Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Amos 2:9
Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height [was] like the height of the cedars, and he [was] strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
9. Yet destroyed I ] The pron. is emphatic: ‘Yet I (whom you thus requite) destroyed the Amorites, that mighty and seemingly invincible nation, from before you, and settled you in their land.’ Destroyed before (lit. from before) you: the same expression in Jos 24:8 a passage belonging to the Hexateuchal narrator, commonly designated by the letter E: “And I brought you into the land of the Amorite, who dwelt beyond Jordan, and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and ye possessed their land, and I destroyed them from before you ”; cf. also Deu 2:21-22. Amorite is the term used (1) in the passage just quoted, and frequently, of the peoples ruled by Sihon and Og, east of Jordan, conquered by the Israelites; (2) as a general designation of the pre-Israelitish population of the territory W. of Jordan, especially in the Hexateuchal writer ‘E,’ and in Deuteronomy (as Gen 48:22; Deu 1:7; Deu 1:19-20; Jos 24:15; Jos 24:18, and occasionally besides (as Jdg 1:34-35; Jdg 6:10; 2Sa 21:2): see, more fully, the writer’s Commentary on Deuteronomy, pp. 11 12. It is used here, evidently, in the second sense.
like the height of the cedars &c.] A hyperbolical description of the stature and strength of the Amorites: cf. Num 13:32; Deu 1:28 (“a people greater and taller than we; cities great and fenced up to heaven”). The cedar was, among the Hebrews, the type of loftiness and grandeur (Isa 2:13; Eze 17:23; Eze 31:3).
his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath ] i.e. completely, or, as we might say, root and branch: not only was the fruit which existed destroyed, but the stock from which fresh fruit might have been put forth afterwards was destroyed likewise. For the figure comp. Hos 9:16, Eze 17:9; and especially Job 18:16, Isa 37:31, and the Inscription on the tomb of Eshmunazar, king of Sidon ( Corp. Inscr. Sem. I. i. p. 19), Isa 50:11-11 (an imprecation uttered against any one who violates the tomb): “may he have no root beneath, or fruit above, or any beauty among the living under the sun.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
9 12. The ingratitude shewn by Israel, in thus dishonouring its Lord and Benefactor.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Yet – (and I) I (Emphatic) destroyed Such were their doings; such their worship of their God. And what had God done? what was it, which they thus requited?
The Amorite – These, as one of the mightiest of the Canaanite tribes, stand in Moses for all. Moses, in rehearsing to them the goodness of God and their backsliding, reminds them, how he had said, Ye have come to the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord your God giveth you Deu 1:20; and that they, using this same word, said, Because the Lord hateth us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorite to destroy us Deu 1:27. The aged Joshua, in rehearsing Gods great deeds for Israel, places first by itself the destruction of the Amorite before them, with the use of this same idiom , I brought you into the land of the Amorites which dwelt on the other side of Jordan – and I destroyed them before you. The Amorites were descended from the 4th son of Canaan Gen 10:16.
At the invasion of Chedorlaomer, a portion of them dwelt at Hazezon-Tamar or Engedi, half way on the west side of the Dead Sea, and at Hebron near it (Gen 14:7, Gen 14:13; compare Gen 13:18; 2Ch 20:2). Their corruption had not yet reached its height, and the return of Israel was delayed to the four hundredth year, because the iniquity of the Amorite was not yet full Gen 15:16. When Israel returned, the Amorites, (together with the Hittites and the Jebusites) held the hill country Num 13:29; Deu 1:7, Deu 1:44, Jerusalem, Hebron, Gibeon 2Sa 21:2, and, on the skirts of the mountains westward Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon Jos 10:3, Jos 10:5. They dwelt on the side of the Jordan westward Jos 5:1, besides the two kingdoms which they had formed east of Jordan, reaching to Mount Hermon Deu 3:8 and Bashan up to the territory of Damascus. Afterward a small remnant remained only in the portion of Dan, and in the outskirts of Judah, from the south of the Dead Sea, Maaleh Akrabbim (Scorpion-pass) and Petra Jdg 1:35-36. Those near Idumea were probably absorbed in Edom; and the remnant in Dan, after becoming tributary to Ephraim Jdg 1:35-36, lost their national existence perhaps among the Philistines, since we have thenceforth only the single notice in the days of Samuel after the defeat of the Philistines, there was peace between Israel and the Amorites 1Sa 7:14.
Whose height was like the height of the cedars – The giant sons of Anak were among the Amorites at Hebron Num 13:22 (called for a time Kiriath Arba Jos 14:15; Jos 15:13-14 from their giant father) Debir, Ahab, and the mountains of Judah and Israel Jos 11:21. The valley of Rephaim 2Sa 5:18, southwest of Jerusalem, connects this giant race with the Amorites, as does the fact that Og, king of the Amorites in Basan, was of the remnant of the Rephaim Deu 3:11; Jos 12:4; Jos 13:19. Basan and Argob were, in Moses time, still called the land of Rephaim Deu 3:13. The Rephaim, with the Perizzites, dwelt still in woody mountains near Ephraim; from where, on the complaint that the lot of the sons of Joseph was too narrow, Joshua bade his tribe to expel them Jos 17:15, Jos 17:18. The Rephaim are mentioned between the Perizzites and the Amorites Gen 15:20-21, in Gods first promise of the land to Abrahams seed, and perhaps some intermixture of race gave the giant stature to the Amorites. It is clear from Amos that the report of the spies, all the people that we saw in it were men of stature Num 13:32, was no exaggeration, nor did Joshua and Caleb deny this. The name of the Amorite is probably connected with commanding, describing some quality of their forefather, which descended to his race.
Whose height was like the height of cedars – Giant height is sometimes a cause of weakness. Amos, in a degree like Hosea combines distinct images to make up the idea of stateliness and strength. The cedar is the ideal of eastern trees for height Isa 2:13; Eze 17:22; Eze 31:3; 1Ki 4:33; 2Ki 14:9, stretching forth its arms as for protection , It groweth to an exceeding height, and with increasing time ever riseth higher. The oak has its Hebrew name from strength. The more majestic the tall strength of the Amorite, the more manifest that Israel got not the land in possession by their own sword Psa 44:3, who had counted themselves, in sight of the Amorite, as grasshoppers Num 13:33. God, who gave him that strength, took it away, as we say, root and branch, leaving him no show above, no hope of recovered life below (see Hos 9:16; Job 18:16; Eze 17:9). Having compared each Amorite to a majestic tree, he compares the excision of the whole nation to the cutting down of that one tree , so swift, so entire, so irrecoverable. Yet the destruction of the Amorite, a mercy to Israel in the purpose of God, was a warning to israel when it became as they. Gods terrors are mercies to the repentant; Gods mercies are terrors to the impenitent. Ye shall keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not commit any of these abominations, was the tenure upon which they held the Lords land, that the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you Lev 18:26, 38.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Amo 2:9-11
Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks.
Sin as ingratitude
These verses form a graphic resume of the great benefits which God had bestowed on His people. Amos was master of all arts by which a nation might be roused to penitence. Hence the two pictures of mans sin (verses 6-8) and Gods goodness are set side by side as a means of awakening the slumbering conscience of the nation, and winning them back again to the service of their almighty and changeless Friend. Only the most hardened hearts can resist the appeal which Divine mercy makes! How great the sin of Israel. It blinded them to the mercies of heaven, made them cling to vices which God had raised them up to subdue, and forget the truth and holiness which were to be exemplified in their lives. The mercies are summed up under three heads.
