Amos 6:3-6

3 Do you 1put off the day of calamity, And would you 2bring near the seat of violence?
4 Those who recline on beds of ivory And sprawl on their 3couches, And 4eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall,
5 Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed 5songs for themselves,
6 Who 6drink wine from sacrificial bowls While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, Yet they have not 7grieved over the ruin of Joseph.

Amos 6:3-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO AMOS 6

This chapter seems to be directed both to the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the ten tribes of Israel, under the names of Zion and Samaria, and to the principal men in both; who are reproved and threatened for their carnal security and self-confidence, being in no fear of the evil day, though they had no reason for it no more than other people, Am 6:1-3; are charged with wantonness, luxury, intemperance, and want of sympathy with those in distress, Am 6:4-6; therefore are threatened to be carried captive first, and their city to be delivered up; which, for the certainty of it, is not only said, but swore to, Am 6:7,8; and a great mortality in every house, and the destruction of all houses, both great and small, Am 6:9-11; and since a reformation of them seemed impracticable, and not to be expected, but they gloried in their wealth, and boasted of their strength, therefore they should be afflicted by a foreign nation raised against them, which affliction should be general, from one end of the country to the other, Am 6:12-14.

Cross References 7

  • 1. Isaiah 56:12; Amos 9:10
  • 2. Amos 3:10
  • 3. Amos 3:12
  • 4. Ezekiel 34:2, 3
  • 5. 1 Chronicles 15:16; 1 Chronicles 23:5; Isaiah 5:12
  • 6. Amos 2:8; Amos 4:1
  • 7. Ezekiel 9:4

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Or "invented musical instruments"
  • [b]. Lit "sprinkling basins"
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