Amos 5:3

5:3 The sovereign Lord says this:

“The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers ¹  will have only a hundred left;

the town ²  that marches out with a hundred soldiers ³  will have only ten left for the family of Israel.” ⁴ 

Amos 5:6

5:6 Seek the Lord so you can live!

Otherwise he will break out ⁵  like fire against Joseph’s ⁶  family; ⁷ 

the fire ⁸  will consume

and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel. ⁹ 

[5:3]  ¹ tn The word “soldiers” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:3]  ² tn Heb “The one.” The word “town” has been used in the translation in keeping with the relative sizes of the armed contingents sent out by each. It is also possible that this line is speaking of the same city of the previous line. In other words, the contingent sent by that one city would have suffered a ninety-nine percent casualty loss.

[5:3]  ³ tn The word “soldiers” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “for/to the house of Israel.” The translation assumes that this is a graphic picture of what is left over for the defense of the nation (NEB, NJB, NASB, NKJV). Others suggest that this phrase completes the introductory formula (“The sovereign Lord says this…”; see v. 4a; NJPS). Another option is that the preposition has a vocative force, “O house of Israel” (F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Amos [AB], 476). Some simply delete the phrase as dittography from the following line (NIV).

[5:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “rush.” The verb depicts swift movement.

[5:6]  ⁶ sn Here Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[5:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “house.”

[5:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “to/for Bethel.” The translation assumes that the preposition indicates advantage, “on behalf of.” Another option is to take the preposition as vocative, “O Bethel.”