Amos
Chapter 2
The Lord says this: “Because Moab has sinned, not just once but three times; and even more, I will not relent; because they burned to a cinder the bones of the king of Edom,
I will send fire on Moab, and it shall be destroyed in the midst of the chaos, with war cries and the blast of the trumpet.
I will do away with their ruler and all the princes with him,” says the Lord.
The Lord says this: “Because Judah has sinned, not once but three times; and even more, I will not relent. Because they rejected the law of the Lord and did not keep his statutes, but have been led astray by the falsehood after which their fathers walked;
I will send fire upon Judah, and it will devour the fortresses of Jerusalem.”
The Lord says this: “Because Israel has sinned, not once but three times, and even more, I will not relent. They sell the just for money and the needy for a pair of sandals;
they crush the poor and trample them underfoot, while they silence the voices of the oppressed. A man and his father go to the same woman to dishonor my holy name;
they stretch out upon garments taken in pledge, near every altar; they take the wine of those they cheat and become drunk in the house of their God.
It was I who defeated the Amorites before them, whose height was like that of the cedar, a people as strong as an oak. I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below.
It was I who brought you out of Egypt and guided you for forty years in the wilderness to take possession of the land of the Amorites.
It was I who raised prophets among your sons, and Nazirites among your young men. Is this not so, people of Israel?” says the Lord.
“But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
Behold, I will crush you to the ground like a cart full of sheaves.
The swift will be unable to run away, and the strong will lose their strength. The warrior will not save himself, nor will the archer stand his ground. The quick-footed will not escape, nor the horseman save himself. Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” says the Lord.
Commentaries
Crime and Punishment of Eight Nations.
The “roar” of the Lord is a metaphor illustrating how God’s wrath strikes the seven nations surrounding Israel for their violence and cruelty (1:3-2:3). The inclusion of Judah (2:4), the sister kingdom in the south, demonstrates the impartiality of the judgment. It is noteworthy that the first crime against the covenant Israel is accused of is the selling of the poor into slavery because they cannot pay their debts (2:6). Additionally, there is legal neglect of the weak (2:7b), sexual perversion (2:7b), abuse of others’ property (2:8a), and idolatry (2:8b).