The Prophets · Old Testament

Amos 2

Amos 2: Moab, Judah and Israel under the same formula, and the cart full of sheaves

General context

The oracle series continues. Moab is charged because "he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime"; fire will devour the palaces of Kerioth, Moab will die with tumult, and its judge and princes will be cut off. Judah is charged because "they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments," led astray by lies their fathers followed; fire will devour the palaces of Jerusalem. Israel is charged because "they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes," pant after the dust on the head of the poor, turn aside the meek, "a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name," lie down on clothes taken in pledge by every altar, and "drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god." The Lord recalls destroying the Amorite, tall as cedars and strong as oaks, bringing Israel up from Egypt, leading them forty years through the wilderness, and raising up prophets from their sons and Nazarites from their young men: "Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel?" But they gave the Nazarites wine and told the prophets, "Prophesy not." "Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves." Flight will perish from the swift, the strong will not keep his strength, the mighty will not deliver himself, the bowman will not stand, the swift of foot and the horseman will not escape, and "he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the Lord."

Cited passages: Amos 2:1, Amos 2:2, Amos 2:3, Amos 2:4, Amos 2:5, Amos 2:6, Amos 2:7, Amos 2:8, Amos 2:9, Amos 2:10, Amos 2:11, Amos 2:12, Amos 2:13, Amos 2:14, Amos 2:15, Amos 2:16

Amos 2 (KJV)

¹Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:

²But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:

³And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the Lord.

⁴Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:

⁵But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.

⁶Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;

⁷That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:

⁸And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.

⁹Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.

¹⁰Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.

¹¹And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the Lord.

¹²But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

¹³Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.

¹⁴Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:

¹⁵Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.

¹⁶And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the Lord.

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Historical context

The series that began at 1:3 ends here with three more oracles, and the last two are against Judah and Israel, addressed with the same formula as the foreign nations. The king of Edom whose bones Moab burned is not named. Judah's charge concerns "the law of the Lord" and "his commandments"; Israel's charge concerns the treatment of the righteous, the poor and the meek, a maid shared by a man and his father, pledged clothes and "the wine of the condemned." The phrase "in the house of their god" does not say which god. The Lord's recital names the Amorite, the land of Egypt, forty years in the wilderness, prophets and Nazarites, as things he did, without narrating them; what a Nazarite is goes undefined in this book, though the charge of giving them wine implies they were not to drink it. The Lord speaks in the first person from verse 9, and "saith the Lord" closes verses 3, 11 and 16. The chapter names no king of Judah or Israel. The phrase "in that day" in verse 16 is not dated.

Cited passages: Amos 2:4, Amos 2:6, Amos 2:1, Amos 2:8, Amos 2:9, Amos 2:10, Amos 2:12, Amos 2:11, Amos 2:16

Literary context

The Israel oracle is the eighth and longest, and it breaks the pattern of the seven before it: no sentence beginning "But I will send a fire" follows the charges. Instead the charges themselves multiply, then the Lord recites his own acts in three sentences beginning "Yet," "Also" and "And," asks "Is it not even thus," and turns the recital into a further charge, since the prophets he raised were silenced and the Nazarites he raised were given wine. The cart "full of sheaves" is a farm image for a burden, in keeping with the herdman of 1:1. The ending lists seven kinds of escape that fail, swift, strong, mighty, bowman, swift of foot, horseman, courageous, ending with the word "naked." The Amorite's height, "like the height of the cedars," is destroyed "from above" and "from beneath." Two phrases reach forward in the book: "a pair of shoes" returns at 8:6, and the command "Prophesy not" returns at 7:13, where Amaziah tells Amos, "But prophesy not again any more at Beth-el."

Cited passages: Amos 2:6, Amos 2:5, Amos 2:9, Amos 2:10, Amos 2:11, Amos 2:13, Amos 2:15, Amos 2:16, Amos 8:6, Amos 7:13

Key moments

Moab (Amos 2:1). Moab is charged with burning the bones of the king of Edom into lime.
Judah (Amos 2:4). Judah is charged with despising the law of the Lord and following lies.
Israel (Amos 2:6). Israel is charged with selling the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of shoes.
Brought up from Egypt (Amos 2:10). The Lord recalls bringing Israel out of Egypt and forty years in the wilderness.
Prophesy not (Amos 2:12). They gave the Nazarites wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
A cart full of sheaves (Amos 2:13). The Lord says he is pressed under them like a loaded cart.
Fleeing naked (Amos 2:16). Even the courageous among the mighty will flee away naked in that day.

For reflection

The Lord says he raised up prophets and Nazarites from among them, and they told the prophets "Prophesy not" and gave the Nazarites wine. What does the chapter suggest the people wanted from the ones they silenced?