Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Amos 6:8
The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.
8. The contemplation of such strange moral obliquity excites the prophet’s indignation, which finds expression in the oath (cf. Amo 4:2, Amo 8:7), in which Jehovah solemnly affirms that He abhors Israel.
by himself ] Lit. by his soul: the same oath, Jer 51:14 only. (Jehovah’s ‘soul,’ Isa 1:14; Isa 42:1, Jer 5:9; Jer 6:8 al.)
abhor ] From being Israel’s guardian and protector He is turned into its foe. Comp. for the general thought Deu 28:63; Hos 5:12; Hos 5:14; Hos 13:7 f.; Isa 63:10; and below, ch. Amo 9:4.
excellency ] pride, whether of Israel’s vain-glorious temper itself (Isa 9:9), or of the objects of which it is proud, its affluence, material splendour, military efficiency, &c. The word will bear either sense: see ( a) Hos 5:5; Hos 7:10, Isa 16:6; and ( b) Nah 2:3, Psa 47:4, Zec 9:6. On the feeble and very inadequate rendering ‘excellency,’ see the Additional Note, p. 238.
his palaces ] in which Israel’s pride is only too manifest; the homes of the nonchalant nobles, founded on oppression (cf. Jer 22:13-17, of Jehoiakim), and enriched by what had been wrung from the indigent (cf. ch. Amo 3:10).
and I will deliver up &c.] As in Amo 2:14-16, Amo 3:11 f., Amo 4:2 f., Amo 5:16, there rises before the prophet’s eye a vision of invasion, one of the accompaniments of which would be naturally the siege of the strong cities.
Additional Note on Chap. Amo 6:8 ( excellent, excellency)
The words excellency and excellent are unfortunately, to the great detriment of the sense, used frequently in both the Authorized and the Revised Versions, to represent various Hebrew words expressive of majesty, pride, glory [230] . Excellency is thus used (as here) for g’n, majesty, pride (in a good or a bad sense according to the context), in Exo 15:7 (“in the greatness of thy majesty (cognate with the verb rendered ‘hath triumphed gloriously’ in v. 1, 21; lit. hath risen up majestically) thou overthrowest them that rise up against thee”); Isa 13:19 (A.V. pride), Isa 60:15 (“an everlasting pride ”); Eze 24:21 (R.V. pride, as Lev 26:19 in A.V., in the same phrase); Amo 8:7; Nah 2:2; Psa 47:4; Job 37:4 (R.V. majesty); for ga’w h, majesty, Deu 33:26; Deu 33:29, Psa 68:34; for gbah, loftiness, Job 40:10 (R.V. dignity, using ‘excellency’ for g’n); for hdr, splendour, glory, Isa 35:2 (‘the splendour of Carmel,’ ‘the splendour of our God’); and excellent for g’n, Isa 4:2 (read this verse, “In that day shall the sprouting of Jehovah be for an ornament and for a glory, and the fruit of the land for majesty and for beauty, to them that escape of Israel,” and it both expresses more exactly the original, and also exhibits more clearly the prophet’s thought that a true glory is to take the place of the false glory which, as ch. 2, 3 has shewn, is to vanish away); for g’th, also majesty, Isa 12:5 (R.V. marg. gloriously); for ’addr, noble or glorious, Psa 8:1; Psa 8:9 (“How glorious is thy name in all the earth!”), Psa 16:3 (the saints of God are the nobles, in whom the Psalmist delights), Psa 76:4 (“all-bright (?) [231] art thou, and glorious, (coming down) from the mountains of prey”); for nisgb, exalted (so R.V.), Psa 148:13: in the Prayer-Book Version of the Psalms, it stands similarly for ’addr, Psa 8:1; Psa 8:9, for nikbdth, ‘glorious things,’ Psa 87:2, for nisgb, exalted, Psa 139:5 (i.e. here, too high for me), Psa 148:12: cf. excel for ’addr, Psa 16:3. These renderings are the more to be regretted, as the Hebrew words in question are elsewhere expressed quite correctly: thus g’n is pride in A.V., R.V., of Isa 23:9, Jer 13:9 (‘the pride of Judah’), Hos 5:5; Hos 7:10, Zec 9:6; Zec 10:11 &c.; majesty in Isa 2:10; Isa 2:19; Isa 2:21, Mic 5:4; g’th is majesty, Isa 26:10, Psa 93:1; ’addr is glorious in Isa 33:21 (R.V. in majesty); noble, Jer 14:3; Jer 30:21 (R.V. here prince), and the cognate verb is glorious in Exo 15:6; Exo 15:11; hdr is majesty in Psa 21:6; Psa 29:4; Psa 96:6 and frequently; and nisgb is constantly exalted (as Isa 2:11; Isa 2:17 &c.), and with name (exactly as Psa 148:13), Isa 12:4. It is of course true that idiom sometimes imposes limits to the principle of representing the same Hebrew word uniformly by the same English one (for the corresponding words in two languages seldom develope their meanings quite symmetrically); but the use of excellent, and excellency, for the words here in question, is thoroughly gratuitous, and affords simply an “excellent” illustration of that needless and often misleading creation of “artificial distinctions” which the late Bishop Lightfoot criticized with such justice ( On a Fresh Revision of the English New Testament, chap. IV. 2).
[230] The root-idea of g’n, ga’ wh, g’th is, it is true, to rise up, grow tall (see Eze 47:5; Job 8:11), which is also that of the Lat. excello: but no one can pretend that this sense is perceptible in the English words excellent and excellency; and in the Hebrew words also the primary physical sense has largely given way to the derived metaphorical one. The writer formerly thought it possible that these English words had become weakened in meaning since 1611; but the quotations in Murray’s English Dictionary lend no support to this supposition.
