Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. BEHOLD A BASKET OF SUMMER FRUIT - "summer fruit;" Hebrew, Kaitz. In Amos 8:2, "end" is in the Hebrew Keetz. The similarity of sounds implies that, as the summer is the end of the year, and the time of the ripeness of fruits... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. THE END IS COME - (; ). I WILL NOT AGAIN PASS BY THEM ANYMORE. Amos resumes the thread of his discourse, inter... [ Continue Reading ]
And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence. THE SONGS OF THE TEMPLE SHALL BE HOWLINGS IN THAT DAY - (). The joyous hymns in the temple of Judah (or, rather, in the Bethel '... [ Continue Reading ]
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, HEAR THIS. The nobles needed to be urged thus, as hating to hear reproof. O YE THAT SWALLOW UP THE NEEDY - or, gape after, i:e., pant for their goods, as the wild beast pants for his prey. So the word is used... [ Continue Reading ]
Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? WHEN WILL THE NEW MOON BE GONE, THAT WE MAY SELL CORN? So greedy are they of unjust gain that they can... [ Continue Reading ]
That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? THAT WE MAY BUY THE POOR FOR SILVER, AND THE NEEDY FOR A PAIR OF SHOES - i:e., that we may compel the needy for money, or any other thing of however little worth, to sell themselves to... [ Continue Reading ]
The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. THE LORD HATH SWORN BY THE EXCELLENCY OF JACOB - i:e., by Himself, in whom Jacob's seed glory (Maurer); or, by the spiritual privileges of Israel, the adoption of Israel as His special people (Calvin),... [ Continue Reading ]
Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. SHALL NOT THE LAND TREMBLE FOR THIS ... AND IT SHALL RISE UP WHOLLY AS A FLOOD. But I prefer Maurer's view. Lite... [ Continue Reading ]
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: IN THAT DAY ... I WILL CAUSE THE SUN TO GO DOWN AT NOON, AND I WILL DARKEN THE EARTH IN THE CLEAR DAY. "Darkness" made to rise "at noon" is the... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. AND I WILL BRING UP ... BALDNESS UPON EVERY HEAD - a... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: I WILL SEND A FAMINE IN THE LAND, NOT A FAMINE OF BREAD, NOR A THIRST FOR WATER, BUT OF HEARING THE WORDS OF THE LORD - a just ret... [ Continue Reading ]
And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. THEY SHALL WANDER FROM SEA TO SEA - i:e., from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean, from east to west. WANDER - literally, reel, like drunken... [ Continue Reading ]
In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. IN THAT DAY SHALL THE FAIR VIRGINS AND YOUNG MEN FAINT FOR THIRST - namely, thirst for hearing the words of the Lord, being destitute of all other comfort. If even the young and the strong faint, how much more the infirm ().... [ Continue Reading ]
They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again. THEY THAT SWEAR BY THE SIN OF SAMARIA - namely, the calves, made in imitation of the golden calf made by Aaron at the people's request, and... [ Continue Reading ]