1:2 Amos 1 said:
“The Lord comes roaring 2 out of Zion;
from Jerusalem 3 he comes bellowing! 4
The shepherds’ pastures wilt; 5
the summit of Carmel 6 withers.” 7
1:14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s 8 city wall; 9
fire 10 will consume her fortresses.
War cries will be heard on the day of battle; 11
a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm. 12
2:2 So I will set Moab on fire, 13
and it will consume Kerioth’s 14 fortresses.
Moab will perish 15 in the heat of battle 16
amid war cries and the blaring 17 of the ram’s horn. 18
3:9 Make this announcement in 19 the fortresses of Ashdod
and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt.
Say this:
“Gather on the hills around Samaria! 20
Observe the many acts of violence 21 taking place within the city, 22
the oppressive deeds 23 occurring in it.” 24
3:14 “Certainly when 25 I punish Israel for their 26 covenant transgressions, 27
I will destroy 28 Bethel’s 29 altars.
The horns 30 of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
5:22 Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, 31 I will not be satisfied;
I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves. 32
5:26 You will pick up your images 33 of Sikkuth, 34 your king, 35
and Kiyyun, 36 your star god, which you made for yourselves,
6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, 37
and pour the very best oils on themselves. 38
Yet they are not concerned over 39 the ruin 40 of Joseph.
“Sovereign Lord, forgive Israel! 41
How can Jacob survive? 42
He is too weak!” 43
9:8 Look, the sovereign Lord is watching 44 the sinful nation, 45
and I will destroy it from the face of the earth.
But I will not completely destroy the family 46 of Jacob,” says the Lord.
1 tn Heb “he;” the referent (Amos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 sn The
3 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
4 tn Heb “gives his voice.”
5 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).
6 sn Carmel was a region known for its abundant plants and trees. See Isa 33:9; 35:2; Jer 50:19.
7 sn Loss of a land’s fertility is frequently associated with judgment in the OT and ancient Near Eastern literature.
8 sn Rabbah was the Ammonite capital.
9 sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.
10 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Heb “with a war cry in the day of battle.”
12 tn Heb “with wind in the day of the windstorm.”
sn A windstorm is a metaphor for judgment and destruction in the OT (see Isa 29:6; Jer 23:19) and ancient Near Eastern literature.
13 sn The destruction of Moab by fire is an example of a judgment in kind – as the Moabites committed the crime of “burning,” so the
14 sn Kerioth was an important Moabite city. See Jer 48:24, 41.
15 tn Or “die” (KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV); NAB “shall meet death.”
16 tn Or “in the tumult.” This word refers to the harsh confusion of sounds that characterized an ancient battle – a mixture of war cries, shouts, shrieks of pain, clashes of weapons, etc.
17 tn Heb “sound” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
18 sn The ram’s horn (used as a trumpet) was blown to signal the approaching battle.
19 tn Heb “on” or “over” (also later in this verse).
20 sn Samaria might refer here both to the region and to the capital city (later known as Sebaste). On the other hand, there actually are hills that surround the mound upon which the city was built. The implication is that the nations can come and sit and see from those hills the sin of the capital city and its judgment.
map For location of the city see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
21 tn The Hebrew noun carries the nuance of “panic” or “confusion.” Here it refers metonymically to the violent deeds that terrorize the oppressed.
22 tn Heb “in her midst” (so NAB, NASB); NIV “among her people.”
23 tn The translation assumes the form is an abstract plural (see Job 35:9; Eccl 4:1). Another option is to understand the form as a substantival passive participle and translate, “the oppressed” (so KJV).
24 tn Heb “within her.”
25 tn Heb “in the day.”
26 tn Heb “his.” With the referent “Israel” here, this amounts to a collective singular.
27 tn Traditionally, “transgressions, sins,” but see the note on the word “crimes” in 1:3.
28 tn Heb “punish” (so NASB, NRSV).
29 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
30 sn The horns of an ancient altar projected upwards from the four corners and resembled an animal’s horns in appearance. Fugitives could seek asylum by grabbing hold of these corners (see Exod 21:14; 1 Kgs 1:50; 2:28). When the altar’s horns were cut off, there would be no place of asylum left for the
31 tn Heb “burnt offerings and your grain offerings.”
32 tn Heb “Peace offering[s], your fattened calves, I will not look at.”
33 tn This word appears in an awkward position in the Hebrew, following “Kiyyun.” It is placed here for better sense.
34 tn The Hebrew term סִכּוּת (sikkut) apparently refers to Sakkuth, a Mesopotamian star god identified with Ninurta in an Ugaritic god list. The name is vocalized in the Hebrew text after the pattern of שִׁקוּץ (shiqquts, “detestable thing”). See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 195-96. Some English versions, following the LXX, translate as “tent” or “shrine” (NEB, NIV), pointing the term as סֻכַּת (sukkat; cf. 9:11).
35 tc LXX, Vulgate, and Acts 7:43 read “Moloch” (cf. KJV). The Hebrew consonants are the same for both “king” and “Moloch” (מֹלֶךְ; molekh).
36 tn The Hebrew term כִּיּוּן (kiyyun) apparently refers to the Mesopotamian god Kayamanu, or Saturn. The name, like “Sikkuth” in the previous line, is vocalized in the Hebrew text after the pattern of שִׁקוּץ (shiqquts, “detestable thing”). See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 195-96. Some versions translate as “pedestal” (NEB, NIV), relating the term to the root כּוּן (kun).
37 sn Perhaps some religious rite is in view, or the size of the bowls is emphasized (i.e., bowls as large as sacrificial bowls).
38 tn Heb “with the best of oils they anoint [themselves].”
39 tn Or “not sickened by.”
40 sn The ruin of Joseph may refer to the societal disintegration in Israel, or to the effects of the impending judgment.
41 tn “Israel” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Heb “stand” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
43 tn Heb “small.”
44 tn Heb “the eyes of the sovereign
45 tn Or “kingdom.”
46 tn Heb “house” (also in the following verse).