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J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Amos 5:26
Bible Study Resources
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But you also carried statues of Sakkuth, your king, and Kaiwan. There was also that star god that you made for yourselves.
"You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.
You have carried with you your king, the god Sakkuth, and Kaiwan your idol, and the star gods you have made.
You will pick up your images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kiyyun, your star god, which you made for yourselves,
Yes, you have borne the tabernacle of your king and the Kewan-your idols, the star of your god which you made to yourselves.
But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
"You carried along your king Sikkuth and Kayyun [your man-made gods of Saturn], your images of your star-god which you made for yourselves [but you brought Me none of the appointed sacrifices].
You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves,
Yes, you have borne the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.
And ye han bore tabernaclis to Moloch, youre god, and ymage of youre idols, the sterre of youre god, which ye maden to you.
Yea, ye have borne Siccuth your king and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
You have taken along Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, the idols you made for yourselves.
Now you will have to carry the two idols you made— Sakkuth, the one you call king, and Kaiwan, the one you built in the shape of a star.
Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
Truly, you will take up Saccuth your king and Kaiwan your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.
No, but now you will bear Sikkut as your king and Kiyun, your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves;
Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of your Moloch, and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye had made to yourselves;
So shall ye take up Siccuth your king and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
But yee haue borne the tabernacle of your Moloch, and Chiun your images, the starre of your god, which ye made to your selues.
No, you served your pagan gods—Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god—the images you made for yourselves.
You also carried with you Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun your star god, the false gods you made for yourselves.
You shall take up Sakkuth your king, and Kaiwan your star-god, your images, which you made for yourselves;
But you haue borne Siccuth your King, and Chiun your images, and the starre of your gods, which ye made to your selues.
But you carried the tabernacle of Malcom and Chiun your idol, the star which you made a god to yourselves.
you carried a tabernacle for your Moloch, and the image of your idols, the star of your god, which you made to yourselves.
You shall take up Sakkuth your king, and Kaiwan your star-god, your images, which you made for yourselves;
But ye haue borne Siccuth your king, and Chiun your images, and the starre of your gods, which ye made to your selues.
Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Raephan, the images of them which ye made for yourselves.
But now, because you have worshiped images of Sakkuth, your king god, and of Kaiwan, your star god, you will have to carry those images
But you have taken up Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, images you have made for yourselves.
Yes, you have borne the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.
But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
And you will take up Sikkuth, your king, and Kaiwan, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.
Yea, you have lifted up the booth of your king, and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves!
And ye bare Succoth your king, and Chiun your images, The star of your god, that ye made for yourselves.
Yet haue ye set vp tabernacles to youre Moloch, and ymages of youre Idols, Yee ad the starre of youre god Rempha, figures which ye made to worshipe them.
You also carried Sikkuth [fn] your king [fn] And Chiun, [fn] your idols,The star of your gods,Which you made for yourselves.
"You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.
You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
the tabernacle of your Moloch: or, Siccuth your king, Leviticus 18:21, Leviticus 20:2-5, 1 Kings 11:33, 2 Kings 23:12, 2 Kings 23:13, Milcom
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 4:19 - when thou Deuteronomy 31:21 - I know Joshua 24:14 - put Ezekiel 20:16 - for their Zephaniah 1:5 - Malcham Acts 7:42 - O ye Acts 13:18 - about
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch,.... The god of the Ammonites; :-; and
:-; called theirs, because they also worshipped it, and caused their seed to pass through the fire to it; and which was carried by them in a shrine, or portable tent or chapel. Or it may be rendered, "but ye have borne Siccuth your king" p; and so Siccuth may be taken for the name of an idol, as it is by Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, to whom they gave the title of king, as another idol went by the name of the queen of heaven; perhaps by one was meant the sun, and by the other the moon;
and Chiun, your images; Moloch or Siccuth was one, and Chiun another image, or rather the same; and this the same with Chevan, which in the Arabic and Persic languages is the name of Saturn, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi say; and is so rendered by Montanus here; and who in the Egyptian tongue was called Revan, or Rephan, or Remphan; as by the Septuagint here, and in Acts 7:43;
the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves; or the star "your god" q; meaning the same with Chiun or Saturn; perhaps the same with the star that fell from the air or sky, mentioned by Sanchoniatho r; which Astarte, the wife of Chronus or Saturn, is said to take and consecrate in Tyre; this they made for themselves, and worshipped as a deity. The Targum is,
"ye have borne the tabernacle of your priests, Chiun your image, the star your God, which ye have made to yourselves.''
