About Amos

Amos, a shepherd called to prophesy, denounced social injustice and religious hypocrisy in prosperous Israel.

Author: AmosWritten: c. 760-750 BCReading time: ~2 minVerses: 16
JusticeSocial RighteousnessJudgmentPrivilege and ResponsibilityDay of the LordRestoration

King James Version

Amos 2

16 verses with commentary

Judgment on Judah and Israel

Thus 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:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof</strong>—The oracle against Moab uses the same formulaic structure as previous judgments. The escalating numbers "three... and for four" (Hebrew <em>al-sheloshah... ve'al-arba'ah</em>) indicate fullness of guilt—Moab has committed crimes beyond measure, crossing every threshold....
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

II. CURSE ON MOAB. (1) Comp. Isaiah 15, 16, Isaiah 25:10-12, and Jeremiah 48 Translate “burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.” The historical reference is obscure. (See 2Kings 3:26-27.) Whether Moab was guilty of desecrating royal tombs, or offering the heir of the king of Edom in sacrifice, cannot be determined. When Moab took revenge upon Edom, the latter was subject to Jehoram.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

28-37. The inner court and its gates. **according to these measures--**namely, the measures of the outer gate. The figure and proportions of the inner answered to the outer.

But 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:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth</strong>—The judgment formula continues, with fire consuming Moab's palaces. <em>Qeriyot</em> (קְרִיּוֹת) was a major Moabite city, mentioned in Jeremiah 48:24, 41 and possibly the same as Ar-Moab. <strong>And Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet</strong>—The Hebrew <em>umet...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **Kirioth.—**This properly signifies a group of towns, but here refers to a single large town in Moab, the modern *Kureiât.* (Comp. Jeremiah 48:24.) **CURSE ON JUDAH.** Great privileges have met with mad and foolish despite. Exalted to the highest heaven of possibility, Judah has despised the “Law of the Lord,” instead of preserving, with sacred reverence, His ordinances and institutions. **Th...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

28-37. The inner court and its gates. **according to these measures--**namely, the measures of the outer gate. The figure and proportions of the inner answered to the outer.

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

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD</strong>—The Hebrew <em>hikhrati shofet</em> (הִכְרַתִּי שׁוֹפֵט, "I will cut off the judge") and <em>kol-sarav aharog</em> (כָּל־שָׂרֶיהָ אֶהֱרוֹג, "all its princes I will slay") describe complete dismantling of governmental authority. The <em>shofet</em> (judge/ruler) was t...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

28-37. The inner court and its gates. **according to these measures--**namely, the measures of the outer gate. The figure and proportions of the inner answered to the outer.

Thus 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:

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KJV Study Commentary

After pronouncing judgment on six pagan nations, Amos turns to Judah, his home kingdom. The prophetic formula "Thus saith the LORD" establishes divine authority. "For three transgressions of Judah, and for four" uses Hebrew poetic parallelism indicating multiplied, overflowing sin—not literally three or four offenses but systematic, habitual covenant violation. The number pattern (3+1) suggests co...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

28-37. The inner court and its gates. **according to these measures--**namely, the measures of the outer gate. The figure and proportions of the inner answered to the outer.

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

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem</strong>—The oracle against Judah uses the identical judgment formula applied to pagan nations (Gaza, Tyre, Teman, Moab), shocking the Israelite audience. Amos's listeners likely applauded condemnation of traditional enemies but were stunned when God's impartial justice turned toward His own covenant people. Th...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Judah.**—Such high privilege does not involve immunity from punishment. Judah shall be chastised with the same penalty as Edom, Philistia, Ammon, and Moab.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

28-37. The inner court and its gates. **according to these measures--**namely, the measures of the outer gate. The figure and proportions of the inner answered to the outer.

Israel's Guilt and Punishment

Thus 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;

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KJV Study Commentary

Having condemned six nations and Judah, Amos pivots to his primary target: northern Israel. The prophetic formula and numerical pattern ("for three transgressions...for four") establish the same certainty of judgment. But Israel's sins differ from pagan atrocities and Judah's law-rejection. The specific charge: "they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes." This describes ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

CURSE ON ISRAEL. (6) **Transgressions of Israel.—**The storm of Divine threatening which had swept over the whole political horizon gathers, at last, over Israel. The sins and ingratitude of the people are aggravated by a recital of the Divine Mercy. By comparing this verse with Amos 8:6, it is clear that the Jewish interpreters (followed by Keil) were incorrect in charging this sin upon corrupt j...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**38. chambers ... entries--**literally, "a chamber and its door." **by the posts--**that is, at or close by the posts or columns. **where they washed the burnt offering--**This does not apply to all the gates but only to the north gate. For Le 1:11 directs the sacrifices to be killed north of the altar; and Eze 8:5 calls the north gate, "the gate of the altar." And Eze 40:40 particularly ment...
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That 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: maid: or, young woman

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KJV Study Commentary

Continuing the indictment of Israel: "That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek." The phrase "pant after dust on the head" uses Hebrew imagery of extreme cruelty—they desired to see the poor in such distress they put dust on their heads (sign of mourning and humiliation). Israel's wealthy elite took pleasure in others' suffering. "Turn aside ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **Dust of the earth on the head of the poor.—**Can only mean, as Ewald and Keil interpret: they long to see the poor reduced to such distress that dust is thrown on their heads in token of grief. The meek are defrauded as being too weak to claim their own. The latter part of the verse points to the sensuality of the popular worship, the word “maid” being really the prostitute (Heb. *k’dēshah*)...
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And 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. the condemned: or, such as have fined, or, mulcted

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KJV Study Commentary

"And 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." This verse exposes hypocritical worship. Wealthy Israelites took poor people's clothes as collateral for loans (explicitly forbidden—Exodus 22:26-27, Deuteronomy 24:12-13 required returning cloaks by night), then used these garments as cushions during templ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) Rapacity and cruelty follow on pride, selfishness, and lust. With this verse compare the provisions of the Mosaic law (Exodus 22:25). Render, *And upon garments received in pledge they stretch themselves,* and for “condemned” adopt the marginal translation *mulcted.* The money that had been wrung from those who could not pay, or, who have been sold into slavery, is spent in rioting and feastin...
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Yet 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks</strong>—The Hebrew <em>ve-anokhi hishmadti et-ha-Emori</em> (וְאָנֹכִי הִשְׁמַדְתִּי אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִי, "Yet I destroyed the Amorite") emphasizes divine agency—<em>I</em> accomplished this, not Israel's military prowess. The comparison to cedars and oaks (both majestic, stron...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **Destroyed I.—**Emphasis belongs to the pronoun “I.” The Amorites proper occupied the S.W. coast of the Dead Sea. Their formidable stature and power were attributed occasionally to all the inhabitants of the land. (Joshua 24:18; Judges 6:10.) They were absorbed before the time of Amos.

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

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KJV Study Commentary

After cataloging Israel's sins, Amos reminds them of God's grace: "Yet 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." The Amorites, representing Canaan's inhabitants, were formidable enemies—tall, strong, entrenched (Numbers 13:28-33). Israel couldn't have conquer...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **Forty years.**—The forty years’ wandering was a punishment for fickleness and cowardice, but during the incidence of this judgment, of which we have only one or two events recorded in the Book of Numbers, God was disciplining and organising a tribe of restless wanderers into a nation. (Deuteronomy 32:9-13.)

And 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

God continues recounting His gracious acts: "Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite." This summarizes the Exodus, wilderness journey, and conquest—Israel's foundational narrative. Every aspect was divine accomplishment: liberation from slavery (Exodus), sustenance in the wilderness (manna, water, protection),...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11, 12) God added to the mercies of His providence, the transcendent blessings of special revelation. The prophets of Israel were numerous, and renowned, and exposed to frequent persecution, *e.g.,* the cases of Micaiah, Elijah, and others. “The Nazarite vow to abstain from wine, which, in the earliest case, that of Samson, appears a life-long vow, was undoubtedly a religious protest against Cana...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**43. hooks--**cooking apparatus for cooking the flesh of the sacrifices that fell to the priests. The hooks were "fastened" in the walls within the apartment, to hang the meat from, so as to roast it. The Hebrew comes from a root "fixed" or "placed."

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

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink</strong>—The Hebrew <em>vattashqu et-Nezirim yayin</em> (וַתַּשְׁקוּ אֶת־הַנְּזִרִים יָיִן) describes forcing consecrated Nazirites to violate their vows. Nazirites took vows abstaining from wine, cutting hair, and touching corpses (Numbers 6:1-21), dedicating themselves wholly to God. Making them drink wine violated their sacred commitment and mocke...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**44. the chambers of the singers--**two in number, as proved by what follows: "and their prospect (that is, the prospect of one) was toward the south, (and) one toward the north." So the Septuagint.

Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves. I am: or, I will press your place, as a cart full of sheaves presseth

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves</strong> (הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵעִיק תַּחְתֵּיכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר תָּעִיק הָעֲגָלָה הַמְלֵאָה לָהּ עָמִיר)—This vivid agricultural metaphor has challenged translators. The Hebrew <em>me'iq</em> (מֵעִיק) from <em>'uq</em> means "to press" or "cause to totter." Some render it "I will press you down" (ESV), while KJV maintains ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **I am pressed**.—Baur, Pusey, and *Speaker’s Commentary* support this rendering of the Heb. *mē‘îq*, the corresponding form in the next clause also being taken in the intransitive (*i.e.,* passive sense). But it is unlikely that God, in this passage, should declare Himself “crushed” under the weight of Israel’s sin, for in the context it is Israel, and not God, who is described as the victim...
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Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: himself: Heb. his soul, or, life

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KJV Study Commentary

After pronouncing judgment, Amos describes its inescapability: "Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself." Speed, strength, and power—normally escape routes—will fail. Verse 15: "Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) This doom Amos darkly foreshadows to be invasion and military overthrow, with all its attendant calamities.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**46. Zadok--**lineally descended from Aaron. He had the high priesthood conferred on him by Solomon, who had set aside the family of Ithamar because of the part which Abiathar had taken in the rebellion of Adonijah (1Ki 1:7; 2:26, 27).

Neither 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

In this verse detailing Moab's coming judgment, three classes of warriors prove helpless: <strong>he that handleth the bow</strong> (תֹּפֵשׂ הַקֶּשֶׁת, <em>tofes haqeshet</em>, the archer), <strong>he that is swift of foot</strong> (קַל בְּרַגְלָיו, <em>qal b'raglav</em>, literally 'light in his feet'), and <strong>he that rideth the horse</strong> (רֹכֵב הַסּוּס, <em>rochev hasus</em>, the cavalr...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) Is omitted in some of Kennicott’s and De Rossi’s MSS., but without authority. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. Bible Hub

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**47. court, an hundred cubits ... foursquare--**not to be confounded with the inner court, or court of Israel, which was open to all who had sacrifices to bring, and went round the three sides of the sacred territory, one hundred cubits broad. This court was one hundred cubits square, and had the altar in it, in front of the temple. It was the court of the priests, and hence is connected with tho...
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And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD. courageous: Heb. strong of his heart

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day</strong> (וְאַמִּיץ לִבּוֹ בַגִּבּוֹרִים עָרוֹם יָנוּס, <em>v'amitz libo bagiborim arom yanus</em>)—The Hebrew emphasizes irony: אַמִּיץ (<em>amitz</em>) means 'strong, courageous,' yet even the bravest warrior flees עָרוֹם (<em>arom</em>, 'naked, stripped of armor'). The stripping represents complete defeat and humil...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

48-49. These two verses belong to the forty-first chapter, which treats of the temple itself.

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