Amos 3
3
Israel’s Punishment
1Israelites, listen to this prophecy that Yahweh pronounces against you, against all the people I rescued from Egypt. 2“Of all the nations of the earth, you are the only one I have intimately known and have always cared for. # 3:2 Within the universe of meaning encompassed by the Hebrew word for “known” (yadaʿ) is found several important components. It includes the meanings of choice, favor, affection, personal knowledge, sexual intimacy, intimate knowledge, and care, all of which can be wrapped into the context of God’s love for his people. This accounts for the expanded rendering of this single verb form in this verse. This is held in tension with “I think as much of the Ethiopians as I do of you; you’re all the same to me” (9:7). There are many tensions and paradoxes in Scripture, which is another proof of the Bible’s authenticity. Real life is full of tension and paradox. That is why I will punish you for all your wrongdoings.”
Prophetic Riddles
3Do two walk together # 3:3 For two to walk together means they share a common purpose and goal. This Hebrew phrase is nearly identical to Abraham and Isaac walking together up Mount Moriah (see Gen. 22:6, 8). For believers today to walk with God, we must walk in the light and agree with the exposure that light brings (see 1 John 1:6–7).
unless they have agreed to do so? # 3:3 Or “agreed to meet” or “without knowing each other” (LXX). These seven riddles of vv. 3–8 are linked together like the links of a chain.
4Does the lion roar in the bush
if it has no prey? # 3:4 See Ps. 104:21. Scripture frequently presents Yahweh as a lion roaring (see Hos. 5:14; Amos 1:2). In this riddle, the lion’s prey are those he has captured in their sins, and he is ready to judge them for their evil.
Does the lion growl in his lair
if it has seized nothing?
5Does a bird alight on a trap on the ground
if there is no bait inside?
Does the net spring up from the ground
if it has caught nothing?
6Does the war trumpet sound in the city
without the people being frightened? # 3:6 See Jer. 6:1; Ezek. 33:3. The shofar or trumpet is a biblical metaphor for the message or the messenger. This verse speaks of the prophetic word in the symbolism of the shofar blast. See Isa. 58:1; 1 Cor. 14:8; Rev. 1:10. When the war trumpets warn of impending conflict, the people must prepare. Yet Israel did nothing when God sounded his warnings through his prophets.
Does calamity come to a city
if it has not passed through Yahweh’s hands? # 3:6 Or “has the Lord not acted?” Some of the many meanings of the Hebrew word ʿasah include “to manufacture,” “to frame,” “to make,” “to touch,” and “to caress.”
7Indeed, Lord Yahweh does nothing
without revealing his secrets to his servants the prophets. # 3:7 In the context, the secret that God reveals is within the calamity that passes through his hands. When he is behind the calamity, he has a secret that he reveals to his prophets, and at times, that secret is a warning of impending disaster. The Hebrew verb meaning “reveal” is the word gala, which is a word used for “exile,” “captivity,” or “uncovering.” When God sends people into exile, it is because their sins were uncovered, revealed. Thus, God will not allow calamity to come without first uncovering the reason for the calamity and revealing to his servants the prophets the sin that has broken his heart.
8The lion has roared! # 3:8 Yahweh is the lion who has roared out his message of judgment on the wicked. Who is not afraid?
Lord Yahweh has spoken! Who will not prophesy?
Samaria’s Doom
9Proclaim to the strongholds of Assyria # 3:9 As translated from the Septuagint. The Masoretic Text has “Ashdod.” and Egypt,
and say to them,
“Gather on the hills around Samaria;
take a good, hard look at the rampant disorder # 3:9 The Hebrew word mehumah means “trouble,” “chaos,” “disorder,” “turmoil,” and “confusion.” The opposite of this term would be shalom, which means “peace.” within the city
and see how oppressed the people are.”
10“They don’t even know how to do right,”
declares Yahweh.
“They hoard in their palaces
the spoils of their violence and extortion.