I. The victories which made them masters of their inheritance. Yet destroyed I the Amorite (verse 9). The Amorites, strongest of all Canaanite nations, are taken as the representatives of all. The greatness of the victories is measured here–
(1) By the might of the enemies. The two noblest trees of Palestine represent the prowess of the foe: Whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks. The Anakim were of this race, combining what are not always united, vast stature and gigantic strength. The terror of the spies (Num 13:1-33.) is the best witness to the power of these mighty foemen. These enemies are a type of all foes whom God subdues before His people. Passion and pride are the Anakim whom He subdues before us. Alone we were powerless, dismayed by thoughts of the encounter; yet God girded Himself as a mighty man of war, and won for us the victory.
(2) The victory is measured by the completeness of the deliverance. Yet destroyed I his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. The fruit might have been borne by the breeze to some spot where it would grow again, the root, left in the earth, might have put forth new branches. Both were destroyed. Our own experience has its parallel here. God not only subdues our foes, but lays them low at our feet, where they need never rise again to harass and annoy us: rooting out the seeds of bitterness. What a claim on our devotion!
II. Deliverances which opened the way for this career of conquest. I brought you up from the land of Egypt (verse 10). Nothing seemed more improbable than that they should escape from their captivity. All religious life begins with such proofs of Gods power and mercy.
III. Gods mercy also provided spiritual blessings (verse 11). The Nazarites and prophets were men who withered for truth and purity. The prophet taught by his words, the Nazarite by his life. Representatives of God, they walked among His people to bind all hearts to Himself. They were to preserve the nation from the sins which had brought ruin on the old inhabitants of Canaan, to keep alive that truth and purity which secured to them the possession of their land. How rich the mercy of God! The Amorite subdued, that the people might inherit their land; the yoke of Egypt broken, that they might go up and possess their inheritance; spiritual guides raised up to keep the people from the sin, which would spoil them of their new-found treasure. Such is Gods dealing with all His people. Their path is strewn with tokens of His guardian grace. He is preparing them for a great future. Application–Gods appeal, Is it not even thus? (verse 11) sets the sin of Israel before us in all its baseness. The mercies were so evident that none could doubt or deny them. All sin in Gods people is base ingratitude. Remember the gifts of heaven when tempted to wander. (J. Telford, B. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 9. Yet destroyed I the Amorite] Here follow general heads of God’s mercies to them, and the great things he had done for them.
1. Bringing them out of Egypt.
2. Miraculously sustaining them in the wilderness forty years.
3. Driving out the Canaanites before them, and giving them possession of the promised land.
4. Raising up prophets among them to declare the Divine will.
5. And forming the holy institution of the Nazarites among them, to show the spiritual nature of his holy religion, Am 2:9-11.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Yet destroyed I, whom they have ungratefully forgotten and forsaken, and set up idols in competition with me; nay, cast off my law and worship, and embraced idolatry, worshipped idols that never could do them good, nor destroy their enemies; this they did after I had destroyed their enemies.
The Amorite; the mightiest nation of all the Canaanites, and therefore expressly mentioned as an instance of Gods great mercy, and Israels great ingratitude: by this nation mentioned all the rest of the Canaanitish nations are to be understood. These Amorites dwelt beyond Jordan, between that and Moab, and their land fell by lot unto Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. Before them, the children of Israel under the conduct of Moses, Deu 2:24, &c.; Deu 3:1-14, at the very sight of whom these mighty men fled, for God had struck them with terror that they might not stand before Israel.
Whose height was like the height of the cedars: the Amorites were men of largest size, they were of the race of the giants, Num 13:32,33. This is a proverbial speech, and sets out the Amorites, exceeding ordinary men in stature as much as the cedar exceeds ordinary trees in height.
Strong as the oaks; another proverbial speech, denoting their great strength above the strength of other men.
I destroyed; utterly rooted them out.
His fruit from above: trees propagated by fruit are diminished by destroying the fruit which is the seed of them; so God cut off the children of the Amorites, and thereby prevented all succession.
His roots from beneath: this refers to the destroying the old standards, that present generation: this last clause refers to the command God gave, Deu 7:2.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. YetMy former benefits toyou heighten your ingratitude.
the Amoritethe mostpowerful of all the Canaanite nations, and therefore put for them all(Gen 15:16; Gen 48:22;Deu 1:20; Jos 7:7).
height . . . like . . .cedars (Num 13:32; Num 13:33).
destroyed his fruit . . .above . . . roots . . . beneaththat is, destroyed him utterly(Job 18:16; Eze 17:9;Mal 4:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them,…. Here the Lord by the prophet reckons up the many favours and blessings he had bestowed upon Israel, which was an aggravation of their sins, and showed them to be guilty of great ingratitude, and a justification of him in his punishment of them he drove out the seven nations of Canaanites from before them, to make way for them, and destroyed them, of which the Amorite was a principal, and is here put for all the rest:
whose height [was] like the height of the cedars; being both tall of stature, and in great honour and dignity with the other nations, and in very opulent and flourishing circumstances:
and he was strong as the oaks: not only like the tall cedars of Lebanon for their height and largeness of stature, but like the sturdy oaks for the strength of their bodies, being of the race of the giants, Nu 13:28;
yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath; that is, utterly destroyed him, root and branch, so that nothing of him remained; still persisting in the metaphor of a tree. Jarchi interprets it of their superior and inferior princes; but it seems best to understand it of children with their parents, the one being the fruit, the other the root; and, both being destroyed, there must be utter ruin.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And if this daring contempt of the commandments of God was highly reprehensible even in itself, it became perfectly inexcusable if we bear in mind that Israel was indebted to the Lord its God for its elevation into an independent nation, and also for its sacred calling. For this reason, the prophet reminds the people of the manifestations of grace which it had received from its God (Amo 2:9-11). Amo 2:9. “And yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and who was strong as the oaks; and I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. Amo 2:10. And yet I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the desert, to take possession of the land of the Amorite.” The repeated is used with peculiar emphasis, and serves to bring out the contrast between the conduct of the Israelites towards the Lord, and the fidelity of the Lord towards Israel. Of the two manifestations of divine grace to which Israel owed its existence as an independent nation, Amos mentions first of all the destruction of the former inhabitants of Canaan (Exo 23:27., Exo 34:11); and secondly, what was earlier in point of time, namely, the deliverance out of Egypt and guidance through the Arabian desert; not because the former act of God was greater than the latter, but in order to place first what the Lord had done for the nation, that he may be able to append to this what He still continues to do (Amo 2:11). The nations destroyed before Israel are called Amorites, from the most powerful of the Canaanitish tribes, as in Gen 15:16; Jos 24:15, etc. To show, however, that Israel was not able to destroy this people by its own strength, but that Jehovah the Almighty God alone could accomplish this, he proceeds to transfer to the whole nation what the Israelitish spies reported as to their size, more especially as to the size of particular giants (Num 13:32-33), and describes the Amorites as giants as lofty as trees and as strong as trees, and, continuing the same figure, depicts their utter destruction or extermination as the destruction of their fruit and of their roots. For this figure of speech, in which the posterity of a nation is regarded as its fruit, and the kernel of the nation out of which it springs as the root, see Eze 17:9; Hos 9:16; Job 18:16. These two manifestations of divine mercy Moses impressed more than once upon the hearts of the people in his last addresses, to urge them in consequence to hold fast to the divine commandments and to the love of God (cf. Deu 8:2., Deu 9:1-6; Deu 29:1-8).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| God’s Remonstrance with Israel. | B. C. 790. |
9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. 10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD. 12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. 13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves. 14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: 15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself. 16 And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.
