Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12
Chapter 3
I Will Hold You Accountable
Hear this word that the Lord speaks against you, people of Israel, and against the entire family he brought up from Egypt.I have known only you among all the families of the earth; therefore, I will hold you accountable for all your wrongdoings.
Do two people walk together unless they have agreed?
Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion growl in its den unless it has caught something?
Does a bird get caught in a snare if the snare hasn’t been baited? Does a tiger spring up from the ground unless it has caught something?
If a trumpet sounds in a city, won’t the people be frightened? If disaster strikes a city, has not the Lord caused it?
Yet the Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets.
If the lion roars, who will not be afraid? If the Lord speaks, who will not prophesy?
Call on the people living in Ashur’s and Egypt’s palaces: Come together against the hill of Samaria and see the many scandals and oppression there.
These people do not understand what is right, says the Lord, because they store in strongholds what they have taken through violence and extortion.
Therefore, this is the word of the Lord: The enemy will surround the land; your strength will be broken down, and your strongholds will be plundered.
The Lord says this: “As the shepherd rescues a pair of legs or the tip of an ear from the mouth of the lion, so will some of you be saved, O Israelites of Samaria who lounge on comfortable couches and rest on pillows of Damascus.”
“Hear and accuse the nation of Jacob,” says the Lord, God of hosts.
“On the day I call Israel to account for his crimes, I will also punish the altars of Bethel. The horns of the altar will be broken off and fall to the ground.
Then I will demolish the winter house and the summerhouse. The ivory palaces shall be ruined, and the great house was destroyed.
Commentaries
Title.
This section explains why the northern kingdom will be judged. The first three oracles start with the phrase “Hear this word” (3:1; 4:1; 5:1). These are followed by three “woes” as warnings (5:7; 5:18; 6:1) to those who refuse to listen.
I Will Hold You Accountable.
The primary reason for divine judgment is that, despite Israel being God’s chosen people, violence, oppression, injustice, and idolatry prevail among them (3:1-15). The history of Israel is preceded by the announcements and revelations of the prophets (3:7-8). As the people of the covenant, to whom God reveals his identity and power (Ex 19:3-6), Israel bears greater responsibility than other peoples, which is why they are called to listen to the voice of the prophets (3:9-10).
Another reason for judgment is represented by the women of Samaria who live in luxury and opulence at the expense of the poor, displaying hypocrisy and stubbornness. The prophet sarcastically calls them “cows of Bashan,” referring to a region with rich pasture where cattle were fattened (4:1-3). Ironically, the prophet urges the Israelites to go up to the shrines of Bethel and Gilgal to sin, because their worship is false and hypocritical: it was corrupted by abuse and oppression of the poor (4:4-5; cf. Col 3:5).