12<\/strong>. So sudden will be the surprise, so overwhelming the numbers of the foe, that of the luxurious nobles of Samaria only an insignificant remnant will escape with their bare lives: all the rest will be swept away by the foe.<\/p>\n As the shepherd taketh<\/em> &c.] better, rescueth<\/strong> (R.V.). A shepherd would bring such remains of a missing animal to his master, as evidence that it had really been torn by beasts (Exo 22:13<\/span>; cf. Gen 31:39<\/span>). The comparison, which is suggested no doubt by the experiences of Amos’ shepherd life, illustrates forcibly both the scant numbers and the shattered condition of the survivors, besides hinting at the formidable powers of the assailant.<\/p>\n be taken out<\/em> ] be<\/em> rescued.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n that<\/em> sit<\/strong> in Samaria in the corner of a<\/em> divan<\/strong> ] The grandees of Samaria are represented as sitting luxuriously in the cushioned corners of their divans. In Assyria the king reclined, or sat up, on a couch beside the table, leaning his weight upon his left elbow, and having his right hand free and disposable (see the representation in Rawlinson’s Anc. Monarchies<\/em>, ed. 4<\/span>, i. 493). In the modern oriental houses of the wealthy (Van Lennep, Bible Customs in Bible Lands<\/em>, p. 460, referred to by Mitchell), ‘a divan,’ or cushioned seat, about a yard in width, extends along three sides of the principal room, while a row of richly woven stuffed cushions lines the wall behind, and forms a support for the back: the seat of honour is the inmost corner of the divan, opposite the door. In some such luxurious state the magnates of Samaria sat in Amos’s day. The framework of the seat was often inlaid with ivory (Amo 6:4<\/span>).<\/p>\n and in Damascus<\/em> in a couch<\/em> ] The Hebrew text can hardly be right; nor, as pointed, is the Heb. word here found ( d’mshe<\/em>) identical with that for Damascus ( dammse<\/em>). Most moderns render and on the damask<\/em> (whence R.V. silken cushions<\/em>) of a couch<\/em>. This rendering yields an excellent sense; but it cannot be regarded as certain: for (1) it is doubtful whether, in the time of Amos, Damascus was yet celebrated for the manufacture which in modern European languages is called after it: (2) in Arabic also, the name of the material ( dimas<\/em>), which has been appealed to in support of this explanation, differs from that of the city ( Dimash<\/em>); hence it is very questionable whether it really derives its name from it. It is considered by Frnkel, Aram. Fremdwrter im Arabischen<\/em>, p. 40, to be varied by metathesis from midas<\/em>, a form which also occurs, and which in its turn is derived from the Syr. mtas<\/em>, which is the Greek . Whatever uncertainty there may be about the word, it must, however, either be, or be the corrupt representative of, a term either synonymous or parallel with corner<\/em>, in the preceding clause.<\/p>\n As the shepherd taketh – <\/B>(Rather, rescueth) out of the mouth of the lion two legs (Properly, the shank, the lower part of the leg below the knee, which in animals is dry, and bone only and worthless) or apiece (the tip) of an ear, so (that is, so few and weak, so bared and spoiled, a mere remnant,) shall the children of Israel be taken out (rather, rescued) that now dwell at ease in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus , in a couch, or rather in Damascus, a couch. Now, that soft, rounded, oblong, hill of Samaria, was one large luxurious couch, in which its rich and great rested securely, propped and cushioned up on both sides, in, what is still the place of dignity, the corner of a bed, or Divan, that is, the inner corner where the two sides meet. Damascus also, which Jeroboam had won for Israel, was a canopied couch to them, in which they stayed themselves. It is an image of listless ease and security, like that of these whom the false prophetesses lulled into careless stupidity as to their souls; sewing pillows to all armholes, or wrists Eze 13:18<\/span>, whereon to lean in a dull inertness.