Amos 9:7

9:7 “You Israelites are just like the Ethiopians in my sight,” ¹  says the Lord.

“Certainly I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt,

but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor ²  and the Arameans from Kir. ³ 

Amos 9:2

9:2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, ⁴ 

my hand would pull them up from there.

Even if they could climb up to heaven,

I would drag them down from there.

Kisah Para Rasul 16:9

16:9 A ⁵  vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there ⁶  urging him, ⁷  “Come over ⁸  to Macedonia ⁹  and help us!”

[9:7]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text has a rhetorical question, “Are you children of Israel not like the Cushites to me?” The rhetorical question has been converted to an affirmative statement in the translation for clarity. See the comment at 8:8.

[9:7]  sn Though Israel was God’s special covenant people (see 3:2a), the Lord emphasizes they are not inherently superior to the other nations subject to his sovereign rule.

[9:7]  ² sn Caphtor may refer to the island of Crete.

[9:7]  ³ tn The second half of v. 7 is also phrased as a rhetorical question in the Hebrew text, “Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?” The translation converts the rhetorical question into an affirmation for clarity.

[9:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “into Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), that is, the land of the dead localized in Hebrew thought in the earth’s core or the grave. Cf. KJV “hell”; NCV, NLT “the place of the dead”; NIV “the depths of the grave.”

[16:9]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[16:9]  ⁷ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[16:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “Coming over.” The participle διαβάς (diabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

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