63
from there 64 I will command the sword to kill them.
I will not let them out of my sight;
they will experience disaster, not prosperity.” 65
9:5 The sovereign Lord who commands armies will do this. 66
He touches the earth and it dissolves; 67
all who live on it mourn.
The whole earth 68 rises like the River Nile, 69
and then grows calm 70 like the Nile in Egypt. 71
9:6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace 72 in heaven
and sets its foundation supports 73 on the earth. 74
He summons the water of the sea
and pours it out on the earth’s surface.
The Lord is his name.
9:7 “You Israelites are just like the Ethiopians in my sight,” 75 says the Lord.
“Certainly I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt,
but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor 76 and the Arameans from Kir. 77
9:8 Look, the sovereign Lord is watching 78 the sinful nation, 79
and I will destroy it from the face of the earth.
But I will not completely destroy the family 80 of Jacob,” says the Lord.
9:9 “For look, I am giving a command
and I will shake the family of Israel together with all the nations.
It will resemble a sieve being shaken,
when not even a pebble falls to the ground. 81
9:10 All the sinners among my people will die by the sword –
the ones who say, ‘Disaster will not come near, it will not confront us.’
[8:1] 1 tn Heb “behold” or “look.”
[8:1] 2 sn The basket of summer fruit (also in the following verse) probably refers to figs from the summer crop, which ripens in August-September. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 115.
[8:2] 3 tn There is a wordplay here. The Hebrew word קֵץ (qets, “end”) sounds like קָיִץ (qayits, “summer fruit”). The summer fruit arrived toward the end of Israel’s agricultural year; Israel’s national existence was similarly at an end.
[8:2] 4 tn Heb “I will no longer pass over him.”
[8:3] 5 tn Or “palace” (NASB, NCV, TEV).
[8:3] 6 tn Heb “Many corpses in every place he will throw out.” The subject of the verb is probably impersonal, though many emend the active (Hiphil) form to a passive (Hophal): “Many corpses in every place will be thrown out.”
[8:4] 7 tn See the note on the word “trample” in 2:7.
[8:4] 8 tn Or “put an end to”; or “exterminate.”
[8:5] 9 sn Apparently work was prohibited during the new moon festival, just as it was on the Sabbath.
[8:5] 11 tn The verb, though omitted in the Hebrew text, is supplied in the translation from the parallel line.
[8:5] 12 tn Heb “sell grain.” Here “grain” could stand by metonymy for the bins where it was stored.
[8:5] 13 tn Here and in v. 6 the words “we’re eager” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:5] 14 tn Heb “to make small the ephah and to make great the shekel.” The “ephah” was a unit of dry measure used to determine the quantity purchased, while the “shekel” was a standard weight used to determine the purchase price. By using a smaller than standard ephah and a heavier than standard shekel, these merchants were able to increase their profit (“sell less for a higher price”) by cheating the buyer.
[8:5] 15 tn Heb “and to cheat with deceptive scales”; NASB, NIV “dishonest scales”; NRSV “false balances.”
[8:6] 16 tn Heb “to buy the poor for silver.”
[8:6] 17 tn See the note on the word “sandals” in 2:6.
[8:6] 18 tn Heb “The chaff of the grain we will sell.”
[8:7] 20 sn In an oath one appeals to something permanent to emphasize one’s commitment to the promise. Here the
[8:7] 21 tn The words “I swear” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation because a self-imprecation is assumed in oaths of this type.
[8:7] 22 tn Or “I will never forget all your deeds.”
[8:8] 23 tn Or “land” (also later in this verse).
[8:8] 24 tn It is not clear whether the speaker in this verse is the
[8:8] 26 tc The MT reads “like the light” (כָאֹר, kha’or; note this term also appears in v. 9), which is commonly understood to be an error for “like the Nile” (כִּיאוֹר, ki’or). See the parallel line and Amos 9:5. The word “River” is supplied in the translation for clarity. If this emendation is correct, in the Hebrew of Amos “Nile” is actually spelled three slightly different ways.
[8:8] 28 tn Or “sink back down.” The translation assumes the verb שָׁקַע (shaqa’), following the Qere.
[8:8] 29 tn The entire verse is phrased in a series of rhetorical questions which anticipate the answer, “Of course!” (For example, the first line reads, “Because of this will the earth not quake?”). The rhetorical questions entrap the listener in the logic of the judgment of God (cf. 3:3-6; 9:7). The rhetorical questions have been converted to affirmative statements in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 30 tn Heb “in a day of light.”
[8:10] 32 tn Heb “I will place sackcloth on all waists.”
[8:10] 33 tn Heb “and make every head bald.” This could be understood in a variety of ways, while the ritual act of mourning typically involved shaving the head (although occasionally the hair could be torn out as a sign of mourning).
[8:10] 34 tn Heb “I will make it like the mourning for an only son.”
[8:10] 35 tn Heb “and its end will be like a bitter day.” The Hebrew preposition כְּ (kaf) sometimes carries the force of “in every respect,” indicating identity rather than mere comparison.
[8:11] 36 tn Heb “behold” or “look.”
[8:11] 37 tn Heb “the days are.”
[8:11] 38 tn Heb “not a hunger for food or a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of the
[8:12] 39 tn Heb “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:12] 40 tn That is, from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east – that is, across the whole land.
