Chapter 5

1 A lamentation for Israel. 4 An exhortation to repentance. 21 God rejecteth their hypocritical service.

1. Hear. This is the third of Amos’ three messages (see on chs. 3:1; 4:1). For the keynote of this message, see on ch. 5:4. Here God offers, as it were, to settle out of court (see on chs. 3:3; 4:12).

A lamentation. In vs. 1–3 Amos laments the fall of Israel. After pronouncing woes upon the rebellious Israelites, the prophet changes his tone to that of a mournful spectator looking upon fulfilled judgments. In this he reflected the spirit of Christ, who is so gracious that He not only shows us our sins but sorrows when He must punish us for them (see Luke 19:40–44).

2. The virgin. This term is applied to Israel, despite her unfaithfulness to God, probably because she has been tenderly cared for by God and guarded by Him from enemies (see Isa. 23:12; Jer. 14:17; cf. Isa. 47:1).

No more rise. See on Hosea 4:17.

3. By a thousand. So severe would be the chastisement of God upon Israel that only a tenth of a city’s inhabitants would be left. The same ratio would apply to the small cities and towns also. The covetousness of Israel (see on ch. 2:7) results in loss, not gain.

4. Seek ye me. Verses 4–6 are both a vindication of the destruction coming to Israel and a last offer of escape. God in His boundless mercy will freely forgive the past if they will but turn to Him. Nothing pleases God more than the sinner’s return to Him, and all His dealings with us have as their object this result (see Eze. 18:23, 31, 32; Luke 15:3–7). Until, therefore, the judgment actually falls upon the sinner, the threat of it is used as a deterrent to the transgressor’s course.

This verse states the keynote of Amos’ third message (see on v. 1). If Israel will only “seek” God, the otherwise inevitable result will not follow.

Ye shall live. A promise to those who seek God with the whole heart (see Jer. 29:13, 14).

5. Seek not. By nature man is a seeker, either of that which is good or of that which is bad. Bethel and Gilgal were centers of idolatrous worship (see on Hosea 4:15; Amos 4:4).

Beer-sheba. A town 43 mi. (68.8 km.) south of Jerusalem. It had become at some time a shrine of idolatry (see 2 Kings 23:8), and apparently the Israelites resorted to it, though it was distant from their territory (see Amos 8:14).

Gilgal shall surely go into captivity. Heb. gilgal galoh yigleh. Note that this clause is an alliterative play on words.

Beth-el. Amos declares that Bethel, “the house of God,” shall not merely be a “house of vanity,” but vanity itself (see on Hosea 4:15). In other words, Bethel, instead of being a place for the worship of the true God, had become the temple of an idol, and so had become nothingness (see 1 Cor. 8:4).

Of the three cities mentioned in this verse as centers of idolatry, only two were mentioned by Amos as being doomed to destruction. Evidently it was because Beer-sheba was not in the territory of the ten tribes that Amos does not indicate its fate. Further, when Israel was overcome, Beer-sheba was not involved in the ruin.

6. Ye shall live. God holds out His gracious promises to sinners, lest in despair they go from sin to sin.

Like fire. In His punishing of sin, God is likened to “a consuming fire” (see Deut. 4:24; Jer. 4:4). God desires that all men be saved, but whoever determines to follow his own evil ways cannot escape from God’s just punishment (see 2 Peter 3:7–9).

House of Joseph. Joseph was the father of Ephraim, the most important tribe of the northern kingdom (see on Hosea 4:17); hence this term, “the house of Joseph,” is equivalent to Israel.

7. Wormwood. A plant of the genus Artemisia, with a very bitter taste (see Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4). So great was the moral corruption of Israel that justice was converted into bitterest injustice.

8. Seek him that maketh. Literally, “he that maketh.”

The seven stars. Heb. kimah, generally considered to be the Pleiades (see on Job 38:31).

Orion. Heb. kesil (see on Job 9:9).

Shadow of death. See on Ps. 23:4. The phrase “turneth the shadow of death into the morning” is employed as a striking contrast to the clause “ye who turn judgment to wormwood” (Amos 5:7).

Poureth them out. This may refer to the Flood (see Gen. 7) and like catastrophes, or it may be a description of the marvel of divine providence whereby, through evaporation, moisture is drawn up from the sea, later to fall as rain.

9. That strengtheneth. This verse is somewhat obscure in the Hebrew. The RSV reads, “Who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.”

10. In the gate. In Eastern cities the gate was the place of public concourse, for business, for the administration of justice, and for hearing and telling news (see on Gen. 19:1; Joshua 8:29). The area by the chief gate of Samaria was very large (see 1 Kings 22:10; 2 Kings 7:1; 2 Chron. 18:9).

They abhor him. One of the outstanding evidences of the impenitent condition of the apostate Israelites was their disdain of truth and righteousness.

11. Burdens of wheat. Possibly compulsory contributions and exactions that the leaders demanded. These “burdens” may also refer to interest charged for money or food lent.

Ye shall not dwell. Contrast this warning of punishment with the promise of blessing recorded in Isa. 65:22.

12. Bribe. This may refer not only to money given to win a case at law, but also to ransom or redemption money paid to avoid the penalty for committing a crime (see 1 Sam. 12:3; Prov. 6:35). The law forbade the taking of such ransom for the life of a murderer (see on Num. 35:31).

Turn aside the poor. This indicates depriving a poor man of the justice due him, because of his inability to pay (see Ex. 23:6; Deut. 16:19).

14. Seek good. Amos appeals to Israel to be as diligent in seeking the “good” as they have been in seeking the “evil” (see vs. 4–6). Further, he reminded them that they could not seek the good without putting away first the evil (see Isa. 1:16, 17).

As ye have spoken. From the time when Israel definitely chose the Lord and rejected Baal (see on 1 Kings 18:39) they worshiped Jehovah in name, in spite of their idolatry. The prophets strove to generate a true worship in the heart.

15. Be gracious. God knows that most of Israel will not repent, yet He offers His grace to “the remnant.”

The remnant. This implies that only a few of the Israelites will be saved from the final ruin of their city and nation. Perhaps Amos uses the word “Joseph” instead of “Ephraim” to draw attention to their forefather who received Jacob’s blessing, and for whose sake this remnant should be spared.

16. God of hosts. See Amos 3:13; see on Jer. 7:3.

Wailing. Since the iniquity of Israel is incorrigible, divine judgment must follow.

The husbandman. He is here pictured as being summoned from his labor in the field to mourn over the calamity in his home.

Skilful of lamentation. The hired mourners, who sang mournful songs at funerals (see on Jer. 9:17).

17. In all vineyards. Places where joy and gladness held sway (see Isa. 16:10).

18. Woe unto you! The prophet warns those who trust in Israel’s covenant relation with God and think that religious formalism will be acceptable to Him.

That desire. The Israelites expected that the “day of the Lord” would bring them great good—deliverance from their enemies, unparalleled prosperity, a position of eminence among the nations. Amos warned that the day would bring quite the opposite.

To what end? The prophet told the Israelites that, contrary to their expectations, and because of their wickedness, “the day of the Lord” would be a day of trouble and death, when their own nation would be destroyed, and they themselves would be taken into captivity.

20. Be darkness. Again the people are warned that their confidence that “the day of the Lord” would bring them good is a delusion (v. 18). See further on ch. 8:9.

21. I hate. Faithfulness in the mere externals of religion will not win divine favor in the time of judgment. Worship can no more be evaluated merely by the order and beauty of its outward form than can the dietary value of a fruit be determined merely by its size and color.

Feast days. In view of their evil lives, these feasts were but an expression of Israel’s hypocrisy (see on Isa. 1:11–15).

22. Offer me burnt offerings. This verse indicates that in their idolatry the Israelites still observed some of the formal ritual of the Mosaic law.

Meat offerings. That is, meal or grain offerings (see on Num. 15:4).

23. Noise of thy songs. The people’s superficial and insincere worship made their psalms and hymns nothing but an offensive and wearisome sound in the ears of God (see Eze. 26:13).

Viols. Heb. nebalim, harps with 12 strings (see Vol. III, pp. 33, 34). Both instrumental and vocal music formed a part of the Temple worship (see 1 Chron. 16:42; 23:5; 25:6, 7).

24. Judgment. Or, “justice.”

A mighty stream. That is, a watercourse supplied by a perennial stream instead of a seasonal one (see on 1 Sam. 17:3). This beautiful figure of speech presented to Israel God’s desire for them (see on Jer. 5:15), and it is His desire still for His people today.

25. Have ye offered? Even in the wilderness wandering, where the children of Israel had practically no contact with outside idolatrous worship, they “offered” not to the Lord the true and faithful obedience that was His due (see Ps. 78:37).

26. Tabernacle. Heb. sikkuth. As a proper name, sikkuth may be the name of a god. However, it may simply be a shelter or shrine.

Your Moloch. Or, “your king.”

Chiun. Who this god was cannot be known for certain. Some hold that Chiun is not a proper name, but means “a pedestal,” or “base,” of an idol.

Ye made to yourselves. Here is revealed the apostates’ fundamental motive, the satisfaction of self. In the last analysis all idolatry is self-will. Stephen, in referring to this part of Amos’ prophecy (see Acts 7:42, 43), emphasized the fact of Israel’s idolatry rather than the details of their idol worship.

27. Into captivity. God frequently punishes sin against Himself through some human instrumentality, generally that of wicked men (see 2 Sam. 24:13; PK 291; see on 2 Chron. 22:8).

Beyond Damascus. Damascus was the capital of a powerful Syrian kingdom to the north. Until the Assyrians gained the ascendancy in that part of the world, Syria was the most powerful enemy that God had employed to punish His people (see 2 Kings 13:7). God had recently delivered Israel from Syria and given Damascus into their hands (see 2 Kings 14:23–28). However, owing to Israel’s continued apostasy, Damascus, the scene of Israel’s recent victory, would be the pathway to captivity. The Assyrians were shortly to take Israel captive beyond the nearby regions of Damascus, into more distant lands.

Ellen G. White comments

4, 5 PK 284

8     MH 414; 8T 263

10, 12  PK 282

11   Ed 143

14   ML 87

14, 15  PK 284

20   GC 310