Discovery BoxAmos 6:6-7 
Context6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, 1
and pour the very best oils on themselves. 2
Yet they are not concerned over 3 the ruin 4 of Joseph.
6:7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile, 5
and the religious banquets 6 where they sprawl on couches 7 will end.
Amos 6:13
Context6:13 You are happy because you conquered Lo-Debar. 8
You say, “Did we not conquer Karnaim 9 by our own power?”
1 sn Perhaps some religious rite is in view, or the size of the bowls is emphasized (i.e., bowls as large as sacrificial bowls).
2 tn Heb “with the best of oils they anoint [themselves].”
3 tn Or “not sickened by.”
4 sn The ruin of Joseph may refer to the societal disintegration in Israel, or to the effects of the impending judgment.
5 tn Heb “they will go into exile at the head of the exiles.”
6 sn Religious banquets. This refers to the מַרְזֵחַ (marzeakh), a type of pagan religious banquet popular among the upper class of Israel at this time and apparently associated with mourning. See P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 137-61; J. L. McLaughlin, The “Marzeah” in the Prophetic Literature (VTSup). Scholars debate whether at this banquet the dead were simply remembered or actually venerated in a formal, cultic sense.
7 tn Heb “of the sprawled out.” See v. 4.
8 tn Heb “those who rejoice over Lo-Debar.”
sn Lo-Debar was located across the Jordan River in Gilead, which the Israelite army had conquered. However, there is stinging irony here, for in Hebrew the name Lo-Debar means “nothing.” In reality Israel was happy over nothing of lasting consequence.
9 sn Karnaim was also located across the Jordan River. The name in Hebrew means “double horned.” Since an animal’s horn was a symbol of strength (see Deut 33:17), the Israelites boasted in this victory over a town whose very name symbolized military power.