Here, I. God puts his people Israel in mind of the great things he has done for them, in putting them into possession of the land of Canaan, the greatest part of which these ten tribes now enjoyed, Amo 2:9; Amo 2:10. Note, We need often to be reminded of the mercies we have received, which are the heaviest aggravations of the sins we have committed. God gives liberally, and upbraids us not with our meanness and unworthiness, and the disproportion between his gifts and our merits; but he justly upbraids us with our ingratitude, and ill requital of his favours, and tells us what he has done for us, to shame us for not rendering again according to the benefit done to us. “Son, remember; Israel, remember, 1. That God brought thee out of a house of bondage, rescued thee out of the land of Egypt, where thou wouldst otherwise have perished in slavery.” 2. That he led thee forty years through a desert land, and fed thee in a wilderness, where thou wouldst otherwise have perished with hunger. Mercies to our ancestors were mercies to us, for, if they had been cut off, we should not have been. 3. That he made room for them in Canaan, by extirpating the natives by a series of wonders little inferior to those by which they were redeemed out of Egypt: I destroyed the Amorite before them, here put for all the devoted nations. Observe the magnificence of the enemies that stood in their way, which is taken notice of, that God may be the more magnified in the subduing of them. They were of great stature (whose height was like the height of the cedars) and the people of Israel were as shrubs to them; and they were also of great strength, not only tall, but well-set: He was strong as the oaks. Their kingdom was eminent among the nations, and over-topped all its neighbours. The supports and defences of it seemed impregnable; it was as fine as the stately cedar; it was as firm as the sturdy oak; yet, when God had a vine to plant there (Psa 80:8; Psa 80:9), this Amorite was not only cut down, but plucked up: I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath, so that the Amorites were no more a nation, nor ever read of any more. Thus highly did God value Israel. He gave men for them and people for their life, Isa. xliii. 4. How ungrateful then were those who put such contempt upon him! 4. That he made them possess the land of the Amorite, not only put it into their hands, so that they became masters of it jure belli–by right of conquest, but gave them a better title to it, so that it became theirs by promise.
II. He likewise upbraids them with the spiritual privileges and advantages they enjoyed as a holy nation, v. 11. They had helps for their souls, which taught them how to make good use of their temporal enjoyments and were therefore more valuable. It is true the ten tribes had not God’s temple, altar, and priesthood, and it was their own fault that they deserted them, and for that they might justly have been left in utter darkness; but God left not himself without witness, nor them without guides to show them the way. 1. They had prophets that were powerful instructors in piety, divinely inspired, and commissioned to make known the mind of God to them, to show them what is pleasing to God and what displeasing, to reprove them for their faults and warn them of their dangers, to direct them in their difficulties and comfort them in their troubles. God raised them up prophets, animated them for that work and employed them in it. He raised them up of their sons, from among themselves, as Moses and Christ were raised up from among their brethren, Deut. xviii. 15. It was an honour put upon their nation, and upon their families, that they had children of their own to be God’s messengers to them, of their own language, not strangers sent from another country, whom they might suspect to be prejudiced against them and their land, but those who, they knew, wished well to them. Note, Faithful ministers are great blessings to any people, and it is God that raises them up to be so, that they may justly be reckoned an honour to the families they are of. 2. They had Nazarites that were bright examples of piety: I raised up of your young men for Nazarites, men that bound themselves by a vow to God and his service, and, in pursuance of that, denied themselves many of the lawful delights of sense, as drinking wine and eating grapes. There were some of their young men that were in their prime for the enjoyment of the pleasures of this life and yet voluntarily abridged themselves of them; these God raised up by the power of his grace, to be monuments of his grace, to his glory, and to be his witnesses against the impieties of that degenerate age. Note, It is as great a blessing to any place to have eminent good Christians in it as to have eminent good ministers in it; for so they have examples to their rules. We must acknowledge that it bodes well to any people when God raises up numbers of hopeful young people among them, when he makes their young men Nazarites, devout, and conscientious, and mortified to the pleasures of sense; and those that are such Nazarites are purer than snow, whiter than milk; they are indeed the polite young men, for their polishing is of sapphires, Lam. iv. 7. Those that have such men, such young men, among them, have therein such an advantage, both for direction and encouragement, to be religious, as they will be called to an account for another day if they do not improve. Israel is here reckoned with, not only for the prophets, but for the Nazarites, raised up among them. Concerning the truth of this, he appeals to themselves: “Is it not even thus, O you children of Israel? Can you deny it? Have not you yourselves been sensible of the advantage you had by the prophets and Nazarites raised up among you?” Note, Sinners’ own consciences will be witnesses for God that he has not been wanting to them in the means of grace, so that, if they perish, it is because they have been wanting to themselves in not improving those means. The men of Judah shall themselves judge between God and his vineyard, whether he could have done more for it, Isa 5:3; Isa 5:4.
III. He charges them with the abuse of the means of grace they enjoyed, and the opposition they gave to God’s designs in affording them those means, v. 12. They were so far from walking in the light that they rebelled against it, and did what they could to extinguish it, that it might not shine in their faces, to their conviction. 1. They did what they could to debauch good people, to draw them off from their seriousness in devotion and their strictness in conversation: You gave the Nazarites wine to drink, contrary to their vow, that, having broken it in that instance, they might not pretend to keep it in any other. Some they surprised, or allured into it, and with their much fair speech caused them to yield; others they forced and frightened into it, reproached and threatened them if they were more precise than their neighbours; and, by drawing them in to drink wine, they spoiled them for Nazarites. Note, Satan and his agents are very busy to corrupt the minds of young people that look heavenward; and many that we thought would have been Nazarites they have overcome by giving them wine to drink, by drawing them in to the love of mirth and pleasure, and drinking company. Multitudes of young men that bade fair for eminent professors of religion have erred through wine, and been undone for ever. And how do the factors for hell triumph in the debauching of a Nazarite! 2. They did what they could to silence good ministers, and to stop their mouths: “You commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not, and threatened them if they did prophesy (ch. vii. 12), as if God’s messengers were bound to observe your orders, and might not deliver their errand unless you gave them leave, and so you not only received the grace of God, in raising up those prophets, in vain, but put the highest affront imaginable upon that God in whose name the prophets spoke.” Note, Those have a great deal to answer for that cannot bear faithful preaching, and those much more that suppress it.
IV. He complains of the wrong they did him by their sins (v. 13): “I am pressed under you, I am straitened by you, and can no longer bear it, and therefore I will ease myself of my adversaries, Isa. i. 24. I am pressed under you and the load of your sins as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves, is loaded with corn, in the midst of the joy of harvest, as long as any will lie on.” Note, The great God complains of sin, especially the sins of his professing people, as a burden to him. He is grieved with this generation (Ps. xcv. 10), is broken with their whorish heart (Ezek. vi. 9), a consideration which, if it make not the sinner’s repentance very deep, will make his ruin very great. The great God that upholds the world, and never complains that his is pressed under the weight of it (he fainteth not, neither is weary), yet complains of the sins of Israel, yea, and of their hypocritical services too, that he is weary of bearing them, Isa. i. 14. No wonder the creature groans being burdened (Rom. viii. 22), when the Creator says, I am pressed under them.