[8:12] 41 tn Heb “looking for the word of.”
[8:12] 42 tn It is not clear whether the speaker in this verse is the
[8:13] 46 tn It is not clear whether the speaker in this verse is the
[8:14] 47 tn Heb “those who swear.”
[8:14] 48 tn Heb “the sin [or “guilt”] of Samaria.” This could be a derogatory reference to an idol-goddess popular in the northern kingdom, perhaps Asherah (cf. 2 Chr 24:18, where this worship is labeled “their guilt”), or to the golden calf at the national sanctuary in Bethel (Hos 8:6, 10:8). Some English versions (e.g., NEB, NRSV, CEV) repoint the word and read “Ashimah,” the name of a goddess worshiped in Hamath in Syria (see 2 Kgs 17:30).
[8:14] 50 sn Your god is not identified. It may refer to another patron deity who was not the God of Israel, a local manifestation of the Lord that was worshiped by the people there, or, more specifically, the golden calf image erected in Dan by Jeroboam I (see 1 Kgs 12:28-30).
[8:14] 51 tc The MT reads, “As surely as the way [to] Beer Sheba lives,” or “As surely as the way lives, O Beer Sheba.” Perhaps the term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “the way”) refers to the pilgrimage route to Beersheba (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 272) or it may be a title for a god. The notion of pilgrimage appears elsewhere in the book (cf. 4:4-5; 5:4-5; 8:12). The translation above assumes an emendation to דֹּדְךְ (dodÿkh, “your beloved” or “relative”; the term also is used in 6:10) and understands this as referring either to the Lord (since other kinship terms are used of him, such as “Father”) or to another deity that was particularly popular in Beer Sheba. Besides the commentaries, see S. M. Olyan, “The Oaths of Amos 8:14” Priesthood and Cult in Ancient Israel, 121-49.
[9:1] 52 tn Or “the Lord.” The Hebrew term translated “sovereign One” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[9:1] 53 sn The altar is perhaps the altar at Bethel.
[9:1] 54 tn Or “the capitals.” The Hebrew singular form is collective.
[9:1] 55 tn Heb “cut them off on the head of all of them.” The translation assumes the objective suffix on the verb refers to the tops of the pillars and that the following prepositional phrase refers to the people standing beneath. Another option is to take this phrase as referring to the pillars, in which case one could translate, “Knock all the tops of the pillars off.”
[9:1] 56 tn Heb “the remnant of them.” One could possibly translate, “every last one of them” (cf. NEB “to the last man”). This probably refers to those who survive the collapse of the temple, which may symbolize the northern kingdom.
[9:1] 57 tn Heb “a fugitive belonging to them will not run away.”
[9:1] 58 tn Heb “a survivor belonging to them will not escape.”
[9:2] 59 tn Heb “into Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), that is, the land of the dead localized in Hebrew thought in the earth’s core or the grave. Cf. KJV “hell”; NCV, NLT “the place of the dead”; NIV “the depths of the grave.”
[9:3] 60 tn Heb “from before my eyes.”
[9:3] 61 tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).
[9:3] 62 sn If the article indicates a definite serpent, then the mythological Sea Serpent, symbolic of the world’s chaotic forces, is probably in view. See Job 26:13 and Isa 27:1 (where it is also called Leviathan). Elsewhere in the OT this serpent is depicted as opposing the
[9:4] 63 tn Heb “Even if they go into captivity before their enemies.”
[9:4] 64 tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).
[9:4] 65 tn Heb “I will set my eye on them for disaster, not good.”
[9:5] 66 tn The words “will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:5] 67 tn Or “melts.” The verb probably depicts earthquakes and landslides. See v. 5b.
[9:5] 69 tn Heb “the Nile.” The word “River” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:5] 70 tn Or “sinks back down.”
[9:5] 71 sn See Amos 8:8, which is very similar to this verse.
[9:6] 72 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] 73 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] 74 sn Verse 6a pictures the entire universe as a divine palace founded on the earth and extending into the heavens.
[9:7] 75 tn The Hebrew text has a rhetorical question, “Are you children of Israel not like the Cushites to me?” The rhetorical question has been converted to an affirmative statement in the translation for clarity. See the comment at 8:8.
[9:7] 76 sn Caphtor may refer to the island of Crete.
[9:7] 77 tn The second half of v. 7 is also phrased as a rhetorical question in the Hebrew text, “Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?” The translation converts the rhetorical question into an affirmation for clarity.
[9:8] 78 tn Heb “the eyes of the sovereign
[9:8] 80 tn Heb “house” (also in the following verse).
[9:9] 81 tn Heb “like being shaken with a sieve, and a pebble does not fall to the ground.” The meaning of the Hebrew word צְרוֹר (tsÿror), translated “pebble,” is unclear here. In 2 Sam 17:13 it appears to refer to a stone. If it means “pebble,” then the sieve described in v. 6 allows the grain to fall into a basket while retaining the debris and pebbles. However, if one interprets צְרוֹר as a “kernel of grain” (cf. NASB, NIV, NKJV, NLT) then the sieve is constructed to retain the grain and allow the refuse and pebbles to fall to the ground. In either case, the simile supports the last statement in v. 8 by making it clear that God will distinguish between the righteous (the grain) and the wicked (the pebbles) when he judges, and will thereby preserve a remnant in Israel. Only the sinners will be destroyed (v. 10).
