Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · minor prophets · Amos · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
YEe kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, &c. By the Kine of V. 1.Bashan here Amos understandeth the Judges and Rulers of Samaria, and he stileth them thus, because that being fed in the fattest pastures, that is, abounding most with wealth, and having the honour to judge and rule over others, they regarded nothing lesse then to govern well and to judge aright, as being addicted more to their ease, and pleasure and gain, whereby their excesse might be maintained, like not Oxen that labour, but Cowes who doe nothing but feed and fill their bellies and wax fat against the day of slaughter. For Bashan was a most fruitfull place of pasture, and therefore they are compared to Kine there, although dwelling in Samaria, and Bashan was on this side Jordan in the lot of the Reubenites and Gadites. And what is it, that he would have these Kine to heare? yee oppresse the poore and crush the needy, and say to their Masters bring wine, whereby the poore the borrower is meant, and by the creditour the Master, the meaning being, that whereas Magistrates are appointed to doe justice for the relief of the poore debter against hard hearted Usurers, they contrariwise fulfilled the desire of such misers to the wronging of such poore, and to make themselves the more merry when they did so, they bad these masters bring wine, as if he should have said, give me a quart or pottle of wine and I will doe it for you, according to your desire. Whence note how much rulers degenerate, that are led by covetou…nesse and sensuality Note. of men in most eminent place, they thus make themselves very beasts fit for nothing, but when they are growne enough to bee butchered. Whereas the Prophet may seeme to forget himselfe much in using such base language to Magistrates, whom all ought to honour and speak reverently to, as to Gods Vicegerents. Gualter answers well. All private Gualter.men indeed ought to speak to them with reverence, but the Prophet or Minister of God, whose Office is publickly to reprove sin in the highest, is not alwayes bound to goe by this Law, but if Rulers be beasts, he may call them beasts, as Christ did Herod a crafty fox, and Jeremy telleth Jehoiakim that he should be buryed with the buriall of an Asse; and Samuel tels Saul he had done foolishly. But this is rarely to be done, and not without an instinct of the spirit moving hereunto, as we may see in Paul calling Anonias a painted wall, but understanding that he was the High Priest, he confessed his errour, and proved, that a Judge may not, much lesse a King be ordinarily spoken to in Note. vilifying words. And therefore they doe they know not what, who being private persons, if the Judge or other Magistrate displeaseth them, yea or the King himself, are ready by base language to rail upon them: and it would be be noted, that it was thought a just cause of death in Naboth that he had blasphemed God and the King.
Yee shall goe out every Cow at the breach that is before her, and yee shall cast them into V. 3.the Palace, saith the Lord, the Vulg. yee shall be cast into Armon, that is, saith Lyra a countrey beyond Assyria, and Heb. it is foreign which if it be taken for an appellative, signifieth a palace, otherwise being taken for a proper name, it is Armon, hereby some parts of Armenia being meant, whither the ten Tribes were carryed, and have there remained shut up by the mountaines ever since. This is also Jeromes, and most probably the true meaning, and if it be rendred Palace, I cannot see, how any good sense can be made, yee shall cast them into the Palace; they that follow this reading, say it is meant, some shall attempt to flee away through the breaches made in the wall of the City by the enemy, but not being able return back to their Palaces seeking by the strength of the place to save themselves. But if he had meant so, he would not have said, ye shall cast them into the Palace, but rather they shall cast them, making them for fear to recoil thither after an attempt to escape away. Besides this exposition is plainly forced, after their going out by the breaches, to say, that they were forced to the Palaces, from which they were quite gone out of the City; wherefore I rest in the former as being without all exception. And then by the former words is meant their being carryed away captive through the breaches some after other some, yet not so far distant, but that one saw another, and followed him, as one Cow another being driven through a gate from pasture.
For the words of vers. 2. He will take you away with hookes and your posterity with V. 2.fish hookes, if we follow this reading, the sense will be plain, the Assyrians shall come as fishers, and take you away as fishes being drawn with fishhooks, against which ye shall have no power, as fishes have not, when the hooks are once fastened in their nosethrils, although they be great and strong. The like metaphor is used in speaking of Senacherib, I will put an hook in thy nosethrils, and Esa. 38.Jer. 16. 16. I will send for many fishers, and they shall fish them: but the Vulgar Latine hath it, Levabo vos in contis & reliquias vestras in ollis ferventibus, expounded by Lyra, I will lift you up by such instruments, as wherewith great Lyra.burthens are raised, this being spoken of them, that were carryed away captive, and I will burn you that remain in your houses. The word rendered contis, but in the New Translation with hooks, signifieth also shields, and not foreign the word here used, but foreign signifieth pricks, and therefore it should as I take it be rendred with shields, as if he had said by armed men, that shall come against you, one peice of armour then in use, the shield being named for all. For the next word, about which the difference is, viz. foreign properly signifying pots of fish, it seemeth, that the Vulg. in rendring it respected rather the sense, then the proper meaning of the words, taking it as meant, that like fishes they should be boiled in pots seething upon the fire, understanding by these pots their houses fired by the enemy wherein many of them dyed & were consumed to ashes, as fishes would be in a pot being without water set upon a most ardent fire. But forsomuch as foreign signifieth hookes, and not foreign, it is not so genuine hereby to render it, wherefore I think it best rather to adhere to Jerome. Now because the Israelites would hardly beleive when their Kingdome was so mighty, that it could ever come to this, the Lord here saith, I have sworn by mine holinesse, that is, by my self, for the holinesse of God is God, and there being no greater then God to swear by hee Heb. 6. 13.sweareth by himself, that for the Oaths sake they might beleeve and tremble, and turn from their sins, though otherwise most hard to beleeve.
Come to Bethel and transgresse, and to Gilgal. Here the Prophet proceeds by way of irony, mocking at their superstition in Bethel, about the golden Calf set V. 4.up by Jeroboam and in Gilgal, of their sinning in which place also see Hos. 4. 15. And in speaking in like manner of their sacrificing, and bringing their tithes thither, whereby they thought, that their sins were explated, he doth by V. 5.the way tax one abuse in their sacrificing that they used leaven contrary to the Law of God, Exod. 12. and Levit. 2. 11. but this he saith liked them well, being all done against the will and Ordinance of God, who appointed neither Bethel nor Gilgal, but Zion, for the place to bring all Sacrifices and Tithes Note. unto. See here the blindnesse of the superstitious, although they do in way of devotion clean contrary to the revealed will of God in many things, yet they sooth up themselves in an opinion of doing service to God most highly pleasing unto him, as the Papists at this day going to Rome for devotion, especially in a year of Jubilee or to Saints shrines, making offerings there, praying unto them, and serving God by images so flatly forbidden in many places. But the judgement of such followeth, vers. 6. I have given you cleanesse of teeth V. 6.in all your Cities, that is, famin for want of bread, as is further expressed, ver. 7. I have also withholden rain from you, &c. In which words and the words following he sheweth what judgements had been by God laid upon them, whereby they should have been converted, as first famine, so that they needed not a toothpicker, as a man doth after that he hath eaten flesh, which is generally by Expositours referred to the famin in Ahabs time, and to that of seven years in 1 King. 18. 2 King. 8.Jorams time. 2. Witholding of rain three months before the harvest, whereby both the corn in stead of growing to maturity, and abounding became very scaree, and that which was, withered, and their want of water came to pinch them as much as the want of bread, yet that it might appear to have come so to passe by a Divine providence and not by chance, he saith, it rained upon one City and not upon another. And this most probably was in the time of the famine of seven years, 2 King. 8. for when the rain was with held in Ahabs time, there was neither dew nor rain upon any City in Israel. 3. Gods V. 9.smiting them with blasting, and mildew, and the palmer-worme, of which I have spoken upon Jcel 1. 4. I have sent the Pestilence amongst you after V. 10.the manner of Egypt, Heb. in the way of Egypt, whereupon it is thought, that when they in their straights sought to Egypt for help against their enemies, the Lord thus smote them, although it be no where before recorded in the sacred history. 5. His flaying their young men with the sword, and the taking away their horses, whence a stink came up into the nosethrils of the survivors, which most probably is spoken of the great slaughters made amongst them in the days of Jehoahaz, 2 King. 13. 7. when onelyonly fifty horsemen were left and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, the rest being slain and taken, and of these slain ones, the corps lying unburyed stank to their great annoyance. Lastly, his overthrowing of them, as Sodom and Gamorrah, so that they were V. 11.as firebrands pluckt out of the fire: This similitude is used not to shew, that Israel was at any time dealt with altogether as Sodom, but that as God was extreamly provoked by Sodom, so he was by Israel, and as Sodom was destroyed therefore by fire, so Israel by fire and sword: but whereas none of Sodom were preserved from that common burning, some of Israel were, fifty horsemen, as was said before and ten thousand footmen, and the destruction being so great, it was the singular mercy of God these were preserved, they being here in dealt with as a brand being in the fire, as other wood, but snatcht out and so preserved, through his mercy who bare them so great favour. And in conclusion of every of these judgements capitulated he saith, yet they turned not to me. And that they suffered such grievous things, the course of the history in Ahabs time, and in Jeroboams, and in the dayes of Jehoahaz doth aboundantly shew.
Therefore I will doe thus unto thee (O Israel) and because I will doe thus unto thee, V. 12.prepare to meet thy God. Here followeth the judgement that, was yet to come after all these things suffered which he expresseth not, but as men commonly in making an Oath used of old to say, God doe so to me, so the Lord here saith, I will do thus or so to thee, meaning, being yet more severe to the utter rooting of them out without any favour, prepare to meet thy God; which Calvin saith, Calvin.is taken two ways, either ironically, as if he had said, prepare to goe against him if thou canst, and stop the course of his judgments, or seriously be moved by repentance to prevent the evils, that are further coming upon thee; which he rather approveth, as there is good reason: And that they might be the more moved hee addeth; He that formeth the mountaines and createth the windes, &c. in V. 13.which words the Almighty power of God is aboundantly set forth to move their mindes the more to fear and tremble before him. For shall wee not fear and turn to him, ceasing by our sins to provoke him, that ruleth over the greatest and mightiest things that are, the high and huge mountains, the boisterous and turbulent windes, against which nothing can stand, for they rend the rocks and mountains, 1 King. 19. he declareth to man what is his thought, by piercing into his heart by his word, so that if any evill thought be in him, his Word as a sword laying it open or entring into it pricks and wounds him, so that when God will he shall have no quiet within, that maketh the morning darknesse, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth. These two are by Lyra Lyra.expounded of the morning of the Gospel turned into darknesse to the Jew, and of the power, which God getteth over Kings and Princes amongst the heathen, hereby making them to prostrate themselves at his feet, this being his treading upon the altitudes of the earth: which exposition although I reject not, as setting forth the allegoricall sense, yet the literall meaning is first to be imbraced, he turneth comfort set forth by light into sorrow set forth by darknesse, to wicked men that goe on obstinately in their sins, and treads under foot the greatest in this world, set forth by high places, that by their wickednesse provoke him, be they never so potent, as at the time of speaking, this Jeroboam the King of Israel was, for which he concludeth, saying the Lord of hoasts is his name, that no man might harden himself through unbeleife saying, how can this be? for how can any potentate of the earth prevent it, seeing he that threatneth it is the Lord of hoasts, all creatures both celestiall and terrestriall are his armies, whom no force is or can be able to resist.