<\/P> In vain! Of all those who then dwelt at ease and in luxury, the Good Shepherd Himself should rescue from the lion, (the enemy, in the first instance the Assyrian,) a small remnant, in the sight of the enemy and of man of little account, but precious in the sight of God. The enemy would leave them perhaps, as not worth removing, just as, when the lion has devoured the fat and the strong, the shepherd may recover from him some slight piece of skin or extremity of the bones. Amos then, as well as Joel (see the note at Joe 2:32<\/span>), preaches that same solemn sentence, so repeated throughout the prophets, a reimnant only shall be saved. So doubtless it was in the captivity of the ten tribes, as in the rest. So it was in Judah, when certain of the poor of the land only were left behind vinedessers and for farmers 2Ki 25:12<\/span>; Jer 52:16<\/span>. In the Gospel, not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty, not many noble were called 1Co 1:26<\/span>, but God chose the poor of this world, rich in faith Jam 2:5<\/span>, and the Good Shepherd rescued from the mouth of the lion those whom man despised, yet who had ears to hear.<\/P> After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, a poor remnant only escaped. Rup.: The spirit of prophecy foresaw both captivities, the end whereof was to confirm the faith, not in one place only but in all the earth, and so a slight remnant was rescued from the mouth of the lion, that is, from the slaughter of the destroyers, and permitted to live, that through them, as a witness and monument, the justice of God might be known from age to age, and the truth of the Scriptures might be everywhere, borne about by them, still witnessing to Christ the Son of God, who is known by the law and the prophets. Hapness remnants, so taken out for the good of others, not their own! As these remnants of the animal show what it was which the lion destroyed, yet are of no further profit, so are they now a memorial of what they once were, what grace through their sins they have lost.<\/P> Rib.: Many souls will perish because they trust in their own strength, and no more call on God to have mercy on them than if they could rise of themselves and enter the way of salvation without God. They trust in the power of their friends, or the friendship of princes, or the doctrines of philophers, and repose in them as in a couch of Damascus. But Christ, the Good Shepherd, will rescue out of the mouth of the lion, who goeth about seeking, whom he may devour, what is last and of least esteem in this world, who have anything whereby the Good Shepherd can hold them. The legs signify the desire to go to hear the Word of God; the extremity of the ear, that obedience was not wholly lost. For if any begin even in part to obey the word of God which he hath heard, God, of His fatherly mercy, will help him and lead him on to perfect obedience. The legs also denote desire , whereby, as by certain steps, the soul approacheth to God or departeth from Him. Yet if a soul would be saved, desires suffice not; but if to these obedience to the heavenly commands be added, it shall be rescued from the mouth of the lion.<\/P> <\/p>\n Amo 3:12<\/span><\/p>\n The shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The destroyer and the rescuer<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Variously represented. Here, the lion devouring the sheep. In New Testament, the roaring, etc.; in Old Testament, the serpent beguiling, etc.; in New Testament, that old serpent, etc.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>His doings are described. Paradise ruined; Abel murdered; the old world destroyed; Sodom and Gomorrah burned; mankind desolated by pestilence, plague, war, famine, physical tortures, burning anxieties–souls lost.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>He possesses mighty power. Called prince of the power of the air; ruler of the darkness, etc. Unites an angels strength with a fiends malignity. Has great power, but not all power.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>Possessed of supreme subtlety. An angel of light, a lurking beast, a hidden serpent. Marvellously skilful in adapting temptation and detecting opportunities. Persuades those in most danger that they are most safe.<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Total destruction was very near:<\/strong><\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>None need despair.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>None may presume.<\/p>\n A miserable remnant<\/strong><\/p>\n Here we have an illustration borrowed from scenes with which Amos was familiar. A part of the shepherds office in those regions consists in defending the flock against the attacks of wild beasts, as well as the depredations of robbers. As a check against carelessness about the loss of the sheep in either of these ways, it was a part of the shepherds duty to rescue what he could from the beast that had torn a sheep. Such remains would prove the truth of his account of the matter; and show, perhaps, on some occasions, that he had not refused to attack the beast which had seized the prey. Jacob could say, in respect of his care of Labans sheep, that he had not availed himself of any immunity which such a custom conferred on the shepherd. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it. And his wicked sons were but speaking a language in common use, when they showed their father the bloody garment of Joseph. Layard has the following passage in his book on Nineveh. Violent altercations arose on the subject of missing beasts. Heavy responsibilities which the Effendi did not seem to admit, were thrown upon the wolves. Some time elapsed before these questions were satisfactorily settled; ears having been produced, <\/em>oaths taken, and witnesses called, with the assistance of wolves and the rot, the diminution in the flock was fully accounted for. The prophets language conveys the meaning, that after Gods righteous vengeance had wrought out its purposes amongst the sinful people of Israel, their condition would be that of a miserable remnant, without any of the glory which once belonged to them as a nation: <\/strong>with just enough evidence left to show that they had been a part of it, and with marks upon that remnant which would show how they had been exposed to violence and spoil. (Vincent W. Ryan, M. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\n Verse 12<\/span>. As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion<\/B><\/I>] Scarcely any of you shall escape; and those that do shall do so with extreme difficulty, just as a shepherd, of a whole sheep carried away by a lion, can recover no more than two<\/I> of its legs<\/I>, or a piece of its ear<\/I>, just enough to prove by the marks<\/I> on those parts, that they belonged to a sheep which was his own<\/I>.<\/P> <\/P> So shall the children of Israel be taken out<\/B><\/I>] Those of them that escape these judgments shall escape with as great difficulty, and be of as little worth<\/I>, as the two legs<\/I> and piece of an ear<\/I> that shall be snatched out of the lion’s mouth. We know that when the Babylonians carried away the people into Chaldea they left behind only a few, and those the refuse of the land<\/I>.<\/P> <\/P> In the corner of a bed<\/B><\/I>] As the corner<\/I> is the most honourable place in the East, and a couch in the corner of a room<\/I> is the place of the greatest distinction<\/I>; so the words in the text may mean, that even the metropolitan cities<\/I>, which are in the corner<\/I> – in the most honourable place – of the land, whether Samaria<\/I> in Israel<\/I>, or Damascus<\/I> in Syria<\/I>, shall not escape these judgments; and if any of the distinguished persons who dwell in them escape, it must be with as great difficulty as the fragments above-mentioned have been recovered from a lion. The passage is obscure. Mr. Harmer<\/I> has taken great pains to illustrate it; but I fear with but little success. A general sense is all we can arrive at.<\/P> <\/p>\n In brief, this verse foretells how few and with what difficulty they shall escape who are not swallowed up of the approaching judgments, and it is elegantly expressed in the following similitude. <\/P> As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth; <\/B>as the shepherd doth hardly rescue a small part of a sheep or lamb, when the lion hath seized and torn it. <\/P> The lion; <\/B>the fiercest, strongest, and boldest creature, not a bear or wolf. <\/P> Two legs; <\/B>which are parts the ravening lion less regardeth and last eateth; <\/P> or a piece of an ear, <\/B>less considerable than the legs. <\/P> So shall the children of Israel, <\/B>some of the children of Israel, or some of the ten tribes, but the poorer, meaner, and more worthless of them, <\/P> be taken out that dwell in Samaria; <\/B>shall escape when Samaria is taken. <\/P> In the corner of a bed; <\/B>lying in some dark corner, and on a piece of a bed, as the poor do in most places. <\/P> In Damascus; <\/B>the chiefest city of Syria, taken by Tiglath-pileser much about the time when he wasted Israel in aid of Ahaz against Rezin and Pekah. <\/P> In a couch; <\/B>some few of the poorer among them also shall escape, pitied by the enemy when he findeth them weakly and sick upon their couch. <\/P> <\/p>\n 12. shepherd<\/B>a pastoral image,appropriately used by Amos, a shepherd himself. <\/P> piece of . . . ear<\/B>broughtby the shepherd to the owner of the sheep, so as not to have to payfor the loss (Gen 31:39<\/span>; Exo 22:13<\/span>).So if aught of Israel escapes, it shall be a miracle of God’sgoodness. It shall be but a scanty remnant. There is a kind of goatin the East the ears of which are a foot long, and proportionallybroad. Perhaps the reference is to this. Compare on the image 1Sa 17:34<\/span>;1Sa 17:35<\/span>; 2Ti 4:17<\/span>.