Amos 1:5

1:5 I will break the bar ¹  on the gate of Damascus.

I will remove ²  the ruler ³  from Wicked Valley, ⁴ 

the one who holds the royal scepter from Beth Eden. ⁵ 

The people of Aram will be deported to Kir.” ⁶ 

The Lord has spoken!

Amos 1:2

God Will Judge the Surrounding Nations

1:2 Amos ⁷  said:

“The Lord comes roaring ⁸  out of Zion;

from Jerusalem ⁹  he comes bellowing! ¹⁰ 

The shepherds’ pastures wilt; ¹¹ 

the summit of Carmel ¹²  withers.” ¹³ 

Kisah Para Rasul 16:9

16:9 A ¹⁴  vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there ¹⁵  urging him, ¹⁶  “Come over ¹⁷  to Macedonia ¹⁸  and help us!”

[1:5]  ¹ sn The bar on the city gate symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:5]  ² tn Heb “cut off.”

[1:5]  ³ tn Heb “the one who sits.” Some English versions take the Hebrew term in a collective sense as “inhabitants” (e.g., KJV, NKJV, NASB, NRSV). The context and the parallel in the next clause (“the one who holds the royal scepter”), however, suggest that the royal house is in view. For this term (יוֹשֵׁב, yoshev), see N. K. Gottwald, The Tribes of Yahweh, 512-30.

[1:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “valley of wickedness.” Though many English versions take the Hebrew phrase בִקְעַת־אָוֶן (biq’-at ’aven) as a literal geographical place name (“Valley of Aven,” so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), it appears to be a derogatory epithet for Damascus and the kingdom of Aram.

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Many associate the name “Beth Eden” with Bit Adini, an Aramean state located near the Euphrates River, but it may be a sarcastic epithet meaning “house of pleasure.”

[1:5]  ⁶ sn According to Amos 9:7, the Arameans originally came from Kir. The Lord threatens to reverse their history and send them back there.

[1:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “he;” the referent (Amos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:2]  ⁸ sn The Lord, in his role of warrior-king, is compared to a lion. See 3:4, 8.

[1:2]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “gives his voice.”

[1:2]  ¹¹ tn Lexicographers debate whether there are two roots אָבַל (’aval), one signifying “mourn” and the other “be dry,” or simply one (“mourn”). The parallel verb (“withers”) might favor the first option and have the meaning “wilt away.” It is interesting to note, however, that the root appears later in the book in the context of lament (5:16; 8:8, 10; 9:5). Either 1:2 is a possible wordplay to alert the reader to the death that will accompany the judgment (the option of two roots), or perhaps the translation “mourns” is appropriate here as well (cf. KJV, NASB, NKJV, NJPS; see also D. J. A. Clines, “Was There an ’BL II ‘Be Dry’ in Classical Hebrew?” VT 42 [1992]: 1-10).

[1:2]  ¹² sn Carmel was a region known for its abundant plants and trees. See Isa 33:9; 35:2; Jer 50:19.

[1:2]  ¹³ sn Loss of a land’s fertility is frequently associated with judgment in the OT and ancient Near Eastern literature.

[16:9]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And a.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[16:9]  ¹⁵ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[16:9]  ¹⁶ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[16:9]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Coming over.” The participle διαβάς (diabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:9]  ¹⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.