11 15<\/strong>. The sentence.<\/p>\n An adversary<\/em> ] or Distress<\/em>, a rendering which most moderns prefer.<\/p>\n there shall be even round about<\/em> ] The Hebrew is harsh: a very slight change, supported by Pesh. ( for ), yields shall surround<\/em> (or encircle<\/em>), which is to be preferred.<\/p>\n he shall bring down thy strength<\/em> ] or, thy strength shall be brought down<\/em>, as the same Hebrew may be rendered (Ges.-Kautzsch, 144. 3 a ), though Wellh. would read hrad<\/em> for hrd<\/em>. The foe will encircle the land; the strong ‘crown’ of Samaria will be ‘brought down’ to the ground (cf. Deu 28:52<\/span>; Eze 30:6<\/span>; Isa 28:2<\/span> b<\/em>); and its palaces ( Amo 3:10<\/em><\/span>) will be plundered.<\/p>\n Therefore thus saith the Lord God – <\/B>There was no human redress. The oppressor was mighty, but mightier the Avenger of the poor. Man would not help; therefore God would. An adversary there shall be, even round about the land; literally, An enemy, and around the land! The prophets speaks, as seeing him. The abruptness tells how suddenly that enemy should come, and hem in the whole land on all sides. What an unity in their destruction! He sees one enemy, and him everywhere, all around, encircling, encompassing, as with a net, their whole land, narrowing in, as he advanced, until it closed around and upon them. The corruption was universal, so should be the requital.<\/P> And he shall bring down thy strength from – <\/B>(that is, away from) thee The word bring down implies a loftiness of pride which was to be brought low, as in Obadiah, thence will I bring thee down Oba 1:4<\/span>; and in Isaiah, I will bring down their strength to the earth Isa 63:6<\/span>. But further, their strength was not only, as in former oppressions, to be brought down, but forth from thee. Thy palaces shall be spoiled; those palaces, in which they had heaped up the spoils of the oppressed. Mans sins are, in Gods Providence, the means of their punishment. Woe to thee that spoilest and Isa 33:1<\/span> (that is, whereas) thou wert not spoiled, and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherowsly with thee! when thou perfectest, spoiling, thou shalt be spoiled; when thou accomplihest dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. Their spoiling should invite the spoiler, their oppressions should attract the oppressor and they, with all which they held to be their strength, should go forth into captivity.<\/P> Rib.: The Lord will be justified in His sayings, and in His works, when He executeth judgment on us and shall be cleared, even by the most unjust judges, when He is judged. Psa 51:4<\/span>. He cites the Ashdodites and Egyptians as judges, who were witnesses of His benefits to this people, that they might see how justly He punished them. And now the hardened Jews themselves, Turks and all Hagarenes, might be called to behold at once our iniquities, and the mercies of the Lord, that we are not consumed Lam 3:22<\/span>. If these were gathered on the mountains of Samaria, and surveyed from aloft our sins, who worship Mammon and Vain-glory and Venus for God, doubtless the Name of God would through us be blasphemed among the pagan. Imagine yourselves withdrawn for a while to the summit of some lofty mountain, says the blessed martyr Cyprian , view thence the face of things, as they lie beneath you, yourself free from contact of earth, cast your eyes hither and thither, and mark the turmoils of this billowy world.<\/P> You too, recalled to self-remembrance, will pity the world; and, made more thankful to God, will congratulate yourself with deeper joy that you have escaped it. See thou the ways obstructed by bandits, the seas infested by pirates, war diffused everywhere by the camps bloodstained fierceness: a world reeking with mutual slaughter; and homicide, a crime in individuals, called virtue when worked by nations. Not innocence but the scale of its ferocity gains impunity for guilt. Turn thy eyes to the cities, thou wilt see a populated concourse more melancholy than any solitude. This and much more which he says of the life of the Gentiles, how it fits in with ours, any can judge. What greater madness than that people, called to heavenly thrones, should cling to trifles of earth? immortal man glued to passing, perishable things people, redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ, for lucre wrong their brethren, redeemed by the same Price, the same Blood! No marvel then, that the Church is afflicted, and encompassed by unseen enemies, and her strength drawn down from her spoiled houses.<\/P> Samaria is also every soul, which willeth to please man by whom it thinketh it may be holpen, rather than God, and, boasting itself to be Israel, yet worshipeth the golden calves, that is, gold, silver, honors, and pleasures. Let people alien from the light of the Gospel survey its tumults, with what ardor of mind riches, pleasures are sought, how ambition is served, how restless and disturbed the soul is in catching at nothings, how forgetful of God the Creator and of heavenly things and of itself, how minded, as if it were to perish with the body! What tumults, when ambition bids one thing, lust another, avarice another, wrath another, and, like strong winds on the sea, strong, unbridled passions strive together! They know not to do right, bad ends spoiling acts in themselves good. They treasure up violence, whereas they ought to treasure up grace and charity against that Day when God shall judge the secrets of people. And when they ascribe to themselves any benefits of the divine mercy, and any works pleasing to God, which they may have done or do, what else do they than store up robbery? So then the powers of the soul are spoiled, when truths as to right action, once known and understood by the soul, fade and are obscure, when the memory retaineth nothing usefill, when the will is spoiled of virtues and yields to vicious affections.<\/P> <\/p>\n Amo 3:11-15<\/span><\/p>\n Therefore thus saith the Lord God; An adversary there shall be even round about the land.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The spoiler spoiled<\/strong><\/p>\n In the previous verse Amos has pronounced Gods verdict on the proud citizens of Samaria; here he proclaims the punishment which is about to come upon them.<\/p>\n Verse 11<\/span>. An adversary, round about the land<\/B><\/I>] Ye shall not be able to escape, wherever ye turn, ye shall meet a foe.<\/P> <\/p>\n Therefore; <\/B>because of all the violence and rapine, with other crying sins, multiplied against God in the midst of them. <\/P> An adversary, <\/B>the Assyrian with united forces, shall be even round about the land, on all sides shall beset thee; the whole land shall be but as one besieged city, out of which none, or so few as next to none, shall escape. <\/P> He shall bring down thy strength from thee; <\/B>lay low all thy fortresses, break all thy power, kill thy valiant men, destroy thy armies, and by force take thy strong holds. <\/P> Thy palaces shall be spoiled; <\/B>where thou laidst up thy spoils gotten by violence and oppression, there thy enemy shall find them, and take them away as lawful plunder; and when thy riches are carried out, they shall burn the palaces themselves too. <\/P> <\/p>\n 11.<\/B> Translate, “Anadversary (the abruptness produces a startling effect)! and thattoo,<\/I> from every side of the land.” So in the fulfilment, 2Ki17:5<\/span>: “The king of Assyria (Shalmaneser) came up throughoutall the land,<\/I> and went up to Samaria, and besieged it threeyears.” <\/P> bring down thy strength fromthee<\/B>that is, bring thee down from thy strength (the strengthon which thou didst boast thyself): all thy resources (Pr10:15<\/span>). <\/P> palaces shall be spoiled<\/B>ajust retribution in kind (Am 3:10<\/span>).The palaces<\/I> in which spoils of robbery<\/I> were storedup,<\/I> “shall be spoiled.”<\/P><\/p>\n Therefore thus saith the Lord God<\/strong>,…. Because of these tumults and riots, oppression and injustice, violence and robbery:<\/p>\n an adversary there [shall be] even round about the land<\/strong>: not Tyre, as Theodoret renders the word; but the king of Assyria, who invaded the land of Israel in the days of Hoshea, took Samaria, and carried Israel captive, and placed them in foreign countries, 2Ki 17:6<\/span>;<\/p>\n and he shall bring down thy strength from thee<\/strong>; take away their riches, demolish their fortresses, and strip them of everything in which they put their confidence:<\/p>\n and thy palaces shall be spoiled<\/strong>; plundered of the treasures laid up in them, and pulled down to the ground; and a just retaliation this for their being the repositories of ill gotten substance and wealth.<\/p>\n Thus do they bring about the ruin of the kingdom. Amo 3:11<\/span>. “Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, An enemy, and that round about the land; and he will hurl down thy glory from thee, and thy palaces are plundered.