Amos 4:2

The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.

The Lord - the same Hebrew [ 'Adonaay (H136)] as "masters" (Amos 4:1). Israel's nobles say to their master or lord, Bring us drink: but "the Lord" of him and them "hath sworn," etc.

By his holiness - which binds Him to punish the guilty as well as to keep His covenant of grace to His people (Psalms 89:35, "Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David"). His holiness was that which they had profaned, and which He therefore was bound to vindicate by punishing them. That he will take you away - i:e., God, by the instrumentality of the enemy.

With hooks - literally, 'thorns' (cf. 2 Chronicles 33:11). As fish are taken out of the water by hooks, so the Israelites are to be taken suddenly and violently out of their cities by the enemy (Ezekiel 29:4; cf. Job 41:1; Jeremiah 16:16; Habakkuk 1:15). The image is the more appropriate as anciently captives were led by their conquerors by a "hook" made to pass through the nose (2 Kings 19:28), as is to be seen in the Assyrian remains.