11<\/strong>. Jeroboam shall die by the sword<\/em> ] This had not been said by Amos, at least, if the extant book of his prophecies contains all that he said upon the subject. It was the house of Jeroboam<\/em> which Amos had threatened in Amo 7:9<\/em><\/span>: but Amaziah, it seems, gives the prophecy a more personal character, hoping thereby to produce a more powerful effect upon the king.<\/p>\n go into exile away from his<\/strong> land<\/em> ] See Amo 5:5<\/span>; Amo 5:27<\/span>, Amo 6:7<\/span>.<\/p>\n For thus Amos saith – <\/B>Amos had said, Thus saith the Lord; he never fails to impress on them, whose words he is speaking. Amaziah, himself bound up in a system of falsehood and imposture, which, being a creature-worship, gave itself out as the worship of the true God, believed all besides to be fraud. Fraud always suspects fraud; the irreligious think devotion, holiness, saintliness to be hypocrisy: vice imagines virtue to be well-masked vice. The false priest, by a sort of law of corrupt nature, supposed that Amos also was false, and treats his words as the produce of his own mind.<\/P> Jeroboam shall die by the sword – <\/B>Amos had not said this. The false prophet distorts the last words of Amos, which were yet in his ears, and reports to Jeroboam, as said of himself, what Amos had just said of his house. Amos was opposed to the popular religion or irreligion of which Jeroboam was the head, to the headship over which he had succeeded. Jeroboam, like the Roman Emperors, was high priest, Pontifex Maximus, in order to get the popular worship under his control. The first Jeroboam had himself consecrated the calf-priests 1Sa 22:8<\/span>, 1Sa 22:13<\/U><\/span>; 1Ki 15:27<\/span>; 1Ki 16:9<\/span>, 1Ki 16:16<\/U><\/span>; 2Ki 10:9<\/span>; 2Ki 14:19<\/span>; 2Ki 15:10<\/U><\/span>, 2Ki 15:15<\/span>, 2Ki 15:25<\/span>; 2Ki 21:23<\/span>. Amos bore also the message from God, that the reprieve, given to the house of Jehu, would not be extended, but would end. Amaziah would act on the personal fears of the king, as though there had been some present active conspiracy against him. A lie, mixed with truth, is the most deadly form of falsehood, the truth serving to gain admittance for the lie, and color it, and seeming to require explanation, and being something to full back upon. Since thus much is certainly true, why should not the rest be so? In slander, and heresy which is slander against God, truth is used to commend the falsehood; and falsehood, to destroy the truth. The poison is received the more fearlessly because wrapt up in truth, but loses none of its deadliness.<\/P> And Israel shall surely be led away captive – <\/B>This was a suppression of truth, as the other was a falsification of it. Amaziah omits both the ground of the threat, and the hope of escape urged and impressed upon them. On the one side he omits all mention of what even such a king as Jeroboam would respect, the denunciation of oppression of the poor, injustice, violence, robbery, and all their other sins against man. On the other hand, he omits the call to repentance and promises on it, seek ye the Lord and live. He omits too the prophets intercession for his people, and selects the one prophecy, which could give a mere political character to the whole. Suppression of truth is a yet subtler character of falsehood. Hence, witnesses on oath are required to tell, not the truth only., but the whole truth. Yet in daily life, or in accusation of others, in detraction, or evil-speaking, people daily act, as though, suppression were no lie.<\/P> <\/p>\n Thus Amos saith; <\/B>so Amaziah falsely reports the prophet. <\/P> Jeroboam shall die by the sword:<\/B> he no where said so, nor did he insinuate so much, but spake of his house distinguished from his person, as Amo 7:9<\/span>. <\/P> Israel shall surely be led away captive:<\/B> this indeed he foretold, but did no more contribute to it, or contrive it, than the physician doth who foretells the death of an uncounsellable patient, sick of a mortal disease. <\/P> Out of their own land:<\/B> this is added to signify the greatness of the captivity. <\/P><\/p>\n 11. Jeroboam shall die,<\/B> &c.Amoshad not said this: but that “the house<\/I> of Jeroboam”should fall “with the sword” (Am7:9<\/span>). But Amaziah exaggerates the charge, to excite Jeroboamagainst him. The king, however, did not give ear to Amaziah, probablyfrom religious awe of the prophet of Jehovah.<\/P><\/p>\n For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword<\/strong>,…. Which was not saying truth; for Amos said not that Jeroboam should die by the sword, but that God would raise up the sword against his house or family; nor did Jeroboam die by the sword, but his son Zachariah did:<\/p>\n and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land<\/strong>; this was true; Amos did say this, and he afterwards confirms it. This is the amount of the charge brought against the prophet, which has some truth and some falsehood mixed together; and by which method the priest hoped to gain his point, and get the prophet either banished or put to death.<\/p>\n Now our Prophet is wholly silent as to the answer of the king: it is therefore probable, either that the king was not much excited, — or that he dared not openly to take away the life of Amos; for he had probably obtained some authority among the people; and though he was hated, yet his name as a Prophet and his office were had in reverence, — or that the matter was by agreement arranged between the two enemies of sound doctrine, as flatterers often gratify kings by putting themselves in their place, and by bearing all the ill will. However this might have been, it is certainly a probable conjecture, that the king did not interfere, because he was so persuaded by the priest Amaziah, or because he feared the people, or because religion restrained him, as even the ungodly are sometimes wont to contain themselves within the bounds of moderation; not that they are touched by real fear towards God, or that they desire to embrace his true worship: they wish God to be thrust down from heaven, they wish all knowledge of religion to be obliterated; but yet they dare not pour forth their fury. Such fear then might have seized the mind of Jeroboam, that he did not tyrannically rage against the Prophet Amos. But if we regard the tendency of the words of Amaziah, he certainly wished the Prophet Amos to be immediately visited with capital punishment; for conspiracy is a crime worthy of death; and then, fear might have impelled the king to put the holy Prophet immediately to death. Amaziah therefore expected more than what he attained: and then appeared his vulpine wiliness, for he sent for the Prophet and advised him to withdraw to the land of Judah. Hence, as I said at the beginning, it is very probable that Jeroboam was not excited according to the expectation of the ungodly priest of Bethel, who at first was a cruel wild beast; but when he could not proceed openly to destroy Amos, he put on a new character; he became a fox, because he could do nothing as a raging lion. Hence follows his second attempt, And Amaziah said to Amos, etc. <\/p>\n I have passed over one clause in the last verse: Amos says, By the sword shall Jeroboam die, and Israel, by migrating, shall migrate from their own land. These, in short, are two heads of accusation. Some interpreters think that Amaziah had slanderously perverted the words of the Prophet Amos; for he did not denounce death on king Jeroboam, but only on his people and posterity: but I do not insist on this. It might then be, that Amaziah did not designedly pervert the words of Amos, but only wished to excite the ill will of the king. Die then shall Jeroboam or his posterity with the sword, and Israel also, by migrating, shall migrate from their own land. We hence learn, that Amaziah was not impelled only by the last address of the Prophet Amos, but that he then discovered the hatred which he had long harbored. Amaziah therefore had been, no doubt, on his watch, and had heard what Amos daily taught, and when he thought the matter ripe, he sent to the king. Having tried this way, and found that it did not answer, he came to his second attempt, which we are now to consider. <\/p>\n (11) Die by the sword.<\/strong>So far as the words of the prophecy are concerned, it was not accurate to say that Amos had threatened Jeroboam with the sword.<\/p>\n Amo 7:11<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>Jeroboam shall die by the sword<\/em><\/strong><\/strong> We do not read above that Amos said this; and as the sacred histories do not inform us that Jeroboam died by the sword, it is most likely this was a falsehood raised by Amaziah to injure Amos. <\/p>\n Amo 7:11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.<\/p>\n Ver. 11. For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, &c.<\/strong> ] When did Amos say so? He said indeed that the house of Jeroboam should be smitten with the sword, Amo 7:9<\/span> , and this Amaziah maliciously transferreth to the person of Jeroboam, the more to enrage him against the prophet; whom therefore he nameth once and again, to create him the more displeasure. That Jeroboam died by the sword we read not, but that his son Zachariah was slain, and his house destroyed in the next generation, we find 2Ki 15:10<\/span> , according to Amos’s prophecy. But to colour this calumny, some truth shall be admingled. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And Israel shall surely be led away captive<\/strong> ] This indeed the prophet had often affirmed (though not in any of those three last visions), and it proved too true: but because Amos saith so he must pass for a traitor against the majesty both of the king and of the people. What an impudent informer was this! The king and people are pretended; and what good subject can endure it? but that which irked him was, that his own authority was by this plain dealing prophet impaired, and his gain like to be lessened, if the superstition of Bethel were thus decried. It is said of Phlugius and Sidonius (authors of the Interim in Germany) that, among other points of Popery therein defended, they spake much for chrism and extreme unction, ut ipsi discederent unctores,<\/em> that thereby they might hold fat bishoprics. Such arguments prevail much with all self-seekers, whose covetousness and ambition usually ride without reins, and over whose neck it mattereth not.<\/p>\n Jeroboam shall die, &c. This charge was not true. Compare Act 17:6-7; Act 24:5. Note what Amaziah omitted to repeat. <\/p>\n thus: Jer 26:9, Jer 28:10, Jer 28:11, Act 6:14 <\/p>\n Jeroboam: Amo 7:9, Psa 56:5, Mat 26:61 <\/p>\n and Israel: Amo 6:7, Amo 6:8, 2Ki 17:6 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: 2Ki 14:16 – Jeroboam Jer 36:16 – We Amo 7:17 – and Israel<\/p>\n Amo 7:11. There is no evidence that Amos predicted the death of Jeroboam in the manner accused by Amaziah. 2 Kings 14: 26-29 shows the death of that king not to have been caused by the sword. But the other statement of Amaziah was true, for Amos was authorized to predict the exile of the kingdom of Israel. It is a common trick of evil men to mix some truth with their error so as to deceive their hearers and cause them to accept the entire story.<\/p>\n Amaziah reported that Amos was saying that the king would die by the sword and that the Israelites would definitely go into exile. While we have no record that Amos said these exact words, they do represent fairly the message that Amos was announcing (cf. Amo 7:8-9). By claiming that Amos was predicting Jeroboam’s death, the priest was personalizing the danger of Amos’ ministry to the king and was emotionally inciting him to take action against the prophet. Amaziah regarded Amos’ prophecies as simply the prophet’s own words. He had no respect for them as messages from Israel’s God but viewed them only as a challenge to the status quo.<\/p>\n For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. 11. Jeroboam shall die by the sword ] This had not been said by Amos, at least, if the extant book of his prophecies contains all that he said upon the subject. … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Amos 7:11”<\/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-22486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22486","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=22486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22486\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22486"}],"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
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: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"