V. He threatens them with unavoidable ruin. And so some read, v. 13, “Behold I will press, or straiten, your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses; they shall be loaded with judgments till they shall sink under them, and shall make a noise, as a cart overloaded does.” Those that will not submit to the convictions of the word, that will neither be won by that nor by the conversation of those about them, shall be made to sink under the weight of God’s judgments. If God load us daily with his benefits, and we, notwithstanding that, load him with our sins, how can we expect any other than that he should load us with his judgments? And it is here threatened in the last three verses that, when God comes forth to contend with this provoking people, they shall not be able to stand before him, to flee from him, nor to make their part good with him; for when God judges he will overcome. Though his patience be tired out, his power is not, and so the sinner shall find, to his cost. When the Assyrian army comes to lay the country waste by sword and captivity none shall escape, but every one shall have his share in the common desolation. 1. It will be in vain to think of fleeing from the enemy that comes armed with a commission to make all desolate: The flight shall perish from the swift; those that have been famed for happy escapes and happy retreats shall now find their arts fail them; they shall have no time to flee, or shall find no way to take, or they shall have no strength or spirit to attempt it; they shall be at their wits’ end, and then they are soon at their flight’s end. Are they, as Asahel, as swift of foot as a wild roe? (2 Sam. ii. 18), yet, like him, they shall run the faster upon their own destruction: He that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself, v. 15. Or do they say (as those, Isa. xxx. 16), We will flee upon horses, and we will ride upon the swift? Yet they shall be overtaken: Neither shall he that rides the horse deliver himself from his pursuers. A horse is a vain thing for safety. 2. It will be in vain to think of fighting it out. God is at war with them; and are they stronger than he? Is there any military force that can pretend to be a match for Omnipotence? No: The strong shall not strengthen his force. He that has a habit of strength shall not be able to exert it when he has occasion for it. And the mighty, whose should protect and deliver others, shall not be able to deliver himself, to deliver his soul (so the word is), shall not save his life. Let not the strong man then glory in his strength, nor trust in it, but strengthen himself in the Lord his God, for in him is everlasting strength. And, as the bodily strength shall fail, so shall the weapons of war. The armour as well as the arm shall become insufficient: Neither shall he stand that handles the bow, though he stand at a distance, but shall betake himself to flight, and not trust to his own bow to save him. Though the arm be ever so strong, and the armour ever so well fixed, neither will avail when the spirit fails (v. 16): He that is courageous among the mighty, that used to look danger in the face, and not be dismayed at it, shall flee away naked in that day, not only disarmed, having thrown away his weapons both offensive and defensive, but plundered of his treasure, which he thought to carry away with him, and he shall think it as much as he could expect that he has his life for a prey. Thus when God pleases he takes away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causes those who used to boast of their courage, and their daring enterprises in the field, to wander and sneak in a wilderness where there is no way, Job xii. 24.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
God expostulates here with the Israelites for their ingratitude. He records the benefits he had before conferred on that people; and then shows how unworthily and disgracefully they had conducted themselves; for they forgot their many blessings and proudly despised God, and acted as if they were like other nations, and not bound to God for the singular benefit of adoption. The sum then is that God here complains that he had ill bestowed his blessings; and he reproves the people for their impiety, inasmuch as they did not lead a holier life after having been freely redeemed.
He says first, I have exterminated the Amorite before their face. God shows here that he was disgracefully defrauded by the Israelites, for whose sake he had previously destroyed the Amorites. For why were the Amorites exterminated, but that God would cleanse the land, and also, that he might give there a dwelling to his own people, that he might be purely worshipped? Then the people of Israel ought to have given up themselves wholly to the service of God; but as they neglected to do this, they frustrated the purpose of God, who had expelled the Amorites from that land, yea, and entirely destroyed them. The first complaint then is, that the children of Israel were nothing better than the Amorites, though God had given them the land, which was taken from its natives, that they might dwell in it, and on the condition, that his name should be there worshipped. Hence the Prophets say elsewhere, that they were Amorites. They ought to have been a new people; but as they followed the examples of others, in what did they differ from them? They are therefore called their posterity. But the Prophet speaks not here so severely; he only reproves the Israelites, because they differed in nothing from the Amorites, whom they knew to have been destroyed that they might be introduced into their place, and succeed to their inheritance.
It is then added, that the Amorites were tall in stature, and also that they were strong men. By these words the Prophet intimates that the Amorites were not conquered by the people’s valor, but by the wonderful power of God. We indeed know that they were dreaded by the people of Israel, for they were like giants. Then the Prophet speaks here of their height and strength, that the Israelites might consider that they overcame them not by their own valor, but that the land was given them by a miracle, for they had to do with giants, on whom they could hardly dare to look. It was then God who prostrated the cedars and the oaks before his people. We hence learn, that the Israelites could not boast of their own strengths as though they took possession of the land, because by means of war they ejected their enemies; for this was done by the singular kindness of God. They could not indeed have contended with their enemies, had not that been fulfilled which the Lord had so often foretold, ‘For you, while still, I will fight,’ (Exo 14:14) We now perceive the Prophet’s intention. But we may hence farther learn, that the Israelites had not possessed the land, because they were more excellent than the Amorites, its ancient inhabitants; but because it so pleased God. There was therefore no reason for the people of Israel to be proud on account of any excellency. It hence appears that they, who did not consider this remarkable kindness done to them, were more than doubly ungrateful to God.
He says that their fruit above and root below were destroyed. By this metaphor God enlarges on what he said before, that the Amorites had been exterminated, so that none of them remained. “I have demolished,” he says, or, “I have entirely destroyed the root beneath and the fruit above; I have extinguished the very name of the nation.” And yet the Israelites were not better, though the Amorites were thus destroyed; but having succeeded in their place, they became like them: this was utterly inexcusable. The more severe God’s vengeance had been towards the Amorites, the more ought the Israelites to have extolled his favor: but when with closed eyes they passed by so remarkable a testimony of God’s paternal love, it appears that they were extremely wicked and ungrateful.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
PUNISHMENT PROMISED, THE COVENANT NATIONSISRAEL
TEXT: Amo. 2:9-12
9
Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
10
Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
11
And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith Jehovah.
12
But ye gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
QUERIES
a.
Who were the Amorites and why refer to their height?
b.
Why mention the prophets and Nazirites?
PARAPHRASE
I remind you that it was I who cleared the promised land of the giant Amorites for you would not have been able to possess the land had I not done so. These Amorites, by your own admission, were too strong for you to overcome by yourself, yet I utterly exterminated this nation for you. I remind you that it was I who delivered you from your slavery in Egypt and sustained you forty years in the wilderness and gave you the land of the Amorite as your possession. I remind you that it was I who raised up some of your sons as My special messengers, prophets, who were empowered by My Spirit to reveal My word to you; and I raised up some of your sons to become Nazirites, especially holy men, to set before your eyes an example of your holy calling and to show you that I am able to give men the power to live holy lives. Is this not true, You children of the covenant? says the Lord. But instead of giving heed to these manifestations and examples of My holy will you held my word in contempt and caused the Nazirites to sin by tempting them to drink wine and you commanded My prophets to refrain from declaring My word!
