Amos / Chapter 2

Amos 2

16 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Amos 2 completes the oracles against the nations and springs the rhetorical trap. Moab is condemned for desecrating an Edomite king's bones. Then the focus shifts to Judah for rejecting the LORD's instruction. Finally — the real target — Israel is indicted for a catalogue of social injustices: selling the righteous for silver, trampling the poor, sexual exploitation, and corruption of worship. The chapter closes with God recounting his saving acts (the Exodus, the wilderness, the conquest) and declaring that Israel's military might will be utterly useless on the day of judgment.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The rhetorical structure is masterful. Amos's northern Israelite audience would have cheered through six oracles against foreign enemies, grudgingly accepted the Judah oracle, then been stunned when the seventh and longest oracle targeted them. The Israel oracle is three times longer than any other, signaling that this is the true burden of the prophecy. The social crimes listed — selling people for trivial debts, father and son using the same woman, taking garments in pledge, lying on confiscated cloaks beside altars — are violations of specific Torah provisions (Exodus 22:26-27, Deuteronomy 24:12-13, Leviticus 18:15, 20:12).

Translation Friction

The phrase 'a man and his father go to the same young woman' (v. 7) is ambiguous — it could refer to cultic prostitution, incest, or exploitation of a servant girl. We rendered it plainly without interpretive addition. The word na'arah ('young woman') does not specify a prostitute. The military imagery in verses 14-16 required careful attention to Hebrew verb forms to distinguish types of warriors and their responses.

Connections

The Moab oracle for desecrating bones connects to ancient Near Eastern concepts of post-mortem honor. The Judah oracle anticipates Amos's distinction between ritual religion and covenant obedience. The Exodus recitation (v. 10) connects to the creedal tradition in Deuteronomy 26:5-9. The Nazirite and prophet references (v. 11-12) connect to Numbers 6 and Deuteronomy 18:15-18. The military collapse imagery (vv. 14-16) anticipates the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE.

Amos 2:1

כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ עַל־שָׂרְפ֛וֹ עַצְמ֥וֹת מֶֽלֶךְ־אֱד֖וֹם לַשִּֽׂיד׃

This is what the LORD says: For three transgressions of Moab — and for four — I will not revoke it, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.

KJV Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moab's crime is unique among the oracles — it is not a crime against Israel but against Edom. This is theologically significant: God holds nations accountable for violations of basic human decency, not only for crimes against his covenant people. Burning bones to lime (la-sid) means reducing them to calcium powder, the ultimate desecration — denying the dead any hope of rest or memorial.
Amos 2:2

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵ֖שׁ בְּמוֹאָ֑ב וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנ֥וֹת הַקְּרִיּֽוֹת וּמֵ֤ת בְּשָׁאוֹן֙ מוֹאָ֔ב בִּתְרוּעָ֖ה בְּק֥וֹל שׁוֹפָֽר׃

I will send fire on Moab, and it will consume the fortresses of Kerioth. Moab will die amid uproar — with war cries and the sound of the ram's horn.

KJV But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Kerioth (ha-qeriyyot, 'the cities') may be a specific Moabite city or a generic reference to Moab's urban centers. The Moabite Stone (Mesha Stele) mentions Kerioth as a cult center. The shofar ('ram's horn') here signals battle rather than worship — the same instrument used for both purposes in ancient Israel.
Amos 2:3

וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י שׁוֹפֵ֖ט מִקִּרְבָּ֑הּ וְכָל־שָׂרֶ֛יהָ אֶהֱר֥וֹג עִמּ֖וֹ אָמַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃

I will cut off the ruler from her midst and kill all her officials with him, says the LORD.

KJV And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word shophet ('judge') here functions as 'ruler' — the same title used for Israel's pre-monarchic leaders in the book of Judges. Moab's political leadership will be eliminated entirely.
Amos 2:4

כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ עַֽל־מָאֳסָ֞ם אֶת־תּוֹרַ֣ת יְהוָ֗ה וְחֻקָּיו֙ לֹ֣א שָׁמָ֔רוּ וַיַּתְעוּם֙ כִּזְבֵיהֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הָלְכ֥וּ אֲבוֹתָ֖ם אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃

This is what the LORD says: For three transgressions of Judah — and for four — I will not revoke it, because they have rejected the instruction of the LORD and have not kept his statutes. Their lies led them astray — the same ones their ancestors followed.

KJV Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

תּוֹרָה torah
"instruction" — instruction, teaching, law, direction, guidance

Rendered 'instruction' here to capture the Hebrew sense of divine teaching. Torah is not merely legal code but God's comprehensive guidance for covenant life.

