The judgment circles inward: upon Moab, that burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime; upon Judah, that rejected the law of Hashem; and upon Israel — that sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, that pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor; 'And I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Thus says Hashem: For three transgressions of Moab, Indeed, for four, I will not reverse it: Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime.
verse value 4097
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·for·four" (וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "because·he-burned" (עַל־שׇׂרְפ֛וֹ), "bones·of" (עַצְמ֥וֹת), "king·of·Edom" (מֶלֶךְ־אֱד֖וֹם). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). First appearance of the root מואב ("Moab") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·reverse·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֚ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ [for·three] (735) + פִּשְׁעֵ֣י [transgressions·of] (460) + מוֹאָ֔ב [Moab] (49) + וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה [and·for·four] (384) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ [I·will·reverse·it] (369) + עַל־שׇׂרְפ֛וֹ [because·he-burned] (686) + עַצְמ֥וֹת [bones·of] (606) + מֶלֶךְ־אֱד֖וֹם [king·of·Edom] (141) + לַשִּֽׂיד [to·the·lime] (344) = 4097.
Rashi
“Concerning ‘They burned his bones, etc.’” Once, the king of Edom fell into the hands of the king of Moab, who burned his bones and plastered them into the walls of the house. The Holy One, blessed be He, demanded retribution for the wrong done to the king, due to the dishonor they showed him.
Ibn Ezra
“The bones of the king of Edom to lime” — a manner of contempt; and he [Edom] was of the sons of Isaac. And some say: [it is] regarding the matter of “and he offered him up as a burnt offering” (2 Kings 3:27), and afterward they burned [the bones]; or [that] they burned [them] then.
Radak
Thus says the Lord: Because they burned the bones of the king of Edom to complete ash. This refers to what is stated in the Book of Kings: “And he took his firstborn son, who was to reign in his stead, and offered him up as a burnt offering on the wall; and there was great wrath upon Israel.” And the wrath was from the king of Edom against Israel from that day and onward, because the king of Moab had burned the son of the king of Edom in the battle in which he was with them, as we explained there. Therefore, God, blessed be He, punished them for this. And the meaning of “to complete ash” is total burning, until even the bones became ash like complete ash. And so nations would burn things to complete ash. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom and plastered them like lime in the house,” meaning that he plastered his house with that ash by way of vengeance and humiliation.
Metzudat David
“Because they burned...” This refers to what is stated: “And he took his firstborn son, who was to reign in his stead, and offered him up as a burnt offering upon the wall; and there was great wrath against Israel” (2 Kings 6). The explanation is that the king of Moab took the son of the king of Edom, who was fit to reign, and burned him completely as a burnt offering. Then the king of Edom became wrathful against Israel, because on their account that evil had befallen him, and they had not seen fit to save him. Thus, through the king of Moab, wrath was aroused against Israel; therefore, Moab will receive recompense.
Regarding the word "to lime" (lishid). This means: until they became thin and white like lime, as is the manner of bone after it has been burned.
Metzudat Zion
"lishid." Just as "lasid" is spelled with a samekh:
Malbim
Regarding the three transgressions of Moab: The Abarbanel explains that he began his prophecy concerning Damascus, which fought in Gilead with fierce cruelty; then concerning Gaza and Tyre, which aided Edom; and then concerning Edom itself, which did evil to Israel. After this, he prophesied that He would punish the nations that were the cause of all this. The sons of Ammon were the cause of the evil that Damascus did, for they were the ones who began to fight in Gilead and seize its border, and thereby the heart of Damascus was stirred to follow them in order to destroy and devote to destruction. The cause of the evil of the sons of Edom, who dragged along Philistia and Tyre after them, was that they burned the bones of the king of Edom as a burnt offering. For Edom had been in a covenant with Israel. In the days of Jehoram and Jehoshaphat, Edom went with them to fight against Moab. Then the king of Moab seized the firstborn son of the king of Edom, who was to reign in his stead (and therefore he is called here "king of Edom"), and offered him up as a burnt offering on the wall, and burned him to lime. And there it is written, "And there was great wrath against Israel," which means that then Edom became angry with Israel for not saving him from the hand of the king of Moab. From then on, Edom began to fight against Israel, as it is stated (II Kings 8:20) that in the days of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat (who reigned in the fifth year of Jehoram, son of Ahab), Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah. From then on, he began to do evil to Israel and harbored eternal hostility against them. Moab was the cause of this, and therefore he was punished. And this is what is said (Jeremiah 48:35): "For the fall of Moab, I will make to cease from Moab one who offers upon a high place and one who burns incense to his gods." This is measure for measure.
So will I send a fire upon Moab, And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth; And Moab shall die with tumult, With shouting, and with the sound of the horn;
verse value 4847
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·shall·die" (וּמֵ֤ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·send·fire" (וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵ֣שׁ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·I·will·send·fire" (וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵ֣שׁ), "upon·Moab" (בְּמוֹאָ֔ב), "Kerioth" (הַקְּרִיּ֑וֹת). The root מואב appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root מות ("and·he·shall·die") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Kerioth', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵ֣שׁ [and·I·will·send·fire] (1055) + בְּמוֹאָ֔ב [upon·Moab] (51) + וְאָכְלָ֖ה [and·it·shall·consume] (62) + אַרְמְנ֣וֹת [palaces·of] (697) + הַקְּרִיּ֑וֹת [Kerioth] (721) + וּמֵ֤ת [and·he·shall·die] (446) + בְּשָׁאוֹן֙ [in·roar] (359) + מוֹאָ֔ב [Moab] (49) + בִּתְרוּעָ֖ה [in·shouting] (683) + בְּק֥וֹל [voice] (138) + שׁוֹפָֽר [horn] (586) = 4847.
Rashi
Keriyot. A place name, as it is stated (Jeremiah 48:24): “upon Kerioth and upon Bozrah.”
“With a tumult.” The voice of a multitude of war.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will send" – the word *ha-kiryot* is a proper noun, denoting a place name.
