1The judgment of the grasshoppers, 4and of the fire, are diverted by the intercession of Amos. 7By a wall and plumbline is signified the desolation of Israel. 10Amaziah complaineth of Amos, and forbiddeth him to prophesy at Beth-el. 14Amos sheweth his calling, 16and the judgment upon Amaziah.
1THUS hath the Lord GOD 1shewed unto me; and, behold, 2he formed 3grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s 4mowings.
1 That is, revealed this ensuing vision unto me. See Jer. 24 on verse 1.
2 The LORD.
3 Signifying a great famine approaching through the destruction of the fruits of the land by vermin, as Joel 1:4, etc. Or (as some) the invasion of the Assyrians, ready to destroy and waste all, like vermin, if God prevented it not.
4 That is, after the king had it cut, perhaps as feed for his horses, or, because the first cut may have belonged to him. Hebr. shearings; but the Hebrew word is likewise used as mown grass, Psalm 72:6.
2And it came to pass, that when 5they had made an 6end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, 7forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall 8Jacob 9arise? for he is 10small.
5 Hebr. he, namely, the grasshopper, that is, the aforesaid swarm of grasshoppers.
6 Hebr. should have ended or finished to eat up, etc. Other, when they had eaten it up.
7 Namely, the sins of the people, and refrain from this punishment, or do not continue to vex as such.
8 The Israelites, Jacob’s posterity.
9 That is, remain, be left alive, when the land would be utterly bereaved of all its fruits? Other, how (that is, in what condition) would Jacob thus stand? Who would he then be? How would he look like? Or, how would he get up, rise again? Likewise verse 5.
10 Or, little, that is, there is or there are but a very few left.
3The LORD 11repented for this: It shall not 12be, saith the LORD.
11 See Gen. 6 on verse 6.
12 Namely, that they shall eat it all off.
4¶Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to 13contend by 14fire, and it devoured the 15great deep, and did eat up a part.
13 Or, plead, administer justice to, and then punish. See Hosea 4:1, with the annotation.
14 Of combat and war, Amos 1:4, 7, 10. Some do understand it, according to the letter, of a fire from heaven, such as fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah, or of other common conflagration or great drought. See Joel 1:19, with the annotation.
15 That is, depths of waters; whereby some understand the kingdom of Syria, laid waste by Tiglath-pileser, 2 Kings 16:9, and by a part, a portion of Israel, in Gilead, beyond the Jordan. See 2 Kings 15:29; 1 Chron. 5:26.
5Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
6The LORD repented for this: This also shall 16not be, saith the Lord GOD.
16 That the entire land at this time shall be consumed by fire.
7¶Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall 17made by a plumbline, with a 18plumbline in his hand.
17 Hebr. a wall of the plumbline, that is, such a one as was squared by the plumbline. Whereby, with some, we may understand the commonwealth of Israel, which God, by His holy laws and gracious blessing, had well and gloriously founded and built up; and by the plumbline, that God had taken in hand now, His severe and righteous judgment, which after so much longsuffering and forbearance, (previously spoken of) He stood ready to execute upon Israel; because they had changed and violated everything, as Amos 6:12, etc. Compare Amos 8:2.
18 The Hebrew word is nowhere to be found, but in these two verses.
8And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a 19plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: 20I will not again 21pass by 22them any more:
19 Of My righteous judgment.
20 Hebr. I shall not go on or continue to pass it by, or over.
21 That is, let them go unpunished, nor wink at, or spare their trespasses, as hitherto I have done. Compare the phrase with Prov. 19:11; Micah 7:18, and see the annotations there. Also Amos 8:2.
22 My people.
9And the high places of 23Isaac shall be desolate, and the 24sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the 25house of 26Jeroboam with the 27sword.
23 Where they committed their idolatry, excusing the same with the name and example of their forefathers Isaac and Jacob, who in their times had set up several altars, and offered sacrifices in these places for the worship of God. See Gen. 26:25; 35:7.
