Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Amos 3:10
For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
10. know not to do right ] Wrong-doing has become their second nature. Right (a rare word) is properly what is straight in front, fig. clear, true, straightforward (Isa 26:10; Isa 59:14; 2Sa 15:3).
store up violence and robbery in their palaces ] The nobles and great men, in Samaria as in Jerusalem (Isa 1:23; Isa 3:14, &c.) the irresponsible oppressors of the poor, are referred to: they accumulate treasures, but as these are amassed by violence and robbery, they in reality treasure up violence and robbery in their palaces (cf. Isa 3:14, end).
robbery ] A strong word, implying violent treatment, and often more adequately represented by wasting or devastation (cf. Amo 5:9; cp. on Joel, p. 81). Coupled with violence, as here, Jer 6:7; Jer 20:8, Eze 45:9, Hab 1:3 (A. V. spoil or spoiling).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For – (and) they know not to do right They have not known, they have least all sense and knowledge, how to do right (literally, what is straight-forward) because they had so long ceased to do it. It is part of the miserable blindness of sin, that, while the soul acquires a quick insight into evil, it becomes, at last, not paralyzed only to do good, but unable to perceive it. So Jeremiah says, they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge Jer 4:22. Whence of the Christian Paul says, I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil Rom 16:19. People, step by step, lose the power of understanding either good or evil, the love of the world or the love of God. Either becomes a strange language to ears accustomed to the songs of Zion or the din of the world. When our Lord and God came to His own, they said, we know that God spake unto Moses: as for this man we know not whence He is Joh 9:29. And this blindness was brought about by covetousness which blindeth the eyes even of the wise Exo 23:8, as he adds;
Who store – (Literally, with indignation, the storers
With violence and robbery – They could not understand what was right, while they habitually did what was wrong. They stored up, as they deemed, the gains and fruits; the robbery and injustice they saw not, because they turned away from seeing. But what is stored up, is not what wastes away, but what abides. Who doubts it? Then, what they treasured, were not the perishing things of earth, but, in truth, the sins themselves, as a treasure of wrath against the Day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God Rom 2:5. Strange treasure, to be so diligently accumulated, guarded, multiplied! Yet it is, in fact, all which remains. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God Luk 12:21. He adds, as an aggravation, in their palaces. Deformed as in all oppression, yet to oppress the poor, to increase his riches Pro 22:16, has an unnatural hideousness of its own. What was wrung from the poor, laid up in places! Yet what else is it to cheapen luxuries at the cost of the wages of the poor?
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 10. For they know not to do right] So we may naturally say that they who are doing wrong, and to their own prejudice and ruin, must certainly be ignorant of what is right, and what is their own interest. But we say again, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” Their eyes, saith the Lord, they have closed.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For they know not; those who oppress others do it as unlearned lawyers and judges do, they are shamefully ignorant of the law of God.
To do right; what is equal between man and man they will not consider, nor do they care whether it be done or not.
Store up; as men lay up wealth in their treasures, they fill their houses.
Violence; perverting judgment, first condemning the innocent, next seizing all as forfeited by law; so they did, no doubt, in those times of rebellion and usurpations; sequestrations and decimations, &c. were then too.
Robbery; the true name of all their proceedings, however palliated.
In their palaces: this intimates to us that the greatest among them were chief actors herein; see Zep 1:9; but as they stored up violence, they also treasured up misery and desolation too, as the Hebrew elegantly imports.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. know not to doTheir moralcorruption blinds their power of discernment so that they cannot doright (Jer 4:22). Not simpleintellectual ignorance; the defect lay in the heart and will.
store up violence androbberythat is, treasures obtained by “violence androbbery” (Pr 10:2).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For they know not to do right, saith the Lord,…. What is just and fight between man and man, no, not in one single instance; they did not regard it, or advert to it; they were under no concern about it; and were so much under the power of their lusts, that they knew not how to do it; and had used themselves so long to such wicked and unjust ways, that they had lost at least the practical knowledge of doing justice; they knew what was right in the theory, but not in the practice; bribes blinded their eyes; for this seems to design judges, civil magistrates, such who had the administration of justice and the execution Of the laws in their hands. The Targum is,
“they know not to execute the law;”
see Jer 4:22;
who store up violence and robbery in their palaces; treasured up riches in their palaces, gotten in a violent way, by oppression and injustice; and which was no other, nor better, than robbery. This shows that persons in power and authority, that lived in palaces, in great splendour and grandeur, are here meant.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In this verse he confirms what I have already said of oppressions: he says that they despised every thing right. But not to know this lessens not their guilt, as though they ignorantly offended; but the Prophet means, on the contrary, that they had cast away far from them everything that was just and allowed themselves all liberty in sinning, without any discrimination, without any shame; as though he said, “They are brute animals, who are void of all judgments of all reason, and of all shame; for they seek not to have a light understanding any more.” here then he accuses the Israelites of wilful blindness; for they hardened themselves in every evil, and extinguished all judgments shame and reasons so that they no longer distinguished between what was just and unjust: and he mentions one thing in particular — that they accumulated much wealth by plunder and robbery. The Israelites were no doubt guilty of many other crimes; but by stating a part for the whole, he mentions one thing which includes other things, and intimates, that the people were wholly given to all kinds of crimes, and that as they had cast aside every shame, obliterated every distinction, and repudiated every regard for justice, they abandoned themselves to every kind of wickedness. This, is the import of the Prophet’s words.