<\/em> Amo 3:12<\/span>. Thus saith Jehovah, As the shepherd delivers out of the mouth of the lion two shin-bones or an ear-lappet, so will the sons of Israel deliver themselves; they who sit on the corner of the couch and on the damask of the bed.” <\/em> The threat is introduced in the form of an aposiopesis. , enemy, , and indeed round about the land ( explic. as in Amo 4:10<\/span>, etc.; and in the construct state construed as a preposition), i.e., will come, attack the land on all sides, and take possession of it. Others regard as an abstract: oppression (from the Chaldee); but in this case we should have to supply Jehovah<\/em> as the subject to ; and although this is probable, it is by no means natural, as Jehovah is speaking. There is no foundation, on the other hand, for the remark, that if tsar <\/em> signified the enemy, we should either find the plural , or with the article (Baumgarten). The very indefiniteness of tsar <\/em> suits the sententious brevity of the clause. This enemy will hurl down the splendour of Samaria, “which ornaments the top of the mountain like a crown, Isa 28:1-3<\/span>” (Hitzig: , might, with the subordinate idea of glory), and plunder the palaces in which violence, i.e., property unrighteously acquired, is heaped up (Amo 3:10<\/span>). The words are addressed to the city of Samaria, to which the feminine suffixes refer. On the fall of Samaria, and the plundering thereof, the luxurious grandees, who rest upon costly pillows, will only be able to save their life to the very smallest extent, and that with great difficulty. In the simile used in Amo 3:12<\/span> there is a slight want of proportion in the two halves, the object of the deliverance being thrown into the background in the second clause by the passive construction, and only indicated in the verb, to deliver themselves, i.e., to save their life. “A pair of shin-bones and a piece ( . ), i.e., a lappet, of the earth,” are most insignificant remnants. The grandees of Samaria, of whom only a few were to escape with their life, are depicted by Amos as those who sit on costly divans, without the least anxiety. , the corner of the divan, the most convenient for repose. According to Amo 6:4<\/span>, these divans were ornamented with ivory, and according to the verse before us, they were ornamented with costly stuffs. comes from , Damascus, and signifies damask<\/em>, an artistically woven material (see Ges. Thes.<\/em> p. 346). This brings the visitation of God to an end. Even the altars and palaces are to be laid in ruins, and consequently Samaria will be destroyed.<\/p>\n The Prophet here announces the punishment God would inflict on the Israelites. An enemy, he says, and indeed one around you, etc. Some think צר, tsar, to be a verb in the imperative mood; but this cannot be maintained. But Amos, here declares that an enemy was near the Israelites, who would besiege them on every side. The ungodly are ever wont to seek escapes, and if they see the smallest hole, they think that they can escape. Strange is the presumption of men with regard to God: when they see themselves hemmed in, they are really frightened, yea, they become wholly disheartened; but yet they seek subterfuges on the right hand and on the left, and never submit to God except when constrained. This is the reason why the Prophet now says, that an enemy was near, and indeed around them; as though he said, “You have no reason to think that there is any way of escape open to you; for God has hemmed you in on every side; there is therefore a siege which so confines you, that you in vain hope to escape.” An enemy, he says, is indeed around — around the whole land, who will take away from thee thy strength. Here the Prophet removes from the Israelites their vain confidence; for they could not think of God’s vengeance, while looking on their own power. They indeed thought that they had sufficient protection in their own large number, riches, and arms, as men are wont to set up against God what proceeds from himself, as though creatures could do anything against him, and as though God could not take away, when he pleases, what he has given: and yet such is the blindness of men. Hence the Prophet says, that all the wealth and all the strength in which the Israelites excelled would be useless, inasmuch as an enemy, he says, armed by God, shall take from thee thy strength; and thy palaces shall be plundered. <\/p>\n (11) An adversary.<\/strong>This rendering is to be preferred to affliction (Chald., Syr.). It is the subject of the following verb bring down, Assyria being referred to, though not in express terms. The reading of LXX., O Tyre, thy land round about thee is desolate, is incoherent, and confounds Tzr<\/em> with tzr.<\/em><\/p>\n Thy strength<\/strong> points mainly to the stronghold of Samaria, which the enemy was to bring down or reduce to ruins, but it may likewise include the chief warriors who were to be led away captive.