24 Idolatrous temples.
25 His son Zachariah (who reigned but six months) was publicly slain by Shallum in the presence of the people, 2 Kings 15:10.
26 Who was the son of Joash, Amos 1:1.
27 It is remarkable that the prophet makes no further reply against this judgment pronounced by God; as he had made his intercession in the two previous visions, and was heard.
10 ¶ 28Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath 29conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to 30bear all his words.
28 When the prophet had made these visions known unto the people.
29 And therefore (he wants to say) ought to be punished as a conspirator; and further also as a raiser of sedition, since he prophesizes against the king in public before all the people.
30 The people (he wants to say) would be stirred up to rebellion against thee by him. The state of the land and the king’s authority then require, that action against this needs to be taken. Hebr. not able to hold or apprehend.
11For thus Amos saith, 31Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall 32surely be led away captive out of their own land.
31 Amos had spoken of the house of Jeroboam, verse 9.
32 Hebr. being carried away captive, shall be carried away captive.
12Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou 33seer, go, 34flee thee away into the land of 35Judah, and there 36eat bread, and prophesy there:
33 See 1 Sam. 9 on verse 9.
34 Hebr. flee thee or for thee. The word thee, or for thee, is held as redundant and serving as an ornament of speech; otherwise one must take it here: for thee, that is, for thy own good, not to come in any suffering. Compare Gen. 12:1; Jer. 5:5; Micah 1:11, etc., with the annotations.
35 Where Tekoa was located, the prophet’s native country, Amos 1:1.
36 That is, provide for, maintain yourself there. See Gen. 3 on verse 19.
13But 37prophesy not again 38any more at Beth-el: for it is the king’s 39chapel, and it is the king’s 40court.
37 Compare Amos 2:12.
38 Hebr. shall not add or continue to prophecy.
39 That is, the place, which the king keeps for his sanctuary, where he performs his solemn worship at the golden calf, against which no prophesying is to be suffered. Some understand here by the king Melech or Molech, the great idol and king of Israel. See Amos 5:26.
40 This may be understood of a royal court, which undoubtedly the king had at Bethel also, when he resided there to commit his idolatry; or, of a sovereign court of judicature, and for the council of the kingdom; or it may also be understood, that all Israel was wont to assemble here in the idolatrous temple, (house for temple), etc. In which regard it would, according to its meaning, not only be very unsafe for Amos, but the place itself could not at all tolerate any such prophecies.
14¶Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an 41herdman, and a 42gatherer of 43sycomore fruit:
41 The Hebrew word comes, according to the opinion of some, from another that signifies oxen, kine or large cattle. Compare Amos 1:1. Other, but I sought and gathered wild figs; the Hebrew word signifying properly to seek, and it being plain by the next verse that he went after small cattle or sheep.
42 The Hebrew word is found nowhere else but here. Understand either for himself for food, or for the animals for feed.
43 Or, wild figs. Such trees were in abundance in Canaan. See 1 Kings 10:27; Isa. 9:10.
15And the LORD took me as I followed the 44flock, and the 45LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
44 The Hebrew word signifies properly small cattle, but is taken here in a broader sense.
45 Whom I must obey more than men. Compare Acts 4:19. Hence some conjecture that Amos did not flee away. The Jews are of the opinion that king Jeroboam did not accept the accusation of Amaziah, but left the prophet alone.
16¶Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and 46dropa not thy word against the house of Isaac.
46 See Deut. 32:2; Ezek. 21:2, with the annotations.
a Ezek. 21:2.
17Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an 47harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by 48line; and thou shalt die in a 49polluted land: and Israel shall 50surely go into captivity forth of his land.
47 That is, either she shall either resort herself to prostitution, or be abused by the enemy as an harlot.
48 Namely, for others. See Deut. 3 on verse 4; Psalm 16 on verse 5.
49 The idolatrous Assyria.
50 As verse 11.