Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · minor prophets · Amos
THE PROPHESIE OF AMOS.
THE time when Amos prophesied is expressed to be the same with that wherein Hosea prophesied, viz. in the dayes of Ʋzziah, and Jeroboam, only here it is more particularly set forth by the earth-quake, and 2 years before it, of which it is again spoken Zech. 14. this being added, in the dayes of Ʋzziah, so that although in the sacred History no mention be made of it, yet as Josephus hath it, we may gather, that it was at the same time, that he presuming to offer incense was smitten with the 2 Chron. 26. V. 1.Leprosie. For the person prophesying, he was an herdsman of Tekoah, which we may gather to have been in Judah, chap. 7. 12. and Jerom saith, it was 12 miles from Jerusalem, and Josephus saith that it was a village near to a vast wildernesse which extends to Persia and India. But although Amos were of the land of Judah, yet he prophesied in Israel, that is, the Kingdome of the ten tribes, as is expresly said ver. 1. and is further shewed ch. 7. 12. 13. In that an herdsman was stirred up to be a Prophet, we may see that the spirit of God is not tyed Note. to Priests and such as have education in the schools of the Prophets, but when God pleaseth he doth sometimes inspire others that be without learning, as also the Apostles of Christ. But here is no ground for any man to come from a trade to a Propheticall office of his own head, as too many doe now adayes, Note. to the great disgrace of Prophesying and discouragement from learning. For it is a rare thing when any man is thus stirred up, and hath not been since the Apostles dayes, and when one hath been so sent, he hath been indued with gifts accordingly, proving his calling to be from God, as these are not, and therefore may well have that saying applyed unto them, they run before they are sent, and it is to be noted, that in Israel there was no Prophet at this time, so that there was need of one to be raised up extraordinarily.
The Lord will roar from Zion: Here Amos beginneth almost as Joel ended, ch. V. 2.3. 16. the habitations of shepherds shall mourn and the top of Carmell shall wither: He useth the same words at the first, saith Gualter, that Joel doth, but the next Gualter.words shew that he useth them in a diverse sense, there he is spoken of, as a Lion roaring to scare away enemies, for the comfort of his people, here to terrifie his people Israel and other Nations also for their sins, in that he setteth forth himself as a Lion coming amongst shepherds, and there tearing and killing, and causing by this means great sorrow in their dwellings, so that Carmel, a place of note for feeding sheep, shall through his roaring by his judgments be illon it also; for it shall wither through drought that was commonly so green with grasse, and so these last words may be taken as an exegesis of the former, it being here shewed how the Lord would roar, viz. by a drought causing the fruitfullest pastures to wither, and consequently a destruction amongst the sheep, which should cause mourning in their shepherds. All which yet may be taken metaphorically, by shepherds, rulers and governours of the people being understood, that should mourne for the destruction of their people and their owne miseries also, as Kings be often called shepherds.
For three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof: Vulg. I will not turn it: Calvin, I will not be propitious to it: Hebr. agreeth V. 3.with Vulg. the meaning is, for the many sins of Damascus, the Metropolis of Syria, I will not, though intreated, turn to it in grace and mercy, forgiving what they have there done. For places most wicked and heathen seeing themselves in great danger, will fal to prayer, as the mariners in the ship with Jonah: but although Damascus should do so, the Lord here threatens, that he will not turn from punishing, as he now threatned. The Hebrews, saith Lyra, gather from hence, that sin is remissible to the third time of committing it, but not Lyra.the fourth: but this is contrary to Scripture, for Manasseh sinned often, and yet was forgiven, and our Lord would have us forgive the repentant having sinned 7 times, yea 70 times, and therefore this observation is frivolous. But we may truly hence gather, that it is most difficult for a sinner to be converted Note. that hath traded long in sin, as for an Ethiopian to put away his blacknesse, Jer. 23.and so to come into favour with God and be saved from destruction: because they have threshed Gilead, here the cruelty of the Syrions towards the Gileadites, a part of the Kingdom of Israel, is set forth, for which they should suffer as followeth, v. 4. Touching the threshing here spoken of, hereby it is meant, that they did most cruelly tear them, as Elisha had foretold Asahel their King that he should doe, and as he did to Gilead in particular, 2 King. 10. 32. see also ch. 7. and the instrument here spoken of, saith Lyra, was an instrument not so much to beat out corne, but to cut it small with the straw and fire it for provender.
But I will send a fire into the house of Asahel, which shall devour the Palaces of Benhadad: He had charged Damascus with three and four transgressions, that is, V. 4.seven, as Calvin noteth, but having mentioned one, he passeth away and comes Calvin.presently to their punishment in this verse. In this one sin then, or this one way, they transgressed foully many times, For both Hazael, and his son Benhaded oppressed Israel all their dayes, 2 King. 13. 3. therefore doubtlesse they came often against Israel and often dealt cruelly with Gods people. For the fire kindled for this in the house of Asahel, it was by the hot war which the Assyrians made against Syria in the time of Ahaz, not ceasing till they had destroyed it 2 King. 16. 19.from being a Kingdome, at which time the King being slain the people were carryed captive to Kir, as is shewed in the History according to the prophesie here, I will cut off the inhabitants from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the V. 5.Seepter from the house of Eden, and the people shall go into captivity to Kir, by the house of Eden, signifieth pleasure, the Kings house being meant.
And it is to be noted that two places of a contrary signification are here named, Aven sorrow, and Eden pleasure; to shew that the people who lead a toilsome life through hard labour, and the King that lived in pleasure should now be cut off and come to misery alike: there was also a city in Coelosyria called Eden, by the Septuagint Paradise. Whereas he speaketh of two Kings of Damascus and their houses, Asahel and Benhadad, naming Beuhadad last, Calvin finds fault with Jerom for saying that Benhadad reigned after Asahel, as committing a grosse oversight, forsomuch as Benhadad was before him, and was by him murthered: but it is a marvail that he observed not, that Asahel had a son also called Benhadad, that raigned after him, it being …o plain in the sacred History, 2 King. 13 3.
For three transgressions of Gaza and for four I will not turn, &c. From the Syrians V. 6:he passeth on here to the Philistims, unto Gaza, adding Asbdod, Ashkelon and Ekron, other great cities of the Philistims, all which he threatneth, saying, V. 7.because they carryed away the whole captivity to deliver them to Edom, I will send a fire on 2 Chron. 28. 17, 18.the wals of Gaza, and cut off the inhabitants of Ashdod, &c. For the sins of the Philistims, the holy History saith, that Edom invaded Judah, and smote it, and carryed away captives, the Philistims also invaded them and tooke Bethshemesh, &c. this Amos calleth the Philistims carrying away of the whole captivity to Edom, because Edom having prevailed in part against Judah, and carryed some captives away, the Philistims came and tooke and dwelt in another part, for which the old inhabitants must needs be many of them turned out, and so come into the hands of the Edomites also. Of the Philistims practises against Judah, see also 2 Chr. 21. 16. For the threatning against them see also Esay 15. & 20.
They delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembred not the brotherly covenant. V. 9.Here the men of Tyrus are also threatned, and the same sin is laid to their charge that was laid to the charge of the Philistims, and it is aggravated against them by the breach of covenant, which Gualter saith, some expound of Gualter.the covenant sometime made, betwixt David and Hiram, and Solemon and Hiram King of Tyrus; some because it is said the brotherly covenant, of the straight band of brotherhood between Jacob & Esau, of whom the Israelites and Edomites came, and therefore were bound not the one to hurt the other, but the Tyrians holp the Edomites to break this band, when they sold the Jews for slaves unto them, or holp them in their unnaturall wars, whereby they came into their power. And he followeth both these, noting, how great a sin it is to have an hand in breaking covenants. Of Tyrus threatned likewise see Joel 3. 4. and the Philistims Note. also. And how populous and rich Tyrus and Sidon were, and how strong, it hath been often spoken of, that I need not now speak any more of it. Only wee may see how great the courage of Amos was when this city flourished most and Israel also in the dayes of the second Jeroboam, he durst denounce destruction to them: Lyra by the brotherly covenant, following the vulg. Lat. they remembred not the covenant of brethren, expounds it of that betwixt Solomon and Lyra.Hiram, who is said to have called Solomon brother, 1 King. 9. And to this I subscribe, because it it Hebr. the covenant of brethren, and although Esau and Jacob were brethren, yet we read not of any covenant made betwixt them, and if there were, the breach of it could not wel be laid to the charge of the Tyrians, but of the Edomites only.
Because he pursued his brother with the sword: here Edom that came of Esau, is threatned, and the old hatred of Esau, or Edom against his brother Jacob, is V. 11.commemorated, of which see Gen. 27. and of his coming out against him with the sword, Gen. 32. 6. and again of the coming out of the Edomites, in like manner, when Israel desired a passage through their country, Numb. 20. and always after they persisted in a deadly hatred of Israel. Therefore Teman is threatned and Bozrah, two places of greatest note in the country of Edom, all the rest being meant hereby, see Esa. 34. 6. Jer. 49. This fire threatned to Teman came by Nebuchadnezzar, Jer. 27. And for Bozrah, besides that in Idumea spoken of Esay 63. there was another in Moab Jer. 48.
Because they have ript up the women of Gilead with child, that they might inlarge their V. 13.border: Here the Ammonites are threatned, who came of one of Lots daughters, and so were also of kin to Israel as well as Edom: but their enmity against Israel was no lesse then theirs, upon it Jer. 49. toucheth, when he saith, why doth Malchom occupy Gad, and his people inhabit the cities thereof, that Gilead, which lay within the lot of Gad, and is here spoken of; we read also of their enmity in the time of Iphtah, and in Sauls time, when they offered most unheard of Judg. 11. 1 Sam. 11.cruelty to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and of their inhumanity to David, 2 Sam. 10. But here is a greater point of cruelty spoken of, for which the Lord would suffer them no longer to go unpunished. The cause why the Ammonites did thus, is said to be to inlarge their border, it was ambition and covetousnesse, which is hereby shewed to be a most foul sin, when a Nation not content with its own borders shal invade other mens, bounds being set by God to every Nation, Deut. 32. Act. 9. And this constitution was so accounted of amongst the Romans, that they worshipped bounds as Gods, and Virgil calleth a bound, Capitoli immobile sacrum, and against the removing hereof, see Deut. 19. and ch. 27. it is cursed.
I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, that is, the chiefe city of Ammon, of which see 2 Sam. 11. 1. and to expresse what fire is meant, it is said, with shouting V. 14.in the day of battle, and with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind, so that hereby is shewed that the destruction of the Ammonites, should also be by enemies fighting against them and firing their city, at what time they should come upon them with bideous shouting, and this destruction should be sudden, as by a tempest bearing down all things.
And their King shall goe into captivity: the word rendred their King, is Melcham, which was also the name of an Idoll amongst them. But here it is rather to V. 15.be understood of their King, because it is said, both he and his Princes. Thus they that ambitiously seeke the enlargement of their countries by incroaching Note. upon the bounds of others, shall through Gods just judgment lose both that which is unjustly thus gotten, and their own land also.