'Hear this word... You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities' — shall two walk together, except they have agreed? 'The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord Hashem has spoken, who can but prophesy?' — as the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be rescued.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Hear this word that Hashem has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying:
verse value 5147
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "against" (עַ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·clan" (כׇּל־הַמִּשְׁפָּחָ֔ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, which. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "against" (עַ֚ל), "all·the·clan" (כׇּל־הַמִּשְׁפָּחָ֔ה). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "saying" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "against·you" (root על, 28x in Amos). First appearance of the root שמע ("hear") in Amos. First appearance of the root זה ("this") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Radak
“Hear, the family.” The entire nation is called a “family,” as it is written: “And if the family of Egypt shall not go up” (Zechariah 14:18).
"Which I brought up." I brought up your forefathers:
Metzudat David
“On the whole family.” The repetition of the matter is in what is stated, for the term “family” is used to refer to the entire nation, as it is also said, “and if the family of Egypt” (Zechariah 14:18).
Malbim
"Hear, etc., 'Whom I brought up from the land of Egypt,' and thereby I acquired you as My portion, so that you should not be under the dominion of the upper rulers and the heavenly host, for My providence is attached to you, and thereby."
You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities.
verse value 3806
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֚ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·your·iniquities" (כׇּל־עֲוֺנֹתֵיכֶֽם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: therefore, upon·you. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "only" (רַ֚ק), "from·all" (מִכֹּ֖ל), "clans·of" (מִשְׁפְּח֣וֹת). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root על, 28x in Amos). First appearance of the root ידע ("I·know") in Amos. First appearance of the root אדמה ("ground") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ground', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words.
Rashi
“Only you have I known among all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2). “I loved you, yet you transgressed against Me, therefore…” And our Sages of blessed memory expounded it from another perspective in Tractate Avodah Zarah.
Ibn Ezra
“Only you”—as if He said, “I knew your sufferings and I delivered you, and instead of serving Me, you rebelled against Me; therefore, I will take vengeance.” And the correct interpretation is: Just as it is said, “I will be sanctified among those who are near to Me,” so too is the way of kings: they become angry with their servants who stand before them, because they know their behavior better than the country folk do.
Radak
“Only you.” Because I knew you, and I chose you from among all peoples, therefore I will hold you accountable for all your iniquities. For you have seen and known all My signs and wonders that I performed for you and benefited you; therefore, it is just that I hold you accountable for your iniquities. For a king becomes angry with his servants who stand before him if they transgress His commandment more than He becomes angry with others who are distant from Him. For He does not concern Himself with the families of the nations of the world whether they do good or evil, unless there is great oppression, like the generation of the Flood, as we explained above. But Israel, because they are close to Me, I will punish them for their sin, as it is said, “Among those near to Me I will be sanctified.” And as our Sages of blessed memory expounded regarding the verse, “And around Him there was a great trembling.” And likewise our Sages of blessed memory said, “Idolatrous nations are an exception, for they are not held to strict account.” And in the Book of Ezekiel, in the verse, “And the ascent that rises in your spirit shall not be,” we have elaborated on this matter.
Metzudat David
“Only you have I known.” I loved you alone, more than all the nations; yet you have transgressed against Me. Therefore, I will remember all your iniquities to exact retribution for them all.
Metzudat Zion
"I knew." This is the matter of love, and likewise, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" (Psalms 144:3).
“I will visit.” The matter of remembrance:
Malbim
Only you have I known among all the families of the earth; there is not found another family of the earth that My knowledge and providence should be attached to them as to you, for they are all given over to the ordinances of nature and the governance of the heavenly host, and therefore they are not commanded concerning the prohibition of associating [other deities with God], as it is written, “Whom the Lord has allotted to all the nations under the heavens,” whereas “the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people of His inheritance.” Therefore, I will hold you accountable for all your iniquities, since you are commanded concerning the [affirmation of] unity and not to associate foreign worship with My worship, and to you was given the Torah and its commandments.
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. Verse gematria: 1118 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "two" (שְׁנַ֖יִם, 4 letters) and the longest is "if·they·agreed" (אִם־נוֹעָֽדוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "will·they·walk" (הֲיֵלְכ֥וּ), "if·they·agreed" (אִם־נוֹעָֽדוּ). 5 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root שנים ("two") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'together', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: הֲיֵלְכ֥וּ [will·they·walk] (71) + שְׁנַ֖יִם [two] (400) + יַחְדָּ֑ו [together] (28) + בִּלְתִּ֖י [except] (442) + אִם־נוֹעָֽדוּ [if·they·agreed] (177) = 1118.
Rashi
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” For you say to the prophets, “You shall not prophesy at all,” for the prophets do not prophesy from their own hearts unless they are commanded. Are any matters accomplished except according to their appointed way?
"Except if they had arranged a meeting." Rather, only if they set a specific time to go together to a certain place.
Ibn Ezra
"Hilchū" – He mentioned above, "And concerning the prophets you commanded, saying, 'You shall not prophesy.'"
"And I will surely hold you accountable" – I will inform you of this through My prophets, perhaps you will return to Me. Were it not that I revealed Myself to the prophet and disclosed My secret to him in order to admonish you, he would not have prophesied from his own heart; for how could he know what I am about to do? Thus, his speech is not by chance. Consider whether it is possible that two men would go at the same moment to the same place for the same matter if they had not arranged to meet with one another?! And when you see that the prophet’s word has come true, know that I sent him. And how could he defy My command not to prophesy, since you say to them, "Do not prophesy"?!
Radak
“Will two walk together?” That is to say: After you have sinned against Me, see what has happened to you, for a person cannot leave the city due to fear of the enemy, nor even two people, unless they have agreed together to walk on one path and stand against the enemy if it attacks them. And Rabbi Abraham of blessed memory explained: Above it is stated, “And you commanded the prophets, saying, ‘Do not prophesy.’” He says: Behold, before I visit punishment upon you, I will inform you of this through My prophets, perhaps you will return to Me. Were it not that I revealed Myself to the prophet and disclosed My secret to him to admonish you, he would not prophesy from his own heart, for how would he know what I am about to do? And thus his speech is not by chance. See whether it is possible that two men should go at one moment to one place for one matter, unless they have agreed with one another. And when you see that the prophet’s word is true, know that I sent him. For how could he transgress My command not to prophesy, since you say to him, “Do not prophesy”?
Metzudat David
“Will they walk?” Do two men walk together along the same road unless they had previously arranged and appointed a fixed time to walk together?
