Discovery BoxAmos 2:9 
Context2:9 For Israel’s sake I destroyed the Amorites. 1
They were as tall as cedars 2
and as strong as oaks,
but I destroyed the fruit on their branches 3
and their roots in the ground. 4
Amos 5:5
ContextDo not visit Gilgal!
Do not journey down 6 to Beer Sheba!
For the people of Gilgal 7 will certainly be carried into exile; 8
and Bethel will become a place where disaster abounds.” 9
Amos 7:10
Context7:10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel 10 sent this message 11 to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel! 12 The land cannot endure all his prophecies. 13
Amos 8:5
Context8:5 You say,
“When will the new moon festival 14 be over, 15 so we can sell grain?
When will the Sabbath end, 16 so we can open up the grain bins? 17
We’re eager 18 to sell less for a higher price, 19
and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales! 20
1 tn Heb “I destroyed the Amorites from before them.” The translation takes מִפְּנֵי (mippÿney) in the sense of “for the sake of.” See BDB 818 s.v. פָּנֻה II.6.a and H. W. Wolff, Joel and Amos (Hermeneia), 134. Another option is to take the phrase in a spatial sense, “I destroyed the Amorites, [clearing them out] from before them [i.e., Israel]” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
2 tn Heb “whose height was like the height of cedars.”
3 tn Heb “his fruit from above.”
4 tn Heb “and his roots from below.”
5 sn Ironically, Israel was to seek after the Lord, but not at Bethel (the name Bethel means “the house of God” in Hebrew).
map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
6 tn Heb “cross over.”
sn To worship at Beer Sheba, northern worshipers had to journey down (i.e., cross the border) between Israel and Judah. Apparently, the popular religion of Israel for some included pilgrimage to holy sites in the South.
7 tn Heb “For Gilgal.” By metonymy the place name “Gilgal” is used instead of referring directly to the inhabitants. The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
8 tn In the Hebrew text the statement is emphasized by sound play. The name “Gilgal” sounds like the verb גָּלָה (galah, “to go into exile”), which occurs here in the infinitival + finite verb construction (גָּלֹה יִגְלֶה, galoh yigleh). The repetition of the “ג” (g) and “ל” (l) sounds draws attention to the announcement and suggests that Gilgal’s destiny is inherent in its very name.
sn That the people of Gilgal would be taken into exile is ironic, for Gilgal was Israel’s first campsite when the people entered the land under Joshua and the city became a symbol of Israel’s possession of the promised land.
9 tn Heb “disaster,” or “nothing”; NIV “Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”
sn Again there is irony. The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew. How surprising and tragic that Bethel, the “house of God” where Jacob received the inheritance given to Abraham, would be overrun by disaster.
10 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
11 tn The direct object of the verb translated “sent” is elided in the Hebrew text. The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
12 tn Heb “in the middle of the house of Israel.”
13 tn Heb “words.”
14 sn Apparently work was prohibited during the new moon festival, just as it was on the Sabbath.
15 tn Heb “pass by.”
16 tn The verb, though omitted in the Hebrew text, is supplied in the translation from the parallel line.
17 tn Heb “sell grain.” Here “grain” could stand by metonymy for the bins where it was stored.
18 tn Here and in v. 6 the words “we’re eager” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
19 tn Heb “to make small the ephah and to make great the shekel.” The “ephah” was a unit of dry measure used to determine the quantity purchased, while the “shekel” was a standard weight used to determine the purchase price. By using a smaller than standard ephah and a heavier than standard shekel, these merchants were able to increase their profit (“sell less for a higher price”) by cheating the buyer.
20 tn Heb “and to cheat with deceptive scales”; NASB, NIV “dishonest scales”; NRSV “false balances.”
sn Rigged scales may refer to bending the crossbar or shifting the center point of the scales to make the amount weighed appear heavier than it actually was, thus cheating the buyer.
