Amos 7:7

7 The Lord God showed to me these things; and lo! the Lord standing on a wall pargeted, or plastered, and in the hand of him was a trowel of a mason. (The Lord God showed me these things; and lo! the Lord was standing by a plastered wall; and in his hand was a mason's trowel/was a plumb line.)

Amos 7:7 Meaning and Commentary

Amos 7:7

Thus he showed me
A third vision, which was in the following manner: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall [made] by a plumbline, with a
plumbline in his hand:
this "wall" was the people of Israel, who were built up as a wall, firm and strong; and so stood against their enemies, while supported by the Lord, and he stood by them. The Septuagint version is, "an adamantine wall". In their constitution, both civil and ecclesiastic, they were formed according to the good and righteous laws of God, which may be signified by the plumbline; and so the Targum renders it, "the wall of judgment". And now the Lord appears standing upon this wall, to trample it down, and not to support it; and with a plumbline in his hand, to examine and try whether this wall was as it was first erected; whether it did not bulge out, and vary from its former structure, and was not according to the line and rule of his divine word, which was a rule of righteousness.

Amos 7:7 In-Context

5 And I said, Lord God, I beseech, rest thou; who shall raise Jacob, for he is little? (And I said, Lord God, I beseech thee, rest thou; for who shall raise up Jacob, for he is so small?/for they be so weak?)

6 The Lord had mercy on this thing; But also and this thing shall not be, said the Lord God. (The Lord had mercy on this thing; And also this shall not be, said the Lord God.)

7 The Lord God showed to me these things; and lo! the Lord standing on a wall pargeted, or plastered, and in the hand of him was a trowel of a mason. (The Lord God showed me these things; and lo! the Lord was standing by a plastered wall; and in his hand was a mason's trowel/was a plumb line.)

8 And the Lord said to me, What seest thou, Amos? And I said, A trowel of a mason. And the Lord said, Lo! I shall put a trowel in the middle of my people Israel; I shall no more put to, for to over-lead it; (And the Lord said to me, What seest thou, Amos? And I said, A mason's trowel/A plumb line. And the Lord said, Lo! I shall put a trowel in the midst of my people Israel/I shall put a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; no more shall I pass them by;)

9 and the high things of idol shall be destroyed, and the hallowings of Israel shall be desolate; and I shall rise on the house of Jeroboam by sword. (and the high places, or the hill shrines, of Isaac shall be destroyed, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be made desolate; and I shall rise against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.)