But our Prophet points out here the gross sins of the Israelites, because he had previously constituted the blind as their judges. Hence it was the same as though he had said, “Though the Egyptians and the Idumeans are void of light, yet your iniquity is so palpable, that they will be able to perceive it. There is indeed no necessity of any subtle disputation, since plunders and pillages are carried on with so much violence, since no moderation or equity is any longer observed, and no shame exists; but men rush headlong with blind impetuosity into every kind of evil; so that the very blind, though without eyes, can know what your state is. Then the Egyptians and Idumeans will perceive your vices, when located on the neighboring mountains.” This is the meaning. It now follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(10) Know not to do right.Not merely have lost the perception of what is and what is not right, but are indifferent to such distinctions. They know not and care not; the awful state of utter moral impotence, wherein not only the intellectual consciousness, but the impulses to action, are languid or even paralyseda dead conscience! Nothing is more condemnatory than this brief sentence. The light within them is darkness.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Amo 3:10 For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
Ver. 10. For they know not to do right ] They have done wrong so long together, against knowledge and conscience, that now they are given up to a reprobate sense, to an injudicious mind, , Rom 1:28 , having sinned away the light they had, and lost that little knowledge they had learned out of the law of Moses concerning good works: this they had wickedly blotted out of their own minds; as also those common notions of good and evil, that glimmering of Divine light left in the natural man; this in a defiled conscience is wholly extinct. “Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge?” No, not they, as appears by what follows: “they eat up my people as they eat bread,” Psa 14:4 . These cannibals, like pickerels in a pond, or sharks in the sea, devour the poorer as they the lesser fishes. And though they cannot but know this to be evil, condemned by the light of nature, and much more of Scripture, yet they do it, and will do it; their eyes being put out with the dust of covetousness, and their hearts so exercised therewith, 2Pe 2:14 , that they can say, as that wretched fellow did, We are masters of our consciences, we can do what we will for all them; and as Balaam resolved at length, to curse, whatever came of it.
Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
they know not. Marking the Structure.
right = straight forward. Hebrew. nakah. A rare word. Occurs only in 2Sa 15:3. Pro 8:9 (“plain”); Amo 24:26. Isa 26:10 (“uprightness”); Amo 30:10 (“right things”); Amo 57:2 (“uprightness”); Amo 59:14 (“equity”).
saith the Lord = [is] Jehovah’s oracle.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
they: Psa 14:4, Jer 4:22, Jer 5:4, 2Pe 3:5
who: Hab 2:8-11, Zep 1:9, Zec 5:3, Zec 5:4, Jam 5:3, Jam 5:4
robbery: or, spoil
Reciprocal: Exo 20:15 – General Lev 6:4 – which he Isa 59:6 – their works Jer 6:5 – let us destroy Jer 17:11 – he that Jer 52:13 – the king’s Eze 7:11 – Violence Eze 8:17 – for Eze 18:7 – hath spoiled Eze 22:13 – thy dishonest Eze 22:29 – people Amo 3:11 – and thy Amo 4:1 – which oppress Mic 6:10 – the treasures Rom 2:5 – treasurest
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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Amo 3:10. They refers to t.he people of the kingdom of Samaria. Know not to do right is said in the same sense as Isa 1:3; they knew’ not because they did not consider what the Lord had told them in his word. Instead of dealing justly with their brethren, they increased their own store of wealth by means of violence and robbery.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
3:10 For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and robbery {l} in their palaces.
(l) The fruit of their cruelty and theft appears by their great riches, which they have in their houses.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Yahweh announced that the Israelites had plundered, looted, and terrorized each other so long that they no longer knew how to do right (Heb. nekohah, straightness). The Israelites were different from their aggressors because they plundered and looted their own fortresses rather than those of a foreign enemy. It was as though the Israelites hoarded up violence and devastation as others, and they, hoarded material wealth. Now the wealthy foreigners, infamous for their own similar sins, would see that the Israelites behaved even worse in their citadels.