Amos 9:5-6

9:5 The sovereign Lord who commands armies will do this. ¹ 

He touches the earth and it dissolves; ² 

all who live on it mourn.

The whole earth ³  rises like the River Nile, ⁴ 

and then grows calm ⁵  like the Nile in Egypt. ⁶ 

9:6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace ⁷  in heaven

and sets its foundation supports ⁸  on the earth. ⁹ 

He summons the water of the sea

and pours it out on the earth’s surface.

The Lord is his name.

[9:5]  ¹ tn The words “will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:5]  ² tn Or “melts.” The verb probably depicts earthquakes and landslides. See v. 5b.

[9:5]  ³ tn Heb “all of it.”

[9:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “the Nile.” The word “River” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:5]  ⁵ tn Or “sinks back down.”

[9:5]  ⁶ sn See Amos 8:8, which is very similar to this verse.

[9:6]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ sn Verse 6a pictures the entire universe as a divine palace founded on the earth and extending into the heavens.