Amos2
New American Standard
1This is what the Lord says: “For three offenses of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2So I will send fire upon Moab And it will consume the citadels of Kerioth; And Moab will die amid the panic of battle, Amid war cries and the sound of a trumpet.
3I will also eliminate the judge from her midst And slay all her leaders with him,” says the Lord.
4This is what the Lord says: “For three offenses of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they rejected the Law of the Lord And have not kept His statutes; Their lies also have led them astray, Those which their fathers followed.
5So I will send fire upon Judah, And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”
6This is what the Lord says: “For three offenses of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for money, And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7These who trample the head of the helpless to the dust of the earth Also divert the way of the humble; And a man and his father resort to the same girl So as to profane My holy name.
8And on garments seized as pledges they stretch out beside every altar, And in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
9“Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, Though his height was like the height of cedars And he was as strong as the oaks; I also destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.
10And it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, And led you in the wilderness for forty years So that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.
11Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets, And some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is this not so, you sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
12“But you made the Nazirites drink wine, And you commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’
13Behold, I am making a rut in the ground beneath you, Just as a wagon makes a rut when filled with sheaves.
14Refuge will be lost from the swift, And the strong will not strengthen his power, Nor the warrior save his life.
15The one who grasps the bow will not stand his ground, The swift of foot will not escape, Nor will the one who rides the horse save his life.
16Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Amos 2.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Judgments against Moab and Judah. (1–8). The ingratitude and ruin of Israel. (9–16).
vv1-8
The evil passions of the heart break out in various forms; but the Lord looks to our motives, as well as our conduct. Those that deal cruelly, shall be cruelly dealt with. Other nations were reckoned with for injuries done to men; Judah is reckoned with for dishonour done to God. Judah despised the law of the Lord; and he justly gave them up to strong delusion; nor was it any excuse for their sin, that they were the lies, the idols, after which their fathers walked. The worst abominations and most grievous oppressions have been committed by some of the professed worshippers of the Lord. Such conduct leads many to unbelief and vile idolatry.
vv9-16
We need often to be reminded of the mercies we have received; which add much to the evil of the sins we have committed. They had helps for their souls, which taught them how to make good use of their earthly enjoyments, and were therefore more valuable. Faithful ministers are great blessings to any people; but it is God that raises them up to be so. Sinners' own consciences will witness that he has not been wanting to them in the means of grace. They did what they could to lead believers aside. Satan and his agents are busy to corrupt the minds of young people who look heavenward; they overcome many by drawing them to the love of mirth and pleasure, and into drinking company. Multitudes of young men who bade fair as professors of religion, have erred through strong drink, and have been undone for ever. The Lord complains of sin, especially the sins of his professing people, as a burden to him. And though his long-suffering be tired, his power is not, and so the sinner will find to his cost. When men reject God's word, adding obstinacy to sin, and this becomes the general character of a people, they will be given up to misery, notwithstanding all their boasted power and resources. May we then humble ourselves before the Lord, for all our ingratitude and unfaithfulness.
Key Words
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
שָׁלוֹשׁ: three; occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multiple) thrice
פֶּשַׁע: a revolt (national, moral or religious)
מוֹאָב: Moab, an incestuous son of Lot; also his territory and descendants
אַרְבַּע: four
שׁוּב: to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again
עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
שָׂרַף: to be (causatively, set) on fire
שִׂיד: lime (as boiling when slacked)
עֶצֶם: a bone (as strong); by extension, the body; figuratively, the substance, i.e. (as pron.) selfsame
Cross References
Amos 2Directly correlates with laying on clothes laid to pledge, violating the Exodus law to return them.
Supported by JFB
Establishes the divine institution and vows of the Nazarites raised up among their young men.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels 'their lies' as the false, inherited idols after which their fathers walked.
Supported by JFB
Repeats the unique indictment of selling the needy for a pair of shoes/sandals.
Supported by JFB
Highlights the extreme depravity of a man and his father going in to the same maid.
Supported by JFB
Exposes the sin of giving Nazarites wine, directly violating their strict vow of abstinence.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Provides historical background to the conflict between Moab, Judah, and Edom.
Supported by JFB
Echoes the great stature and height of the Amorites whom God destroyed before Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Details God leading them forty years in the wilderness, contrasting His grace with their rebellion.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels the rebellious command to the prophets to 'prophesy not'.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels God being 'pressed' or 'wearied' under the burden of His people's sins.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Employs the same metaphor of total destruction: dried up from roots below to branches/fruit above.
Supported by John Calvin
Echoes the warning that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Confirms that no king or mighty man is saved by physical strength or military host.
Supported by Matthew Poole