Three visions of the end withheld and decreed: the locusts — 'Hashem repented concerning this'; the fire — likewise; then the plumbline set in the midst of Israel: 'I will not again pardon them any more.' Amaziah the priest of Beth-el orders the seer to flee to Judah; Amos answers: 'I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman, and a dresser of sycamore-trees; and Hashem took me from following the flock.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Thus the Lord Hashem showed me; and, behold, He formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.
verse value 3370
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 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 "and·behold·after-growth" (וְהִ֨נֵּה־לֶ֔קֶשׁ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "locusts" (גֹּבַ֔י), "beginning" (בִּתְחִלַּ֖ת), "after-growth" (הַלָּ֑קֶשׁ). The root הנה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). First appearance of the root הנה ("and·behold") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'after-growth', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֤ה [thus] (25) + הִרְאַ֙נִי֙ [showed·me] (266) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וְהִנֵּה֙ [and·behold] (66) + יוֹצֵ֣ר [potter] (306) + גֹּבַ֔י [locusts] (15) + בִּתְחִלַּ֖ת [beginning] (840) + עֲל֣וֹת [coming-up-of] (506) + הַלָּ֑קֶשׁ [after-growth] (435) + וְהִ֨נֵּה־לֶ֔קֶשׁ [and·behold·after-growth] (496) + אַחַ֖ר [after] (209) + גִּזֵּ֥י [mowings·of] (20) + הַמֶּֽלֶךְ [king] (95) = 3370.
Rashi
"Thus He showed me." [This refers to] a calamity that He desired to bring: locusts.
"At the beginning of the rising of the stalks." This is the language of *malquesh* (the rainy season), when the grain rises up on its stalk.
"And behold, the stubble." It was growing after the king's shearing, after they had sheared the king's grain before it had reached maturity; they would shear it as stubble to feed to the animals. And so does the Targum translate: "the king's stubble was sheared." And this is the language of the Mishnah: "One cuts it as stubble and feeds it to the animal."
Ibn Ezra
“Thus” — Rabbi Moses said: “yotzer” is like “chibbur” (a joining), and like it, in his opinion, “that frames mischief by statute” (Psalm 94:20, yotzer amal alei chok). But the correct [view] is that it is according to its plain meaning.
And "gobey" – the Targum translates it as "arbeh."
And behold—see that the Name was forming locusts.
"The likesh" – the grass that sprouts with the coming of the malkosh rains; and behold, the likesh is cut for the needs of the king’s cattle, before the reed shoots up.
Radak
“Thus He showed me: the former of locusts.” [This denotes] the gathering of the locusts, like [the verse] “And the Lord God formed from the ground every beast of the field… and He brought them to the man to see what he would call them,” whose meaning is “and He gathered.” And “yotzer” is a noun, on the pattern of “yoter” in “and the rest we utterly destroyed” (I Samuel 15:15). Or he explained it as the forming of the locusts, meaning that he saw in a prophetic vision that He was forming the locusts at their proper time, at the moment he saw them. And so did Jonathan translate it: “the creation of locusts.” Or “yotzer” may be a verb and not a noun, meaning that he saw God, blessed be He, forming locusts.
“Govei” – the Targum translates “arbeh” as “gova,” and the yod indicates the plural, appearing with one of the signs of the plural, namely the yod-mem combination. Thus, “govei” is like “gavim.” Similarly, “v’kara’ lo chaloni” is like “chalonim,” and “chashufi shet” is like “chashufim.” And so “arbeh” appears with the sign of the plural, yet it is a single measure in the pattern of “gavim.”
"At the beginning of the rising of the 'lekeshe'." The grass that emerges last is called "lekeshe," just as the last rain is called "malkosh."
"And behold, the stubble." This stubble was what grew after the king’s mown grass; that is to say, after the grass had been cut for the king’s livestock, it grew again, and it is called "stubble." And the locust ate it. Jonathan rendered it as "to sprout." And indeed, "sprouting" refers to that which was cut down, namely the king’s pasture.
Metzudat David
Thus He showed me. In the vision of prophecy:
"Yotzer govei" – meaning that He creates the locust at the beginning of the growth of the late grass.
"And behold the stubble." It seems to me as if, after the grass had been mown and cut for the king's livestock, the stubble sprouted and grew; it is the late grass.
Metzudat Zion
Yotzer. Boreh:
“Govi.” “The locust shall come up” (Exodus 10:14). The Targum renders it “gova,” and similarly, “like a swarm of locusts, govi” (Nahum 3:17).
The word *ha-lekesh*. Just as the late rain is called by the name *malkosh*, so too is the late-growing grass called lekesh.
Gazi. The word is derived from the terms for shearing and reaping:
Malbim
Thus the Lord showed me. Above (section 4) it was already stated that the Lord punished them with five types of punishments so that they would return in repentance, but they did not return to the Lord. The first three punishments were through the famine He brought upon them, and the latter two were through plague and sword. And after they did not return despite all these, the attribute of justice was stretched out against them to destroy them, as it is stated below, "Therefore, this I will do for you, O Israel," etc., as I explained there. Here it relates how the Lord showed him the punishments emerging from potentiality into actuality, and they were depicted in various forms in the prophetic vision. First, the Lord showed him the punishments of famine. He had previously calculated that initially there would be a withholding of rain for three months prior to harvest, and afterwards there would be blight and mildew, and finally there would come the swarming, which is the plague of locusts, the last blow in the decree of famine. The Lord showed him, and behold, a shaper of swarms, which is the locust, at the beginning of the rising of the late-grown grain. The "late-grown grain" is the late rain called Malkosh, and the crop that grows by means of the Malkosh is called "late-grown grain." And he saw that when the late-grown grain began to rise and grow, the Lord formed the locust to destroy the growing crop. And it relates that the late-grown grain came after the shearing of the king's flock, after the time when the king's sheep are shorn, which is in the middle of summer. Then the late-grown grain grew, because the harvest was delayed at that time due to the cessation of rains, and then the locust came.
And if it had come to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land—so I said: O Lord Hashem, forgive, I beseech You; How shall Jacob stand? for he is small.
verse value 2354
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·he·finished" (אִם־כִּלָּה֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "if·he·finished" (אִם־כִּלָּה֙), "to·eat" (לֶֽאֱכוֹל֙), "the·grass" (אֶת־עֵ֣שֶׂב). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
"And it shall be, when you have eaten to the full." When you have finished eating:
“the herb of the earth”: In the same field:
And the Lord said, "Please forgive," and do not destroy the land.
"Who will rise up for Jacob?" Who will rise up and demand [justice] for their sins?
For a minor: for he is considered as movable property.
Ibn Ezra
“And it shall be, if it finishes” — this refers to the locust devouring the vegetation of the land, [so that] we should die of famine. And the meaning of “kalah” (finish) [is used] because of “gizzi” (the mowing), in the manner of “he shall come down like rain upon the mown grass” (Psalm 72:6, yered ke-matar al gez) — for “gez” is a term of shearing/mowing.
"Hashem, please forgive" – now for the iniquity of Jacob.
And the word "yikōm" [will arise] is from the verbs that stand on their own, and not from those that depend on another. The meaning is: Who will stand, and who will be able to rise up from this distress, and who will serve on behalf of another? And so it is: "Who will arise, for he is small, [to endure] this evil."
Radak
"And it shall be, if it is completed." Just as "if it is completed" (when it is completed), so too: "And it shall be, if he comes to his brother's wife, when he comes"; and "If the Jubilee shall be for the children of Israel, when it shall be"; and similarly, "If you make an altar of stones for Me, when you make."
"Who will rise up for Jacob?" For he is small; how can he have a restoration against these decrees? For he is small, and only a few remain from the many.
Metzudat David
"And it shall be, when it has finished eating." For he saw in the prophetic vision as if the locust had eaten all the vegetation, and when it had finished eating everything, he then understood that the Omnipresent intended to bring the locust to consume everything.
And it says: “I said in prayer to the Lord: ‘Please forgive the sin of Israel, and do not punish them by bringing the locusts. For who can raise up Jacob to stand on his own, to sustain him in famine? For he is small, and there is no strength and power in him to sustain himself and to find sufficient provision for his needs. And all the nations of the world hate him and are unwilling to sustain him; thus he would die of famine.’”
Malbim
"And it shall be, if it devours"—as I saw in prophecy that the matter is close to the locust devouring the grass of the land, and that shortly it will leave nothing remaining. I said, "O Lord, please forgive," and then I prayed that the Lord should forgive their sin, and thereby the decree would be annulled, for when a person transgresses a sin, if it is the first, second, or third time, He forgives him; and this was the third punishment. He explained the reason: "Who can raise up Jacob?" meaning that he would have no recovery due to the famine, since he is small. Likewise, it is impossible for him to rise and strengthen himself in good deeds, after he has become diminished in his spiritual rank.
Verse structure: 7 words, 25 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1350 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "concerning·this" (עַל־זֹ֑את, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'concerning·this', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: נִחַ֥ם [repented] (98) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + עַל־זֹ֑את [concerning·this] (508) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תִֽהְיֶ֖ה [it·will·be] (420) + אָמַ֥ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1350.
Rashi
And the Lord relented concerning this. He was appeased by the prayer and acceded to me.
Ibn Ezra
“Nechem” – a past-tense verb; therefore, the chet is open (with a patach), and it is in the nifal stem.
Radak
Necham. Like "And the Lord repented of the evil" (Exodus 32:14). And "necham" is in the past tense of the Nifal conjugation, for the chet is open (i.e., has a patach vowel).
Metzudat David
"And the Lord relented." And behold, the Lord repented of this decree and said that it would not come to pass anymore.
Metzudat Zion
Nechama. The matter is a change of mind (reversal of thought):
Malbim
The Lord relented concerning this, and by means of the prophet’s prayer, the decree was annulled.
Thus the Lord Hashem showed me; and, behold, the Lord Hashem called to contend by fire; and it devoured the great deep, and would have eaten up the land.
verse value 3497
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3497 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·deep" (אֶת־תְּה֣וֹם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 65: my·lord, my·lord. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "calling" (קֹרֵ֛א), "to·strive" (לָרִ֥ב), "and·ate" (וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙). The root אדון appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Show me. Another calamity to bring upon you:"
And behold, He calls His host to contend with you in the calamity of a fire.
The portion. The portion of the field:
Ibn Ezra
“With fire” — as its plain meaning: to judge the world with fire, in the manner of “for by fire the Lord will execute judgment” (Isaiah 66:16); or that the heat will intensify, as if He burns with fire, and the latter rain (malkosh) will not come down.
"And she shall eat of the portion" – the portion of the field, and this is a generic term, like: "And I had an ox and a donkey."
Radak
“Thus He showed me.” He showed me in a prophetic vision that the Holy One, blessed be He, was calling His angels to contend with Israel by means of fire, and I saw in the prophetic vision that the fire was so great that it consumed the great deep. Its interpretation is along the lines of [the verse] “and it licked up the water that was in the trench.”
“And the fire shall consume the portion.” The meaning is: the field’s plot. And in His saying “the portion” with the definite article, it means the field’s plot that belongs to the King, as He said above, “after the King’s pruning hooks.” This is to indicate that it was due to the King’s sin, for when the King was good, the people went in the good way, as he would admonish them and guide them in the straight path; and when the King was on an evil path, the people were also evil, for they learned from his deeds. And this fire was perhaps similar to the intense heat of the sun that burns, prevents rain, and dries up the plants, and then the waters of the rivers would diminish. And when I saw in the prophetic vision that it was destroying everything, I cried out to God, blessed be He, and said, “O Lord, O Lord, please refrain from this great evil.” And above it says, “Please forgive,” and the matter is one: for if He forgives them, He will cease from harming them. My master and father, of blessed memory, explained “by fire” in its literal sense, that He intended to judge them with fire and brimstone, like Sodom and Gomorrah, were it not for the prophet’s prayer. And this is what it says in Isaiah: “Almost like Sodom.”
Metzudat David
"Calling for a battle with fire..." – The LORD called to the angels of the upper realms, that they should contend with Israel by bringing fire, meaning, to bring upon them intense heat, burning like fire.
"And she ate." It appears to me as if she burned and dried up the waters of the deep, and as if she burned the vegetation of the fields.
Metzudat Zion
Tehom: the depth of the waters.
Rabba: "Great" refers to depth.
The portion. So too, "the field shall be called," and so too, "one portion shall rain down" (above, 4a).
Malbim
Thus the Lord showed me: He showed him the two latter decrees, which are pestilence and sword, and He depicted the decree that calls for strife by fire, wherein the sword and pestilence were likened to a consuming fire in the camp. This is as it is stated, “And you were like a brand plucked from the burning,” and “It shall devour the great deep.” It is explained there that initially it consumed those who went down to Egypt for aid, as it is stated, “I sent among you pestilence; in the way of Egypt I killed with the sword your young men.” For Egypt is as deep as the abyss in contrast to the Land of Israel. Moreover, the prophet refers to their going down to Egypt in the language of “And you have humbled yourself even to Sheol” (Isaiah 57:9). And afterward, it consumed the portion from which the pestilence and sword came to the Land of Israel, as is explained above that the Land of Israel is their portion and their inheritance.
Then said I: O Lord Hashem, cease, I beseech You; How shall Jacob stand? for he is small.
verse value 1020
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "cease·please" (חֲדַל־נָ֔א, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "cease·please" (חֲדַל־נָ֔א). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וָאֹמַ֗ר [and·I·said] (247) + אֲדֹנָ֤י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִה֙ [Hashem] (26) + חֲדַל־נָ֔א [cease·please] (93) + מִ֥י [who?] (50) + יָק֖וּם [will·rise] (156) + יַעֲקֹ֑ב [Jacob] (182) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + קָטֹ֖ן [young] (159) + הֽוּא [he] (12) = 1020.
Ibn Ezra
And I say - all of this was in the visions of prophecy.
Radak
And he said. It is clear:
Metzudat David
“Cease, I pray you. Restrain, I pray you, that decree. For who will sustain Jacob, to stand him upon his feet and provide for him in famine? For he is but a child, and has not the strength to provide for himself.”
Metzudat Zion
He ceased. The matter of restraint:
Malbim
(5-6) And it says, “Cease, I pray You.” He could not say, “Forgive, I pray You,” for on the fourth occasion forgiveness is not granted. Nevertheless, he requested that God cease from punishing them, so that they would not be left without hope of restoration. And the Lord relented and annulled even this decree.
Hashem repented concerning this; ‘This also shall not be’, says the Lord Hashem.
verse value 1474
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "concerning·this" (עַל־זֹ֑את, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "also·it" (גַּם־הִיא֙). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'concerning·this', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: נִחַ֥ם [repented] (98) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + עַל־זֹ֑את [concerning·this] (508) + גַּם־הִיא֙ [also·it] (59) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תִֽהְיֶ֔ה [it·will·be] (420) + אָמַ֖ר [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1474.
Ibn Ezra
Necham – The meaning is that the Lord heard my supplication twice.
Radak
Necham. This too is explained:
Metzudat David
“Even she.” Even that decree shall not take effect.
Thus He showed me; and, behold, the Lord stood beside a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in His hand.
verse value 1288
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·wall·of" (עַל־חוֹמַ֣ת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 71: plummet, plummet. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "upon·wall·of" (עַל־חוֹמַ֣ת), "and·in·his·hand" (וּבְיָד֖וֹ). The root אנך appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). First appearance of the root אנך ("plummet") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'plummet', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֣ה [thus] (25) + הִרְאַ֔נִי [showed·me] (266) + וְהִנֵּ֧ה [and·behold] (66) + אֲדֹנָ֛י [my·lord] (65) + נִצָּ֖ב [standing] (142) + עַל־חוֹמַ֣ת [upon·wall·of] (554) + אֲנָ֑ךְ [plummet] (71) + וּבְיָד֖וֹ [and·in·his·hand] (28) + אֲנָֽךְ [plummet] (71) = 1288.
Rashi
“On the wall of Anach.” Upon the wall of judgment. And so Dunash interpreted it: “Anach” is an Arabic term for a plumb line, the lead weight on a cord that a builder looks at to straighten the foundation. So too here, it is the language of a plumb line of justice.
Ibn Ezra
“Anakh” – there is no companion for it, and in the language of Ishmael it means “lead.” The meaning is: For I will set up a wall of lead among My people, and I will not pass by it to look at it, as a metaphor. And there are those who say: Ki e’vor, like: “and it is his glory to pass over a transgression (Proverbs 19:11).”
Radak
Thus He showed me: “Standing.” The Glory of God, blessed be He, was standing upon the wall of the plumb line.
“And in His hand a plumb line (anakh).” They interpreted “anakh” [as] tin (bedil); and so, in the Arabic tongue, tin is called “anakh,” with a dagesh in the kaf. And the weights of building are made of tin or lead. That is to say, a wall built by the line of justice and by the plumb-weight of judgment; “and in His hand a plumb line” — [that is,] in His hand is the plumb-weight of judgment, to judge them according to their deeds. And by saying “and in His hand,” it teaches that He will not make a full end of them according to their deeds, for in His hand are both vengeance and mercy, and He is abundant in kindness, inclining toward kindness. And Jonathan rendered: “Behold, the word of the Lord is set upon the wall of judgment, etc.” And in the Midrash: “upon a wall of a plumb line” — “upon the wall of oppression”; “and in His hand a plumb line” — like a creditor whose bond is in his hand, standing to collect it from his debtor.
Metzudat David
"Chomat anach." This refers to a wall constructed in a straight line, using a plumb line.
And in His hand. It was in the Hand of the Omnipresent that the line of the balance was:
Metzudat Zion
“Anakh.” Thus is called the plumb line, in which is the weight of lead, and by means of which the builder straightens the construction of the wall; and “anakh” is the word for lead in the Arabic language.
Malbim
Thus did the Lord show me. Now, He showed him in a vision that the Lord was standing upon a wall of a plumb line, and in His hand was a plumb line. From this, he saw two things: one, the “wall of a plumb line,” which is a wall built according to measurement and with a level. This is an allusion to the totality of creation that the Lord created, which is the wall encompassing all of existence. It was built according to the measure of justice and with the plumb line of judgment, for a level and the scales of justice are suspended over the totality of existence. Everything was created according to judgment, and everything is arranged according to the measure of justice and general providence. The Lord watched over the totality of existence with justice and judgment, and the Lord stood upon this wall, watching over it with general providence according to justice. And the second thing he saw was that the plumb line was in His hand. Although the construction was already completed, nevertheless, He holds the plumb line in His hand to measure anew. This means that in addition to the general providence that has been arranged since the six days of creation, He watches at all times with individual providence, to punish the sinners with specific providence according to particular judgment, as appropriate to the time and to those being judged.
And Hashem said to me: ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said: ‘A plumbline.’ Then said the Lord: Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of My people Israel; I will not again pardon them any more;
verse value 3870
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3870 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "there" (שָׂ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·I·will·add" (לֹא־אוֹסִ֥יף, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "there" (שָׂ֤ם). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "and·said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). First appearance of the root אתה ("what·you") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'plummet', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 12 words.
Rashi
"Behold, I set a plumb-line": I will judge them according to the strict line of justice.
“Pass him over [spare him].” To forbear with them on account of their transgressions.
Radak
What do you see? Amos said, "A plumb line." This refers to the Great Sanhedrin, as the numerical value (gematria) of the word "plumb line" (Anakh) is 71, which corresponds to the number of judges in the Great Sanhedrin. This implies that they judged cases involving fraud (ona'ah).
“And the Lord said.” Concerning this vision the prophet did not cry out, for he did not see that He was making a [complete] end, but rather that He was judging them with afflictions and exile. Therefore He said to him, “What do you see?” — that is, why did you not cry out, as [you did] in the first two visions? And [the prophet] said, “A plumb line I have seen” — that You will judge them with the plumb-weight of judgment.
“Behold, I set a plumb line.” I will place in their midst the plumb-weight of judgments:
"I will not add to pass over him any longer." This means: Although I have passed over his transgressions, not punishing him, I will no longer endure this; rather, I will punish him with judgments. Behold, they have built high places and sanctuaries to provoke Me to anger, and I will destroy them and lay them waste, and their worshippers will fall by the sword. And these are the house of Jeroboam, son of Joash, who served them and strengthened the hand of the worshippers, and it was in their power to protest, for the sin of the people is upon the king.
Metzudat David
"What do you see?" He did not ask him about the earlier visions, for they were self-evident and did not require explanation; but regarding that vision, he needed to explain it, and therefore he asked him.
"Setting a plumb line," etc. This means: I will judge them by the strict measure of justice according to their due recompense, and I will not pass over their transgressions to pardon them.
Metzudat Zion
Passing over. From the language of ha'avarah (removal):
Malbim
And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” Because he saw two things: a plumb-line wall, and the plumb-line that was in the Lord’s hand, He asked him, “What do you see?” Meaning: What is the thing that is novel in your eyes in this vision? And he said, “A plumb-line,” meaning: The plumb-line wall is not wondrous in my eyes, for I know that everything is arranged according to measure, weight, and the measure of judgment. Only I see and am astonished at the plumb-line that is in Your hand, which You hold after the completion of the construction. This indicates that You wish to punish a certain nation with particular judgment and with specific providence, which has no connection to the general judgment founded in the totality of existence. This is what I see and scrutinize. And the Lord said, “Behold, I am setting a plumb-line in the midst of My people Israel.” Meaning: I will not leave them to be judged according to the line of general judgment, which does not look upon the individual, to judge each person individually, but rather judges the entire world collectively. And also, from the perspective of general judgment, sometimes the sin and its punishment are passed over if the general time does not accord with the evil. For according to general judgment, evil comes according to natural orders and the fixed cosmic value established in the general governance, and it waits for the time suitable for this, according to the order of the world and according to the cosmic system. But I am setting a new plumb-line and a specific measure that measures according to particular providence. And this will differ from the general plumb-line of the plumb-line wall in two things: A) That I am setting a plumb-line in the midst of My people Israel to judge each person individually through individual providence and particular judgment; B) That I will no longer pass over and delay it. Even if the time is not suitable for punishment according to the natural order of the world, I will not postpone the punishment to a time suitable for this, for I will measure to them according to their deeds according to particular providence.
And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
verse value 4097
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "high·places" (בָּמ֣וֹת, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·sanctuaries·of" (וּמִקְדְּשֵׁ֥י, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·shall·be·deserted" (וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙), "high·places" (בָּמ֣וֹת), "and·sanctuaries·of" (וּמִקְדְּשֵׁ֥י). The root חרב appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·house·of" (root בית, 35x in Amos); "Israel" (root ישראל, 25x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·be·waste', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙ [and·shall·be·deserted] (402) + בָּמ֣וֹת [high·places] (448) + יִשְׂחָ֔ק [Isaac] (418) + וּמִקְדְּשֵׁ֥י [and·sanctuaries·of] (460) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + יֶחֱרָ֑בוּ [they·will·be·waste] (226) + וְקַמְתִּ֛י [and·I·will·rise] (556) + עַל־בֵּ֥ית [against·house·of] (512) + יָרׇבְעָ֖ם [Jeroboam] (322) + בֶּחָֽרֶב [in·the·sword] (212) = 4097.
Rashi
"And the sanctuaries of Israel" refers to Bethel, as it is stated: "For it is the sanctuary of the King."
"Concerning the house of Jeroboam." The son of Joash:
Ibn Ezra
“And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate” — the high places of Israel and Edom.
Radak
“And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate.” It is written with a shin, and it is equivalent to the form with a tsadi, for “shakhak” with a shin and “tzakhak” with a tsadi denote the same meaning. Now, all the prophets did not designate the tribes of Israel except by the name of their father Israel or by the name of Jacob; they did not designate them by the name of Abraham nor by the name of Isaac, because Abraham and Isaac had other sons besides them. But our father Jacob was unique in his holy seed; therefore, they were called by his name, Israel and Jacob. And this prophet designated the tribes of Israel by the name of Isaac in two places in this book. It is possible that his intention was in recalling the high places of Yishak, because Isaac, his father, was bound upon the altar to fulfill the will of God, blessed be He, and His commandments. Yet his sons were provoking God, blessed be He, with their high places and idols. And the sanctuaries of Israel were Bethel, Gilgal, and Dan, for in them were their great high places, and they built there large houses for the high places. Therefore, he called it the palace and said that it is the sanctuary of the king, and he came to his sanctuary to pray.
“And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” For Shallum, son of Jabesh, killed Zechariah, son of Jeroboam, and with him the kingship of Jehu was cut off.
Metzudat David
And they shall be desolate. The high places that were established for idolatry shall become desolate, because, due to the magnitude of the troubles, there will be no one who will come to them.
"And the sanctuaries." The strong palaces of Israel shall become a desolation.
"And I will rise up." I will rise against the house of Jeroboam to take vengeance upon him with the sword. And concerning Zechariah, his son, it is said that Shalom, son of Yavesh, killed him, as it is written (2 Kings):
Metzudat Zion
'Ve-nashammu' ("and they shall be desolated"): a term of desolation ("shemamon").
Bamot. From the language of "bamah" (high place) and "mizbeach" (altar).
Yishchaq. Like Yitzchaq. And it is possible that the verse states "Yishchaq" to hint that the altars will be a matter of mockery and derision.
And the holy places. The meaning of "palace" is a stronghold, and similarly below, "the sanctuary of the king" is [a stronghold], as it is said, "And it shall be for a sanctuary" (Isaiah 8:14).
יחרבו. A verb derived from the word חורבן (destruction):
Malbim
"And they shall be desolate," and by this, "they shall be desolate" refers to the high places of Isaac (Yischak), which are the high places that they made for the calves. He called them "Yischak (Isaac)" from the language of laughter/mockery and derision. And the sanctuaries of Israel, which are the places sanctified by them at Bethel and Dan, shall be destroyed. "And I will rise against the house of Yerovam with the sword," meaning that although Yerovam himself will die in his natural way, his house will ultimately be cut off by the sword; this refers to Zecharyah, son of Yerovam, who was killed by Shalom, son of Yavesh.
Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying: ‘Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words.
verse value 5987
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "priest" (כֹּהֵ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·his·words" (אֶת־כׇּל־דְּבָרָֽיו, 9 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·he·sent" (וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח), "priest" (כֹּהֵ֣ן), "to·Jeroboam" (אֶל־יָרׇבְעָ֥ם). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "Beth-el" (root בית, 35x in Amos); "against·you" (root על, 28x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 10 words.
Rashi
Kohen Beit El. A priest to his idol:
Ibn Ezra
"And he sent" – a priest of Bethel: he was a priest of Baal.
"Bekerev" – He will speak openly, and the people of the land will not be able to endure it, to bear it; and behold, if you put him to death, all will rejoice.
Radak
“And he sent.” Amos was prophesying these prophecies in Bethel. Amaziah, who was an idolatrous priest in Bethel, heard his prophecy and sent [a message] to Jeroboam, saying: “Amos has conspired against you.” Jeroboam was not then in Bethel, so Amaziah sent [the message] to him wherever he was, because Amos was prophesying against him for evil. Moreover, he was one of the king’s subjects, for Tekoa was among the tribes of Asher. He was liable to the death penalty because he prophesied that the king would die by the sword, and indeed, he was conspiring and rebelling against you.
"In the midst of the house of Israel." For He did not speak His words in secret, but openly, in the presence of the multitude.
"The land could not contain all his words." The people of the land could not bear all his words, for he spoke evil concerning Israel.
Metzudat David
“Bind Amos against you.” This means that he spoke words that would incite a conspiracy to rebel against you and to kill you, for when his enemies hear that the prophet has proclaimed the sword upon him, they will be stirred up to kill him on account of the word of the LORD that he spoke.
"Among the house of Israel." This means: in great publicity, in the presence of all of them.
"You shall not be able [to sustain the land]." The people of the land cannot bear all his words, namely, what he threatens with desolation and destruction. As if to say: Since the soul of the people is also embittered against him, you will therefore be able to execute upon him a strict judgment, for the hand of the people will also be with you.
Metzudat Zion
Kohen. This means a priest of Baal, and a priest to idolaters.
Keshar. The matter of the "bundle" of rebellion is like [the verse] "And the knot was strong" (2 Samuel 15:12).
To contain. To endure, as in: "I was weary of containing" (Jeremiah 6:11).
Malbim
And Amaziah sent, since he had prophesied against the high places and the sanctuaries, the anger of the priest of Bethel was aroused, and he sent to Jeroboam saying, “Amos has conspired against you.” This means that by virtue of his prophecy that Jeroboam would die by the sword, he is inciting a conspiracy against the king, so that thereby the people would rise up against the king to kill him, after the prophet has foretold this by the word of the Lord, just as Jehu conspired through the prophecy of the prophet and killed his king. And lest Jeroboam fear to kill him because the people would contend on his behalf, he added, “The land cannot bear all his words,” to say that he is speaking words such that even the land cannot endure his prophecies, for he prophesied calamity even against the people, until even the people would agree to his killing. And he explained his words in opposition to what was said, “Amos has conspired against you,” by interpreting.
For thus Amos says: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, And Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.’
verse value 2686
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "said" (אָמַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Israel" (וְיִ֨שְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "for·thus" (כִּי־כֹה֙), "will·die" (יָמ֣וּת). The root גלה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "from·off" (root על, 28x in Amos); "and·Israel" (root ישראל, 25x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jeroboam', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּי־כֹה֙ [for·thus] (55) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + עָמ֔וֹס [Amos] (176) + בַּחֶ֖רֶב [in·the·sword] (212) + יָמ֣וּת [will·die] (456) + יָרׇבְעָ֑ם [Jeroboam] (322) + וְיִ֨שְׂרָאֵ֔ל [and·Israel] (547) + גָּלֹ֥ה [surely] (38) + יִגְלֶ֖ה [He·opens] (48) + מֵעַ֥ל [from·off] (140) + אַדְמָתֽוֹ [his·ground] (451) = 2686.
Rashi
“By the sword shall Jeroboam die.” Yet he did not say so, but rather, “And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam,” referring to his son Zechariah, whom Shallum, the son of Jabesh, killed (2 Kings 15).
Ibn Ezra
"Ki" – Even though we have not found it written that Jeroboam died by the sword, we know that the word of the Lord is true. Or perhaps the prophet said: "The house of Jeroboam," and Amaziah spoke a lie, so that the king’s anger was kindled against him to put him to death. And behold, Jeroboam remained silent and did not answer Amaziah.
Radak
For thus [says the Lord]: Jeroboam shall die. And he did not say that Jeroboam himself would die by the sword, nor did we see that Jeroboam died by the sword; rather, it was the house of Jeroboam that he spoke of. Amaziah, however, distorted the matter for the worse, so that Jeroboam would put him to death. And he sent to him, saying that it was Jeroboam himself who was told he would die by the sword, in order to intensify his anger against him. Yet Jeroboam did not accept his evil speech, nor did he do evil to Amos on this account, as we have written at the beginning of the Book of Hosea.
Metzudat David
"By the sword shall Jeroboam die." In truth, he lied to him, for he spoke concerning the house of Jeroboam, and it was his son Zechariah.
"And Israel shall be exiled, he will be exiled." In this too he lied, for he did not say so until the end.
Malbim
For thus said Amos: “By the sword shall Jeroboam die,” and the meaning is that Amos said this on his own initiative, and because he said that Jeroboam would die by the sword, he formed a conspiracy, as mentioned above. And contrary to what is written, “The land could not contain all his words,” he explained that he said that Israel would surely be exiled from its land. But in truth, all of this was false, for he did not say that Jeroboam would die by the sword; rather, he prophesied against the house of Jeroboam, not against Jeroboam himself. And thus, he did not conspire against the king. Moreover, he did not mention at all that Israel would surely be exiled from its land; Amaziah invented this from his own heart. And our Sages of blessed memory already explained that Jeroboam did not accept this slander and did not believe Amaziah, for he spoke falsely.
Also Amaziah said to Amos: ‘O you seer, go, flee you away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there;
verse value 2566
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֥ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Amos" (אֶל־עָמ֔וֹס, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "to·Amos" (אֶל־עָמ֔וֹס), "flee·for·yourself" (בְּרַח־לְךָ֖), "to·land·of" (אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֲמַצְיָה֙ [Amaziah] (146) + אֶל־עָמ֔וֹס [to·Amos] (207) + חֹזֶ֕ה [seer] (20) + לֵ֥ךְ [go] (50) + בְּרַח־לְךָ֖ [flee·for·yourself] (260) + אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ [to·land·of] (322) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + וֶאֱכׇל־שָׁ֣ם [and·eat·there] (397) + לֶ֔חֶם [bread] (78) + וְשָׁ֖ם [and·there] (346) + תִּנָּבֵֽא [you·will·prophesy] (453) = 2566.
Rashi
Seer: You, who prophesy the future:
"Go, flee to the land of Judah." For there is the Sanctuary of the Holy One, Blessed be He, in Whose Name you prophesy.
“And he ate bread there.” He said to him in a derogatory manner: “There they will give you crumbs of bread in payment for your prophesying to them.”
Ibn Ezra
And he said to you, “Flee to the land of Judah, for King Jeroboam will kill you.”
And the meaning of "and he ate bread there" is that the prophets of Israel prophesied for the sake of a loaf of bread.
Radak
And Amaziah said. As soon as he saw that Jeroboam did not accept his words to put Amos to death, Amaziah told him to flee to the land of Judah, so that he would no longer prophesy in the kingdom of Jeroboam, which is the land of the ten tribes; all the more so should he not prophesy in the royal palace, which is at Bethel. Even though Samaria was the royal city for the kings of Israel, and also for Jehu and his sons, as it is written, it is possible that because they were attached to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, namely the worship of the calves at Bethel and Dan, the kings of Israel built a royal palace at Bethel. This was because they frequently went there to worship, and they were more accustomed to Bethel than to Dan, since Dan is at the extremity of the Land of Israel. Moreover, Jeroboam’s primary worship was at Bethel, as it is written in Kings: “And he did so in Bethel; and he went up upon the altar which he had made in Bethel,” as explained in the commentary on Kings. For that place had been chosen since the time of our father Jacob, and they considered that their worship in that place would be more acceptable than in other places, and it would be like Jerusalem, for our father Jacob said, “it shall be the house of God.”
"And he ate bread there." Because the false prophets would prophesy to the people with loaves of bread and cups of wine or strong drink, [the man of God] said to him that he should do likewise, that he should go and prophesy in the land of Judah, for there they would feed him bread if he prophesied evil against the kings of Israel.
Metzudat David
“Seer.” This means: You are a seer; what are you doing here? Flee to the land of Judah, for there is the Temple of the Lord, the place of prophecy.
“And eat bread there.” “There” – there they will provide for your sustenance.
“And there you shall prophesy.” This means that there you will receive reward for the prophecy with which you prophesy evil concerning the kingdom of Ephraim, because they are enemies to him.
Metzudat Zion
Seer. One who sees and is a prophet:
Malbim
And Amaziah said, when he saw that he could not kill him by means of the king, he sought to frighten him so that he would flee from the land. And he said to him: “Seer, go, flee for yourself to the land of Judah, for here you are in danger, lest the king kill you. And besides this, you will accomplish nothing here with your prophecy. For if you prophesy in order to eat bread through your prophecy, there you will eat bread, for there they will support the hands of the prophets with bread, not here. And if you prophesy for the sake of the prophecy itself, to admonish the people and to bring them back to what is good, even this you will not achieve here. Only in the land of Judah will you prophesy. That is to say, there they will allow you to prophesy and they will listen to your voice, not here.”
but prophesy not again any more at Beth-el, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a royal house.’
verse value 2345
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·you·will·continue" (לֹא־תוֹסִ֥יף, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 12: it, it. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "to·prophesy" (לְהִנָּבֵ֑א), "sacred place·king" (מִקְדַּשׁ־מֶ֙לֶךְ֙), "and·house·of" (וּבֵ֥ית). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Beth-el" (root בית, 35x in Amos); "for" (root כי, 22x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·prophesy', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּבֵֽית־אֵ֔ל [and·Beth-el] (449) + לֹא־תוֹסִ֥יף [not·you·will·continue] (587) + ע֖וֹד [again] (80) + לְהִנָּבֵ֑א [to·prophesy] (88) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + מִקְדַּשׁ־מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ [sacred place·king] (534) + ה֔וּא [it] (12) + וּבֵ֥ית [and·house·of] (418) + מַמְלָכָ֖ה [kingdom] (135) + הֽוּא [it] (12) = 2345.
Rashi
"And you shall no longer prophesy at Bethel." This teaches that here only the name of an idol is mentioned.
Ibn Ezra
And Bethel: Behold, this is a sign that Jehu was from Bethel, for it was his royal residence and his sanctuary, for the meaning is twofold. And Yefet erred, because Jehu was anointed at Ramoth Gilead. Now Amaziah and Joram fought with Hazael at Ramoth Gilead, and the Arameans struck down Joram, who was guarding there along with all Israel at Ramoth Gilead. For so it is written: “Joram returned to Jezreel, his royal residence, to recover, and he left all the princes at Ramoth Gilead to guard,” and with them was Jehu, son of Nimshi. And when the young prophet anointed him there, and the matter became known to the princes of Joram who were guarding, then they all conspired with Jehu. Therefore, the two kings could not stand before Jehu.
Radak
And Bethel. It is clear:
Metzudat David
"And to Bethel." But in Bethel, do not add to prophesy thus, for here is the palace of the king of that land, lest his men kill you upon hearing that you are prophesying thus.
"And the house of the kingdom is it." This means that the kingdom is firmly established in the hand of the king for many generations, and his hand is strong to strike and take your life.
Metzudat Zion
The Sanctuary. A palace, a stronghold:
Malbim
“And you shall no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary.” This is not because you are to eat bread there, for it is the king’s sanctuary. At Bethel was found the king’s sanctuary, namely, the house of the calves which the king had consecrated as a sanctuary to serve there his own worship. And they do not provide sustenance for the prophets who prophesy against the calves. Likewise, it is not because you desire to set the people straight, for it is a royal palace, and they will not accept harsh reproof in the ears of the people.
Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah: ‘I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdman, and a dresser of sycamore-trees;
verse value 2167
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Amaziah" (אֶל־אֲמַצְיָ֔ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 81: I, I, I. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·he·answered" (וַיַּ֤עַן), "to·Amaziah" (אֶל־אֲמַצְיָ֔ה), "not·a·prophet" (לֹא־נָבִ֣יא). The root אנכי appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "and·not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֤עַן [and·he·answered] (136) + עָמוֹס֙ [Amos] (176) + וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֶל־אֲמַצְיָ֔ה [to·Amaziah] (177) + לֹא־נָבִ֣יא [not·a·prophet] (94) + אָנֹ֔כִי [I] (81) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + בֶן־נָבִ֖יא [son·of·a·prophet] (115) + אָנֹ֑כִי [I] (81) + כִּי־בוֹקֵ֥ר [but·a·herdsman] (338) + אָנֹ֖כִי [I] (81) + וּבוֹלֵ֥ס [and·gathering·figs] (104) + שִׁקְמִֽים [sycamore·tree] (490) = 2167.
Rashi
"I am no prophet. I am not one of your false prophets who take payment for prophesying; I have no need for all this, nor have I acted in this manner. I, for my part, am wealthy, possessing livestock and property, as the Targum renders it: 'I am a master of flocks, and I have sycamores in the lowland.'"
I am a herdsman. A shepherd of cattle:
"And a dresser of sycamore-figs." One searches among the sycamore-figs to see at what time they should be cut in order to add branches, and which are suitable for beams, for it is customary to cut the young sycamore-figs. "Bolls" is like "bolls" [bolsh], except that Amos stammered in his speech, for so it was said: Why is his name Amos? Because he was burdened [amos] in his speech. And Israel calls him "Psilos," as it is stated in the Pesikta.
Ibn Ezra
"And he answered" – Rabbi Moses the Persian said: I was not a prophet of the Lord, nor the son of a prophet, for I was a herdsman of cattle or one who plows with oxen. And because it mentions 'from following the flock,' this indicates that he was a shepherd, as is also indicated by [the word] 'noked' [herdsman, cf. Amos 1:1].
Radak
And Amos answered, “I am no prophet.” I was not a prophet from my youth, nor was I the son of a prophet who taught me the ways of prophecy.
"For I am a herdsman." This was not my task, for as a herdsman I would go after my cattle and my flock, as it is said, "who was among the shepherds," and I am wealthy, and I do not need bread to be given to me, as you would say:
Bulos. Some say it is like *bolash* with a *shin*, as in the Targum’s translation of “he searched” (*vayichapes*) and “he investigated” (*vavalash*), meaning he gathered sycamores for the food of his cattle; or its meaning is that he mixed the sycamores with other things for the sake of his cattle. And in the statements of our Sages of blessed memory, a mixed matter is called *balus*, as it is said, “Just so a poor man eats his bread from a kneaded dough,” meaning that the flour, the bran, and the leavings were kneaded together; therefore, the bran and the leavings combine with the flour to reach the measure required for separating challah. And *shakim* (sycamores) is a species among the species of figs, and Jonathan translated, “Ari mari giti, etc.”
"I am." All three [instances of the word] have the accent on the penultimate syllable, on the letter Nun.
Metzudat David
"I am not a prophet." This means: I did not prepare myself for prophecy, nor did I engage in its study, so that you should not think that I receive reward for the prophecy and that on account of the reward I prepared myself for it.
"And I am not the son of a prophet." This is akin to saying, "Nor have I seen that my father received the reward of prophecy," which is a matter of rhetorical elaboration and expansion.
"For I am a cattle herder." I am an owner of cattle, and I do not require payment; all day long I mix sycamore figs with other things for the cattle's food, and I do not engage in preparing for prophecy or studying it.
Metzudat Zion
Herdsman (cattleman). Its root is baqar:
And "bolus": The matter of mixing and blending, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "A poor person eats his bread from a mixed dough" (Shabbat 76a).
Shakamim. A species name, one of the types of figs; and likewise, "and their sycamores with frost" (Psalms 78:47).
Malbim
And Amos answered, “I am no prophet,” meaning: Do not think that I prophesy in order to gain the reputation of being among the prophets, for I am no prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet—meaning that this is not my profession, nor was it the profession of my fathers. Likewise, do not think that I prophesy for the sake of bread, for I have sustenance without this. For I am a herdsman, and I have much cattle and livestock, and I am a dresser of sycamore-fig trees, and I have a forest growing with trees. I do not need bread.
and Hashem took me from following the flock, and Hashem said to me: Go, prophesy to My people Israel.
verse value 1739
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֥ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·took·me" (וַיִּקָּחֵ֣נִי, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·took·me" (וַיִּקָּחֵ֣נִי), "from·after" (מֵאַחֲרֵ֖י), "the·flock" (הַצֹּ֑אן). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "and·said" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "Israel" (root ישראל, 25x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·flock', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקָּחֵ֣נִי [and·took·me] (184) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + מֵאַחֲרֵ֖י [from·after] (259) + הַצֹּ֑אן [the·flock] (146) + וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלַי֙ [to·me] (41) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + לֵ֥ךְ [go] (50) + הִנָּבֵ֖א [prophesy] (58) + אֶל־עַמִּ֥י [to·my·people] (151) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 1739.
Ibn Ezra
"And He took me" – I was compelled. And there is another explanation of the reason: Because He said to him, "And eat bread there," he replied to Him, "I am not like the false prophets who prophesy for the sake of bread, nor am I a son of a false prophet, for I have no need of bread, for I am a herdsman."
And the word "boles" has no companion; in the language of Ishmael, it is like "yavesh" and "shaqamim," a fruit resembling figs, and it is not found in these places. And in the language of Ishmael, "gamim" also means "shaqam." And behold, I did not prophesy out of necessity, and how can I set aside the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, who commanded me to prophesy, and listen to you, saying, "Do not prophesy"?!
Radak
"And the Lord took me." I did not abandon my task of my own accord, but rather the Holy One, blessed be He, took me from behind the flock that I was following and tending, and He caused His spirit of prophecy to rest upon me and compelled me to prophesy. How could you say to me that I should not prophesy, when He Himself told me that I would prophesy against Jeroboam and his kingdom?
Metzudat David
"And the Lord took me." However, without any preparation, the Lord took me from my former state, wherein I used to go after the flock to tend them, and He commanded me to go and prophesy.
Malbim
And the Lord took me, only the Lord took me and chose me against my will, and He said to me: Go, prophesy to My people Israel, that He sent me on a mission only to Israel, who are the Ten Tribes, and not to the Tribe of Judah, as you say.
Now therefore hear you the word of Hashem: You say: Prophesy not against Israel, And preach not against the house of Isaac;
verse value 4361
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "now" (וְעַתָּ֖ה), "hear" (שְׁמַ֣ע), "word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֑ה). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "saying" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'word·of·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֖ה [now] (481) + שְׁמַ֣ע [hear] (410) + דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֑ה [word·of·Hashem] (232) + אַתָּ֣ה [you] (406) + אֹמֵ֗ר [saying] (241) + לֹ֤א [not] (31) + תִנָּבֵא֙ [you·will·prophesy] (453) + עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [against·Israel] (641) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + תַטִּ֖יף [you·shall·preach] (499) + עַל־בֵּ֥ית [against·house·of] (512) + יִשְׂחָֽק [Isaac] (418) = 4361.
Rashi
“And you shall not prophesy.” It is a term of prophecy; and there are many such in Scripture — [e.g.,] “prophesy toward the south” (Ezekiel 21:2).
Ibn Ezra
Tatip – like speaking in allusion. And similar to it is: “and he was a preacher to this people (Micah 2:11).”
Radak
And now, hear the word of the Lord. For even upon you specifically I prophesy:
"And you shall not prophesy against the house of Isaac." Just as He said, "and the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and concerning the kingdom of Jeroboam I prophesied," for they make high places for idols. And you say, "I will not prophesy against them in their land." The Holy One, blessed be He, sent me, and I will not withhold [my prophecy] because of your words. And you would withhold me from prophesying? Hear that the Holy One, blessed be He, has spoken evil concerning you, and this is [the meaning of]: "Your wife shall play the harlot in the city." Before your exile, your wife shall play the harlot while she is still in the city; she shall play the harlot with the enemy who comes against the city. And this is not like [the case of] "The women of Zion are humiliated," for that humiliation is against the woman's will, whereas harlotry is with the woman's consent. And all of this is in the punishment of Amaziah: that his wife shall play the harlot before his eyes, and his sons and daughters shall fall by the sword before him, and he shall go into exile and die on defiled ground. And all of this is because he despised the prophecy of the Holy One, blessed be He, combined with his other sins, in that he served idolatry and committed other sins. And the enemies were killing the daughters and the young sons who were unable to walk on their feet. Therefore, he said:
“Your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword.” And the elders were being exiled, except for those who were fighting, whom the enemies killed when they overpowered them.
“And your land shall be divided by lot.” This refers to the enemies who came to dwell in their land, dividing it among themselves together with the rest of the nations; these are the peoples whom the king of Assyria brought there and settled in the cities of Samaria.
"And you shall not drip." This means, "and you shall not speak." And so he used to drip [i.e., speak in a murmuring, indistinct manner] to this people: "Do not drip [speak thus], lest they drip [speak thus in response]." And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated in the Targum: "You shall not teach [them]."
Metzudat David
"And now." He is saying: Since I have no need for the reward of prophecy, now hear the word of the Lord. Even though there is no place to receive from You a reward for that prophecy.
Metzudat Zion
Tatif. It is the verbal form of *natifah* (a drop) and *hizlah* (to drip), and it is borrowed from the context of speech. Likewise, "He shall drip toward the south" (Ezekiel 21:2).
Malbim
And now, hear the word of the Lord. However, a new prophecy was spoken to him now, which had not been prophesied before, namely that Israel would be exiled from their land. And this is what is written: “Now hear,” meaning that this is a prophecy that was newly revealed to me now; I did not know it before. You say, “You shall not prophesy concerning Israel,” meaning that I shall not prophesy a prophecy that is destined to befall them in the future. And even if your intention is only to reprove them and bring them back to what is good, you shall not impart (a small drop of prophecy), because they are the house of Isaac (Yischak), and they will laugh and scoff at your reproof.
Therefore thus says Hashem: Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, And your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, And your land shall be divided by line; And you thyself shall die in an unclean land, And Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.’
verse value 6509
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 96 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֞ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·your·daughters" (וּבְנֹתֶ֙יךָ֙, 6 letters). 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "your·wife" (אִשְׁתְּךָ֞), "will·commit·fornication" (תִּזְנֶה֙), "and·your·sons" (וּבָנֶ֤יךָ). The root אדמה appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "thus·says" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "from·upon" (root על, 28x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·divided', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 9 words.
Ibn Ezra
Therefore, by a measuring line—his enemies will divide it, and My prophecy will stand against you and against Israel.
Radak
Therefore. It is clear:
Metzudat David
"In the city she shall commit lewdness." This refers to a case where the presumption is that she acted willingly, unlike in the field.
"In a cord it shall be divided." It shall be divided by means of a measuring line among the non-Jews.
“Upon the earth, etc.” – In the land of the gentiles.
"And Israel, etc." This means: Just as you denied speaking in My name, so indeed it shall be, and so it shall stand.
Metzudat Zion
“With a cord.” The measuring line:
Malbim
Therefore, thus says the Lord: Your wife shall commit harlotry in the city. This is a measure-for-measure punishment, for Israel, in serving other gods, resemble a harlot who commits harlotry, having transgressed against the husband of her youth. And I desired to bring them back to the Lord, but you shall cause them to commit harlotry with other gods. Thus, your wife shall commit harlotry. And it is not that she shall be taken captive and there commit harlotry, but rather she shall commit harlotry in the city. This is because at the time when Zechariah son of Jeroboam was killed and Shallum son of Jabesh arose, he sought to abolish the worship of the calf (as stated in Hosea, that Shallum and likewise Hoshea son of Elah sought to abolish the calves, and consequently there was rebellion and war between the factions of the people against one another). Then the priest fled and died in a foreign land, and his sons and daughters were killed by the king, and his wife was a harlot and promiscuous. The end result will be that Israel shall be exiled from their land, for then the decree was finalized. And it is explained in Isaiah chapter 7 that it was said to Amos that this would occur after sixty-five years, but they did not write it explicitly out of reverence, and he alluded to it in the word "hush" (has), as will be explained in the following section.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim