Amos 2 Study Notes

2:1-3 Interpreters puzzle over the charge that Moab burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. Some say the act displayed simple disrespect for a human body, and others that it was motivated by a belief that burning the bones would prevent the victim from participating in the resurrection, but there is no evidence for such a belief. Lime was used for plastering walls, and an ancient Jewish interpretation says that the king of Moab used the lime to plaster his palace walls. Assyrian kings often decorated their walls with scenes depicting their atrocities against their enemies.

2:4-5 All the Gentile nations are accused of crimes against humanity, but Judah is charged with unfaithfulness to its covenant with Yahweh as described in the law. The lies mentioned here are idols.

2:6 Selling a needy person for a pair of sandals probably refers to selling a debtor into slavery over a trifling sum of money.

2:7-8 This text describes outrages committed at the religious shrines. Men had sexual relations with shrine prostitutes, even going to the point of a man and his father sharing the same woman; they did this while lying on garments that they had taken from poor people as collateral for loans; they did this at pagan altars all over the countryside; and they combined this with drinking bouts at the shrines, using wine they had taken from powerless people.

2:9-12 In this section God gives a historical retrospective, comparing his favors toward Israel with Israel’s impudent rejection of him.

2:9-10 Disregarding historical sequence, the conquest of Canaan (v. 9) is mentioned before the exodus and wilderness wandering (v. 10). This is probably because the focus here is on how Israel occupied the land by virtue of God’s grace, thus implying that God could just as easily expel them from the land.

2:11-12 The prophets, as exponents of God’s will, and the Nazirites, as examples of great devotion to God, came to the Israelites as representatives sent by God to turn the people to righteousness. The Israelite rejection of both groups represents their rejection of God himself.

2:13 The Hebrew of this verse is difficult. An alternative translation is, “Behold I am weighed down beneath you, just as a cart that is filled with sheaves is weighed down.” If this is correct, it expresses God’s frustration with Israel’s stubborn attitude.

2:14-16 The Israelite army will be routed in battle. Soldiers are described in terms of their prowess and their military specialization. In v. 14, swift refers to any soldier who runs quickly and therefore would normally escape defeat, and strong refers to anyone who would normally prevail in battle. At the end of v. 14 and in v. 15, we have four military specializations: the warrior (referring to the heavy infantry in the main line of battle), the archer, the swift of foot (light infantry), and the one riding a horse (the cavalry). Finally, in v. 16, the most courageous of the warriors (who would be expected to stand fast in the face of an onslaught) will flee naked (cast away their armor, shields, and weapons).