Metzudat Zion
They gathered. The matter concerns the fixing of a time and an invitation; and likewise, "they gathered" means they went together (there, 48):
Malbim
“Will they walk.” Verses 3–8 serve as an announcement, introduction, and general principles for the prophecies that will appear from verse 9 until the end of chapter 4. He states (one introductory point) so that they will know that their punishment is not a coincidence but rather Divine providence, for “will they walk” – the two of them together – implies that they were appointed for this, since it is certainly not a coincidence that two different people would walk the same path together toward a single goal; rather, they were certainly summoned for this purpose. This is proposed in order to explain what will be stated in verses 9, 10, and 11: that after many different nations have joined together to wage war against Israel, this is not a coincidence, but rather the Lord appointed them and summoned them for this, and His Spirit gathered them.
Will a lion roar in the forest, When he has no prey? Will a young lion give forth his voice out of his den, If he have taken nothing?
verse value 3269
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֑וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·his·den" (מִמְּעֹ֣נָת֔וֹ, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "will·roar" (הֲיִשְׁאַ֤ג), "in·the·forest" (בַּיַּ֔עַר), "and·prey" (וְטֶ֖רֶף). 11 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root ארי ("lion") in Amos. First appearance of the root לו ("to·him") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: הֲיִשְׁאַ֤ג [will·roar] (319) + אַרְיֵה֙ [lion] (216) + בַּיַּ֔עַר [in·the·forest] (282) + וְטֶ֖רֶף [and·prey] (295) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + ל֑וֹ [to·him] (36) + הֲיִתֵּ֨ן [will·give] (465) + כְּפִ֤יר [young·lion] (310) + קוֹלוֹ֙ [his·voice] (142) + מִמְּעֹ֣נָת֔וֹ [from·his·den] (606) + בִּלְתִּ֖י [except] (442) + אִם־לָכָֽד [if·he·took] (95) = 3269.
Rashi
"Does the lion roar in the forest when he has no prey?" When a lion seizes its prey, its custom is to roar, and it does not roar unless it has captured something. And so it says (Isaiah 5:29): "They shall roar like young lions, and they shall growl, and they shall seize prey." And likewise (Isaiah 31:4): "As when a lion or a young lion growls over its prey."
Ibn Ezra
“Hashag” – Another parable: Is there a custom for a lion to roar only over its prey? And I have roared for nothing! Moreover: Have you ever seen a lion that, when it rises from its lair and lets out its roar over its prey, that the prey could escape from its grasp — for its fear paralyzes it? If so, how then can you possibly escape from My decree?
Radak
"Does a lion roar in the forest?" According to our interpretation of the previous verse, its meaning is by way of parable: just as the lion does not roar in the forest without having prey, for when the animals hear his voice they stand still in their places out of fear of him, and he comes and devours from them whichever he desires; so too, when the enemy comes upon you, he will not return empty-handed, meaning he will not refrain from killing or from taking some of you captive.
“Hitten kefir.” The matter is double in what is said, and the Sage, Rabbi Abraham [Ibn Ezra], explained: “Is there a custom for a lion to roar only over its prey, and I have roared in vain? And furthermore, have you ever seen a lion rise from its lair, when it lets forth its voice over its prey, that it can escape from its grasp? If so, how can you escape from my decree?”
Metzudat David
The roaring. And does a lion roar in the forest when there is no prey? For when the animals hear the sound of its roar, they stand still in their place out of fear of it, and it comes upon them to devour its prey as it pleases.
“Hitten.” And does the young lion make a sound of joy from its den if it has not caught anything? Only when it has caught something does it rejoice and be glad, and not when it has not yet caught anything.
Metzudat Zion
Kefir. A young lion:
"From His dwelling place." The meaning of "dwelling" is akin to "You, O Lord, have been our dwelling place" (Psalm 90:1).
Malbim
“The roaring lion.” (Introduction Two): When a lion roars in the forest, it certainly has prey; it does not roar for nothing. This is alluded to in order to explain what is stated in verse 12: “The king of Assyria, who roars against them, will seize prey, devour human flesh, and there is none to deliver from his hand.” It is already explained in natural histories that when the lion is young in days, that is, in the status of a cub, it does not go out abroad after its prey, but rather sits in its lair, lying in wait to devour the animals passing by it. And regarding this it says, “Will a young lion give forth its voice from its den?” until it grows old and is called a lion; then it distances itself from its dwelling to seize prey. And regarding this it says, “Does a lion roar in the forest?” The rhetorical point is that both in what Assyria roared against them in their land, and in what it captured of them in its dwelling when Hoshea son of Elah went out to him and he imprisoned him in the house of confinement—so that he was captured by him as one is captured by the cub, for then he came to the border of Assyria—in both of these matters, there is no deliverance from his hand.
Will a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, Where there is no lure for it? Will a snare spring up from the ground, And have taken nothing at all?
verse value 2443
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָ֑הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·spring·up·snare" (הֲיַֽעֲלֶה־פַּח֙, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "will·fall" (הֲתִפֹּ֤ל), "bird" (צִפּוֹר֙), "upon·a·snare" (עַל־פַּ֣ח). The root לכד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos); "upon·a·snare" (root על, 28x in Amos); "the·land" (root ארץ, 20x in Amos). First appearance of the root נפל ("will·fall") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: הֲתִפֹּ֤ל [will·fall] (515) + צִפּוֹר֙ [bird] (376) + עַל־פַּ֣ח [upon·a·snare] (188) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וּמוֹקֵ֖שׁ [and·snare] (452) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + לָ֑הּ [to·her] (35) + הֲיַֽעֲלֶה־פַּח֙ [will·spring·up·snare] (208) + מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה [from·the·ground] (145) + וְלָכ֖וֹד [and·catching] (66) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יִלְכּֽוֹד [will·capture] (70) = 2443.
Rashi
"Will a bird fall upon a snare of the earth when there is no trap for it?" [This refers to] a trap into which it has fallen, and there is no snare for it.
“Will one lift a trap from the ground?”—from the place where it was set, unless the bird has become entangled in it; when it seeks to escape, it uproots the trap and lifts it slightly from its place, and at that moment it is already caught.
Ibn Ezra
“Will a bird fall?” — And behold, another parable: the bird of the sky, over which a person has no power to fly to seize it — will the bird fall upon a snare that is on the ground if there is no trap [set] for it?! And the meaning is that a person can, by his devices and cunning, bring down the bird that is above him; and behold, I am above you, and you are below, in My hand, and you have no wisdom against Me — how can you be saved from the trap that I have decreed you shall be caught in? And the trap is the enemy, whom I will command to come upon you. And do not think that after I come [upon you] he will withdraw from you until he has taken vengeance upon you — and this is [the meaning of] “will a snare spring up,” the sense being: I will set it up to distress you.
