Amos 1:1-12
AMOS, as before noted, was an early prophet; compare verse 1 with Hosea 1:1. His name means “burden bearer”, and he was a herdman or sheep master, and a gatherer or dresser of sycamore fruit (thought to be the sycamore-fig, or fig-mulberry) (See chapter 7:14, 15). Tekoa was a few miles from Bethlehem.
The burden laid on Amos was the state of God’s earthly people, the two nations of Israel and Judah, and the chastisement which was shortly to fall upon them because of their many sins. God was about to deal, also, with their neighbors on both borders, and these are spoken of briefly, at the beginning of the prophecy. As yet, He dwelt in Zion, where before long He will again have His earthly dwelling place, when the restoration of Israel is undertaken.
In Joel 3:16 is language similar to verse 2, except that Joel’s words refer to the yet future day of judgment, while Amos’s relate to that which was shortly to come to pass. God has long patience, but He will not compromise with evil.
The expression, “for three transgressions...and for four,” used repeatedly in chapters 1 and 2, covers a course of sin, rather than a certain number of offences, as three, or four, or seven.
God would not turn away from the judgment of Damascus, the capital of Syria, because of the cruelty the Syrians had practiced in taking Gilead, the northeastern section of Israel’s land—beyond the Jordan (2 Kings 8:12, 28; 10:32, 83). “Ben-Hadad” was a title of the kings of Syria, meaning “Son of Hadad”, the Sun-god of the Syrians. The “bar” of Damascus referred to its defenses against an enemy, the plain (or valley) of Aven tells of the prevalence of idolatry; Beth-Eden appears to have been a name for the city of Damascus, as it means “House of delight”. Kir has not been identified, but it is thought to be a region between the Black and Caspian seas (See 2 Kings 16:9 for the fulfilment of this prophecy).
Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Ekron were the royal cities of the Philistines; formerly they were five in number, but Gath may have been abandoned about this time (See 2 Chronicles 26:6). The captivity mentioned in verses 6 and 9 is not identified in the historical books. The Philistines are yet to perish as a people (verse 8; see Isaiah 14:29-31; Jeremiah 47; Ezekiel 25:15-17; Zephaniah 2:4-7; Zechariah 9:5-7).
Tyre’s glory was to end, and it did when first Nebuchadnezzar, and later Alexander the Great captured the city; but it will come into judgment at the Lord’s appearing, and after that Isaiah 23:18 will be literally fulfilled, with Psalm 45:12 also.
Edom with its district of Teman and capital city of Bozrah will be judged in the coming day, as several Scriptures witness. It was the land of Esau, whose children came to hate the children of Jacob with an undying hatred (Psalm 83; Psalm 137:7; Isaiah 11:14, 31; 63:1-6; Jeremiah 49:7-22; Lamentations 4:21; Ezekiel 25:12-14; 35; Joel:19; Obadiah; Malachi 1:2-5).
The nations spoken of in this chapter and in the next have disappeared with the glory of their kings, —and their cities are decadent or desolate; but Syria, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab will reappear as distinct peoples in the regions they formerly occupied, to be judged at the Lord’s appearing, now not far distant.
ML 01/03/1937