Radak
“And I will send [fire].” Keriyot: the name of a city among the cities of Moab:
Metzudat David
"And he died in the tumult of Moab." Moab shall perish in the tumult of war, at the time when the enemy blows the shofar with a loud sound.
Metzudat Zion
The cities. The name of a district:
"In a tumult." The matter of a tumult:
Malbim
“And I will send forth, and it shall devour the palaces of Keriyot — the fortified cities that are in Moab,” and “Moab shall perish in tumult.” This means that Moab will not fight at all; rather, upon hearing the sound of tumult and shouting, it will die from excessive fear. Furthermore, it adds that it will die upon hearing the sound of the shofar, and will not strengthen itself to fight at all, as it is stated (Jeremiah 48:39): “How broken is the back of Moab! Moab is put to shame; he has become a laughingstock and a horror to all those around him.”
And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, And will slay all the princes thereof with him, Says Hashem.
verse value 2552
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "with" (עִמּ֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·her-princes" (וְכׇל־שָׂרֶ֛יהָ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "judging" (שׁוֹפֵ֖ט), "from·her·midst" (מִקִּרְבָּ֑הּ), "and·all·her-princes" (וְכׇל־שָׂרֶ֛יהָ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos). First appearance of the root קרב ("from·her·midst") in Amos. First appearance of the root הרג ("I·will·kill") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·her·midst', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י [and·I·will·cut·off] (641) + שׁוֹפֵ֖ט [judging] (395) + מִקִּרְבָּ֑הּ [from·her·midst] (347) + וְכׇל־שָׂרֶ֛יהָ [and·all·her-princes] (571) + אֶהֱר֥וֹג [I·will·kill] (215) + עִמּ֖וֹ [with] (116) + אָמַ֥ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2552.
Ibn Ezra
“And I will cut off” — “the judge” is the king; and the proof [is]: “and all its princes I will slay with him” (Amos 2:3).
Radak
“And I will cut off” — “from its midst”: from the midst of Keriyot, for it was his royal city.
“With him.” This means: with the king of Moab.
Thus says Hashem: For three transgressions of Judah, Indeed, for four, I will not reverse it: Because they have rejected the law of Hashem, And have not kept His statutes, And their lies have caused them to err, After which their fathers did walk.
verse value 6573
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 97 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·for·four" (וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 241: said, because·they-rejected. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "because·they-rejected" (עַֽל־מׇאֳסָ֞ם), "the·law" (אֶת־תּוֹרַ֣ת), "and·his·statutes" (וְחֻקָּיו֙). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). First appearance of the root יהודה ("Judah") in Amos. First appearance of the root אחר ("after·them") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·reverse·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 11 words.
Ibn Ezra
“Because they rejected [the Torah]” — behold, the priests, the teachers of the Torah, were with them.
Radak
Thus says the Lord: Now he prophesies against Judah and Israel, for they have corrupted their deeds, and the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts retribution from them little by little. In the days of the wicked kings of Judah, they sinned, and the Holy One, blessed be He, exacted retribution from them little by little, not to destroy Jerusalem. But after Hezekiah, who was good, the Lord, blessed be He, said, “I will spare this city to save it for My sake.” After him came Manasseh, who did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him; yet the Lord bore with him and did not wish to destroy Jerusalem. Likewise, Amon committed much iniquity, and the Lord, blessed be He, bore with him. As for Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin, they did not reign for more than three months each. And behold, Jehoiachin was the third, and the Lord bore with him. Thus there were three, and the Lord, blessed be He, bore with them. But Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and concerning him it is said, “And for four I will not turn back.” He was no longer willing to forgive, and the Temple was destroyed in his days. Concerning him it is said, “For the anger of the Lord was upon Jerusalem and Judah, until He cast them off from His presence.”
Regarding the phrase “they rejected the Torah of the Lord,” it is not stated that this sin is the fourth one; rather, it is stated that on the fourth occasion God punished them for what they and their ancestors had done, namely that they rejected the Torah of the Lord. And the Gaon Rabbi Saadia Gaon, of blessed memory, wrote: “The Torah of the Name” refers to the auditory commandments, and “His statutes” refers to the intellectual commandments.
“And their lies led them astray.” These are the words of the false prophets.
“Their rejecting.” The aleph is pronounced with a chataf-qamats. And it is stated regarding Judah, “because of their rejecting the Torah of the Lord.” Yet Israel too rejected the Torah of the Lord in all the evil that they did; but it was stated regarding Judah in this manner because the Torah [scroll] was written and kept with them in the Temple, and they rejected it and did not turn to it, until it was forgotten from their mouths — for it was a novelty to them when they found it in the days of Hilkiah the priest.
Metzudat David
"And their lies led them astray." The false prophets who deceived them caused them to stagger from the straight path.
“Who went and...” – These are the false prophets after whom their ancestors went, as it is said: “Did not your fathers go after them and stumble?” And they did not take instruction.
Metzudat Zion
And they led them astray. From the root of "wandering":
Malbim
(4-5) “Thus says the Lord: Although I have punished all the nations that did evil to Israel, I will also punish Judah for three sins of Judah that were among them: idolatry, sexual immorality, and bloodshed. And for four [sins]... for their contempt of the Torah of the Lord; and because of this, they did not observe His statutes. That they did not observe His statutes was not due to the evil inclination and lust, but rather due to heresy and their contempt for the Torah. The cause of this was that they were blinded by their falsehoods, which were false opinions that they held in matters of faith. Although these were falsehoods, they clung to them because their ancestors had followed them, and they became established among them as an inherited legacy from fathers to sons. Therefore, they will also receive their punishment, and I will send fire into Jerusalem.”
So will I send a fire upon Judah, And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
verse value 2432
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵ֖שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·send" (וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "upon·Judah" (בִּֽיהוּדָ֑ה), "Jerusalem" (יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי [and·I·will·send] (754) + אֵ֖שׁ [fire] (301) + בִּֽיהוּדָ֑ה [upon·Judah] (32) + וְאָכְלָ֖ה [and·it·shall·consume] (62) + אַרְמְנ֥וֹת [palaces·of] (697) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 2432.
