Isaiah 33:9

33:9 The land ¹  dries up ²  and withers away;

the forest of Lebanon shrivels up ³  and decays.

Sharon ⁴  is like the desert; ⁵ 

Bashan and Carmel ⁶  are parched. ⁷ 

Amos 1:2

God Will Judge the Surrounding Nations

1:2 Amos ⁸  said:

“The Lord comes roaring ⁹  out of Zion;

from Jerusalem ¹⁰  he comes bellowing! ¹¹ 

The shepherds’ pastures wilt; ¹² 

the summit of Carmel ¹³  withers.” ¹⁴ 

[33:9]  ¹ tn Or “earth” (KJV); NAB “the country.”

[33:9]  ² tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. I אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism. See 24:4.

[33:9]  ³ tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation.

[33:9]  ⁴ sn Sharon was a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast. See 35:2.

[33:9]  ⁵ tn Or “the Arabah” (NIV). See 35:1.

[33:9]  ⁶ sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2.

[33:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “shake off [their leaves]” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB “are stripped bare.”

[1:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “he;” the referent (Amos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:2]  ⁹ sn The Lord, in his role of warrior-king, is compared to a lion. See 3:4, 8.

[1:2]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “gives his voice.”

[1:2]  ¹² tn Lexicographers debate whether there are two roots אָבַל (’aval), one signifying “mourn” and the other “be dry,” or simply one (“mourn”). The parallel verb (“withers”) might favor the first option and have the meaning “wilt away.” It is interesting to note, however, that the root appears later in the book in the context of lament (5:16; 8:8, 10; 9:5). Either 1:2 is a possible wordplay to alert the reader to the death that will accompany the judgment (the option of two roots), or perhaps the translation “mourns” is appropriate here as well (cf. KJV, NASB, NKJV, NJPS; see also D. J. A. Clines, “Was There an ’BL II ‘Be Dry’ in Classical Hebrew?” VT 42 [1992]: 1-10).

[1:2]  ¹³ sn Carmel was a region known for its abundant plants and trees. See Isa 33:9; 35:2; Jer 50:19.

[1:2]  ¹⁴ sn Loss of a land’s fertility is frequently associated with judgment in the OT and ancient Near Eastern literature.