Radak
"The falling." And behold, another parable, and according to our interpretation, it is clear that the enemy will not return from upon you empty-handed; and according to the interpretation of the Chacham, "the bird of the heavens," there is no power for a man to seize it.
“The fowl is caught in the snare.” If it is not set for him, behold, the meaning is that a person can, through his stratagems and cunning, catch the bird that is above him. And behold, I am above you, and you are below, in My hand, and you have no wisdom against Me; how can you save yourselves from the snare that I have decreed for you, in which you will be caught? And the snare is the enemy, whom I will command to come upon you. And do not think that after his coming, he will be removed from you until he has taken vengeance upon you. And this is the meaning of “the snare is lifted up,” namely, that I will set him up to afflict you.
Metzudat David
"Will it fall?" And what if a bird were to settle on a snare spread out on the ground, yet it found no bait to be caught by? Would the net have been scattered for nothing?
How can the snare be lifted? The way of the bird, when it is caught and wishes to save its life, is to shake the snare and lift it up slightly from the ground, and it says: “Can the snare be lifted from the ground without having caught something? And who is it that lifts the snare?”
Metzudat Zion
“Ha-tipol” (does it fall?). [Meaning] “ha-tishkon” (does it settle?); and similarly, “he settled in the presence of all his brethren” (Genesis 25:18).
Pach. "It is the net":
Malbim
The Fall. (Third Introduction) When a bird flying in the heights falls into a trap resting on the ground, is it possible that there is no snare in it? For within the trap there is a snare by which the bird is caught. Likewise, if a trap is raised from the ground, it has certainly caught something, when we see that the trap is lifted. This is applied to what will be said from verse 13 onward, that the reason Israel was caught in the hand of the king of Assyria was that there was a cause for it, which served as a snare for them, as will be explained there.
Shall the horn be blown in a city, And the people not tremble? Shall evil befall a city, And Hashem has not done it?
verse value 3320
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·it·is·blown" (אִם־יִתָּקַ֤ע, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 282: in·city, in·city. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "if·it·is·blown" (אִם־יִתָּקַ֤ע), "and·people" (וְעָ֖ם), "they·will·tremble" (יֶחֱרָ֑דוּ). The root עיר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). First appearance of the root עיר ("in·city") in Amos. First appearance of the root היה ("if·it·shall·be") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·tremble', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: אִם־יִתָּקַ֤ע [if·it·is·blown] (621) + שׁוֹפָר֙ [horn] (586) + בְּעִ֔יר [in·city] (282) + וְעָ֖ם [and·people] (116) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יֶחֱרָ֑דוּ [they·will·tremble] (228) + אִם־תִּֽהְיֶ֤ה [if·it·shall·be] (461) + רָעָה֙ [evil] (275) + בְּעִ֔יר [in·city] (282) + וַיהֹוָ֖ה [and·Hashem] (32) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + עָשָֽׂה [did] (375) = 3320.
Rashi
"If he blows the shofar." The watchman sees armies coming to the city and blows the shofar to warn the people. These are nothing but words of parable and metaphor.
“Does the lion roar in the forest?” This refers to Nebuchadnezzar. Another interpretation: The prophets compare the Holy Spirit that comes upon them to the roar of a lion, as it is stated below, “When the lion roars, who will not fear?” Here, this is the explanation of the simile: The Holy Spirit comes to the mouths of the prophets to speak a word from the Holy One, Blessed be He, for evil, only if the calamity has been decreed before Him; this is the prey. Will the Holy One, Blessed be He, utter His voice to speak harshly, unless He has caught you in the snare of sin? “Does the bird fall into a snare on the earth?” And the snare does not ensnare it; meaning, is it possible that you commit transgressions and there will not be a trap for you? “Does the snare come up from the earth?” Thus, will your sins rise upward and not catch you? “If the shofar sounds in the city?” Thus, you should have been in awe of the words of the prophets, who are watchmen for you to save you from evil so that it may not come; and when evil comes to you, will you not know that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is doing this to you because you did not guard yourselves regarding His prophets?
Ibn Ezra
"If—Ezekiel has already mentioned the matter of the watchman, for the prophet is like him, and the meaning is: How can you not tremble at the words of the prophet, or think that evil will come upon the city if I have not decreed it, and this is: 'And the Lord has not done it,' for even the Name will not do evil until He reveals His secret to inform you through the prophet, perhaps you will return from your evil ways, in the manner of: 'In a moment I will speak against a nation and a kingdom, and behold, the roaring of the lion will cause every hearer to tremble; and even so, when I give My voice and speak to the prophet, how will they not fear Him to fulfill what I commanded him.'"
Radak
“If a shofar is blown” — as its Targum: “if a shofar is blown in the city at an untimely hour.” That is to say: many times a shofar is blown in the city and the people are not alarmed — as [when blown] for rejoicing and for songs, or to assemble the people concerning the affairs of the city. Therefore the Targum rendered “at an untimely hour,” [for] when none of these [occasions] obtains in the city, it is known that it is to warn the people of the enemy — and how should the people not be alarmed when they hear it? So [too] you do not tremble at the words of the prophet whom I send to you.
"If evil be in a city, and the Lord hath not done it." The explanation is: How can you think that evil would befall your city unless the Holy One, blessed be He, had brought it about, especially since the prophet announced it to you before it came? And when you see that the words of the prophet are fulfilled, how can you not return to Me?
Metzudat David
"If he shall blow." In times of war, they appoint a watchman to observe whether the enemy is coming, and when he arrives, he blows the shofar to warn the people. And it is said, "If the shofar is blown in the city, shall the people not tremble?" Surely, they will certainly tremble greatly.
“If there is evil in a city and the Lord has not done it.” This means: Just as all these matters mentioned cannot occur except in accordance with what is fitting for each and every one, so too it is impossible that evil should befall a city by chance, without the Lord having brought it about as a recompense for their deeds.
Metzudat Zion
"If he shall blow." Does he blow, and is the letter heh of the interrogative particle lacking? And similarly, "if it shall be."
Malbim
"The blowing of the shofar." (Introduction Four): If one were to blow the shofar in a city, where the shofar serves as a sign that destruction is coming upon the land, or other calamities are approaching, is it conceivable that the people would not tremble? Surely, they would certainly tremble and fear the impending calamity, and they would seek means to save themselves from it. This concept is introduced to explain what will be stated in section 4, from verse 4 until the end of the passage: that the Lord blew the shofar through His prophets to warn them of the calamities stirring to come upon them—namely, famine, locusts, pestilence, and the sword—yet they did not tremble, nor did they return to the Lord, through which they could have been saved from the calamity. Instead, they attributed all these evils to chance. To this, the text responds: "If there is evil in a city, and the Lord has not done it?" And since all evils originate from the decree of the Lord, why did the people not return [to Him] until He struck them?
