= Amos 1 * Please see [[nsv:license|License]] for Copyright notice and Licensing information. * [ [[Joel_3|Previous]] | [[Amos_2|Next]] ] == Amos 1 1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2 And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. 3 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: 4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad. 5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the Lord. 6 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom: 7 But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof: 8 And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord God. 9 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant: 10 But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof. 11 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever: 12 But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah. 13 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border: 14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind: 15 And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the Lord. == Notes == Cross Reference == Commentary == Rashi ==== Verse 1 who was among the herdsmen Heb. בַנֹּקְדִים. Jonathan renders: who was an owner of livestock. Cf. (II Kings 3:4) “Now Mesha the king of Moab was an owner of livestock (נֹקֵד).” two years before the earthquake—Two years before Uzziah was plagued, the day Isaiah prophesied, as it is stated: (Isaiah 6: 4) “And the doorposts quaked,” and it is stated: (Zechariah 14:5) “As you fled before the earthquake.” ==== Verse 2 shall roar from Zion—From the Holy of Holies the speech emanates. and the dwellings of the shepherds shall be cut off—Jonathan renders: And the dwellings of the kings shall become desolate, and the strength of their walled cities shall be destroyed. ==== Verse 3 For three transgressions of etc.—As it is stated (Job 33:29) “Lo, all these things does God work, twice, yea, thrice, with a man.” But He does not forgive more (according to Shem Ephraim). And here, it is as follows: I have already behaved toward them according to My standard, to forgive them for three transgressions, and if there are more, surely the smaller number is included in the larger amount. yea for four I will not return them—For the fourth transgression, I need no longer return him empty- handed from taking his recompense from Me, and surely since there are many transgressions in their hands; now I will visit upon them the retribution for threshing the inhabitants of Gilead, their neighbors. with sledges of iron—Jonathan renders: morigin of iron. Now that is a sort of file called ‘lime,’ which is made with numerous grooves, and with which they chastise people with tortures, and with them they cut the stubble of the grain to make straw. ==== Verse 4 Hazael etc. Ben Hadad—The kings of Aram, and the head of Aram is Damascus. ==== Verse 5 from Bik’ath-Aven—That is a place in Aram. and one who holds the scepter—[Jonathan renders:] and one who exercises sovereignty. Cf. (Gen. 49:10) “The scepter shall not turn away from Judah,” since the ruler castigates the people with sticks. from Beth-Eden—A place name. to Kir—A place name, where Sennacherib exiled them during the time of Ahaz, as it is stated: “And he went up to Damascus and seized it, and exiled Aram to Kir.” [see II Kings 16:9, where the wording differs.] All the retribution that the prophets of Israel prophesied concerning the nations - the prophets who preceded Sennacherib, e.g. Isaiah and Amos, prophesied concerning the sword of Sennacherib, and Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesied concerning the sword of Nebuchadnezzar. ==== Verse 6 Gaza—That was a city of the Philistines. a whole captivity—I.e, the captivity of Israel, that the captivity be complete, that no one should escape, for they would stand on the roads and seize those fleeing and deliver them. And so did the people of Tyre, and so to the four sides during the destruction of the Second Temple, as is delineated in the Aggadah of Ha’azinu (Sifre 322), Gaza from the south, Tyre from the north, Damascus from the east, the Arabs from the west, as it is stated: (Isaiah 21: 13) “The harsh prophecy concerning Arabia: In the forest in Arabia did you lodge, on the roads of your cousins.” ==== Verse 8 Ashdod... Ashkelon... Ekron—They were the lords of the Philistines. and I will return My hand—I will smite them repeatedly. ==== Verse 9 and did not remember the brotherly covenant—which existed between Hiram and Solomon, as it is said: (I Kings 5:26) “And they both made a league together.” And they called each other brothers, as it is said: (ibid. 9:13) “And he said: ‘What are these cities that you have given me, my brother?’” ==== Verse 11 for pursuing their brother with a sword—As it is said: (Num. 20:18) “Lest I go forth against you with the sword.” And he still clings to his anger, keeps his wrath, and has not retracted it. and grasped forever their anger—He clung to it and did not let it go. ==== Verse 12 the palaces of Bozrah—It is between Moab and Edom, and it belonged to the land of Moab, but it was attracted to Edom. And it set up a king for them when the first king died, and it is said: (Gen. 36: 33) “Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah.” [from Gen. Rabbah 83:3] ==== Verse 13 they ripped up the pregnant woman of Gilead—They destroyed it and also ripped up their pregnant women so that no heir would remain who would contest the inheritance. And so does Scripture state: (Jer. 49:1) “Concerning the children of Ammon. So said the Lord: Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why has Malcam taken possession of Gad?”