CHAPTER ONE

 

 

1:1:  “Tekoa” = Tekoa is the native place of Amos and was situated at a distance of 5 miles South from Bethlehem, from which it is visible, and 10 miles South East from Jerusalem, on a hill, 2,700 feet high, which overlooked the wilderness of Judah.  The reason it was originally constructed was to be a defensive city, made by king Rehoboam (see 2Ch. 11:6).

 

“two years before the earthquake” = This “earthquake” was also referred to later by Zechariah (14:5), which is about 250 years after this event.  That’s a large event.  Recent excavations at Hazor, by Yigael Yadin, shows evidence of a massive trembler which he dated between B.C. 765-760.  According to Josephus, this “earthquake” occurred because of Uzziah’s sin (2Ch. 26:16).

 

1:3:  “Gilead” = Known today as the “Golani Heights.”  See my Bible Study:  “ISRAEL, LANDS UNCONQUERED BY.”

 

1:4:  “devour the palaces of Benhadad” = Fulfilled in Second Kings 16:9.

 

1:5:  “break also the bar” = The Hebrew is “shavar,” meaning, “break the door,” as it is translated in Genesis 19:9.  The concept is God breaking up huma security.

 

“plain of Aven” = The valley of Aven was in the Syrian valley, 30 miles North West of Damascus.  It was the heathen center of idolatry, Ba-al in particular, and the summer residence of Syrian kings.

 

“Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir” = Kir was an Assyrian province on the banks of the river of the same name.  Fulfilled when Tiglath-Pileser III killed Rezin, King of Syria (see 2Ki. 16:9).

 

1:6:  “Gaza” = The land of the Philistines, known as the “Gaza Strip” today.  Again, See my Bible Study:  “ISRAEL, LANDS UNCONQUERED BY.”  Conquered in Isaiah 14:28-31; Ezekiel 25:15-17.

 

“because they carried away captive the whole captivity” = See Second Chronicles 21:16-17; Joel 3:2-8.

 

1:8:  “cut off” = Fulfilled in the 5th century B.C. (586) when no more records could be found of them; destroyed by Babylon.

 

1:9:  “Tyrus” = Tyre’s destruction is described in Ezekiel, Chapters 26-28.  However, the final annihilation of Tyre was accomplished by Alexander the Great who laid siege to their remnant who had escaped to a small island off the coast of the city of Tyre, in B.C. 332.  Tyre was rebuilt (see Mat. 15:21-28; Acts 21:3-6), but ultimately destroyed by the Muslims in 1291 A.D.

 

“brotherly covenant” = What is a “brotherly covenant?”  These nations agreed to trade with one another (see 2Sa. 5:11; 1Ki. 5:2-6; 9:11-14, 27; 1Ch. 14:1; 2Ch. 8:18; 9:10).  Tyre was condemned for handing the captive Israelites over to Israel’s enemies, the Edomites.  Thus, the people of Tyre were responsible for not trading the captives back to the country (Israel) from which they had an agreement with, and ultimately for the cruelties that these captives suffered at the hands of their enemies.  From God’s perspective, the person who assists and supports a crime is as guilty as the person who commits it.  Just like being an accomplish to a crime; or withholding evidence in order to solve a crime; or harboring a criminal.  However, the Edomites committed their worst crime against Judah when they betrayed their brother-nation during the Babylonian conquest (Psa. 137:7; Oba. 1:10-14); about B.C. 586.

 

1:11:  “Edom” = A descendent of Esau, their land was South East of Judah, extending from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba, bordered on the West by the valley of Arabah, on the East by a large mountain range, and lastly on the North by Moab.  Israel was never able to completely subdue Edom (2Ch. 28:17).

 

The Judgement against Edom is mentioned in more Old Testament Books than any other foreign nation (Isa. 11:12; 34:5-17; 63:1-6; Jer. 9:25-26; 25:17-26; 49:7-22; Lam. 4:21-22; Eze. 25:12-14; 35:15; Joel 3:19; Amos 1:11-12; 9:11-12; Oba. 1:1-21; Mal. 1:4).

 

1:12:  “Teman” = A chief city of the southern section of Edom (Jer. 49:7; Eze. 25:13; Hab. 3:3).

 

“Bozrah” = Considered to be Petra (Isa. 34:6; 63:1; Jer. 49:13 & 22).

 

1:13:  “Ammon” = Descendants of Lot (Gen. 19:38).

 

1:14:  “Rabbah” = This was the capital of Ammon (Deu. 3:11; Jer. 49:3).  It is now known as “Amman.”

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

 

 

2:1:  “Moab” = See how low this nation had progressed to in Second Kings 3:26-27.

 

“burned the bones” = See my Bible Study:  “BURIED BIBLICALLY.”

 

2:2:  “send a fire upon Moab, and. . . Kerioth” = Which may have been the capital of Moab at the time (Isa. 15:1; Jer. 48:24 & 41 & 45).

 

2:5:  “fire upon Judah” = Why?  The real reason is in Amos 2:4:  “they have despised the Law of the LORD, and have not kept His Commandments.”  The “Torah Yahweh.”  See Leviticus 26:14-16 where God mentions His Law breaking 5 times and the result for doing so.

 

Uzziah was the king of Judah at the time of this prophecy, who was righteous (2Ki. 15:3).  However, he did not remove the high places (places of false worship of false gods; 2Ki. 15:34-35) and entered the Temple and burned incense upon the Altar of Incense (2Ch. 26:16).  Hezekiah did remove the high places (2Ki. 18:1-4).  But then came Manasseh (2Ki. 21:2) the worst of the kings.  And even though righteous Josiah followed him (2Ki. Chs. 22-23) with his reforms, it was too-little-too-late.

 

“palaces” = The Hebrew is “armon,” meaning “high tower; fortress; the strongest point in a palace or castle.”  According to the historian Gesenius, on the Ninth of the month of Av (Tisha B’av), in B.C. 586, Jerusalem was destroyed (previously by Nebuchadnezzar in B.C. 606 & 597).  See Second Chronicles 36:11-20.  This is still celebrated in Jewish culture to this day.  Because in 70 A.D.  Jerusalem was also destroyed on “Tisha B’av.”  Jews still call this day, the “Dark Day.”

 

2:7:  “pant after the dust of the earth” = Such as, to sniff the ground as an animal in chase of its prey.  The meaning is, that the wicked are in pursuit of helpless victims.  Thus, the unrelenting cruelty toward the “poor.”

 

“to profane My Holy Name” = The concept is, “In order to profane God’s Holy Name.”  The Hebrew is an preposition, “Li-ma’an,” which is an express purpose and intention to do so.

 

2:8:  “their god” = Which “alters” were at Bethel and Dan, and these “altars” were used to sanction oppression against the poor (Exo. 22:25-27; Deu. 24:12-13).

 

2:13:  “as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves” = Meaning, “Strained to the breaking point.”

 

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

 

3:1:  “whole family” = Although two nations (Northern and Southern) are prophesied against separately because of the way each strayed from God, He still considered the as being of one family; one nation.

 

3:2:  “all the families of the earth” = As a leader is more responsible than a follower, so Israel, whom God gave all His Statues and revelations to, in order to teach other “families of the earth,” which they did not do, so God will “punish” them for not only doing that, but because of their “iniquities.”  Godly instruction creates responsibility.  Thus, an enlightened nation has a greater responsibility than a nation which is in darkness.

 

Take note that in Chapters One and Two, the judgements against the heathen nations were very brief.  But the rest of the Book of Amos covers all that God will do to Israel for not teaching and following His instructions.  God established other nations, by bringing them up, “brought up,” Amos 9:7.  But only Israel was entrusted with God’s oracles via a “Covenant” relationship.  All the nations will be judged.  But Israel will be judged by the breaking of the “Covenant” broken.  Consider again your relationship with God when you take upon yourself the name, “Christian.”  What you do with your gifts or not do you will be held responsible for.  Read Amos 3:8.

 

3:3:  “except they be agreed” = God is basically telling them they are not in agreement with Him by asking this question, which is not a question.

 

3:4:  “lion” = The Hebrew for “young lion,” not used here, is “Kafir,” which when used as a noun, is what todays Israeli “Jet Fighters” are called.

 

3:6:  “evil” = Better, “calamity.”

 

3:7:  “revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets” = See Deuteronomy 29:29 & John 16:13.  This should be an incentive to really get to know your Bible.  An L.A. investigative interrogator once stated, “As hard as a secret is to uncover, it is even harder to keep.”  My point is, that our God wants to reveal His secrets.  We just have to be ready and willing to use the information properly.  Which is why He only give His secrets to a select few.

 

3:8:  “who can but prophecy” = When the “Lion” of the tribe of Judah speaks, who can then be silent?  When given light from God, one then becomes empowered and inspired to tell of it.  To not do so, as Israel did, will bring upon you the same results.

 

3:10:  “For they knew not to do right” = One is not a “horse thief” because he steals a horse; he steals a horse because he is a “horse thief.”

 

3:12:  “piece[s]” = Israel would be spread out among Asia, Europe, and Africa (see Deu. 28:49-51 & 63-68).

 

3:13:  “house of Jacob” = Again, this prophecy is given to all twelve tribes.

 

3:14:  “altars of Bethel” = Built 150 years earlier by Jeroboam I (1Ki. 12:26-33), even though Elijah and Elisha rebuked Israel.

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

4:1:  “kine of Bashan” = Normally referring to a “cow.,” the Hebrew would be “parah.”  However, the Hebrew here is used in the feminine plural form, “parot,” thus referring to the spoiled women of luxury.  Some commentators take this as referring to the homosexual leaders.

 

Bashan was East of the Jordan River, stretching East, South East for 75 miles (Num. 32:1-5 & 16 & 26 & 33).

 

4:2:  “hooks” = Captives were led away by their conquerors by a “hook” through their noses (2Ki. 19:28; 2Ch. 33:11; Jer. 16:16; Eze. 29:4; Hab. 1:15).

 

4:3:  “breaches” = Amos is using a word play here, in that the Hebrew word he uses for “breaches” is “parotzim,” meaning, “break in the wall,” which sounds like “parot,” the Hebrew in verse one that should have been used for “cow” if that were what he meant, which he did not.  In other words, Amos is using sarcasm or mockery here.

 

4:6:  “cleanness of teeth” = Meaning nothing to eat; a famine.

 

4:7:  “withholden the rain. . . three months to the harvest” = In Israel that would be the months of March and April for sure.  That would be deemed a disaster.

 

4:9:  “palmerworm” = An insect that feeds on trees and other crops.  A possible reference to the Assyrians/Babylonians (see my Joel 1:4 Note).  But most likely “mildew.”

 

4:10:  “I have sent among you the pestilence” = According to Deuteronomy 7:15, its prophecy was conditional upon their obedience and did not hold as seen by seeing Amos 4:10.

 

4:11:  “firebrand plucked out of the burning” = Zechariah (3:2) uses this phrase as applying to the rescue of Judah from the Babylonian captivity.  But Amos is indicating that - Not This Time.

 

“prepare to meet thy God” = “Those who do not now appreciate, study, and dearly prize the Word of God spoken by His servants will have cause to mourn bitterly hereafter.  I saw that the Lord in judgment will at the close of time walk through the earth; the fearful plagues will begin to fall.  Then those who have despised God’s Word, those who have lightly esteemed it, shall [verse quoted].”  Ms 1, 1857; LDE:234-235.

 

 

CHAPTER FIVE

 

 

5:3:  “shall leave ten” = There is a technical term for this which means “ten,” and that is “Decimation.”  Compare Deuteronomy 28:62 to Amos 5:3.

 

5:7:  “wormwood” = The Hebrew is “La-enah,” which was a bitter tasting and poisonous root.

 

5:8:  “the seven stars” = Pleiades.  In the constellation Taurus (the Bull).  Also known as the “Seven Sisters.”  See Job 9:9 & 38:31.

 

“Orion” = The chief constellation in the winter sky.  See Psalm 19:1, then Job 38:31.

 

5:15:  “remnant” = Notice that God even acknowledges here that only a few will follow Him; as seems to be always the unfortunate case.

 

5:17:  “pass through thee” = As God did in Egypt (Exo. 12:12).

 

5:18:  “Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD” = Do You?  Are you sure you are ready?

 

5:19:  “serpent bit him” = In other words, no matter what you do, there is no escaping God.

 

5:21:  “your feast days” = Which should have been celebrated as “God’s Feast Days.”

 

5:25:  “in the wilderness” = Some manuscripts (“LXX”) leave this statement out; but the statement is still true.

 

5:26:  “Chiun” = This was the Babylonian name for the planet Saturn and the Egyptian god “Seb,” meaning Saturn.  See Numbers 33:52; Second Kings 11:18; Ezekiel 7:20.

 

5:27:  “beyond Damascus” = Steven refers to this in Acts 7:42-43.  In other words, to Babylon.

 

 

CHAPTER SIX

 

 

6:1:  “trust” = The Hebrew is “betach,” meaning, ‘trusting in.”  It is used 162 times in the Old Testament and in 130 of those usages it, as it is here, refers to a sense of false confidence.

 

6:2:  “Calneh” = This was at one time both the Babylonian and Assyrian capital cities.  It was filled with temples on the East bank of the Tigris River.  It was Nimrod’s “Calneh” in the Land of Shinar (Gen. 10:10).

 

“Hamath” = Capital of the Syrian state locate on the banks of the Orontes River in Aram.

 

“Gath” = Only one of the five capitals of the Philistines (Jos. 11:22; 1Sa. 17:52; 21:13; 2Sa. 1:20).

 

6:3:  “put far away” = The Hebrew is “nadah,” meaning, “to push away,” or “to put off.”  The “Talmud” designates it as “excommunication.”  Are you hoping that the “Day of the Lord” will be “put off” for you?

 

6:6:  “bowls” = Not just “bowls,” but “sacrificial bowls” as the Hebrew word “Mizraq” implies.  Amos is indicating that these were used in drunken celebrations.  But their intended use in found in Exodus 38:3; Numbers 7:13; First Kings 7:50.

 

6:14:  “afflict” = The Hebrew is “lachatz,” meaning, “to press or squeeze.”  This is the same word used to describe Balaam’s donkey being squeezed against the wall in Numbers 22:25 and a man being pushed outside against a door in Second Kings 6:32.  The concept is that God is about to squeeze Israel out of Samaria.

 

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

 

 

7:1:  “the Lord GOD shewed unto me” = Since this did not happen (Amos 7:3), it may not be important to break this down.  However, the entire text is translated as such in the “Septuagint (LXX):”  “The Lord hath shown me, and, Behold, a swarm of locusts were coming, and behold, one of the young devastating locusts was Gog the King.”  It seems as though the Alexandrian translators wanted to give Satan the credit for these “locusts” instead of it being a plague of God.  This is what happens when changing God’s Word.  According to Proverbs 30:27, the “locusts have no king.”  But if you need to have “locusts” who do have a “king,” that would be “king” Satan of his demon “locusts” in Revelation 9:7-11.

 

Amos 7:3 & 6; Exodus 32:14; Judges 2:18; First Samuel 15:11 & 35; First Chronicles 21:15; Jeremiah 42:10; Joel 2:13; Jonah 3:10 & 4:2:  “repented” -- This is not a change of mind (Num. 23:19; 1Sa. 15:29).  For God allows Himself to take either course of action in that Divine warnings (and that is precisely what this is -- a warning) are always conditional based upon the response of the people (Jer. 18:8).  While His judgments are sure (Gen. 6:6), “His mercy endures for ever,” First Chronicles 16:34.  For God even “repents” of the warnings forecasted events despite the desired response of the people (Deu. 32:36; Hos. 11:8).  Keep in mind though, God is ALWAYS available for the repentant.

 

7:7 & 8:  “plumbline” = A usual term used by God for the measuring of punishment to be administered.  According to “Albert Barns Notes on the Bible,” “He sets it ‘in the midst of’ His ‘people,’ showing that He would make trial of all, one by one, and condemn in proportion to the guilt of each.”

 

7:9:  “desolate” = It is interesting to note that Amos did not pray to stop this judgement.  He must have known that God had had enough and this judgement would take place.

 

7:10:  “Amaziah” = Hebrew, “Ometz-Yah,” meaning, “Strong is Yahweh.”

 

“Amos hath conspired against thee” = Notice how Amaziah attempts to inspire Jeroboam by claiming Amos was speaking against him, instead of pointing out that God was speaking through Amos and calling for Israel -- the term “house of Jeroboam” being understood to be (see verse 16) -- to repentance; of which Amaziah failed to mention to two times that Amos did intercede for the kingdom.

 

“to bear” = The Hebrew is “kul,” meaning “cool.”  The literal Hebrew would thus read, “the land is not able to stay cool.”

 

7:12:  “go eat bread” = A great deal has been made of the words of Amaziah the priest of Bethel, as if they proved that the prophets in those times were regarded as a wandering rhetorician, which earned their bread by reciting speeches (see Mic. 3:11).  Thus it has been inferred from the words of Amos himself that the prophets of his day were so disreputable a class that he disdained to be named along with them (see Amos 7:14).  This may not be the true meaning of, “go eat bread” in this instance, but the distain for spiritual things during this time in Israel’s history is still clearly brought out; thus, bringing us to the point where in Amos 7:12, Amos is essentially asked to leave the land.

 

This is opposed to Amos 7:14, where Amos tells Amaziah that he does not get his earnings as do most prophets, of which he was not.  Thus, Amaziah’s accusations were false again.

 

7:14:  “sycamore fruit” = Better, “sycamore fig.”  This was a tree that grew to 25 or 50 feet high.  It produced fruit four times a year.  It did not grow in the heights of Tekoa, but only in the warmer lowlands, near or in the Jordan Valley and fertile oases by the Dead Sea.

 

7:17:  “by line” = Just as in verse 7 & 8, the judgement of the “plumbline.”

 

 

CHAPTER EIGHT

 

 

8:2:  “summer fruit” = From “Albert Barnes’ Notes On The Bible:”  “The fruit was the latest harvest in Palestine.  When it was gathered, the circle of husbandry was come to its close.  The sight gives an idea of completeness.”  In other words, this was the “end of the year fruit.”  Most likely figs (Jer. 40:10 & 12).  But in a spiritual sense, it was Amos prophetic way of saying that the end of God’s protection for His people was near.  It is the same as when Christ cursed the fig tree (Mat. 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14 & 20-25).

 

“pass by” = The Hebrew is, “eber.”  Amos is using a little word play here.  He is essentially saying, “I [God] will no longer Hebrew them.”

 

8:5:  “When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath” = “[283] As the Jews departed from God, and failed to make the righteousness of Christ their own by faith, the Sabbath lost its significance to them.  Satan was seeking to exalt himself and to draw men away from Christ, and he worked to pervert the Sabbath, because it is the sign of the [284] power of Christ.”  DA:283-284.

 

8:8:  “flood of Egypt” = When the River Nile overflows its banks, the land of Egypt becomes a disaster area.  Natural disasters can be the result of God’s disapproval of a nation, as is explained here.  Spiritually speaking, Amos is foretelling the Assyrian invasion and take over of Israel.

 

The Nile River flows north from the Sudan, where the White and Blue Niles meet at Khartoum.  In June the water turns green from the microorganisms; in July the color becomes red as those organisms die.  From August to October the waters rise 21-25 feet in good years.  If it is less than a 21-foot rise, lateral flooding is insufficient for the growing of crops.  If it is more than 28 feet, towns become flooded.  Thus, the Nile both irrigates and also leaves a thin reddish-brown layer of natural fertilizer that annually renews the land.  However, anything over a 28-foot rising is a disaster.

 

8:9:  “I will cause the sun to go down at noon” = Some Bible commentators equate this to an eclipse.  But it really means that God is going to cut off Israel.

 

8:11:  “not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Words of the LORD” = These particular verses cover an End Time Prophecy.  It may be noted that when people are hungry, especially when people are hungryduring a “famine,” they will eat anything.  And so it is during the end times that people will accept “every wind of doctrine” in an effort to exploit the Word of God, but they “shall not find It,” verse 13.

 

There is in our day no “famine” of the Word of God.  With the internet and etcetera, there is no excuse.  Rather, you may possess the Word of God, but do you “hear[ing] the Words of the LORD?”

 

8:14:  “Beersheba” = Beersheba was the Southernmost city of the Northern kingdom.  Thus, it was accessable to both nations.  But neither could save it because of their sins against God.

 

 

CHAPTER NINE

 

 

9:1:  “standing upon the altar” = The Alter of Incense.  To be standing upon the Alter of Incense is to basically be saying that God will no longer listen to their unrepentant prayers.

 

“Smite the lintel of the door” = Meaning the destruction of the Temple (B.C. 586), by Babylon, just as the Philistines were whipped out at that time also.  See my Amos 1:8 Note.

 

9:2:  “dig into hell” = No escape from God’s wrath.  Read Romans 10:6-7.

 

9:5:  “flood of Egypt” = See my Amos 8:8 Note.

 

9:7:  “Caphtor” = From “Albert Barnes’ Notes On The Bible” we learn:  “In the time of Saul, another Philistine clan is mentioned, the Cherethite.  The Amalekites made a marauding inroad into the south country of the Cherethites; 1Sa. 30:14; which immediately afterward is called “the land of the Philistines,” First Samuel 30:16.  Probably then, there were different immigrations of the same tribe into Palestine. . .”

 

9:10:  “All the sinners of My people shall die” = Although you may cry “Lord, Lord,” and are called God’s chosen, or “My people,” if you are found to be a sinner, you “shall die.”

 

9:11:  “In that day” = This prophecy is referred to the times of the Messiah by the ancient Jews (“Zohar,” in Exodusfol. 96. 2).