Various are the senses put upon the word Chiun. Some read it Cavan, and take it to signify a "cake"; in which sense the word is used in Jeremiah 7:18; and render it, "the cake of your images" s; and supposing that it had the image of their gods impressed upon it. Calmet interprets it "the pedestal of your images" t; and indeed the word has the signification of a basis, and is so rendered by some u; and is applicable to Moloch their king, a king being the basis and foundation of the kingdom and people; and to the sun, intended by that deity, which is the basis of the celestial bodies, and of all things on earth. Some take Moloch and Chiun to be distinct deities, the one to be the sun, the other the moon; but they seem rather to be the same, and both to be the Egyptian ox, and the calf of the Israelites in the wilderness, the image of which was carried in portable tents or tabernacles, in chests or shrines; such as the Succothbenoth, or tabernacles of Venus, 2 Kings 17:30; and those of Diana's, Acts 19:24; the first of these portable temples we read of, is one drawn by oxen in Phoenicia, mentioned by Sanchoniatho w; not that the Israelites carried such a tent or tabernacle during their travels through the wilderness, whatever they might do the few days they worshipped the calf; but this is to be understood of their posterity in later times, in the times of Amos; and also when Shalmaneser carried them captive beyond Damascus, as follows. It may be further observed, for the confirmation and illustration of what has been said concerning Chiun, that the Egyptian Anubis, which Plutarch x says is the same with Saturn, is called by him Kyon, which seems to be no other than this word Chiun: and whereas Stephen calls it Rephan, this is not a corruption of the word, reading Rephan or Revan for Chevan; nor has he respect to Rimmon, the god of the Syrians, but it is the Egyptian name for Saturn; which the Septuagint interpreters might choose to make use of, they interpreting for the king of Egypt: and Diodorus Siculus y makes mention of an Egyptian king called Remphis, whom Braunius z takes to be this very Chiun; see Acts 7:43; but Rephas, or Rephan, was the same with Chronus, or Saturn, from whence came the Rephaim a, who dwelt in Ashtaroth Karnaim, a town of Ham or Chronus; see Genesis 14:5. Some b, who take Siccuth for an idol, render it in the future, "ye shall carry", c. and take it to be a prediction of Amos, that the Israelites should, with great reproach and ignominy, be obliged by the Assyrians, as they were led captive, to carry on their shoulders the idols they had worshipped, and in vain had trusted in, as used to be done in triumphs Genesis 14:5- :.
p סכות מלככם "Siccuth regem vestrum", Munster, Montanus, Vatablus, Calvin, Mercerus. q כוכב אלהיכם "sidus deum vestrum", Liveleus; "sidus, [vel] stellam deos vestros", Calvin. r Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 1. p. 38. s כיון צלמיכם "placentam imagiuum vestrarum", Pagninus, Tigurine version, Vatablus. t Dictionary, in the word "Chiun". u "Basim imaginum vestrarum", Junius Tremellius, Piscator "statumen", Burkius. w Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 1. p. 35. x De Iside. y Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 56. z Selecta Sacra. l. 4. c. 9. sect. 132. p. 435. a Vid. Cumberland's Sanchoniatho, p. 120. b Vid. Scholia Quinquarborei in loc. So Jarchi and Lyra.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
But ye have borne - Literally, “And ye bare the tabernacle of your Moloch” (literally, “your king,” from where the idol Moloch had its name.) He assigns the reason, why he had denied that they sacririced to God in the wilderness. “Did ye offer sacrifices unto Me, and ye bare?” that is, seeing that ye bare. The two were incompatible. Since they did “carry about the tabernacle of their king,” they did not really worship God. He whom they chose as “their king,” was their god. The “tabernacle” or “tent” was probably a little portable shrine, such as Demetrius the silversmith and those of his craft made for the little statues of their goddess Diana Acts 19:24. Such are mentioned in Egyptian idolatry. “They carry forth” we are told , “the image in a small shrine of gilt wood.”
Of your Moloch and Chiun - The two clauses must be read separately, the “tabernacles of Moloch” (strictly, “of your king,”) “and Chiun your images.” The two clauses, “the tabernacle of your king, and Chiun your images,” are altogether distinct. They correspond to one another, but they must not be read as one whole, in the sense, “the tabernacle of your king and of Chiun your images.” The rendering of the last clause is uncertain. God has so “utterly abolished the idols” Isaiah 2:18, through whom Satan contested with Him the allegiance of His people, that we have no certain knowledge, what they were. There may be some connection between the god whom the Israelites in the wilderness worshiped as “their king,” and him whose worship Solomon, in his decay, brought into Jerusalem, the god whom the Ammonites worshiped as “the king, Hammolech,” or, as he is once called, “Molech , and three times “Milchom” 1 Kings 11:5, 1Ki 11:33; 2 Kings 23:13 (perhaps an abstract, as some used to speak of “the Deity”). He is mostly called “Hammolech,” the Ammonite way of pronouncing what the Hebrews called “Hammelech, the king.”
