Amos
Chapter Two
Leon L. Combs, M.A., M.Div., Ph.D.
Amos 2:1-3
Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Moab and for four I will not revoke its
punishment, Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. (2) "So I will
send fire upon Moab And it will consume the citadels of Kerioth; And Moab will die amid
tumult, With war cries and the sound of a trumpet. (3) "I will also cut off the judge from
her midst And slay all her princes with him," says the LORD.
Moab is to the east of the Dead Sea and the Israelite camped there before entering Canaan (Num
22:1). The crime is the burning of the bones of the king of Edom all the way to lime. It refers to
the burning of the skeletal remains of a corpse so the crime was the desecration of the body of
this king. Significantly this crime is against a non-Israelite whereas most of the other crimes
were against covenant people. The laws of God transcend His people and can bring punishment
by God. Others are not responsible for the Sinai legal codes but are for God’s demands for social
justice of all people. Kerioth was probably one of the major cities of Moab as referred to in:
against Kerioth, Bozrah and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. (Jer 48:24) We can
learn from this today for we see violations of God’s moral principles among many different
kinds of people even outside of the church. God would bring His fiery judgment against Kerioth,
remove the judge who sets standards there, and even kill all the other rulers of the city. The word
“citadel” refers to the fortification of the city.
Amos 2:4-5
Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke its
punishment, Because they rejected the law of the LORD And have not kept His statutes;
Their lies also have led them astray, Those after which their fathers walked. (5) "So I
will send fire upon Judah And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem."
Amos now turns to Judah since God cannot show favorites and must also bring justice to His
people. These people are not being judged by violations of social principles but on the basis of
the statutes of Yahweh since they had received them and so were responsible for knowing and
obeying them. Saying that their lies led them astray means they wandered around with no
direction since they had no light for their path (Psa 119:105). Amos was probably referring to the
former Jewish leaders following idols when he comments about their fathers walking in them.
The punishment of Judah was to be the same as for the others in that they will be consumed by
God’s fire of judgment that fell upon them when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians.
Amos 2:6-8
Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke its
punishment, Because they sell the righteous for money And the needy for a pair of
sandals. (7) "These who pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the helpless
1
Also turn aside the way of the humble; And a man and his father resort to the same girl
In order to profane My holy name. (8) "On garments taken as pledges they stretch out
beside every altar, And in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have
been fined.
The Israelites may have been feeling pretty good about themselves as other countries were being
chastised for their activities but now God’s words are falling upon them in the longest of the
oracles (verses 6-16). They are accused of selling the righteous for silver. They word “they”
refers to the judges and creditors who sell those who are actually in the right (righteous) and
oppose the rights of those in need for merely a pair of sandals. We know that in these times those
who were in extreme sorrow would put dust on their head and it seems that the political people
were so evil that they even went after that dust in their greed. Such an act may be hyperbola but
it expresses their extreme efforts to put aside the humble. Saying that a man and his father go
after the same girl is probably referring to some type of incest but it could also mean that both
were having sex with the same woman for that also would uncover the nakedness of each as was
forbidden in many areas of sexual misconduct (Lev 18:6-18; 20:11, 17-21. Garments were valid
collateral for debts but such had to be returned at night for covering to those who took out the
loan. The oppressors evidently did not return the clothing at night. Some people paid wine for
their debts but those taking it were then drinking it in the house of their false god.
Amos 2:9-12
"Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, Though his height was like the
height of cedars And he was strong as the oaks; I even destroyed his fruit above and his
root below. (10) "It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, And I led you in
the wilderness forty years That you might take possession of the land of the Amorite. (11)
"Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets And some of your young men to be
Nazirites. Is this not so, O sons of Israel?" declares the LORD. (12) "But you made the
Nazirites drink wine, And you commanded the prophets saying, 'You shall not prophesy!'
Now Amos refers to God’s gracious acts toward Israel. The word “Amorite” refers to the
preconquest people of Canaan as he reminds them how God destroyed those people. He states
that even though the Canaanites were very powerful people, God totally destroyed them from
below and above ground. He then reminds them how God brought them out of slavery in Egypt,
led them in the wilderness for forty years, and then gave them the land of the Amorite. The
Amorites were descended from the fourth son of Canaan (Gen 14:7) and the name is usually just
another name for the Canaanites. Amos then reminds them that God also brought up some of
them to be prophets and Nazirites for their spiritual welfare. The word “Nazirite” means
“separate” as these people were consecrated to the service of the Lord. They were to abstain
from any fermented drinks, not to cut their hair, and not to touch a corpse. But Israel made the
Nazirites drink wine and told the prophets not to prophesy as they totally rejected the means by
which God had provided for their spiritual needs.
Amos 2:13-16
"Behold, I am weighted down beneath you As a wagon is weighted down when filled with
sheaves. (14) "Flight will perish from the swift, And the stalwart will not strengthen his
power, Nor the mighty man save his life. (15) "He who grasps the bow will not stand his
2
ground, The swift of foot will not escape, Nor will he who rides the horse save his life.
(16) "Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day," declares the
LORD.
God declares that the sins of Israel have weighted Him down as a wagon that is filled to the brim
with its load. Stating that He is weighted down beneath you has been interpreted as meaning that
the weight of their sin has caused God to put deep ruts before their path so that they are not able
to make any more progress. Amos then continues to give details about how all of their attempts
to escape the wrath of God will meet with failure. Even the bravest of their warriors will flee
before God with even all his armor stripped away. Israel will then also receive God’s judgment.
3