It was on the route by which Abraham himself came at Gods command from Haran (Charrae of the Greeks) whether over Tiphsaeh (the passage, Thapsacus) or anymore northern passage over the Euphrates. Theodoret supposes the horrible aggravation, that it was thus that the women with child were destroyed with their children, casting the aforesaid women, as into a sort of threshing-floor, they savagely threshed them out like ears of grain with saw-armed wheels.. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of theLord, and their descendants with them. And God saw that the light was good. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Gilead is here doubtless to be taken in its widest sense, including all the possessions of Israel, east of Jordan, as, in the account of Hazaels conquests, all the land of Gilead 2 Kings 10:32-33 is explained to mean, all which was ever given to the two tribes and a half, and to include Gilead proper, as distinct from Basan. What Does the Bible Say About Husbands and Wives? even for four in chapters 12? Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Amos condemns raiding communities and capturing those populations in order to sell them in the international slave trade. , John 4:35 Do you not say, There are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Damascus was already the chief city, through its relation to which alone Hobah was known. Like the other names connected with Aram in the Old Testament, it is, in conformity with the common descent from Aram, Aramaic. Of Damascus - Damascus was one of the oldest cities in the world, and one of the links of its contact. The LORD pronounces judgment on the inhabitants of Damascus because they slaughtered the people of Gilead. And God saw that it was good., John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek theLord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.1 Corinthians 3:6-9 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 2 Kings 13:7 for an example). All rights reserved. A threshing sledge was pulled by a large animal. Hazael probably became the instrument of God in chastening Israel, while he was avenging Jehus submission to a power whom he dreaded and from whom he had suffered. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty., Genesis 37:7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. The city of Damascus was called under judgment because that nation threshed Gilead with implements of iron (Amos 1:3) or behaved with unnecessary cruelty against a conquered people. The city named Kir was the place where the Arameans originally lived (Amos 9:7), although its precise location is unknown. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. And as we are faithful to the Lord our God, He will bless the works of our hands and make them successful. Because of the Arameans war crimes, the LORD said He would send fire upon the house of Hazael and it would consume the citadels ofBen-hadad. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear., 2 Chronicles 24:1-26:23 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. All time was measured by seven. The advantage of its site doubtless occastoned its early choice. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? Yet after this, it was to recover its power under Rezin, to become formidable to Judah, and, through its aggressions on Judah, to bring destruction on itself. Amos does not express it. Israel and Tyre had cooperated with each other from the time of David and Solomon, and that cooperation or treaty-relationship probably continued throughout the existence of the northern kingdom. The LORD was the one who gave His words to His prophet. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? , Ruth 2:7 She said, Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers. So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.1 Chronicles 4:10-41 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain! And God granted what he asked. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. Revised Standard Version w/ Apocrypha. Z. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. It was no part of the territory assigned to Israel, nor was it molested by them. Eshton fathered Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir-nahash. For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to theLord. The punishment is first denounced upon their enemies, and that, for their sins, directly or indirectly, against themselves, and God in them. It was at that time probably a subordinate power, whether on the ground of the personal eminence of Hadadezer king of Zobah, or any other. Isaiah 17:1 The burden of Damascus. January 9, 2013 at 8:31 am and is filed under Biblical Texts. The white wool Ezekiel 27:18, in which it traded with Tyre, implies the possession of a large outlying tract in the desert, where the sheep yield the whitest wool. Matthew 13:18 Hear then the parable of the sower:Ruth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. God would cause the one holding the scepter to be cut off from Beth-Eden. 13:3, 2225). The oracles against the nations are intricately structured. 16:9). . Again, give a portion to seven, and also to eight Ecclesiastes 11:2. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 I will break the gate bars of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, I will break the gate-bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir, says the Lord. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that theLordyour God may bless you in all the work of your hands., Deuteronomy 22:9 You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard.Deuteronomy 28:1-68 And if you faithfully obey the voice of theLordyour God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, theLordyour God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Sin in full bloom. Many people were farmers or at least very familiar with farming. The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah; and the sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. For this they will be judged by God. International ethics are important to Amos. Will the sun really be turned to darkness and the moon to blood (Joel 2:31). Chapter Parallel. The last grace of God, whether sealing up the former graces of those who use them, or vouchsafed to those who have wasted them, is the crowning act of His love or forbearance. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 3 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. I would like to bring this forward in how we hear Amos,as individuals in the kingdom of THE FATHERS NEW COVENANT RELATIONSHIP. J Am I? 3 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent. Yahweh says, according to Amos, the he will not revoke the punishment such sins deserve. with threshing sledges of iron. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.Deuteronomy 11:13-15 And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love theLordyour God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. God authorized human government in Genesis, where He said, "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood . M We are encouraged to Work Hard and keep ourselves busy. For we are Gods fellow workers. A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. It is likely that the formula was used as a rhetorical device to emphasize the fact that the cities or nations committed crime after crime, thus deserving Gods judgment. 41:15).The NKJV Study Bible. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, This is what the LORD says: 'For three offenses of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke its. instead of the traditional point of view because of our westernization of the good news. You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together., Luke 10:2 And he said to them, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Amos 1:3 . Amos condemns violent aggression (perhaps even torture and wanton killing), enslavement of populations, and the slave trade. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. Then follow Edom, Ammon, Moab, who burst the bonds of blood also. THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
You are Gods field, Gods building., Deuteronomy 25:4 You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.Judges 3:31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.Leviticus 19:9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.2 Chronicles 26:10 And he built towers in the wilderness and cut out many cisterns, for he had large herds, both in the Shephelah and in the plain, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil., Matthew 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.Psalm 65:10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.Deuteronomy 24:19 When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. Change). Not the ethics and the morality of the fathers community. Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing? If you go into your neighbors standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbors standing grain., Micah 4:12 But they do not know the thoughts of theLord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.Amos 1:3 Thus says theLord: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.Leviticus 19:9-10 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. , ' <-144 , . 2. 1:93. At the time of our era, the name of Abraham was still held in honor in the country of Damascus; a village was named from him Abrahams dwelling; and a native historian Nicolas said, that he reigned in Damascus on his way from the country beyond Babylon to Canaan. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? 12:19; 2 Kgs. Q Gaza represents the alliance of Philistine citiesAshdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron [Gath is not named here]in southwestern Palestine. Assyrian chronicles relate only Assyrian victories. Thus said the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: Amos 1:6,9,11,13 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom: , Amos 2:1,4,6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime: . Others believe the threshing is a metaphor for Israels defeat at the hands of Syria (cf. Their commercial interests included the slave trade, even selling Judeans to Greeks far from their homeland (Joel 3:6). Such a pronouncement of judgment continues throughout the second chapter, which begins with Moab and culminates with Gods chosen people, namely, Judah and Israel. Abijam was in league with the father of Benhadad 1 Kings 15:19. It is here put for the whole country of Syria, and the inhabitants of it, for whose numerous transgressions, signified by "three" and "four", the Lord would not turn away his fury from them, justly raised by their sins; or the decree which he had passed in his own mind, and now made a declaration of, he would not revoke; or not inflict the punishment they had deserved, and he had threatened. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. Likewise, the unexamined life soon becomes useless for service in the kingdom. Lest it should be thought that the words that Amos spoke were his own, and he spake them of himself, this and the following prophecies are prefaced in this manner; and he begins with the nations near to the people of Israel and Judah, who had greatly afflicted them, and for that reason would be punished; which is foretold, to let Israel see that those judgments on them did not come by chance; and lest they should promise themselves impunity from the prosperity of these sinful nations; and to awaken them to a sense of their sin and danger, who might expect the visitation of God for their transgressions; as also to take off all offence at the prophet, who began not with them, but with their enemies: for three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Damascus was an ancient city; it was in the times of Abraham, Genesis 15:2. Benhadad and Hazael encouraged only marauding expeditions against Israel during the 14 years of Ahaziah and Jehoram. Weeds grow everywhere and all of the time. What is the Biblical Perspective on Agriculture, Why Did Jesus Talk So Much About Agriculture, Why Jesus Talked So Much About Agriculture. at least and that is a COMPARED TO WHAT All rights reserved. What is Threshing? Yet this was as nothing. If this promise was fulfilled, Ramoth-Gilead must have been lost to Syria at an earlier period, since, three years afterward, Ahab perished in an attempt, by aid of Jehoshaphat, against the counsels of God, to recover it 2 Kings 7:6. From Omri also Benhadad I took cities and extorted streets, probably a Damascus quarter, in Samaria itself 1 Kings 20:34. , Job 39:10 Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes, or will he harrow the valleys after you?1 Samuel 6:7 Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them.Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. Consistently with this, the first mention of the kingdom of Damascus in Scripture is the dynasty of Rezon son of Eliadas, a fugitive servant of Hadadezer, who formed a marauding band, then settled and reigned in Damascus 1 Kings 11:23-24. God was and is seeking usfor He will separate usable grain from the waste straw or chaff. "O thrice and four times, that is, very often, a finite number for an infinite." The sense is, that he would not spare them, or have mercy on them, or defer the execution of punishment any longer; he would not forgive their transgressions. Gods mercy holds back the punishment long, allowing only some slight tokens of His displeasure to show themselves, that the sinful soul or people may not be unwarned. When He no longer withholds it, the law of His moral government holds its course. This space rather became the center of its dominions, than measured their extent. In ancient Israel, gates and doors were usually locked with a bar made of wood or metal that slid into openings in the posts. For three transgressions and for four - These words express, not four transgressions added to the three, but an additional transgression beyond the former, the last sin, whereby the measure of sin, which before was full, overflows, and Gods wrath comes. The Bible says a lot about agriculture and farming. I will not turn away the punishment thereof - Literally, I will not turn it back. What was this, which God would not turn back? And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. sn Like threshing sledges with iron teeth. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 10:3233). Rather, they were guilty of a huge quantity of sins, which the prophet described as three transgressions even four.. . Nor will they say, Look, here it is! or There! for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you..