Amos Chapter 4
From The Open Bible Project
4:1 Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husbands, "Bring us drinks!"
- (a) Thus he calls the princes and governors, who being overwhelmed with the great abundance of God’s benefits, forgot God, and therefore he calls them by the name of beasts and not of men.
- (b) They encourage those who have authority over the people to oppress them, so that they may have profit by it.
4:2 The Lord Yahweh has sworn by his holiness that behold, "The days shall come on you that they will take you away with hooks, and the last of you with fish hooks.
- (c) He alludes to fishers, who catch fish by hooks or thorns.
4:3 You will go out at the breaks in the wall, everyone straight before her; and you will cast yourselves into Harmon," says Yahweh.
4:4 "Go to Bethel, and sin; to Gilgal, and sin more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days,
- (d) He speaks this in contempt of those who resorted to those places, thinking that their great devotion and good intention was sufficient to have bound God to them.
- (e) Read (Deuteronomy 14:28).
4:5 offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim free will offerings and brag about them: for this pleases you, you children of Israel," says the Lord Yahweh.
- (f) As (Leviticus 7:13).
- (g) You only delight in these outward ceremonies and care for nothing else.
4:6 "I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in every town; yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.
- (h) That is, lack of bread and meat.
4:7 "I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city. One place was rained on, and the piece where it didn't rain withered.
- (i) I stopped the rain until the fruits of the earth were destroyed with drought, and yet you would not consider to return to me by repentance.
4:8 So two or three cities staggered to one city to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.
- (k) They could not find enough water where they had heard that it had rained.
4:9 "I struck you with blight and mildew many times in your gardens and your vineyards; and your fig trees and your olive trees have the swarming locust devoured: yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.
4:10 "I sent plagues among you like I did Egypt. I have slain your young men with the sword, and have carried away your horses; and I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camp, yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.
- (l) As I plagued the Egyptians; (Exodus 9:10).
4:11 "I have overthrown some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a burning stick plucked out of the fire; yet you haven't returned to me," says Yahweh.
- (m) You were almost all consumed, and a few of you were wonderfully preserved; (2 Kings 14:26).
4:12 "Therefore thus will I do to you, Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel.
4:13 For, behold, he who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought; who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the high places of the Earth: Yahweh, the God of Armies, is his name."
- (n) Turn to him by repentance.
