Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Amos 7:3
The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.
3. concerning this ] viz. concerning the further undefined calamity, which He had purposed, and of which Amos had rightly interpreted the locusts as being the harbinger. “God is said to repent ” (lit., as Arabic seems to shew, to sigh deeply, or groan) “ upon (or over) evil, which He has either inflicted (Deu 32:36), or has said that He would inflict (Exo 32:12, Joe 2:13, Jon 3:10, Jer 18:8), and which, upon repentance or prayer, He suspends or checks” (Pusey).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Lord repented for this – God is said to repent, to have strong compassion upon or over evil, which He has either inflicted Deu 32:36; 1Ch 21:15, or has said that He would inflict Exo 32:12; Joe 2:13; Jon 3:10; Jer 18:8, and which, upon repentance or prayer, He suspends or checks. Here, Amos does not intercede until after the judgment had been, in part, inflicted. He prayed, when in vision the locust had made an end of eating the grass of the land, and when the fire had eaten up a part. Nor, until Israel had suffered what these visions foretold, was he small, either in his own or in human sight, or in relation to his general condition. The this then, of which God repented and said, it shall not be, is that further undefined evil, which His first infliction threatened. Evil and decay do not die out, but destroy. Oppression does not weary itself out, but increases. Visitations of God are tokens of His displeasure, and, in the order of His justice, rest on the sinner. Pul and Tiglath-pileser, when they came with their armies on Israel, were instruments of Gods chastening. According to the ways of Gods justice, or of mans ambition, the evil now begun, would have continued, but that God, at the prayer of the prophet, said, Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further Job 38:11.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. The Lord repented] Changed his purpose of destroying them by the locusts. See Am 7:6.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Lord repented; this, spoke after the manner of man, is to be understood as becomes the immutability and omniscience of God; what a man when he repenteth doth, desisting front the thing, so God, desisting or suspending his own act, doth tell us he repenteth.
It shall not be: this explains the former; that sore famine like to be caused by these locusts came not, Amos prevailed by prayer, and the judgment was diverted.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. repented for thisthat is,of this. The change was not in the mind of God (Num 2:19;Jas 1:17), but in the effectoutwardly. God unchangeably does what is just; it is just that Heshould hear intercessory prayer (Jas5:16-18), as it would have been just for Him to have let judgmenttake its course at once on the guilty nation, but for the prayer ofone or two righteous men in it (compare Gen 18:23-33;1Sa 15:11; Jer 42:10).The repentance of the sinner, and God’s regard to His own attributesof mercy and covenanted love, also cause God outwardly to deal withhim as if he repented (Jon 3:10),whereas the change in outward dealing is in strictest harmony withGod’s own unchangeableness.
It shall not beIsrael’sutter overthrow now. Pul was influenced by God to accept money andwithdraw from Israel.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord repented for this,…. He heard the prayer of the prophet, and at his intercession averted, the threatened judgment; thus the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, Jas 5:16; this is spoken after the manner of men; as men, when they repent of a thing, desist from it, so the Lord desisted from going on with this judgment; he did not change his mind, but changed the dispensations of his providence according to his mind and will:
it shall not be, saith the Lord; these grasshoppers or locusts, the Assyrian army, shall not at this time destroy the land of Israel: Pul king of Assyria took a sum of money of the king of Israel, and so turned back, and stayed not in the land, 2Ki 15:19.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3) The Lord repented.The judgment is withheld. On the anthropomorphism of Jehovah repenting, comp. Gen. 6:5 and other passages.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Amo 7:3. The Lord repented for this The Lord changed his purpose concerning this matter. Houbigant. See Amo 7:6.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Amo 7:3 The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.
Ver. 3. The Lord repented for this: It shall not be, saith the Lord] Here was mutatio rei, non Dei; facti, non consilii: a change, not of God’s will, but of his work; therefore (by way of explication) it followeth, “It shall not be, saith the Lord.” To speak properly, there can be no repentance in God, 1Sa 15:20 , but this is spoken after the manner of men; and it notably setteth forth the power of faithful prayer, able, after a sort, to alter God’s mind, and to transfuse a dead palsy into the hands of omnipotence, Exo 32:10 , where God is fain to bespeak his own freedom; and Moses is represented as the great chancellor of heaven.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
repented. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 32:36). App-92. Compare Jon 3:10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
repented
(See Scofield “Zec 8:14”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Amo 7:6, Deu 32:36, 1Ch 21:15, Psa 106:45, Hos 11:8, Joe 2:14, Jon 3:10, Jam 5:16
Reciprocal: Exo 32:12 – repent Deu 9:19 – But the 1Sa 15:11 – repenteth me 2Sa 24:16 – repented Psa 90:13 – let it Psa 135:14 – he will repent Jer 15:6 – I am Jer 18:8 – I will Jer 42:10 – for I Amo 7:5 – for Jon 4:2 – and of
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Amo 7:3. Lord repented means the Lord changed his mind and removed the insects.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
7:3 The LORD {c} repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.
(c) That is, stopped this plague at my prayer.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
In response to Amos’ prayer, the Lord relented and said He would not bring a completely devastating judgment on Israel, at least then. He would be merciful and patient and would grant Israel more grace (cf. Exo 32:14).
The prayers of righteous individuals, like Amos, can alter the events of history (cf. Jas 5:16-18). Some things that God intends to do are not firmly determined by Him; He is open to changing His mind about these things. However, He has decreed other things and no amount of praying will change His mind about those things (cf. Jer 7:16; Jer 11:14; Jer 14:11-12; Act 1:11; Rev 22:20). It is important, therefore, that we understand, from Scripture, what aspects of His will are fixed and which are negotiable. The same distinction between determined choices and optional choices is observable in human interpersonal relations. Good parents, for example, will not permit their children to do certain things no matter how much the children may beg, but they do allow their children to influence their decisions in other matters. [Note: For further discussion of this issue, see Thomas L. Constable, Talking to God: What the Bible Teaches about Prayer, pp. 149-52; idem, "What Prayer Will and Will Not Change," in Essays in Honor of J. Dwight Pentecost, pp. 99-113; John Munro, "Prayer to a Sovereign God," Interest 56:2 (February 1990):20-21; and Robert B. Chisholm Jr., "Does God ’Change His Mind’?" Bibliotheca Sacra 152:608 (October-December 1995):387-99.]