<\/p>\n 11-15<\/strong>. <\/strong> The sentence. <\/em> Jehovah will speedily send an enemy to avenge the wrongdoing; he will lay waste the corrupt city; even the altars of Beth-el will be overthrown. The sentence is introduced by the solemn “Thus saith the Lord Jehovah.” <\/p>\n Therefore <\/strong> Because of the utter corruption. <\/p>\n An adversary <\/strong> A word rendered more often “trouble” or “distress,” but “adversary” is most suitable here. <\/p>\n There shall be even round about the land <\/strong> This is undoubtedly the sense of the passage, but the Hebrew is awkward. A very slight change, supported by Peshitto, gives “shall surround the land.” With the land completely surrounded, every avenue of escape will be cut off. <\/p>\n He shall bring down thy strength <\/strong> May be rendered also, “thy strength shall be brought down” (G.-K., 144d.) <\/p>\n Strength <\/strong> Defenses, that is, the walls and the citadel; they will be torn down. <\/p>\n Thy palaces <\/strong> In which the plunder is stored. <\/p>\n Shall be spoiled <\/strong> The retribution is according to the lex talionis.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n Following Amo 3:11<\/span> Harper reads Amo 3:15<\/span>, then Amo 3:12-14<\/span>, but there is no necessity for the transposition. <\/p>\n 12.<\/strong> The people will be swept away, only a small fraction will escape. <\/p>\n Taketh <\/strong> R.V., “rescueth.” The Davids who could kill the wild beasts and save the lambs unharmed (1Sa 17:34-35<\/span>) were the exception; ordinarily the lion devoured the prey. <\/p>\n Two legs <\/strong> Literally, shin bones. <\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n Piece of an ear <\/strong> That is, small fragments which were overlooked by accident. As a shepherd Amos would be familiar with such happenings. <\/p>\n Children of Israel <\/strong> Perhaps not the whole nation, but the nobles of Samaria who are described in the following words. <\/p>\n Corner of a bed <\/strong> Better, R.V., “couch,” or divan. The divan in an Oriental home runs around three sides, the seat of honor being in the corner opposite the door, “where upon the usual cushions is set a smaller one, against which he may rest his head and take a nap” (Van Lennep, Bible Lands, <\/em> 460, 461). The prophet evidently has in mind the extravagant, luxury-loving nobles of Samaria. <\/p>\n In Damascus in a couch <\/strong> R.V., “on the silken cushions of a bed.” Some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX. read “Damascus” (so A.V.), but the common Hebrew text has a word with a slightly different vocalization, the meaning of which is uncertain. Damascus is out of the question, since Amos is not concerned in this connection with inhabitants of a foreign Country. Most commentators read damask <\/em> similarly R.V, “silken cushions” the fine material which derives its name from Damascus. However, it is very doubtful that in Amos’s day Damascus had already given its name to this material. Nevertheless, we expect a word of some such meaning, or possibly one parallel with corner.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n In Amo 3:13-15<\/span> the judgment is announced once more, in the form of a proclamation. <\/p>\n Hear <\/strong> As in Amo 3:9<\/span>, no one in particular is addressed.<\/p>\n This mode of expression is chosen for rhetorical purposes, to introduce in a more vivid and forceful manner the announcement of judgment. <\/p>\n Testify <\/strong> Announce solemnly (Gen 43:3<\/span>; Deu 4:26<\/span>). <\/p>\n The house of Jacob <\/strong> Israel; here in the narrower sense, the northern kingdom. <\/p>\n The Lord Jehovah, the God of hosts <\/strong> The accumulation of divine titles indicates the solemnity of the announcement. On the first two see on Amo 1:8<\/span>; on the whole title, which is used again in Amo 4:13<\/span>; Amo 5:16<\/span>; Amo 5:27<\/span>; Amo 6:14<\/span>, see on Hos 12:5<\/span>.<\/p>\n Amo 3:14-15<\/span> <\/strong> emphasize the completeness of the destruction. Not even the sanctuaries will escape. <\/p>\n Beth-el <\/strong> The chief sanctuary of the northern kingdom. Dan also enjoyed royal patronage (1Ki 12:29<\/span>), but the former was supreme. It was situated about ten miles north of Jerusalem, on the road to Nablus. Its name house of God testifies to its sanctity, and very early in Hebrew history it appears as a sacred place (Gen 12:8<\/span>; Gen 35:7<\/span>; 1Sa 10:3<\/span>). It was at Beth-el that Amos delivered his message (Amo 7:13<\/span>). The ruins of the old town, now called Beitin, <\/em> lie on the summit of a hill sloping to the southeast, and cover three or four acres. It appears from this verse (compare Amo 2:8<\/span>) that numerous altars were at