Ibn Ezra
“And I will send forth” – this refers to Nebuchadnezzar, and he mentioned Jerusalem, the royal house of Judah.
Radak
“And I will send fire” — this refers to Nebuchadnezzar.
Thus says Hashem: For three transgressions of Israel, Indeed, for four, I will not reverse it: Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the needy for a pair of shoes;
verse value 4133
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·for·four" (וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "because·they-sold" (עַל־מִכְרָ֤ם). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). First appearance of the root אביון ("and·needy") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·reverse·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
“Concerning their selling the righteous for silver.” The judges would sell one who was entitled in law, for silver bribes that they received from his adversary.
And “the needy for a pair of shoes.” Targum Yonatan translated it in two places (see below, 8:6): “in order that they may take possession.” And I say that this is its interpretation: they pervert the judgment of the needy so that he will be forced to sell his field, which lay among the fields of the judges; and this [judge] circumvents him and takes it for a paltry price, in order to fence in and enclose all his fields together, so that there be no gap between them.
Ibn Ezra
“Because they sold [the righteous]” — he speaks concerning the judges; and the proof [is] “a righteous man in his cause,” when he is judged and is reckoned as though they had sold him.
Radak
Thus says the Lord: “Because they sold the righteous for silver.” He said: Although they transgressed three severe sins, namely idolatry, sexual immorality, and bloodshed, their decree was not sealed before Him to destroy their land and exile them by the hand of the king of Assyria except because of oppression, which is the fourth sin, and for this He punished them for all that they had done. Similarly, in the generation of the Flood, although they had many sins in their hands, He did not punish them except for oppression, as it is stated: “For the earth is filled with oppression because of them.” And all the more so when oppression comes through the judges, who were supposed to establish justice, but through bribery they pervert the judgment. This is what is meant by “Because they sold the righteous for silver.” And the meaning of “righteous” is that he is righteous in his judgment, as in “and they pervert the words of the righteous.” Moreover, they are righteous in the words of others, for in the majority of cases, those who plead the truth are righteous in most of their statements. And likewise, the poor in the majority do not plead except the truth.
“Because of shoes.” Even for the sake of shoes: if they give [bribes] to the judge, he will pervert the judgment of the poor man who was entitled in his case, and the one who gives the bribe is entitled in their judgments. And the Targum [translates]: “so that they may take possession of them.” And I did not understand his opinion. And Rashi of blessed memory explained his opinion thus: they pervert the judgment of the poor man so that he will be forced to sell his field, which he had between the fields of the judge, and this [judge] circumvents him and takes it for a small price, in order to lock and fence all his fields, and this [poor man’s field] will not interrupt between them. This is “because of shoes,” the language of locking. Another matter: they compel the entitled [party] so that the poor man will be forced to sell his field with a complete acquisition, which is with a shoe, as it is said, “A man drew off his shoe.”
Metzudat David
“Concerning their selling…” — This means that they pervert the judgment of the righteous and sell him for the price of a bribe of money.
"And the poor man." [The verse teaches that] they incline the judgment of the poor man on account of the price of a bribe, [which is] sandals for their feet. This means that even with a small bribe, they incline the judgment.
Metzudat Zion
"Shoes." Sandals for the foot:
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel—which are the Ten Tribes that sinned with idolatry, bloodshed, and sexual immorality—and for a fourth, the fourth sin was an addition to all three transgressions, in that for each one they added to commit the sin with greater quality and quantity, and they mixed with it other sins. Now, regarding the sin of sexual immorality, they added that they sold the righteous man for silver; by means of the silver they took, they sold the righteous man in his judgment to death. Whether it was the judges through bribery, or false witnesses who testified against him, it was a capital offense because they took silver. And not only for much silver, for they also sold the poor man to death for sandals; for a pair of sandals they testified falsely against him, and the judges sentenced him to death for the bribe of sandals.
That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, And turn aside the way of the humble; And a man and his father go to the same maid, To profane My holy name; .
verse value 4377
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "they·turn" (יַטּ֑וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "after·dust·of·earth" (עַל־עֲפַר־אֶ֙רֶץ֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 741: after·dust·of·earth, name·of. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "after·dust·of·earth" (עַל־עֲפַר־אֶ֙רֶץ֙), "humble" (עֲנָוִ֖ים), "and·man" (וְאִ֣ישׁ). 15 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root דל ("low") in Amos. First appearance of the root דרך ("and·way·of") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·turn', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
“Those who pant after the dust of the earth.” “After the dust of the earth” upon which they walk: all their panting and all their thought are in the heads of the poor, [thinking] how they will plunder them and take what is theirs. “Panting” is “gulosir” in the vernacular (Old French).
"And the way of the humble shall be crooked..." The weak are swayed from their path and walk a crooked way because of their fear, as it is stated (Job 24:4): "The poor are turned aside from the way."
"Unto the young woman." The betrothed:
Ibn Ezra
“The aspiring ones” – the meaning is: “You shall aspire” – when will you carry the head of the poor upon the dust of the earth? And their lowliness is sufficient for them.
"And they turn aside the way of the humble" — From the straight path, which is their way, until they removed humility from Israel, to the point that a man would not be ashamed to walk with his father and a known young woman.
Radak
“Who pant after [seeing] the dust of the earth upon the head of the poor.” The judges are the ones who pant after and look and aim that the dust of the earth be upon the head of the poor: they appoint officers under them, and if the poor do not comply with their word, they seize them by the hair of their heads and cast them to the ground and trample them — and thus the dust of the earth is upon the head of the poor. And the matter of this verse is like what Micah said, “and whoever does not put [food] into their mouths, they declare war against him” (Micah 3:5). And the meaning of “ha-sho’afim” is like “who pant after the needy” (Amos 8:4); and Jonathan rendered, “who trample in the dust,” etc.
