The Pulpit Commentary — Amos — Section 87

to the moral condition offixP.d to therealizl\• psalms nnd hymns or praise wel"e mere noiae tion of these expectl\tions (see Joel ii. 32), in God's el\r, nnd "·earied .him (lsl\. i. H; the people "d0l'ired" the nppeBrance of this xxiv. 8; Ezek. xxvi. 13). . Viola (ob. vi. 5); dl\y, thus foolishly ronfirming themselvl's in 3p")'d""'" (Septuagint). The nebel, usunlly their sinful life and fl\lse securitv. Some transll\ted "p~altery," was a kin,l of harp. think scoffers are intended, but the context Josephus (' Ant.,' vii. 12. 3) describes it as Bhows that the persons signified are sinoere having twelve strings, played by the fingers. but mistaken believers in the safety of Music, both instrumental and voool, wa& Israel's oovenant position. To what end is used in the temple-worship (see 1 Chron. it for you 1 the day of the Lord is darlmeSB ; xvi. 42; xxiii. 5; and xxv.). Why tDOuld ye have the day of the Lord ? It Ver. 24.-Bnt let judgment run doW'll as i.s darknus. Why do ye, such e.s ye are, water,; let judgment roll on; Septuagint, want this duy to come? Ye know not what ,cal 1<ull.1u8{i<TETa.1 &is 1/5,.,p ,cp{µa, "and judg- ye ask. It will be the very contrary to ment shall roll along as water; " Et revela- your expeot.ations; it will be darkness, a.nd bitur quasi aquajudicium (Vulg.ate). This not light, tribulation and misery, not joy verse hns been explained in different ways, and triumph for yon (comp. Micah vii. 8). Hitzig, Keil, with many anoient commenta- Yer. 19.-Amos explains the dangers of tors, find in it a threat of chastisement, "the- this ju,lgment-day by illustrations drawn flooding of the land with judgment and the from pnstore.l life, equiYalent to the rushing punitive rigl,teousness of God." Pusey, Pro- from Cha.rybdis into Scylla. Every place fessor Gandell, and others consider it to be a is full of danger-the open oountry, the oall to amendment. "He bids them let jud"· shelter of the house. Jerome applies the ment, which had hitherto been perverted in passage to the fate of the kingdom in general: its course, roll on like.a mighty tide of .waters,. •• Fugientibus vobis a fe.cie N abuchodonoso:r sweeping before it all hindrauoes," filling leonis oocu:rrent Medi, Pers19, demum An- the whole land: with i-igbteqµsness. Schegg: tiocbus Epiphanes, qui moretur in templo makes it to be a promise of the coming of et vos instar colubri mordeat, neqnaquam the day of the Lor.d, that is, the revelation foris in Babylone, sed intra terminos teme of Messiah. But. such a promise in this- sanote." position is very forced and unnatural. The Ver. 20.-The character of the day of the second interpretation seems most suitable. Lord is enforced with reiterated earnestneBS In the midst of the denl)nciation of men's (ver. 18) by an appeal to the conscience of formal worship, the prophet announces their the hearers. Do you not feel in your inmost duty in the present crisis, attention to which hearts that in the case of snch guilt as youra could alone win God's favour. Judgment the Lord can visit but to punish? and righteousness, long neglected and. for- Ver. 21.-Outward, formal worship will gotten, should permeate the. land like re- not avert the threatened danger or secure freshing streams of w_ater-a simile of special the favour of God in the day of visitation. signification to an inhabitan,t of an Enstern Your feast days ( chaggim); your feasts; your country, where the neigbbourb·qod of a counterfeit worship, the worship of the true perennial stream was as delightful as it was God under an idol symbol (compare God's unusual. Mighty (ethan); 1£/:JcTos, "impass- repudiation of merely formal worship in able" (Septuagint); fortis (Vulgate). The Isa. i. 11-15). I will not amell; ou ,.:;, word may mean "strong," or "perennial." o,nppa.pBi;, Bucria.s (Septuagint). No sweet " Whence the seventh month, just befo1·e the l!avour ascends to God from such sacrifices; ea.rly re.in, wns called the .month Ethanim. so the phrase is equivalent to "I will not i.e. the month of the perennial. streams, when accept," "I will t'e.ke no delight in" (comp. they alone flowed" (Pus!)y). , . Gen. viiL 21; Exod. n.iL 18; Lev. n.vi Ver. 25.-Ye have always bee11 idolaters, 31 ). Solemn assemblies ; 1ra.vr,-,{,p,uw (Sep- corrupters of pure woi-sliip. Your service in tuagint); ataaroth; the conrncations for the the wilderness, when you were little exposed keeping of the great festivals. to external influence, was no more true and Ver. 22.-They maintained the formal faithful than that which you offer now; ritual or the Mosaic worship in their idola- that was as unacceptable as this. Have ye try. The various offerings are here enume- offered unto me 1 Did ye offer unto me 1 The rated. Burnt offerings; dll.01«1.VTC:,µ.a.,-c (Exod. answer expected is" No;" i.e. you did not :u:ix. 38, 42; Numb. x:niii 9-11). Meat so really, because your wors4ip. was mixed offerings ; fiuuics (8eptuagint) ; munera with falsehood, and was no~ offered simply (Vulgate); Exod. nix. 40, 41; Lev. ii. 1. and genuinely to me. It is certo.iJ), too, that Peace o:trering1 of your fat beast• ; ,,..,.,.71. during the sojqurn in the wilderness sacri- plous ..,,.,..,..,.tcs v,.,;11, "your grand peace ficial worship fell greatly into desuetude, offerings" (Septuagint) ; rota pinguium e.s we know that the rite of ciroumcisioo i,e,trorum (Vulge.te); Lev. iii. 1, etc. was suspended (Josh. v. 5-7), the Paesover Ver. 23.-The noise of th7 1ong1. Their was not duly celebrated, nnd Joshua urged IJR, V, 1-27.] THE BOOK OF AMOS. gJ