Beth-el; whether they were all, nominally at least, consecrated to Jehovah, or whether some were sacred to other deities, is not certain probably the former. <\/p>\n Horns of the altar <\/strong> Important fixtures of the altar (Lev 4:7<\/span>; Lev 4:18<\/span>; Lev 4:30<\/span>), which offered a place of refuge and safety (1Ki 1:50-51<\/span>; 1Ki 2:28<\/span>). When they are gone the last ray of hope must vanish. The horns of the altar are mentioned frequently in the Old Testament, but their origin is not yet satisfactorily explained. They were found also on altars outside of Israel. On a monument found in Teima, southeast of Edom, an altar is represented with horns curved like those of an ox, rising from the corner. With the sanctuaries the magnificent palaces of king and nobles will be destroyed. <\/p>\n Winter house summer house <\/strong> To be understood as collectives; the summer residences and winter residences of king and nobles. For the latter compare Jer 36:22<\/span>; for the former Jdg 3:20<\/span>. Ordinarily the summer and winter houses do not appear to have been separate buildings, they were rather different parts of the same house. The upper rooms, if there are two stories, or the outside rooms, if there is but one story, are still the rooms occupied preferably in summer, while the lower story or inside rooms are preferred for winter (Thomson, The Land and the Book, 1:<\/em> 478). In exceptional cases people have separate dwellings for summer and winter respectively (Van Lennep, Bible Lands, <\/em> 115). The language here would seem to indicate separate dwellings. An Aramaic inscription found in Zinjirli, near Aleppo, furnishes an interesting parallel to these expressions. In it Bar-rekub, king of Sham’al, a vassal of Tiglath-pileser III, and therefore a younger contemporary of Amos, relates that he beautified his father’s house in honor of his ancestors; then he continues, “and it is for them a summer house and a winter house.” <\/p>\n Houses of ivory <\/strong> Houses whose walls are paneled or inlaid with ivory (1Ki 22:39<\/span>; compare Amo 6:4<\/span>). Since ivory was very costly, only the wealthy could afford this luxury. <\/p>\n Great houses <\/strong> Or, magnificent <\/em> (Amo 5:11<\/span>; Amo 6:11<\/span>); R.V. margin, “many houses.” The word is so rendered in Isa 5:9<\/span>; if so here, it points to the wide extent of the threatened ruin.<\/p>\n Amo 3:11<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>An adversary there shall be, <\/em><\/strong>&c.<\/strong> An adversary shall surround thy land: he shall cast thee down from thy power, and thy forts or strong places shall be spoiled. <\/em>Houbigant. <\/p>\n Amo 3:11 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; An adversary [there shall be] even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.<\/p>\n Ver. 11. Therefore thus saith the Lord<\/strong> ] And he saith it in great haste and heat; as appeareth by that concise kind of expression that he here useth, after the manner of those that are thorough angry, and therefore say not much, but mean to do the more, Aposiopesis, ut Quos ego<\/em> (Virg. Aen. i. 135). <\/p>\n <\/p>\n An adversary round about the land<\/strong> ] A distresser at every corner; that as all the borderers have beheld thy wickedness, so shall they thy wretchedness, by reason of the enemy and the avenger, who shall meet thee at every turn, and leave thee neither hope of better nor place of worse. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And he shall brinq down thy strength from thee<\/strong> ] Thee in the feminine gender; haply because they should be so enfeebled and impoverished: or else, to express the heat of God’s anger against them, as Num 11:15<\/span> , where meek Moses, being in a great passion of anger and grief together, saith to God, “If thou” (in the feminine) “deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand,” &c.; he was so out of measure moved that he could not fill up his speech, nor utter the last syllable, At for Atta, ex magna perturbatione.<\/em> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thy strength<\/strong> ] Thy strongholds, or thy riches, those treasures of wickedness wherein thou trustest, Pro 10:2 Amo 3:15<\/span> , “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city.” It is called his strength because he confideth in it, 1Ti 6:17<\/span> , and because he is enabled, by it, to bring about his designs. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And thy palaces shall be spoiled<\/strong> ] They shall be blown up, because their foundation was laid upon fireworks, their mortar mixed with blood, their materials raked together by rapine and robbery; their furniture, and those ill gotten goods therein hid and hoarded, shall be given, hosti non haeredi,<\/em> not to thine heir, but to thine enemy for a booty. “An inheritance may be hastily gotten at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed,” Pro 20:21<\/span> . “As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end be a fool,” Jer 17:11<\/span> . A poor fool God will make of him ere he hath done with him, as he did for Balaam, Achan, Ahab, Gehazi, the rich man, Luk 12:16-21<\/span> ; Luk 16:19-31<\/span> .<\/p>\n NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Amo 3:11-15<\/p>\n 11Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD,<\/p>\n An enemy, even one surrounding the land,<\/p>\n Will pull down your strength from you<\/p>\n And your citadels will be looted.<\/p>\n 12Thus says the LORD,<\/p>\n Just as the shepherd snatches from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,<\/p>\n So will the sons of Israel dwelling in Samaria be snatched away<\/p>\n With the corner of a bed and the cover of a couch!<\/p>\n 13Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,<\/p>\n Declares the Lord GOD, the God of hosts.<\/p>\n 14For on the day that I punish Israel’s transgressions,<\/p>\n I will also punish the altars of Bethel;<\/p>\n The horns of the altar will be cut off<\/p>\n And they will fall to the ground.<\/p>\n 15I will also smite the winter house together with the summer house;<\/p>\n The houses of ivory will also perish<\/p>\n And the great houses will come to an end,<\/p>\n Declares the LORD.<\/p>\n Amo 3:11 thus says the Lord GOD This is the typical phrase denoting revelation (e.g., Amo 3:11-12) used so often in chapters 1 and 2. Also notice the paragraph ends with Declares the LORD (cf. Amo 3:13; Amo 3:15), which is also the pattern of Amo 2:11; Amo 2:16.<\/p>\n The phrase the Lord GOD reflects the two Hebrew names for deity: (1) Adon and (2) YHWH.<\/p>\n See Special Topic: NAMES FOR DEITY .<\/p>\n An enemy This refers to the nation of Assyria (which is never named in Amos, but several times in Hosea [Hos 7:11; Hos 8:9; Hos 9:3; Hos 10:6; Hos 11:11]), who took the Northern Ten Tribes captive in 722 B.C. (cf. Amo 6:7; Amo 6:14). Samaria, the capital of Israel, was taken after a lengthy siege (cf. Amo 3:11 d).<\/p>\n Will pull down your strength This Hebrew term (BDB 74) can refer to (1) physical strength or (2) a physical fortress (i.e., strongholds).<\/p>\n NASByour citadels will be looted<\/p>\n NKJVyour palaces shall be plundered<\/p>\n NRSVyour strongholds shall be plundered<\/p>\n TEVplunder their mansions<\/p>\n NJByour palaces will be looted<\/p>\n For more information on citadels see note at Amo 1:4.<\/p>\n The VERB will be looted (BDB 102, KB 117, Niphal PERFECT) refers to the spoils of a defeated foe that are distributed among the victorious soldiers. These spoils would include people, livestock, clothing, valuables, etc., all the possessions of the conquered people.<\/p>\n Notice that in Amo 3:10 it is the Israelites who hoard up violence and devastation in their citadels. Now the spoils of their ill gotten gain will be taken from them! They reap what they sow. This is a biblical principle (cf. Job 34:11; Psa 28:4; Psa 62:12; Pro 24:12; Ecc 12:14; Jer 17:10; Jer 32:19; Mat 16:27; Mat 25:31-46; Rom 2:6; Rom 14:12; 1Co 3:8; 2Co 5:10; Gal 6:7; 2Ti 4:14; 1Pe 1:17; Rev 2:23; Rev 20:12; Rev 22:12).<\/p>\n Amo 3:12 This verse may stand alone. The NRSV puts it in prose when all other verses around it are poetry. The REB and NJB make it a separate strophe.<\/p>\n This ironical verse relates to the almost total destruction of the Northern Ten Tribes (Israel). Only a small wounded group will be left of the entire nation (cf. Amo 5:15; Amo 9:8). On the other hand, this may be an allusion to Exo 22:1-13. If this is so, then this is not a metaphor of a returning remnant, but a metaphor of ultimate, complete destruction. The allusion to a shepherd implies option #1.<\/p>\n It is just speculation on my part, but it is interesting that the word for legs (BDB 502) is also used of worshipers bowing down before a deity. There may be a double entendre referring to Israel’s worship of idols (the golden calves) in YWHW’s name.<\/p>\n This double meaning also extends to snatches. . .snatched (BDB 664, KB 717, the first a Niphal PERFECT and the second a Hiphil IMPERFECT). This term is often used in the sense of deliverance (e.g., Mic 4:10). Therefore, this salvation connotation is sarcastically used of Israel’s judgment. It is these plays on words and parallelism that makes Amos such powerful poetry!<\/p>\n the cover of a couch This is a very difficult Hebrew phrase to translate. There are several theories.