SUMMARY
Amos makes a vivid contrast between the faithfulness of God toward Israel and Israels unfaithful contempt of Gods grace toward them,
COMMENT
Amo. 2:9 . . . DESTROYED I THE AMORITE BEFORE THEM . . . LIKE THE HEIGHT OF THE CEDARS . . . God delivered, led, sustained and fought for Israel. When Israel came to the borders of the Promised Land and sent men in to spy out the land the report came back that the people were as giants and the Israelites were like grasshoppers in comparison (cf. Num. 13:32-33) but God gave Israel victory and so completely overthrew the Amorites that they were eradicated. God removed them so thoroughly that they never were a nation again.
Amo. 2:10 ALSO I BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, AND LED YOU FORTY YEARS . . . God nurtured Israel like a father and mother nurtures a child (cf. Hos. 11:1-4; Eze. 16:4-8). When Israel was an unpitied, disorganized, unloved, nomadic tribe of slaves in Egypt, Jehovah God took them and pitied them, delivered them from their slavery, fed them, clothed them, protected them, gave them a Land, blessed them, and still they held Him in contempt. They forgot what they were before He blessed them! They took Him for granted! They became ungrateful, exactly as Moses warned them not to do (be sure to read the entire 8th chapter of Deuteronomy in this connection)! Ingratitude is, like its sister pride, one of the worst of sins!
Amo. 2:11-12 . . . I RAISED UP . . . PROPHETS . . . AND NAZIRITES . . . BUT YE GAVE THE NAZIRITES WINE TO DRINK . . . AND COMMANDED THE PROPHETS . . . PROPHESY NOT . . . Nothing demonstrated the grace of God so well as the fact that God raised up some men from among the covenant people to be His prophets, to deliver to the people the Light of Life, the Bread of Life, the Word of God. The patience and longsuffering of God waited upon the people through the prophets as He sent them to turn the prodigal nation from its rebellion, but the people would not! They commanded the prophets to cease their preaching (cf. Amo. 7:12; 1Ki. 18:17; 1Ki. 19:1-3).
The verb nazar is used to dedicate, consecrate, separate. The word nazir, translated Nazirite, is literally one consecrated, devoted. This was the primary mission of the Naziriteconsecrationand to that end he dedicated himself either for life or for a brief period of time. Samson is an example of a man used by God in such a life. The primary concern of the Nazirite was to manifest his consecration to God by a particular manner of life, (cf. Num. 6:1-21). This life consisted of: (a) totally abstaining from products of the vine and all intoxicants; (b) refusing to cut their hair lest a man-made tool profane this god-given growth; (c) avoiding contact with the dead; and (d) declining unclean . . . food. So the Nazirite was given to the people to demonstrate by holy living what the prophet taught in precept. This does not mean, however, that the prophets themselves did not live godly livesfor they did. The Nazirite was to set before the eyes of the people the object of their divine calling . . . to show them how the Lord wants them to be a holy people . . . also to show them how the Lord bestowed the power to carry out this object (K & D). It was in the contempt and abuse of these gifts of grace that the ingratitude of Israel was shown in its worst light. Instead of listening to the prophets and living like the Nazirites and becoming the holy people God desired them to be, they tempted the Nazirites to break their vows and drink wine and they forbade the prophets to preach! Open, flagrant, impudent rebellion, this is sinning against knowledge, sinning with a high hand, (cf. Num. 15:30-31); this is shaking the first against the Heavenly throne.
QUIZ
1.
Why does Amos speak of the Amorites being as tall as cedars?
2.
What should the people of Israel remember about their former condition?
3.
What great sin were they guilty of?
4.
What is a Nazirite? What purpose did he serve in the O.T. dispensation?
5.
When one sins against the knowledge of Gods will he has what kind of sin is it?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(9) Destroyed I.Emphasis belongs to the pronoun I. The Amorites proper occupied the S.W. coast of the Dead Sea. Their formidable stature and power were attributed occasionally to all the inhabitants of the land. (Jos. 24:18; Jdg. 6:10.) They were absorbed before the time of Amos.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9-12. What contrast between the actual conduct of the people and the conduct that might be expected of them in view of Jehovah’s loving care for them throughout their entire history! He brought them out of Egypt and led them in the wilderness (Amo 2:10); he destroyed the Amorites (Amo 2:9); he raised up religious teachers (Amo 2:11-12). In the present Hebrew text the chronological order of events is not observed; chronologically the verses should be arranged Amo 2:10 – Amo 2:9, – Amo 2:11, – Amo 2:12, and this Harper thinks to have been the original order.
Yet destroyed I The contrast is brought out more emphatically in the Hebrew, “But I (on my part), I destroyed.”
Amorite In Amo 2:10 Palestine is called “the land of the Amorite,” an expression found also in early Babylonian inscriptions. In the Old Testament Amorite is used (1) as synonymous with Canaanite, to designate the inhabitants of the whole of Palestine (Jos 24:8; Jos 24:15; Jos 24:18; Deu 1:7; Deu 1:19, etc.); (2) to designate the peoples ruled by Sihon and Og, east of the Jordan (Num 21:21-25). As Amo 2:10 makes plain, here the reference is to the inhabitants of the entire land.
Cedars Among the Hebrews the “type of loftiness and grandeur” (Isa 2:13; compare Isa 1:30-31).
Oaks The type of strength and endurance (Isa 2:13; compare Isa 1:30-31; Zec 11:2). For the belief that the inhabitants of Palestine were of giant stature see Deu 1:28; Num 13:32-33.
Fruit roots The highest and the lowest parts, equivalent to root and branch completely. A similar expression is read on the sarcophagus of Eshmunazar (see on Amo 2:1; compare Hos 9:16; Isa 5:24).
Also I The pronoun is again emphatic.
Brought you up Up, because of the mountainous character of Palestine as compared with Egypt.
From the land of Egypt The Exodus from Egypt was the supreme manifestation of Jehovah’s love and power in Hebrew history; hence it is frequently made the basis of prophetic appeals (Amo 3:1; Hos 12:9; Hos 13:4, etc.).
Forty years through the wilderness Lovingly and tenderly he cared for them and supplied their wants (Amo 5:25; Deu 2:7; Deu 8:2; Deu 29:5); his ultimate purpose being to bring them into the promised land.
Jehovah raised up among them religious and moral teachers, which was a special mark of divine favor, enjoyed by Israel exclusively.
Prophets, Nazarites [“Nazirites”] Two classes of religious teachers and workers; the former taught principally, though not exclusively, by word of mouth, the latter by example. Both played important parts. From the beginning of Hebrew history to its close no serious crisis arose without God raising up a prophet to lead the people through it. The Nazirites ( separated, or, consecrated) tried to stem by example the tide of worldliness and self-indulgence, which threatened to sweep away the simplicity of ancient Hebrew life. (See articles “Prophecy and Prophets” and “Nazirites,” in Hastings’s Dictionary of the Bible.) The law regulating the conduct of Nazirites is found in Num 6:1-21 (compare Jeremiah 35).
Is it not even thus An appeal to confirm or deny the preceding statements. Denial was impossible.
Saith Jehovah This particular expression is very common in prophetic writings; it is a solemn asseverative interjection (see on Joe 2:12); and by calling attention to the fact that the prophet is delivering the word of Jehovah it sets a seal of truthfulness upon the message.
The Israelites failed to appreciate the divine goodness; not only did they refuse to listen, they even sought to silence the prophets and compel the Nazirites to become unfaithful to their vows; by these acts they insulted Jehovah himself.
Gave wine to drink One of the principal obligations of the Nazirites was to abstain from intoxicating drinks (Num 6:3).
