A basket of summer fruit: 'The end is come upon My people Israel; I will not again pardon them any more' — you that swallow up the needy, making the ephah small and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances of deceit; 'Behold, the days come... that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Hashem.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Thus the Lord Hashem showed me; and behold a basket of summer fruit.
verse value 706
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "showed·me" (הִרְאַ֖נִי, 5 letters). 7 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 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + הִרְאַ֖נִי [showed·me] (266) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וְהִנֵּ֖ה [and·behold] (66) + כְּל֥וּב [cage] (58) + קָֽיִץ [summer] (200) = 706.
Rashi
Kiluv ketz. A basket full of the ends of figs that are not good:
Ibn Ezra
Keluv – a basket.
"Summer" – the fruit of summer, upon your summer and upon your harvest.
Radak
"Thus He showed me: a summer basket. A basket full of summer fruits:"
Metzudat David
A summer basket. A basket full of summer fruits:
Metzudat Zion
Klalov. It is like a basket, and similarly, "as a cage full of birds" (Jeremiah 5:27):
"Kayitz." This implies fruits that dry out during the summer months. Likewise, "and the bread and the summer fruit" (2 Samuel 16:1).
Malbim
Thus the Lord showed me also this: The prophet spoke to Amatzia, saying to him: That which was told to him in prophecy—that Israel would be exiled—He showed him in a vision. For the image that was formed in the vision before the prophet indicates that the decree is irrevocable and will come to pass in any case. And he explained the vision that he saw in this matter: That the Lord showed him a cage of summer figs. The cage is a vessel specifically designated for placing birds that the hunter has caught, as it is written, “As a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit.” And the summer figs are dried figs, and it is customary to place them in a basket, not in a cage. And he saw that the figs were placed in the cage.
And He said: ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said: ‘A basket of asummer fruit.’ Then said Hashem to me: I will not again pardon them any more.
verse value 3391
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·I·will·continue" (לֹא־אוֹסִ֥יף, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "went·in" (בָּ֤א), "end" (הַקֵּץ֙). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 16 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 'summer', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 11 words.
Ibn Ezra
And He said – All [these visions] are in the manner of prophetic sights, as it says to Jeremiah: “What do you see?” and he answered: “An almond branch,” and He replied: “For I am watching over My word to perform it” – [meaning] I am watching, I will not cease, nor will I delay, until I have carried out My word. And just as the fruit does not come except at its appointed time, so too the End [of days] comes; I will not add any more for this End. And Yefet said: [He said] “Pass over” his sin — that is, forgive it.
Radak
"And He said." [This phrase] comes to explain to him what was the appearance of the prophecy regarding "the fruits of summer," meaning "the end," to inform him that the end had come upon them to exile them from their land, just as the fruits of summer have reached their end and are gathered from the tree, eaten, and dried; so too, the end of Israel has come to remove them from their place. And "the end" and "summer" may be one matter and one root.
"Pass over him." As we have explained regarding "pass over him for his transgressions."
Metzudat David
“The end has come.” This means that the vision alludes to the fact that the end and the conclusion have come upon the people of Israel, for it says, “You have seen summer, and the end has come,” which is a play on words:
“Pass over him.” To pass over and forgive him for his transgressions.
Malbim
And He said, “What do you see?”—meaning, “What is the novelty in your eyes in this vision?”—“a summer in a cage.” These two things are wondrous: how can one place summer in a cage? And he answered him that both the summer and the cage indicate what is destined to befall Israel. The summer indicates that the end has come for My people Israel, for just as summer is the end of the gathering of the fruits, and it is impossible to pass over the season, so too has the final end arrived, which I shall no longer postpone, nor will it be altered, nor delayed to another time.
And the songs of the palace shall be wailings in that day, Says the Lord Hashem; The dead bodies shall be many; In every place silence shall be cast.
verse value 2493
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "many" (רַ֣ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·shall·wail" (וְהֵילִ֜ילוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 65: palace, my·lord, silence. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·shall·wail" (וְהֵילִ֜ילוּ), "songs·of" (שִׁיר֤וֹת), "palace" (הֵיכָל֙). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos); "in·the·day" (root יום, 21x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְהֵילִ֜ילוּ [and·shall·wail] (97) + שִׁיר֤וֹת [songs·of] (916) + הֵיכָל֙ [palace] (65) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֔וּא [that] (17) + נְאֻ֖ם [utterance] (91) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + רַ֣ב [many] (202) + הַפֶּ֔גֶר [corpse] (288) + בְּכׇל־מָק֖וֹם [in·all·place] (238) + הִשְׁלִ֥יךְ [has·cast·down] (365) + הָֽס [silence] (65) = 2493.
Rashi
"Service of the Sanctuary." They are the singers who sing within their palaces during their banquets.
“Many a corpse.” [Targum:] many corpses of the slain.
In every place, one will say: 'cast out and take away' — hush! In every location, it is stated: "Cast out and remove from here these corpses."
Ibn Ezra
And they shall lament, "Many are the corpses"—the slain.
In every place, [the text] inserts the word "Hush" (not merely the letter samekh) "samekh" so as not to weaken the hearts of the listeners.
Radak
"And their songs shall be turned into mourning." The songs and melodies that they used to sing in their temples shall be transformed for them into wailing. And regarding "songs" and "wailing," the intent is to say that they shall be transformed into wailing for them. And it is in this sense that it is said: "Before Him, sorrow shall flee."
“Many are the corpses; in every place they are cast out — silence!” In every place where they cast out the dead corpses, one of those casting [them out] says to his fellow, “Hush!” — that is to say, let us be silent and not cry out, and let us accept the [divine] judgment upon ourselves as just, as we explained above. And the Targum renders: “in every place he says: be silent and still,” as he translated above.
