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Amos 6

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Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

2

Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

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Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

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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;

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That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

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That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

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Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.

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The Lord God hath sworn by himself, saith the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.

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And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.

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And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord.

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For, behold, the Lord commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

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Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:

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Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?

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But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the Lord the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.

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Amos 6

Amos pronounces woe upon those who are at ease in Zion and those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations to whom the house of Israel comes, condemning their false sense of security and invulnerability. The wealthy elite lounge on beds of ivory, stretch themselves out on couches, eat the finest lambs and calves, sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with precious oils—luxuriating in opulent indulgence while oblivious to the ruin approaching Israel. These privileged few pride themselves on their military might and their cities' fortifications, yet the prophet announces that God will raise up a nation against them that will oppress them and despoil their land, making their abundance and security illusions. The chapter emphasizes that the judgment will be total and inescapable: there will be no refuge, no one will escape, and those who remain will be carried away in exile, their false confidence shattered by the reality of divine judgment. Amos exposes the moral blindness that accompanies wealth and power: those most blessed materially are often most spiritually deluded, unable to perceive that their ease rests upon injustice and that their security is illusory in the face of God's moral reckoning.

Amos 6:7

The promise that those who are at ease shall go into exile at the head of the exiles indicates that the comfortable elite will lead the procession into captivity. The ironic reversal emphasizes their fate.

Amos 6:8

The oath that the LORD abhors the pride of Jacob indicates God's particular rejection of Israel's arrogance. The promise to deliver up the city and all that fills it indicates comprehensive destruction.

Amos 6:9

The prophecy that if ten men remain in one house they shall die indicates the totality of death and destruction. The imagery of survivors within a house all dying emphasizes the comprehensiveness of judgment.

Amos 6:10

The image of a relative taking up the body to bring it out of the house and telling the man in the innermost parts of the house to keep quiet because the name of the LORD should not be mentioned indicates the futility and danger of the situation.

Amos 6:1

The woe pronounced against those who are at ease in Zion and those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria indicates that complacency and false confidence characterize Israel's spiritual condition. The address to the notable men indicates that the leadership bears particular responsibility.

Amos 6:2

The reference to Calneh and Hamath and Gath indicates the fall of major cities. The rhetorical question about whether these cities are better than your kingdoms suggests that if these fell, so too will Israel.

Amos 6:3

The accusation that those who put far away the evil day bring near the seat of violence indicates that those who deny the coming judgment actually hasten its arrival through their continued injustice.

Amos 6:4

The description of lying on beds of ivory and stretching on couches and eating lambs from the flock and calves from the stall indicates luxury and excess. The enumeration of luxuries emphasizes the wealth and comfort of the elite.

Amos 6:5

The description of those who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and invent for themselves instruments of music like David indicates the pursuit of aesthetic pleasure and entertainment. The comparison to David's musical accomplishments suggests pretension.

Amos 6:6

The accusation of drinking wine from bowls and anointing themselves with finest oils indicates excessive indulgence. The failure to grieve over the ruin of Joseph indicates the lack of moral sensitivity to national crisis.

Amos 6:11

The promise that the LORD will smite the great house to pieces and the small house to bits indicates the destruction of all human structures, great and small. The total destruction emphasizes that no building or human construction will survive.

Amos 6:12

The rhetorical questions about whether horses run on rocks and whether one plows the sea with oxen indicate the absurdity of Israel's approach to justice, that trying to maintain justice through injustice is impossible.

Amos 6:13

The accusation of those who rejoice in a thing of naught indicates the false confidence based on nothing. The boasting about capturing Lo-debar indicates the trivial victories upon which Israel's confidence rests.

Amos 6:14

The promise that the LORD will raise up a nation against you that shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah indicates that Assyrian conquest will affect all of northern Israel. The specific geographic markers indicate comprehensive invasion.