Amos 9:5-15

5 The Lord, the God of Hosts- He touches the earth; it melts, and all who dwell on it mourn; all of it rises like the Nile and subsides like the Nile of Egypt.^[a]

6 He builds His upper chambers in the heavens and lays the foundation of His vault on the earth.^[b] He summons the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth. Yahweh is His name.

Announcement of Judgment

7 Israelites, are you not like the Cushites to Me? [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration. Didn't I bring Israel from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor,^[c] and the Arameans from Kir?

8 Look, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,^[d] and I will destroy it from the face of the earth. However, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob- the Lord's declaration-

9 for I am about to give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations, as one shakes a sieve, but not a pebble will fall to the ground.

10 All the sinners among My people, who say: Disaster will never overtake^[e] or confront us,^[f] will die by the sword.

Announcement of Restoration

11 In that day I will restore the fallen booth of David:^[g] I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins,^[h] and rebuild it as in the days of old,

12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom^[i] and all the nations that are called by My name^[j]^[k]- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- He will do this.

13 Hear this! The days are coming- the Lord's declaration- when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the one who treads grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and all the hills will flow [with it].^[l]

14 I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel.^[m]^[n] They will rebuild and occupy ruined cities,^[o] plant vineyards and drink their wine, make gardens and eat their produce.^[p]

15 I will plant them on their land, and they will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them.^[q] Yahweh your God has spoken.

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Amos 9:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO AMOS 9

This chapter contains the fifth and last vision the prophet saw; which represents the certain desolation of the land, city, and temple, and the slaughter of all sorts of persons, high and low, none should escape it, Am 9:1; be they where they would, they should be found out, whether in hell or heaven, on the tops of the highest mountains, or in the bottom of the sea, or in a foreign land, since the eyes of the Lord were upon them for evil, Am 9:2-4; nor could they hope to escape, when they considered his greatness and his power, and what he could do, and had done; and how they had behaved towards him, even though they were the people he had brought out of Egypt, Am 9:5-7; but though the sinful kingdom should be destroyed, yet not utterly, a remnant should be saved, Am 9:8-10; and the chapter is concluded with gracious promises of raising up the tabernacle of David fallen down, and of the return of the people of Israel to their own land; and of their settlement and continuance in it, never more to depart from it, Am 9:11-15.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Footnotes 17

[a]. Am 8:8
[b]. Ps 102:25; Isa 48:13; 51:13
[c]. Crete; Dt 2:23; Jr 47:4
[d]. Am 9:4
[e]. Or You will not let disaster come near
[f]. Am 6:3; Jr 5:12; 23:17
[g]. 2 Sm 7:11-16; Jr 23:5; Ezk 34:23-24; Lk 1:32; Rv 5:5
[h]. Isa 44:26
[i]. Ob 21
[j]. LXX reads so that the remnant of man and all the nations . . . may seek [Me]; Ac 15:17
[k]. Isa 43:6-7; Ac 15:15-18
[l]. Jl 2:24; 3:18
[m]. Or restore My people Israel from captivity
[n]. Dt 30:3; Jr 31:23; 32:42-44
[o]. Jr 30:18; 33:10-11
[p]. Isa 65:21; Jr 31:5
[q]. 2 Sm 7:10; Jr 24:6