"And the way of the humble shall incline." That is, they shall incline their judgment in their rulings due to the bribes given by their wealthy litigants. And "way" here denotes judgment and a person's conduct, similar to "the way in which they shall walk" (Exodus 18:20) and "the righteous shall hold fast to his way" (Job 17:9), and verses like them. And so did Jonathan render it: "And the judgment of the humble shall be perverted."
“And a man and his father shall go to the maiden.” The son shall not be ashamed of his father to have intercourse with his father’s wife. And this is the profaning of My holy name, of which I said to them: “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” And since you are profaning your holiness, behold, you are profaning the name of My holiness with which I have sanctified you, and you are called by My name, for “you are a holy people to the Lord your God.”
Metzudat David
“The aspirers”: those who gaze upon the dust of the earth, so that it may become their dwelling place, at the head of the lowly. For those judges appoint officers beneath them to compel the lowly to fulfill the word of the judgment. And if they refuse, they seize them by the hair of their heads, cast them to the ground, and trample them with their feet. And behold, the dust of the earth is at the head of the lowly.
"And the way of the humble they pervert." They incline the way of the humble, causing them to turn from the straightforward path in order to incline the way of the crooked, because they fear them and hide so that they will not see them.
"And a man and his father." Both together, and they shall not be ashamed of one another.
"unto the young woman" – This means: unto a young woman betrothed, for the purpose of having sexual relations with her.
"For the sake of defiling [the Sabbath]." This is as if they were intending to desecrate My holy name. For if it were solely for the sake of pleasure, what need would there be for them to go to his betrothed, with both of them together?
Metzudat Zion
"Those who aspire." The matter refers to gazing at the thing and hoping for it; similarly, "as a slave longs for the shade" (Job 7:2).
Malbim
“The greedy ones” — and whoever hires false witnesses and takes bribes: this is what they did — those who are greedy and covetous for the soil of the land, to take the soil of the land of the poor, meaning, the small portion of land that he possesses. And they will take it “at the head of the poor,” that is, together with the heads of the poor, for by cutting off his head and killing him, they will take his soil of the land. Therefore, they will hire false witnesses and judges against him, and thereby “the way of the humble will be deflected” — they will deflect their path to judge them with a death sentence and to murder them, for bloodshed is light in their eyes. And regarding forbidden sexual relations, “a man and his father will go to the betrothed maiden” — this indicates a great breach and a lack of shame before the parents in this matter, in order to profane My holy name.
And they lay themselves down beside every altar Upon clothes taken in pledge, And in the house of their God they drink The wine of them that have been fined.
verse value 2279
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "they·turn" (יַטּ֔וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·garments" (וְעַל־בְּגָדִ֤ים, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·upon·garments" (וְעַל־בְּגָדִ֤ים), "pledged" (חֲבֻלִים֙), "beside" (אֵ֖צֶל). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of" (root בית, 35x in Amos). First appearance of the root עול ("and·upon·garments") in Amos. First appearance of the root מזבח ("all·altar") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·altar', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעַל־בְּגָדִ֤ים [and·upon·garments] (165) + חֲבֻלִים֙ [pledged] (90) + יַטּ֔וּ [they·turn] (25) + אֵ֖צֶל [beside] (121) + כׇּל־מִזְבֵּ֑חַ [all·altar] (107) + וְיֵ֤ין [and·wine·of] (76) + עֲנוּשִׁים֙ [fined·ones] (476) + יִשְׁתּ֔וּ [they·will·drink] (716) + בֵּ֖ית [house·of] (412) + אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם [their·God] (91) = 2279.
Rashi
“And they shall lean on the garments of the poor.” Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translates: “They lean on beds worth the pledges of the merchants, who exact loans upon the poor and take pledges from them, and they make their garments into cushions and recline upon them in a state of luxury during their meals.”
19. The term "tilting" refers to reclining, for every festive meal involves reclining, meaning that one leans on his left side.
"And wine for those who are punished." This means that they impose a monetary penalty upon them, and they drink wine from that money.
Their house of their gods. In a temple of idol worship that they had near the altar:
Ibn Ezra
“And upon” — and to take a pledge from the needy, they pervert justice; and this they do in public, in the place of their gathering, at the altar of Baal. And likewise, “and the wine of the amerced they drink” (Amos 2:8) — [meaning] that they fine one upon whom there is no [just] penalty, and they [themselves] drink [it].
Radak
“And upon pledged garments they stretch out.” For they seize garments in pledge from him who does not give [a bribe] into their mouths, and they eat and drink upon them in the houses of idolatry. And “they stretch out” (yattu) he interprets: they stretch themselves out to recline beside every altar, over the food and over the drink — for reclining is called “inclining” (hattayah), because a person stretches himself out as one lying down. So too in the Mishnah: “they may lean and read,” and “I leaned to read.”
"Punished." For they punish them with silver and gold, and they shall drink from it in the house of their god.
Metzudat David
“And they shall lean upon pledged garments.” This means that they seize the garments of those who refuse to comply with the judgment, and they themselves lean upon them, relying on them during the meal, as they partake of the food at every altar that is made for idols.
"And the wine of those who are condemned they shall drink." From the fines of one who refuses to pay money, and with it they purchase wine and drink it in the house of a non-Jew.
Metzudat Zion
“Pledges.” The matter of a pledge is akin to, “He shall not take a millstone as a pledge” (Deuteronomy 24:6).
19. The word "יטו" (yitu) is from the root "הטיה" (hatiah), meaning "to lean" or "to incline," implying that they will lean.
"Those who are punished." The term derives from the root meaning monetary punishment:
Malbim
Regarding the verse, “And concerning idolatry, upon garments, ropes shall be stretched beside every altar,” this means that they would take the garments of the poor in pledge and consecrate them to the altar of Baal, to spread them beside the altar and recline upon them while eating from the altars of their idols. Similarly, the wine that they drink in the house of idolatry in honor of the idols (as it is written, “They eat the fat of their sacrifices; they drink the wine of their drink-offerings”) is “wine of penalties.” This refers to taking money from the righteous, who are penalized by them with monetary fines, in order to purchase wine for idolatry from these funds. Thus, if one sins with idolatry, it is intermingled with the sins of robbery and plundering the poor, and the groaning of the destitute.
Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, Whose height was like the height of the cedars, And he was strong as the oaks; Yet I destroyed his fruit from above, And his roots from beneath.
verse value 5333
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 78 letters. The shortest word is "whose" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Amorite" (אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִי֙, 7 letters). 13 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "I·destroyed" (הִשְׁמַ֤דְתִּי), "the·Amorite" (אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִי֙), "from·their·face" (מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔ם). The root שמד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אנכי ("and·I") in Amos. First appearance of the root שמד ("I·destroyed") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·the·oaks', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Like the oaks." "Keishenash" in the vernacular (Old French):
And I will destroy its fruit from above. The upper angels:
And its roots are beneath. The lower officials. Alternatively: The hornet blinded their eyes from above and emasculated them from below.
Ibn Ezra
"And I" – It is written, "For the Lord visits the iniquity of the land," therefore He decreed to annihilate them, for their statutes were to go, each man and his father, to commit harlotry. And He mentioned the Amorite, for he was stronger than the seven [nations], as it is said: "For the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete." Now, Moses had slain two kings of the eastern Amorites, and Joshua said, "Give us into the hand of the western Amorite," and behold, from him they feared.
Radak
“And I have destroyed the Amorite.” Because of their evil decrees, I destroyed them for your sake. Yet you abandoned My good decrees and adopted the decrees of the Amorite. Moreover, I had already warned you in the Torah: “The land shall not vomit you out for defiling it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.” The Amorite is mentioned because he was the strongest of the seven nations, as it is stated, “They were tall as the cedars.” Nevertheless, I destroyed him for your sake—not by your sword, nor by your bow, but I, Myself, uprooted and destroyed him.
And "chasun." Strong, as it is said: "And the strong shall become tow."
"and oaks." As its Targum [renders it]: "acorns." In the vernacular: "chestnut."
Metzudat David
"And I have destroyed." This means: Behold, even the nations who do not know Me, I punish them for their iniquity, for have I not destroyed before them the Amorite, whose height was like that of a cedar and whose strength like that of an oak tree?
"And I will destroy, etc." This means that I will utterly annihilate him. And since the verse compares them to a tree, it employs the terminology used for the destruction of a fruit tree, whereby one strips off the fruits and uproots the roots.
Metzudat Zion
"I have destroyed." The matter is one of complete destruction and ruin.
And "chasun." The meaning is strength, as it is said: "And the strong shall be for fuel" (Isaiah 1:31).
As the oaks. The name of the strongest tree:
Malbim
And I: Behold, the Lord, in His goodness, prepared preparations so that they would not become defiled by these abominations, which are idolatry and forbidden sexual relations. And there were two such preparations: 1) That He destroyed the Amorite before them. This was so that Israel would not learn from them to do these abominations, as it is stated at the beginning of the Parashah of Arayot (Forbidden Sexual Relations): “Do not act as they did in the land of Egypt, nor as they did in the land of Canaan,” and it is explained in Sifra (Siman 131) that the Egyptians, and particularly the place where Israel dwelt, and likewise the Amorites, and particularly the places that Israel conquered, were corrupted in all these abominations. Therefore, He brought them out of Egypt and destroyed the Amorites, lest Israel learn from their deeds. And as it is stated in Torat Kohanim (Sifra), that He prepared for the generation deserving punishment, so that Israel would come and exact retribution from them, as explained in the commentary there. And if so, how can you abhor these abominations, on account of which I destroyed the Amorite? And do not say that the Amorite was destroyed in a natural manner, or through conquest because Israel was stronger than them. Not so; for “as high as the cedars was their height” in kingship and dominion, and “he is stout like oaks” in terms of strength and might. Moreover, “height” alludes to their ministering angel above, whose constellation and astrological influence were exalted and successful at that time. And he himself was stout and vigorous, possessing fortified strongholds and mighty warriors. And the destruction itself was also above the course of nature, for “I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from below,” meaning that the fruits and the roots were erased, and every memory of them perished.
Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, And led you forty years in the wilderness, To possess the land of the Amorites.
verse value 5112
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. Verse gematria: 5112 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·brought·up" (הֶעֱלֵ֥יתִי, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 461: you, you. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·I·led" (וָאוֹלֵ֨ךְ), "to·possess" (לָרֶ֖שֶׁת), "the·land" (אֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·land·of" (root ארץ, 20x in Amos). First appearance of the root עלה ("I·brought·up") in Amos. First appearance of the root ארץ ("from·land·of") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְאָנֹכִ֛י [and·I] (87) + הֶעֱלֵ֥יתִי [I·brought·up] (525) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + מֵאֶ֣רֶץ [from·land·of] (331) + מִצְרָ֑יִם [Egypt] (380) + וָאוֹלֵ֨ךְ [and·I·led] (63) + אֶתְכֶ֤ם [you] (461) + בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ [in·the·wilderness] (248) + אַרְבָּעִ֣ים [forty] (323) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + לָרֶ֖שֶׁת [to·possess] (930) + אֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ [the·land] (692) + הָאֱמֹרִֽי [the·Amorite] (256) = 5112.
Ibn Ezra
"And I" – The meaning is that I caused you to wander for forty years until you would learn My statutes, and afterward you would inherit the Amorite.
Radak
"And I brought you up" – before I brought you into the land, I took you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and I led you through the wilderness for forty years, that you lacked nothing, and I accustomed you to My statutes, so that you would not learn the statutes of the land of the Amorites when you come to inherit it. Or, the meaning is that "to inherit" is connected with "I brought you up from the land of Egypt."
Metzudat David
“And I have brought you up.” This means: Do you not know Me? I am the One who brought you up, etc., and I provided for your needs in the wilderness for forty years, in order that you might come and inherit the land of the Amorites.