11Therefore, I, Lord Yahweh, say:
an enemy # 3:11 Thirty years after this prophecy, Assyria besieged Samaria and looted the city (see 2 Kings 17:5–6). will soon overrun the land.
He will topple your strongholds
and plunder your palaces.”
12This is what Yahweh says:
“As a shepherd can only rescue two leg bones or a piece of an ear
out of the jaws of a lion, # 3:12 A shepherd was responsible for trying to rescue his sheep from a lion. If he presented bones or pieces of the lamb, the owner of the flock considered him an honest and brave shepherd (see Ex. 22:9–12; 1 Sam. 17:34–35; see also par. 266 of the Code of Hammurabi). In this instance, the shepherd is Yahweh, with his prophet Amos.
so the Israelites who live in Samaria
will only be able to salvage one leg of a bed
and a piece of a headboard from their ravaged city.” # 3:12 The Hebrew of this verse is uncertain.
Israel Will Likewise Be Punished
13“I, Lord Yahweh, the Mighty God of Angel Armies, say:
Listen! Warn Jacob’s descendants. # 3:13 Or “Testify against the house of Jacob.”
14On the day when I punish Israel for her crimes,
I will also destroy the altars of Bethel. # 3:14 Bethel, once a place of true worship, had degenerated into a center of cultic worship.
The horns of the altar will be hacked off # 3:14 Removing the blood-sprinkled horns of the altar was a powerful statement for the Hebrews. It meant there would no longer be a place where a fugitive could secure himself from arrest or violence by catching hold of altar-horns (see Ex. 21:14; 1 Kings 1:50; 2:28). The concept of a “horn” in Hebrew often carries the sense of strength and power, which is missing in English.
and fall to the ground.
15I will tear down the winter house of the wealthy
along with your summer house. # 3:15 The wealthy would often have a home they lived in during the cooler winter months and a second home for the summer months.
Your luxury homes decorated with ivory # 3:15 See 1 Kings 22:39.
and your lovely mansions will likewise be destroyed.
I, Yahweh, have spoken.”
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Amos 3: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationAmos 3
3
Israel’s Punishment
1Israelites, listen to this prophecy that Yahweh pronounces against you, against all the people I rescued from Egypt. 2“Of all the nations of the earth, you are the only one I have intimately known and have always cared for. # 3:2 Within the universe of meaning encompassed by the Hebrew word for “known” (yadaʿ) is found several important components. It includes the meanings of choice, favor, affection, personal knowledge, sexual intimacy, intimate knowledge, and care, all of which can be wrapped into the context of God’s love for his people. This accounts for the expanded rendering of this single verb form in this verse. This is held in tension with “I think as much of the Ethiopians as I do of you; you’re all the same to me” (9:7). There are many tensions and paradoxes in Scripture, which is another proof of the Bible’s authenticity. Real life is full of tension and paradox. That is why I will punish you for all your wrongdoings.”
Prophetic Riddles
3Do two walk together # 3:3 For two to walk together means they share a common purpose and goal. This Hebrew phrase is nearly identical to Abraham and Isaac walking together up Mount Moriah (see Gen. 22:6, 8). For believers today to walk with God, we must walk in the light and agree with the exposure that light brings (see 1 John 1:6–7).
unless they have agreed to do so? # 3:3 Or “agreed to meet” or “without knowing each other” (LXX). These seven riddles of vv. 3–8 are linked together like the links of a chain.
4Does the lion roar in the bush
if it has no prey? # 3:4 See Ps. 104:21. Scripture frequently presents Yahweh as a lion roaring (see Hos. 5:14; Amos 1:2). In this riddle, the lion’s prey are those he has captured in their sins, and he is ready to judge them for their evil.
Does the lion growl in his lair
if it has seized nothing?
5Does a bird alight on a trap on the ground
if there is no bait inside?
Does the net spring up from the ground
if it has caught nothing?
