Amos 1:8 Commento

In this chapter we have, I. The general title of this prophecy (Amo 1:1), with the general scope of it (Amo 1:2). II. God's particular controversy with Syria (Amo 1:3-5), with Palestine (Amo 1:6-8), with Tyre (Amo 1:9, Amo 1:10), with Edom (Amo 1:11, Amo 1:12), and with Ammon (Amo 1:13-15), for their cruelty to his people and the many injuries they had done them. This explains God's pleading with the nations, Joe 3:2.

This chapter begins with the general title of the book, in which the author is described by name, and by his condition of life, and by his country, and the time of his prophecy fixed, Amo 1:1. He first foretells a drought in the land of Israel, in the most fruitful places, which would cause mourning among the shepherds, Amo 1:2; then the captivity of the Syrians, whose metropolis was Damascus, Amo 1:3. Next the destruction of the Philistines, whose principal cities were Gaza, Ashdod, Askelon, and Ekron, Amo 1:6. After that the ruin of Tyre, with the reason of it, Amo 1:9; then the calamities that should come upon Edom, whose chief places were Teman and Bozrah, Amo 1:11; and lastly the desolations of the Ammonites, whose metropolis, Rabbah, should be destroyed, and their king and princes go into captivity, Amo 1:13; and all this for the sins of each of these nations.

I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod,.... The same with Azotus, Act 8:40; another principal city of the Philistines: this perhaps was fulfilled when Tartan was sent against it by Sargon king of Assyria, and took it, Isa 20:1; or however in the times of the Maccabees, when Jonathan took it, and burnt it, and the cities round about it; and took their spoils, and burnt the temple of Dagon, and those that fled to it; and what with those that were burnt, and those that fell by the sword, there perished about eight thousand, "84 But Jonathan set fire on Azotus, and the cities round about it, and took their spoils; and the temple of Dagon, with them that were fled into it, he burned with fire. 85 Thus there were burned and slain with the sword well nigh eight thousand men.'' (1 Maccabees 10) this was so strong a place, that, according to Herodotus (t), it held out a siege of twenty nine years, under Psammitichus king of Egypt. It was, according to Diodorus Siculus (u), thirty four miles, from Gaza before mentioned; and it was about eight or nine from Ashkelon, and fourteen or fifteen from Ekron after mentioned: and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon; another of the five lordships of the Philistines, whose king or governor should be cut off, with the inhabitants of it; this was done by Nebuchadnezzar, Jer 47:5. This place was about fifteen miles from Gaza, Mr. Sandys (w) says ten, but it was eight or nine miles from Ashdod; and, as Josephus (x) says, was sixty five miles from Jerusalem. It was the birth place of Herod the great, who from thence is called an Ashkelonite; but the king or governor of it was cut off before his time. It was governed by kings formerly. Justin (y) makes mention of a king of Ashkelon; according to the Samaritan interpreter, Gen 20:1; it is the same with Gerar, which had a king in the times of Abraham; hence a sceptre is here ascribed to it: and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: to destroy that; another of the chief cities of the Philistines. It was about ten miles from Gath; four of the five lordships are here mentioned, but not Gath, which was the fifth; see Sa1 6:17; because, as Kimchi says, it was in the hands of Judah. All these places were inhabited by Heathens, and guilty of gross idolatry, which must be one of the transgressions for which they were punished. Gaza was a place much given to idolatry, as it was even in later times; when other neighbouring cities embraced the Christian religion, the inhabitants of it were violent persecutors; hence that saying of Gregory Nazianzen (z), "who knows not the madness of the inhabitants of Gaza?'' here stood the temple of the god Marnas (a), which with the Syrians signified the lord of men: at Ashdod or Azotus stood the temple of Dagon, where he was worshipped, Sa1 5:2; "But Jonathan set fire on Azotus, and the cities round about it, and took their spoils; and the temple of Dagon, with them that were fled into it, he burned with fire.'' (1 Maccabees 10:84) Near Ashkelon, as Diodorus Siculus (b) relates, was a large and deep lake, full of fishes; and by it was a temple of a famous goddess, called by the Syrians Derceto, who had a woman's face, but the rest of her body in the form of a fish; being, as the fable goes, changed into one upon her casting herself into the above lake on a certain occasion; hence the Syrians abstained from fishes, and worshipped them as gods. Herodotus (c) calls this city a city of Syria, and speaks of a temple dedicated to Urania Venus; and in the Talmud (d) mention is made of the temple of Zeripha, or of a molten image at Ashkelon; and, besides idolatry, this place seems to have been famous for witchcraft; for it is said (e) that Simeon ben Shetach hung on one day at Ashkelon fourscore women for being witches; and, at Ekron, Baalzebub or the god of the fly was worshipped: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord God; all the other towns and cities belonging to them, besides those mentioned; which very likely had its accomplishment in the times of the Maccabees, when they fell into the hands of the Jews. (t) Euterpe, sive l. 2. c. 157. (u) Bibliothec. l. 19. p. 723. (w) Travels, p. 151. (x) De Bello Jud. l. 3. c. 2. sect. 1. (y) E Trogo, l. 19. c. 3. (z) Orat. 3. adv. Julian. p. 87. (a) Hieronymul in lsa. xvii. fol. 39. K. (b) Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 92. (c) Clio, sive l. 1. c. 105. (d) T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 11. 2. (e) T. Hieros. Sanhedrin, fol. 23. 3.

