1.
Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
the Lord GOD. Heb, Adonai Jehovah. See note on Amos 1:8
summer fruit. Hebrew kayitz = ripe, "summer" being put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for ripe fruits characterizing the summer. Compare 2 Samuel 16:2 .Jeremiah 40:12 .
2.
And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
Amos. See note on Amos 7:8 .
summer fruit . . . The end . Note the Figure of speech Paronomasia ( App-6 ), for emphasis. Compare Jeremiah 1:11 , Jeremiah 1:12 . Hebrew. kayitz hakketz, meaning that ripe was the fruit; ripe will be the time
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 . IT.
The end. See note above.
pass by = forgive, as in Amos 7:8 .
3.
And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.
4.
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
swallow up = devour.
the needy = a needy one. Hebrew 'ebyon. See note on ' poverty", Proverbs 6:11 .
make. to fail = destroy, or cause to cease.
the poor = meek ones. Hebrew 'amah, See note on "poverty", Proverbs 6:11 ,
5.
Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
the new moon. Reference to Pentateuch (Numbers 10:10 , &c.) the sabbath. Ref to Pentateuch (Exodus 20:10 ). App-92 . Stopping their business for a day.
set forth wheat. Hebrew = wheat market: "wheat" being put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for the place where it is kept = open granaries, or sell grain. hp
ephah. Measuring the goods. See App-51 .
shekel. Weighing the money. See App-51 .
6.
That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
buy the poor, &c. See note on Amos 2:6 .
the poor = impoverished ones. Hebrew. dal (plural) See note on "poverty", Proverbs 6:11 .
the needy = a needy one. Hebrew. ebyon , as in Amos 8:4 .
sell = sell [as good wheat].
7.
The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
hath sworn, &c. See note on Amos 6:8 .
the Excellency of Jacob: i.e. by Himself, as in Amos 6:8 . Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 15:7 ). App-92 . Compare Amos 4:2 ; Amos 6:8 . Hosea 5:5 ; Hosea 7:10 .
8.
Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
flood. Hebrew. or . Referring to the overflowing of the Nile.
drowned = subside.
9.
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
cause the sun. This determines the time of the fulfilment of this "threatening". See Isaiah 13:10 ; Isaiah 59:9 , Isaiah 59:10 . Jeremiah 15:5 .Joel 2:2 ; Joel 3:15 .Micah 3:6 . Can this refer to the earthquake of Amos 1:1 ?
10.
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
your feasts. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 12:14 ; Exodus 23:15 , Exodus 23:16 . Leviticus 23 ). App-92 .
sackcloth. baldness. The outward symbols of mourning. Compare Amos 8:3 .Isaiah 15:2 .Ezekiel 7:18 .
it: i.e. the land.
11.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos, App-6 .
of hearing, &c. Compare 1 Samuel 3:1 , Psalms 74:9 ; Ezekiel 7:26 ,
words, With 'eth = the very words. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "word" (singular)
12.
And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
wander. Hebrew go tottering, or staggering.
13.
In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
virgins. Hebrew. bethulah (plural) See note on Genesis 24:43 .
14.
They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
sin. = guilt., trespass. Hebrew asham. App-44 . Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , for the idol itself.
Dan . . . Beer-sheba . The two places where the calves were set up (1 Kings 12:26-30 ).
manner = mode [of worship]; Acts 9:2 . So used in Acts 16:17 ; Acts 18:25-26 ; Acts 19:9 , Acts 19:23 ; Acts 24:14 .
they : i.e. the two calves, or "they that swear".