Bible Commentaries
Amos 6

Verses 1-8

Amo 6:1-8

Israel’s False Sense of Security (Amos 6:1-8)

“Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and to them that are secure in the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come!” (Amos 6:1).

Amos had pronounced a “woe” upon Israel at Amos 5:18 because the deluded sinful people actually “desired the day of Jehovah.” Jesus had pronounced seven “woes” against the scribes and Pharisees at Matthew 23:13-36. There the Greek (ouai) = “woe to thee” (LS 575)... “calamity” (Moulton 294). Ouai is used at Revelation 9:12; Revelation 11:14 to signify judgment for misdeeds. The un-repenting and deluded sinners of Israel have nothing but a calamity of judgment to look forward to as long as their state of mind remains contrary to the way of God.

Not only was Israel guilty of idolatry, injustice, erroneous worship, and unrighteousness but their root problem, according to Amos, is their quest for financial security. The problem was not in gaining financial security but rather their attitudes and methods of such gain. The wording of this verse indicates their trust in wealth and fortified city of Samaria.

“Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines: are they better than these kingdoms? Or is their border greater than your border? Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; that sing idle songs to the sound of the viol; that invent for themselves instruments of music, like David; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph” (Amos 6:2-6).

The text infers that these great cities (i.e., Calneh, Hamath, and Gath) were considered great yet Judah and Israel far surpassed them in land mass and greatness of strength. God had truly blessed His people with land and power. Israel had not; however, considered God’s blessings and by their wicked ways were bringing the day of calamity and violence closer and closer.

Israel was currently living off of the past blessings of God. They were wealthy; i.e., laying on beds of ivory, content as they lounged without fear upon their couches, sang songs with instruments and invented new ways of playing to enrich their contentment and joy of life. They had all that a man could ever want in this day. They drank plenty of wine from bowls, ate the best of steak from lambs, and anointed themselves with the chief oils. Israel had come to be lost in a world of plenty. They were blind to the dangers of ease and to the need of the poor of their brethren.

“Therefore shall they now go captive with the first that go captive; and the revelry of them that stretched themselves shall pass away. The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, saith Jehovah, the God of hosts: I abhor the excellency (pride) of Jacob, and hate his palaces; therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein” (Amos 6:7-8).

Due to Israel’s sin of ease and unwillingness to help the needy among their brethren God will bring them into captivity at the hands of the Assyrians (cf. Amos 3:11; Amos 5:27; Hosea 11:5). Amos identifies the activities above regarding the singing with instruments and the inventions of new music as “revelry” (i.e., “boisterous merrymaking... to engage in uproarious festivities...a noisy festivity” [AHD 1057]). Note that God had hatred and abhorrence toward Israel’s spirit of “pride” and the “palaces” they placed their security in.

Verses 9-14

Amo 6:9-14

God Will Judge Israel For
Their Failure To Repent

Amos 6:9-14

“And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die. And when a man’s uncle shall take him up, even he that burns him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is in the innermost parts of the house, Is there yet any with thee? And he shall say, No; then shall he say, Hold thy peace; for we may not make mention of the name of Jehovah. For, behold, Jehovah commands, and the great house shall be smitten with breaches, and the little house with clefts” (Amos 6:9-11).

So complete will God’s calamity fall upon the wicked of Israel that none will be left in a house to bury their dead. The nearest of kin, such as an uncle, will come to not bury but burn the bodies of the dead (possibly due to the fact that the dead are so numerous that there is no grave spaces to bury them). The name of Jehovah will carry much greater fear in the day of Israel’s judgment. To mention the name of the great judge was to bring further destruction upon the house of the wicked.

“Shall horses run upon the rock? Will one plow there with oxen? That ye have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood; ye that rejoice in a thing of nought, that say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah, the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of the Arabah” (Amos 6:12-14).

Amos calls upon Israel to reason with him. The prophet poses two questions of which the answer was obvious. Horses have more since than to run on rocks. Men do not plow in rocky areas. The point is that the matter of justice and righteous behavior is just as easily determined; however, Israel has muddied the waters of their responsibilities toward the Lord (i.e., they turned both justice and righteousness into such a mess that they were like people who foolishly plowed on rocks and ran a horse over the same). Yet even more foolish was their conclusion that that they could obtain all blessings of life by “our own strength.” Israel looked to idols (Hosea 11:2), other nations (Hosea 7:11), and now their own strength (Amos 6:13; Hosea 10:13) for comfort in time of need. The Lord; however, shall judge the nation of Israel with Assyria from the northern most border to the southern-most line (cf. Amos 3:11; Amos 5:27).