Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Amos 3:13
Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hosts,
13. Hear ye, and testify against, &c.] The persons addressed might be the heathen nobles of Philistia and Egypt ( Amo 3:9 b). But in view of the fact that they are not to see, but to hear, and that it is the divine sentence in Amo 3:14 which is to be virtually the subject of their testimony, it is probable that, as in Amo 3:9 a, ideal bearers of the divine message are intended by the prophet. Testify, i.e. declare solemnly, as Gen 43:3; Deu 8:19; Psa 50:7; Psa 80:8; and frequently.
the Lord Jehovah, the God of hosts ] In Amo 4:13, Amo 5:14-15, Amo 6:8; Amo 6:14, Hos 7:5, “Jehovah, the God of hosts”; in ch. Amo 5:27, “the God of hosts”; in Amo 5:16, “Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord”; in Amo 9:5, “The Lord, Jehovah of hosts”; in the prophets generally, simply “Jehovah of hosts.” The finest and most expressive of Jehovah’s titles, used pre-eminently by the prophets, and designating Him, in a word, as the Omnipotent. See the Additional Note, p. 231 f.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Hear ye and testify ye in – (Rather unto or against ) the house of Israel; first hear yourselves, then testify, that is, solemnly protest, in the Name of God; and bear witness unto and against them, so that the solemn words may sink into them. It is of little avail to testfy, unless we first hear; nor can man bear witness to what he doth not know; nor will words make an impression, that is, leave a trace of themselves, be stamped in or on peoples souls, unless the soul which utters them have first hearkened unto them.
Saith the Lord God of hosts – So thundereth, as it were, the authority of the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of the shepherd. Foretelling and protesting the destruction of the altar of Bethel, he sets his God against the god whom Israel had chosen as theirs and worshiped there, the Lord God of hosts, against the similitude of a calf that eateth hay Psa 106:20. Not I, a shepherd, but so speaketh my God against your god.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 13. Hear ye] This is an address to the prophet.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Hear ye; prophets.
Testify, publicly declare and witness, make what proof you can of this thing, in the house of Jacob; to the ten tribes, as first and most nearly concerned herein, and to the two tribes also, who, as guilty of many and great sins, so are in danger of many and great judgments, and these hastening on them.
Saith the Lord God; assure them the message comes from the Lord God.
The God of hosts, who is Lord of all, and hath all power in his hand; when he commands, all the hosts of creatures attend to execute his commands, so that what he threateneth he will surely execute.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. testify in the house,&c.that is, against the house of Jacob. God calls onthe same persons as in Am 3:9,namely, the heathen Philistines and the Egyptians to witness withtheir own eyes Samaria’s corruptions above described, so that nonemay be able to deny the justice of Samaria’s punishment [MAURER].
God of hostshaving allthe powers of heaven and earth at His command, and therefore Onecalculated to strike terror into the hearts of the guilty whom Hethreatens.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob,…. The prophets and priests, whose business it was to speak to the people from the Lord, and declare his will to them, and to admonish them of their sin and danger, are here called upon to hearken to what the Lord was about to say, and to testify and publish it to the people of Israel, the posterity of Jacob, though sadly degenerated:
saith the Lord God, the God of hosts; the eternal Jehovah, the Being of beings, the God of the whole earth, the God of the armies above and below; and, being so great, ought to be heard with the greatest attention and reverence in what follows.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This feature in the threat is brought out into peculiar prominence by a fresh introduction. Amo 3:13. “Hear ye, and testify it to the house of Jacob, is the utterance of the Lord, Jehovah, the God of hosts: Amo 3:14. That in the day when I visit the transgressions of the house of Israel upon it, I shall visit it upon the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar will be cut off, and fall to the ground. Amo 3:15. And I smite the winter-house over the summer-house, and the houses of ivory perish, and many houses vanish, is the saying of Jehovah.” The words “Hear ye” cannot be addressed to the Israelites, fore they could not bear witness against the house of Israel, but must either refer to the prophets, as in Amo 3:9 (“publish ye”), or to the heathen, in which case they correspond to “assemble yourselves and behold” in Amo 3:9. The latter assumption is the only correct one, for the context does