Amos 6:5

6:5 They sing ¹  to the tune of ²  stringed instruments; ³ 

like David they invent ⁴  musical instruments.

Amos 8:3

8:3 The women singing in the temple ⁵  will wail in that day.”

The sovereign Lord is speaking.

“There will be many corpses littered everywhere! ⁶  Be quiet!”

Amos 8:10

8:10 I will turn your festivals into funerals, ⁷ 

and all your songs into funeral dirges.

I will make everyone wear funeral clothes ⁸ 

and cause every head to be shaved bald. ⁹ 

I will make you mourn as if you had lost your only son; ¹⁰ 

when it ends it will indeed have been a bitter day. ¹¹ 

[6:5]  ¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּרַט (parat), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. Some translate “strum,” “pluck,” or “improvise.”

[6:5]  ² tn Heb “upon the mouth of,” that is, “according to.”

[6:5]  ³ sn The stringed instruments mentioned here are probably harps (cf. NIV, NRSV) or lutes (cf. NEB).

[6:5]  ⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew phrase חָשְׁבוּ לָהֶם (khoshvu lahem) is uncertain. Various options include: (1) “they think their musical instruments are like David’s”; (2) “they consider themselves musicians like David”; (3) “they esteem musical instruments highly like David”; (4) “they improvise [new songs] for themselves [on] instruments like David”; (5) “they invent musical instruments like David.” However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that given in the translation (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 206-7).

[8:3]  ⁵ tn Or “palace” (NASB, NCV, TEV).

[8:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “Many corpses in every place he will throw out.” The subject of the verb is probably impersonal, though many emend the active (Hiphil) form to a passive (Hophal): “Many corpses in every place will be thrown out.”

[8:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “mourning.”

[8:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “I will place sackcloth on all waists.”

[8:10]  sn Mourners wore sackcloth (funeral clothes) as an outward expression of grief.

[8:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “and make every head bald.” This could be understood in a variety of ways, while the ritual act of mourning typically involved shaving the head (although occasionally the hair could be torn out as a sign of mourning).

[8:10]  sn Shaving the head or tearing out one’s hair was a ritual act of mourning. See Lev 21:5; Deut 14:1; Isa 3:24; 15:2; Jer 47:5; 48:37; Ezek 7:18; 27:31; Mic 1:16.

[8:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I will make it like the mourning for an only son.”

[8:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and its end will be like a bitter day.” The Hebrew preposition כְּ (kaf) sometimes carries the force of “in every respect,” indicating identity rather than mere comparison.