Metzudat David
And they shall wail. The songs and hymns that they used to sing in their temples shall be turned into wailing; in place of the songs, they shall wail.
“Rav ha-pegar” – then the corpses of the slain will be many, and in every place where the one who casts casts those many corpses, there will be silence and stillness of voice, for those who see will not cry out nor raise their voice, so as not to weaken the heart of the people.
Metzudat Zion
And they lamented. The word is from the root of "lamentation":
Shiruyot. From the word shir and zemer:
הפגר. So too, the body of the deceased is called a "corpse," as it says: "and the weight of the corpse" (Nahum 3:3).
The matter of silence is like the case of "and he said hush" (above, 6:10).
Malbim
And the songs of the Temple were turned into mourning on that day: the songs that were sung in the Temple of the idols would be transformed into lamentation, for the calamity had come upon them. And that they were placed in a cage, which is a vessel specifically designed for holding captured birds, serves as an allusion that there would be abundant corpses, such that the corpses would be as numerous as the carcasses of hunted birds, to the extent that they would be left in every place, and they would not all remain in the cage, but rather would be cast out from the cage; for indeed, the cage would be seen empty of birds. This means that their carcasses would be scattered in the midst of the streets.
"Hush" (has): This word has no explanation. It appears that the prophet had another matter to reveal, but he feared to disclose it due to the danger, and thus he said "hush," meaning that one must remain silent and not reveal the matter. The matter that the prophet concealed at this time he explained in Isaiah (7:8) in his statement, "Yet sixty-five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it shall be no longer a people." Its interpretation is that in sixty-five years from the time that Amos prophesied, Israel would be exiled from its land. You have heard that from that prophecy until the exile of the Ten Tribes was sixty-five years. And we do not find in the words of Amos that he specified the time explicitly, for he was commanded not to reveal it in plain terms, but only by allusion, and he transmitted it by tradition to the sons of the prophets. And he said "hush," meaning that one must remain silent. And he chose this word whose numerical value is sixty-five, thereby alluding that in sixty-five years, according to the numerical value of "hush," this matter would occur.
The reason he did not reveal the time explicitly is that a prophet who prophesies of a future calamity without specifying a time does not cause distress in the eyes of the people, for they know that evil decrees are sometimes changed or their time extended due to a change in the people's deeds for the good, as it is written, "The vision which is for an appointed time" (Ezekiel 12:27). But if one specifies a definite time, this indicates that the time is near and that the matter will not change in any way. And the Lord did not wish for this to be said openly. And he said the word "hush," to allude that there is here a concealment from which he remains silent, and also to allude to the time by the numerical value of "hush," and he transmitted it to the sons of the prophets by tradition. And Isaiah, who was in the days of Ahaz, which was close to that time, explained the matter, that the word "hush" means that in sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken, that it shall be no longer a people, and there would be abundant corpses everywhere.
Hear this, O you that would swallow the needy, And destroy the poor of the land,
verse value 2644
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "humble·of" ((ענוי), 4 letters) and the longest is "hear·this" (שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֕את, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "hear·this" (שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֕את), "needy" (אֶבְי֑וֹן), "and·to·destroy" (וְלַשְׁבִּ֖ית). The root ענו appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'needy', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֕את [hear·this] (824) + הַשֹּׁאֲפִ֖ים [that·gasp] (436) + אֶבְי֑וֹן [needy] (69) + וְלַשְׁבִּ֖ית [and·to·destroy] (748) + (ענוי) [humble·of] (136) + עֲנִיֵּי־אָֽרֶץ [poor·land] (431) = 2644.
Rashi
“Those who pant [greedily]. Those who swallow up the needy:”
And to cause them to cease. Like "and to cause to cease," and a parallel is "to destroy her strongholds" (Isaiah 23:11) and "to go to tell it in Jezreel" (2 Kings 9:15).
Ibn Ezra
“Hear... those who pant after” — like “a man pants after [swallows] me up” (Psalm 56:2, sha’afani enosh), “she snuffs up the wind” (Jeremiah 2:24, sha’afah ruach).
"ולשבית" – meaning "to cause to cease," similar to "לשמיד" (to destroy), with the lamed being open [with a patach] in order to indicate the presence of the heh, so that the meaning is "to cause them to cease," i.e., to annihilate them.
Radak
“Hear this, you who pant after the needy.” [It is] a matter of swallowing up, like “man pants after [swallows] me up” (Psalm 56:2, sha’afani enosh) and “the thirsty swallow up their wealth” (Job 5:5, ve-sha’af tzammim cheylam). And it is explained as if they swallow him up when they take his money through fraud and deceit — and these are the rich, the hoarders of produce.
"And to cause the humble of the land to cease." Just as it says "to cause to cease" (lehshavit), so too "to destroy" (leshmid) her strongholds (Isaiah 23:11), just as it says "to destroy" (lehshmid). And the meaning is: they intend to eliminate them from the world, by taking what belongs to them through deceit and robbery.
“Poor of the land.” It is written as “the humble” (anuy), and the poor are, for the most part, humble.
Metzudat David
“Those who swallow up the needy.” You are those who swallow up the poor and engage in eliminating the poor of the land from the world.
Metzudat Zion
The aspirers. The matter is one of swallowing and drawing toward the mouth, as it is said: “man swallows me up” (Psalms 56:2).
And to abolish. Like "and to abolish," and similarly "to go" and "to tell" (II Kings 9:15). Its rule is that "to tell" and "to abolish" are matters of nullification and prevention, as in "the oppressor has ceased" (Isaiah 14).
Malbim
“Hear now this” returns to what he began, saying regarding the three sins of Israel, etc., “for having sold the righteous for silver,” which is concluded with the decree because they oppressed the poor and the needy. He says that those who aspire and covet to swallow up the needy, and to make the poor of the land cease from their work—namely, those who strive that the poor should be idle from their labor—should hear this, regarding the observance of the Sabbatical year and the release of debts, as will be explained.
Saying: ‘When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the sabbath, that we may set forth corn? Making the ephah small, and the shekel great, And falsifying the balances of deceit;
verse value 5582
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "when" (מָתַ֞י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·let·us·open·grain" (וְנִפְתְּחָה־בָּ֑ר, 8 letters). 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "when" (מָתַ֞י), "will·pass" (יַעֲבֹ֤ר), "the·month" (הַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙). The root שבר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 52x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·let·us·open·grain', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
"When will the month pass?" This refers to the expectation: they anticipate the time when grain will become expensive, and they will sell it to the poor at interest and seize their fields. "The month will pass." The Targum renders: "When will the year be intercalated?" and the intercalary month will come. The term "passing" (he'berah) is similar to (Jeremiah 46:17): "He caused the appointed time to pass." And since they postpone the offering of the Omer, and the year is extended, the old grain becomes expensive.
“And the Sabbath — and we will set forth grain.” When will the Sabbatical year come, and grain become dear, and we open our storehouses of grain?
"To diminish the ephah." To sell by a small measure and receive our money by a large shekel.
Ibn Ezra
"To say" — [they said] regarding the storehouses of grain, "Perhaps a year of famine will come when this month passes and no rain falls; then we will sell the grain at a high price, and they will reduce the ephah with which they measure the grain, and increase the shekel to take more; and these are words of deceit concerning the stone and the scales."
Radak
"To say, 'the month'—the month of harvest, so that the poor will find what to eat in the fields, and afterward they will come to us to buy grain."
And the Sabbath, and the storehouse of grain was opened. And when the month passes and the poor come to buy, they will push them away to another Sabbath, saying, “Let this week pass, and in the next week the storehouse of grain will be opened and we will sell.” And they push them away thus until the grain becomes expensive and they sell at their will. “A Sabbath of weeks” means seven complete Sabbaths. And Jonathan interpreted “the month” as the intercalary month, and he interpreted “the Sabbath” as the Sabbatical year, which they translate as: “When will the intercalary month arrive, and we will sell the intercalary month and the Sabbatical year, and open the storehouses?” For since the intercalary year lengthens the year, the grain becomes expensive; and likewise in the Sabbatical year, since they do not sow, the grain becomes expensive, and the storehouses of fruit desire the year of dearth.
And we will sell (ve-nashbirah). And we will sell, for one who sells grain is called “mashbir,” like “he was the provider (ha-mashbir) to all the people of the land” (Genesis 42:6), [and] “food for money you shall sell me (tashbireni)” (Deuteronomy 2:28). And grain is called “shever” because it breaks the famine, and so it says “the breaking of the famine of your houses” (Genesis 42:19), after the manner of “the wild asses break [quench] their thirst” (Psalm 104:11).
"To diminish the ephah." They diminish the ephah in which they sell, and they enlarge the shekel with which they take [payment]. Thus, they gather [more] in a large weight from those who purchase the grain, and the stone with which they weigh the silver they enlarge. Moreover, they falsify the balances, which are deceitful balances, after they have distorted them. Likewise, "you shall strip the naked of their garments," and likewise, "you shall grind flour," and similar cases. Behold, in three ways they deceive the poor in their sale of grain to them.
Metzudat David
"To say" – meaning that they are asking, "When will the month pass?" That is to say, the well-known month of the harvest, for during the days of the harvest the poor find food to eat from the gleanings, the forgotten sheaf, and the corner of the field, and they do not purchase grain for their sustenance.
And we will sell grain. When the month passes, they will find nothing to eat, and then we will sell them the grain as our souls desire.
"And the Sabbath." The word "when" serves a double function, as if it said: "When will the Sabbath pass?"—that is, the Sabbatical year. For then the poor are supported from the produce of the land that is ownerless, and they do not purchase produce for their food.
And we will open the grain. When the Sabbath passes, then the treasuries of grain are opened.
"To diminish the ephah." This means that they were not sold truthfully and justly; rather, we engage in deceiving them by diminishing the measure of the ephah and increasing the weight of the shekel. Furthermore, they tilt the balance scale to perpetrate fraud, causing the pan holding the weight stone to sink downward, so that it appears that the silver is lacking greatly.
“Deceitful balances.” Since their weighing scales were constructed in such a way that they could tip the scale to whatever they desired, therefore they called them “deceitful balances.”
Metzudat Zion
"ונשבירה" (and we will break). The seller of grain is called a "meshavir" (breaker), as in "the one who breaks for all the land" (Genesis 42:6). "Shever" is the term used for grain, as it is also stated: "the shever (grain) of your famine" (Genesis 43). This is because it breaks the famine, in the manner of "they break the thirst of the wild beasts" (Psalms 104:11).
"And the Sabbath." Likewise, the Sabbatical year is called a "Sabbath," as it is written: "And in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest..." (Leviticus 25:4).
Bar. "Grain" is like "to buy grain" (Genesis 42:3):
An ephah. The name of a measure, containing three se'ahs.
And to pervert. A matter of crookedness and of something improper; and it is from the word “avon” (iniquity).
Malbim
"To speak against those who aspire [to gain], the poor man who has no field, and whose entire livelihood comes from gathering the forgotten sheaf and the corner of the field. They say, 'When will the month pass?' meaning the month of the harvest, during which they are sustained by the gifts to the poor. Or perhaps the meaning is, 'When will the month be intercalated,' so that Nisan will pass its appointed time, and then the harvest of the barley will be delayed on account of the Omer, and the poor man will lack his food. And then we will sell grain at a high price. And when will the Sabbath come, meaning the Sabbatical year, which corresponds to what is written, 'And let the poor of your land have rest.' The poor man who has a field looks forward to the Sabbatical year, when he has no produce from his field. And then 'the treasures of the good grain will be opened, and the price will be low.' And then we will sell according to our desire. And the fraud will be in three matters: A) To reduce the ephah; B) To increase the shekel; C) To use deceitful balances, which is fraud in weight through the scales."
That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of shoes, And sell the refuse of the corn?’
verse value 2307
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "grain" (בַּ֖ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·needy" (וְאֶבְי֖וֹן, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "to·buy" (לִקְנ֤וֹת), "and·refuse" (וּמַפַּ֥ל), "grain" (בַּ֖ר). 9 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sandals', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: לִקְנ֤וֹת [to·buy] (586) + בַּכֶּ֙סֶף֙ [silver] (162) + דַּלִּ֔ים [low] (84) + וְאֶבְי֖וֹן [and·needy] (75) + בַּעֲב֣וּר [for] (280) + נַעֲלָ֑יִם [sandals] (200) + וּמַפַּ֥ל [and·refuse] (156) + בַּ֖ר [grain] (202) + נַשְׁבִּֽיר [we·may·sell] (562) = 2307.
Rashi
"For sandals." [Targum:] in order that they may take possession.
And the refuse of the grain we will sell. And the crushed of the grain we will sell: We will sell for a high price to the poor the refuse that fell from the wheat in the sieve.
Ibn Ezra
"To acquire" – The poor, in their distress, sell themselves for money to acquire bread, and even for a trivial matter such as shoes, due to extreme hardship.
“And the refuse of grain we will sell” — that which falls from the sieve, we will sell.
Radak
"To acquire." They scheme against them in what they will do to them, so that they will acquire them, meaning that they will acquire their fields and vineyards for cheap prices due to their general distress. And they bring them to this distress through their deceptions. They also think to acquire them themselves as slaves, as it is said, "If your brother becomes impoverished with you and sells himself to you."
"And the poor man, on account of shoes." Even on account of shoes, which is a trivial matter, they scheme to acquire them through their wiles which they devise. And Jonathan rendered in the Targum: "on account of shoes" as "in order that they may take possession." And we have already written its explanation above.
“And the refuse of the grain we will sell.” And they also say that even the refuse of the grain we will sell to them in time of dearth, when it is not customary to sell it at other times. A “broken grain” is that which falls beneath the sieve when sifting the wheat; it is the chaff or refuse of the wheat, and people do not eat it, but rather feed it to the fowl raised in the house, unless there is great scarcity, in which case the poor eat it due to extreme distress.
Metzudat David
"To acquire the poor with money." This means: We will take all their money from them through deception, until nothing remains in their hands, and we will purchase them with money to make them perform labor.
"Because of shoes": This means that she was acquired for a trivial matter, namely, for a pair of shoes.
"And we will sell the refuse of the grain." They also used to say: "We will not sell them clean grain, but we will mix in the chaff that is removed from the grain when it is sifted with the sieve and the sifter, and they will inevitably purchase it together with the chaff."
Metzudat Zion
Shoes. Sandals of the foot:
Refuse (that which falls off). The word is from nefilah/hapalah (falling, discarding):
Malbim
"To acquire," meaning until one lacks enough to provide bread, and then they are acquired with money for slaves; and as for the pauper, who is worse off than the poor, they are acquired for the sake of shoes, meaning for a small matter; and then we will no longer sell grain, which is clean produce, but only bran, the refuse that falls from the sieve, and even for this we will receive a high price.
Hashem has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their works.
verse value 1755
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1755 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "swore" (נִשְׁבַּ֥ע, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·their·deeds" (כׇּל־מַעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "in·pride·of" (בִּגְא֣וֹן), "I·will·never·forget" (אִם־אֶשְׁכַּ֥ח), "to·ever" (לָנֶ֖צַח). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: נִשְׁבַּ֥ע [swore] (422) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בִּגְא֣וֹן [in·pride·of] (62) + יַעֲקֹ֑ב [Jacob] (182) + אִם־אֶשְׁכַּ֥ח [I·will·never·forget] (370) + לָנֶ֖צַח [to·ever] (178) + כׇּל־מַעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם [all·their·deeds] (515) = 1755.
Ibn Ezra
"Neshba’" – in the Geon Ya’akov: This is the Exalted Name that the nations do not know, only Ya’akov. And Yefet said: "Upon the Ark is the pride of your strength, and He gave to captives His strength."
Radak
“The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob.” This means: “As I have sworn by Myself,” just as it is stated above, “By Myself,” and He, blessed be He, is the pride of Jacob. Or, alternatively, it means that the “pride of Jacob” refers to the Holy Temple, as it is written, “To the pride of Jacob whom He loves, Selah,” and similarly it is stated above, “I am jealous for the pride of Jacob.” The Holy Temple is the pride of Jacob, for there the Divine Presence dwells, and He swore by His Glory which He caused to reside with Jacob, and they, through their sins, removed it from Him.
Metzudat David
“In the pride of Jacob.” The Temple is so called, as it is written: “and the beauty of his ornament he set for pride” (Ezekiel 7:20).
Malbim
"The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob" — this refers to His holy and honored Name, by which the pride of Jacob was dependent. [He swore] that He would never forget all their deeds; even if I do not punish them immediately, I will not forget, and ultimately they will receive their punishment.
Shall not the land tremble for this, And every one mourn that dwells therein? Indeed, it shall rise up wholly like the River; And it shall be troubled and sink again, like the River of Egypt.
verse value 4824
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Verse gematria: 4824 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "in·it" (בָּ֑הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·tremble" (לֹא־תִרְגַּ֣ז, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "for" (הַ֤עַל), "not·tremble" (לֹא־תִרְגַּ֣ז), "and·will·mourn" (וְאָבַ֖ל). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root על, 28x in Amos); "the·land" (root ארץ, 20x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Shall the land not tremble over this?" Is this sin not worthy for the land to be destroyed on account of it?
“And it shall rise up wholly like light.” And in another place it says, “and it shall rise up wholly like the Nile” (below, 9:5). Targum Yonatan renders both alike: “and a king shall come up against it with his hosts, which are many like a river, and shall cover it entirely.” But it is difficult in my eyes to explain “ka-or” (like light) as “ki-or” (like the Nile). Rather it may be explained like “He spreads His cloud of light” (Job 37:11), “He covers the light” (Job 36:32): and it shall rise up like a rain-cloud, all of it dark and gloomy.
And she shall be driven out and shall sink, like the Nile of Egypt. The Nile rises once in forty years and waters the land. When it rises, it brings up mud and mire upon its banks, and when it recedes after watering, it returns to its banks, and its waters become clear. It is called "sinking" (shekiah) because the mud that troubled its waters sinks down. And "she shall be driven out" (ve-negaresha) is like [the verse] (Isaiah 27:9) "And He shall drive out its waters, mud and mire," even so the land shall vomit out the wicked ones within it, and afterward it shall rest.
Ibn Ezra
"Ha'al, ve'alatah ka'ar" – The word is written defectively, lacking a yod, as if it were written "ki'or" (like the Nile). The proof for this is that it repeats this verse at the end of the chapter, and there it is written "alatah ki'or kolah" (it rose up wholly like the Nile). The meaning is that the land is worthy to tremble and sink, for it is upon the waters, as it is written: "Who stretched out the earth over the waters."
Radak
"Shall the earth not tremble at this?" If the earth does not tremble at this evil, it is a logical conclusion that the earth should tremble from its place and be overturned.
“And it shall be desolate.” And all who dwell in it shall be ruined, for who can endure such great oppression? Just as the earth was ruined in the Flood because of oppression, and Sodom and Gomorrah were overturned because of oppression, so too is it fitting that this land be ruined because of this oppression.
And it shall rise up, all of it, like the River, and it shall be driven out and submerged like the Nile of Egypt. It is fitting that it should rise entirely with waters, like the Nile from Egypt, which rises, becomes powerful, and spreads over the entire land; and 'ka'or' is like 'ki'or', as it says "like the Nile." And so it states below when it repeats the verse: "And it shall rise like the Nile, all of it."
"And it shall be driven out." This means that it shall be driven out from its place, and waters shall cover it, and it shall sink into the midst of the waters, like the Nile of Egypt which covers the dry land when it goes out. For when the earth shall quake with a great quake, the place of its opening shall be filled with water, and the waters shall grow strong until they cover that place. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained: "And it shall be driven out and sunk" – they shall go into exile from their dwelling place, like the Nile which goes out from its place and sinks into the ditches and depressions that are dug around it. So too shall they sink in exile. And Jonathan rendered: "And the king shall ascend," etc.
“And it shall sink (ve-nishke’ah).” “Ve-nishka” is the ketiv, and the ketiv is a matter of watering (mashkeh), like “for it was all well-watered” (Genesis 13:10, ki khullah mashkeh) — meaning that it (the land) should become all water. And the keri, “ve-nishke’ah,” is clearer still: that it should be sunk within the water.
Metzudat David
“Concerning this.” And for such a deed, shall not the land tremble, and shall not all who dwell in it be destroyed?
"And she shall rise as the light." This means that it is fitting for the waters to rise over all of it, just as the Nile River covers the entire land when it flows out to irrigate the fields.
"And they shall be swept away, and they shall sink." The rushing waters will sweep away the mud and mire, and afterwards the mud and mire will sink to the bottom of the waters, like the Nile of Egypt: when it swells and rises, it brings up mud and mire, and afterwards it settles down below. This is to say, regarding the judgment to destroy the wicked from the land, and afterwards there will be relief.
Metzudat Zion
Targaz. The matter of the motion of trembling:
And mourning. The matter of destruction is like "the land mourns" (Joel 1:10):
As [the word] "Ka'or." Just as "Khyaur" is the Nile, and the yod has fallen away.
And she shall be divorced. The term refers to "divorce" and "being shaken off" and "sinking." The matter of sinking into the depths is akin to: "Then I will make their waters sink" (Ezekiel 32:14).
Malbim
“Upon this,” meaning: How can I forget their deeds? And even if I wished to forget, the earth itself will tremble from its place to swallow its inhabitants, until all who dwell in it are consumed. For when the order of propriety and conduct between man and man is corrupted by such depravity, nature itself will exact vengeance to destroy its inhabitants. The prophet, in his eloquent style, depicted the calamity that would befall them through three rhetorical images: a) the anger and trembling of the earth; b) the overflowing flood that covers the land. He drew this image from the Nile River, which covers the soil and swells due to the rains falling on the mountains of the land of Cush (Ethiopia). The vapors rising from the land of Egypt are driven to the mountains of Cush, where water floods from the mountains and returns to cover Egypt. This is what is meant by “and it shall rise like a flood, all of it.” He calls the river “a flood” (or) after the rains coming from the sky. At the time of the river’s rising, its waters drive out mud and clay until they settle, and then the waters rest. The allegory is that initially a rebellion arose against their king Hoshea son of Elah, as I have explained regarding Hoshea in many places. This corresponds to the trembling of the earth coming from within. The rebels informed the king of Assyria that Hoshea had conspired against him and sent messengers to So, king of Egypt. This corresponds to the flood of rain going out from the land to Cush. Consequently, the king of Assyria came upon them like a rushing stream, as it is stated: “Behold, I will bring upon them the waters of the river, mighty and many, the king of Assyria,” etc. He drove out mud and clay and flooded the land. Then it subsided because he exiled its inhabitants, as the prophet alluded to in Ezekiel chapter 32: “Then I will make their waters stand still,” etc., because no foot of man or beast was found there, due to the desolation and ruin of the land.
And it shall come to pass in that day, Says the Lord Hashem, That I will cause the sun to go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in the clear day.
verse value 3034
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "utterance" (נְאֻם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·darken" (וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: in·the·day, in·day·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·I·will·bring" (וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י), "sun" (הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ), "at·noon" (בַּֽצׇּהֳרָ֑יִם). The root יום 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); "in·the·day" (root יום, 21x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'at·noon', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֣ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֗וּא [that] (17) + נְאֻם֙ [utterance] (91) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י [and·I·will·bring] (424) + הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ [sun] (645) + בַּֽצׇּהֳרָ֑יִם [at·noon] (347) + וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י [and·I·will·darken] (749) + לָאָ֖רֶץ [to·the·land] (321) + בְּי֥וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + אֽוֹר [light] (207) = 3034.
Rashi
“And I will bring the sun at noon.” When they will have great peace, a sudden downfall will come. And our Sages said (Moed Katan 25a): This is the day of Yoshiyahu, who died by the sword of peace, as our Sages said (Taanit 22b): There is no sword of peace greater than Pharaoh Necho, who said to Yoshiyahu (II Chronicles 35:21): “What have I to do with you? I do not come against you today, but against the house with which I am at war.”
The sun. The kingdom of the House of David is likened to the sun, as it is stated (Psalms 89:37): “And his throne shall be like the sun before Me.”
Ibn Ezra
והיה - I will change the custom of the sun coming at midday, as it is said: "And darkness shall be upon them at midday."
Radak
"And it shall come to pass on that day." On the day of the destruction of the Land.
“And I will bring the sun at noon.” This is a parable for the great distress that will befall them, in accordance with what is said, “And the day shall be darkened over them.”
Metzudat David
“And I will bring.” I will cause the sun to sink at noon, at the time of its full strength. That is to say, when they are sitting in tranquility and ease, the calamity will come suddenly.
"And I will bring darkness." I will bring darkness upon the land on a day that has abundant light, and this is a repetition of the matter stated in the preceding verse.
Metzudat Zion
"And I will bring." The term refers to the setting [of the sun], as in "and the sun shall set, and he shall be clean" (Leviticus 22:7).
"At noon." This means half of the day.
Malbim
“And it shall come to pass on that day, and I will bring the sun down at noon”: Now, he grasps the image of a third thing that will be formed: darkness in their land. This is either from above, that the sun will come [to set], and this is an allegory for the withdrawal of the Holy One, blessed be He, from them, and for the darkening of their fortune and their success; and also, “and I will darken the land,” that there will be darkness from the side of the land from below, namely clouds and mist, which is attributed to the land. And this is an allegory for the confounding of their counsel and the thwarting of their might. And both of these will be contrary to nature and contrary to the order of the world. And therefore it says: “at noon, in the day of light.”
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, And baldness upon every head; And I will make it as the mourning for an only son, And the end thereof as a bitter day.
verse value 5879
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "sackcloth" (שָׂ֔ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·your·songs" (וְכׇל־שִֽׁירֵיכֶם֙, 9 letters). 15 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·I·will·turn" (וְהָפַכְתִּ֨י), "to·mourning" (לְאֵ֗בֶל), "and·all·your·songs" (וְכׇל־שִֽׁירֵיכֶם֙). The root אבל appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·day" (root יום, 21x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'baldness', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
"And I will turn your feasts into mourning." This is in accordance with what is stated (2 Chronicles 35:24): "And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah."
And all your songs are for a dirge. As it is stated there (ibid.): “And all the singing men and singing women spoke in their dirges.”
Like the mourning for an only child. Like a father who mourns for his only son:
Ibn Ezra
“And I will overturn [it] and set it down” – the meaning is that the land, for all its inhabitants, will mourn like a father mourning for his only son.
And its end will be like a bitter day—such as has not been seen before.
Radak
“And I will overturn, and I will make it like a mourner for an only child.” I will make the land a great mourner, like one who mourns for his only son, which is a great mourning for him; and so will the inhabitants of the land mourn with very heavy mourning.
And its end is like a bitter day. The matter is repeated in different words, for the mourning of an individual is a bitter day.
Metzudat David
“And I will turn.” In exchange for the joy of the festival, there will be mourning; and in exchange for the song, there will be a dirge.
“And I will bring up.” This means that I will bring upon them distress, until they all don sackcloth around their loins and shave a bald patch on their heads, which are signs of suffering and mourning.
"And I will make her." I will cause the congregation of Israel to mourn in the manner of mourning that is observed for a deceased only child.
Like a bitter day. It is the day of the death of an only child, and the matter is doubled in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
Qorchah (baldness). The matter of falling out and plucking of the hair, as in 'karach hu' (he is bald) (Leviticus 13:40):
Malbim
"And I will turn your feasts into mourning": In a feast, one does not mourn for the past, but only for the present and the future, for which mourning is always appropriate; "and your songs into dirges": The dirge is only for the past; "and I will bring sackcloth upon all loins": Sackcloth is worn for prayer and fasting regarding a present or future calamity; "and baldness upon every head": Baldness is for the past. This means that they will lament and shave their heads for the past, and mourn and wear sackcloth for the present and the future.
And He made it like the mourning of one who has lost an only child, like one who mourns for his only son, since no other son remains to comfort him. And He adds, “and its end is like a bitter day,” for one whose son has died is still consoled by the fact that he himself is alive; but its end will be like the day of death, when all hope is lost.
Behold, the days come, says the Lord Hashem, That I will send a famine in the land, Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of Hashem.
verse value 3572
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·send" (וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֥י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·I·will·send" (וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֥י), "famine" (רָעָ֖ב), "not·famine" (לֹא־רָעָ֤ב). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos); "for" (root כי, 22x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
"But rather, to hear." [This means] that the Holy Spirit shall cease from among you.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, and I will send" – like "I am sending you," because Amaziah said, "Do not prophesy," for the prophets will die.
Radak
"Behold, days are coming." Since they had grown weary of the prophecy of God, blessed be He, as stated above, "You shall not prophesy, nor shall you admonish," He said that there will yet come days when they will long for the prophecy of God, blessed be He, and will not find it. These are all the days of the Second Temple period, after the prophecy of the prophet Malachi, for with him prophecy ceased; and likewise, all the days of this present exile.
“And I will send famine in the land.” In the Land of Israel, they will experience both this famine and this thirst, just as a hungry person wanders about seeking bread, and just as a thirsty person searches to find water; so too will Israel wander about seeking the word of the Lord—which is prophecy—after prophecy ceases, and they will not find it. This will be the case throughout all the days of the Second Temple and throughout all the days of this exile.
Metzudat David
"but to listen, etc." – This means that they should be eager for prophecy, yet they will not find it, for prophecy ceased during their exile.
Malbim
“Behold, days are coming” – in contrast to what will be stated in verse 13, which says that on that day of exile they will faint from thirst because they did not wish to hearken to the voice of the Lord – [the prophet] precedes this by saying that there will yet come days when the famine that I shall send upon the land will not be a famine for bread, nor will the thirst be a thirst for water, as it was on the day of exile; rather, the famine and thirst will be to hear the word of the Lord. This occurred during the Second Temple period, when the word of the Lord was precious in those days, for after the last prophets, prophecy ceased. Nevertheless, the Divine Spirit still rested upon them, and they utilized the bat kol (heavenly voice), and they sought after the word of the Lord, being thirsty to hear His words.
And they shall wander from sea to sea, And from the north even to the east; They shall run to and fro to seek the word of Hashem, And shall not find it.
verse value 2542
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "from·sea" (מִיָּ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (אֶת־דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "to·sea" (עַד־יָ֔ם), "north" (וּמִצָּפ֖וֹן), "even·to·the·east" (וְעַד־מִזְרָ֑ח). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "and·not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'even·to·the·east', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְנָעוּ֙ [and·they·will·quiver] (132) + מִיָּ֣ם [from·sea] (90) + עַד־יָ֔ם [to·sea] (124) + וּמִצָּפ֖וֹן [north] (272) + וְעַד־מִזְרָ֑ח [even·to·the·east] (335) + יְשׁ֥וֹטְט֛וּ [they·shall·roam] (340) + לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ [to·seek] (432) + אֶת־דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה [word·of·Hashem] (633) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + יִמְצָֽאוּ [they·will·find] (147) = 2542.
Ibn Ezra
And they shall wander—from the Sea of Reeds (Yam Suf), which is south of the Land of Israel, extending to the Great Sea, the setting of the sun, shall the Israelites wander.
Radak
“And they shall move from sea to sea.” The Sage Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra, of blessed memory, explained: “Mim” refers to the southern sea, which is the Sea of Reeds, until “Yam” the Great Sea, which is the west of the Land of Israel, and from north to east. Thus, the four directions are mentioned. And behold, in the Land of Israel the words of prophecy are not found, all the more so outside the Land of Israel, and in the days of exile.
Metzudat David
"And they shall be moved." They shall be moved to go. The southern sea is the Red Sea, which is in the south of the Land of Israel, to the western sea, and from the northern boundary to the eastern boundary. This means that even in the Land of Israel, prophecy shall cease.
They will wander about. They will go hither and thither to seek words of prophecy, but they will not find them.
Metzudat Zion
And they wandered. From the language of movement:
They will wander. The meaning of walking to and fro, as in "wander in the streets of Jerusalem" (Jeremiah 5:1):
Malbim
“And they shall wander, and after these days they shall wander from sea to sea”—this refers to the southern sea to the western sea, and from the north they shall wander to the east, for they shall be scattered to the four corners of the heavens. And in every place where they wander in exile, they shall roam seeking the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it, for after the destruction, even the bat kol (heavenly voice) and the manifestation of the word of the Lord ceased.
In that day shall the fair virgins And the young men faint for thirst.
verse value 2864
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·day" (בַּיּ֨וֹם, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·young·men" (וְהַבַּחוּרִ֖ים, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "shall·faint" (תִּ֠תְעַלַּ֠פְנָה), "the·virgins" (הַבְּתוּלֹ֧ת), "fair" (הַיָּפ֛וֹת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·day" (root יום, 21x in Amos). Full calculation: בַּיּ֨וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֜וּא [that] (17) + תִּ֠תְעַלַּ֠פְנָה [shall·faint] (1035) + הַבְּתוּלֹ֧ת [the·virgins] (843) + הַיָּפ֛וֹת [fair] (501) + וְהַבַּחוּרִ֖ים [and·the·young·men] (277) + בַּצָּמָֽא [in·the·thirst] (133) = 2864.
Rashi
“Tete’alpana.” Their spirit shall be scattered, like “and he fainted” (Jonah 4:8), and likewise “the trees of the field fainted” (Ezekiel 31:4–5), and likewise in the language of the Mishnah: “yit'alpeh (it faints).” In the vernacular: [they will faint].
Ibn Ezra
"In that day" – The reason is that when they do not find the word of the Lord, the virgins will weep, even the beautiful ones, until their beauty will not avail them, for they will be disfigured due to the abundance of their grief; likewise the young men, because the Name has departed from them, like Saul, whom God did not answer, neither through the Urim, nor through dreams, nor through prophets.
Radak
"On that day, they shall faint." The matter of exhaustion and weariness of the soul, to the extent that a person cannot stand on his own, and his spirit nearly departs; and similarly, "And the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, and he fainted," and in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, "Lest she faint."
“The virgins, fair to see, and the young men in thirst.” Even the virgins and young men, whose custom is to engage in the pleasures of the world, will thirst for the word of the Lord to hear it; for the days during which it will be withheld from them, they will desire it greatly.
Metzudat David
"On that day." This is the day of retribution:
“Betzama.” On account of thirst, the young men and the virgins will faint, because they will not find water to drink when they go into exile.
Metzudat Zion
"tate'afanah" – the matter of weakness and the absence of sensation, as it is said: "Your children have fainted" (Isaiah 51:20).
Malbim
"On that day" means that all of this will occur in the future days to come, but "on that day" refers to the day mentioned above, where it says, "And the songs of the Temple shall be lamented on that day," and "It shall be on that day that I will cause the sun to set at noon." This is the day designated for the exile of the Ten Tribes, which will occur in sixty-five years. The elders and those who seek the Lord shall not thirst, nor shall there be thirst for the word of the Lord. Only the beautiful virgins and the young men shall faint from literal thirst for water, because they are not thirsty for the word of the Lord, but only they [thirst for water].
They that swear by the sin of Samaria, And say: ‘As your God, O Dan, lives’; And: ‘As the way of Beer-sheba lives’; Even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
verse value 3481
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "by·the·life·of" (חֵ֤י) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 3481 = 59². The shortest word is "by·the·life·of" (חֵ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·shall·rise" (וְלֹא־יָק֥וּמוּ, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "that·swear" (הַנִּשְׁבָּעִים֙), "in·guilt·of" (בְּאַשְׁמַ֣ת), "by·the·life·of" (חֵ֤י). The root חי appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·shall·say" (root אמר, 52x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Beer-sheba', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַנִּשְׁבָּעִים֙ [that·swear] (477) + בְּאַשְׁמַ֣ת [in·guilt·of] (743) + שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן [Samaria] (596) + וְאָמְר֗וּ [and·they·shall·say] (253) + חֵ֤י [by·the·life·of] (18) + אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ [your·God] (66) + דָּ֔ן [Dan] (54) + וְחֵ֖י [and·he·shall·live] (24) + דֶּ֣רֶךְ [way] (224) + בְּאֵֽר־שָׁ֑בַע [Beer-sheba] (575) + וְנָפְל֖וּ [and·they·shall·fall] (172) + וְלֹא־יָק֥וּמוּ [and·not·shall·rise] (199) + עֽוֹד [again] (80) = 3481.
Rashi
"As your god lives, O Dan." One of the calves that Jeroboam set up in Dan.
Ibn Ezra
“The ones who swear”—and those who fear Him, so shall it be; they will fall and not rise again.
Radak
“The ones who swear by the guilt of Samaria” – Just as they currently despise the word of the Lord and swear “By the guilt of Samaria” and “As your god lives, O Dan,” instead of “As the Lord lives,” so too will they later yearn for Him and not find Him. And the “guilt of Samaria” is the calf that was in Bethel. He attributes it to Samaria because Samaria was the capital of the kingdom of Ephraim, and the kings were those who upheld the worship of the calves, and the people followed after them, as we explained above.
And they said, “As your God lives, Dan.” And they said, as one swore to his fellow, “As your God lives, who is in Dan,” and it was the calf, because one was in Dan, and they swore by that one who was in Bethel and by that one who was in Dan.
“And, as the way of Beersheba lives.” For from Beersheba, which was the end of one boundary, they would go to the calf that was in Dan, which was at the end of the other boundary, as it is written, “From Dan to Beersheba.” And because they were so attached to the worship of the calves, they thought that they would receive a good reward if they would go from worshipping the one that was in Dan, as it is written, “And the people went before the one to Dan.” And they would swear, “By Him to whom we went by way of Beersheba.”
“And they shall fall.” Those who do so shall fall and rise no more. And Jonathan rendered [it] “those who uphold [the oath],” etc.; and he translated “derekh” (way) as in “and you shall make known to them the way” (Exodus 18:20).
Metzudat David
Those who take oaths. This means that they are the ones who take oaths by the calf of Samaria, and in their oath they will say to one another: "I swear by your living God, the calf that stands in Dan."
"And, As the way of Beersheba lives." This means: [they swear by] the life of those who go the way of Beersheba to the altars that stood there for idolaters, as it is stated, "You shall not pass beyond Beersheba" (above 5:5).
“And they shall fall.” Therefore, it says “they shall fall” and not “they shall rise again,” meaning that in the time of the Second Temple they shall not rise again, but in the future Redemption all of them, both Judah and Ephraim, shall rise.
Metzudat Zion
“By the guilt-offering.” The word is derived from “asham” (guilt-offering). And so too, you read regarding idol worship: “from the guilt of his servants,” and so too you read: “the transgression,” as it is written: “and the transgression is there” (Daniel 8).
Furthermore. The matter of "a long time" and its parallel is "and he wept upon his necks yet" (Genesis 46:29):
Malbim
Those who swear by the guilt offering of Samaria, referring to the calves that the kings of Samaria made, and who swear by the calf that was in Dan, and by the way of Beersheba—the path through which they used to travel to Bethel—therefore they shall fall and not rise again, as it is stated at the beginning of his words: “It has fallen and shall not rise again.” And he clarified the matter, saying: “Thus says the Lord: Seek Me, and you shall live; and do not seek Bethel, and do not enter Gilgal, and do not pass over to Beersheba.”
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim