Chapter Three

1–8. The prophet’s right to proclaim denunciations against the people. 9–13. Denunciation of Israel. 14–15. Proclamation of punishment upon Israel.

Amos 3:1. Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, With chapter III begins the second part of the book of Amos. Here are contained the speeches of the prophet against Israel, containing the denunciation of the people’s transgressions and then the proclamation of the fall of the Israelite kingdom.

Amos 3:2. You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Contrary to the contemporary view that Israel, as the people of Jehovah, cannot be subject to God’s judgment, the prophet makes clear the inevitability of this judgment: Jehovah has known Israel alone; consequently the transgressions of Israel are as it were especially known to Him, and Israel more than any other people must bear responsibility (cf. Luke 12:48). The verb jadah (“known”) means not merely simple knowledge of a people, but also special care of it by Jehovah.

Amos 3:3. Can two walk together, except they are agreed? In a series of images the prophet explains his stepping forth with preaching. — “Can two walk together, except they are agreed?” — the prophet wishes to say that he would not have stepped forth with a speech from the person of God if he did not have God’s command for this (St. Ephrem the Syrian).

Amos 3:4. Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? The meaning of the images is as follows: just as a lion roars only when there is prey before him, so the prophet steps forth with threatening speeches of God’s judgment because he sees the coming of this judgment, when Israel will appear as it were a prey to God’s Justice. As a young lion (Slavic “lion cub”) begins to roar when it tears its prey, so the prophet utters speeches because the judgment upon Israel is already ready to begin.

Amos 3:5. Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no snare is set for him? will one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? The prophet wishes to say that just as a bird, falling into a snare, is caught, so the Israelite people for its sins must inevitably be punished and as it were be caught by God’s judgment. Moreover the judgment of God will not cease until it destroys Israel, just as a snare does not rise from the earth until it has caught a bird (Yungerov, p. 51).

Amos 3:6. will a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? will there be evil in a city, and the Lord has not done it? Verse 6 expresses the idea that the prophetic preaching, like the sound of a trumpet announcing danger, should remind the people of the approaching calamity, and moreover a calamity that is terrible, unavoidable by human means, because it is sent by God Himself.

Amos 3:7. Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:8. The lion has roared, who will not fear? the Lord God has spoken, who can but prophesy? In verses 7–8 the prophet explains the images he has employed. The prophet makes clear that he proclaims the calamity which is revealed to him by the Lord, that he cannot but proclaim when the Lord speaks — just as a man cannot but be terrified when a lion roars.

Amos 3:9. Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst of it, and the oppressed in the midst of it. From verse 9 to Amos 4:3 are contained the denunciations of the prophet directed against the Samarian nobles. To give greater force to his denunciations, the prophet invites the inhabitants of Ashdod and the land of Egypt to be witnesses of the lawlessness being committed in Samaria. Instead of the words beaschdod (“in Ashdod”) the LXX read εν᾿ ᾿Ασσυριος (Slavic “in Assyrians”); the LXX reading does not contradict the context, but it is easier to suppose that from aschdod arose aschur, than the reverse. — “Upon the mountains of Samaria”: in the LXX ἐπὶ τὸ ὸρος Σ, upon the mountain of Samaria; since the prophet speaks further only of the inhabitants of the city of Samaria, some commentators prefer the LXX reading (Hoonacker). — “Upon the great tumults” (mehumoth): the latter word, whose sense is not entirely clear, was rendered by the LXX as θαυμαστά (Slavic “wonderful”), by Aquila as ἀχορτασίαν — insatiableness, intemperance.

Amos 3:10. For they know not to do right, says the Lord: who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. The criminality of the Samarian nobles has reached such a degree that they have as it were lost the concept of justice. The second half of the verse is rendered freely in the Russian; from Hebrew it should be: “violence and robbery they fill their palaces with,” in the blessed Jerome: thesavrisantes iniquitatem et rapinas.

Amos 3:11. Therefore Thus says the Lord God; An adversary there will be even round about the land; and he will bring down your strength from you, and your palaces will be spoiled. The prophet proclaims punishment upon Samaria for its crime. — “An adversary there will be even round about the land”: the translation is suppositive. Hebrew zaar useviv haarez is not clear. The LXX understood zar (Russian “adversary”) in the sense of a proper name Tyre and referred the entire expression to Tyre, as in the Slavic “Tyre, round about your land will be laid waste.” In the Targum, in Theodotion and Symmachus and in some recent commentators zur is taken in the sense of: distress (Targum aba), strength (Theodotion fortitudo), siege (Symmachus πολιορκία), calamity (Hitzig). The words of our text and the word “round about” in Hebrew correspond to useviv. But seviv without i nowhere is used in the sense of a preposition; besides, in the Syriac text there stands instead of seviv a verb. Therefore recent commentators (Nowack, Hoonacker) not without reason suppose that in the original text it read jesovev to surround or, as in Isa 23:16; 1 Sam 7:16; Ps 49:7; to pass (Hoonacker). The entire expression in such a case will take the form of an exclamation: “an adversary surrounds the land.” The prophet without doubt has in mind the Assyrians. — “He will bring down your strength from you” (ussecha): under ussecha the prophet probably means the walls and towers which defended Samaria. — Instead of the words “your palaces” in the LXX it is translated χῶραι σου, “your lands”: the LXX rendered Hebrew armon, palace, variously according to the context — in Amos 1:3 θεμέλιον (Slavic foundation); in Jer 17:27 ἁμποδον, ατρον.

Amos 3:12. Thus says the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so will the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch. The prophet expresses figuratively the idea that only a wretched remnant will escape from God’s judgment. The image is borrowed from Exod 22:12. — “Sitting in Samaria in the corner of a bed and in Damascus on a couch,” reath mittach, corner of a bed (couch), the most honored place during a feast. The LXX pointed mittach (bed) as mateh tribe, clan, φυλη; hence in the Slavic text instead of the Russian “in the corner of a bed” one reads: “according to the tribe.” The mention at the end of verse 12 of Damascus (ubidemeschek ares, Russian “in Damascus on a couch”) raises perplexity. The speech concerns the inhabitants of Samaria. Why are they called “sitting in Damascus”? In view of the difficulty of retaining in verse 12 the name of the city of Damascus, many commentators consider domeschek to be the name not of a city, but of a special material (damask) or take it in the general sense — artful, fanciful Damascus work (Yungerov). — The end of verse 12 in such a case takes the form: those reclining in Samaria on the corner of a bed and on a damask couch (Yungerov), or: reclining — “on dama couches” (Hoonacker). But many commentators (Wellhausen, Nowack, Driver) find it highly doubtful that the well-known precious material was already known to the Hebrews in the time of Amos under the name demeschek. Therefore they propose various emendations of the word demeschek: Grätz and Nowack — bassemichah, on a carpet (of a couch); Duhm and Marti — dabbescheth. Hoonacker, understanding demeschek in the sense of the name of the city of Damascus, proposes instead of the name of Samaria reading the name of Ashkelon. According to Hoonacker, in speaking of the nobles of Samaria the prophet would not have called them “the children of Israel,” — a term designating the whole people. Therefore the words “sitting in Samaria,” etc. are not an explanation of the words “the children of Israel,” but begin a new thought expressed in verse 13. In verse 13 the prophet calls to “testify to the house of Jacob,” — evidently he invites, as in verse 9, the neighboring peoples. From this it is clear why the mention of those sitting in Damascus (demeschek); and instead of the name of Samaria one would naturally expect the name of some neighboring heathen city. According to Hoonacker’s opinion, with the ancient script the confusion of Samaria and Ashkelon is not impermissible.

Amos 3:13. Hear, and testify in the house of Jacob, says the Lord God, the God of hosts. The prophet addresses the heathen peoples (cf. verse 9) and asks them to testify, that is as it were to approve the divine decision concerning the punishment of Israel, or to confirm that this punishment is just and it was proclaimed beforehand. To give greater solemnity to the speech, the prophet in verse 13 calls God by the full name adonai jehovah elogej hazzebaoth, the Lord God, God of hosts (cf. Amos 6:14). In calling God the God of the hosts of heaven, the prophet wishes to point to God’s almightiness. According to the Greek and Slavic texts the prophet’s speech in verse 13 is addressed to the Samarian priests (ιερεῖς ἀχουσατε, Slavic “priests, listen”). The word ιερεῖς it is supposed arose erronously from the Hebrew ares (bed, couch, lying place) standing at the end of verse 12. At first this word was left without translation, and then the incomprehensible ares, written in Greek letters, was corrected into ιερεῖς.

Amos 3:14. For in that day when I will visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar will be cut off, and fall to the ground. Amos 3:15. And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory will perish, and the great houses will have an end, says the Lord. In verses 14–15 is set forth that to which the prophet invites listening in verse 13. The prophet proclaims the destruction of the altars of Israel and of dwellings. Some authors (Wellhausen, Nowack, Hoonacker), in view of the fact that the mention of the altar of Bethel alongside houses seems unexpected in a speech where the prophet denounces Samarian nobles for their luxury, propose the supposition that the second half of verse 14 is a later addition or has been transferred from the following chapter (cf. Amos 4:9 and following). But there are no firm grounds for such a supposition. — “And the horns of the altar will be cut off.” The four horns of the altar of burnt-offering are spoken of in Exod 27:2; of the horns of the altar of incense in Exod 30:2. The horns were an essential part of the altar (cf. however Exod 20:24; Josh 8:30; 1 Sam 14:33). During certain sacrifices they were anointed with the blood of the sacrificial animal (Exod 29:12; Lev 4:7). The atoning significance of the horns was expressed in the fact that they served as a place of refuge: Adonijah and Joab sought salvation at the altar, having grasped its horns (1 Sam 1:50; 1 Sam 2:28). In consequence of the important significance of the horns, the prophet specifically mentions the destruction of the horns of the altar. — “The winter house” and “the summer house”: according to the explanation of the blessed Jerome, wealthy inhabitants of Samaria could have had separate houses for winter and for summer; the former were turned to the north, and the latter to the south. Other commentators suppose that winter and summer houses were only different stories of one and the same house: the lower ones — for coolness from summer heat (Judg 3:20), the upper ones, surrounded by galleries and supplied with braziers (Jer 36:22), — for winter (Harper, Yungerov). In the Slavic text the winter house is called “the house with outbuildings,” that is a house encircled for protection from the wind by a wall, fence, or gallery. — “And the houses of ivory will perish” — Hebrew beththej hashshen (cf. 1 Sam 10:18; 2 Chr 9:17; Ps 44:9) means either houses adorned with ivory, or, as St. Ephrem the Syrian explains, houses filled with ivory vessels. The prophet speaks of the houses of the Samarian nobility and foretells their destruction or by the enemy, whom he means the Assyrians, or by an earthquake.