1 The words of Amos, who was among the asheepbreeders of bTekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of cUzziah king of Judah, and in the days of dJeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the eearthquake.
2 And he said: “The Lordaroars from Zion, And utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the top of bCarmel withers.”
Judgment on the Nations
3 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of aDamascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have bthreshed Gilead with implements of iron.
4aBut I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of bBen-Hadad.
5 I will also break the gateabar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, And the one who1 holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,” Says the Lord.
6 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of aGaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver them up to Edom.
7aBut I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, Which shall devour its palaces.
8 I will cut off the inhabitant afrom Ashdod, And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will bturn My hand against Ekron, And cthe remnant of the Philistines shall perish,” Says the Lord God.
9 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of aTyre, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, Which shall devour its palaces.”
11 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of aEdom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because he pursued his bbrother with the sword, And cast off all pity; His anger tore perpetually, And he kept his wrath forever.
12 But aI will send a fire upon Teman, Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.”
13 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of athe people of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead, That they might enlarge their territory.
14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of aRabbah, And it shall devour its palaces, bAmid shouting in the day of battle, And a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
15aTheir king shall go into captivity, He and his princes together,” Says the Lord.
In the wild a lion roars just as it is about to pounce on its prey. Symbolically and metaphorically, the roar of a lion or the crack of thunder shows the imminent intervention of God in human affairs (I Samuel 2:10; Isaiah 29:6; 31:4; Hosea 11:9-11; Revelation 16:18).
In the mid-eighth century BC when Amos preached, Israel's economic base was largely in agriculture, but a drought had begun to destabilize that foundation. The pastures had already begun to feel the effects of God's roaring, as had Carmel, the most verdant part of Israel, and incidentally, the supposed stronghold of Baal. Amos proclaims that the drought is the result of God's judgment.
The prophet uses this drought to illustrate that God is not an absentee landlord. He governs His creation (Psalm 104; Matthew 6:26) and knows everything that happens in it (Psalm 139; Matthew 10:29). He has neither abdicated nor delegated these responsibilities. If calamity strikes, God is involved in some way, possibly executing judgment.
