Discovery BoxAmos 6:1 
Context6:1 Woe 1 to those who live in ease in Zion, 2
to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.
They think of themselves as 3 the elite class of the best nation.
The family 4 of Israel looks to them for leadership. 5
Amos 6:4-6
Context6:4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, 6
and sprawl out on their couches.
They eat lambs from the flock,
and calves from the middle of the pen.
6:5 They sing 7 to the tune of 8 stringed instruments; 9
like David they invent 10 musical instruments.
6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, 11
and pour the very best oils on themselves. 12
1 tn On the Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy; “ah, woe”) as a term of mourning, see the notes in 5:16, 18.
2 sn Zion is a reference to Jerusalem.
3 tn The words “They think of themselves as” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the term נְקֻבֵי (nÿquvey; “distinguished ones, elite”) is in apposition to the substantival participles in the first line.
4 tn Heb “house.”
5 tn Heb “comes to them.”
6 tn Heb “beds of ivory.”
7 tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּרַט (parat), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. Some translate “strum,” “pluck,” or “improvise.”
8 tn Heb “upon the mouth of,” that is, “according to.”
9 sn The stringed instruments mentioned here are probably harps (cf. NIV, NRSV) or lutes (cf. NEB).
10 tn The meaning of the Hebrew phrase חָשְׁבוּ לָהֶם (khoshvu lahem) is uncertain. Various options include: (1) “they think their musical instruments are like David’s”; (2) “they consider themselves musicians like David”; (3) “they esteem musical instruments highly like David”; (4) “they improvise [new songs] for themselves [on] instruments like David”; (5) “they invent musical instruments like David.” However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that given in the translation (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 206-7).
11 sn Perhaps some religious rite is in view, or the size of the bowls is emphasized (i.e., bowls as large as sacrificial bowls).
12 tn Heb “with the best of oils they anoint [themselves].”
13 tn Or “not sickened by.”
14 sn The ruin of Joseph may refer to the societal disintegration in Israel, or to the effects of the impending judgment.
