The Pulpit Commentary — Amos — Section 42

message upon the flat roofs of the palaces, chastisement is inevitable, and that only that it may be heard fo.r and near (comp. the smallest remnant, the most worthlesa 2 Bo.m. xvi. 22; Mo.U. x. 27). Keil thinks among the inhabitants, e.nd they with much tho.t not all the inhabitants of the town are difficulty, can escape. The illustro.tion Bllmmoned, but only those who live in the from a common incident in a shepherrl's lifo palo.cee, who alone "could pronounce a is very nataral in Amos, Taketh; better, correct sentence ll8 to the mode of life com- reacueth. So below, shall be taken out; shall monly adopted in the po.laces of Samaria." be rescued. The usnal explanation is that But ibis seems an nnneceeBBry refinement. a shepherd attacks the lion which has seized 7.'he Septuagint reads, 'Ava.yy,fll.r,.n x,1,pan one of his sheep (comp. 1 Sam. xvii. 34, iv 'Auuuploir, "Proclaim ye to the regions etc.), and reecnes from it the most worthlesa among the Aesryians," doubtless by some parts--" a couple of shank-bones or a bit, or mistake of copyists. Assemble yourselvaa tip, of an ear." But as an attack on a lion upon the monntlLlllll of Samaria. The city would be an abnormal act of courage on the of Samaria was built on a hill which stands part of a shepherd, and the comparison is alone in the valley or basin, but it is snr- with things likely and nsual, it is probable rounded by higher mountains, from whence, that the meaning is that the shepherd finds though at some distance, spectators could only these poor remnants after the lion has look down into its streets, and, as from left his prey. So snch a poor remnant the seats in an amphitheatre, behold the shall be rescued from the ten tribes of Israel. iniquities transacted there. '!'heir impla.c- That dwell in Samaria in the comer of a able enemies, the Pb ilistines, and those bed; that sit at ease, lounging in the they were then courting, the Egyptians cosiest comer of the divan, an image of in- (Hos. vii. 11 ; xii. 1), are alike called to dolent ee.se and careless security in the face witness this spectacle. Tumult ; the dis- or impending judgment. And in Damascus order, where might makes right. LXX., in a oouch; LXX., ,cal ,., Aaµau,cqi: Vul- Bauµ.au'l'O. ,roll.Ad, " many marvels," as if the gate, el, in Damasei grabat.o. The Syriac and sight were a surprise even to the heathen. Jewish Versions agree in considering the The oppressed (ashuqim); better, the oppres- word "Damascus" to be a proper name. , ,ions, i.e. of the weak at the hands of the The other modem rendering takes it to mean powerful (comp. eh, ii. 6; iv. 1). It was to the material which we call "damask," or the eternal disgrace of Israel that there something similar. Hence our Revise<! Ver- were doings in her cities which the very sion gives, "on the silken cnshions of a heathen would condemn. bed ; " and others, "on the damask or e. Ver. 10.-They know not how to do right. couch." Dr. Pusey retains the old render- The Samaritans have lost all sense of justice, ing, on the grounds that there ill no evi- the foundation of social life (Jar. iv. 22). dence to prove that the manufactures for LXX., Ob,c l-y11111 & tu,,.a, ,.,a.,,,.lov a.irr,is, "She which Damascne was celebrated in after- knew not what things shall be before her." time existed at this period, its exports being Store up violenoe; i.e. the fruits of violence then wine and white wool (Ezek. xxvii. 18), and robbery ('Ta.ll.a1,r111pla11, "misery," Soptuo.- and that the Arabic word dimakso (which gint), what they had wrung from the poor critica have cited as connected with the , by oppression aud rapine. term "damask") has nothing to do with Ver. 11.-An adversary. The Hebrew is Damascus, and meant "raw," not manu- forcible, the Lord speo.king as though he factured, "silk." He translates, ·• in Da- saw the foe present: "an enemy and around mascus, a couch," and explains this to mean the land." Ewald and Hitzig take taar as that Damascus, which Jeroboam II. had won an abstract noun, "distress;" the LXX. and for Israel (2 Kings xiv. 28), "was a canopied Aquila, pointing it differently, read, T6pos, couch to them, in which they stayed them- but the continuation or the sentence ill selves." This agrees with the ancient Jewish sce.rcely to be deewed a transle.tion, 1<u1<ll.06•11 interpretation, which explains the clause to ;, "Iii uou lp71µ.1119 ,ju,-ra.,, " Th'y le.nd sho.ll be mean that the Israelites would some day made desolate round about thee." The ad- depend for help on the Syrians represented versary weant is Shalmaneser, who attacked by Damascus. A third exposition, favoured Israel more tho.n once and besieged Samaria; by the Latin Vulgu.te, makea the words to or hi~ successor, Sargon, who cle.ims to have mean, .. on a couch of Damascus; " i.e. a reduced the city and removed the inhabi- Syrio.n couch of a costly and luxurious tants (2 Kings xvii. e.nd xviii. 9, eto. ; see nature. This comes to the sa.me ELll the Introduction to Mico.h). Thy strength. All modern renderiug given, above e.nd seews to wherein thou trustedst shall be brought be the easiest exphiuation of the expression. down to the grouud (Obo.d. 3). Palaoes, in 'l'he difficulty depends chiefly on tbe punc- which were stored the fruits of injustice tuation of the word 7~0,; or there may be and rapine (ver. 10). some corruption in the text. What the Ver, 12.-The p~et shows the.t the LXX. mee.nt by theil rendering is prolile-  4,2 THE BOOK OF AMOS. [on. m. 1-15.