Amos 6:8

8 The Lord God swore in his soul, saith the Lord God of hosts, I loathe the pride of Jacob, and I hate the houses of him, and I shall betake the city with his dwellers; (The Lord God swore in his soul, saith the Lord God of hosts, yea, I loathe Jacob's pride, or his arrogance, and I hate his houses, and I shall deliver the city and its inhabitants unto the enemy;)

Amos 6:8 Meaning and Commentary

Amos 6:8

The Lord God hath sworn by himself
Because he could swear by no greater, ( Hebrews 6:13 ) ; which shows the importance and certainty of the thing sworn to, and is as follows: saith the Lord, the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob;
or, "the pride of Jacob" F3; of Israel, of the ten tribes, remarkable for their pride; hence called the crown of pride, ( Isaiah 28:3 ) ; it may include all that was glorious, valuable, and excellent among them, of which they were proud; their kingdom, riches, wealth, and strength, their fortified cities and towns: if Judah is comprehended in this, it may regard the temple, which was their excellency, and in which they gloried. So the Targum paraphrases it,

``the house of the sanctuary of the house of Jacob;''
and in like manner Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret it; and hate his palaces;
the palaces of the king and nobles, and great men, which should fall into the enemy's hand, and be plundered and destroyed; which is meant by the Lord's abhorrence and hatred of them, this being an evidence of it; therefore will I deliver up the city, with all that is therein;
or, "with its fulness" F4; with all its inhabitants and riches; according to Jarchi, the city of Jerusalem is meant; though rather the city of Samaria, unless both are intended, city for cities; since the chief men both of Israel and Judah seem to be addressed, ( Amos 6:1 ) .
FOOTNOTES:

F3 (Nwag ta) "superbiam", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; "fastium", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius.
F4 (halmw) "et plenitudinem ejus", Mercerus, Piscator, Cocceius.

Amos 6:8 In-Context

6 and drink wine in vials; and with best ointment they were anointed; and in nothing they had compassion on the sorrow, either defouling, of Joseph. (and drink wine from basins, and anoint yourselves with the best ointment; but ye have no compassion on the sorrow, or on the defiling, of Joseph.)
7 Wherefore now they shall pass in the head of men passing over, and the doing, or treason, of men doing lechery, shall be done away. (And so now ye shall be the first to go into captivity, and then the treason of people doing lechery, shall be done away, or shall be ended.)
8 The Lord God swore in his soul, saith the Lord God of hosts, I loathe the pride of Jacob, and I hate the houses of him, and I shall betake the city with his dwellers; (The Lord God swore in his soul, saith the Lord God of hosts, yea, I loathe Jacob's pride, or his arrogance, and I hate his houses, and I shall deliver the city and its inhabitants unto the enemy;)
9 that if ten men be left in one house, and they shall die. (and if only ten men be left in one house, they shall still all die.)
10 And his neighbour shall take him, and shall burn him, that he bear out (the) bones of the house. And he shall say to him, that is in the privy place of the house, Whether there is yet (any) with thee? And he shall answer, An end is. And he shall say to him, Be thou still, and think thou not on the name of the Lord. (And his friend, or his relative, shall take him up, to bury him, and he shall carry his bones out of the house. And he shall say to him who is in the private place of the house, Is there anyone left in there with thee? And he shall answer, No. And he shall say to him, Be thou silent, and do not thou even say the Lord's name.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.