(Verse 6 and following) Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment; because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom. So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza, fire which shall devour its strongholds. I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, says the Lord. LXX: Thus says the Lord: Because of the three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away from it, because they carried away captive the captivity of Solomon, to shut them up in Idumea, and I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour the foundations thereof, and I will cut off the inhabitant from Azotus, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ascalon, and I will turn my hand against Accaron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord. In the third and fourth generation, the Lord threatens to repay the sins of the fathers in the Law to the children: not in the equality of judgment, so that some may sin and others may be punished, but by the magnitude of His mercy, as He always waits for repentance: and what is committed in the first generation, He does not correct and amend until the third and fourth generation comes. The apostle Paul also speaks of this to the Romans: Or do you despise the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will repay each one according to his works (Romans 2:4-6). Therefore, what He says is this: I have waited a long time for them to repent, and for this reason I did not want to punish the sinners, so that they might eventually return to health. But because they keep doing the same things for the third and fourth time, I am forced to change my mind and correct the wrongdoers with punishments. Now let us see what the Philistines and their cities have sinned, whom the Seventy always translate as foreigners; for wherever in the Old Testament we have read ἀλλοφύλους, that is, foreigners, it should not be taken as a general name for all foreign nations, but specifically as the Philistines, who are now called Palestinians. What did Gaza do to provoke the Lord to anger and vengeance? It transferred the complete captivity of the people of Judah and sold them to the Edomites, whom it had captured from the Jews. For the complete captivity, the Seventy interpreted the name of Solomon as the Hebrew word Salma (), which means complete and perfect. Finally, Aquila translated it as ἀπηρτισμένην and ἀναπεπληρωμένην; Symmachus and Theodotion as τελείαν, which signifies not Solomon, but complete and perfect, so that no captive remains who has not been handed over to the Edomites. He threatens to send himself against the walls and buildings, or even the foundations of Gaza, in order to devour and swallow everything. And because we read in the book of Kings that there are five cities of the Philistines that were struck with plagues due to the disrespect of the Ark, after Gaza, he goes to Ashdod (1 Samuel 5), which is called Esdod in the Bible, and then to Ashkelon. With a terrifying voice, he threatens to destroy the inhabitants of Ashdod and the ruler of Ashkelon, along with the royal power or tribe of Ashkelon, so that no one remains there, not even the last generation of people who have trembling limbs supported by a ruling staff. And again he moves his hand to strike Accaron. And after enumerating four cities, he includes the remaining Philistine cities in one discourse. And the rest of the Philistines will perish: whom we must either accept as the city of Gath or all the villages that are subordinate to the aforementioned cities. According to tropology, it seems that this should be explained to us: Gaza, which is called Aza in Hebrew, signifies strength or power; Salomon, peace; Idumaeus, bloodshed and earthly; Azotus, that is, Esdod, a fire of abundance or of the father; although some, reading "dod" instead of "dor," mistakenly understand it as a fire of generation; Ascalon signifies a murderous fire or one that is suspended and weighed down; Accaron, στείρωσις, that is, sterility, and ἐκρίζωσις ((Al. ἐκρίσωσις)), which means eradication. Therefore, Gaza, which boasts of its strength of knowledge and authority, is accused of imprisoning captives from the family of Solomon in Idumea. I believe these are the Jewish teachers and all those who follow the letter, do not want to receive the life-giving spirit; but whatever they interpret and understand, they want to be earthly and do not listen when the Lord speaks in parables to his disciples, saying: 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear' (Matthew 11:15), especially since the Apostle understands the clear history in two testaments (Galatians 4). One over Mount Sinai, which is Agar, and she serves with her sons: the other over Jerusalem, which is our mother. Therefore, she asserts that she will send fire onto the walls of Gaza, and all its defenses, in order to surround and protect her lies. And when she will have sent fire onto the walls, the houses or foundations of it, whatever can have strength (if it can have any), and everything built by dialectic art, will be devoured. Also, from Ashdod, which itself is foreign, she will take away its inhabitant: whose breasts are full not of milk but of fire, because she follows the letter (literal interpretation), and everything that lies about having fire as its father, its whole generation must be attributed to fires. (Hosea 9:14) And they will take the scepter, or tribe, from Ascalon, where the destructive fire is. For just as the fire of the Lord will save those whose hearts it has penetrated, so this fire that descends from heaven, like lightning, which ignites the devil's arrows, will kill whoever it strikes. He will also stretch out his hand over Accaron, where there is barrenness and uprooting. For whoever does not receive spiritual understanding, will hear through Hosea: Give them, O Lord. What will you give them? Give them a barren womb and withered breasts. And to sum up everything in one word, he says that he will destroy all the remaining Philistines, whether in the city of Gath, where the devil's winepress is, or all the other Philistines, who are also called fallen by the cup. For when they are intoxicated, they will fall and roll in their own vomit.

This chapter denounces judgments against the nations bordering on Palestine, enemies to the Jews, viz., the Syrians, Amo 1:1-5; Philistines, Amo 1:6-8; Tyrians, Amo 1:9, Amo 1:10; Edomites, Amo 1:11, Amo 1:12; and Ammonites, Amo 1:13-15. The same judgments were predicted by other prophets, and fulfilled, partly by the kings of Assyria, and partly by those of Babylon; though, like many other prophecies, they had their accomplishment by degrees, and at different periods. The prophecy against the Syrians, whose capital was Damascus, was fulfilled by Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria; see Kg2 16:9. The prophecy against Gaza of the Philistines was accomplished by Hezekiah, Kg2 18:8; by Pharaoh, Jer 47:1; and by Alexander the Great; see Quintius Curtius, lib. 4. c. 6. The prophecy against Ashdod was fulfilled by Uzziah, Ch2 26:6; and that against Ashkelon by Pharaoh, Jer 47:5. All Syria was also subdued by Pharaoh-necho; and again by Nebuchadnezzar, who also took Tyre, as did afterwards Alexander. Nebuchadnezzar also subdued the Edomites, Jer 25:9, Jer 25:21; Jer 27:3, Jer 27:6. Judas Maccabeus routed the remains of them, 1 Maccabees 5:3; and Hyrcanus brought them under entire subjection. The Ammonites were likewise conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. The earthquake, which the prophet takes for his era, is perhaps referred to in Zac 14:5, and also in Isa 5:25. Josephus ascribes it to Uzziah's invasion of the priestly office; see Ch2 26:16.

GOD'S JUDGMENTS ON SYRIA, PHILISTIA, TYRE, EDOM, AND AMMON. (Amo 1:1-15) The words of Amos--that is, Amos' oracular communications. A heading found only in Jer 1:1. among the herdmen--rather, "shepherds"; both owning and tending sheep; from an Arabic root, "to mark with pricks," namely, to select the best among a species of sheep and goats ill-shapen and short-footed (as others explain the name from an Arabic root), but distinguished by their wool [MAURER]. God chooses "the weak things of the world to confound the mighty," and makes a humble shepherd reprove the arrogance of Israel and her king arising from prosperity (compare Sa1 17:40). which he saw--in supernatural vision (Isa 1:1). two years before the earthquake--mentioned in Zac 14:5. The earthquake occurred in Uzziah's reign, at the time of his being stricken with leprosy for usurping the priest's functions [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 9:10.4]. This clause must have been inserted by Ezra and the compilers of the Jewish canon.

Ashdod, &c.--Gath alone is not mentioned of the five chief Philistine cities. It had already been subdued by David; and it, as well as Ashdod, was taken by Uzziah (Ch2 26:6). Gath perhaps had lost its position as one of the five primary cities before Amos uttered this prophecy, whence arose his omission of it. So Zep 2:4-5. Compare Jer 47:4; Eze 25:16. Subsequently to the subjugation of the Philistines by Uzziah, and then by Hezekiah, they were reduced by Psammetichus of Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar, the Persians, Alexander, and lastly the Asmoneans.

I. The Approaching Judgment - Amo 1:1-15 and 2 Starting from the saying of Joel (Joe 3:16), "Jehovah will roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem," Amos announces the wrath of the Lord, which will discharge itself upon Damascus (Amo 1:3-5), Philistia (Amo 1:6-8), Tyre (Amo 1:9-10), Edom (Amo 1:11-12), Ammon (Amo 1:13-15), Moab (Amo 2:1-3), Judah (Amo 2:4-5), and Israel (Amo 2:6-16). The announcement of this judgment maintains a certain uniformity throughout; every one of these nations being threatened with the destruction of the kingdom, or with ruin and exile, "for three or four transgressions;" and the threat, as Rckert has well expressed it, "rolling like a storm, in strophe after strophe, over all the surrounding kingdoms," touching Judah as it passes along, and eventually resting over Israel. The six heathen nations mentioned, three of which are related to the covenant nation, represent all the Gentile nations, which rise up in hostility to the people or kingdom of God. For the sins on account of which they are to be punished, are not certain general breaches of morality, but crimes which they have committed against the people of God; and in the case of Judah, contempt of the commandments of the Lord, and idolatry. The whole section, not merely Amos 1:2-2:5, but also Amo 2:6-16, has an introductory character. Whilst, on the one hand, the extension of the prediction of judgment to the Gentile nations indicates the necessity and universality of the judgment, which is sent to promote the interests of the kingdom of God, and preaches the truth that every one will be judged according to his attitude towards the living God; on the other hand, the place assigned to the Gentile nations, viz., before the covenant nation, not only sharpened the conscience, but taught this lesson, that if even the nations which had only sinned indirectly against the living God were visited with severe punishment, those to whom God had so gloriously revealed Himself (Amo 2:9-11; Amo 3:1) would be punished still more surely for their apostasy (Amo 3:2). It is with this design that Judah is also mentioned along with Israel, and in fact before it. "The intention was to impress this truth most strongly upon the people of the ten tribes, that not even the possession of such glorious prerogatives as the temple and the throne of David could avert the merited punishment. If this be the energy of the justice of God, what have we to look for?" (Hengstenberg).