2 Raja-raja 17:27

17:27 So the king of Assyria ordered, “Take back one of the priests whom you ¹  deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” ² 

2 Raja-raja 17:1

Hoshea’s Reign over Israel

17:1 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ³  for nine years.

1 Samuel 8:9

8:9 So now do as they say. ⁴  But seriously warn ⁵  them and make them aware of the policies of the king who will rule over them.” ⁶ 

1 Samuel 10:25

10:25 Then Samuel talked to the people about how the kingship would work. ⁷  He wrote it all down on a scroll and set it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away to their homes.

Amos 8:14

8:14 These are the ones who now take oaths ⁸  in the name of the sinful idol goddess ⁹  of Samaria.

They vow, ¹⁰  ‘As surely as your god ¹¹  lives, O Dan,’ or ‘As surely as your beloved one ¹²  lives, O Beer Sheba!’

But they will fall down and not get up again.”

[17:27]  ¹ tc The second plural subject may refer to the leaders of the Assyrian army. However, some prefer to read “whom I deported,” changing the verb to a first person singular form with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix. This reading has some support from Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic witnesses.

[17:27]  ² tc Heb “and let them go and let them live there, and let him teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” The two plural verbs seem inconsistent with the preceding and following contexts, where only one priest is sent back to Samaria. The singular has the support of Greek, Syriac, and Latin witnesses.

[17:1]  ³ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[8:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “and now, listen to their voice.”

[8:9]  ⁵ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the imperative for emphasis.

[8:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “and tell them the manner of the king who will rule over them.”

[10:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “the regulation of the kingship.” This probably refers to the regulations pertaining to kingship given to Moses (see Deut 17:14-20).

[8:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “those who swear.”

[8:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “the sin [or “guilt”] of Samaria.” This could be a derogatory reference to an idol-goddess popular in the northern kingdom, perhaps Asherah (cf. 2 Chr 24:18, where this worship is labeled “their guilt”), or to the golden calf at the national sanctuary in Bethel (Hos 8:6, 10:8). Some English versions (e.g., NEB, NRSV, CEV) repoint the word and read “Ashimah,” the name of a goddess worshiped in Hamath in Syria (see 2 Kgs 17:30).

[8:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “say.”

[8:14]  ¹¹ sn Your god is not identified. It may refer to another patron deity who was not the God of Israel, a local manifestation of the Lord that was worshiped by the people there, or, more specifically, the golden calf image erected in Dan by Jeroboam I (see 1 Kgs 12:28-30).

[8:14]  ¹² tc The MT reads, “As surely as the way [to] Beer Sheba lives,” or “As surely as the way lives, O Beer Sheba.” Perhaps the term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “the way”) refers to the pilgrimage route to Beersheba (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 272) or it may be a title for a god. The notion of pilgrimage appears elsewhere in the book (cf. 4:4-5; 5:4-5; 8:12). The translation above assumes an emendation to דֹּדְךְ (dodÿkh, “your beloved” or “relative”; the term also is used in 6:10) and understands this as referring either to the Lord (since other kinship terms are used of him, such as “Father”) or to another deity that was particularly popular in Beer Sheba. Besides the commentaries, see S. M. Olyan, “The Oaths of Amos 8:14” Priesthood and Cult in Ancient Israel, 121-49.