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The Prophets · Old Testament

Amos 3

Amos 3: known and therefore punished, the lion's roar and the houses of ivory

General context

The children of Israel, "the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt," are told to hear: "You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." A run of questions follows. Can two walk together unless agreed? Will a lion roar without prey, or a young lion cry from his den having taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare where no gin is set? Is a trumpet blown in a city without people fearing? "shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?" "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Then: "The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?" Palaces in Ashdod and Egypt are told to assemble on the mountains of Samaria and see its tumults and oppressed, for its people "know not to do right" and "store up violence and robbery in their palaces." An adversary will surround the land and spoil its palaces. "As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch." Witnesses are called in the house of Jacob: on the day Israel's transgressions are visited, the altars of Beth-el will be visited too and the horns of the altar cut off. Winter house and summer house will be smitten, "the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end."

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

Amos 3 (KJV)

1Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,

2You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

3Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

4Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

5Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?

6Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?

7Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

8The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?

9Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.

10For they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.

11Therefore thus saith the Lord God; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.

12Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.

13Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts,

14That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Beth-el: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.

15And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.

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Historical context

The address is to "the whole family" brought up from Egypt, and the chapter then narrows to Samaria, its mountains, palaces, beds and houses. Ashdod and Egypt are summoned as onlookers, not as accused. Beth-el is named for its altars, and the horns of the altar are to be cut off; that sets up 4:4 and the confrontation at Beth-el in chapter 7. The houses named, winter, summer, ivory and great, are described but not attributed to any owner. The clause "in Damascus in a couch" is the KJV wording and is hard to place beside "in Samaria in the corner of a bed"; the printed text does not explain it. Verse 7 states that the Lord reveals "his secret unto his servants the prophets" before acting, a claim about prophets in general rather than about Amos by name. The Lord's speech is marked repeatedly, "saith the Lord" in verses 10, 12 and 15, "thus saith the Lord God" in verse 11, and "saith the Lord God, the God of hosts" in verse 13. No king, date or specific adversary is named; the adversary is only "An adversary there shall be even round about the land."

Cited passages: Amos 3:1, Amos 3:9, Amos 3:14, Amos 4:4, Amos 7:13, Amos 3:15, Amos 3:12, Amos 3:7, Amos 3:11, Amos 3:13

Literary context

Verse 2 joins two words that a reader might expect to pull apart, "known" and "punish," and makes the first the reason for the second. Then seven questions in verses 3 to 6 each pair an effect with its cause, walking with agreement, roaring with prey, a snare with a catch, a trumpet with fear, and the last names the Lord as the cause of evil in a city. Verse 8 answers the run with two parallel lines, the lion and the Lord, the fear and the prophesying, so the roar of 1:2 becomes the reason the prophet speaks. The rescue image in verse 12 is a shepherd's, and what is rescued is scraps, "two legs, or a piece of an ear." Palaces recur four times in verses 9 to 11, at Ashdod, in Egypt, in Samaria and then spoiled, and the chapter closes on houses: winter, summer, ivory, great. The beds and couches of verse 12 return in 6:4 as "beds of ivory." Beth-el's altar ends the chapter and its horns fall, an image the book will build on.

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

Key moments

  1. Known, therefore punished (Amos 3:2). Israel alone has been known of all families, and for that reason will be punished.
  2. Can two walk together (Amos 3:3). The first of a run of questions pairing effects with their causes.
  3. The lion hath roared (Amos 3:8). The Lord has spoken as a lion roars, and the prophet cannot but prophesy.
  4. Ashdod and Egypt called to look (Amos 3:9). Foreign palaces are summoned to Samaria's mountains to see its tumults and oppression.
  5. Two legs or a piece of an ear (Amos 3:12). Israel will be rescued only as scraps a shepherd pulls from a lion's mouth.
  6. The altars of Beth-el (Amos 3:14). On the day of visitation the horns of Beth-el's altar will be cut off.
  7. Houses of ivory (Amos 3:15). Winter and summer houses will be smitten and the houses of ivory will perish.

For reflection

"You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you." How does making the relationship the reason for the punishment change the way the rest of the book's charges sound?

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