[231] Read probably (cf. Amo 6:8) terrible ( for ).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Lord God – He who alone is and who alone hath power, hath sworn by Himself, literally, by His soul; as our self comes from the same root as soul. Jerome: So God saith in Isaiah, Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth Isa 1:14; not that God hath a soul, but that He speaks after the way of human feelings. Nor is it any marvel that He condescends to speak of Himself, as having a soul, seeing He speaks of Himself as having the other members, feet, hands, bowels, which are less precious than the soul. In God the Father, the head, hands, and the rest are not members, but by these words a diversity of powers is expressed. So also by the soul is intended not a substance, but the inward affections, and the seat of thought whereby God indicates His Will. In truth, it is one and the same condescension in Almighty God, to use of Himself any words taken from our nature, our thoughts, acts, feelings, as those taken from the members of the body.
It is a yet greater condescension that God should confirm the truth of His word by an oath. For we call God to witness, lest, by reason of the vast reign of falsehood among people, we should be thought not to speak true. But for God to act as though He needed the assurance of an oath in order to be believed, is more condescending, than for Him to speak as though He had a soul or limbs, such as He gave to man. Yet God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of His promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath. He swore by Himself saying, surely blessing I will bless thee Heb 6:17, Heb 6:13-14. Now, when Israel had, by apostasy, forfeited that blessing, and a portion of it was to be withdrawn from him, God, affirms by an oath that rejection of Israel. If the words, by His soul, are emphatic, they relate to those attributes in God of which mans holy affections are an image. Gods love, justice, righteousness, holiness, were concerned, to vindicate the oppressed and punish the oppressor. To these He appeals. Our oaths mean, As God is true, and as He avenges untruth, this which I say is true. So God says, As I am God, this is true. God then must cease to be God, if He did not hate oppression.
I abhor the excellency of Jacob – The word excellency is used of the Majesty of God Himself; then, since mans relation to God is his only real greatness, God speaks of Himself as the Excellency of Jacob Amo 8:7; then of that excellency which God had given to Jacob Psa 47:4. That excellency of their strength, He had forwarned them in the law, that He would break Lev 26:19. Now that Israel took as his own what he held from God, his excellency became pride, and God says, I abhor it, as a thing loathsome and abominable, and hate his palaces. For they had been built, adorned, inhabited, filled with luxury, in the midst of, and out of, oppression and hard-hearted exaction. He calls them Jacob, perhaps as Hosea does Hos 12:12, to remind them of the poverty and low estate of their forefather, out of which God had raised them, and the faithfulness of their forefather in it, in contrast with their luxury and unfaithfulness.
Therefore (And) I will deliver up – Originally, shut up (Lev 14:23; Lev 13:4-5, …), then, shut up in the hands of, so that he should have no escape. Here, where the enemy is not spoken of, it may mean, that God shut up the city, so that there should be no going out or coming in, in the straithess of the siege, whereupon follows the fearful description of the ravages of the pestilence. The city is, what was to them, above others, the city, the place of their luxury pride and boast, where lay their strength, Samaria.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 8. The Lord God hath sworn by himself] benaphsho, by his soul, his being, existence.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The secure, incredulous, and atheistical among the judges of Israel are here spoken to especially, and the prophet assures them that God had sworn by himself that they should be punished, and in the manner he had foretold.
Saith the Lord the God of hosts; God assureth his prophet, that the prophet might attest it to his hearers.
I abhor, I look with detestation, and remember with loathing,
the excellency of Jacob; all that the seed of Jacob account a glory and excellency to them, and in which they do put their trust, all their external privileges and ceremonious worship.
And hate his palaces; in which violence is stored up, in which luxury abounds.
I will deliver up the city; Jerusalem, Samaria, and all the other cities.
With all that is therein, both persons and things; Assyria first shall sweep away all out of Israel and Samaria, and Babylonians next shall carry away Judah, Jerusalem, and all in it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. the excellency of Jacob(Ps 47:4). The sanctuarywhich was the great glory of the covenant-people [VATABLUS],(Eze 24:21). The priesthood,and kingdom, and dignity, conferred on them by God. These, saith God,are of no account in My eyes towards averting punishment [CALVIN].
hate his palacesasbeing the storehouses of “robbery” (Amo 3:10;Amo 3:15). How sad a change fromGod’s love of Zion’s gates (Ps87:2) and palaces (Psa 48:3;Psa 48:13), owing to the people’ssin!
the citycollectively:both Zion and Samaria (Am 6:1).
all that isthereinliterally, “its fulness”; the multitudeof men and of riches in it (compare Ps24:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord God hath sworn by himself,…. Because he could swear by no greater, Heb 6:13; which shows the importance and certainty of the thing sworn to, and is as follows:
saith the Lord, the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob; or, “the pride of Jacob” c; of Israel, of the ten tribes, remarkable for their pride; hence called the crown of pride, Isa 28:3; it may include all that was glorious, valuable, and excellent among them, of which they were proud; their kingdom, riches, wealth, and strength, their fortified cities and towns: if Judah is comprehended in this, it may regard the temple, which was their excellency, and in which they gloried. So the Targum paraphrases it,
“the house of the sanctuary of the house of Jacob;”
and in like manner Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret it;
and hate his palaces; the palaces of the king and nobles, and great men, which should fall into the enemy’s hand, and be plundered and destroyed; which is meant by the Lord’s abhorrence and hatred of them, this being an evidence of it;
therefore will I deliver up the city, with all that is therein; or, “with its fulness” d; with all its inhabitants and riches; according to Jarchi, the city of Jerusalem is meant; though rather the city of Samaria, unless both are intended, city for cities; since the chief men both of Israel and Judah seem to be addressed, Am 6:1.
