The Pulpit Commentary — Amos — Section 114

1). The lite is placed by Porter at Tell- ,,.,,.,.,,.ri>,.;;,,,.,.u, "wantoning." Out of the midat es-Safi, an isolated hill, standing above the of the stall. Calves put np to be fattened. broad valley of Elah, and "presenting on They do this presumably not on festivals, the north and west a white precipice of when it would have been proper and ex- many hundred feet." Dr. Thomson (' The cusable, but every day. Land and the Book,' p. 215, eto.) considers Ver. 5.-That ohant. The word parat Gath to be the same city as Betogabra, (llo·,zc "A.,-y&µ,11011) means rather '' to prattle," Eleutheropolis, and the modem Beit Jiorin, "to sing idle songs," as the Revised Ver- which is some few miles south of Tell sion translates it. The reading of the Safi. Be thinks the site of Tell SA.Ii is Septuagint varies between i1r1Hp11Tou11T<s, not adapted for the seat of a large city, "excelling," e.nd h-,,cp0Tou11Tu, the latter and he saw few indications of ancient ruins of which words might mean "applaud- there; whereBB Beit Jibrin has in and ing." Viol (see note on eh. v. 23). Invent around it the most wonderful remains of to themselves instruments of music, like antiquity to be found in all Philistia. It David. As David devised stringed instru- had probably deolined in importance at this ments and modes of singing to do hononr t@ time (see note on eh. i. 6), but its old repu- God and for the service of his sanctuary tation was still remembered. It was taken (see 1 Chron. xv.16, etc.; xxiii. 5; 2 Chron. by Uzziah, but seems not to have remained x.xix. 26, 27; and the supernumerary psalm long in his possession (2 Cilron. nvi. 6). In e.t the end of the Psalter in the Septnagint), the year B.o. 711 Sargon reduced Ashdod so these debauchees invented new singing and Gath, which he calls Gimtu Asdudim, and playing to grace their luxurious feasts. i.e. Gath of the Ashdodites. Be they better 1 The Septuagint rendering, which Jerome Have they received more earthly prosperity calls " sensus pulcherrim as," is not to be at God's hands than you ? Is their terri- explained by the present Hebrew text, how- tory greater than yours? No. How ungrate- ever true to fact it may be considered, 'ns ful, then, are you for all my favours (comp. itrTT11C6-ra l"A.o-yltr1111To, Kril oux ws ,p,{ryo11Ta., Jer. ii. 5-11) I Schrader and Biokell re- "Regarded them as abiding and not as fleet- gard the verse es au interpolation, gram- ing things." matically, metrically, and chronologically Ver. 6.-Wine in bowls (muraqim); ,a- inadmissible; but their arguments are not orificial bowls; used in libations of wine and strong, and Amos makes no mention of the in the sprinkling of blood (comp. Exod. fate of these oities. xxxviii. 3; Numb. vii. 13, etc.: 1 Chron. Ver. 3.-Ye that put far away the evil day. xxviii. 17; 2 Chron. iv. 8, 22; Zeeb. ix. 15; They assigned a distant date to the time of xiv. 20). These vessels the luxurious and punishment and calamity; they would not sacrilegious princes employed in their feasts, look it in the face or contemplate it as proving thus their impiety and their excess approaching and ready to come upon them. (comp, Dan. v. 2). Septuagint, ol 1r£11011T<s Septuagint, 01 lpx&µ,1101 ,:s -1,µlpriv "41<11", Tbv 31v"A.10-µl11011 0T11011, "who drink strained "Ye who are coming unto the evil day." wine." The chief ointment&. Such as were The Alexandrian manusoript has ol dx&- used in Di vine service (Exod. xxx. 23, etc.), µ,1101, "ye who pray for" (eh. v. 18), with and now ilere else. If they had felt as they which the Syriao seems to agree. The ought to feel in this time of rebuke a111l Vulgate (as Aquila, Symmachus, and Theo- sorrow, tiley would, like mourners, ha.v15 dotion), taking the verb passively, ren- refrained from anointing themselves (Ruth ders, qui separati estis in diem malum. But iii. 3; 2 Sam. xiv. 2); but, on the contrary, it is best to translate it as o.bove, iu the they are not grieved for the allliotion of sense of "repelling," "putting away with J'oseph. The coming ruin of the ten tribes aversion," as in Isa. I.xvi. 5. And oause the affects them not; in their selfish voluptuous- Beat of violenoe to come near. They erected ness they have no sympathy with calamity the throne (ehebheth, "the sitting," or "en- nnd suffering, and shut their eyes to coming throning") of violence in their midst, made evil. " 'fhe nffl.iction of Joseph" is probably themselves the subjeots and slaves of wicked- a proverbial expression derived from the ness and oppreBSion. The LXX., mistaking narratives in Gen. x.xxvii. 25, eto., and xI. shebl1eth for shabbath, translates, 0I lyyt- H, 23 (comp. Gen. xiii. 21). (ov-r<s Kill &4>11,rr/,µ0,01 tra/J/Jdm,111 ,i,,va&v, "Ye who are drawing near and olinging to false Vers. 7-11.-Here follows the announce- sabbaths." ment of punishment for the criruas men• Ver. 4.-That lie upon beds of ivory; tioned above: the people shall go into eouches inlaid with ivory (see note on oh. captivity; they shall be rejected of God, iii. 15) at meals. The prophet substantiates and given over to utter min. his denunciation by desoribing their selfish luxury and debauchery. Btretoh themselves; Ver. 7.-With the first. They shall have literally, ar11 poured out; Septuagint, 1C11T11• a prc-eminenoe indeed, being the fir~t to go> AMOS. l JU THE BOOK OF AMOS. [err. v1. 1-14.