Amos 3 Study Notes

3:1-15 In this chapter Amos answered those who claimed that he had no right to prophesy against Israel because they were the chosen people of God. Against this charge, Amos made three claims. (1) Their election guaranteed that they will be judged rather than escape judgment (vv. 1-3). (2) God has spoken, and therefore his prophet must speak (vv. 4-8). (3) Israel was so wicked that even pagan nations could sit in judgment against them (vv. 9-11). This passage concludes with a portrait of Israel’s destruction (vv. 12-15).

3:2 The Israelites thought their election as God’s special people made them immune from judgment, but it actually made their liability to judgment all the more severe.

3:3 The phrase without agreeing to meet means “without coming to terms.” The idea is that two people cannot walk together (that is, be closely associated with each other) unless they have come to terms and are in substantial agreement. In marriage, for example, two people must agree to certain commitments and have mutual values. Errant Israel could not walk with God because the two parties had substantial differences regarding their values and expectations.

3:4-8 These verses include a short epigram, a series of poetic verses that teach some kind of lesson and may contain a riddle (vv. 4-6). After this there is a short commentary on the epigram (vv. 7-8). The epigram makes the point that when one thing is true (for example, that a lion roars), it is reasonable that something else is also true (he has prey). The commentary in vv. 7-8 tells us that because God has roared, disaster must come and his prophets must prophesy. Notice that all the examples in the epigram are violent in nature.

3:9-10 Ashdod (the Philistines) and Egypt were two traditional oppressors of Israel, but even they did not oppress the Israelites as cruelly as the Israelites oppressed themselves through their rebellion against God. Thus these pagans could sit in judgment on Israel.

3:11-15 Israel’s punishment is described in this section.

3:12 Behind this verse one can detect a common viewpoint among the people of Israel: that if an enemy should attack, the Israelites would be rescued by God. Amos responded sarcastically by saying that they would be “rescued” like a piece of an ear from the lion’s mouth. When only pieces of an ear or legs are snatched from a lion’s mouth, obviously the lamb is dead. The main point is that Israel will be completely destroyed, not that a remnant will survive. Even so, there may be a remnant theology in the idea that God can raise the dead nation back to life.

3:14-15 The phrase altars of Bethel refers to Israel’s religious sins, and the winter house and the summer house refer to the destruction of the oppressive upper classes.