Amos 2:7

That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor The expression is a singular one; but, if the text be sound, the meaning is probably (Hitzig, Pusey, Duhm), "who are so avaricious that they are eager even to secure the dust strewn upon their heads by the poor, in token of their distress," whether after an unjust condemnation, or any other misfortune. Dust on the head was a sign of grief or misfortune: see e.g. 2 Samuel 1:2; 2 Samuel 15:32; Lamentations 2:10. Others (Keil, Gunning) think the meaning is merely, Who are eager to seedust on the head of the poor, i.e. to see them reduced to a state of misery. The former explanation involves a thought which, it must he owned, is somewhat far-fetched; but it is more exact exegetically than the second. Jerome, pronouncing the verb differently (shâphîm, for shô"ăphîm), and not expressing the prep. on, renders; "Who crush (Genesis 3:15; Psalms 94:5, Targ.) the heads of the poor upon the dust of the earth," a forcible metaphor (cf. Isaiah's -grind the faces of the poor," Amos 3:15), and Micah's -strip the flesh off their bones," Amos 3:2-3) for oppression. This yields a good sense, and may be the original text. Wellh. also reads crush, omitting -upon the dust of the earth" (cf. Amos 8:4, "Who pant after [orcrush] die needy"); but if these words are not genuine, it is difficult to understand how they found their way into the text. The word rendered poor(dal) is lit. thin(of kine, Genesis 41:19, of Amnon, 2 Samuel 13:4); fig. reduced in circumstances, poor, Exodus 23:3, and frequently.

turn aside the way of the meek place hindrances in their way, thwart their purposes, oblige them to turn aside from the path that they would naturally follow, to land them in difficulties. Cf. Job 24:4, "and turn aside the needy from the way" (mentioned among other acts of high-handed oppression). By the meekare meant the humble-minded servants of Jehovah, who by character, and often also by circumstances, were unable to protect themselves against the oppressions or persecutions of a worldly-minded aristocracy, and who, especially in the Psalms, are often alluded to as both deserving and receiving Jehovah's care. In Isaiah 32:7 they are the victims of the unscrupulous intriguer; in Isaiah 29:19 they are described as able by the overthrow of injustice (Isaiah 29:20) to rejoice thankfully in their God; in Isaiah 11:4 the Messianic king judges their cause with righteousness. They are named, as here, in parallelism with the -poor" (dal) in Isaiah 11:4, and with the -needy" (ebhyôn) in Isaiah 29:19; Isaiah 32:7; Psalms 9:19; Job 24:4; see also Isaiah 61:1; Psalms 22:26; Psalms 34:2; Psalms 37:11; Psalms 76:9.

will go in go (R.V.) i.e. resort: the verb is not the one (bâ) used in Genesis 16:4, &c. - Willgo" means -are in the habit of going": willhaving the same force as in Proverbs 19:6; Proverbs 19:24; Proverbs 20:6 &c.); but it is better omitted in translation.

unto thesame maid to a girl: the art. is generic, and, as such, is properly represented in English by the indef. article: the enormity lies not in its being an exaggeration of ordinary immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1), but in the frequency and publicity with which it was practised: father and son are thus found resorting to the same spots. The allusion is in all probability not to common immorality, but to immorality practised in the precincts of a temple, especially in the service of Ashtoreth, as a means by which the worshippers placed themselves under the patronage and protection of the goddess; a singular and revolting practice, found in many Semitic religions, and frequently alluded to in the Old Testament. The persons attached to a temple who prostituted themselves with the worshippers were called Kĕdçshôth, i.e. sacredor dedicated(to the deity in question): see Genesis 38:21-22 and (in N. Israel) Hosea 4:14; and comp. the masc. Kědçshîm, 1 Kings 14:24; 1Ki 15:12; 1 Kings 22:46; 2 Kings 23:7 (under Manasseh, even in the Temple at Jerusalem). Deuteronomy 23:17 forbids Israelites (of either sex) to be made such temple-prostitutes. Comp. in Babylon Hdt. 1. 199, Bar 6:43, Strabo xvi. 1, 20, in Byblus, Lucian, De dea Syria, § 4, in Cyprus (in the service of the Cyprian Aphrodite, who corresponded to Ashtoreth), Hdt. I. 199 end, Clem. Alex. Protrep. pp. 12, 13; see also the present writer's note on Deuteronomy 23:17 f.

to profane my holy name in order to profane&c.: it ought to have been so clear to them that such practices were contrary to Jehovah's will that Amos represents them as acting in deliberate and intentional contravention of it. To profane Jehovah's nameis an expression used more especially in the "Law of Holiness" (Leviticus 17-26), and by Ezekiel. Jehovah is Israel's Owner; and as such, His name is -called over it" (see on Amos 9:12): hence the name is said to be -profaned," when something is done bringing it into discredit, or, in virtue of His connexion with Israel, derogatory to Him: for instance, by the worship of Molech (Leviticus 18:21; Leviticus 20:3), perjury (Leviticus 19:12), the humiliation of Israel in exile (Isaiah 48:11; Ezekiel 20:9; Ezekiel 20:14; Ezekiel 36:20-23).