not assign a sufficient motive for an address to the prophets. On the other hand, as the heathen have been summoned to convince themselves by actual observation of the sins that prevail in Samaria, it is perfectly in keeping that they should now hear what is the punishment that God is about to inflict upon Israel in consequence, and that they should bear witness against Israel from what they have heard. , to bear witness towards or against (not “in,” as Baur supposes). The house of Jacob is the whole of Israel, of the twelve tribes, as in Amo 3:1; for Judah was also to learn a lesson from the destruction of Samaria. As the appeal to the heathen to bear witness against Israel indicates the greatness of the sins of the Israelites, so, on the other hand, does the accumulation of the names of God in Amo 3:13 serve to strengthen the declaration made by the Lord, who possesses as God of hosts the power to execute His threats. introduces the substance of what is to be heard. The punishment of the sins of Israel is to extend even to the altars of Bethel, the seat of the idolatrous image-worship, the hearth and home of the religious and moral corruption of the ten tribes. The smiting off of the horns of the altar is the destruction of the altars themselves, the significance of which culminated in the horns (see at Exo 27:2). The singular hammizbeach ( the altar) preceded by a plural is the singular of species (cf. Ges. 108, 1), and does not refer to any particular one – say, for example, to the principal altar. The destruction of the palaces and houses (Amo 3:15) takes place in the capital. In the reference to the winter-house and summer-house, we have to think primarily of the royal palace (cf. Jer 36:22); at the same time, wealthy noblemen may also have had them. , lit., over, so that the ruins of one house fall upon the top of another; then “together with,” as in Gen 32:12. , ivory houses, houses the rooms of which are decorated by inlaid ivory. Ahab had a palace of this kind (1Ki 22:39, compare Psa 45:9). , not the large houses, but many houses; for the description is rounded off with these words. Along with the palaces, many houses will also fall to the ground. The fulfilment took place when Samaria was taken by Shalmanezer (2Ki 17:5-6).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
CRITICAL NOTES.]
Amo. 3:13. Hear] Addressed to heathen who have now to witness the punishment upon Israel.
Amo. 3:14. Altars] Vengeance upon the centre from which spread the evils (1Ki. 12:32). Horns] destroyed in utter contempt and desolation (Exo. 27:2).
Amo. 3:15. Houses] Eastern monarchs have summer and winter residences: the former upon mountains or in forests, the latter in cities and sheltered situations (Jdg. 3:20; Jer. 36:22). Ivory] Houses and palaces richly ornamented with this material will be entirely ruined. Samaria is threatened with the overthrow of its palaces, and the extermination of its people. Nothing will avail if righteousness be wanting in the day of the Lord (Pro. 10:2).
HOMILETICS
DIVINE VISITATION.Amo. 3:13-14
These verses renew and raise the threatening to a higher degree. God will visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, and utter destruction will be the consequence of moral corruption.
I. The seats of idolatry overturned. A people guilty of false worship are incapable of seeing the evil and the danger of it. Sentence must be uttered against the house of Jacob, for they cannot escape Divine judgments.
1. The centres of idolatry destroyed. The altars of Bethel were the source of their sins, the fountain-head of their superstitions. A special judgment is pronounced against Bethel the religious, and Samaria the political, seats of corruption.
2. The objects of idolatry destroyed. Destruction is threatened against the horns of the altar, and all attractions to idolatry. These were to be cut off with violence and fall to the ground.
3. The votaries of idolatry destroyed. The teachers and supporters were to have their punishment according to their prominence. Their support was withheld, and their doctrines proved false. Their religion was not defence, and all their hopes were disappointed. Natural religion can never be a substitute for revealed. Those who trust in the former and reject the latter will sink into ignorance and sin. Every kind of false worship, instead of helping, will become an object of Divine displeasure. So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness.
II. The palaces of grandeur pulled down. The great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord. The mansions of the rich, with their pomp and splendour, extravagance and folly, shall be spoiled by the enemy. The capital shall be robbed, and all its magnificent palaces destroyed. Pride is not in keeping with prosperity. Prodigality to ingratitude will only increase misery. Habitations decorated with art and inlaid with ivory, which exclude the presence of God, will have an end and dissolve to dust.