Translator Notes

  1. The word torah here is rendered 'instruction' rather than 'law' to capture its broader Hebrew sense of divine teaching and guidance. The 'lies' (kizvehem) likely refer to false gods or idols — calling them 'lies' strips them of dignity and exposes their unreality. The phrase 'their ancestors followed' creates a damning generational continuity of apostasy.
Amos 2:5

וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי אֵ֖שׁ בִּֽיהוּדָ֑ה וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנ֥וֹת יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

I will send fire on Judah, and it will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.

KJV But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The same fire-judgment formula applied to pagan nations now falls on Judah and its capital Jerusalem. No exemption is granted for being God's covenant people — if anything, the expectations are higher.
Amos 2:6

כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ עַל־מִכְרָ֤ם בַּכֶּ֙סֶף֙ צַדִּ֔יק וְאֶבְי֖וֹן בַּעֲב֥וּר נַעֲלָֽיִם׃

This is what the LORD says: For three transgressions of Israel — and for four — I will not revoke it, because they sell the innocent for silver and the needy for the price of a pair of sandals.

KJV Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

צַדִּיק tsaddiq
"innocent" — righteous, just, innocent, the one who is in the right

In legal contexts, tsaddiq means the party whose case is just — the one who should win the verdict. Rendering as 'innocent' in this judicial context captures the courtroom setting.

Translator Notes

  1. The shift to present tense ('they sell') reflects the Hebrew participle-like force — these are ongoing, habitual crimes, not one-time events. The tsaddiq ('innocent, righteous one') is the person with a legitimate legal claim who loses in court because the judges take bribes. The 'pair of sandals' (na'alayim) may refer to the trivial size of the debt or bribe, or to the symbolic use of sandals in property transfers (Ruth 4:7-8). Either way, human life is valued at less than footwear.
Amos 2:7

הַשֹּׁאֲפִ֤ים עַל־עֲפַר־אֶ֙רֶץ֙ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ דַּלִּ֔ים וְדֶ֥רֶךְ עֲנָוִ֖ים יַטּ֑וּ וְאִ֣ישׁ וְאָבִ֗יו יֵלְכוּ֙ אֶל־הַֽנַּעֲרָ֔ה לְמַ֥עַן חַלֵּ֖ל אֶת־שֵׁ֥ם קָדְשִֽׁי׃

They trample the heads of the poor into the dust of the ground and push the humble off the path. A man and his father go to the same young woman, profaning my holy name.

KJV That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb sha'aph can mean 'trample' or 'pant after' — both readings work: either they eagerly pursue even the dust on the heads of the poor (wanting everything they have) or they grind the poor into the dirt. The parallel with 'push off the path' (derekh anavim yattu) favors 'trample' as the physical action of oppression.
  2. The phrase 'a man and his father go to the same young woman' (na'arah) is deliberately unspecific about the relationship — the Hebrew does not call her a prostitute, a slave, or a wife. The violation may be sexual exploitation of a dependent, cultic prostitution, or incestuous sharing of a concubine. What is clear is that it profanes God's holy name (shem qodshi) — God's own reputation is damaged by this behavior.
Amos 2:8

וְעַל־בְּגָדִ֤ים חֲבֻלִים֙ יַטּ֔וּ אֵ֖צֶל כָּל־מִזְבֵּ֑חַ וְיֵ֤ין עֲנוּשִׁים֙ יִשְׁתּ֔וּ בֵּ֖ית אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃

They stretch out beside every altar on garments taken as pledges, and in the house of their God they drink wine taken as fines.

KJV And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Torah explicitly forbids keeping a poor person's garment as an overnight pledge — it must be returned before sunset because it is his only blanket (Exodus 22:26-27, Deuteronomy 24:12-13). Israel's wealthy are not only violating this command but using the confiscated cloaks as cushions for reclining at worship. The wine of 'fines' (anushim) — money exacted as penalties — is drunk in the temple itself, making the house of God complicit in the exploitation of the poor.
Amos 2:9

וְאָ֨נֹכִ֜י הִשְׁמַ֤דְתִּי אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִי֙ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר כְּגֹ֤בַהּ אֲרָזִים֙ גָּבְה֔וֹ וְחָסֹ֥ן ה֖וּא כָּאַלּוֹנִ֑ים וָאַשְׁמִ֤יד פִּרְיוֹ֙ מִמַּ֔עַל וְשָׁרָשָׁ֖יו מִתָּֽחַת׃

Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them — whose height was like the height of cedars, and who was as strong as oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.

KJV Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God shifts to first person to recount his saving acts — the theological heart of the accusation. The Amorites represent the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan (cf. Numbers 13:28-33). The tree metaphor — tall as cedars, strong as oaks, yet destroyed root and fruit — emphasizes total annihilation. God did what Israel could never have done on their own.
Amos 2:10

וְאָנֹכִ֛י הֶעֱלֵ֥יתִי אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וָאוֹלֵ֨ךְ אֶתְכֶ֤ם בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה לָרֶ֖שֶׁת אֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ הָאֱמֹרִֽי׃

I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you through the wilderness for forty years to possess the land of the Amorite.

KJV Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Exodus creed is compressed into a single verse — deliverance, wilderness wandering, and conquest. This recitation of divine faithfulness becomes the measure of Israel's ingratitude. 'The land of the Amorite' is an older designation for Canaan, rooting Amos's language in the earliest traditions.
Amos 2:11

וָאָקִ֤ים מִבְּנֵיכֶם֙ לִנְבִיאִ֔ים וּמִבַּחוּרֵיכֶ֖ם לִנְזִרִ֑ים הַאַ֥ף אֵֽין־זֹ֛את בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃

I raised up prophets from your sons and Nazirites from your young men. Is this not so, people of Israel? declares the LORD.

KJV And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God's gifts to Israel include not only military deliverance but spiritual leadership — prophets to speak his word and Nazirites who embodied radical consecration to God (Numbers 6:1-21). The rhetorical question 'Is this not so?' demands acknowledgment — God dares Israel to deny his generosity. The formula ne'um YHWH ('declares the LORD') marks this as a prophetic declaration with divine authority.
Amos 2:12

וַתַּשְׁק֥וּ אֶת־הַנְּזִרִ֖ים יָ֑יִן וְעַל־הַנְּבִיאִים֙ צִוִּיתֶ֣ם לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֖א תִּנָּבְאֽוּ׃

But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets, 'Do not prophesy!'

KJV But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Israel's response to God's gifts was sabotage — corrupting the Nazirites by pressuring them to break their vow (wine was forbidden to Nazirites, Numbers 6:3) and silencing the prophets who spoke inconvenient truths. The juxtaposition with verse 11 is devastating: God raised up; Israel tore down.
Amos 2:13

הִנֵּ֛ה אָנֹכִ֥י מֵעִ֖יק תַּחְתֵּיכֶ֑ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר תָּעִיק֙ הָעֲגָלָ֔ה הַמְלֵאָ֥ה לָ֖הּ עָמִֽיר׃

Look — I am about to press down on you, as a cart loaded with sheaves presses down.

KJV Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Hebrew here is notoriously difficult. The verb me'iq can mean 'press down' (God pressing Israel) or 'groan under a load' (God groaning under Israel's sins). Most modern scholars read it as God bearing down on Israel like a heavy harvest cart crushing whatever is beneath it. The image shifts God from patient benefactor to overwhelming weight of judgment.
Amos 2:14

וְאָבַ֤ד מָנוֹס֙ מִקָּ֔ל וְחָזָ֖ק לֹא־יְאַמֵּ֣ץ כֹּח֑וֹ וְגִבּ֖וֹר לֹא־יְמַלֵּ֥ט נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃

Flight will fail the swift, the strong will not summon his strength, and the warrior will not save his life.

KJV Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. A series of three military figures — the swift runner, the strong man, the warrior (gibbor) — all fail when God's judgment arrives. The verb avad ('perish, be lost') applied to flight itself is powerful: it is not that the swift man fails to run but that the very concept of escape ceases to exist.
Amos 2:15

וְתֹפֵ֤שׂ הַקֶּ֙שֶׁת֙ לֹ֣א יַעֲמֹ֔ד וְקַ֥ל בְּרַגְלָ֖יו לֹ֣א יְמַלֵּ֑ט וְרֹכֵ֣ב הַסּ֔וּס לֹ֥א יְמַלֵּ֖ט נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃

The archer will not stand his ground, the swift of foot will not escape, and the horseman will not save his life.

KJV Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Three more military specialists are added — archer, runner, and cavalry — extending the catalogue of futility. Each branch of the army fails. The repetition of lo yemallet ('will not escape/save') creates a hammering rhythm of inescapable doom.
Amos 2:16

וְאַמִּ֥יץ לִבּ֖וֹ בַּגִּבּוֹרִ֑ים עָר֛וֹם יָנ֥וּס בַּיּוֹם־הַה֖וּא נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃

Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked on that day, declares the LORD.

KJV And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The climax of the military collapse: the most courageous warrior (ammits libbo, literally 'strong of heart') will throw off his armor and weapons — anything that slows him down — and run naked. The phrase 'on that day' (bayyom hahu) introduces eschatological language that will intensify throughout the book. The chapter that began with judgment on foreign nations ends with Israel's own army in panicked, naked flight.
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