6Does the war trumpet sound in the city
without the people being frightened? # 3:6 See Jer. 6:1; Ezek. 33:3. The shofar or trumpet is a biblical metaphor for the message or the messenger. This verse speaks of the prophetic word in the symbolism of the shofar blast. See Isa. 58:1; 1 Cor. 14:8; Rev. 1:10. When the war trumpets warn of impending conflict, the people must prepare. Yet Israel did nothing when God sounded his warnings through his prophets.
Does calamity come to a city
if it has not passed through Yahweh’s hands? # 3:6 Or “has the Lord not acted?” Some of the many meanings of the Hebrew word ʿasah include “to manufacture,” “to frame,” “to make,” “to touch,” and “to caress.”
7Indeed, Lord Yahweh does nothing
without revealing his secrets to his servants the prophets. # 3:7 In the context, the secret that God reveals is within the calamity that passes through his hands. When he is behind the calamity, he has a secret that he reveals to his prophets, and at times, that secret is a warning of impending disaster. The Hebrew verb meaning “reveal” is the word gala, which is a word used for “exile,” “captivity,” or “uncovering.” When God sends people into exile, it is because their sins were uncovered, revealed. Thus, God will not allow calamity to come without first uncovering the reason for the calamity and revealing to his servants the prophets the sin that has broken his heart.
8The lion has roared! # 3:8 Yahweh is the lion who has roared out his message of judgment on the wicked. Who is not afraid?
Lord Yahweh has spoken! Who will not prophesy?
Samaria’s Doom
9Proclaim to the strongholds of Assyria # 3:9 As translated from the Septuagint. The Masoretic Text has “Ashdod.” and Egypt,
and say to them,
“Gather on the hills around Samaria;
take a good, hard look at the rampant disorder # 3:9 The Hebrew word mehumah means “trouble,” “chaos,” “disorder,” “turmoil,” and “confusion.” The opposite of this term would be shalom, which means “peace.” within the city
and see how oppressed the people are.”
10“They don’t even know how to do right,”
declares Yahweh.
“They hoard in their palaces
the spoils of their violence and extortion.
11Therefore, I, Lord Yahweh, say:
an enemy # 3:11 Thirty years after this prophecy, Assyria besieged Samaria and looted the city (see 2 Kings 17:5–6). will soon overrun the land.
He will topple your strongholds
and plunder your palaces.”
12This is what Yahweh says:
“As a shepherd can only rescue two leg bones or a piece of an ear
out of the jaws of a lion, # 3:12 A shepherd was responsible for trying to rescue his sheep from a lion. If he presented bones or pieces of the lamb, the owner of the flock considered him an honest and brave shepherd (see Ex. 22:9–12; 1 Sam. 17:34–35; see also par. 266 of the Code of Hammurabi). In this instance, the shepherd is Yahweh, with his prophet Amos.
so the Israelites who live in Samaria
will only be able to salvage one leg of a bed
and a piece of a headboard from their ravaged city.” # 3:12 The Hebrew of this verse is uncertain.
Israel Will Likewise Be Punished
13“I, Lord Yahweh, the Mighty God of Angel Armies, say:
Listen! Warn Jacob’s descendants. # 3:13 Or “Testify against the house of Jacob.”
14On the day when I punish Israel for her crimes,
I will also destroy the altars of Bethel. # 3:14 Bethel, once a place of true worship, had degenerated into a center of cultic worship.
The horns of the altar will be hacked off # 3:14 Removing the blood-sprinkled horns of the altar was a powerful statement for the Hebrews. It meant there would no longer be a place where a fugitive could secure himself from arrest or violence by catching hold of altar-horns (see Ex. 21:14; 1 Kings 1:50; 2:28). The concept of a “horn” in Hebrew often carries the sense of strength and power, which is missing in English.
and fall to the ground.
15I will tear down the winter house of the wealthy
along with your summer house. # 3:15 The wealthy would often have a home they lived in during the cooler winter months and a second home for the summer months.
Your luxury homes decorated with ivory # 3:15 See 1 Kings 22:39.
and your lovely mansions will likewise be destroyed.
I, Yahweh, have spoken.”
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Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation