Amos 3

8. As when "the lion roars" (compare Amos 1:2 , Amos 3:4 ), none can help but "fear," so when Jehovah communicates His awful message, the prophet cannot but prophesy. Find not fault with me for prophesying; I must obey God. In a wider sense true of all believers ( Acts 4:20 , 5:29 ).

9. Publish in . . . palaces--as being places of greatest resort (compare Matthew 10:27 ); and also as it is the sin of princes that he arraigns, he calls on princes (the occupants of the "palaces") to be the witnesses.
Ashdod--put for all Philistia. Convene the Philistine and the Egyptian magnates, from whom I have on various occasions rescued Israel. (The opposite formula to "Tell it not in Gath," namely, lest the heathen should glory over Israel). Even these idolaters, in looking on your enormities, will condemn you; how much more will the holy God?
upon the mountains of Samaria--on the hills surrounding and commanding the view of Samaria, the metropolis of the ten tribes, which was on a lower hill ( Amos 4:1 , 1 Kings 16:24 ). The mountains are to be the tribunal on which the Philistines and Egyptians are to sit aloft to have a view of your crimes, so as to testify to the justice of your punishment ( Amos 3:13 ).
tumults--caused by the violence of the princes of Israel in "oppressions" of the poor ( Job 35:9 , Ecclesiastes 4:1 ).

10. know not to do--Their moral corruption blinds their power of discernment so that they cannot do right ( Jeremiah 4:22 ). Not simple intellectual ignorance; the defect lay in the heart and will.
store up violence and robbery--that is, treasures obtained by "violence and robbery" ( Proverbs 10:2 ).

11. Translate, "An adversary (the abruptness produces a startling effect)! and that too, from every side of the land." So in the fulfilment, 2 Kings 17:5 : "The king of Assyria (Shalmaneser) came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years."
bring down thy strength from thee--that is, bring thee down from thy strength (the strength on which thou didst boast thyself): all thy resources ( Proverbs 10:15 ).
palaces shall be spoiled--a just retribution in kind ( Amos 3:10 ). The palaces in which spoils of robbery were stored up, "shall be spoiled."

12. shepherd--a pastoral image, appropriately used by Amos, a shepherd himself.
piece of . . . ear--brought by the shepherd to the owner of the sheep, so as not to have to pay for the loss ( Genesis 31:39 , Exodus 22:13 ). So if aught of Israel escapes, it shall be a miracle of God's goodness. It shall be but a scanty remnant. There is a kind of goat in the East the ears of which are a foot long, and proportionally broad. Perhaps the reference is to this. Compare on the image 1 Samuel 17:34 1 Samuel 17:35 , 2 Timothy 4:17 .
that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed--that is, that live luxuriously in Samaria (compare Amos 6:1 Amos 6:4 ). "A bed" means here the Oriental divan, a raised part of the room covered with cushions.
in Damascus in a couch--Jeroboam II had lately restored Damascus to Israel ( 2 Kings 14:25 2 Kings 14:28 ). So the Israelites are represented as not merely in "the corner of a bed," as in Samaria, but "in a (whole) couch," at Damascus, living in luxurious ease. Of these, now so luxurious, soon but a remnant shall be left by the foe. The destruction of Damascus and that of Samaria shall be conjoined; as here their luxurious lives, and subsequently under Pekah and Rezin their inroads on Judah, were combined ( Isaiah 7:1-8 , Isaiah 8:4 Isaiah 8:9 , 17:3 ). The parallelism of "Samaria" to "Damascus," and the Septuagint favor English Version rather than GESENIUS: "on a damask couch." The Hebrew pointing, though generally expressing damask, may express the city "Damascus"; and many manuscripts point it so. Compare for Israel's overthrow, 2 Kings 17:5 2 Kings 17:6 , 18:9-12 .

13. testify in the house, &c.--that is, against the house of Jacob. God calls on the same persons as in Amos 3:9 , namely, the heathen Philistines and the Egyptians to witness with their own eyes Samaria's corruptions above described, so that none may be able to deny the justice of Samaria's punishment [MAURER].
God of hosts--having all the powers of heaven and earth at His command, and therefore One calculated to strike terror into the hearts of the guilty whom He threatens.

14. That--rather, "since," or "for." This verse is not, as English Version translates, the thing which the witnesses cited are to "testify" ( Amos 3:13 ), but the reason why God calls on the heathen to witness Samaria's guilt; namely, in order to justify the punishment which He declares He will inflict.
I will also visit . . . Beth-el--the golden calves which were the source of all "the transgressions of Israel" ( 1 Kings 12:32 , 13:2 , 2 Kings 23:15 2 Kings 23:16 ), though Israel thought that by them their transgressions were atoned for and God's favor secured.
horns of the altar--which used to be sprinkled with the blood of victims. They were horn-like projecting points at the corners of ancient altars. The singular, "altar," refers to the great altar erected by Jeroboam to the calves. The "altars," plural, refer to the lesser ones made in imitation of the great one ( 2 Chronicles 34:5 , compare with 1 Kings 13:2 , Hosea 8:11 , 10:1 ).

15. winter . . . summer house--( Judges 3:20 , Jeremiah 36:22 ). Winter houses of the great were in sheltered positions facing the south to get all possible sunshine, summer houses in forests and on hills, facing the east and north.
houses of ivory--having their walls, doors, and ceilings inlaid with ivory. So Ahab's house ( 1 Kings 22:39 , Psalms 45:8 ).