<\/p>\n 1. The Masoretic Text has in Damascus, which is followed by the LXX, Peshitta, and subsequently the KJV and NIV translations. The Hebrew consonants for in Damascus can also be revocalized as piece of leg.<\/p>\n 2. It may refer to a special cloth imported from Damascus, translated silk and cushions of the bed (cf. the ASV and NASB translations).<\/p>\n 3. Part of the bed (cf. the RSV, NRSV and the closely related NEB’s translation of a chip from the leg of the bed, which follows the Medieval Jewish commentators, Rashi and Kimchi).<\/p>\n It is obvious that this refers to a very elegant piece of furniture (illustrating the opulence of Samaria, cf. TEV and NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 495, #5), of which only a broken, useless remnant remains.<\/p>\n The comparison seems to be that as a small piece of the sheep is rescued from the lion as a legal sign to the sheep owner, so too, a small remnant of Israel will survive. God’s judgment is a legal sign of the validity of His word (i.e., Deuteronomy 27-29)! God’s word about salvation is trustworthy, so too, His word about covenant disobedience and its drastic consequences.<\/p>\n Amo 3:13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob These VERBS (BDB 1033 and 729) are both IMPERATIVES. This phrase is parallel to Amo 3:9. This is typical lawsuit terminology. The two pagan nations of Philistia (Ashdod) and Egypt (Amo 3:9) are going to observe the judging of God’s people as the two required legal witnesses (cf. Deu 17:6; Deu 19:15).<\/p>\n Again the question of who does the house of Jacob refer? Does it mean (1) the Northern Ten Tribes only or (2) does it refer to all the descendants of Jacob (Israel and Judah)?<\/p>\n As in Amo 3:12, Amos uses a word that has several connotations. Testify (BDB 729, KB 795, Hiphil IMPERATIVE) can mean (NIDOTTE, vol. 3, pp. 335-336):<\/p>\n 1. warn; give assurance (cf. Gen 43:3; Exo 21:29; 1Ki 2:42; Neh 13:15; Neh 13:21)<\/p>\n 2. command, prohibit, connected to YHWH’s covenant (e.g., Exo 19:23; Deu 32:46)<\/p>\n 3. here it refers to two witnesses against Israel (cf. 1Ki 21:10; 1Ki 21:13; 2Ch 24:19). YHWH, through Amos, accuses Israel of covenant violations (both social and religious).<\/p>\n Again, it is the unexpected use of the term that makes Amos’ poetry so powerful!<\/p>\n the Lord GOD, the God of hosts This is the only place in the OT that these three major terms for God are found together.<\/p>\n 1. the Lord – the term, Adon<\/p>\n 2. GOD – YHWH, the covenant name for God<\/p>\n 3. the God – the name Elohim, the general name for God<\/p>\n 4. of hosts – the captain of the armies of heaven or the leader of the heavenly court (cf. Amo 3:13; Amo 5:14-16; Amo 6:8; Amo 6:14). See Special Topic: Lord of Hosts .<\/p>\n See Special Topic: NAMES FOR DEITY .<\/p>\n Amo 3:14 on that day This refers to the Day of Judgment. See full note at Amo 2:16.<\/p>\n the altars of Bethel Bethel is the southern site of the worship of the golden calves which were set up by Jeroboam I (cf. 1Ki 12:26-33). It was located about 10 miles north of Jerusalem and was an ancient holy site for the Hebrew nation, related to Jacob (cf. Gen 28:10-22).<\/p>\n SPECIAL TOPIC: SACRIFICIAL SYSTEMS OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST <\/p>\n The horns of the altar will be cut off This refers to the protrusions of the comers of the sacrificial altar. These horns may have represented (1) animal horns as a symbol of power (e.g., Jer 48:25; Dan 8:7; Zec 1:18-20) or (2) a way to symbolize that the sacrifice was lifted to God. A portion of the blood of sacrificial animals was smeared on these horns (cf. Exo 29:12; Lev 8:15). This cultic procedure showed that sin cost a life. The blood symbolized life (cf. Lev 17:11; Lev 17:14). Therefore, the horns were the holiest part of the altar of sacrifice. This phrase, then, can mean (1) that their sacrifices have no potency or (2) since these horns functioned as places of safety (alluded to in Exo 21:14; and specific in 1Ki 1:50; 1Ki 2:28), there is now no place of safety!<\/p>\n Amo 3:15 the winter house. . .the summer house. . .houses of ivory. . .the great houses These phrases are referring to (1) multiple dwellings of the self-indulgent rich (one example, Ahab’s two palaces, cf. 1Ki 21:1; 1Ki 21:18; NJB many mansions) or (2) two store houses, the bottom floor used in winter and the upper floor used in summer (TEV, every great house). Many of these ivory carvings (i.e., inlays, cf. 1Ki 10:18; 1Ki 22:39) were of Assyrian or Egyptian deities. Israel had lost herself in (1) materialism and (2) idolatry!