Amos 9:7

9:7 “You Israelites are just like the Ethiopians in my sight,” ¹  says the Lord.

“Certainly I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt,

but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor ²  and the Arameans from Kir. ³ 

Amos 9:2

9:2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, ⁴ 

my hand would pull them up from there.

Even if they could climb up to heaven,

I would drag them down from there.

Amos 1:9

1:9 This is what the Lord says:

“Because Tyre has committed three crimes ⁵  –

make that four! ⁶  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ⁷ 

They sold ⁸  a whole community ⁹  to Edom;

they failed to observe ¹⁰  a treaty of brotherhood. ¹¹ 

[9:7]  ¹ 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]  ² sn Caphtor may refer to the island of Crete.

[9:7]  ³ 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.

[9:2]  ⁴ 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.”

[1:9]  ⁵ tn Traditionally, “transgressions” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) or “sins” (NIV). For an explanation of the atrocities outlined in this oracle as treaty violations of God’s mandate to Noah in Gen 9:5-7, see the note on the word “violations” in 1:3.

[1:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “Because of three violations of Tyre, even because of four.”

[1:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “I will not bring it [or “him”] back.” The translation understands the pronominal object to refer to the decree of judgment that follows; the referent (the decree) has been specified in the translation for clarity. For another option see the note on the word “judgment” in 1:3.

[1:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “handed over.”

[1:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “[group of] exiles.” A similar phrase occurs in v. 6.

[1:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “did not remember.”

[1:9]  ¹¹ sn A treaty of brotherhood. In the ancient Near Eastern world familial terms were sometimes used to describe treaty partners. In a treaty between superior and inferior parties, the lord would be called “father” and the subject “son.” The partners in a treaty between equals referred to themselves as “brothers.” For biblical examples, see 1 Kgs 9:13; 20:32-33.