Discovery BoxAmos 1:8 
Context1:8 I will remove 1 the ruler 2 from Ashdod, 3
the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon. 4
I will strike Ekron 5 with my hand; 6
the rest of the Philistines will also die.” 7
The sovereign Lord has spoken!
Amos 3:1
Context3:1 Listen, you Israelites, to this message which the Lord is proclaiming against 8 you! This message is for the entire clan I brought up 9 from the land of Egypt:
Amos 4:8
Context4:8 People from 10 two or three cities staggered into one city to get 11 water,
but remained thirsty. 12
Still you did not come back to me.”
The Lord is speaking!
Amos 5:27
Context5:27 and I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord.
He is called the God who commands armies!
Amos 7:5
Context7:5 I said, “Sovereign Lord, stop!
How can Jacob survive? 13
He is too weak!” 14
Amos 8:3
Context8:3 The women singing in the temple 15 will wail in that day.”
The sovereign Lord is speaking.
“There will be many corpses littered everywhere! 16 Be quiet!”
Amos 8:9
Context8:9 In that day,” says the sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun set at noon,
and make the earth dark in the middle of the day. 17
Amos 8:12
Context8:12 People 18 will stagger from sea to sea, 19
and from the north around to the east.
They will wander about looking for a revelation from 20 the Lord,
but they will not find any. 21
Amos 9:12
Context9:12 As a result they 22 will conquer those left in Edom 23
and all the nations subject to my rule.” 24
The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking!
1 tn Heb “cut off.”
2 tn Heb “the one who sits.” Some translations take this expression as a collective singular referring to the inhabitants rather than the ruler (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT).
3 sn Ashdod was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashkelon, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath).
4 sn Ashkelon was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath).
5 sn Ekron was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, and Gath).
6 tn Heb “I will turn my hand against Ekron.” For other uses of the idiom, “turn the hand against,” see Ps 81:14; Isa 1:25; Jer 6:9; Zech 13:7.
7 tn Heb “and the remnant of the Philistines will perish.” The translation above assumes that reference is made to other Philistines beside those living in the cities mentioned. Another option is to translate, “Every last Philistine will die.”
8 tn Or “about.”
9 tn One might expect a third person verb form (“he brought up”), since the
10 tn The words “people from” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
11 tn Heb “to drink.”
12 tn Or “were not satisfied.”
13 tn Heb “stand.”
14 tn Heb “small.”
15 tn Or “palace” (NASB, NCV, TEV).
16 tn Heb “Many corpses in every place he will throw out.” The subject of the verb is probably impersonal, though many emend the active (Hiphil) form to a passive (Hophal): “Many corpses in every place will be thrown out.”
17 tn Heb “in a day of light.”
18 tn Heb “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn That is, from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east – that is, across the whole land.
20 tn Heb “looking for the word of.”
21 tn It is not clear whether the speaker in this verse is the
22 sn They probably refers to the Israelites or to the Davidic rulers of the future.
23 tn Heb “take possession of the remnant of Edom”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “possess the remnant of Edom.”
24 tn Heb “nations over whom my name is proclaimed.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership, sometimes as a result of conquest. See 2 Sam 12:28.
sn This verse envisions a new era of Israelite rule, perhaps patterned after David’s imperialistic successes (see 2 Sam 8-10). At the same time, however, the verse does not specify how this rule is to be accomplished. Note that the book ends with a description of peace and abundance, and its final reference to God (v. 15) does not include the epithet “the Lord who commands armies,” which has militaristic overtones. This is quite a different scene than what the book began with: nations at war and standing under the judgment of God.