For the Lord Hashem will do nothing, But He reveals His counsel to His servants the prophets.
verse value 1169
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·his·servants" (אֶל־עֲבָדָ֖יו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, but. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "will·do" (יַעֲשֶׂ֛ה), "if·he·reveals" (אִם־גָּלָ֣ה), "His·counsel" (סוֹד֔וֹ). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). First appearance of the root כי ("for") in Amos. First appearance of the root איל ("to·his·servants") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'thing', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + לֹ֧א [not] (31) + יַעֲשֶׂ֛ה [will·do] (385) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + דָּבָ֑ר [thing] (206) + כִּ֚י [but] (30) + אִם־גָּלָ֣ה [if·he·reveals] (79) + סוֹד֔וֹ [His·counsel] (76) + אֶל־עֲבָדָ֖יו [to·his·servants] (123) + הַנְּבִיאִֽים [the·prophets] (118) = 1169.
Rashi
"For surely the Lord God does not do a thing unless He reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets."
Radak
"For [the Lord God] will do nothing [without revealing His secret]." And since He revealed His secret to His servants the prophets, to warn you, and you will see that it comes as they said to you, you will know that the disaster comes from the Lord. Why then do you not return from your evil ways and save yourselves from the disaster? And the meaning of "His secret" is that the matter is not known until the Lord, blessed be He, makes it known through His servants the prophets.
Metzudat David
"For He will not do anything." This is brought as proof that everything comes under Divine providence, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not do anything without first revealing His secret to the prophets.
Malbim
"Ki," meaning: Do not say that for this reason they did not return, because a decree had already been issued and they thought that their repentance would be of no avail. To this, the verse responds that even though God speaks a word and issues a decree, God will not immediately carry out the evil act, but rather reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets, and sends them to warn the people to return from their ways and annul the decree, so that it will not come to execution. And the prophet will certainly fulfill his mission and go to warn the people. "Ki,"
The lion has roared, Who will not fear? The Lord Hashem has spoken, Who can but prophesy?
verse value 1263
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "lion" (אַרְיֵ֥ה, 4 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: who?, who?. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "roared" (שָׁאָ֖ג), "he·shall·fear" (יִירָ֑א), "will·prophesy" (יִנָּבֵֽא). The root מי appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). First appearance of the root מי ("who?") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·shall·fear', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: אַרְיֵ֥ה [lion] (216) + שָׁאָ֖ג [roared] (304) + מִ֣י [who?] (50) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִירָ֑א [he·shall·fear] (221) + אֲדֹנָ֤י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִה֙ [Hashem] (26) + דִּבֶּ֔ר [has·spoken] (206) + מִ֖י [who?] (50) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יִנָּבֵֽא [will·prophesy] (63) = 1263.
Rashi
"When a lion roars, who will not fear?" So too, when the Holy One, blessed be He, speaks to the prophets, who will not prophesy?
Radak
A lion has roared, who will not prophesy? And how can you command them not to prophesy, when everyone who hears the roar of a lion is afraid? How can he not be afraid and tremble at My voice? And how can he stand firm so as not to fulfill the words which I commanded him?
Metzudat David
“The lion has roared.” This means: Surely the prophets certainly prophesy the matter to the people and do not withhold the prophecy. For just as if a lion roars, one will not find anyone who does not fear the sound of its roar, so too, if the Holy One, blessed be He, speaks something to the prophets, one will not find anyone who does not prophesy. Thus, every matter that comes is heard from the mouth of the prophet before it comes—thus, this is not a coincidence, but rather under Divine providence. And it refers back to the beginning of the matter, which stated: “Therefore, I will visit upon you…” to render recompense, for since everything is under Divine providence, there is recompense for the deed.
Malbim
A lion, even if a lion roars, who will not fear? Even though its roar is merely the roar of a beast, and all the more so if the Lord, God, speaks, who will not prophesy? Surely the prophets will tremble, prophesy, and warn the people. Why then did they not return in repentance? In accordance with this, he also said in his discourse: If a trumpet is blown in the city and the people do not tremble and are not afraid of the sound of the trumpet to take heed, return, and restrain themselves from evil, then if afterward evil befalls the city and the decree comes upon them, it is not the Lord who did it. The matter will not be attributed to the Lord, for they themselves brought the evil upon themselves. For the Lord does not do anything except that He reveals His secret to the prophets and first warns the people through the prophets. And since they were not warned, the act will not be attributed to Him, but only to the people themselves, who brought the evil upon themselves.
Proclaim it upon the palaces at Ashdod, And upon the palaces in the land of Egypt, And say: ‘Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, And behold the great confusions therein, And the oppressions in the midst thereof.’
verse value 6923
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 88 letters. The shortest word is "in·land·of" (בְּאֶ֣רֶץ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·palaces" (וְעַֽל־אַרְמְנ֖וֹת, 9 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "upon·palaces" (עַל־אַרְמְנ֣וֹת), "in·Ashdod" (בְּאַשְׁדּ֔וֹד), "and·upon·palaces" (וְעַֽל־אַרְמְנ֖וֹת). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·say" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "upon·palaces" (root על, 28x in Amos); "in·land·of" (root ארץ, 20x in Amos). First appearance of the root שמרון ("Samaria") in Amos. First appearance of the root ראה ("and·see") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 10 words.
Rashi
"Proclaim." You, sons of the Philistines and sons of Egypt — announce this, and say in your palaces: Let them gather upon the mountains of Samaria, to see from the mountains, within the city, their evil ways.
Ibn Ezra
"Let them hear" – this is the snare that your enemies will join together against you.
And the meaning of "palaces" is the place of kings; therefore, the word "and they said" refers to the words of the kings. And behold, the Exalted Name granted them permission to enter His land.
And the meaning of “and they shall see” is: to take the judgment from them, i.e., as they did, so shall be done to them.
Radak
“Let them make heard in the palaces” means: Let it be proclaimed to their kings and nobles who dwell in palaces. This is similar to the verse “and your enemy shall rejoice over you.” It is the opposite of what was said, “Do not tell it in Gath,” for that statement was from David, whereas this statement is from the Holy One, Blessed be He.