<\/P> that dwell in Samaria in thecorner of a bed<\/B>that is, that live luxuriously in Samaria(compare Amo 6:1<\/span>; Amo 6:4<\/span>).”A bed” means here the Oriental divan, a raised part of theroom covered with cushions. <\/P> in Damascus in acouch<\/B>Jeroboam II had lately restored Damascus to Israel(2Ki 14:25<\/span>; 2Ki 14:28<\/span>).So the Israelites are represented as not merely in “the cornerof a bed,” as in Samaria, but “in a (whole) couch,” atDamascus, living in luxurious ease. Of these, now so luxurious, soonbut a remnant shall be left by the foe. The destruction of Damascusand that of Samaria shall be conjoined; as here their luxuriouslives, and subsequently under Pekah and Rezin their inroads on Judah,were combined (Isa 7:1-8<\/span>;Isa 8:4<\/span>; Isa 8:9<\/span>;Isa 17:3<\/span>). The parallelism of”Samaria” to “Damascus,” and the Septuagint<\/I>favor English Version<\/I> rather than GESENIUS:”on a damask<\/I> couch.” The Hebrew<\/I> pointing,though generally expressing damask,<\/I> may express the city”Damascus”; and many manuscripts point it so. Compare forIsrael’s overthrow, 2Ki 17:5<\/span>;2Ki 17:6<\/span>; 2Ki 18:9-12<\/span>.<\/P><\/p>\n Thus saith the Lord, as the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion<\/strong>,…. Or what the lion has left, to show to his master that it had been seized and torn by a beast of prey; for otherwise it is a most daring thing, and not usual, for a shepherd to take anything out of a lion’s mouth, though David did: and here it is said to be not a whole sheep, or a lamb, but<\/p>\n two legs, or a piece of an ear<\/strong>; the body of the creature being devoured by the lion, only some offal left he cared not for; two shanks of the legs that had no flesh upon them, and the gristle of the ear, as the Targum; having satisfied his hunger with the best of it: signifying hereby that only a few of the Israelites should escape the enemy, and those poor and insignificant, he made no account of; and this in a miraculous manner, it being like taking anything out of the mouth of a lion, to which a powerful enemy is compared, and particularly the king of Assyria, Jer 50:17<\/span>;<\/p>\n so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria<\/strong>; only a few of them, and those the poorest; and their escape will be next to a miracle, when the city will be taken; even such as are weak and sickly, or faint hearted: being<\/p>\n in a corner of a bed<\/strong>; who either through sickness lie there, or slothfulness, danger being near; or through poverty, having only a corner or a piece of a bed to lie on; or through cowardice they hid themselves in one part of it:<\/p>\n and in Damascus [in] a couch<\/strong>; or “in a bed of Damascus” h; the chief city in Syria, taken much about the same time as Samaria was; and where some of the Israelites might betake themselves, and think themselves secure as persons laid on a couch: or at the bed’s feet i, as some render it; or “in a corner of a couch” k, as before. The Targum paraphrases it,<\/p>\n “that dwell in Samaria, in the strength of power, trusting in Damascus.”<\/p>\n h “in sponda Damasci”, Tigurine version; “in grabbato Damasci”, so some in Drusius; “in lectis Damascenis”, Castalio; so Abendana. i “In crure spondae”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Tarnovius. k “Angulo grabati”, Pagninus “in angulo strati”, Montanus. So R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 75. 1.<\/p>\n In the next verse he leaves some hope, though this is not avowedly done. For when he says that some would be saved, as when a shepherd snatches from the jaws of a lion the ear of a sheep or two legs, it is not the Prophet’s design to mitigate the severe judgment of which he had before spoken; but shows, on the contrary, that when any should be saved, it would not be because the people would defend themselves, or were able to resist; but that it would be as when a trembling shepherd snatches some small portion of a spoil from the lion’s mouth. We must bear in mind what I have just said of the proud confidence of the people; for the Israelites thought that they were safe enough from danger; and therefore despised all threatenings. But what does Amos say? “Think not,” he says, “that there will be any defense for you, for your enemies will be like lions, and there will be no more strength in you to resist them than in sheep when not only wolves but lions, seize them and take them as their prey.” When any thing is then saved, it is as it were by a miracle; the shepherd may perhaps take a part of the ear or two legs from the lion’s mouth when he is satisfied. The shepherd dares not to contend with the lion; he always runs away from him, but the lion will have his prey and devour it at his pleasure; when he leaves a part of the ear or two legs, the shepherd will then seize on them, and say, “See, how many sheep have been devoured by lions:” and these will be the proof’s of his loss. So now the Prophet says, “The Lord will expose you as a prey to your enemies, and their rapacity will not be less dreaded by you than that of a lion: in vain then ye think yourselves defended by your forces; for what is a sheep to a lion? But if any part of you should remain, it will be like an ear or a leg: and still more, — as when a lion devours a sheep, and leaves nothing after having taken his prey until he is satisfied, so shall it happen to you”. <\/p>\n They are then mistaken who think that the preceding commination is here designedly mitigated; for the Prophet does not do this, but continues the same subject, and shows that the whole people would become a prey, that their enemies would be like lions, and that they would have no strength to resist. Some hope, I indeed allow, is here given to the people; for, as it has been before seen, God intended that there should ever be some remnant as a seed among that chosen people. This, I admit, is true: but we must yet regard what the Prophet treats of; and what he had in view. He then did not intend here expressly to console the Israelites; though incidentally he says, that some would remain, yet his object was to show that the whole kingdom was now given up as a prey to lions, and that nothing would be saved except a very small portion, as when a shepherd carries away an ear when the wolves and lions had been satiated. (23) It follows — <\/p>\n (23) For further commentary on the end of this verse, see this selection in Lecture 55. — fj. <\/p>\n (12) Taketh out<\/strong> . . . taken out.<\/strong>Should be (as in margin) delivereth<\/em> . . . be delivered.<\/em> The agricultural image, used by Amos, is very impressive. The shanks and pieces of the ear, worthless portions, saved from the lions jaws, represent the remnants of Samarias population that shall escape.<\/p>\n In Damascus in<\/strong> a couch.<\/strong>Some would render in Damascus on that of (i.e.,<\/em> corner of) a couch, Damascus corresponding to Samaria in the parallel clause. But this construction is very questionable, and it would be much simpler and safer to adopt the reading of most Hebrew texts, and render on a couchs damask<\/em> (so Gesenius and Ewald), referring to the silken (?) or white woollen fabric for which Damascus, even in that early age, was famous. The relations between Syria and Israel at this moment were intimate. The meaning is that even the noblest and wealthiest will be regarded, if saved, as worthless salvage.<\/p>\n Amo 3:12<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>In the corner of a bed, <\/em><\/strong>&c.<\/strong> Sitting in the CORNER, <\/em>is in the East a stately attitude, and expressive of superiority: and it has been so universal, that Lord Whitworth assures us, that among the Russians, who lately had many eastern customs among them, they were wont to place the picture of their guardian saint in a corner <\/em>of their rooms. This circumstance may serve to explain the present passage, which has sadly embarrassed commentators. But the observing that the most honourable place of the eastern divans is the corner, gives this easy explanation, that “just as a shepherd is oftentimes able to save from the jaws of a devouring lion no more than some small piece of the sheep carried off by that beast; so an adversary round about the land of Israel should spoil its palaces, and scarcely any part of it should be recovered out of that adversary’s hands, more than the city which sits among the cities of Israel as in the corner of a bed, <\/em>in the most honourable place; that is, as undoubtedly Samaria did, being looked upon as the royal city.” But to gain more perfectly the acquiescence of the reader’s mind in this explication, it may be requisite to shew, that the Hebrew word mittah, <\/em>which is here translated bed, <\/em>may be understood of a divan; <\/em>which Dr. Russel describes as a part of a room raised above the floor, spread with a carpet in winter, and with fine mats in summer; along the sides, says he, are thick mattresses, about three feet wide, covered commonly with scarlet cloth; and large bolsters of brocade, fluffed hard with cotton, are set against the walls (or rails, when so situated as not to touch the walls) for the conveniency of leaning.As they use no chairs, it is upon these that they sit, and all their rooms are so furnished. This description is perfectly conformable to that of other authors, who agree that on these they take their repasts, and sleep; and that they are very capacious. The word mittah <\/em>certainly sometimes signifies a small, floored, moveable elevation, as in 2Sa 3:31<\/span> where we translate it bier; <\/em>but there is no need to suppose that it always signifies such a small moveable thing: it may, for any thing that appears to the contrary, signify the same sort of conveniency as is called at Aleppo a divan. <\/em>These are now used very universally throughout the East; and we know that the people of those countries are very tenacious of their old customs: this therefore, probably, is an ancient one. On the mittah <\/em>they used to sit to eat, as well as to sleep, as we learn chap. Amo 6:4<\/span>. 1Sa 28:23<\/span>. <\/span>Est 1:6<\/span>; Est 7:8<\/span> from which last passage it appears, that the ancient eastern mittah <\/em>was much larger than the beds which the old Greeks and Romans used in their repasts; since Haman went up, and prostrated himself before queen Esther, on the mittah <\/em>where she was sitting; which it cannot be imagined he would have thought of doing, had the old eastern mittah <\/em>been like a Greek or Roman bed. He would rather have kneeled on the floor, <\/em>or prostrated himself upon it, and kissed the hem of her robe; which he could not do, seated as he was near the corner of a large eastern mittah, <\/em>without going up upon it, which accordingly he did in order to beg for his life. Thus Dr. Pocock tells us, that not only the eastern consul went upon the sofa (which is the same thing with what is called a divan at Aleppo) when he visited the Caia <\/em>of the Pasha at Tripoli; but those who attended him also, though they placed themselves there in the humble posture of kneeling, so as to rest on their hams. The stately bed <\/em>on which Aholibah is represented as sitting, Eze 23:41<\/span> seems to mean the floor of an idol temple; for on the floor of such places, it appears from chap. Amo 2:8<\/span> they used to lie down upon clothes or carpets; and the going up to them by steps made it very much resemble an eastern mittah. <\/em>These observations may be sufficient to give us the meaning of the prophet in general; and perhaps this explanation of the first clause may serve to lead us into the sense of the other, which our translators have rendered, in Damascus in a couch, <\/em>but the margin of our Bibles reads, on the bed’s feet. <\/em>We cannot suppose that the original word is to be considered as a proper name, and translated Damascus, <\/em>because Israel did not, as far as we know, dwell in any numbers there; though there was a very good understanding between the two kingdoms of Samaria and Damascus in the times here referred to, as may be seen, Isa 7:2<\/span>. I cannot, however, acquiesce in the marginal reading, the bed’s feet, <\/em>which, one would imagine must signify the very reverse of the preceding sentence, and mark out the lowest place.<\/em> <\/p>\n Pagnin supposes that the words are to be translated, And in the corner of a couch; <\/em>in which case it would be a sort of repetition of the foregoing thought in other terms; but there may be objections to this interpretation. It seems most natural, upon a collation of the passages where the word eres, <\/em>occurs, not to understand it as signifying the diminutive of mittah, a couch, <\/em>but the furniture <\/em>of an eastern divan; and so, where these two words are joined together, they are not to be considered as an oriental repetition, <\/em>but as an agreeable diversification of the thought. Thus Psa 6:6<\/span>. I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim <\/em>(the divan <\/em>on which I am placed); I water my couch <\/em>(or the divan furniture<\/em>) with my tears. <\/em>Mattresses, or something of that kind, must have been used, without doubt, for sleeping upon in those times; and from chap. Amo 2:8<\/span> it appears that the Israelites used carpets, or something of that sort, in their feasts, as the Easterns do now. This furniture, <\/em>I presume, is to be understood by the term eres, <\/em>which we render couch. <\/em>Perhaps, Deu 3:11<\/span> where an eres <\/em>is said to be of iron, <\/em>may be thought to overthrow this opinion: but this does not appear to me; the using of furniture for a mittah, <\/em>full of small pieces of iron, like a coat of mail, may surely impress the mind with as strong an idea of the martial roughness of the gigantic Og, <\/em>as the having a bedstead made of iron instead of wood, ivory, or silver. If this sense of the word eres <\/em>be admitted, this clause, to answer the preceding, must signify, in general, the richest furniture of a divan, <\/em>appropriated to persons of the greatest distinction. Nor will there be any great difficulty in the word used, if we suppose the word Damascus <\/em>to signify something made at Damascus, and that this city anciently gave its name to some of its works, as it has certainly done in later times; some of our richest silks being thence called damasks. <\/em>The learned Castalio supposes the word to signify some costly works made at Damascus, and Gen 15:2<\/span> seems sufficiently to prove it; where Abraham’s steward is called this Damascus Eliezer,<\/em>“this man of Damascus; that is, Eliezer;” and if it may signify a man <\/em>of Damascus, surely it may equally signify a manufacture <\/em>of that city. It is certain, that the prophet Ezekiel, who lived not very long after the time of Amos, represents Damascus as a place of trade, and in particular as trafficking in wine, and what we render white wool, <\/em>Eze 27:18<\/span> but which may equally well be understood to mean woollen <\/em>fit for the use of nobles. For the word there translated wool, <\/em>appears to be used Eze 44:17<\/span> for wool wrought up, or woollen cloth; and the word which is translated white, <\/em>is used but once more in the Old Testament. See the note on Jdg 5:10<\/span>. The result of the whole is, that Amos, as it should seem, signifies, that “As a shepherd saves a small portion of a sheep or a goat out of the jaws of a lion; so, though the rest of the company shall be miserably destroyed, they shall escape who sit or dwell in Samaria, in the corner of the divan, on the damask mattress; the royal and most beautified, that is, of all the cities of Israel.” This custom may serve also to illustrate Neh 9:22<\/span> which may be thus rendered, Thou didst divide them to the corner; <\/em>that is to say, according to the explanation above given, “Thou didst give Sihon and Og into their hands, and the various tribes of the Canaanites; and not only so, but didst give the pre-eminence to Israel, and make them chief among the nations round about them.” It may not, perhaps, be improper here to add, that the word divide <\/em>(in the original chalak<\/em>) is used 1Ch 24:3<\/span> to express David’s appointing the sons of Aaron to their different charges. See the Observations, <\/em>p. 266. <\/p>\n Amo 3:12 Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus [in] a couch.<\/p>\n Ver. 12. As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion<\/strong> ] By a country comparison (as before often) the prophet sets forth the fewness of such as shall escape the enemy’s hands. It is but a little that a shepherd dare pull out of the jaws of a lion. 1Sa 17:35<\/span> . Few Davids or Lysimachuses, that dare look such fierce creatures in the face. Something a shepherd in this case may adventure to do, that he may not be made to stand to the loss, Exo 22:13 Gen 31:39<\/span> . But it is not much; neither are they many that shall make escape, and those few shall be of the poorer sort too, that have scarcely a corner of a bed to lie on ( quibus non est lectus integer,<\/em> Tarnov.): or such as are sick in bed and not cared for by the enemy, not counted worth the killing. Or such as are in good health, but glad to hide themselves for fear of the enemy under any bed or bench hole, as is usual in the sack of a city. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And in Damascus in a couch<\/strong> ] Or in the corner of a couch. Now Samaria and Damascus are joined together, because they were both desolated about the same time, by the same enemy, and for the same cause, viz. their invading Judaea in a hostile manner, 2Ki 16:7<\/span> ; 2Ki 16:9 Isa 7:4<\/span> ; Isa 8:4<\/span> ; Isa 17:3<\/span> .<\/p>\n Thus saith the Lord. See note on Amo 1:3. <\/p>\n As = Just as. according as. <\/p>\n taketh = rescueth, like a brand plucked from the burning. <\/p>\n a piece = the tip. <\/p>\n in a couch = [in the corner of] a couch: i.e. luxuriously. Compare Amo 6:1-4. Ellipsis (of Repetition). App-6<\/p>\n As the: 1Sa 17:34-37, Isa 31:4 <\/p>\n taketh: Heb. delivereth <\/p>\n so shall: Amo 9:2, Amo 9:3, 1Ki 20:30, 1Ki 22:25, Isa 8:4, Isa 17:1-4, Rom 11:4, Rom 11:5 <\/p>\n in Damascus in a couch: or, on the bed’s feet, 1Ki 20:34, 2Ki 16:9 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Exo 22:13 – torn in pieces 1Sa 17:35 – smote him Isa 9:14 – will cut Jer 2:15 – young lions Zec 9:1 – Damascus Zec 9:7 – I will Rev 13:2 – and his mouth<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Amo 3:12. From this verse through the close of the chapter the passage is a prediction of the Assyrian captivity of Israel. If the shepherd could rescue only the legs and piece of an ear of his sheep from the mouth of the lion, it would be because the sheep was almost wholly devoured. The figure is used to indicate the “close call that Israel was to make to being entirely destroyed. But the great Shepherd would not let his dock (the 10-tribe kingdom) be entirely ruined, and so He will take out a part of it even though at the time the members of the flock will be lounging on beds and couches. Damascus is from demesiieq, which Strong defines, “Damask (as a fabric of Damascus). The idea is that the people of Israel (especially the leaders in the capital city of Sa-maria) will be taking it easy, lolling their time away on beds and couches adorned with the luxurious fabrics of Damascus.<\/p>\n Amo 3:12. As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, &c. When a lion hath for some time ravaged the flock, but is at last frighted away by the noise of the shepherds and their dogs, or by darts and other offensive weapons thrown at him, then all that, in such a case, the shepherd can hope to save will be but some poor remains of the prey that the lion hath seized. And thus shall it be at the taking of Samaria: only a small remainder of the inhabitants shall escape the search of their enemies, though they try to hide themselves in their most retired apartments. In the corner of a bed In some dark corner behind a bed; and in Damascus Supposing some of them have fled thither; in a couch Some few of the poor may escape when the enemy finds them sick upon their couches. But the marginal reading, on the beds feet, is thought by some to give a better sense: or, as the word rendered Damascus also signifies a corner, the clause may be properly rendered, In the side or corner of a couch, an interpretation approved by Aben Ezra. See Buxtorf.<\/p>\n 3:12 Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh {m} out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in {n} Damascus [in] a couch.<\/p>\n (m) When the lion has satisfied his hunger, the shepherd finds a leg or a piece of an ear, to show that the sheep have been torn by his teeth.<\/p>\n (n) Where they thought to have had a sure stronghold, and to have been in safety.<\/p>\n Yahweh also predicted that only a small remnant of the people would survive. The situation would be similar to when a shepherd snatched a remaining fragment of a sheep, a couple of leg bones or a small piece of an ear, from the mouth of an attacking wild animal. It would be like when someone stole everything in a house and the owner could only hold onto a piece of his bed or a bedspread. Similarly, an overpowering enemy would steal away the people of Samaria, and only a few would escape. Evidently about 27,000 Israelites from Samaria suffered captivity. [Note: Pritchard, p. 284; D. Winton Thomas, ed., Documents from Old Testament Times, pp. 58-60; Ellison, p. 159.] <\/span><\/p>\n The figure of a shepherd represented Yahweh in Israel’s literature (e.g., Psa 23:1; et al.). The people would have seen Him as the one who would rescue the remnant as well as the one who would allow the enemy to overpower them.<\/p>\n Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus [in] a couch. 12. So sudden will be the surprise, … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Amos 3:12”<\/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-22418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22418","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=22418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22418\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22418"}],"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> <\/em><\/strong>There is a destroying power at work in the world.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>There is a rescuing power at work in the world. He is possessed of all power, and of all wisdom.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>God is ready to receive even the fragments. Nothing was left but two legs and a piece of an ear, vet the shepherd rescues and accepts these.<\/p>\n
IV. <\/strong>That which is rescued is for active service. Two legs –motion, activity. Piece of an ear. Faith cometh by hearing, etc. God speaks to the heart through the ear. (R. Berry.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/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: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (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: 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: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"