c “superbiam”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; “fastium”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius. d “et plenitudinem ejus”, Mercerus, Piscator, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This threat is carried out still further in Amo 6:8-11. Amo 6:8. “The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by Himself, is the saying of Jehovah, the God of hosts: I abhor the pride of Jacob, and his palaces I hate; and give up the city, and the fulness thereof. Amo 6:9. And it will come to pass, if then men are left in a house, they shall die. Amo 6:10. And when his cousin lifts him up, and he that burieth him, to carry out the bones out of the house, and saith to the one in the hindermost corner of the house, Is there still any one with thee? and he says, Not one; then will he say, Hush; for the name of Jehovah is not to be invoked. Amo 6:11. For, behold, Jehovah commandeth, and men smite the great house to ruins, and the small house into shivers.” In order to show the secure debauchees the terrible severity of the judgments of God, the Lord announces to His people with a solemn oath the rejection of the nation which is so confident in its own power (cf. Amo 6:13). The oath runs here as in Amo 4:2, with this exception, that instead of we have in the same sense; for the nephesh of Jehovah, His inmost being or self, is His holiness. , with the guttural softened, for . The participle describes the abhorrence as a continued lasting feeling, and not a merely passing emotion. , the loftiness or pride of Jacob, i.e., everything of which Jacob is proud, the true and imaginary greatness and pride of Israel, which included the palaces of the voluptuous great men, for which reason they are placed in parallelism with . This glory of Israel Jehovah abhors, and He will destroy it by giving up the city (Samaria), and all that fills it (houses and men), to the enemies to be destroyed. , to give up to the enemy, as in Deu 32:30 and Oba 1:14; not to surround, to which is unsuitable. The words not only threaten surrounding, or siege, but also conquest, and (Amo 6:11) the destruction of the city. And then, even if there are ten in one house, they will all perish. : people, men. Ten in one house is a large number, which the prophet assumes as the number, to give the stronger emphasis to the thought that not one will escape from death. This thought is still further explained in Amo 6:10. A relative comes into the house to bury his deceased blood-relation. The suffix to refers to the idea involved in , a dead man. Dod , literally the father’s brother, here any near relation whose duty it was to see to the burial of the dead. for , the burner, i.e., the burier of the dead. The Israelites were indeed accustomed to bury their dead, and not to burn the corpses. The description of the burier as m e sareph (a burner) therefore supposes the occurrence of such a multitude of deaths that it is impossible to bury the dead, whose corpses are obliged to be burned, for the purpose of preventing the air from being polluted by the decomposition of the corpses. Of course the burning did not take place at the house, as Hitzig erroneously infers from ; for denotes the corpse here, as in Exo 13:19; Jos 24:32, and 2Ki 13:21, and not the different bones of the dead which remained without decomposition or burning. The burier now asks the last living person in the house, who has gone to the very back of the house in order to save his life, whether there is any one still with him, any one still living in the house beside himself, and receives the answer, (Adv.), “Nothing more;” whereupon he says to him, has, “Be still,” answering to our Hush! because he is afraid that, if he goes on speaking, he may invoke the name of God, or pray for the mercy of God; and he explains his words by adding, “The name of Jehovah must not be mentioned.” It is not Amos who adds this explanation, but the relation. Nor does it contain “the words of one who despairs of any better future, and whose mind is oppressed by the weight of the existing evils, as if he said, Prayers would be of no use, for we too must die” (Lievl., Ros.). , “it is not to (may not) be mentioned,” would be unsuitable as an utterance of despair. It rather indicates the fear lest, by the invocation of the name of God, the eye of God should be drawn towards this last remaining one, and he also should fall a victim to the judgment of death. This judgment the Lord accomplishes not merely by a pestilence which breaks out during the siege, and rages all around (there is no ground for any such limitation of the words), but also by sword and plague during the siege and conquest of the town. For the reason assigned for the threat in Amo 6:11 points to the latter. links the words to the main thought in Amo 6:11, or even Amo 6:10: “When the Lord delivers up the city and all that fills it, they will all perish; for, behold, He commands, orders the enemy (the nation in Amo 6:14), and it will smite in pieces the houses, great and small.” The singular is used with indefinite generality: every house, great and small (cf. Amo 3:15).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Threatenings of Judgment. | B. C. 790. |
8 The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein. 9 And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die. 10 And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD. 11 For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts. 12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock: 13 Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? 14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.
In the former part of the chapter we had these secure Israelites loading themselves with pleasures, as if they could never be made merry enough; here we have God loading them with punishments, as if they could never be made miserable enough. And observe,
I. How strongly this burden is bound on, not to be shaken off by their presumption and security; for it is bound by the Lord the God of hosts, by his mighty, his almighty, hand, which none can resist; it is bound with an oath, which puts the sentence past revocation: The Lord God has sworn, and he will not repent, and, since he could swear by no greater, he has sworn by himself. How dreadful, how miserable, is the case of those whose ruin, whose eternal ruin, God himself has sworn, who can execute his purpose and cannot alter it!
II. How heavily this burden lies! Let us see the particulars. 1. God will abhor and abandon them, and that implies misery enough, all misery: I abhor the excellency of Jacob, all that which they are proud of, and value themselves upon, and for which they call and count themselves the chief of nations. Their visible church-membership, and the privileges of that, their temple, altar, and priesthood, these were, more than any thing, the excellencies of Jacob; but, when these were profaned and polluted by sin, God abhorred them; he hated and despised them, ch. v. 21. Note, God abhors that form of godliness which hypocrites keep up, while they abhor the power of it. And if he abhors their temple, for the iniquity of that, no marvel that he hates their palaces, for the injustices and oppression he finds there. Note, that creature which we take such a complacency and put such a confidence in as to make it a rival with God is thereby made abominable to him. He hates the palaces of sinners, for the sake of wickedness of those that dwell therein. Prov. iii. 33, The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked. And, if God abhor them, immediately it follows, He will deliver up the city with all that is therein, deliver it up into the hands of the enemy, that will lay it waste, and make a prey of all its wealth. Note, Those that are abhorred and abandoned of God are undone to all intents and purposes. 2. There shall be a great and general mortality among them (v. 9): If there remain ten men in one house, that have escaped the sword of the enemy, yet they shall be met with another way; they shall all die by famine or pestilence. In the most sickly times, if there be ten in a house, one may hope that at least the one-half of them will escape, according to the proportion of two in a bed, one taken and the other left; but here not one of ten shall live to bury the rest. Another instance of the greatness of the mortality is (v. 10) that the nearest relations of the dead shall be forced with their own hands to wind up their bodies, and bury them, for want of other hands to be employed in it; that is all that the next of kin, to whom the right of redemption belongs, can do for them, and with great reluctance will they do that. It intimates that the young people shall be cut off soonest; for the uncle that survives is, ordinarily, the senior relation. “When the uncle comes with the sexton (or him that burns), to bring out the bones out of the house, he shall say to him that he sees next about the house, ‘Is there any yet with thee? Are there any left alive?’ And he shall say, ‘No, this is the last; now the whole family is cut off by death, and neither root nor branch remains.'” But that which makes the judgment the more grievous is that their hearts seem to be hardened under it. “When he that is found by the sides of the house begin to enter into discourse with those that are carrying off the dead, they shall say, ‘Hold thy tongue; do not stand preaching to us about the hand of Providence in this calamity, for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord; God is so angry with us that there is no speaking to him; he is so extreme to mark what we do amiss that we dare not so much as make mention of his name.” ‘ Thus the foolishness of men perverts their way, and brings them into distress, and then their heart frets against the Lord. Even then they will not take notice of his hand, nor suffer those about them to do it. Perhaps it was forbidden by some of the idolatrous kings to make mention of the name of Jehovah, as by the law of Moses it was forbidden to make mention of the names of the heathen-gods: “We may not do it without incurring the penalty.” Note, Those hearts are wretchedly hardened indeed that will not be brought to make mention of God’s name, and to worship him, when the hand of God has gone out against them, and when, as here, sickness and death are in their families. Thus those heap up wrath who cry not when God binds them. 3. Their houses shall be destroyed, v. 11. God will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts; they shall both be cracked so as to lose their beauty and strength, and to be hastening towards a fall. The princes’ palaces are not above the rebuke of divine justice, nor the poor men’s cottages beneath it; neither shall escape. When sin has marked them for ruin God will find ways to bring it about. It is by order from him that breaches are made.
III. How justly they are thus burdened. If we understand the matter aright, we shall say, The Lord is righteous. 1. The methods used for their reformation had been all fruitless and ineffectual (v. 12): Shall horses run upon the rock, to hurl or harrow the ground there? Or will one plough there with oxen? No, for there will be no profit to countervail the pains. God has sent them his prophets, to break up their fallow-ground; but they found them as hard and inflexible as the rock, rough and rugged, and they could do no good with them, nor work upon them, and therefore they shall not attempt it any more. They will not be reclaimed, and therefore shall not be reproved, but quite abandoned. Note, Those who will not be cultivated as fields and vineyards shall be rejected as barren rocks and deserts, Heb 6:7; Heb 6:8. 2. They had abused their power to the wrong and oppression of many, whose injured cause the sovereign Judge would not only right, but revenge: You have turned judgment into gall, which is nauseous, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock, which is noxious; it would make one sick to see how those that were entrusted with the administration of public justice bore down equity with that power which they out to have defended and supported it, and so turned its own artillery against itself. Note, When our services of God are soured with sin his providences will justly be embittered to us. 3. They had set the judgments of God at defiance, and, confiding in their own strength, thought themselves a match for Omnipotence, v. 13. They rejoiced in a thing of nought, pleased themselves with a fancy that no evil should befal them, though they had no ground at all for that confidence, nothing to trust to that would bear any weight. They said, “Have we not taken to us horns; have we not arrived to great dignity and dominion, have we not pushed down our enemies and pushed on our victories, and this by our own strength, our own skill and courage, our own wealth and military force? Who then need we be afraid of? Who then need we make court to? Not God himself.” Note, Prosperity and success commonly make men secure and haughty; and those that have done much think they can do any thing, any thing without God, nay, any thing against him. But those who trust in their own strength rejoice in a thing of nought, and so they will find. Probably they did not say this with their lips, totidem verbis–in so many words, but it was the language of their hearts and of their actions, both which God understands.
IV. How easily and effectually this burden shall be brought upon them, v. 14. He that brings it upon them is the Lord the God of hosts, who both may do and can do what he pleases, who has all creatures at his command, and who, when he has work to do, will not be at a loss for instruments to do it with; though they are the house of Israel, yet he will raise up against them a nation which they feared not, but had many a time hoped in, even the Assyrians, and this nation shall afflict them, bring them into straits, and put them to pain, from the entering in of Hamath, in the north, to the river of the wilderness, the river of Egypt, Sihor or Nile, in the south. The whole nation has shared in the iniquity, and therefore must expect to share in the calamity. Note, When men are in any way instruments of affliction to us we must see God raising them up against us, for they are in his hand–the rod, the sword, in his hand. The Lord has bidden Shimei curse David.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
God here declares that he would not desist, because he had hitherto loaded his people with many benefits: for he had now changed his purpose, so that he would no longer continue his favors. And this was designedly added by the Prophet; for hypocrites, we know, grow hardened, when they consider what dignity had been conferred on them; for they think their possessions to be firm and perpetual: hence they become haughty towards God. Since then hypocrites act thus foolishly, the Prophet justly says that it would avail them nothing, that they had hitherto excelled in many endowments for God no longer regarded their excellency.
The word גאון, gaun, means in Hebrew pride and also excellency; but it is to be taken here in a good sense, as it is in many other places. In Isa 2:10, it cannot be taken otherwise than for glory, for it is applied to God. So also in Psa 47:4, ‘The glory of Jacob, whom I loved; he had fixed the inheritance of God.’ The gifts of God ever deserve praise: hence the Prophet in this place inveighs not against pride; but, on the contrary, he shows that the Israelites were deceived; for they set up their excellency and nobility in opposition to God, as though they were to be thus exempt from all punishment. God then says that he had now rejected this excellency, which yet was his gift; but as the Israelites had abused his benefits, they were therefore to be esteemed of no account. The meaning then is, — that there is no acceptance of persons before God, that the dignity which had been conferred on the people of Israel was now of no moment; for it was a mere mask: they were unworthy of adoption, they were unworthy of the priesthood and kingdom. It was then the same as if the Prophet had said, “I will judge you as the common people and heathens; for your dignity, of which ye are stripped, is now of no account with me.” They had indeed long before departed from God; they were therefore wholly unworthy of being owned by God as his inheritance.
I detest then the excellency of Jacob, and his palaces; that is, all the wealth with which they have been hitherto adorned. But the Prophet does not take either palaces or excellency in a bad sense; on the contrary, he shows that God’s blessings are no safeguards to the wicked, so as to avoid the judgment which they deserve.
He afterwards adds, I will deliver up the city and its fullness; that is, “Though ye are now full of wealth, I will empty you of all your abundance”. Hence, I will deliver up the city together with its fullness, that is, its opulence.
But that this threatening might not be slighted, the Prophet confirms it by interposing an oath. Hence he says, that God had sworn. And as we know that God’s name is precious to him, it is certain that it was not in vain adduced here, but on account of the hardness and contumacy of those who were wont to set at nought all the prophecies, and were wont in particular to regard as nothing all threatenings. This was the reason why the Prophet wished thus to ratify what he had said: it was, that hypocrites might understand that they could not escape the vengeance which he had denounced. The form of swearing, as it is, may seem apparently improper; but God in this place puts on the character of man, as he does often in other places. He swears by his soul, that is, by his life, as though he were one of mankind. But we ought to accustom ourselves to such forms, in which God familiarly accommodates himself to our capacities: for what Hilary philosophizes about the soul, as though God the Father swore by his own wisdom, is frivolous: that good man certainly exposed his own doctrine to ridicule, while he was attempting to refute the Arians. “God the Father, he says, swears by his own wisdom. Now he who is wont to swear by himself, could not swear by an inferior; but wisdom is the only begotten Son of God: hence it follows, that the Son is equal to the Father.” These things at first sight seem plausible; but they are puerile trifles.
Let it then be observed, that God borrows from men this mode of swearing; as though he said, “If men be believed when swearing by their life, which yet is evanescent, of how much greater weight must that oath be, by which I pledge my own life?” Since God thus speaks, surely the whole world ought to tremble. We now apprehend the Prophet’s design. Let us go on —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(8) By himself.Literally, by His soul. Jehovah swears by His life or soul because He could swear by no greaterthe eternal I Am. (Comp. the formula of Divine asseveration: As I live, saith the Lord, which derives illustration from the custom of swearing by the life of a monarch; Gen. 42:15-16.) With the eternal unchangeable being of the Supreme Monarch stands contrasted the excellency of Jacob, the false futile glory which Jehovah abhors. In Amo. 8:7 the phrase is used for God Himself; not, however, in either passage Gods absolute perfection or objective glory, but the thoughts, sometimes wise, sometimes base, which men have entertained about Him. From the context we infer that the splendid shrine of Samaria, with its unacceptable offerings and calf-worship, is here meant. The reference to the coming destruction of buildings great and small (Amo. 6:11) lends colour to this interpretation. (Comp. Amo. 6:13.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The extent of the judgment, 8-14.
The divine indignation finds expression in an oath that Jehovah will destroy the entire city (Amo 6:8). The threat is followed by an episode illustrating the completeness of the destruction and the resulting consternation (Amo 6:9-10).
The sentence is expanded in Amo 6:11, and in the next two verses the prophet tries to impress upon the people the absurdity of their boastful attitude toward Jehovah and of their immoral deeds (Amo 6:12-13). Jehovah will raise up an enemy that will scourge the whole land (Amo 6:14).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
8, 9. Lord Jehovah See on Amo 1:8.
Hath sworn See on Amo 4:2.
By himself Literally, by his soul. The most solemn oath, since there is no greater than Jehovah (see also on Amo 4:2; compare Jer 51:14).
Jehovah the God of hosts See on Hos 12:5. The oath embodies a threat and the justification of the same. The threat is the result of God’s abhorrence for Israel, which is due to their arrogant attitude toward him. Once their father, protector, and friend (Amo 3:2), now their enemy. How great must have been the provocation! (Amo 9:4; Hos 5:12; Hos 5:14; Hos 13:7-8.)
Excellency Better, R.V. margin, “pride,” that is, the arrogant attitude which led them to rebel against Jehovah (Hos 5:5) and to trust in wealth and human defenses.
Palaces See on Amo 3:10-11 (compare Isa 3:14).
Deliver up To the enemy, for plunder (Amo 3:11) and destruction (Amo 6:11; Amo 2:14-16; Amo 3:11 ff.). Again the prophet thinks of a foreign invasion.
The city Samaria (Amo 6:1), the capital; it will suffer most heavily from the invasion.
All that is therein Men, cattle, and possessions of every kind. The originality of Amo 6:9-10 is questioned by some modern commentators. “This verse (9) and the following introduce a new element into the description of the future punishment, and at the same time a new form and a new style. After these verses the old idea, style, and form recur. The new element is the plague, the new form is the individual experience, the new style, conversational prose, the poetic form being abandoned” (Harper). Marti retains the verses, Oettli rearranges them, reading them in the order 7, 11, 8, 9, 10, which in some respects is an improvement over the present arrangement. As the verses stand now they illustrate the extent of the judgment and the resulting terror.
It shall come to pass When the city is delivered up to the invader. While there is agreement concerning the general import of Amo 6:9, there is difference of opinion respecting details. Some interpret: Even large families, having as many as ten members, will be completely blotted out. Others see in house a reference to the large households of the nobles. If of these, numbering perhaps hundreds of people, ten should escape the terrors of the siege, they will be slain in the slaughter following the capture. Or, if ten should escape the slaughter, they will surely perish in the pestilence following the slaughter.
Amo 6:10 carries further the thoughts of Amo 6:9, calling special attention to the effect of the judgment upon the survivors. R.V. translates more accurately, “And when a man’s uncle shall take him up, even he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is in the innermost parts of the house, Is there yet any with thee?
and he shall say, No; then shall he say, Hold thy peace; for we may not make mention of the name of Jehovah.”
Uncle Perhaps better, R.V. margin, “kinsman.” All the members of the immediate family having perished, a more distant relative comes to care for the body.
He that burneth him Literally, his burner. A.V. considers this a separate person, accompanying the kinsman. R.V., more correctly, identifies the two. It would seem most natural to see here a reference to cremation; but that method of disposing of the dead does not seem to have been prevalent among the Israelites. Criminals were, indeed, burned (Lev 20:14; Jos 7:15); so were Saul and his sons (1Sa 31:12), but these were exceptional cases. If cremation is in the mind of the prophet, it must be because he expected conditions to become such as to make burial impossible, either because the dead would be too numerous, or because the enemies would prevent it. An alternative rendering is, “who burneth for him,” that is, incense; which would make the expression a reference to the burning of incense in honor of the dead (Jer 34:5; 2Ch 16:14).
Bring out the bones The corpse, to care for it.
The sides Better R.V., “the innermost parts.” Set apart for the women (compare Psa 128:3); in this part the lone survivor has taken refuge. As the kinsman pursues his solemn task he discovers the terrified individual.
Is there yet any with thee Dead or alive. The answer is, No. Hold thy tongue [“peace”] Literally, hush. The speaker is the survivor who, in his anxiety and despair, attempts to silence the kinsman.
Then shall he say Literally, and he shall say. The subject is again the survivor. The verb is repeated to separate “two parts of the answer which have no immediate connection with each other.”
We may not Or, we must not. The reason for the prohibition is not quite clear. Perhaps the speaker had a superstitious fear that the mention of the divine name would result in additional judgment. The sense is little altered if the words “Hold thy peace” are placed in the mouth of the kinsman, who, by the prohibition would seek to prevent the terrified survivor from adding to his No a formula of confirmation containing the divine name. To consider the words an explanatory statement by Amos is less natural.
Amo 6:11 is the continuation of the sentence in Amo 6:8.
For, behold, Jehovah commandeth The invader (14). The words are added to make the transition between 10 and 11 less abrupt, but there is no reason for denying them to Amos.
Great house Used collectively; the palaces of the nobles (Amo 3:15).
Little house The less pretentious dwellings.
With breaches Or, into fragments.
With clefts Or, into splinters. Palaces and huts will suffer the same fate.
The connection of Amo 6:12-14 with the preceding does not appear on the surface; nevertheless there exists a logical connection. The threat seems to be without effect, and the people, boasting in their own strength, show no concern. Have they not been successful against the mighty Damascus? Let the invader come; they will soon drive him from their borders. Such boast, the prophet says, is absurd (12a), because they have forfeited the support of Jehovah through disobedience to his will (12b); besides, they overestimate their past successes and present resources (13). The invader will surely come and overrun the whole country (14).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Amo 6:8 The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.
Ver. 8. The Lord God hath sworn by himself ] Heb. by his soul, which is himself; since whatsoever is in God is God. So Amo 5:2 Gen 22:16 Heb 6:16-17 . Or, He hath sworn by his soul, that is, Serie et ex animo, Seriously and heartily. Among the heathens ex animi sui sententia was instead of an oath.
Saith the Lord God of hosts
I abhor the excellency (or, the pomp and pride) of Jacob] So Basil, speaking of the Western Church, Odi fastum istius Ecclesiae, saith he, I hate their pride. This he elsewhere calleth , the Western brow, from the forehead, that seat of pride and arrogance, which at length occasioned that lamentable separation of the Eastern or Greek Church from communion with the Latin; the other four patriarchs dividing themselves from the bishop of Rome. Pride is an odious evil; fitly compared by one to a great swelling in the body, which unfits it for any good service; and is apt to putrify, and break, and run with loathsome and foul matter; so doth pride disable the soul from doing duty, and at last breaks forth into odious deeds, abominable to God and man. There are those who by excellence or glory here understand their glorious temple and other privileges, wherein they so much gloried, see Psa 47:5 ; but Mercer thinks it rather meant of the ten tribes than of the two, whose crown of pride is elsewhere taxed, Isa 28:1 Hos 7:10 . “The pride of Israel testifieth to his face,” it breaketh out in his forehead, as a great master pock.
Therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Amo 6:8-11
8The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself, the LORD God of hosts has declared:
I loathe the arrogance of Jacob,
And detest his citadels;
Therefore I will deliver up the city and all it contains.
9And it will be, if ten men are left in one house, they will die. 10Then one’s uncle, or his undertaker, will lift him up to carry out his bones from the house, and he will say to the one who is in the innermost part of the house, Is anyone else with you? And that one will say, No one. Then he will answer, Keep quiet. For the name of the LORD is not to be mentioned. 11For behold, the LORD is going to command that the great house be smashed to pieces and the small house to fragments.
Amo 6:6-11 The UBS, Handbook for Translators, p. 131, makes a good point that these verses parallel Amo 5:21-24. With God’s wrath (cf. Amo 6:8; Amo 5:24) comes God’s judgment!
Amo 6:8 The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself See note at Amo 4:2. The VERB swear (BDB 989, KB 1396) is used several times in Amos referring to YHWH swearing
1. by His holiness, Amo 4:2
2. by Himself, Amo 6:8
3. by the pride of Jacob, Amo 8:7 (sarcasm, irony, or regret)
the LORD God of hosts See Special Topic: NAMES FOR DEITY . The repetition of these two names denoting YHWH makes this an emphasized pronouncement.
I loathe the arrogance of Jacob The VERB (BDB 1060 II, KB 1672, Piel PARTICIPLE) is a rare (only here in the OT) but powerful term of rejection (see all the versions). BDB has loathe, KB has to make repulsive, desecrate. It is parallel to hate (BDB 971, KB 1338, cf. Amo 5:21).
The term arrogance (BDB 144) means exaltation, majesty, or excellence. It is used in a positive sense toward Israel in Psa 47:4. In this context it refers to Amo 6:4-6. See sarcastic parallel in Amo 8:7. Israel’s inappropriate pride receives God’s judgment (cf. Hos 5:5; Hos 7:10)!
Amo 6:9-10 This is prose, not poetry.
Amo 6:9 ten men This number was important to the Jews because it was the minimum number required for worship (ten men were required to start a synagogue in Babylon) and other social events, possibly even military groups. Because of the use of the number ten, this judgment verse may relate to Amo 5:3.
Amo 6:10 This verse seems to describe the siege of Samaria, the capital of Israel. There will be so many people dead and the plague so rampant that bodies will be burned indiscriminately (cf. Amo 8:3).
one’s uncle, or his undertaker There are many questions about this phrase.
1. Are there two people or one?
2. What does the word (BDB 976) translated undertaker by the NASB, but literally means he who burns, mean?
For question #1 the phrase refers to two different people who talk together in the rest of the verse (i.e., so there is no survivor in the recesses of the house).
For question #2 there have been many theories:
1. one who burns deceased bodies
2. embalming or anointing the dead with spices
3. one who burns incense on behalf of the dead
4. one who burns a sacrifice on behalf of the dead
5. a parallel term for a near Kgs. The first term would mean a near kin on the mother’s side and the second term a near kin on the father’s side.
For me #1 or #5 seems best. But #4 could be linked to the banquet for the dead in Amo 6:6.
Keep quiet. For the name of the LORD is not to be mentioned This is a theological affirmation of who sent the invasion. The aftermath of judgment causes a holy reverence for YHWH, missing so long in Israel. The phrase keep quiet (BDB 245, a Hebrew INTERJECTION) is used in contexts of YHWH’s presence (cf. Hab 2:20; Zep 1:7; Zec 2:13) and judgment (cf. Amo 8:3). See Special Topic: The Name of YHWH .
Amo 6:11 This is the concluding point of Amo 6:8-11. Judgment (by a foreign nation, i.e., Assyria) will fall on great and small (i.e., all the population). No one will escape (cf. Amo 5:18-20).
to pieces. . .to fragments The first term’s (KB 1249) meaning is uncertain:
1. used of rain droplets (Son 5:2)
2. chopped food
3. to shatter or grind
The second term (KB 149) means to break open (cf. Psa 141:7), like a wall (cf. Isa 22:9). The VERB form implies a tearing into pieces (Piel). David Allan Hubbard, Joel and Amos (Tyndale OT Commentaries), asserts that these two terms fit an earthquake better than an invasion. He also lists the other places in Amos where he thinks the texts fit an earthquake (cf. Amo 1:1; Amo 2:13; Amo 8:8; Amo 9:1-6), p.198.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
The Lord God. Hebrew Adonai Jehovah. App-4. See note on Amo 1:8.
sworn, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Gen 22:16) Compare Jer 51:14.
By Himself = by His soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.
saith the LORD the God of Hosts = [is] the oracle of Jehovah,
the God of Hosts. the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
I abhor. Hebrew. taab, a Homonym, with two meanings. Here, to abhor. In Psa 119:20, Psa 119:40, Psa 119:174, to desire or long for.
excellency. Figure of speech Ampliatio. It was once such (Compare Amo 8:7. Psa 47:4. Eze 24:21), but is now no longer so.
all that is therein = the fulness thereof
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
sworn: Amo 4:2, Jer 51:14, Heb 6:13-17
I abhor: Lev 26:11, Psa 78:59, Psa 106:40, Zec 11:8
the excellency: Amo 8:7, Psa 47:4, Eze 24:21
and hate: Amo 3:11, Lam 2:5
therefore: Mic 1:6-9
all that is therein: Heb. the fulness thereof, Psa 50:12
Reciprocal: Gen 22:16 – General Isa 45:23 – sworn Jer 12:8 – therefore Jer 14:21 – not abhor Jer 22:5 – I Jer 44:26 – I have sworn Jer 49:13 – I have Eze 19:7 – the fulness Eze 23:18 – then Amo 4:13 – The Lord Amo 6:11 – he will Amo 7:11 – and Israel
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Amo 6:8. Excellency is from a Hebrew word that means arrogance or pride. Jacob is used as a designation for the nation as a whole, but espedaily the leading men who dominated the common people. These men exalted themselves in their pride of power, and did many evil things under the pretense of their position. It was all this that God said he abhorred, and caused Him to decree the complete destruction of their city.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Amo 6:8-14. The Miserable Fate of these Rulers.Yahweh solemnly declares (Amo 6:8) that the pride (mg.) of Jacob, the vainglory which has displaced true glory, has become an abomination to Him. There follows a difficult section, Amo 6:9 f., which does not suit the context very well and may have been added by a scribe. It seems to describe the horrors of a siege or plague. So terrible is the scourge that in a house where there are ten men none may escape (Amo 6:9). A kinsman (mg.), whose privilege it is to burn sacred spices in honour of the dead (cf. Jer 34:5, 2Ch 16:14), visits the house with some friends to carry away the bones (Amo 6:10). Calling to a friend who has penetrated farther into the house, he asks: Have you any more there? and receives the answer No. Then he says Hush! Yahweh is angry and has brought a terrible punishment. Let us beware of even mentioning His name. The mere mention of it might excite Him to even greater wrath. Amo 6:11 is more in the line of thought of Amo 6:8. Yahweh commands destruction. The great houses of the rich will be reduced to fragments; the smaller houses of the poor, which can hardly escape the blow altogether, will suffer rents (for word, cf. Isa 22:9). The unnatural perversity of Israel must bring an inevitable punishment (Amo 6:12). Do horses run upon rocks, or does one plough (the rocks) with oxen? (but see below) No. Why, then, does Israel do something equally perverse, turning right into poison and the fruits of righteousness into wormwood? Why, again, is she so perverse (Amo 6:13) as to boast of a power (karnayim, cf. Jer 48:25) that is worthless, a thing of naught? To punish her, Yahweh is bringing against her a nation (Assyria) which will make her suffer (Amo 6:14) from her furthest northern limit to the wdy of the Arabah (cf. 2Ki 14:25) or the brook of the willows (reading h-rbm, cf. Isa 15:7) in the S., probably the Wdi el-Achs.
Amo 6:10. even he that burneth him: the Hebrews did not burn the dead, unless they were criminals or enemies (Jos 7:25, 1Sa 31:12). The reference must, therefore, be to the burning of spices (Jer 34:5, 2Ch 16:5); but even this is rather forced. Ehrlich thinks that u-msrepho is to be read u-msappero, and the one who removes him (sphar = Ar. safara, to sweep a house). Others emend the first three words of Heb. more radically. Marti either, and a family of scant number shall be left, or and the remnant of his (i.e. Jacobs) family are few. He would read further, the dead (mthm) for the bones.
Amo 6:12. Read with Michaelis, im-yhsrsh babbr ym, or is the sea ploughed with oxen? though we should expect hay-ym.
Amo 6:13. It has been suggested that the words translated a thing of nought and horns may be proper names (cf. Marti): Who rejoice because of Lodebar, who say, Have we not captured Karnaim by our might? In that case the reference is to two towns (cf. 2Sa 9:4 f; 2Sa 17:27, 1Ma 5:26, Gen 14:5) on the E. of the Jordan which may recently have been taken by the Israelites. Ehrlich interprets only the second expression as a proper name. The Israelites rejoiced greatly over the recovery of a town (Karnaim) which was of no importance.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
6:8 {h} The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor {i} the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.
(h) Read Jer 51:14 .
(i) That is, the riches and pomp.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The complete devastation of Samaria 6:8-14
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The prophet announced further that sovereign Yahweh of hosts, even He, had sworn by Himself (cf. Amo 4:2; Amo 8:7). This was a solemn warning because God can swear by no one greater than Himself (cf. Heb 6:13-14). He loathed the pride of Jacob. "Jacob" here refers to the Northern Kingdom (cf. Amo 3:13), and "the pride of Jacob" is probably the city of Samaria. [Note: See Hayes, p. 188.] In their self-confidence, these leaders resembled their forefather Jacob. The Lord also hated their fortified mansions from which they oppressed the poor and needy (cf. Amo 3:9-10).
"The mighty fortress is their god. Its security and power make God’s protection and blessing irrelevant crutches in the real world of economic and political influence." [Note: G. Smith, Amos: A Commentary, p. 207.]
Therefore Yahweh would fight against them and deliver up Samaria and all it contained to an enemy.