Malbim
“And I, moreover, for this very purpose I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you in the wilderness for forty years, because there was in their hearts the thought of *pigul* [disqualification of sacrificial offerings] which they had learned from the Egyptians, and I was not able to bring them immediately to inherit the land of the Amorites, for I was afraid lest they return to do the abominations of Egypt, as it is stated: ‘For you know how you dwelt in the land of Egypt, and you saw their detestable things, etc.’ Therefore, I caused them to wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the previous generation died in the wilderness and the new generation saw the deeds of the Lord and His providence, and they were refined and purified in the wilderness (as stated in *Aretz HaShalom*, Discourse 2, on the verse ‘These are the journeys of the children of Israel’). And if so, have I not prepared preparations so that you would not become defiled by idolatry and sexual immorality, and the abominations of Egypt and Canaan?”
And I raised up of your sons for prophets, And of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not even thus, O you children of Israel? Says Hashem.
verse value 2406
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "even" (הַאַ֥ף) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "even" (הַאַ֥ף, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·from·your·young·men" (וּמִבַּחוּרֵיכֶ֖ם, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·I·raised·up" (וָאָקִ֤ים), "from·your·sons" (מִבְּנֵיכֶם֙), "to·prophets" (לִנְבִיאִ֔ים). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "Israel" (root ישראל, 25x in Amos). First appearance of the root קום ("and·I·raised·up") in Amos. First appearance of the root בן ("from·your·sons") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·Nazirites', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וָאָקִ֤ים [and·I·raised·up] (157) + מִבְּנֵיכֶם֙ [from·your·sons] (162) + לִנְבִיאִ֔ים [to·prophets] (143) + וּמִבַּחוּרֵיכֶ֖ם [and·from·your·young·men] (332) + לִנְזִרִ֑ים [for·Nazirites] (337) + הַאַ֥ף [even] (86) + אֵֽין־זֹ֛את [nothing·this] (469) + בְּנֵ֥י [son] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [utterance·of·Hashem] (117) = 2406.
Rashi
Regarding the Nazirites. Targum Yonatan translated it “the teachers” (malfin) — namely, those who separated themselves from the ways of the common people and engaged in Torah; for “nezirah” everywhere means only “separation.”
“Is it not so?”—this is a question of surprise, as if to say: “Can you possibly deny this?”
Ibn Ezra
“And I raised up” — I also placed My spirit upon your sons, and they prophesied, to teach you My statutes. And he mentioned the sons, for if the old wise man prophesies, it is no wonder.
"And from your young men" – that their offspring, who are inclined toward love of pleasure and joy, I sanctified them to reprove you and to sanctify you.
“Is it not indeed so?” — Can you deny that I did not do this? And because he concluded with the matter of the nazirites, he began with them [here], as is the way of the language.
Radak
“And I will establish.” Furthermore, I did a great kindness for you that I did not do for any other nation, so that you would be distinct from every nation and cleave to Me, in that I caused the spirit of prophecy to rest upon you. Regarding this, Moses said, “Then we shall be distinguished, I and Your people, from all the peoples that are upon the face of the earth.” The meaning of “from among your children” is: even the youths, such as Samuel and Jeremiah; all the more so the elders, in whom there is wisdom.
And from your young men, [they shall be] nazirites. Even the young men, whose way it is to follow the desires of the flesh and wine, I placed within them a spirit of purity, so that they shall abstain from wine and be holy to Me, for wine is that which leads a person to pursue the desires of the flesh. And despite all this, I have separated you from every nation, so that you may be holy and not defile yourselves with the impurity of the common people.
“Is it not indeed so, O children of Israel, says the Lord?” For all this that I have said to you — can you deny that it is not so?
Metzudat David
"And I will raise up" etc. In all the days of the generations, I raised up from among your children prophets, and I caused My Divine Presence to rest upon them.
And from your young men, for nazirites. I placed in their hearts a spirit of purity to be nazirites:
“Is it not so?” This means: Do you also deny this, claiming that it was not so? It is as if he says: Is it not a well-known fact, which cannot be denied?
Metzudat Zion
Regarding the Nazirites: This refers to the concept of separation, for he separates himself from wine and from ritual impurity.
Malbim
“And I stood” — I made the second preparation for this, namely, to rectify that you would not be drawn after idolatry. I raised up from among your children prophets, for the prophet was attached to the Divine Spirit without any intermediary, and because they saw that prophecy dwelled among them, they knew that the Lord oversees them without any intermediary. They did not need to inquire of the dead or of diviners to learn from them about future events, as it is stated: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, a soothsayer, a diviner, etc.” For the nations whom you are dispossessing listen to astrologers and diviners, but you are not so; the Lord your God has given you a prophet from among you, from your brethren, etc. And in order to separate them from sexual immorality, I raised up from among your young men nazirites, for the ultimate purpose of naziriteship is to separate from sexual immorality, as it is stated: “Why is the chapter of the sotah (the suspected adulteress) placed next to the chapter of the nazirite? Because anyone who sees a sotah in her degradation should separate himself from wine.” “Yet even this is not so, O children of Israel” — meaning, not only did you not keep My commandments and sin with idolatry and sexual immorality, but even the preparations that were meant to guard you from these sins have you nullified? To the point that there are among you neither prophets nor nazirites, through whom faith in the Lord and separation from sexual immorality would spread throughout the nation, for:
But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink; And commanded the prophets, saying: ‘Prophesy not.’
verse value 3126
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֖א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·the·prophets" (וְעַל־הַנְּבִיאִים֙, 10 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·you·gave·to·drink" (וַתַּשְׁק֥וּ), "the·Nazirites" (אֶת־הַנְּזִרִ֖ים), "and·to·the·prophets" (וְעַל־הַנְּבִיאִים֙). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). First appearance of the root צוה ("you·commanded") in Amos. First appearance of the root נבא ("you·will·prophesy") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wine', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַתַּשְׁק֥וּ [and·you·gave·to·drink] (812) + אֶת־הַנְּזִרִ֖ים [the·Nazirites] (713) + יָ֑יִן [wine] (70) + וְעַל־הַנְּבִיאִים֙ [and·to·the·prophets] (224) + צִוִּיתֶ֣ם [you·commanded] (546) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + לֹ֖א [not] (31) + תִּנָּבְאֽוּ [you·will·prophesy] (459) = 3126.