Prophesy not Such prohibitions are not infrequent (1Ki 13:4; 1Ki 18:4; 1Ki 19:2 ; 1Ki 22:8; 1Ki 22:26-27; 2Ki 1:9 ff; 2Ki 6:31); for the time of Amos and later see Amo 7:13; Amo 7:16; Hos 9:8; Isa 30:10-11; Mic 2:6; Jer 20:7-10.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
They Had Transgressed In Spite Of All That YHWH Had Done For Them ( Amo 2:9-12 ).
YHWH then described how great their debt was to Him. The land over which they were transgressing was the very land which He had graciously given to them, land which had belonged to the Amorites (Canaanites) whom He had destroyed before them, and it was in order to give them this land that He had brought them out of Egypt. How careful then they should have been to see that they used that land in accordance with His commandments. Furthermore they had no excuse for he had given them prophets and Nazirites to guide them in the right way. But what had they done? They had forbidden the prophets to prophesy, and had made the Nazirites break their vows (Num 6:3). Thus they had misused all YHWH’s gifts, and scorned His provision.
We also have been given both physical and spiritual provision by God, and the question also for us is as to whether we use it generously and sincerely, or whether we misuse our material possessions and neglect our spiritual provision.
Amo 2:9
“Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks, yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.”
YHWH now describes how it was He Who had destroyed ‘the Amorite’ from before them. In this context ‘Amorite’ is parallel in use to ‘Canaanite’ and includes all the inhabitants of Canaan. Those whose height had been ‘like the height of cedars’ were the sons of the Anakim which they had come across in Hebron and the mountains of Judah (Num 13:32-33; Jos 15:14). And God had given Israel victory over them (the whole of Israel including Judah is in mind here), attacking them from every angle, as a tree-specialist attacks both the seed producing flowers and the roots of trees in order to prevent them spreading. He had done a total annihilation job on them.
The Amorites were destroyed when after centuries of gross sin their iniquities had come to the full (Gen 15:16). There is probably a suggestion here that Israel’s iniquities were now similarly coming to a full.
Amo 2:10
“Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.”
And even before that He had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and had led them for forty years in the wilderness, watching over them and protecting them, feeding them and healing them. And this had been precisely so that they could possess the land of the Amorites. Thus it had been a carefully thought out plan which had been carried through effectively over a long period.
Note the sudden switch to ‘you’ to make the words more direct and personal. He does not want them to think of it just in the third person.
Amo 2:11
“And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not even thus, O you children of Israel? says YHWH?”
And after that initial period of bringing forth and leading, in order to help them to keep faithful He had raised up from among them numerous prophets and Nazirites. Prophets were those raised by YHWH to bring to them ‘the word of YHWH’. These had included Moses, Samuel, Elijah and Elisha, and many other men of God (described, for example, in Kings and Chronicles). Nazirites were men who were especially dedicated to YHWH, and were thus by their lives witnesses to His holiness (Num 6:1 onwards). Examples of such were Samson and Samuel (Jdg 13:5; 1Sa 1:11).
Amo 2:12
“But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘Do not prophesy’.”
But instead of benefiting by YHWH’s provision they had sought to get the Nazirites drunk in contravention of their vows, and had silenced the prophets, telling them not to prophesy. They had not wanted a good example, nor to hear the true word of YHWH. This applies whether the Nazirites were willing or not. Thus they had deliberately repudiated YHWH by silencing His messengers in one way or the other.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Amo 2:9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height [was] like the height of the cedars, and he [was] strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
Ver. 9. Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them ] It is not usual with God to hit men in the teeth with what he hath done for them, Jas 1:5 , unless in case of unthankfulness, as here. Then, indeed, people shall hear of what they have had, and be taught the worth of good turns by the want of them. Good turns aggravate unkindnesses; and our offences are not a little increased by our obligations. Hence this approbation; and it is as if God should say, This people hath not only done the evils before mentioned, but also after the receipt of mercies without measure, and many miraculous deliverances; as if I had even hired them to be wicked; and as if that were to pass for truth which the snake in the fable said to the countryman that had showed it kindness, Summum praemium pro summo beneficio est ingratitudo. In the year 1245 the Pope was denied entrance into England; it being said that the Pope was but like a mouse in a satchel, or a snake in one’s bosom, who did but ill repay their hostess for their lodging. God had done exceeding much for this perverse people; and this they now hear of with stomach enough, as well they deserved. At Athens, if a servant proved ungrateful for his manumission, his master had an action, , against him; and might recover him again into bondage. Lycurgus, the Lacedemonian lawgiver, would not make a law against ingratitude; as holding it monstrous not to requite a kindness, not to acknowledge a good turn. The old Romans decreed that such as were found guilty of this fault should be cast alive to the cormorant, a to be pulled in pieces and devoured. Our Saviour fitly yokes together the evil and the unthankful, Luk 6:35 ; and God here sums up all his people’s sins in this one, as the epitome of all the rest.
Yet I destroyed the Amorite
Whose height was like the height of the cedars, &c.
I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath
a A large and voracious sea bird ( Phalacrocorax carbo ), about 3 feet in length, and of a lustrous black colour, widely diffused over the northern hemisphere and both sides of the Atlantic. D
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Amo 2:9-16
9Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
Though his height was like the height of cedars
And he was strong as the oaks;
I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below.
10It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And I led you in the wilderness forty years
That you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.
11Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets
And some of your young men to be Nazirites.
Is this not so, O sons of Israel? declares the LORD.
12But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
And you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’
13Behold, I am weighted down beneath you
As a wagon is weighted down when filled with sheaves.
14Flight will perish from the swift,
And the stalwart will not strengthen his power,
Nor the mighty man save his life.
15He who grasps the bow will not stand his ground,
The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will he who rides the horse save his life.
16Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day, declares the LORD.
Amo 2:9-12 This is a historical rendition of the gracious acts of God, which sets the stage for Israel’s judgment. God’s people’s violations of His covenant are not new, but perennial (cf. Nehemiah 9; Acts 7).
Amo 2:9 it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them This is holy war terminology referring to YHWH fighting on behalf of His people (notice the FIRST PERSON SINGULAR PRONOUN in Amo 2:9-10; Amo 2:13). The victory belonged to Him (e.g., hornets, Exo 23:28; Deu 7:20; Jos 24:12; hail stones, Joh 10:11).
SPECIAL TOPIC: AMORITE
though his height This may simply be a metaphor of power (BDB 147) using trees (cedars can grow up to 100′ high) or possibly a literal reference to the physical height of some of the Amorites, Og of Bashan and the Anakim of Hebron (cf. Num 13:28; Num 13:33; Deu 1:28; Deu 9:2; Jos 11:21-22).
I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below This is an idiom or proverb of total destruction, here used of the Amorite people. Amo 2:9-10 refer to the Exodus and Conquest.
Amo 2:10 It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt The deliverance was prophesied to Abraham (cf. Gen 15:12-21). This special covenant relationship with the descendants of the Patriarchs is affirmed by the national group in Exodus 19-20. But collectively they turned away and rejected YHWH’s covenant (cf. Hos 13:4-6). Israel was more responsible because she had so much more spiritual light (cf. Luk 12:48).
I led you in the wilderness forty years This is a reference to the wilderness wandering period. The term forty is a round number in the OT. Here it refers to the thirty eight years of travel from Kadesh-Barnea to the Promised Land (by way of the trans-jordan). See Special Topic: Symbolic Numbers in Scripture .
That you might take possession of the land of the Amorite This refers to God’s promise to Abraham in Gen 15:12-21. Notice the term Amorite refers to all Canaan in Gen 15:16 and to one of several indigenous tribes in Gen 15:21. See note at Gen 15:9.
Amo 2:11-12 I raised up some of your sons to be prophets. . .Nazirites God’s special choice of these spiritual leaders showed His special care for Israel. But Israel caused these men (and possibly women, cf. Num 6:2) to sin (cf. Amo 2:12). They were God’s gift, but His people perverted their giftedness!
Nazirites are described in Numbers 6. They could be male or female (cf. Amo 2:2). There were several unique guidelines for their calling to continue:
1. cannot eat any product from the grapevine, Amo 2:3-4
2. cannot cut his/her hair, Amo 2:5
3. cannot touch a dead body (i.e., funerals of loved ones), Amo 2:6-7
This special vow (temporary [e.g., Num 6:13-20; Act 18:18; Act 21:23] or life long [Jdg 13:7; 1Sa 1:1; Luk 7:33]) was a way for people who were not priests or Levites to dedicate themselves to YHWH in a special sense! It is also significant that in a male-dominated culture ancient Israelites allowed female Nazirites (and prophetesses).
For a good brief discussion see Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, vol. 2, pp. 466-467.
Amo 2:11 Is this not so God challenges them to affirm the trustworthiness of His words of condemnation. But this is also a sorrowful, personal message from their God! The phrase sons of Israel has Abrahamic covenant implications. God still loves and cares for His people (His true people reflect His character!).
declares the LORD This is a special phrase to denote God’s revelation (cf. Amo 2:11; Amo 2:16; Amo 3:10; Amo 3:13; Amo 3:15; Amo 4:1; Amo 4:5-6; Amo 4:8-11; Amo 6:6; Amo 6:14; Amo 9:7-8; Amo 9:12-13).
Amo 2:13 There are two ways to understand this verse.
1. It refers to YHWH being weighed down (as an overloaded wagon) by His people’s sin (from Arabic root, cf. Isa 43:24; and the NASB, NKJV, NET, NIV, REB translations).
2. It refers to YHWH pressing down (i.e., judging) His people (from Arabic root, cf. Isa 28:27-28; and the NRSV, TEV, NJB translations or slowing, JPSOA).
The differences relate to which root the VERBS derive (BDB 734, KB 802, Hiphil PERFECT and Hiphil IMPERFECT). In this case certainty is impossible.
The UBS, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Amos, suggests a translation that follows option #2, where the people of Israel groan under God’s judgment like an overloaded cart, pp. 55-56.
Amo 2:14-16 This described the panicked retreat of the Israeli army before the Assyrians. YHWH had been with them in the Exodus and Conquest, but now His presence was for judgment, not deliverance! He strikes fear and panic into the hearts of Israel’s best soldiers. This is an exact reversal of Holy War!
Amo 2:16 the warriors will flee naked This idiomatic phrase refers to the throwing off of all armor and all unnecessary clothing so that the soldiers could retreat even faster.
in that day This phrase, in that day or on that day, is a way for the eighth century prophets to speak of God’s visitation (presence), both for judgment and restoration.
HoseaAmosMicah
positivenegativepositivenegativepositivenegative
Hos 1:11 Hos 2:15 Hos 2:16 Hos 2:21 Hos 1:5 Hos 2:3 Hos 5:9 Hos 7:5 Hos 9:5 Hos 10:14 Amo 9:11Amo 1:14(2) Amo 2:16 Amo 3:14 Amos 3:18(2) Amos 3:20 Amo 6:3 Amo 8:3 Amo 8:9(2) Amo 8:10 Amo 8:13 Mic 4:6 Mic 7:11(2) Mic 7:12 Mic 2:4 Mic 3:6 Mic 5:10 Mic 7:4
This pattern is typical of the prophets. God is going to act against sin in time, but He also offers a day of repentance and forgiveness to those who change their hearts and actions! God’s purpose of redemption and restoration will be accomplished! He will have a people who reflect His character. The purpose of creation (fellowship between God and humanity) will be fulfilled!
NASBdeclares the LORD
NKJV, NRSVsays the LORD
TEVThe LORD has spoken
NJBdeclares Yahweh
This literary unit (Amo 1:3 to Amo 2:16) repeats the term says (BDB 55, KB 65, Qal PERFECT), showing that these judgments are from YHWH, not Amos. This phrase can introduce or conclude a prophetic literary unit.
Initial Concluding
Amo 1:3 Amo 1:6 Amo 1:9 Amo 1:11 Amo 1:13 Amo 2:1 Amo 2:4 Amo 2:6Amo 1:5 Amo 1:8 Amo 1:15 Amo 2:3
A parallel form (BDB 610 and 217 CONSTRUCT) is in Amo 2:11; Amo 2:16 (e.g., Amo 3:13; Amo 4:3; Amo 6:8; Amo 6:14; Amo 8:3; Amo 8:9; Amo 8:11). Amos believed that YHWH Himself had spoken a clear message to him and he faithfully passes it on.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Yet. Former blessings now cited to heighten the crime of their fivefold rebellion.
the Amorite. Reference to Pentateuch (Num 21:24. Deu 2:32-34). App-92. Compare Jos 24:8. These being the descendants of the Nephilim were all to have been destroyed, with the other Canaanite nations, by the sword of Israel. See App-23and App-25.
them. Some codices, with three early printed editions, read “you”.
height. Reference to Pentateuch (Num 21:24. Deu 2:32-34). App-92.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Amo 2:9-12
PUNISHMENT PROMISED,
THE COVENANT NATIONS-ISRAEL
TEXT: Amo 2:9-12
Amos makes a vivid contrast between the faithfulness of God toward Israel and Israels unfaithful contempt of Gods grace toward them,
Amo 2:9 . . . DESTROYED I THE AMORITE BEFORE THEM . . . LIKE THE HEIGHT OF THE CEDARS . . . God delivered, led, sustained and fought for Israel. When Israel came to the borders of the Promised Land and sent men in to spy out the land the report came back that the people were as giants and the Israelites were like grasshoppers in comparison (cf. Num 13:32-33) but God gave Israel victory and so completely overthrew the Amorites that they were eradicated. God removed them so thoroughly that they never were a nation again.
Zerr: Amo 2:9. There was a distinct tribe of early inhabitants in Palestine that went by the name of Amorlte. They were so outstanding in iniquity that the name came to be used sometimes as a designation for all the heathen. (See Gen 15:16.)
Amo 2:10 ALSO I BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, AND LED YOU FORTY YEARS . . . God nurtured Israel like a father and mother nurtures a child (cf. Hos 11:1-4; Eze 16:4-8). When Israel was an unpitied, disorganized, unloved, nomadic tribe of slaves in Egypt, Jehovah God took them and pitied them, delivered them from their slavery, fed them, clothed them, protected them, gave them a Land, blessed them, and still they held Him in contempt. They forgot what they were before He blessed them! They took Him for granted! They became ungrateful, exactly as Moses warned them not to do (be sure to read the entire 8th chapter of Deuteronomy in this connection)! Ingratitude is, like its sister pride, one of the worst of sins!
Zerr: Amo 2:10. Ingratitude is a very bad principle and is condemned in both sacred and profane literature. The Lord had done so much for Israel that it made their evil conduct all the more to be condemned, and they are being reminded of the subject In a number of verses. The one event of rescuing them from the Egyptians after four centuries of bondage should have bound them to God in a firm spirit of unmixed devotion. And their release from that country put them in a situation that would have been distressing from the unsettled state of the wilderness, yet the Lord took care of them miraculously for the entire journey of 40 years, so that they could come into possession of the land being held by these Amorites.