Concerning “the mountains of Samaria.” For Samaria is a single mountain, as it is stated, “And he bought the mountain of Samaria” (1 Kings 16:24). And the word “harei” (mountains) is in the plural form because perhaps there are other mountains surrounding it. And “armonot” (palaces) has the mem vocalized with a shva due to the construct state, for the construct state may occur on the letter of usage, like “harei” in “harei ba-Gilboa” (the mountains of Gilboa) and its like.
And they will see many tumults. And you will know that because of their sins they are punished, on account of the violence that is among them.
Metzudat David
"Proclaim." You, inhabitants of Ashdod, proclaim an announcement in your palaces:
“Gather yourselves” – to go to war with the assistance of Assyria.
And see. This means: Do not fear them, for when you see within her many tumults, the clamor of war, man against his brother, and great oppression, and you see within her the division of their hearts, they will easily be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
Metzudat Zion
"And the oppressed." They are being oppressed by the hands of the oppressors.
Malbim
“Proclaim!” – this begins to explain the first introduction, which states, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Behold, they shall proclaim and declare in Ashdod, which is among the Philistines, upon the palaces (for the custom of one who proclaims to the many was to stand upon a high palace and proclaim); and likewise they shall proclaim in the land of Egypt upon the palaces, for even in the land of Egypt such a herald shall proclaim. And the heralds shall proclaim and say to the nations that they should gather to go to war against the mountains of Samaria. And see, and there you shall see that they are deserving of destruction, on account of the fact that there are many tumults within her regarding matters between man and God, and oppression is practiced within her regarding matters between man and his fellow. And against what is stated, “for there are many tumults within her,” he says:
For they know not to do right, says Hashem, Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
verse value 2627
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "violence" (חָמָ֥ס, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·their·palaces" (בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵיהֶֽם, 10 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·not·know" (וְלֹא־יָדְע֥וּ), "to·do·right" (עֲשׂוֹת־נְכֹחָ֖ה), "that·store·up" (הָא֥וֹצְרִ֛ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos). First appearance of the root שד ("and·destruction") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'utterance·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְלֹא־יָדְע֥וּ [and·not·know] (127) + עֲשׂוֹת־נְכֹחָ֖ה [to·do·right] (859) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [utterance·Hashem] (117) + הָא֥וֹצְרִ֛ים [that·store·up] (352) + חָמָ֥ס [violence] (108) + וָשֹׁ֖ד [and·destruction] (310) + בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵיהֶֽם [in·their·palaces] (754) = 2627.
Rashi
Straightforward. Upright:
Robbery and plunder. Stolen property:
Ibn Ezra
"And they did not know" – "straight" is an attribute of "way."
“The hoarders” – wealth that was taken by robbery and plunder.
Radak
And they did not know how to do what is right. And if you were to say that they would do evil at one time and good at another, the verse teaches that they did not know how to do even one righteous act. And "righteous" (nekhokha) means "straight" or "upright." And who are these? They are those who hoard violence and plunder in their palaces. And what will be their end? That those hoards will become a thing of contempt. And this is what the verse says:
Metzudat David
“And they did not know.” This means: You will also see that they do not know how to act rightly; and therefore, surely, God will not help them.
“Those who hoard.” You will see that they plunder, rob, and hoard in their palaces. It is as if to say: had they plundered only what was necessary for their sustenance, to satisfy their needs, the matter would not have been utterly evil; but they plunder without need or necessity.
Metzudat Zion
Nechuchah. A straight and fitting matter, as it is said, “He walks in his uprightness” (Isaiah 57:2).
The hoarders. From the word "treasure," meaning they conceal.
Malbim
And they did not know how to act properly in matters between man and the Divine, and in opposition to what is written, “And they were oppressed in their midst,” [the prophet] explains, “They have amassed robbery and extortion in their palaces,” (in such a manner that even Egypt and the Philistines would marvel at their abominations, contrary to what was stated initially, that He brought them out from the midst of Egypt so that they would not learn the abominations of the Egyptians, and He destroyed the Amorites before them so that they would not act according to the abominations of the seven nations, of which the Philistines were part; and now it has become the opposite, that they have become more abominable than them). And you ask: Who gathered these two disparate nations to consult together in one counsel to go to the mountains of Samaria? Would two walk together unless they had agreed? Surely, the Holy One, blessed be He, appointed and prepared them for this.
Therefore thus says the Lord Hashem: An adversary, even round about the land! And he shall bring down your strength from you, And your palaces shall be spoiled.
verse value 2349
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·palaces" (אַרְמְנוֹתָֽיִךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: therefore, from·you. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·round·about" (וּסְבִ֣יב), "and·he·shall·bring·down" (וְהוֹרִ֤יד), "from·you" (מִמֵּךְ֙). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). First appearance of the root כן ("therefore") in Amos. First appearance of the root מן ("from·you") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֗ן [therefore] (100) + כֹּ֤ה [thus] (25) + אָמַר֙ [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + צַ֖ר [adversary] (290) + וּסְבִ֣יב [and·round·about] (80) + הָאָ֑רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וְהוֹרִ֤יד [and·he·shall·bring·down] (231) + מִמֵּךְ֙ [from·you] (100) + עֻזֵּ֔ךְ [your·strength] (97) + וְנָבֹ֖זּוּ [and·they·will·be·spoiled] (71) + אַרְמְנוֹתָֽיִךְ [your·palaces] (727) = 2349.
Rashi
“An enemy, and round about the land.” The enemy is ready to come, and he will come around this land.
Ibn Ezra
Therefore, "straitened" – that a siege will be laid against Samaria and the surrounding land, so that none who go out from it will escape.
“And he shall bring down” — the enemy; and the strong tower shall fall, and the men of the enemy shall plunder all the palaces mentioned, which are full of violence.
Radak
Therefore, "an enemy, and round about the land." Behold, the enemy shall come and encamp around the land, so that there shall be no escape for you from Me.
"And He will bring down your strength from you." The treasures that you have stored up in your lofty palaces, which you thought would be your strength, the enemy will bring down from you; and he explained and said, "And your palaces will be plundered."
Metzudat David
“Narrow and around the land.” This means: The distress will come upon you, and they will encamp around the land, so that you will not be able to escape.
"And he shall bring down." He will humble your strength, and your palaces will be plundered by the attacking enemy.
Metzudat Zion
Tzar: enemy.
Your strength. Your might:
And they shall be plundered. From the language of "despise" and "plunder":
Malbim
Therefore, thus says the Lord, the Lord has appointed them, and He said: "A besieger and surrounding the land," that they will besiege the land all around, from every side. And therefore He sent upon them various nations, and "the adversary shall bring down your strength from you," and consequently "your palaces shall be desolate," which had been filled with plunder and violence. And do not ask why it is not found that the Philistines and the Egyptians came against Samaria, for in the narratives of Kings and Chronicles one does not find all the particular events that befell them, only the general matters. And it is reasonable that after the Philistines raided Judah in the days of Ahaz, at the time when the king of Assyria came up against Pekah (as explained in Chronicles II 29), they subsequently also fell upon the border of Israel, which had been weakened by the king of Assyria. And regarding what is stated in Ezekiel (chapter 16, verse 27), "And Egypt was to them as the sole of the foot at that time in the cities of Israel," as I explained in the prophecy of Hosea (7:11, 8:9, 9:6, 11:5):
Thus says Hashem: As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion Two legs, or a piece of an ear, So shall the children of Israel that dwell in Samaria Escape with the corner of a couch, and the leg of a bed.
verse value 6113
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 87 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֒) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּה֮, 2 letters) and the longest is "a piece·ear" (בְדַל־אֹ֑זֶן, 6 letters). 13 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "rescues" (יַצִּ֨יל), "from·mouth·of" (מִפִּ֧י), "two" (שְׁתֵּ֥י). The root נצל appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "Israel" (root ישראל, 25x in Amos). First appearance of the root נצל ("rescues") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'a piece·ear', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 10 words.
Rashi
"As the shepherd will rescue." A minor matter:
"Splitting the ear." The Targum renders it: "The cartilage of the ear."
Thus shall the children of Israel be saved. Only a scant few:
“On the flank of a bed, and in Damascus a couch.” The Targum renders: “In the strength of their dominion, and upon Damascus shall they rely.” And I say that the interpretation of the Targum is according to the fact that in the days of Jehoachaz, son of Jehu, it is written (II Kings 13:7): “And Hazael, king of Aram, afflicted them,” and Jeroboam, the son of his son, delivered them in part, as it is stated (ibid. 14): “Yet the Lord did not wish to blot out the name of Israel, and He delivered them by the hand of Jeroboam,” etc. (ibid.) He restored the border of Israel. And this is what is meant by “on the flank of a bed”: the corner of the house is the strength of the house; therefore the Targum translated it as “in the strength of the dominion of Jeroboam.” And Amos prophesied in the days of Jeroboam. And furthermore, he prophesied that their end would be to rely on the kings of Aram, and indeed they did so in the days of Pekach, son of Remaliah, who allied himself with Rezin. And this is what is meant by “and in Damascus shall be their couch”: their primary rest and their trust shall be upon Damascus. And our Sages said in Seder Olam: Rabbi Nehorai says in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua: These are the ten tribes who relied upon Hezekiah, king of Judah, and upon Judah, and they were saved together with them.
“On the corner of the bed.” This teaches that only one-eighth of them remained, and the other seven-eighths? They were in Damascus, to fulfill what is stated below (5:27): “And I will scatter you beyond Damascus.” And I heard from the words of Rabbi Menachem, of blessed memory, that he interpreted this as follows: “One-eighth” means that the term “corner” (pe’ah) is not used except in the phrase “corner of the bed,” referring to a part of it—specifically, one of the two sides of the corner, which constitutes one-eighth of the bed. For there are four corners, and each corner has two sides. Another interpretation: I found in the words of Rabbi Meir, of blessed memory: “On the corner of the bed” refers to the sin of Ahaziah, son of Ahab, who sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, “Shall I recover from this illness?” (II Kings 1:2). And in Damascus, Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, was on his bed, and he sent messengers to inquire of the God of Israel (II Kings 8:7).
Ibn Ezra
Behold, it is like the parable of what is written in the Torah: “And if it be torn in pieces, let him bring it as evidence.”
“Badel ozen” – he has no equal. And the Sages of Spain said: “One ear,” and behold, none escapes except one who is sick and did not go to war, and this is “and he who lies at the edge of the bed.”
And the meaning of "at the corner" is that it is human custom to place the bed in the house to one side, so that they may put up a screen to prevent being seen. And the sick person needs to lie in a place where there is no strong light, for he cannot endure it. Know that the letter dalet is not among the letters that serve as auxiliary letters; therefore, it is not added either at the beginning of a word or at its end.
“And we shall know that in Damascus is a couch” — like “in the corner of a bed,” for “eres” (couch) is like “mittah” (bed); and behold, the sense is doubled, therefore “Damascus” is like “in the corner.” Or the word is compounded of two, like “palmoni” (a certain/anonymous one) — [a form] which did not [previously] exist [as a simple word]. And thus its interpretation: “and in Damascus” is like “and Ben-Meshek of my house” (Genesis 15:2) — one who is diligent and does not stir.
Radak
Thus says the Lord: “Two hindquarters, or even the tip of an ear.” Whether much or little, whatever he is able to save, he shall save—two hindquarters, or even the tip of an ear, which is a small thing; if he is able to save it, he shall save it. The hindquarters are mentioned because the lion eats them last, and the tip of the ear is mentioned because it is the hardest part of the ear, as its Targum translates it: “the cartilage of the ear,” since it contains no flesh, and the lion leaves it behind. So too, from Israel in Samaria, only a few will be saved—those whom the enemy will not bother with, namely the sick who are lying on their beds. Samaria is mentioned because it was the capital of the kingdom and was conquered last. The righteous among them were also saved from the plague and the sword, for it is stated, “Yet I have left seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed down to Baal.” However, they will not be saved from exile. And the reason it says “at the corner of the bed” is that when the enemy comes, the sick person lying on the bed will squeeze himself into one corner of the bed so that he will not be seen.
“And in Damascus is his couch.” The matter is repeated with different words, for “Damascus” is like “corner” (pe’ah), and if it were not found to have a counterpart in Scripture, and “couch” (’eresh) is like “bed” (mitah), as it says, “Behold, his couch is an iron couch.” And some say that the word “Damascus” is added to the door, and it is a leg, like “the leg of my house” (ben-meshak beiti), and the leg of the bed is the corner. And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] translated [“corner of the bed”] as “the strength of the dominion,” and on “Damascus” he translated “washing places” (rachitzin). He translated “Damascus” with a shin, like “Damascus” with a sin. And likewise in Seder Olam, Rabbi Nehorai says in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua: Here it says, “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel who are left, who dwell in the land of Damascus and in the corner of the bed.” “The corner of the bed” refers to a few of the ten tribes who relied on Hezekiah, King of Judah, and He delivered them with them. “The corner of the bed” teaches that He did not deliver from Israel except one-eighth of them. And where is the rest of the couch? In Damascus, as it is said, “And I will scatter you beyond Damascus.” And what he said, “one-eighth,” Rashi of blessed memory wrote in the name of Rabbi Menachem that “corner of the bed” is not said except in the corner of the bed in one of the two sides of the corner, and it is the eighth part of the bed, for there are four corners to the bed and two sides to the corner. And what Jonathan translated “corner of the bed” as “the strength of the dominion,” Rashi of blessed memory explained that in that generation, in the days of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, it is written that the King of Aram destroyed them, and Jeroboam, his grandson, saved them, as it is said, “And he restored the borders of Israel.” And this is “the corner of the bed,” the corner of the house is the strength of the house, and likewise “the corner of the bed” is the strength of the bed. Therefore, the translation “the strength of the dominion” means the dominion of Jeroboam. And furthermore, it prophesied that in the end they would rely on the kings of Aram in the days of Pekah son of Remaliah, who allied himself with Rezin, King of Aram. And this is what he translated, “And in Damascus is his couch,” and on “Damascus” he translated “their rest and their trust will be in Damascus.”
Metzudat David
"As the shepherd rescues." The custom of shepherds is that when a lion mauls a lamb from the flock, he returns to rescue it in order to bring it as evidence to its owners that the lion mauled it and that he did not steal it; and afterward he discards it, for he rescued it only to serve as a witness, and not for food.
“Thus they shall be rescued.” This means that just as there is no benefit in the very thing that the shepherd rescues from the lion, so too there will be no benefit in those who remain in Samaria, for only the sick will remain, those lying at the edge of the bed and on the filthy couch soiled from the sick person’s drink.
Metzudat Zion
“Baddel ozen.” The Targum translates it as “chassachos,” which is the hardest part of the ear, and it has no counterpart.
"By the corner." The matter of "passed" and "side":
"And in Damascus, a bed." A "bed" (arash) is a couch, as in "his couch, an iron couch" (Deuteronomy 3:11). It is called a bed of the sick person, "a Damascus bed," because the whole bed is soaked from his strength and his tossing, from the sweat. Likewise, the city of Damascus is called by this name because it is entirely watered by its abundance of rivers and pools of water, even though [the word] is spelled with a sin on the left.
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: Now he expounds the second introduction stated above: “A lion roars in the forest, and there is no prey for it.” The lion that roars against them is the King of Assyria, who prepared war against them; he will seize prey and destroy them. He expounds [this] as follows: Just as a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth two legs—which is to say, it is impossible for the shepherd to save the lamb that the lion has already torn apart; rather, he strives to save from its mouth legs or the cartilage of the ear (so that he may have proof that the lamb was torn apart, and thus be exempt from paying, as it is stated: “If it was torn apart, they shall bring it as evidence,” meaning they shall bring the torn animal as proof)—so too, the children of Israel dwelling in Samaria on the edge of a bed shall be saved. This means that only the weak ones, who are sitting on the edge of a bed due to their weakness, will be saved, in that they will not be killed or exiled. And in Damascus, [they shall be] on a couch. The grammatical measure of the verse is: “And those dwelling in Damascus shall be on the edge of a couch.” For on a couch lies the one who is completely ill, not merely the weak. There, even the weak ones sitting on a bed will not be saved; only the sick ones lying on a couch of suffering will [be saved]. For initially, the King of Assyria exiled many of Israel to Damascus, as it is stated: “For he exiled Aram to Kir, and settled the children of Israel in their place in Damascus.” Or perhaps many of the children of Israel settled there on their own, for Jeroboam son of Joash restored Damascus to Israel, as mentioned in Kings. And afterwards, the King of Assyria exiled them from Damascus as well, as it is stated below (5:27): “And I will exile you beyond Damascus.” Afterwards, he transferred them from Damascus to Halah and Habor. And from there, he exiled even the weak ones sitting on a bed, and they were not saved from his hand; only those lying on a couch of suffering [were saved].
Hear you, and testify against the house of Jacob, Says the Lord Hashem, the God of hosts.
verse value 1845
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "hear" (שִׁמְע֥וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "utterance·of·the·Lord" (נְאֻם־אֲדֹנָ֥י, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·testify" (וְהָעִ֖ידוּ), "utterance·of·the·Lord" (נְאֻם־אֲדֹנָ֥י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "against·house·of" (root בית, 35x in Amos); "utterance·of·the·Lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). First appearance of the root עוד ("and·testify") in Amos. First appearance of the root יעקב ("Jacob") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְע֥וּ [hear] (416) + וְהָעִ֖ידוּ [and·testify] (101) + בְּבֵ֣ית [against·house·of] (414) + יַעֲקֹ֑ב [Jacob] (182) + נְאֻם־אֲדֹנָ֥י [utterance·of·the·Lord] (156) + יֱהֹוִ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [God·of] (46) + הַצְּבָאֽוֹת [the·hosts] (504) = 1845.
Ibn Ezra
Shema'u – the words of the Lord to the prophets. And the meaning is: for there will be a shaking, or the enemy will cut off the horns.
Radak
"Hear." The words of the Holy One, blessed be He, were said addressed to the prophets, so that they would hear this decree and testify to it in the house of Jacob before its arrival.
Metzudat David
“Hear. You, the prophets, hear My words and admonish the House of Jacob:”
Metzudat Zion
And they testified. The matter of the warning is that, according to the majority opinion, one warns the witnesses so that they will not deny their testimony later on.
Malbim
“Hear and testify” – now he elucidates the third introduction, which stated that a bird falling into a snare and trap has no recourse; this refers to those who fell into the snare of the King of Assyria. It is necessary that there be a “trap” (mukesh), which is the cause by means of which they were ensnared and captured in the snare. And this matter of their falling into the snare was already explained in Hosea (chapter 7): “And Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived; they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. As they go, I will spread My net over them like a bird of the heavens; I will bring them down.” And I explained there that Hoshea ben Elah was captured in the snare of the King of Assyria, who came against him after Hoshea had sent messengers to call upon the King of Egypt for help against the kings of Assyria. And in this way, he is compared to a bird of the heavens descending into the net; likewise, the King of Assyria subsequently descended and captured him in his power. And there I explained that the “trap” (mukesh) of this snare was set for him by the sons of his people. Because Hoshea wished to abolish the worship of the calves, there was strength among Israel against him, and they slandered him, revealing to the King of Assyria that he intended to rebel against him and seek refuge under the shadow of Egypt (as is explained there in chapter 10, verses 2–6, as I interpreted there). However, the primary “trap” (mukesh) was the sin of the worship of the calves, which was in their hands. And for this very iniquity they were punished. And this is what it says: “Hear and testify in the house of Jacob.”
For in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also punish the altars of Beth-el, And the horns of the altar shall be cut off, And fall to the ground.
verse value 4455
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "transgressions·of·Israel" (פִשְׁעֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "my·visiting" (פׇּקְדִ֥י), "transgressions·of·Israel" (פִשְׁעֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל), "upon·him" (עָלָ֑יו). The root פקד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Beth-el" (root בית, 35x in Amos); "upon·him" (root על, 28x in Amos); "for" (root כי, 22x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: כִּ֗י [for] (30) + בְּי֛וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + פׇּקְדִ֥י [my·visiting] (194) + פִשְׁעֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [transgressions·of·Israel] (1001) + עָלָ֑יו [upon·him] (116) + וּפָֽקַדְתִּי֙ [and·I·shall·punish] (600) + עַל־מִזְבְּח֣וֹת [upon·altars·of] (563) + בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל [Beth-el] (443) + וְנִגְדְּעוּ֙ [and·they·will·be·cut] (139) + קַרְנ֣וֹת [horns·of] (756) + הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ [altar] (62) + וְנָפְל֖וּ [and·they·shall·fall] (172) + לָאָֽרֶץ [to·the·land] (321) = 4455.
Radak
"For on that day." This refers to the day of the earthquake that occurred in the days of Uzziah.
“And I will visit upon the altars of Beth-El” — after the manner of “and against their gods the Lord executed judgments” (Numbers 33:4).
The horns of the altar. The verse mentions the horns because when the horns fall, the altar falls, for the horns support the structure, just as the corners of a house do. Furthermore, the verse mentions the horns because upon them they would offer sacrifices and sprinkle the blood.
Metzudat David
"For on the day of My visitation." This means: These are the words of "on the day that I will remember the transgressions of Israel to repay him his recompense, then I will take heed of the altars standing in Bethel to cut off their horns, and they will fall upon the face of the earth."
Metzudat Zion
"Remember." The matter is one of remembrance.
And I will visit. A matter of oversight, like “number now and see” (I Samuel 14:17).
And they shall be cut off. The matter of cutting off is like [the verse] "and their Asherim you shall cut down" (Deuteronomy 7:5):
Karnot. The protrusions that emerge like horns:
Malbim
For on the day that I will visit the iniquity of Israel to punish them for their sins, then I will visit upon the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off. This refers to what Hosea did when he cut off the horns of the altar, so that they would not sprinkle their sacrificial blood upon the horns of the altar. And thus, the snare of the sin of idolatry caused another snare: because Hosea cut off the horns of the altar, rebellion arose against him among the people, and thereby...
And I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house; And the houses of ivory shall perish, And the great houses shall have an end, Says Hashem.
verse value 3632
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "houses·of" (בָּתֵּ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "house·of·the·winter" (בֵית־הַחֹ֖רֶף, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·I·will·strike" (וְהִכֵּיתִ֥י), "house·of·the·winter" (בֵית־הַחֹ֖רֶף), "the·summer" (הַקָּ֑יִץ). The root בית appears 4 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "house·of·the·winter" (root בית, 35x in Amos). First appearance of the root נכה ("and·I·will·strike") in Amos. First appearance of the root קיץ ("the·summer") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·summer', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְהִכֵּיתִ֥י [and·I·will·strike] (451) + בֵית־הַחֹ֖רֶף [house·of·the·winter] (705) + עַל־בֵּ֣ית [with·house·of] (512) + הַקָּ֑יִץ [the·summer] (205) + וְאָבְד֞וּ [and·they·will·perish] (19) + בָּתֵּ֣י [houses·of] (412) + הַשֵּׁ֗ן [tooth] (355) + וְסָפ֛וּ [and·they·will·end] (152) + בָּתִּ֥ים [houses] (452) + רַבִּ֖ים [great] (252) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [utterance·Hashem] (117) = 3632.
Rashi
"The winter house along with the summer house." Because they were accustomed to luxury, the wealthy would build for themselves two houses, one for the winter and one for the summer.
"בתי השן" – which are overlaid with ivory (an elephant's tusk).
Ibn Ezra
"And I will smite the winter house" – such is the custom of the nobles in the land of Ishmael, and similarly in the ascent of the incident. Rabbi Marinus said: For the Ivory House was the one that Ahab built, and he attached to it important houses, like "and his foolishness is one" – meaning that one is foolish in the heavens. And I say: If there is one fool in the heavens, there are many on earth, and he is one of them. And in the verse "He who made the Pleiades and Orion," I will explain this. And if Ahab built one House of the Tooth, others after him built many houses.
Radak
"And I will strike." It is the custom of kings to have for themselves a winter house and a summer house. Similarly, it is stated concerning Jehoiakim: "And the king was sitting in the winter house" (Jeremiah 36:22) in the ninth month. And similarly, it is stated concerning Eglon, king of Moab: "And he was sitting in his summer house" (Judges 3:20), which was built for the days of summer. And it says that the earthquake will bring down the royal palaces, the winter house and the summer house, and the House of Ivory, which are those that Ahab built, as it is written: "And the House of Ivory which he built" (1 Kings 22:39). And "ivory" refers to the tusk of the elephant, from which they make craftsmanship.
“Many houses.” “Many” in number, or its meaning is that they are large in construction, namely, palaces.
Metzudat David
"The winter house." They would construct a special house for the winter to enjoy themselves, and it was protected from the cold and from the blowing of the wind, and a special house for the summer in a place where the wind blows, and he said that they would strike each other, meaning that they would be destroyed and lost.
Metzudat Zion
On the house. With the house:
The tooth. The tooth of the elephant:
"Ve-safu" (and they shall come to an end). An expression of destruction, as in 'the beasts are swept away' (Jeremiah 12).
Malbim
“And I will strike the winter house,” which the rebels destroyed—the king’s house, whether his winter house or his summer house—and also the houses of ivory, which belonged to the king and the officials, were lost. And because of this, many houses were destroyed: either through the tumult that would arise among themselves, whereby they destroyed many houses, as it is also written (Isaiah 9:20), “And the people shall be as fuel for the fire,” Manasseh against Ephraim and Ephraim against Manasseh; or because, due to this, they informed on their king to the king of Assyria, and he imprisoned him in a dungeon when he went out to him. And this was the trap leading to the snare, for through this trap he fell into his net. And consequently, afterward he went up and besieged Samaria, captured it, and exiled Israel. Thus, the sin of idolatry in their hands was the primary trap in which the bird, namely Ephraim and the tribes of Israel, was caught.
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim