Amos 9:2-3

9:2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, ¹ 

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 ²  at the bottom of the sea,

from there ³  I would command the Sea Serpent ⁴  to bite them.

Amos 9:1

9:1 I saw the sovereign One ⁵  standing by the altar ⁶  and he said, “Strike the tops of the support pillars, ⁷  so the thresholds shake!

Knock them down on the heads of all the people, ⁸ 

and I will kill the survivors ⁹  with the sword.

No one will be able to run away; ¹⁰ 

no one will be able to escape. ¹¹ 

Amos 1:1

Introduction

1:1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. ¹²  He ¹³  was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him ¹⁴  during the time of ¹⁵  King Uzziah of Judah and ¹⁶  King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ¹⁷ 

Amos 1:1

Introduction

1:1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. ¹⁸  He ¹⁹  was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him ²⁰  during the time of ²¹  King Uzziah of Judah and ²²  King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ²³ 

Isaiah 8:4

8:4 for before the child knows how to cry out, ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria ²⁴  will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” ²⁵ 

Isaiah 17:1-4

The Lord Will Judge Damascus

17:1 Here is a message about Damascus:

“Look, Damascus is no longer a city,

it is a heap of ruins!

17:2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. ²⁶ 

They will be used for herds,

which will lie down there in peace. ²⁷ 

17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,

and Damascus will lose its kingdom. ²⁸ 

The survivors in Syria

will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,”

says the Lord who commands armies.

17:4 “At that time ²⁹ 

Jacob’s splendor will be greatly diminished, ³⁰ 

and he will become skin and bones. ³¹ 

Romans 11:4-5

11:4 But what was the divine response ³²  to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand people ³³  who have not bent the knee to Baal.” ³⁴ 

11:5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.

[9:2]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “from before my eyes.”

[9:3]  ³ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:3]  ⁴ 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 Lord, but this text implies that even this powerful enemy of God is ultimately subject to his sovereign will.

[9:1]  ⁵ tn Or “the Lord.” The Hebrew term translated “sovereign One” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:1]  ⁶ sn The altar is perhaps the altar at Bethel.

[9:1]  ⁷ tn Or “the capitals.” The Hebrew singular form is collective.

[9:1]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a fugitive belonging to them will not run away.”

[9:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a survivor belonging to them will not escape.”

[1:1]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “who.” Here a new sentence has been started in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “which he saw concerning Israel.”

[1:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in the days of.”

[1:1]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text repeats, “and in the days of.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:1]  ¹⁷ 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.

[1:1]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “who.” Here a new sentence has been started in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “which he saw concerning Israel.”

[1:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “in the days of.”

[1:1]  ²² tn The Hebrew text repeats, “and in the days of.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:1]  ²³ 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.

[8:4]  ²⁴ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[8:4]  ²⁵ sn The child’s name foreshadows what will happen to Judah’s enemies; when their defeat takes place, the child will be a reminder that God predicted the event and brought it to pass. As such the child will be a reminder of God’s protective presence with his people.

[17:2]  ²⁶ tn Three cities are known by this name in the OT: (1) an Aroer located near the Arnon, (2) an Aroer in Ammon, and (3) an Aroer of Judah. (See BDB 792-93 s.v. עֲרֹעֵר, and HALOT 883 s.v. II עֲרוֹעֵר.) There is no mention of an Aroer in Syrian territory. For this reason some want to emend the text here to עֲזֻבוֹת עָרַיהָ עֲדֵי עַד (’azuvot ’arayha ’adey ’ad, “her cities are permanently abandoned”). However, Aroer near the Arnon was taken by Israel and later conquered by the Syrians. (See Josh 12:2; 13:9, 16; Judg 11:26; 2 Kgs 10:33). This oracle pertains to Israel as well as Syria (note v. 3), so it is possible that this is a reference to Israelite and/or Syrian losses in Transjordan.

[17:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and they lie down and there is no one scaring [them].”

[17:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and kingship from Damascus”; cf. NASB “And sovereignty from Damascus.”

[17:4]  ²⁹ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[17:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “will be tiny.”

[17:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “and the fatness of his flesh will be made lean.”

[11:4]  ³² tn Grk “the revelation,” “the oracle.”

[11:4]  ³³ tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it appears to be a generic usage (“people”) since when Paul speaks of a remnant of faithful Israelites (“the elect,” v. 7), he is not referring to males only. It can also be argued, however, that it refers only to adult males here (“men”), perhaps as representative of all the faithful left in Israel.

[11:4]  ³⁴ sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:18.