Amos 5:2

5:2 “The virgin ¹  Israel has fallen down and will not get up again.

She is abandoned on her own land

with no one to help her get up.” ² 

Amos 3:5

3:5 Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?

Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something?

Amos 8:14

8:14 These are the ones who now take oaths ³  in the name of the sinful idol goddess ⁴  of Samaria.

They vow, ⁵  ‘As surely as your god ⁶  lives, O Dan,’ or ‘As surely as your beloved one ⁷  lives, O Beer Sheba!’

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

Amos 9:9

9:9 “For look, I am giving a command

and I will shake the family of Israel together with all the nations.

It will resemble a sieve being shaken,

when not even a pebble falls to the ground. ⁸ 

Amos 5:9

5:9 He flashes ⁹  destruction down upon the strong

so that destruction overwhelms ¹⁰  the fortified places.)

Amos 3:14

3:14 “Certainly when ¹¹  I punish Israel for their ¹²  covenant transgressions, ¹³ 

I will destroy ¹⁴  Bethel’s ¹⁵  altars.

The horns ¹⁶  of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.

Amos 2:14

2:14 Fast runners will find no place to hide; ¹⁷ 

strong men will have no strength left; ¹⁸ 

warriors will not be able to save their lives.

Amos 2:2

2:2 So I will set Moab on fire, ¹⁹ 

and it will consume Kerioth’s ²⁰  fortresses.

Moab will perish ²¹  in the heat of battle ²² 

amid war cries and the blaring ²³  of the ram’s horn. ²⁴ 

Amos 9:5

9:5 The sovereign Lord who commands armies will do this. ²⁵ 

He touches the earth and it dissolves; ²⁶ 

all who live on it mourn.

The whole earth ²⁷  rises like the River Nile, ²⁸ 

and then grows calm ²⁹  like the Nile in Egypt. ³⁰ 

[5:2]  ¹ tn Or “young lady.” The term “Israel” is an appositional genitive.

[5:2]  ² tn Or “with no one to lift her up.”

[8:14]  ³ tn Heb “those who swear.”

[8:14]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “say.”

[8:14]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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.

[9:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “like being shaken with a sieve, and a pebble does not fall to the ground.” The meaning of the Hebrew word צְרוֹר (tsÿror), translated “pebble,” is unclear here. In 2 Sam 17:13 it appears to refer to a stone. If it means “pebble,” then the sieve described in v. 6 allows the grain to fall into a basket while retaining the debris and pebbles. However, if one interprets צְרוֹר as a “kernel of grain” (cf. NASB, NIV, NKJV, NLT) then the sieve is constructed to retain the grain and allow the refuse and pebbles to fall to the ground. In either case, the simile supports the last statement in v. 8 by making it clear that God will distinguish between the righteous (the grain) and the wicked (the pebbles) when he judges, and will thereby preserve a remnant in Israel. Only the sinners will be destroyed (v. 10).

[5:9]  ⁹ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb בָּלַג (balag, translated here “flashes”) is uncertain.

[5:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “comes upon.” Many prefer to repoint the verb as Hiphil and translate, “he brings destruction upon the fortified places.”

[3:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the day.”

[3:14]  ¹² tn Heb “his.” With the referent “Israel” here, this amounts to a collective singular.

[3:14]  ¹³ tn Traditionally, “transgressions, sins,” but see the note on the word “crimes” in 1:3.

[3:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “punish” (so NASB, NRSV).

[3:14]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[3:14]  ¹⁶ sn The horns of an ancient altar projected upwards from the four corners and resembled an animal’s horns in appearance. Fugitives could seek asylum by grabbing hold of these corners (see Exod 21:14; 1 Kgs 1:50; 2:28). When the altar’s horns were cut off, there would be no place of asylum left for the Lord’s enemies.

[2:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and a place of refuge will perish from the swift.”

[2:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the strong will not increase his strength.”

[2:2]  ¹⁹ sn The destruction of Moab by fire is an example of a judgment in kind – as the Moabites committed the crime of “burning,” so the Lord will punish them by setting them on fire.

[2:2]  ²⁰ sn Kerioth was an important Moabite city. See Jer 48:24, 41.

[2:2]  ²¹ tn Or “die” (KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV); NAB “shall meet death.”

[2:2]  ²² tn Or “in the tumult.” This word refers to the harsh confusion of sounds that characterized an ancient battle – a mixture of war cries, shouts, shrieks of pain, clashes of weapons, etc.

[2:2]  ²³ tn Heb “sound” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[2:2]  ²⁴ sn The ram’s horn (used as a trumpet) was blown to signal the approaching battle.

[9:5]  ²⁵ tn The words “will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:5]  ²⁶ tn Or “melts.” The verb probably depicts earthquakes and landslides. See v. 5b.

[9:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “all of it.”

[9:5]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the Nile.” The word “River” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:5]  ²⁹ tn Or “sinks back down.”

[9:5]  ³⁰ sn See Amos 8:8, which is very similar to this verse.