Amo 2:11-12 . . . I RAISED UP . . . PROPHETS . . . AND NAZIRITES . . . BUT YE GAVE THE NAZIRITES WINE TO DRINK . . . AND COMMANDED THE PROPHETS . . . PROPHESY NOT . . . Nothing demonstrated the grace of God so well as the fact that God raised up some men from among the covenant people to be His prophets, to deliver to the people the Light of Life, the Bread of Life, the Word of God. The patience and longsuffering of God waited upon the people through the prophets as He sent them to turn the prodigal nation from its rebellion, but the people would not! They commanded the prophets to cease their preaching (cf. Amo 7:12; 1Ki 18:17; 1Ki 19:1-3).
Zerr: Amo 2:11. After settling the people of Israel In the land promised to the fathers, the Lord honored them with national distinction and gave their children an honorable part in the conduct of public affairs. Prophets were given the important work of standing between God and the people in delivering inspired messages of instruction and consolation, and the Nazarites were permitted to form a special class of servants for God, with the provision that they would have distinctive favors from Him. Amo 2:12. One of the conditions of a Nazarites vow was that he abstain from the use of wine or any other part of the grape during the term of his vow (Num 6:24). Gave the Nazarites wine to drink. Two wrongs never make one right, and no one is justified in doing evil just because some one places the temptation before him. But it is also true that if one furnishes the occasion that causes another to go wrong, he will be held accountable for that wrong (Rom 14:15-16; 1Co 8:11-12). There were devout persons in the congregation who look upon themselves the obligations of the Nazarite vow in order to obtain some special favor, and to satisfy their desire for a distinctive service to the Lord. And there are people in the world who are so selfish that they do not want anyone else to have some blessing that they do not have. They seem to be acting under the idea that says, “if I eannot have certain favors, I do not want others to have them either. These persons did not want to make the sacrifice required to obtain the blessings coming upon a Nazarite, hence they induced them to drink wine so they would not receive them either, having violated their vow. They also obstructed the work of the prophets because they did not like the warnings and exhortations to duty that were spoken by them.
The verb nazar is used to dedicate, consecrate, separate. The word nazir, translated Nazirite, is literally one consecrated, devoted. This was the primary mission of the Nazirite-consecration-and to that end he dedicated himself either for life or for a brief period of time. Samson is an example of a man used by God in such a life. The primary concern of the Nazirite was to manifest his consecration to God by a particular manner of life, (cf. Num 6:1-21). This life consisted of: (a) totally abstaining from products of the vine and all intoxicants; (b) refusing to cut their hair lest a man-made tool profane this god-given growth; (c) avoiding contact with the dead; and (d) declining unclean . . . food. So the Nazirite was given to the people to demonstrate by holy living what the prophet taught in precept. This does not mean, however, that the prophets themselves did not live godly lives-for they did. The Nazirite was to set before the eyes of the people the object of their divine calling . . . to show them how the Lord wants them to be a holy people . . . also to show them how the Lord bestowed the power to carry out this object (K & D). It was in the contempt and abuse of these gifts of grace that the ingratitude of Israel was shown in its worst light. Instead of listening to the prophets and living like the Nazirites and becoming the holy people God desired them to be, they tempted the Nazirites to break their vows and drink wine and they forbade the prophets to preach! Open, flagrant, impudent rebellion, this is sinning against knowledge, sinning with a high hand, (cf. Num 15:30-31); this is shaking the first against the Heavenly throne.
Questions
1. Why does Amos speak of the Amorites being as tall as cedars?
2. What should the people of Israel remember about their former condition?
3. What great sin were they guilty of?
4. What is a Nazirite? What purpose did he serve in the O.T. dispensation?
5. When one sins against the knowledge of Gods will he has what kind of sin is it?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
I the: Gen 15:16, Exo 3:8, Exo 34:11, Num 21:24, Deu 2:24-33, Jos 3:10, Jos 24:8-12, Jdg 11:21-23, Neh 9:22-24, Psa 135:10-12, Psa 136:17-22
whose: Num 13:28, Num 13:29, Num 13:32, Num 13:33, Deu 1:28, Deu 2:10, Deu 2:11, Deu 3:11, Deu 9:1-3
I destroyed: Jos 11:21, Jos 11:22, 2Sa 23:16-22, Job 18:16, Isa 5:24, Mal 4:1
Reciprocal: Gen 48:22 – Amorite Deu 1:7 – the mount Jos 5:1 – all the kings Jos 24:17 – General 1Sa 17:4 – whose height 1Ki 14:15 – root up Israel 1Ch 1:14 – Amorite Psa 92:12 – cedar Isa 10:33 – the high ones
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Amo 2:9. There was a distinct tribe of early inhabitants in Palestine that went by the name of Amorlte. They were so outstanding in Iniquity that the name came to be used sometimes as a designation for all the heathen. (See Gen 15:16.)
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Amo 2:9. Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them Namely, when they came out of Egypt. The Amorites include the rest of the Canaanites, and are here mentioned rather than the others, as being the mightiest nation of them all. Here the benefits which God had bestowed upon the Israelites are mentioned that it might appear how great their ingratitude was toward him. Whose height was like that of the cedars Who were men of a vast stature, and remarkable strength. The image is a grand and natural one. Virgil makes the same comparison, speaking of the Titans, neid, lib. 3. ver. 677.
Concilium horrendum, quales cum vertice celso, Aeri quercus, aut conifer Cyparissi Constiterunt, sylva alta Jovis, lucusve Dian.
A dreadful council, with their heads on high, Not yielding to the towring tree of Jove, Or tallest cypress of Dianas grove. DRYDEN.
Yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath The prophet diversifies and continues the image with great beauty. See similar ones, Homers Il., 13:389, and Hor. Od., 50. Amo 4:6. So Virgil compares the destruction of Troy to the cutting down a mountain ash; and the fall of Entellus to that of a pine. n., 2:626; 5:447.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2:9 Yet destroyed I the {h} Amorite before them, whose height [was] like the height of the cedars, and he [was] strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
(h) The destruction of their enemies and his mercy toward them, should have caused their hearts to melt because of love toward him.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God’s past grace 2:9-11
In this section Amos reminded the Israelites of Yahweh’s past blessings on them. This made the heinousness of their sins even clearer. Israel’s treatment of the poor had been destructive, but Yahweh’s treatment of the poor Israelites had been constructive. The other nations that God pronounced judgment against in the previous oracles had not enjoyed these special blessings.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The Israelites had committed the previous breaches of covenant in spite of God having driven the giant Amorites out of the Promised Land for them (cf. Num 13:22-33). These enemies had been as strong and tall as cedar or oak trees (cf. Num 13:28-33; Deu 1:26-28), but the Lord destroyed them completely, from fruit above to root below.
"Destruction of ’his fruit’ left no possibility of future life from seed. Destruction of ’roots’ left no possibility of future life from the tree. God is able to deal decisively with the enemies of his people." [Note: Smith, pp. 65-66.]
Here the Amorites, the most formidable of the native inhabitants, represent all of them, by metonymy (cf. Gen 15:16). The defeat of these giants demonstrated Yahweh’s superior power as well as His love for His people. By implication, if God drove the Amorites out of the land, He might also drive the Israelites out.