Discovery BoxAmos 9:5-6 
Context9:5 The sovereign Lord who commands armies will do this. 1
He touches the earth and it dissolves; 2
all who live on it mourn.
The whole earth 3 rises like the River Nile, 4
and then grows calm 5 like the Nile in Egypt. 6
9:6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace 7 in heaven
and sets its foundation supports 8 on the earth. 9
He summons the water of the sea
and pours it out on the earth’s surface.
The Lord is his name.
1 tn The words “will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
2 tn Or “melts.” The verb probably depicts earthquakes and landslides. See v. 5b.
3 tn Heb “all of it.”
4 tn Heb “the Nile.” The word “River” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Or “sinks back down.”
6 sn See Amos 8:8, which is very similar to this verse.
7 tc The MT reads “his steps.” If this is correct, then the reference may be to the steps leading up to the heavenly temple or the throne of God (cf. 1 Kgs 10:19-20). The prefixed מ (mem) may be dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem). The translation assumes an emendation to עֲלִיָּתוֹ (’aliyyato, “his upper rooms”).
8 tn Traditionally, “vault” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV). The precise meaning of this word in this context is unclear. Elsewhere it refers to objects grouped or held together. F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman (Amos [AB], 845-46) suggest the foundational structure of a building is in view.
9 sn Verse 6a pictures the entire universe as a divine palace founded on the earth and extending into the heavens.