III. The retreats of luxury destroyed. Luxury and pride generally follow idolatry. But we have the same minute filling up of the picture, says one, in the threatenings against the luxurious retreats of the rich. The winter house, with its comfortable shelter from the influences of cold; the summer house, with all its spacious provision to secure a cool retreat from oppressive heat; the house of ivory, which might show the refined taste of its possessor; and the great house, which would display his wealth and give room for his revelryall were marked, like trees in a forest; their end was determined, it would quickly come. The palace of the prince and the cottage of the poor, the spacious mansion and the fortified castle, will one day come to ruin. Let us build high, and secure that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES
Amo. 3:13. Divine visitation. I. In relation to the prophets of God. A new charge is given to Amos and the rest of Gods servants, to understand the message themselves and proclaim it to others. It is of little avail to testify, unless we first hear; nor can man bear witness to what he doth not know; nor will words make an impression, i.e. leave a trace of themselvesbe stamped in or on mens soulsunless the soul which utters them have first hearkened unto them [Pusey]. II. In relation to others. In the house of Jacob the testimony must be given; but Philistines and Egyptians, as Amo. 3:9, are called upon to witness. Not only Gods servants, but others have need to be roused from their slumber and quicken attention to the word and authority of God. In the space of six verses the prophet earnestly repeats the words, saith the Lord. Men of our time should not question nor limit the message of the gospel. Be imbued with the spirit of Samuel, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. III. In relation to their design. The punishment of sin and the correction of Gods people. Sin is the procuring cause of all punishment. God may endure long, but will at length vindicate his holiness and visit the transgressions upon those who commit them.
Amo. 3:14-15. We are strongly reminded here of what in recent years befell Paris and Rome, which have occupied analogous positions in the Papal world, to those which were then held in Israel by Samaria and Bethel [Preachers Lantern, vol. 4].
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 3
Amo. 3:14-15. Visit. The sins of a nation draw judgment after them as the moon draws after it the billows that beat upon the shore. Let no nation hope to escape judgment until it gets rid of sin. Judgments are but sins ripened into a harvest, subterranean fires breaking into volcanoes [Dr Thomas].
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(13) Hear ye.Addressed to the foreign nations Egypt and Philistia referred to in Amo. 3:9.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Amo 3:13 Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hosts,
Ver. 13. Hear ye and testify, &c. ] Ye my prophets and all true believers. The Septuagint add, O ye priests, whose lips were to preserve knowledge, and to present it to the people. All that were thereunto commissioned by the Lord God, the God of hosts, are here straitly charged to hear and to charge, testify, or contest, 2Ti 4:1 and what they have received of the Lord to deliver the same to the whole house of Jacob: not stealing away the word from them, Jer 23:30 , or shunning to declare unto them his whole counsel, Act 20:27 , but faithfully handling the law, Jer 2:8 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the house of Jacob: i.e. the whole of the natural seed. See note on Amo 3:1.
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
saith the Lord God, the God of hosts = [is] the oracle of Adonai, the Elohim of Zebaioth.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
and testify: Deu 8:19, Deu 30:18, Deu 30:19, 2Ki 17:13, 2Ki 17:15, 2Ch 24:19, Act 2:40, Act 18:5, Act 18:6, Act 20:21, Eph 4:17, 1Th 4:6
the Lord: Amo 5:27, Jos 22:22, Isa 1:24
Reciprocal: Exo 33:3 – lest I Isa 7:13 – will ye Amo 4:13 – The Lord Amo 5:16 – the Lord
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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Amo 3:13. The Lord bids the prophet call upon the house of Jacob (from whom came the name Israel) to hear what the God of hosts has to say.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Amo 3:13-15. Hear ye, and testify, &c. These words are directed to the prophets whom God sends to declare his will. In the day that I shall visit, &c. In the general destruction of the ten tribes, my judgments will be particularly visible upon the places dedicated to idolatrous worship, especially Beth-el, the principal place of that kind. And the horns of the altar shall be cut off These were squares placed at the four corners of the altar, and hollow in the middle, into which some of the blood of the sacrifices was poured. And I will smite the winter-house with the summer- house The kings and great men had different houses and apartments for spending the winter and summer in. These were placed and made suitable to those different seasons. And the houses of ivory shall perish We read 1Ki 22:49, that King Ahab built himself an ivory house, that is, a house ceiled or wainscoted with ivory: or at least inlaid in some parts of it with ivory; and it is probable that other great men followed his example.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Sovereign Yahweh almighty, the suzerain warrior who led the most vast and powerful of all armies, urged Amos to hear His word and to bear testimony against the house of Jacob. The reference to Jacob recalls the devious nature of this ancestor whose character the present generation of Israelites mirrored. It also recalls God’s gracious promises to Jacob. The Israelites, as bad as they were, were God’s people, not just the people of King Jeroboam II.