The Pulpit Commentary — Amos — Section 157

EXPOSITION. OHAPTER vm. "Many the corpses: in every plaoe he ha.th cast them forth. Hush I" The Lord Vem. 1-14.-§ 5. In the fourth 11iaion, is represented as casting dead bodies to the the basT,et of aummer fruit, the L<wd ahowa ground, so that death is everywhere; and that the people ia ripe fo-r judgment. Ex- the interjection" hush I" (comp. eh. vi. 10) is an admonition to bend beneath the hand plaining this revelation, Amos denounces of an avenging God (comp. Zeph. i. 7). the oppression and greed of the ohiefto.i.ns Orelli takes it as an expression of the apathy (vers. 4---10), and we.ms them that those that accompanies severe and irremediable who despise the Word of God shall some sntfering-suffering too deep for words. day suffer from a famine of the Word (vem. The Greek and Latin vemions take thiB onoma.topoetic word has ! "hush I " as a 11-14). substantive. Thus the Septuagint, h,pf,l,j,to Ver. 1.-A basket of summer fruit ; "'"''"'"• "I will cast upon them silence ; " Septuagint, irros i(EuToiJ, " e. fowler's Vulgate, pojicietur aiknlium-an expressive vessel;" Vulga.te, uncinua pomorum, which rendering, but one not supported by gram- Jerome explains," Sicnt uncino rami a.rborwn matical oonsidera.tions. detrahnntur ad pome. co.rpenda, ito. ego Ver. 4.-The prophet, by admonishing proximum captivitatis tempus attra.xi." the grandees of their iniquities, which they The word chelub is ta.ken to mean "a basket will not ce.st a.way, shows how ripe they a.re of wickerwork;" it is need for "a cage" in for judgment. That nnllow up; better, Jer. v. 27, but is found nowhere else. The that pant afteT ( eh. ii 6, 7), like a beast gathering of fruit was the last harvest of after its prey, eager to devour. Evan to the year, and thus fitly typified ihe final make the poor of the land to fail; and cau,e punishment of ls!'a.el. This is set forth by the meek of the land to fail. They grasp at the play on the word in the next veme. the property of the unresisting poor, adding Ver. 2.-The end (keta). This is very field to field, and impoverishing them in like the word for "fruit" (kaita). Pass by various ways, to root them out of the land. (see note on eh. vii. 8). Ver. 5.-When 1 expresses impatience and Ver. 3.-Tha songs ot the temple ; desire, as in the hymn- Septuagint, Ttk <t>a.Tv,J,µa.Ta. ToiJ 11C10iJ, "the po.nnels of the temple;" Vnlgate, cardinea " Thy joys token she.ll I see ? " t.empli. These versions point to e. different The new moon. The first day of the reading. It is better rendered, "the songs month was a holiday, on which e.ll trade of the pBlace," referring to the songs of the was suspended. It is not mentioned in revellers mentioned already (eh. vi. 5). Exodus, Leviticus, or Deuteronomy ; but its These shall be changed into howling& of observe.nee is enjoined in Numb. xxviii. 11, lamentation for the dead which lie around o.ud various notices of this occur in later {comp. ver. 10). There shall be many Soriptures; e.g. l Sam. u. 5; 2 Kings iv. \l.e~ll bo<Ues, '1'4e 1:1:ebfow is Qlore forcible ; Z3; 1:1:os. ii, U; CQI. ii, 16, The,e i;r~e,ly }f,8 THE BOOK OF AMOS. [on, vm. 1-14,