Chapter One

1. Inscription. 2–5. Proclamation of God’s judgment upon the Syrians. 6–8. God’s judgment upon the Philistines. 9–10. God’s judgment upon the Phoenicians. 11–12. God’s judgment upon Edom. 13–15. God’s judgment upon the sons of Ammon.

Amos 1:1. The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa, which he received in vision concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. The inscription indicates the origin of the prophet and the time of his activity. — “The words... which he received in vision”: from the Hebrew it should be more precisely rendered as “which he saw (chazah), that is, saw with spiritual eyes.” In the Slavic text, in accordance with the LXX, the beginning of the inscription reads differently from the Hebrew, namely: “The words of Amos, which were in Kariathiarim from Tekua, which he saw concerning Jerusalem.” Cyril of Alexandria, instead of the name Kariathiarim, read Akkarim. The blessed Theodoret explains the Greek text in the sense that, coming from Tekoa, Amos received his calling to prophetic service in Kariathiarim. But it is better to agree in the understanding of verse 1 with the blessed Jerome, who considers the Greek addition a simple error.

Amos 1:2. And he said: The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither. In verse 2 is indicated the subject of Amos’s prophecies — the proclamation of judgment upon the earth. According to the prophet’s description on Zion, where the Lord dwells, as it were the sound of thunder rings out, bringing destruction everywhere. Wishing to indicate the degree of calamity, the prophet says: “and the top of Carmel will wither.” Mount Carmel was located to the north of the country, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea at the mouth of the Kishon (Josh 19:26; 1 Sam 18:19). It was rich in vegetation and excellent pastures. Vegetation covered Carmel even when everything dried up around. In proclaiming that the top of Carmel will wither, the prophet wishes to point to the extraordinary nature of the calamity, and also to suggest the idea that especially the northern part of the kingdom will suffer from this calamity. As a former shepherd, Amos notes the sorrow of shepherds at the loss of pastures. — From what follows it is evident that of thunder and drought the prophet speaks not in the literal sense.

Amos 1:3. Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron. The proclamation of God’s judgment upon the heathen peoples the prophet begins with Syria and Damascus, the chief city of Syria. The prophet proclaims destruction upon the Syrians for their cruelty toward the inhabitants of Gilead. — “For three transgressions of Damascus and for four”: a peculiar expression by which the prophet indicates the multitude of transgressions of Damascus (cf. Prov 30:15). — “Because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.” Gilead — the Transjordanian region of the ten-tribe kingdom, the region that suffered most from Syrian invasions during the campaigns of Hazael against Jehu (2 Sam 10:32-33). An iron threshing sledge, Hebrew charuzah — a wheel or roller sheathed in iron, used for threshing grain. The prophet’s words can be understood both in the literal sense, as an indication of the application of a certain cruelty in war (cf. 2 Sam 12:31), and in a general sense as an image of the strong devastation of Gilead by the Syrians. The LXX rendered the Hebrew charuzah with the word σάγη saw, and besides explained the word Gilead with an addition: ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας, hence in the Slavic: “because they threshed with iron saws those who were pregnant in Gilead.”

Amos 1:4. But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which will devour the palaces of Ben-hadad. Hazael and Ben-hadad — names of Syrian kings (2 Sam 13:24), who especially concerned themselves with the beauty and glory of Damascus and were known for their relations with the Israelite kingdom (2 Sam 12-14). By naming the names of the kings, the prophet is speaking essentially of the fate of their kingdom. The prophet proclaims destruction by fire, without doubt in connection with the devastation of the land by enemies. Instead of the name Ben-hadad in the Slavic text it reads “the son of Ader”; likewise in the LXX and Syriac. In the Assyrian documents Ben-hadad is called Bin-hidri.

Amos 1:5. And I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria will go into captivity to Kir, says the Lord. “And I will break the bar of Damascus,” bericha — the bars of city gates, Slavic “verei.” The geographical names standing further in verse 5 are understood differently. Hebrew bigath-aven (Russian “plain of Aven”; Slavic “from the field of Ono”) — some commentators consider it the name of a valley between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon — Coele-Syria (el Biga among the Arabs), and a city in this valley, later called Heliopolis or Baalbek. It is supposed that the city is called Aven or On by the prophet by analogy with the Egyptian On (cf. Gen 41:45), as a city of the cult of the sun, which cult, according to the testimony of Macrobius (Sat. 1, 23) and Lucian (De dea Syra 5), was transferred from Egypt to Coele-Syria. Other commentators (Yungerov, Hoonacker) understand Hebrew aven in the sense of wickedness; bigath-aven — plain of wickedness. According to Hoonacker, Coele-Syria could be called the plain of wickedness because at the entrance to it, at the foot of Hermon, there existed a cult of Baal-Gad. Hebrew Beth-Eden (Russian “from the house of Eden,” Slavic “from the men of Harran”) is usually identified with the mention in the records of Ashurbanipal and Shalmaneser II Bit-Adini, an Aramean kingdom lying on both banks of the middle Euphrates. In such a case the words of the prophet receive the sense that the whole region of the Arameans will be smitten from Lebanon (bigath aven) to the Euphrates. Some commentators (Yungerov) understand, however, beth-eden in the sense of a proper name “house of rejoicing,” referring this appellation to Damascus, which was distinguished by the beauty of its position and the fertility of its land. But in the understanding of bigath-aven and beth-eden as proper names the context is better preserved, and the speech receives greater fullness and completeness. — “Holding the scepter” (thoneh) — not a governor, but an independent ruler. — “And the people of Syria will go into captivity to Kir”: the Arameans — descendants of Shem, a people related by kinship to the Hebrews (Gen 10:22-25); the location of the land of Kir is unknown; it is indicated in northern Armenia (Baur), to the north of Aleppo (Socin), in southern Babylonia (Galevy), in Media (Schrader), between the Orontes and Euphrates (Dillmann). The fulfillment of Amos’s prophecy concerning the destruction and captivity of the Syrians can be seen in the fact of the capture of Damascus by the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser. Tiglath-Pileser destroyed Damascus, killed the king of Damascus Rezin, and settled the inhabitants in distant regions of his kingdom (2 Sam 16:9; Isa 7:1-10). Instead of the words “holding the scepter — from the house of Eden” in the Slavic text it reads “And I will cut off the tribe from the men of Harran.” Probably the LXX rendered the Hebrew thomech (holding) from the verb damah to cut off, scevet (scepter) they took in the sense of φυλὴ tribe, clan; the words mibbeith eden they read — mibbeith aran and translated ἐξ ἀνδρων Χαρρᾶν. Hebrew Kiroh (to Kir) the LXX interpreted as an adjective from karah to call, to name and translated sл. ἐπίκλητος, celebrated; hence in Slavic: “the celebrated Syrians.”

Amos 1:6. Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom. Amos 1:7. But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which will devour the palaces of it. In verses 6–8 the prophet proclaims God’s judgment upon the Philistines for the reason that they took captives and delivered them to Edom. Instead of the whole land of Philistia the prophet names Gaza, one of the five so-called royal Philistine cities. From verse 6 it is not evident of what captives the prophet speaks; it is also unclear whether the prophet considers the Philistines guilty only of selling into slavery captives, or also of taking captives. Some commentators (Yungerov) suppose that the prophet speaks of captives from the Hebrews (cf. verse 9). What precisely the prophet has in mind by historical facts is difficult to say. The Philistines attacked Jerusalem and Judah during the reign of Joram (2 Chr 21:16-17), then during the reign of Uzziah (2 Chr 26:6). The prophet’s words may refer to these facts, as well as to others unknown to us. The mention by the prophet of Edom in verses 6 and 9 shows that the Edomites were the chief middlemen in the slave trade. — Instead of the words “because they carried away all (schelemah) into captivity” in the Slavic text with the Greek it reads “because they took into captivity the captivity of Solomon.” Some commentators understand the LXX reading as an interpretation of verse 6, as an attempt to determine of what captives the text speaks: the captivity of Solomon — Judeans, those once subject to Solomon (the blessed Theodoret), descendants of Solomon (the blessed Jerome), inhabitants of cities built by Solomon (Cyril of Alexandria). It is simpler to think that the LXX rendered the Hebrew Schelemah (all, wholly) as the proper name Schelomoh — Solomon.

Amos 1:8. And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines will perish, says the Lord God. Among the Philistine cities the prophet does not mention Gath — probably because by the time of Amos it had been conquered and, perhaps, destroyed. — “And the remnant of the Philistines will perish” — that is, all to a man will perish.

Amos 1:9. Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant. Amos 1:10. But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which will devour the palaces of it. To Tyre and the Phoenicians is charged the crime of selling captives into slavery. Of what captives the prophet speaks, as in verse 6, he does not indicate. Some (Nowack) suppose that the prophet speaks of Phoenician captives, whom the Tyrians captured during the frequent internecine wars of the Phoenician cities (cf. “did not remember the brotherly covenant”). The majority of commentators, however, refer the prophet’s words to the sale of captives of the Hebrews. The prophets Joel (Joel 3:6) and Ezekiel (Ezek 27:13) also accuse the Phoenicians of this. Probably the Tyrians were the middlemen in the sale of captives, taken from the land of Israel during attacks upon it by powerful neighbors (cf. 2 Sam 10:32; 1 Sam 14:25-26). — “And remembered not the brotherly covenant,” if we understand the captives to be Hebrew captives, then the words spoken are of the brotherly covenant of Edom with Judah (Gen 33:3-15). These words are also understood as a reference to the treaties of peace concluded between Hiram and David and Solomon (2 Sam 5:11; 1 Sam 5:1-12). The word Schelemah (all captives) was understood by the LXX, as in verse 6, in the sense of a proper name; hence in the Slavic text: “they shut up the captives of Solomon.”

Amos 1:11. Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever. The Edomites, kinsmen of the Hebrews by descent from the brother of Jacob — Esau, were always implacable enemies of the Hebrews and at every opportunity drew the sword against them (Ezek 25:12; Obad 1:7-12). For this age-old enmity toward the Hebrews the prophet threatens the Edomites with judgment. What precise historical facts he has in mind is difficult to say. But it is certain that not only after the Babylonian captivity, but in ancient times there were many occasions for the manifestation of Edom’s enmity toward Judah (cf. 2 Sam 8:20 and following; 2 Sam 14:7 and following). The second half of verse 11 in the Slavic text is rendered: “and he corrupted the womb on the earth, and seized the anger in testimony, and his rushing he provided for victory.” Hebrew schicheth rachamim, “pierced the intestines,” or in a figurative sense “quelled mercy,” the LXX understood literally and translated ελυμηνατο μητραν (Yungerov), “corrupted the womb,” which was later corrected to ελυμηνατο μητερα (Slavic “corrupted the mother”) and explained by the addition of words επι γης, “on the earth.” — “And his anger tore perpetually,” from Hebrew “his anger tore perpetually”; Hebrew taraph the LXX took in the sense of “to seize,” laed — “perpetually” was pointed as leed — and rendered eis μαρτυριον; apo — his anger, rendered φρικην αυτου, “his terror.” Hence in the Slavic: “and he seized the terror in testimony.” — “And he kept his wrath for ever”: in the LXX και ᾿ορμημα αυτου εφυλαξεν εις νικος, Slavic “and his rushing (Hebrew ebratho his rage) he provided (Hebrew schemarah) for victory” (nezach from Aramaic, nazach to conquer). The Church teachers Cyril of Alexandria and the blessed Theodoret interpret the words of the Greek text in the sense that the Edomeans, descendants of Esau, warring with the descendants of Jacob, in doing so tore at their common mother Rebecca.

Amos 1:12. But I will send a fire upon Teman, and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah. Teman (land of the South) is the region of Idumea, opposite to Dedan (Ezek 27:15); according to the testimony of the blessed Jerome (in Onomasticon), Teman was also called a fortress of Teman, located five miles from the city of Petra and serving as the residence of a Roman garrison. Bozrah, mentioned repeatedly in the Bible (1 Chr 1:44; Isa 34:6; Jer 49:13), an Idumean city, located, it is thought, on the site of the present village of El-Buseirah, to the southeast of the Dead Sea. The calamitous condition of which the prophet speaks was experienced by the Edomites repeatedly during the invasions of the Assyrians and Babylonians and other peoples (Isa 11:14; Jer 49:7-22).

Amos 1:13. Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it; because they ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border. The proclamation of God’s judgment upon the Ammonites. According to the prophet’s word, they will be punished for the cruelty manifested in Gilead. The Bible speaks of manifestations of extreme cruelty in the form of ripping open pregnant women in other places (2 Sam 15:16; Isa 13:16; Nah 3:10; Hos 14:1). What precise facts the prophet has in mind is unknown.

Amos 1:14. But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour the palaces of it, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind. Rabbah (Slavic “Rabbata”) or more precisely Rabbah of the sons of Ammon — the only city of the Ammonites mentioned in the Bible. Its location is supposed to be 25 miles to the northeast of the Dead Sea, where now stands the village of Amman.

Amos 1:15. And their king will go into captivity, he and his princes together, says the Lord. And their king (malkam) will go into captivity, he and his princes together: Hebrew makam, according to Jer 49:3, some commentators take as the proper name of an Ammonite deity. But the words standing alongside “and his princes,” as well as the mention in all the preceding speeches of scepter-bearers, shows that in verse 15 the prophet uses malkam in the sense of their king. In the LXX before the words “and his princes” there is an addition ᾿ι ἱερεῖς αυτῶν, Slavic “and their priests.”