Amos 4:2

2 iuravit Dominus Deus in sancto suo quia ecce dies venient super vos et levabunt vos in contis et reliquias vestras in ollis ferventibus

Amos 4:2 Meaning and Commentary

Amos 4:2

The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness
That is, by himself, holiness being his nature, and an essential attribute of his; this is done to ascertain the truth of what is after said, and that men may be assured of the certain performance of it. Some render it, "by his holy place"; and interpret it of heaven; so Aben Ezra and Kimchi; which is not likely; see ( Matthew 5:34 ) ( James 5:12 ) . The Targum is,

``the Lord God hath sworn by his word in his holiness;''

that, lo, the days shall come upon you;
speedily, swiftly, and at an unawares: that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fish
hooks;
the enemy, the king of Assyria, or God by him, would take them out of their own land, as fish out of water, out of their own element, and carry them captive into a strange land, both them and their posterity; and which should be as easily done as fish are taken with the hook, even though they were as the kine of Bashan. The word for fish hooks signifies "thorns" ^F16, and is by some so rendered; these perhaps being used in angling, before iron hooks were invented. The Targum is,

``that people shall take you away on their shields, and your daughters in fishermen's ^F17 boats;''

see ( Jeremiah 16:16 ) .

---

FOOTNOTES:

F16 (twryob) "spinis", Mercerus, Liveleus, Drusius, Grotius.
F17 So it is interpreted by R. Sol Urbin Ohel Moed, fol. 65. 2. likewise Elias says the word signifies a small ship, or a boat that is in a large ship, Tishbi, p. 59. So Vatablus interprets it, "scaphas piscatorias, [sive] cymbas"; and some in Munster.

Amos 4:2 In-Context

1 audite verbum hoc vaccae pingues quae estis in monte Samariae quae calumniam facitis egenis et confringitis pauperes quae dicitis dominis vestris adferte et bibemus

2 iuravit Dominus Deus in sancto suo quia ecce dies venient super vos et levabunt vos in contis et reliquias vestras in ollis ferventibus

3 et per aperturas exibitis altera contra alteram et proiciemini in Armon dicit Dominus

4 venite ad Bethel et impie agite ad Galgalam et multiplicate praevaricationem et offerte mane victimas vestras tribus diebus decimas vestras

5 et sacrificate de fermentato laudem et vocate voluntarias oblationes et adnuntiate sic enim voluistis filii Israhel dicit Dominus Deus