But since the name designates the god only as “the king,” it may have been given to different gods, whom the pagan worshiped as their chief god. In Jewish idolatry, it became equivalent to Baal Jeremiah 19:5; Jeremiah 32:35, “lord;” and to avert his displeasure, the Hebrews (as did the Carthaginians, a Phoenician people, down to the time of our Lord ), burned their own children, “their sons and their daughters,” alive to him. Yet, even in these dreadful rites, the Carthaginian worship was more cold-blooded and artificial than that of Phoenicia. But whether “the king,” whom the Israelites worshiped in the wilderness, was the same as the Ammonite Molech or no, those dreadful sacrifices were then no part of his worship; else Amos would not have spoken of the idolatry, “as the carrying about his tabernacle” only.
He would have described it by its greatest offensiveness. “The king” was a title also of the Egyptian Deity, Osiris , who was identified with the sun, and whose worship Israel may probably have brought with them, as well as that of the calf, his symbol. Again most of the old translators have retained the Hebrew word Chiyyan , either regarding it as a proper name, or unable to translate it. Some later tradition identities it with tire planet Saturn , which under a different name, the Arabs propitiated as a malevolent being . In Ephrem’s time, the pagan Syrians worshiped “the child-devouring Chivan” .
Israel however, did not learn the idolatry from the neighboring Arabs, since it is not the Arab name of that planet . In Egyptian, the name of Chunsu, one of the 12 gods who severally were thought to preside over the 12 months, appears in an abridged form Chuns or Chon . He was, in their mythology, held to be “the oldest son of Ammon” ; “his name is said to signify , “power, might;” and he to be that ideal of might, worshiped as the Egyptian Hercules .”
Etymology M. See Sir G. Wilk. in Rawlinson, Herodotus, ii. 78. note. “The Egyptians called Hercules Chon.” L. Girald (Opp. ii. 327) from Xenophon. Antioch. Drus. but the authority given is wrong). The name Chun extended into Phoenician and Assyrian proper names. Still Chon is not Chiyyun; and the fact that the name was retained as Chon or Chun in Phoenicia (where the worship was borrowed) as well as in Assyria, is a ground for hesitating to identify with it the word of Chiyyun, which has a certain likeness only to the abridged name. Jerome’s Hebrew teacher on the other hand knew of no such tradition, and Jerome renders it “image . And certainly it is most natural to render it not as a name, but as a common noun. It may probably mean, “the pedestal,” the “basis of your images.” The prophet had spoken of their images, as covered over with their little “shrines, the shrines of your king.” Here he may, not improbably, speak of them, its fastened to a pedestal. Such were the gods, whom they chose for the One true God, gods, “carried about,” covered over, fixed to their place, lest they should fall.
The worship was certainly some form of star-worship, since there follows, “the star of your god.” It took place after the worship of the calf. For Stephen, after having spoken of that idolatry says, “Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets” Acts 7:42. Upon their rebellions, God at last gave them up to themselves. Stephen calls the god whom they worshiped, “Rephan,” quoting the then existing Greek translation, “having regard,” Jerome says, “to the meaning rather than the words. This is to be observed in all Holy Scripture, that Apostles and apostolic men, in citing testimonies from the Old Testament, regard, not the words, but the meaning, nor do they follow the words, step by step, provided they do not depart from the meaning.”
Of the special idolatry there is no mention in Moses, in like way as the mention of the worship of the “goat , a second symbol of the Pantheistic worship of Egypt , is contained only incidentally in the prohibition of that worship. After the final rebellion, upon which God rejected that generation, Holy Scripture takes no account of them. They had failed God; they had forfeited the distinction, for which God had created, preserved, taught them, revealed Himself to them, and had, by great miracles, rescued them from Egypt. Thenceforth, that generation was cast aside unnoticed.
Which ye made to yourselves - This was the fundamental fault, that they “made it for themselves.” Instead of the tabernacle, which God, their king, appointed, they “bare about the tabernacle” of him whom they took for their king; and for the service which He gave, they “chose new gods” Judges 5:8 for themselves. Whereas God made them for Himself, they made for themselves gods out of their own mind. All idolatry is self will, first choosing a god, and then enslaved to it.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Amos 5:26. But ye have borne — The preceding verse spoke of their fathers; the present verse speaks of the Israelites then existing, who were so grievously addicted to idolatry, that they not only worshipped at stated public places the idols set up by public authority, but they carried their gods about with them everywhere.
The tabernacle of your Moloch — Probably a small portable shrine, with an image of their god in it, such as Moloch; and the star or representative of their god Chiun. For an ample exposition of this verse, Acts 7:42; to which let me add, that from Picart's Religious Ceremonies, vol. iii. p. 199, we find that there was an idol named Choun worshipped among the Peruvians from the remotest antiquity.