<\/p>\n and the great houses will come to an end The Septuagint has and many other houses also. The Hebrew term (BDB 912 I) can mean (1) great or (2) many. This phrase seems to be a summary statement and not another type of house.<\/p>\n Declares the LORD See note at Amo 3:11. Throughout this section of Amos the divine authority of the message has been sustained by this or similar phrases (cf. Amo 3:1; Amo 3:5-6; Amo 3:8-13; Amo 3:15; Amo 2:1; Amo 2:3-4; Amo 2:6; Amo 2:16; Amo 4:3; Amo 4:5-6; Amo 4:8; Amo 4:10-11; Amo 5:17).<\/p>\n thus saith the Lord God. The first of three occurrences of this formula in Amos. See note on Amo 1:3. <\/p>\n An adversary = An adversary [shall] come. Figure of speech Ellipsis. App-6. Compare 2Ki 17:3, 2Ki 17:6; 2Ki 18:9, 2Ki 18:10, 2Ki 18:11. <\/p>\n An, Amo 6:14, 2Ki 15:19, 2Ki 15:29, 2Ki 17:3-6, 2Ki 18:9-11, Isa 7:17-25, Isa 8:7, Isa 8:8, Isa 10:5, Isa 10:6, Isa 10:9-11, Hos 11:5, Hos 11:6 <\/p>\n and thy: Amo 3:10, Amo 3:15, Amo 2:5, Amo 6:8, 2Ch 36:19 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: 2Ki 18:10 – they took it Isa 17:9 – General Jer 6:5 – let us destroy Jer 52:13 – the king’s<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n Amo 3:11; Amo 3:4 n adversary even round about the land is a direct prediction of the Assyrian siege, and the fulfiIment is recorded in 2Ki 17:5. Spoiled is from bazaz, which Strong defines, “A primitive root; to plunder. While the Assyrians were conducting the siege of Samaria, they entered the houses of the city and took possession of their valuables.<\/p>\n Israel’s coming catastrophe from Yahweh 3:11-15<\/span><\/p>\n Amos’ announcement of Israel’s coming judgment came in three waves (Amo 3:11-15).<\/p>\n Sovereign Yahweh announced that an enemy that would surround the land of Israel would destroy and loot its impressive fortresses. That enemy proved to be Assyria, which besieged and destroyed Samaria and overran all Israel in 722 B.C.<\/p>\n Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; An adversary [there shall be] even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled. 11 15. The sentence. An adversary ] or Distress, a rendering which most moderns prefer. there shall be even round about ] The Hebrew … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Amos 3:11”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>The first word of the passage, therefore, shows us that this spoiling is the direct result of their own sin. They had chosen their path–that of remorseless greed, and of luxury won by oppression and tyranny–and it was the path on which the avenging angels walked with the vials of Gods wrath. Their sin was to be punished by the loss of everything which it seemed to have secured. The history of Assyria is another illustration of this connection between sin and punishment (Isa 33:1<\/span>; Nahum, etc.). God will surely spoil every spoiler.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>The fruits of this course of oppression. The treasures gained by sin pass away by plunder. An adversary (verse 11). Sixty years later the king of Assyria besieged Samaria as Amos foretold, and rifled their glorious palaces. They had filled them with stores of wealth, and had revelled there in luxury; but these things only served to whet the appetite for plunder which brought Assyria to their gates. They built their winter houses and their summer houses, their great houses and their houses of ivory, regardless of the despair of the poor, and of the curses of the oppressed. Even Gods threatenings had not been able to check them for a moment. What end had it served? They had a few years of revelry, but at last that for which they had sacrificed a good conscience and the favour of God was snatched from them in a moment. What an ignominious end verse 12 describes. Melanchthons mother said, Ill-gotten wealth but loss secures. How true it is! If never before, yet when death comes that for which a man has sacrificed character and conscience is taken from him, and, robbed of all he prized, he must stand in the presence of his Judge.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>The failure of every stay on which such men might rest in the time of trouble, In the day that I shall visit the trangressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. The idols should perish in the same hour as their worshippers, involved in a common destruction. It was from Bethel that they looked for deliverance. There they had presented their offerings and paid their tithes, but the idols failed them in their hour of trouble, and fell by the same visitation. Every arm of flesh must fail when Gods judgments come. (J. Telford, B. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"