Rashi
“And you made the nazirites drink wine.” [So that] they would not teach you — for a drunkard is forbidden to give instruction. “And you made the nazirites drink wine” — Targum Yonatan rendered it: “and you led your teachers astray with wine.”
"You shall not prophesy." Amaziah the priest of Bethel commanded Amos in this manner, saying, "Flee to the land of Judah" (see below, 7).
Ibn Ezra
And you made them drink – You compelled them until they became ritually impure and drank wine.
Radak
“And you shall drink.” Not only is it insufficient that you did not heed the warnings I gave you and did not open your eyes to what I did for you, but rather, you abolished the prophets and nazirites who were among you as a sign of your holiness, and you prevented them from their holiness, from which you were meant to learn.
“And you made the nazirites drink wine.” That is to say, you persuaded them with words until they heeded you and drank wine, thereby nullifying their sanctity. And likewise, you commanded the prophets, saying, “You shall not prophesy.” The meaning of “you commanded” is that you forcibly prevented them from prophesying to you and from warning you in My name.
Metzudat David
And you made them drink. That is: you enticed the nazirites to drink wine, and you protested against the prophets [restraining them], so that they would not prophesy.
Malbim
And you gave the nazirites wine to drink, so that no one may be found who takes the path of asceticism. and the prophets you commanded, saying, “You shall not prophesy,” so that My Holy Spirit may not be found in Israel, nor one who expounds true faith and warns against idolatry. Therefore.
Behold, I will make it creak under you, As a cart creaks that is full of sheaves.
verse value 2889
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָ֖הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "under·you" (תַּחְתֵּיכֶ֑ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 81: I, fulness. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "pressing·down" (מֵעִ֖יק), "under·you" (תַּחְתֵּיכֶ֑ם), "presses·down" (תָּעִיק֙). The root עוק appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root הן ("they") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'under·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֛ה [they] (60) + אָנֹכִ֥י [I] (81) + מֵעִ֖יק [pressing·down] (220) + תַּחְתֵּיכֶ֑ם [under·you] (878) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר [as] (521) + תָּעִיק֙ [presses·down] (580) + הָֽעֲגָלָ֔ה [heifer] (113) + הַֽמְלֵאָ֥ה [fulness] (81) + לָ֖הּ [to·her] (35) + עָמִֽיר [swath] (320) = 2889.
Rashi
Me’ik. The Targumic translation of the word metzak is:
"Under you." This refers to your encampment.
“The cart presses.” A burdensome load upon it.
Ibn Ezra
Behold – the Gaon said: that the word "ma'ik" is of the intransitive verbs — this being a metaphor — indicating that there is no strength to endure. And the Sages of Spain say: that it is a transitive verb, and behold, "ma'ik" is from the root of "akhat rasha" (the oppression of the wicked), and it is like "matzik" (one who oppresses).
"ותחתיכם" – in your stead; the meaning is that you will become heavy and unable to flee, and therefore [comes] the [verse] after it.
Radak
"Behold, I will press down upon you": In your place, I will press upon you so that you will be unable to flee and escape. The term "me'ik" (pressing) denotes a matter of distress and trouble, and similarly [the verse states] "because of the oppression of the wicked" (Psalms 55:4), and the Targum translates "tzarah" (distress) as "ekata." And it says, "as when a cart presses down," by way of metaphor, for the cart is not a living being that can press or cause distress. And it says "a load of grain" (amir) and did not say another burden, because due to the bulkiness, the one carrying a load of grain suffers more distress than one carrying another burden; and it says "amir" as a general term encompassing many loads of grain.
Metzudat David
"Behold, I am": This is construed in connection with the above statement, "If I have repaid the nations who do not know Me," all the more so you, to whom I have abundantly shown kindness, and yet you have transgressed against Me; all the more so shall I repay you. Therefore, behold, I will bring distress upon you in your place, and you will not be able to flee, for in every place you may be, distress will overtake you.
"As the cart presses." He said by way of parable that the cart is not a living being that can be burdened; rather, he means like a cart full of sheaves, where the load is heavy and the cart is swollen and full, and it is as if it presses in every place it goes. So too, He will press upon them in their place, in every place they may be.
Metzudat Zion
Me’ik. The matter of “tzokah” and “tzarah” is like “because of the oppression of the wicked” (Psalms 55:4):
“Under you.” In your place:
Amir. Sheaves of grain, as it is said: "If you forget a sheaf" (Deuteronomy 24:19).
Malbim
“Behold, I will enclose you.” Just as with a wagon that is full of sheaves, they make a railing around it so that the sheaves will not fall out of it, and the sheaves are pressed and confined within the wagon by means of the railing so that they cannot fall out of it; so too, I will surround you so that you will not be able to leave your place to escape from the sword of the enemy.
And flight shall fail the swift, And the strong shall not exert his strength, Neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
verse value 1439
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "and·will·perish" (וְאָבַ֤ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "from·swift" (מִקָּ֔ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·shall·exert" (לֹא־יְאַמֵּ֣ץ, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·will·perish" (וְאָבַ֤ד), "flight" (מָנוֹס֙), "from·swift" (מִקָּ֔ל). 9 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root מלט ("not·shall·deliver") in Amos. First appearance of the root נפש ("his·soul") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאָבַ֤ד [and·will·perish] (13) + מָנוֹס֙ [flight] (156) + מִקָּ֔ל [from·swift] (170) + וְחָזָ֖ק [and·strong] (121) + לֹא־יְאַמֵּ֣ץ [not·shall·exert] (172) + כֹּח֑וֹ [his·strength] (34) + וְגִבּ֖וֹר [and·mighty] (217) + לֹא־יְמַלֵּ֥ט [not·shall·deliver] (120) + נַפְשֽׁוֹ [his·soul] (436) = 1439.
Ibn Ezra
"And flight shall perish from the swift" – He will strengthen his power in his thought and his food [shall be] the weapons of war.
Radak
"And there shall be no escape," meaning he will not be able to strengthen his strength. He will not have the power to strengthen his strength in his thought, for he will fear and be terrified, and his strength will be lost.
Metzudat David
And flight shall perish from the swift. Even if one flees on foot, he will not save himself by fleeing from the enemy, since he will find an enemy in every place where he goes.
"He shall not strengthen." He shall not be able to strengthen his power in war.
Metzudat Zion
Flight. The matter of fleeing:
"יִאֱמַץ" – the meaning is strength, as it is said: "he shall grow stronger" (Job 16:21).
Malbim
"And they shall perish": You will not be able either to flee, for flight shall perish from the swift; nor to stand in battle against the enemy, for even the strong by nature will not strengthen his power. His strength will not remain in its firmness, for weakness in his strength and faintness of heart will fall upon him, and he will not be able to fight. Moreover, the mighty man will not only be unable to fight to defeat the enemy, but his might will also not avail him to save his soul at least, nor to rescue himself from death by fleeing through his might.
Neither shall he stand that handles the bow; And he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself; Neither shall he that rides the horse deliver himself;
verse value 3168
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 47 letters. Verse gematria: 3168 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·his·feet" (בְּרַגְלָ֖יו, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 89: shall·deliver, shall·deliver. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·catching" (וְתֹפֵ֤שׂ), "bow" (הַקֶּ֙שֶׁת֙), "will·stand" (יַעֲמֹ֔ד). The root לא appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). First appearance of the root סוס ("the·horse") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·deliver', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְתֹפֵ֤שׂ [and·catching] (786) + הַקֶּ֙שֶׁת֙ [bow] (805) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יַעֲמֹ֔ד [will·stand] (124) + וְקַ֥ל [and·voice] (136) + בְּרַגְלָ֖יו [in·his·feet] (251) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יְמַלֵּ֑ט [shall·deliver] (89) + וְרֹכֵ֣ב [and·a team] (228) + הַסּ֔וּס [the·horse] (131) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יְמַלֵּ֖ט [shall·deliver] (89) + נַפְשֽׁוֹ [his·soul] (436) = 3168.
Rashi
And he who is light on his feet shall not escape. His own soul:
Ibn Ezra
“and he seized” – The meaning is that he could not stand firm, for everyone was afraid to touch him.
"And light on his feet" – and 'the rider' is mentioned as an example, for the "light" is the horse, as it is written: "Upon a light one shall we ride."
Radak
And he shall grasp the bow, he shall not stand. He shall not stand against the enemy, for there will not be in him the strength to draw his bow.
"And he shall not escape by the swiftness of his feet." The explanation is that he shall not escape his life, as it says, "and refuge shall perish from the swift, for he cannot flee." And the matter is repeated in what is stated to strengthen the point: even one riding a horse shall not escape his life together with the horse, which is swift to run, for "the horse is a false hope for salvation" when God does not will it.
Metzudat David
He shall not stand. This means that he will not stand firm in the bonds of war, for his heart will be faint and he will flee for his life.
“He shall not escape with his life.” By means of the galloping of the horse.
Metzudat Zion
And grasps. The matter is one of possession:
Malbim
And he who seizes the bow, although at times the archers will stand in the bow to delay before the enemy for a short time, so that within that time the swift of foot will flee on his feet, but now he who seizes the bow will not stand at all, but will flee immediately, and therefore the swift of foot will not escape. That is to say, he who seizes the bow will not save the swift of foot by his standing against the enemy, [to give him] time to flee, for he will not stand at all. And also the rider on the horse will not save his life, although their flight is easier for them.
And he that is courageous among the mighty Shall flee away naked in that day, Says Hashem.
verse value 1082
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "his·heart" (לִבּ֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·that·day" (בַּיּוֹם־הַה֖וּא, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·mighty" (וְאַמִּ֥יץ), "his·heart" (לִבּ֖וֹ), "among·the·mighty" (בַּגִּבּוֹרִ֑ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "in·that·day" (root יום, 21x in Amos). First appearance of the root נוס ("he·shall·flee") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'among·the·mighty', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאַמִּ֥יץ [and·mighty] (147) + לִבּ֖וֹ [his·heart] (38) + בַּגִּבּוֹרִ֑ים [among·the·mighty] (263) + עָר֛וֹם [naked] (316) + יָנ֥וּס [he·shall·flee] (126) + בַּיּוֹם־הַה֖וּא [in·that·day] (75) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [utterance·of·Hashem] (117) = 1082.
Rashi
“Arum yunos, etc.” – A naked person, without weapons.
Ibn Ezra
"And his heart shall be strong" – this refers to one whose thought is that he will be victorious, and no man will be able to harm him. And the opposite of this: "The fearful and faint-hearted" – he is fearful of everything, and his heart is soft to be corrupted.
"Naked" – that his garments would be a burden to him as he fled.
Radak
"And the stout-hearted among the mighty men." For courage resides in the heart, yet his heart was feeble, and he could not stand against the enemy; rather, he fled naked. And the meaning of "naked" is that he stripped off his garments so that they would not burden him, and he would flee lightly and swiftly.
Metzudat David
"And he shall strengthen his heart among the mighty men." This means that even one whose way it is to strengthen and fortify his heart, even among the mighty men, behold, then he shall flee naked, for he shall strip himself of his garments to be light for fleeing, for fear shall enter his heart.
Malbim
"And he shall strengthen his heart among the mighty men" – even if he finds among the mighty men one whose heart is more courageous than all of them, his strengthening of heart will not avail him; rather, only by being cunning will he flee on that day and save his life through flight, not through battle, nor will he escape with his wealth and garments.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim