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The Prophets · Old Testament

Amos 6

Amos 6: those at ease in Zion, beds of ivory and a nation raised up

General context

The chapter opens, "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria." The hearers are sent to look at Calneh, Hamath and Gath and asked, "be they better than these kingdoms?" They put far off the evil day and bring near "the seat of violence," lie "upon beds of ivory," eat lambs and calves, chant "to the sound of the viol" and invent instruments "like David," drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with "the chief ointments," "but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." So they will "go captive with the first that go captive," and their banquet will be removed. The Lord God swears by himself, "I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces," and will deliver up the city. If ten men remain in one house, they die. A man's uncle and "he that burneth him" bring bones out, ask whether anyone else is there, hear "No," and the answer comes, "Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord." The Lord smites "the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts." Two questions follow about horses on rock and plowing there, "for ye have turned judgment into gall." They rejoice "in a thing of nought" and ask, "Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?" The Lord will raise up "a nation" to afflict them "from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness."

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

Amos 6 (KJV)

1Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

2Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

3Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

4That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

5That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

6That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

7Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.

8The Lord God hath sworn by himself, saith the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.

9And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.

10And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord.

11For, behold, the Lord commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

12Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:

13Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?

14But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the Lord the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.

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Historical context

The woe reaches two places at once, "at ease in Zion" and trusting "in the mountain of Samaria," so the chapter is not addressed to the northern kingdom alone. Calneh, Hamath and Gath are named as places to go and look at, with no location given beyond the names and no account of what happened to them. The "affliction of Joseph" is named and never described. David is the only person named apart from Jacob, Joseph and Israel, and he appears once, as a comparison for inventing "instruments of musick." The scene at verse 10 is hard to follow in the printed text: an uncle and "he that burneth him" carry out bones, and the order to be silent is given without an explanation of the burning or of why the Lord's name may not be mentioned. The nation raised up in verse 14 is not named, as the adversary of 3:11 was not named. The chapter spells the place "Hamath the great" in verse 2 and "Hemath" in verse 14 and does not say whether one place is meant. No king is named here, and no date is given.

Cited passages: Amos 6:1, Amos 6:2, Amos 6:6, Amos 6:5, Amos 6:10, Amos 6:14, Amos 3:11, Amos 6:8

Literary context

After the woe of verse 1 the chapter withholds its verb. Verses 3 to 6 are a chain of clauses hanging on it, "Ye that put far away the evil day," "That lie upon beds of ivory," "That chant to the sound of the viol," "That drink wine in bowls," and only verse 7 delivers the sentence, "Therefore now shall they go captive." The list of comforts ends on an absence, "but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph," so the charge is the last item rather than the furniture. The beds of ivory match the houses of ivory at 3:15, and the great and little houses of verse 11 match the winter and summer houses there. At verses 9 and 10 the oracle drops into a small scene with two speakers, and the last words are an order to be quiet. The two questions at verse 12 answer themselves and turn into the accusation. Their own boast is quoted at verse 13, "Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?", and verse 14 answers it with a nation the Lord raises up, a nation with no name.

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

Key moments

  1. Woe to them at ease (Amos 6:1). The woe is spoken over those at ease in Zion and trusting in the mountain of Samaria.
  2. Beds of ivory (Amos 6:4). They lie on ivory beds and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.
  3. Not grieved for Joseph (Amos 6:6). They drink and anoint themselves but are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
  4. The Lord swears by himself (Amos 6:8). The Lord God swears he abhors the excellency of Jacob and will deliver up the city.
  5. Hold thy tongue (Amos 6:10). Bones are carried from a house and the survivor is told not to mention the name of the Lord.
  6. Judgment turned to gall (Amos 6:12). Two questions about horses and plowing become the charge that judgment has been turned to gall.
  7. A nation raised up (Amos 6:14). The Lord will raise an unnamed nation to afflict Israel from Hemath to the river of the wilderness.

For reflection

The list of comforts in verses 4 to 6 ends with what is missing, that they "are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." Does the chapter treat the ivory and the wine as the fault, or the absence it places at the end of the list?

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