'Hear this word, you kine of Bashan... that oppress the poor, that crush the needy'; 'Come to Beth-el, and transgress' — the withheld rain, the blasting and mildew, the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: 'yet have you not returned to Me, says Hashem... Prepare to meet your God, O Israel' — for, lo, He that forms the mountains and creates the wind, Hashem, the God of hosts, is His name.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Hear this word, you kine of Bashan, That are in the mountain of Samaria, That oppress the poor, that crush the needy, That say to their lords: ‘Bring, that we may feast.’
verse value 6436
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּ֗ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "needy" (אֶבְיוֹנִ֑ים, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "the·word" (הַדָּבָ֣ר), "cows" (פָּר֤וֹת), "Bashan" (הַבָּשָׁן֙). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·say" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "against·their·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). First appearance of the root בוא ("bring") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'needy', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
"Cows of Bashan." The wives of the princes and the viceroys. And the Targum [renders it]: "women of great wealth."
Ibn Ezra
“Hear, O cows” – these are the wives of the princes; He compared them to the cows of Bashan.
"Those who oppress, those who crush" – as it is said: "Whom have I oppressed, and whom have I crushed?" as it is said: "I have turned about (saboti), and the decree is from the One who desires." And the explanation is: How are they oppressors, in that they say to their husbands.
Radak
“Hear, O cows of Bashan.” Bashan is a place of rich pasture, and the cattle that graze there are fat and fine. And the women of kings and great princes are likened to the cows of Bashan, because they are indulged in pleasures, and they are fat and beautiful.
“The ones who oppress the poor.” For they cause oppression and extortion, saying to their masters, who are their owners, “Bring [wine] and we will drink.” And if their owners do not have the money, [they take it] from them through coercion. They oppress the weak, who have no strength to escape from their hands; they also crush them if they do not immediately comply with their demands.
"Crushing." The matter of breaking, as in "a crushed reed," meaning they strike them.
To their masters. The aleph is vocalized with a chataf patach, and it is one of seven [instances] that are pronounced with a full vowel in the language of mastery.
Metzudat David
"Cows of Bashan": These are the wives of the officials in Samaria. Because they were indulging in pleasure and growing fat from abundance, the verse compares them to cows grazing in Bashan in a lush pasture, which are fat and healthy in flesh.
“Those who oppress the poor, etc.” And he returns to explain that they do not oppress with their own hands; rather, they are those who say to their husbands, “Bring wine, and let us drink.” And since they have nothing from which to bring it, they oppress the poor, the feeble in strength. And if the poor stand up to them, they crush them with beatings and lashes. Thus, the oppression and the crushing come about through the women, as if they themselves were doing it.
Metzudat Zion
“Basan.” This is a place of pasture that is rich and fertile, as it is stated: “and he shall feed in Carmel and in Bashan” (Jeremiah 50:19).
The oppressors. It is the language of "oppression" and robbery:
"The crushed ones." The matter is one of breaking, as in "a bruised reed" (Isaiah 42:3).
To their masters. This means: to their owners.
Malbim
“Hear this word” – this further elucidates another snare that was set for them, in which they were ensnared and caught in the fowler's trap; this was the sin of robbery and oppression that was in their hands. And this came about through their wives, the “women of Shachets” (i.e., women of Samaria). Therefore, the speech was directed specifically to them: “You cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria,” who were fat and indulged in luxury, gluttonous and given to feasting, and they were the ones who oppressed the poor. The meaning is that the act of oppression is attributed to them because they said to their husbands, “Bring, and we will drink,” and consequently their husbands were compelled to rob and plunder in order to provide them with wine for their feasting.
The Lord Hashem has sworn by His holiness: Lo, surely the days shall come upon you, That you shall be taken away with hooks, And your residue with fish-hooks.
verse value 4095
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4095 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·surely" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·your·end" (וְאַחֲרִֽיתְכֶ֖ן, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "in·His·holiness" (בְּקׇדְשׁ֔וֹ), "and·shall·be·carried·away" (וְנִשָּׂ֤א), "with·hooks" (בְּצִנּ֔וֹת). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "upon·you" (root על, 28x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). First appearance of the root שבע ("swore") in Amos. First appearance of the root נשא ("and·shall·be·carried·away") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
"And they shall carry you with shields." And the Targum translates: "And the nations shall take you upon their shields."
And "acharitachon" [your posterity] — the Targum renders it "benatikhon" [your daughters] — "in a fisherman's skiff"; it is a small ship of fishers. And since it is small, he calls it a "sir" [pot], and he calls it in the language of the Mishnah a "dugit" [skiff], as in Bava Batra. "Acharitachon"—the explanation of Donash ben Labrat is that we find that a person's seed is called his "acharit" [posterity], as it is written (Daniel 11:4): "And when he stands, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven; not to his acharit"—meaning, he will not leave his kingdom to his son.
Ibn Ezra
"He swore by His holiness" – by the heavens, as it is said: "For I lift up My hand to heaven" (Deuteronomy 32:40).
“Be-tzinnot” (with thorns/hooks) — like “u-li-tzninim” (Numbers 33:55, 'and for thorns'), “tzinnim pachim” (Proverbs 22:5, 'thorns and snares').
“u’acharitachem” – the son who will stand afterward, as in: “v’lo la’acharitav,” which refers to his son.
“Basirot” – like “sirim” (pots) that are intertwined.
Doga – like dag (fish).
"ונשא" – that the enemy, the adversary mentioned, commanded him who would lift you up.
Radak
“He has sworn by His holiness.” This [His holiness] is the heavens; and it is after the manner of “For I lift up My hand to heaven” (Deuteronomy 32:40). And likewise it spoke of “His holy habitation” in reference to the heavens.
"And He shall carry you away with shields." "Carry" is from the Pual conjugation with a dagesh in the root letter, and the one who carries is the enemy. So too did Jonathan render it: "And they shall take you, the peoples, upon their shields." He translated "shields" (tzinot) as "tsina" and "sochra" (a type of small boat). Similarly, he rendered "and your latter end" (va'acharitchem) as "in fishing boats" (b'sirot duga), and "your daughters" (be'natchem) as "in a fisherman's boat" (b'dugit tzaydin), which is a small ship. Likewise, in the Mishnah, Sumchos says: "One who sells a ship has sold the fishing net." And Sumchos [uses this term], for the Tanna of the Land of Israel calls it a "dugit," as it is written: "And your latter end in fishing boats." Furthermore, they explained the words "secrecy" (tzinot) and "boats" (sirot) as referring to kinds of thorns. And he says by way of parable: thus they shall carry them and drag them, just as one drags fish with a thorn, as it is stated: "And with a thorn He shall pierce his cheek." And "your latter end" is like "your sons and your daughters." Similarly, "and He shall scatter them to the four winds of the heavens" means that the kingdom will not remain for his offspring.
Metzudat David
In His holiness. In His sanctity:
“And He shall carry you.” The enemy shall carry and bring you in small ships made in the form of a sieve, and the manner of transporting them is for maidservants, not for women of status.
"Ve-acharitchen" (and your posterity). [Meaning] your sons and your daughters — they [your captors] will carry them away in boats made in the shape of a pot, of the kind used for bringing in fish, which are not designed to carry people; and the enemy will have no regard for them, and will carry them away in these boats.
Metzudat Zion
And He bore. The term denotes burden and load.
"With shields." Tzenah is a shield, as it is written, "A shield and buckler is His truth" (Psalms 91:4), and the meaning is that the ships were shaped like shields.
And “afterwards.” So, those sons and daughters who remain after the death of the man are called “afterwards.” And similarly, “and not to his posterity” (Daniel 11:4).
“Pots.” The word is derived from the root *sir*, meaning a pot, similar to “the pot of meat” (Exodus 16:3).
Doga. The word is related to "dagim" (fish):
Malbim
The Lord swore, He decreed upon them this decree by an oath, for behold, days are coming when He will carry you away in state (with honor)—meaning that enemies will come and carry you away in chariots with honor—but your end, that is to say, in the end you will be despised so greatly that they will not transport you on ships as people are transported, but rather on fishing boats, on vessels shaped like pots in which fish are carried, and they will heap them one upon another.
And you shall go out at the breaches, every one straight before her; And you shall be cast into Harmon, Says Hashem.
verse value 2584
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "wife" (אִשָּׁ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·you·shall·be·cast" (וְהִשְׁלַכְתֶּ֥נָה, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·breaches" (וּפְרָצִ֥ים), "you·will·go·out" (תֵּצֶ֖אנָה), "wife" (אִשָּׁ֣ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos). First appearance of the root יצא ("you·will·go·out") in Amos. First appearance of the root נגד ("before·her") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּפְרָצִ֥ים [and·breaches] (426) + תֵּצֶ֖אנָה [you·will·go·out] (546) + אִשָּׁ֣ה [wife] (306) + נֶגְדָּ֑הּ [before·her] (62) + וְהִשְׁלַכְתֶּ֥נָה [and·you·shall·be·cast] (816) + הַהַרְמ֖וֹנָה [to·Harmon] (311) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [utterance·Hashem] (117) = 2584.
Rashi
"And through the breaches you shall go forth." And in the breaches of the wall shall they go forth, namely, to flee.
A woman opposite her. [This refers to a woman] in a breach that you will find opposite her, like “and all the people went up, each man opposite his [breach]” (Joshua 6:5), meaning that there will be many breaches in the wall, and they will not need to search for openings.
And you shall cast it away, the "hermonah." And you shall cast off from yourselves the arrogance and dominion that you have taken; it is an Aramaic term. In the Gemara (Bava Metzia 83a), it is stated: "The hermona of the king is the king's command." And Targum Jonathan renders it: "And they shall cast you far away from the mountains of Hermon." And these are the mountains of darkness; the term "Hermon" is related to "cherev" (sword) and "chirvah" (desolation).
Ibn Ezra
“And breaches” — breaches shall be made in the wall.
“A woman opposite her, and you shall cast her out”—their end, namely the son, upon the mountain, so that they shall not see when he is devoured, as it is said: “And she cast out the child,” or perhaps on account of the great famine and thirst, as is written after it. Perhaps Ramona there is a place beyond the wall of Samaria. And now I have made known to you this evil that is destined to come upon you; therefore, go and serve Baal, perhaps he will save you, as Elijah mocked his [Baal's] worshippers. And do not bring forth the tithe at the end of three years, but rather every three days.
Radak
And breaches. For the enemies breached many breaches in the wall of Shomron, until each woman goes out straight before her through the breaches, so that they would not need to seek out gates, in the manner of what is said: “And the people went up into the city, each man straight before him.”
And you shall cast [them] to the Harmon, the word "ha-hermonah" is spelled with a heh instead of an aleph, and my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that it means you shall cast out the king's palace that is beside the wall, and they shall go out, as Zedekiah did when he fled from Jerusalem. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: "And they shall exile them far beyond the mountains of Harmini."
Metzudat David
"And they shall go out through breaches." When they flee to save their lives to the palace outside the city wall, and to seek refuge in the stronghold of the palace, behold, they shall go out of the city through the breaches in the wall known to them, for they will not be able to go through the gates, since the enemy will guard opposite the gates and capture them as they exit. Therefore, they shall go out through the breaches.
Every woman straight before her. Each one goes out through the breach that she first finds in front of her.
“And you shall be cast to the palace.” Let them be pursued and cast to the palace, to take refuge there.
Metzudat Zion
And breaches. A break in the wall:
“And you shall cast them out.” He used the expansive language to emphasize the swiftness of the pursuit. “To the palace”: the final Hei comes in place of the Lamed, or “to” at its beginning, and the second Hei comes in place of the Aleph.
Malbim
And "pratzim" (outcasts), and there you shall be sold to the harmon, which is a place designated for women to keep women, concubines, and harlots; and when they come to their buyers, a woman shall go out to meet her—pratzim, a harlot shall go out, one who is loose in her licentiousness, to receive her as they receive shameless harlots; and there she shall be cast into the harmon to be devoted to harlotry and slavery; and she shall be cast through the chamber with great humiliation.
Come to Beth-el, and transgress, To Gilgal, and multiply transgression; And bring your sacrifices in the morning, And your tithes after three days;
verse value 4367
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "go·in" (בֹּ֤אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·tithes" (מַעְשְׂרֹתֵיכֶֽם, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "go·in" (בֹּ֤אוּ), "and·rebel" (וּפִשְׁע֔וּ), "be or become great" (הַרְבּ֣וּ). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Beth-el" (root בית, 35x in Amos); "days" (root יום, 21x in Amos). First appearance of the root גלגל ("Gilgal") in Amos. First appearance of the root בקר ("to·the·morning") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·transgress', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: בֹּ֤אוּ [go·in] (9) + בֵֽית־אֵל֙ [Beth-el] (443) + וּפִשְׁע֔וּ [and·rebel] (462) + הַגִּלְגָּ֖ל [Gilgal] (71) + הַרְבּ֣וּ [be or become great] (213) + לִפְשֹׁ֑עַ [to·transgress] (480) + וְהָבִ֤יאוּ [and·bring] (30) + לַבֹּ֙קֶר֙ [to·the·morning] (332) + זִבְחֵיכֶ֔ם [your·sacrifices] (87) + לִשְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת [after·three·of] (1060) + יָמִ֖ים [days] (100) + מַעְשְׂרֹתֵיכֶֽם [your·tithes] (1080) = 4367.
Rashi
“Come to Bethel, etc.” – This is like a person who says to a wicked son: “Do, do, until your seah is filled.”
(4-5) "And they shall bring in the morning their sacrifices." The priests of Baal, the idolaters, say to them: "It is lenient and does not impose strict obligations upon you." The Torah states (Exodus 23:18), "It shall not remain until morning," but regarding idolaters it says, "And they shall bring in the morning." The Torah states concerning lesser holy offerings: "On the day you slaughter it, you shall eat it, and on the morrow" (Leviticus 19:6), but regarding idolaters it says, "For three days you shall bring the tithe of your cattle." The Torah states, "You shall not offer leaven" (Leviticus 2:11), but regarding idolaters it says, "And they shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven." The Torah states, "You shall not delay to pay it" (Deuteronomy 23:22), but regarding idolaters it says, "And they shall call out freewill offerings, make them heard, and remember." This means: anyone who vowed and forgot should take it to heart, remember, and fulfill it. And the Targum translates "And they shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven" as being from compulsion, like "relieve the oppressed one" (Isaiah 1:17) and "from the grasp of the unjust and violent one" (Psalms 71:4).
Radak
“Come to Bethel and transgress.” This command is not in the manner of a voluntary mitzvah, but rather in the manner of a decree, as it is stated, “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth.” And remember Bethel, for there was the calf; and remember Gilgal, as it is stated, “All their evil is in Gilgal.” And it says, “In Gilgal they sacrificed bulls,” because the Tabernacle was initially located in Gilgal after they crossed the Jordan, and that place was chosen, and the prophets of Baal would tell them to serve Baal there, since it was a chosen place. Therefore, it says, “You have multiplied transgressions,” for it is not enough that you established idolatry in Bethel, but you also multiplied transgressions in Gilgal.
“And bring your sacrifices in the morning.” You have turned My service to other gods. Just as it was incumbent upon you to bring your sacrifices into My House, so you bring them into the house of idolaters. And the meaning of “to the morning” is every morning and every morning, namely, that you bring your sacrifices there day by day.
“Your tithes every three days.” The word “days” here means “years,” just as in the verse “his redemption shall be for days” (Leviticus 25:29), which is interpreted to mean years, as stated in the Torah: “At the end of every three years, you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce” (Deuteronomy 14:28). That is to say, all matters concerning sacrifices and tithes, you bring to the house of idolatry, just as they were supposed to be brought to Me. Likewise, what is stated, “and they shall burn a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,” as it is said in the Torah: “With leavened bread he shall offer his offering” (Leviticus 7:13) regarding the thanksgiving offering. And they perform this for idols. Even though they did not burn from the leavened part of the sacrifice that comes with leaven, namely the thanksgiving offering, they did burn the fat portions of that sacrifice. And some say that all this is the opposite of what the Torah states. The Torah said, “The fat of My feast shall not remain until morning” (Exodus 23:18), but they bring their sacrifices in the morning, meaning they delay them and offer them in the morning. Furthermore, they interpret “and you shall bring your sacrifices in the morning” to mean that they prioritize the peace offerings over the burnt offering, whereas the Torah states, “For the burnt offering takes precedence over every other offering.”
“for three days your tithe” – This refers to the tithe of cattle, which is classified as holy things of a lesser degree (Kodashim Kalim). The Torah states regarding holy things of a lesser degree: “On the day you sacrifice it, you shall eat it, and on the next day” (Leviticus 19:6). Yet here they are eating it for three days. Similarly, “and he shall burn the leavened thank-offering” – this is contrary to what the Torah stated: “For every leavened thing…” (Leviticus 2:11). For even though the Torah commanded to offer the thank-offering together with loaves of leavened bread, it did not command that any of the leavened bread be burned.
Metzudat David
“Come to Bethel” – this is a manner of sarcasm, as if saying to the wicked man: “Do as you please, and you will see what will happen to you in the end of days.” It is similar to this: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth…” (Ecclesiastes 11:9), and after it is said: “And know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9).
"And they transgressed." To offer there to the calf.
The word "galgal" (circle/chariot wheel). It refers back to the word "ba'u" (they came), to say that they came to Galgal, and there they greatly multiplied in transgression, for the sacrifice offered there to the idols is a great and numerous sin before the Omnipresent, because the Tabernacle stood there initially. And similarly it is stated: "All their evil is in Gilgal" (Hosea 9:15).
And they brought in the morning. Every morning they hastened to bring there your sacrifices.
"Three days." Whenever the three years were completed, they brought their tithes there. Just as the Torah commanded to bring [the tithe] to Jerusalem, the place of the Temple, as it is stated, "When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your yield in the third year, the year of the tithe, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be satisfied, then you shall say before the Lord your God..." (Deuteronomy 26:12-13), so too, you brought them to Bethel and Gilgal, the place of the calf and the graven image.
Metzudat Zion
Days. Its meaning is years, as it is said: “for a full year shall be its right of redemption” (Leviticus 25:29).
Malbim
“Come to Bethel.” Now he begins to expound the fourth introduction, concerning what was stated: “If a trumpet is blown in a city and the people are not alarmed,” and he relates how the Lord commanded the prophets to blow the trumpet and to declare their transgression to them and to inform them of the calamity destined to befall them, yet they did not become alarmed. The prophets said to them in the name of the Lord: “Come to Bethel and transgress,” etc. And also: “I have given you clean teeth,” meaning: just as you increase in transgression, so I increase in punishing you. And the word “proclaim” in the subsequent verse refers to the entire statement, and its proper parsing is: “Proclaim: ‘Come to Bethel and transgress.’” That is, proclaim and declare and command the people to come to Bethel and to transgress against the Lord, and to come to Gilgal, where they increased in transgression even more, for in Gilgal they sinned more than in Bethel (as it is stated in Hosea 9:15: “All their evil is in Gilgal,” and there in 13:12: “In Gilgal they sacrificed oxen”). And “bring your sacrifices every morning”: proclaim that they should bring the sacrifices to idolatry every morning, and the tithes they should bring every three days.
And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, And proclaim freewill-offerings and publish them; For so you love to do, O you children of Israel, Says the Lord Hashem.
verse value 3447
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "publish" (הַשְׁמִ֑יעוּ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·offer" (וְקַטֵּ֤ר), "from·leaven" (מֵֽחָמֵץ֙), "confession" (תּוֹדָ֔ה). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos); "Israel" (root ישראל, 25x in Amos). First appearance of the root קרא ("and·call") in Amos. First appearance of the root נאם ("utterance") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'publish', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְקַטֵּ֤ר [and·offer] (315) + מֵֽחָמֵץ֙ [from·leaven] (178) + תּוֹדָ֔ה [confession] (415) + וְקִרְא֥וּ [and·call] (313) + נְדָב֖וֹת [freewill·offerings] (462) + הַשְׁמִ֑יעוּ [publish] (431) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + כֵ֤ן [so] (70) + אֲהַבְתֶּם֙ [you·loved] (448) + בְּנֵ֣י [son] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + נְאֻ֖ם [utterance] (91) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3447.
Rashi
"And they called out the freewill offerings" – they made them heard with a voice of song, saying that this offering is acceptable and received as a freewill offering; so too does the Targum translate.
Ibn Ezra
"And he shall burn the leavened bread" – that you should turn around what I commanded you, which is that you should do for Me.
Radak
"And he shall burn a thank-offering from that which is leavened." We have already explained, and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered in the Targum: "chametz" from "asheru chamutz," which he translated as "umigva min anis tudatan."
And they proclaimed freewill offerings—they made them heard; you make [it] like a holy convocation for idolatry, which you read and make heard, so that the people should bring freewill offerings for the festival day.
"For thus you have loved them." You have loved the service of other gods, and not My service.
Metzudat David
"And he burned an offering from the leavened bread of the thank-offering." They burned [as a meal-offering] from the loaves of the thank-offerings, specifically from the leavened bread among them, for this was their custom. However, the Torah did not command the burning of any of the loaves of the thank-offerings, and all the more so not the leavened bread, since leaven is never burned as an offering anywhere, as it is stated: "No offering of the Lord’s which you make shall be made with leaven, for you shall not burn up any leaven or any honey in any offering by fire to the Lord" (Leviticus 2:11).
"And they proclaimed freewill offerings" – they made them heard. They announced that people should bring freewill offerings there, and they made it known publicly.
"For thus have you loved." In this, he explains his words, to say: Not that I command you to do so in truth, but rather, these are [merely] words, saying, "For thus have you loved"; and therefore, I say: Do as you have loved, and you shall see what will befall you.
Malbim
And they burned [incense], and they caused it to be heard [by the people] that they should offer a thanksgiving sacrifice of leavened bread, just as in the House of the Lord they offered the thanksgiving sacrifice with loaves of leavened bread. And apart from the obligatory sacrifices, they called them voluntary offerings, so that each person should bring whatever his heart desired in the manner of a voluntary offering. "They caused it to be heard" means that they proclaimed and announced all these matters. For thus did they love the children of Israel, and you all should proclaim and warn [the people] concerning the service of the golden calves and their sacrifices.
And I also have given you Cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And want of bread in all your places; Yet have you not returned to Me, Says Hashem.
verse value 4108
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. Verse gematria: 4108 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָכֶ֜ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·all·your·cities" (בְּכׇל־עָ֣רֵיכֶ֔ם, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·also·I" (וְגַם־אֲנִי֩), "innocency" (נִקְי֤וֹן), "in·all·your·cities" (בְּכׇל־עָ֣רֵיכֶ֔ם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos). First appearance of the root לכם ("to·you") in Amos. First appearance of the root לחם ("bread") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·places', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְגַם־אֲנִי֩ [and·also·I] (110) + נָתַ֨תִּי [I·gave] (860) + לָכֶ֜ם [to·you] (90) + נִקְי֤וֹן [innocency] (216) + שִׁנַּ֙יִם֙ [teeth] (400) + בְּכׇל־עָ֣רֵיכֶ֔ם [in·all·your·cities] (392) + וְחֹ֣סֶר [and·lack·of] (274) + לֶ֔חֶם [bread] (78) + בְּכֹ֖ל [in·them·of] (52) + מְקוֹמֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם [your·places] (656) + וְלֹא־שַׁבְתֶּ֥ם [and·not·you·returned] (779) + עָדַ֖י [to·me] (84) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [utterance·Hashem] (117) = 4108.
Rashi
“Cleanness of teeth.” The blunting of the teeth. Another interpretation: “cleanness of teeth” refers to the lack of eating meat, which [otherwise] gets between the teeth, as it is stated: “the flesh was yet between their teeth” (Numbers 11:33).
Ibn Ezra
"And also" – The reason [for the statement] "You have not brought Me sacrifices and tithes, and behold, My altar is empty; there is no burnt offering and no tithe for those who offer it" is that "also I" – if you have done thus – also I have paid your reward upon your heads.
Radak
"And I as well." Just as you have deprived My House of sacrifices and tithes, so too have I deprived you of bread and meat in all your cities and places where you dwell, measure for measure. And despite all this, you have not returned to Me.
"Purity of years." This refers to one who lacks bread, and the matter is twofold in what is stated: "For with food, the years are full," meaning between the years, in the manner of the statement that the flesh is still between them; and with the lack of food, the years are pure. And Jonathan translated it as "bluntness of years," for the years are blunt when one does not continually eat.
Metzudat David
“And I also.” But “I also” means that I repaid you measure for measure: since you withheld from My altar the flesh of sacrifices and meal offerings, behold, My altar is clean—there is no burnt offering and no meal offering. Likewise, I have deprived you of flesh and bread in all your cities, so that your teeth would be clean of flesh, for it is the nature of flesh to get stuck between the teeth during eating, as it is stated, “The flesh was still between them” (Numbers 11:33). And in the absence of flesh, the teeth remain clean. Moreover, you were lacking in bread, for the enemy came into your land year after year, devouring the crops of the field and plundering the livestock.
"And you did not return to Me." Despite all this, you did not take correction, nor did you return to Me.
Metzudat Zion
Purity. A verbal noun from the root *n-q-y*, meaning "clean":
Adai. [Means] “elai” (unto me), like “it reaches unto you” (tigga adekha, Job 4:5).
Malbim
“And also I, but also I blew the shofar and decreed famine upon you, for I gave them clear years in all your cities; in the great cities you will find no food at all, and the years will be completely clear [of produce]; and in all your settlements, in the small settlements and in the villages, where you will find various kinds of fruits, bread will be lacking for you, so that kinds of grain from which bread is made will not grow. And despite all this, you did not return to Me, says the Lord. This is what is wondrous: if a shofar is blown in a city and the people do not tremble, that they did not tremble and did not return to the Lord. And behold, it will relate that the Lord blew the shofar five times: three times in the decree of famine, once in the decree of pestilence, and once in the decree of the sword, and they did not tremble and did not return.”
And I also have withholden the rain from you, When there were yet three months to the harvest; And I caused it to rain upon one city, And caused it not to rain upon another city; One piece was rained upon, And the piece whereupon it rained not withered.
verse value 8971
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 104 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·not·it·will·rain" (אֲשֶֽׁר־לֹֽא־תַמְטִ֥יר, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 409: one, one, one. 18 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·also" (וְגַ֣ם), "I·withholded" (מָנַ֨עְתִּי), "from·you" (מִכֶּ֜ם). The root מטר appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos); "on" (root על, 28x in Amos). First appearance of the root מטר ("and·I·caused·rain") in Amos. First appearance of the root אחד ("one") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·caused·rain', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 7 words.
Rashi
“Three months before the harvest.” Until the harvest, meaning three months prior to the harvest:
“His portion.” [This refers to] a valley of the field of Campania, in the vernacular (Old French).
"tamtir" – let it be a place of rain (Taanit 20a). The Master said that both are for a curse: this one will rot, and this one will wither.
And the portion that will not be rained upon. It will not appear to be rained upon by itself:
Ibn Ezra
And also – the meaning is: “While there were still three months until harvest, when it is the time of need for rain, yet you did not fear to return to Me, perhaps you would not die of famine.”
Radak
And even I, in three months until harvest, for three months before the harvest the land needs rain, and I will cause it to rain as a sign and a wonder, that the thing comes from Me: one city will have its rains in their season, and another city, even if adjacent to it, I will not cause rain to fall upon it. For if I do not do so, they will say it is a coincidence, and that this year is a year of withheld rains according to the cycle of the stars. But when I cause rain to fall upon one city and do not cause rain to fall upon another city, they will be forced to admit that the thing comes from Me, as punishment for their evil deeds. And a greater wonder than this: one field will receive rain, and another field next to it will not have rain fall upon it, and it will dry up.
"tamtir." From the nifal conjugation:
"tamtir." It is from the hifil conjugation, and its meaning is that the cloud does not rain upon it. And "ve-himtirati" comes from the root "amtir," which is a causative (transitive-to-a-third-party) verb. And "tamtir" is an ordinary transitive verb.
Metzudat David
“And I also withheld from you...” And furthermore, this too did I do: I withheld from you the rain when there were still three months remaining until the time of the harvest, and at that time the need for rain is great.
"And I will cause rain to fall." In order that they should not say that it happened by chance that a year was not rainy, therefore I caused rain to fall upon one city, and upon one city adjacent to it I did not cause rain to fall, so that you may know that it comes through Divine providence.
“Her portion.” Even in a city where rain fell, it did not fall in all places; rather, only one specific plot was rained upon, while the adjacent plot, upon which no rain fell, remained dry. The moisture of the neighboring plot did not suffice to save it from dryness, in order to demonstrate that this occurred under Divine providence.
Metzudat Zion
Chalkah. Just as the field is called "chalkah," as it is written, "and it consumed the portion" (below, 7).
Malbim
“And also I” — and then I added to discipline you with a severe famine, more severe than the previous one, because I withheld the rain three months before the harvest, when the land stands in need of rain. Consequently, they sowed, but the crops did not grow, and they lost even the seed that they had sown. And do not say that this was a natural occurrence, for they ought to have seen that it was an act of Divine providence, because “I will cause rain to fall on one city, and on another city I will not cause rain to fall.” In the city whose sins are not so numerous, rain will fall there. Moreover, even within a single city, one field will receive rain if its owner’s transgressions are few, or if he has repented, whereas the field upon which rain does not fall will dry up. For although, if rain were to fall on one field and the rainwater were to collect in cisterns there, they might be able to draw water from there to irrigate the adjacent field upon which no rain fell, this will not be the case. Rather, the rain will fall in strict measure, solely for the sake of that specific field, and there will be no water left over to irrigate the adjacent field, until the second field dries up.
So two or three cities wandered to one city To drink water, and were not satisfied; Yet have you not returned to Me, Says Hashem.
verse value 5183
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "three" (שָׁלֹ֨שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·you·returned" (וְלֹֽא־שַׁבְתֶּ֥ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "two" (שְׁתַּ֩יִם֩), "three" (שָׁלֹ֨שׁ), "to·city" (אֶל־עִ֥יר). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "and·not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). First appearance of the root נוע ("and·they·will·quiver") in Amos. First appearance of the root מים ("water") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·be·sated', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְנָע֡וּ [and·they·will·quiver] (132) + שְׁתַּ֩יִם֩ [two] (750) + שָׁלֹ֨שׁ [three] (630) + עָרִ֜ים [cities] (320) + אֶל־עִ֥יר [to·city] (311) + אַחַ֛ת [one] (409) + לִשְׁתּ֥וֹת [to·drink] (1136) + מַ֖יִם [water] (90) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִשְׂבָּ֑עוּ [shall·be·sated] (388) + וְלֹֽא־שַׁבְתֶּ֥ם [and·not·you·returned] (779) + עָדַ֖י [to·Me] (84) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [utterance·of·Hashem] (117) = 5183.
Ibn Ezra
And they shall wander, they were satisfied – like: “a land sated with water (Proverbs 30:16).”
Radak
“And you journeyed.” To one city to drink water—to that city upon which I rained. And behold, you lacked bread and water, and nevertheless you did not return to Me.
Metzudat David
And they journeyed. Men from two or three cities where rain had not fallen would journey to go to one city where rain had fallen, to find there water to drink. And they were not satisfied with the drinking, for they found but little water there, and it was not sufficient to quench their thirst.
"And you did not return." Nevertheless, you did not take admonition, nor did you return to Me.
Metzudat Zion
And they wandered. The word denotes motion and wandering.
Malbim
“And they shall wander,” and consequently, two or three cities shall move toward one city, where the rain will have fallen, in order to drink water, for there will be drought and thirst among them, and moreover, they will not be satisfied, for a plague will enter their intestines. And despite all this, “you will not return to Me,” says the Lord, “if a trumpet is blown in a city and the people do not tremble.”
I have smitten you with blasting and mildew; The multitude of your gardens and your vineyards And your fig-trees and your olive-trees Has the palmer-worm devoured; Yet have you not returned to Me, Says Hashem.
verse value 5316
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "to·Me" (עָדַ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "mildew" (וּבַיֵּרָקוֹן֒, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "I·struck" (הִכֵּ֣יתִי), "with·the·blasting" (בַּשִּׁדָּפ֣וֹן), "mildew" (וּבַיֵּרָקוֹן֒). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos). First appearance of the root כרם ("and·your·vineyards") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'locusts', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: הִכֵּ֣יתִי [I·struck] (445) + אֶתְכֶם֮ [you] (461) + בַּשִּׁדָּפ֣וֹן [with·the·blasting] (442) + וּבַיֵּרָקוֹן֒ [mildew] (374) + הַרְבּ֨וֹת [be or become great] (613) + גַּנּוֹתֵיכֶ֧ם [your·gardens] (529) + וְכַרְמֵיכֶ֛ם [and·your·vineyards] (336) + וּתְאֵנֵיכֶ֥ם [and·your·fig-trees] (527) + וְזֵיתֵיכֶ֖ם [and·your·olive-trees] (493) + יֹאכַ֣ל [will·eat] (61) + הַגָּזָ֑ם [locusts] (55) + וְלֹא־שַׁבְתֶּ֥ם [and·not·you·returned] (779) + עָדַ֖י [to·Me] (84) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [utterance·of·Hashem] (117) = 5316.
Rashi
“Your gardens are many.” This means that you are engaged in increasing the number of your gardens.
"The locust devours. The locust devoured:"
Ibn Ezra
"I struck" – this refers to the smiting of the ears of grain, as it is written: "The east wind smites them," which causes the ears to turn yellow.
Radak
"I struck." Another year, one in which there was rain, I struck you with another plague that will cause your bread to be lacking, and it is mildew and rust; and another year, the locust devoured the fruit. And despite all this, you did not return to Me.
“The multiplying of your gardens.” What will it avail you that you multiply to plant gardens of vineyards and fig trees and olive trees, for the locust shall consume it? Nevertheless, you did not return to Me.
Metzudat David
"Harbot. 'The abundance of the fruit of your gardens, etc.' – The locust ate it, and you did not derive benefit from the abundance of the fruits."
Metzudat Zion
“b’sh’dafon.” This refers to the withering of the grain in the ears due to the wind.
And concerning mildew (yerakon). Due to excessive dryness the ears of grain turn a greenish hue and are ruined, as it is stated, “The Lord will smite you … with blasting and with mildew” (Deuteronomy 28:22).
harbot. The word is from the root of "increase":
Your gardens. The word is derived from the root "gann" (garden).
The gazam. A species of locust:
Malbim
"I struck them; therefore, he sounded the shofar for the third time and brought a more severe famine that struck the grain with mildew and rust, and the fruit of the trees the locust devoured, yet you did not return to Me, nor did the people tremble."
I have sent among you the pestilence in the way of Egypt; Your young men have I slain with the sword, And have carried away your horses; And I have made the stench of your camp to come up even into your nostrils; Yet have you not returned to Me, Says Hashem.
verse value 5068
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "with" (עִ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·young·men" (בַּח֣וּרֵיכֶ֔ם, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "I·sent" (שִׁלַּ֨חְתִּי), "in·way·of" (בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ), "I·have·slain" (הָרַ֤גְתִּי). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·horses', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Rashi
On the way to Egypt. As I sent upon you in the wilderness when you went out from Egypt:
"With the captivity of your horses." That the horses too should be killed.
“And I will ascend in the odor of your camps.” The smell of your corpses, which stinks in your nostrils, I have caused to ascend.
Ibn Ezra
"I sent" – I killed your young men, and your horses were captured.
“The stench of your camps” — in the nostrils of the passers-by.
“And into your nostrils” — those who remained of them.
Radak
"I sent [pestilence], in the way of Egypt." For they used to go there because of the famine to bring grain from there, and you did not think that I am the One who brings the famine upon you, and that you should return to Me; rather, you did not turn to Me, but went to Egypt. And I sent upon you pestilence and the sword of the enemy on the way. And even so, you did not return to Me.
“Your young men.” For the young men were sent to bring the grain.
"With the captivity of your horses." The enemies who used to come out against you on the way would kill the young men riding on the horses going to Egypt or returning from there, and they would take the horses captive.
“And I brought up the stench of your camps, even into your nostrils.” Your camp[s], who were going to Egypt, were slain on the way, and your corpses were a stench and a foul odor to those passing by. And as for what it says, “into your nostrils” — meaning that the stench would rise even into your own nostrils; for they would go camp after camp to Egypt, and the later ones would find the earlier ones slain, and their stench would rise into their nostrils. And even so, you did not return unto Me.
Metzudat David
On the way to Egypt. When your young men, mounted on horses, went down to Egypt to buy grain, because there is much grain there, behold, on that very path, at the beginning of his reign, as it is stated (further in this book): “And you, the children of Samaria, shall remain alone, like a brand plucked from the fire.”
"And you did not return." This means: I knew that you would not take admonition and would not return to Me. And He spoke in the past tense, as is the manner of prophecy in many places, for prophecy is clear as if the event had already occurred.
Metzudat Zion
"Am shevi." Just as [the word] "ushvi" [is written], so too [the phrase] "im yafeh einayim" (1 Samuel 16).
In fire. The matter of corruption:
“Your camps.” A group of people is called a camp:
"And in your nostrils." The word is derived from the root meaning "nostril" and "nose."
Malbim
"I sent pestilence among you": The fourth time a shofar was blown, [referring to the time] when He sent pestilence among them as they traveled on the way to Egypt. This is elucidated in Hosea, for it is clear that many of the Ten Tribes went to Egypt at that time due to the anger of the oppressor, and there the Lord sent pestilence among them, as it is stated: "Egypt shall gather them, Memphis shall bury them." And even then, on this very road, I killed your young men with the sword, for the king of Assyria came upon them from the road and killed them with the sword (as it is stated: "When they go, I will spread My net over them... they shall fall by the sword, their princes," and as is expounded there), and because they were killed by the sword, they [fell] together with their horses. "I will ascend in fire upon your camps": that the corpses of the men and the horses falling in the field would rot, "and in your nostrils": and this stench would also rise into your nostrils; and through this, a pestilence arose that spread even to the Land of Israel. And despite all this, "you did not return to Me, and the people did not tremble."
I have overthrown some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; Yet have you not returned to Me, Says Hashem.
verse value 4678
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "among·you" (בָכֶ֗ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Gomorrah" (וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָ֔ה, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "I·turned" (הָפַ֣כְתִּי), "overthrow" (כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֤ת), "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos). First appearance of the root הפך ("I·turned") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·the·burning', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: הָפַ֣כְתִּי [I·turned] (515) + בָכֶ֗ם [among·you] (62) + כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֤ת [overthrow] (565) + אֱלֹהִים֙ [God] (86) + אֶת־סְדֹ֣ם [Sodom] (505) + וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָ֔ה [and·Gomorrah] (722) + וַתִּהְי֕וּ [and·you·were] (427) + כְּא֖וּד [as·brand] (31) + מֻצָּ֣ל [plucked] (160) + מִשְּׂרֵפָ֑ה [from·the·burning] (625) + וְלֹא־שַׁבְתֶּ֥ם [and·not·you·returned] (779) + עָדַ֖י [to·Me] (84) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [utterance·of·Hashem] (117) = 4678.
Rashi
Like "oud" (a firebrand) and "tison" in the vernacular, meaning black, dark, and gloomy.
Ibn Ezra
"I turned" – I brought down fire upon you from heaven.
"Ka'od" – like: "the tails of the firebrands (Isaiah 7:4)."
Radak
"I have turned you upside down." A portion of your land, while you were still in it, became a desolation like Sodom and Gomorrah. And you, who remained only in small numbers, behold, you are like a brand plucked from the burning. And all this you see, yet you do not return to Me. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "Far from My words," etc.
Metzudat Zion
As for the "ud": it is the wood in which they shake the glowing embers around, and likewise the "tails of the firebrands" (Isaiah 7:4).
Malbim
"I turned them over"—then he sounded the shofar a fifth time, indicating that He overturned them as Sodom and Gomorrah were overturned. And by this, He alluded to the exiles, for the King of Assyria exiled them from their land, and their kingdom was overturned and destroyed. And after the first two exiles, only Samaria and its daughters remained.
And you were like a log saved from the fire, like a log whose two ends the fire consumed and its middle was charred, and despite all this, you did not return to Me, says the Lord, and the people did not tremble.
Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.
verse value 3547
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·meet·your·God" (לִקְרַאת־אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "because" (עֵ֚קֶב), "that·this" (כִּי־זֹ֣את), "prepare" (הִכּ֥וֹן). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 25x in Amos). First appearance of the root זאת ("that·this") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֕ן [therefore] (100) + כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + אֶעֱשֶׂה־לְּךָ֖ [I·will·do·to·you] (426) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + עֵ֚קֶב [because] (172) + כִּי־זֹ֣את [that·this] (438) + אֶעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ [I·will·do·to·you] (426) + הִכּ֥וֹן [prepare] (81) + לִקְרַאת־אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ [to·meet·your·God] (797) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 3547.
Rashi
Therefore. Because you did not return to Me:
Thus I will do to you. According to all these evils:
Ekev. For you are listening from the mouths of My prophets, that this I will do to you:
"Prepare yourselves to meet your God" (Amos 4:12). "To return from your wickedness":
Ibn Ezra
Therefore – the opinion of many commentators is that it means: “Prepare yourselves to return to the Lord.” And according to my understanding: it is like the expression: “Come, house of El.” The meaning is: Behold, I have brought upon you disaster after disaster, and now prepare and make ready for yourself to go forth to meet your God in battle. And the meaning of “to meet Me” is that I was your God; therefore, [the word] “afterward” follows it.
Radak
Therefore, thus will I do to you, O Israel: All these evils I am doing to you, O Israel.
“Because of this I will do for you.” And because I am doing all this for you, in your eyes:
"Prepare to meet your God, O Israel." Prepare to go forth to meet Him with repentance and good deeds, and He will do good to you, and He will turn your evils into good, for He is your God and He watches over you for evil and for good according to your deeds, and you are not like the other nations.
Metzudat David
"Therefore." Since you have not returned until now, therefore I will do for you as I have said, that I will turn you over as one turns over [a garment], etc.
Ekev [because]. Because I will do to you this that was said above, and you will therefore know it from this — therefore prepare yourself, O Israel, to meet your God, to contend with Him, to hinder His action by His hand. And he said this mockingly and scoffingly, as if to say: even though you know the matter, you have no power to be guarded from it.
Metzudat Zion
25. Its meaning is: "likewise."
Ekev. "Because," as in "because you shall hearken" (Deuteronomy 7:12).
He prepared. The word is from the root of preparation:
Malbim
Therefore, after explaining what is stated, “If the trumpet is blown in a city and the people are not alarmed,” and likewise what is stated, “If there is evil in a city and the Lord has not done it,” thereby clarifying for them that all these evils are not accidental but rather providential, resulting from their sins, he elucidates what is stated, “For the Lord does nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets.” This means that the Lord does not bring evil absolutely; rather, the ultimate purpose of His decree of evil is that they should return in repentance through the reproof of the prophets, and thereby the decree will be annulled and He will not bring the evil. And this is what it says, “Therefore, thus I will do to you, O Israel,” meaning that what I do to you, namely all the evils mentioned, is not in order to bring evil, but rather that the ultimate purpose of the decree of calamity is so that, as a consequence of the fact that “thus I will do to you,” meaning that by knowing that I will do this evil to you, you will therefore “prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” You will set your heart to prepare yourself to meet Him and to appease Him through repentance and good deeds, and you will not wait until He comes upon you and does to you the evil that is determined before Him. Rather, go out to meet Him before He comes to you, and this is what He will do for you: appease Him and return to Him, so that He will not do the evil, for truly He does nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets.
Furthermore, he alludes in the manner of homiletical interpretation to a second intention: not only is it not the desire of the Lord to bring evil upon you, but on the contrary, His desire is only to bestow good and to pour out goodness and kindness. And in that you force Him to do evil to you through your evil deeds, you are forcing Him against His will, to the extent that you will even receive punishment for this very fact—that you caused Him to do evil contrary to His desire to do good. This is akin to what is stated, “The reward of sin is sin,” meaning that the punishment received for the sin is itself a sin, and they will receive punishment for this as well. And this is what it says, “This I will do to you, because this I will do to you,” meaning that for this very thing, that “this I will do to you,” you will be punished for this very thing, and I will do evil to you for having forced Me to do evil. Therefore, “prepare to meet your God,” who watches over you with particular providence.
For, lo, He that forms the mountains, and creates the wind, And declares to man what is his thought, That makes the morning darkness, And treads upon the high places of the earth; Hashem, the God of hosts, is His name.
verse value 4609
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֡י, 2 letters) and the longest is "God·of·hosts" (אֱלֹהֵֽי־צְבָא֖וֹת, 9 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "mountains" (הָרִ֜ים), "and·creating" (וּבֹרֵ֣א), "wind" (ר֗וּחַ). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "upon·the·high·places·of" (root על, 28x in Amos); "for" (root כי, 22x in Amos). First appearance of the root שם ("his·name") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'land', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 3 words.
Rashi
"מה שיחו" – All his deeds are enumerated before him at the time of his death.
He makes the morning dawn. For the righteous, it is like the shining light:
"Darkness." It turns the brightness of the wicked into dark obscurity, as it is said (Isaiah 8:22): "And behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish." And likewise (Job 10:22): "A land of deep darkness, as darkness itself; a land of deep darkness, as chaos." And (Job 11:17): "Your darkness will be like the morning."
And He treads upon the heights of the earth. He humbles the lofty and the arrogant.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki" – the meaning is that He is the Creator of mountains, which stand forever. And the meaning is that He is mighty.
"And who creates the winds" – meaning that it does not remain in one manner, but with great force, God shakes and stirs the wind, which is invisible, just as buildings and trees stand.
And it tells—the reason is: "Behold, He has made it known to you."
“Ma shi’cho” – What is His intention to do? He will turn the dawn upon you and it will return to darkness, as it is written: “a land of gloom, like darkness, and He will tread upon the heights of your land, and you shall not see Him.” Yefet said: “The One who forms mountains, which are visible, and creates winds among the nations, and informs man of what is in his heart, of what he will speak in his heart.” And according to the approach of the commentators: For the Holy Name, blessed be He, does as He wills, a thing and its opposite; therefore, if you return to Him, He will turn the evil decrees into good ones.
Radak
For behold, He who forms the mountains and creates the wind. Your God is He who forms the mountains and creates the wind and does according to His will in the strongholds. He mentioned the mountains, which are enduring and strong in the foundation of the earth, and He mentioned the wind, which is a powerful thing among created beings and is not visible. And behold, He forms the strong mountains that are visible to the eye, and creates the wind that is not visible, which causes them to fall, as it is said, “He overturns mountains from their foundation.” And this is what is meant by “and treads upon the high places of the earth.” The mountains are the high places of the earth, and behold, He treads upon them and causes them to fall by means of the wind that enters into the belly of the earth, and when it exits from it, the earth cracks and opens up, even if the place of its exit consists of high mountains. And this is the earthquake; therefore, He mentioned mountains and wind. Likewise, He informs a person concerning his speech—what its matter is and his deeds—so that he should not think that God does not see them, as the heretics used to say, “The Lord does not see us.” For behold, He tells you of your deeds through His prophet. “His speech”: in the reading “atzarichem,” you know the man and his speech with a chirik [under the resh], and both refer to the person and his deeds.
He makes dawn into darkness. And so He creates the dawn, which is bright; and when He wills, He can make it dark, and that is the obscuring of the sun.
“Eifah” means darkness, as it is written, “The earth was eifah” (darkened). Behold, He acts upon [His] creatures according to His will, and so will He act with you: if you do evil, it will be evil for you; and if you do good, He will do good for you, for He knows your deeds. And His Name is the Lord, God of Hosts, who judges the hosts above and below and acts in them according to His will. Therefore, it is good for you, O Israel, to prepare yourselves before Him with good deeds, and He will do good for you. If He has done evil to you until now because of your evil deeds, He has done what He did. And Jonathan rendered it: “Behold, He reveals Himself, etc.”
Metzudat David
"For behold, He who forms the mountains." "For behold, the Lord is the One who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and all is His and in His hand, and He informs man what his own thought will be, for He knows the secrets of the heart, and it is in His power to turn the light of dawn into darkness. And He treads upon the heights of the earth"—meaning, He humbles the proud—"for His name is the Lord of Hosts, for He rules over the hosts above and below. And as it says, 'All these are in Him.' If so, how can one be saved from the evil that He intends to bring?"
Metzudat Zion
Shachu. His speech is like the verse: "or speak to the earth" (Job 12:8):
Dawn. The light of dawn:
"Darkness." The term "darkness" is akin to "a land of gloom" (ibid. 10):
And He treads. The term is derived from the words "treading" and "trampling."
On "high places." The matter of height and elevation is like [the verse]: "And He set me on high places" (Psalms 18:34).
Malbim
For behold, He who forms the mountains: He brings proof of His providence: 1) From the beginning of Creation, for initially the world was waters upon waters, and the element of water covered the entire sphere of the earth. And we explained in the commentary on the Account of Creation that initially the element of earth was mixed with the element of water, as it is stated, “And darkness was upon the face of the deep.” And the element of wind was mixed with the element of water above it. Therefore, the waters expanded and covered all the element of earth, by virtue of the expansive power inherent in the element of air, as it is stated, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” And by means of the light that the Holy One, blessed be He, created, He separated the element of wind from the element of water so that it would stand alone. Consequently, the waters contracted, and the peaks of the mountains appeared, and the dry land was revealed, as it is stated, “Let the waters be gathered together.” And this is what it says: “For behold, He who forms the mountains and creates the wind,” meaning that the element of earth was separated to stand alone, and the element of wind was separated to stand alone. And this is due to His comprehensive providence, so that the earth would be prepared for the habitation of animals and man. And similarly, His providence is continuous over man in particular, for He tells man what he utters in his innermost thoughts. Not only does He know man’s speech and his deeds that he performs with intention, but also the mutterings—which are the movements or utterances that escape due to the agitation of the soul, unintentionally, of which the man himself is unaware—He tells him what he muttered in the agitation of his soul. And just as in His providence He arranged nature and creation, and formed it for habitation, so too, when He desires, He can destroy it and lay it waste. Then He makes the morning into darkness, He darkens the dawn, and He nullifies the light that He created at the beginning of Creation, by means of which He arranged the wind (as I explained in the commentary on Genesis). And this is the opposite of “creates the wind.” And He treads upon the heights of the earth to sink the mountains into the abysses of water, as it was initially, formless and void. And this is the opposite of “forms the mountains.” For “The Lord of Hosts is His Name,” meaning that He rules over all the hosts of creation and their powers.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim