Amos 2:6-10, 13-16
#377 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
For three crimes of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke my word;
Because they sell the just man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals.
They trample the heads of the weak
into the dust of the earth,
and force the lowly out of the way.
Son and father go to the same prostitute,
profaning my holy name.
Upon garments taken in pledge
they recline beside any altar;
And the wine of those who have been fined
they drink in the house of their god.
Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them,
who were as tall as the cedars,
and as strong as the oak trees.
I destroyed their fruit above,
and their roots beneath.
It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and who led you through the desert for forty years,
to occupy the land of the Amorites.
Beware, I will crush you into the ground
as a wagon crushes when laden with sheaves.
Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong man shall not retain his strength;
The warrior shall not save his life,
nor the bowman stand his ground;
The swift of foot shall not escape,
nor the horseman save his life.
And the most stouthearted of warriors
shall flee naked on that day, says the Lord.
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Commentary on Am 2:6-10, 13-16
Placed in context, the prophet protests against the crimes of Moab (2 Kings 3:9ff). The selection from Amos begins with a detailed list of the crimes the Hebrew people of Jerusalem have committed. They disregard the poor, and treat them without dignity; they take that which was given in tribute to God, and use it for their own pleasure; they turn to idolatry (“they recline beside any altar”). They did so in the face of God’s faithfulness: God stood with their armies as they defeated the Amorites, and was with Moses who led them out of bondage in Egypt.
The prophet concludes with a warning oracle. (“I will crush you into the ground.”) God will abandon them, and they will not be able to hide from his punishment.
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Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12
#378 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Hear this word, O children of Israel, that the Lord pronounces over you,
over the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt:
You alone have I favored,
more than all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you
for all your crimes.
Do two walk together
unless they have agreed?
Does a lion roar in the forest
when it has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from its den
unless it has seized something?
Is a bird brought to earth by a snare
when there is no lure for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground
without catching anything?
If the trumpet sounds in a city, will the people not be frightened?
If evil befalls a city,
has not the Lord caused it?
Indeed, the Lord God does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants, the prophets.
The lion roars—
who will not be afraid!
The Lord God speaks—
who will not prophesy!
I brought upon you such upheaval
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah:
you were like a brand plucked from the fire;
Yet you returned not to me,
says the Lord.
So now I will deal with you in my own way, O Israel!
and since I will deal thus with you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel.
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Commentary on Am 3:1-8; 4:11-12
The Prophet Amos issues a warning to Israel (the Northern Kingdom). He begins his address by explaining that, because the people of Israel are God’s chosen ones, the Lord will hold them to a higher standard of behavior (under the Law of Moses). Then he starts with his own divinely inspired compulsion to exhort them with his prophetic vision using a series of everyday events with which his listeners would have been familiar. (“Do two walk together unless they have agreed?” Agreement goes before harmony. “Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey?” The answer would be understood as no, etc.) The prophet therefore must also speak: “The Lord God speaks—who will not prophesy!” The concluding remarks in this selection indicate the Lord’s judgment is at hand.
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Amos 5:4, 14-15, 21-24
#892 Mass for Various Needs Context (II. For Public Needs, 15. Reconciliation, Third Option)
For thus says the LORD God
Seek me, that you may live.
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
Then truly will the Lord, the God of hosts,
be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate;
Then it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the Lord,
I take no pleasure in your solemnities;
Your cereal offerings I will not accept,
nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings.
Away with your noisy songs!
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
But if you would offer me burnt offerings,
then let justice surge like water,
and goodness like an unfailing stream.
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Commentary on Am 5:4, 14-15, 21-24
The Prophet enjoins the people of Israel to seek salvation in the Lord God as he continues his pronouncement of “Woes to Israel” with what is called the Third Word. “The Lord condemns, not ritual worship in itself, but the cult whose exterior rites and solemnity have no relation to interior morality and justice. The Israelites falsely worshiped him as neighboring nations adored Baal or Chamos, deities which were thought to protect their respective peoples against their enemies in return for ritual observances, without any relation to right conduct.”[1]
CCC: Am 5:21-5 2100; Am 5:24 1435
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Amos 5:14-15, 21-24
#379 Weekday Year II Context (Wednesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
Then truly will the Lord, the God of hosts,
be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate;
Then it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the Lord,
I take no pleasure in your solemnities;
Your cereal offerings I will not accept,
nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings.
Away with your noisy songs!
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
But if you would offer me burnt offerings,
then let justice surge like water,
and goodness like an unfailing stream.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 5:14-15, 21-24
The Prophet continues his pronouncement of “Woes to Israel” with what is called the "Third Word." “The Lord condemns, not ritual worship in itself, but the cult whose exterior rites and solemnity have no relation to interior morality and justice. The Israelites falsely worshiped him as neighboring nations adored Baal or Chamos, deities which were thought to protect their respective peoples against their enemies in return for ritual observances, without any relation to right conduct.”[2]
CCC: Am 5:21-5 2100; Am 5:24 1435
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Amos 6:1a, 4-7
#138C Solemnities C Context (26th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
Thus says the Lord the God of hosts:
Woe to the complacent in Zion!
Lying upon beds of ivory,
stretched comfortably on their couches,
they eat lambs taken from the flock,
and calves from the stall!
Improvising to the music of the harp,
like David, they devise their own accompaniment.
They drink wine from bowls
and anoint themselves with the best oils;
yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!
Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile,
and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 6:1a, 4-7
In his third "woe,” the Prophet Amos warns his own people in the south, through his criticism of the rich and complacent people of the northern kingdom. There are two fragments laid out in this selection. The moral argument is they have lavished themselves in luxury (this includes the people in exile) and have ignored the plight of the poor - a religious duty. The Assyrians have already started their aggression ("Pass over to Calneh and see, go from there to Hamath the great, and down to Gath of the Philistines." Amos 6:2a), and it is clear that their neighbors have not heeded this threat. The broader message is to remain vigilant and faithful, following the commandments of hospitality and charity.
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Amos 7:10-17
#380 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam,
king of Israel:
“Amos has conspired against you here within Israel;
the country cannot endure all his words.
For this is what Amos says:
Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land.”
To Amos, Amaziah said:
“Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”
Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
Now hear the word of the LORD!”
You say: prophesy not against Israel,
preach not against the house of Isaac.
Now thus says the LORD:
Your wife shall be made a harlot in the city,
and your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword;
Your land shall be divided by measuring line,
and you yourself shall die in an unclean land;
Israel shall be exiled far from its land.
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Commentary on Am 7:10-17
This selection shows the tension between prophet (Amos) and priest (Amaziah). The latter takes Amos’ words out of context and distorts them into what appears to be an attack on the king. As a consequence, Amos is expelled from Bethel (the national sanctuary of the northern kingdom), and would no longer be providing guidance to King Jeroboam II as “court visionary” or prophet.
In reply to the savage rebuke of the high priest, Amos lists his credentials. He denounces the professional prophets, and disclaims any connection with them. Amos had no interest in being a prophet for the purpose of earning money. "[He was] a dresser of sycamores: This insipid fruit, which grows especially in the lowlands of Palestine, is related to, but smaller than, the fig; it was the food of the poor."[3]
Amos has the last word (v.17). He gives Amaziah the dooming prophecy for the king and his family. The reference to death “in an unclean land” is a reference to Assyria.
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Amos 7:12-15
#104B Solemnities B Context (15th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos,
"Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple."
Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
Go, prophesy to my people Israel."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 7:12-15
This selection from Amos, the first recorded of the twelve Old Testament prophets, is part of an anthology of visions and oracles delivered by the prophet at Bethel and Samaria. In this passage Amos describes his call to the vocation of prophet as he defends against the persecution of Amaziah.
In reply to the savage rebuke of the high priest, Amos lists his credentials. He denounces the professional prophets and disclaims any connection with them. Amos had no interest in being a prophet for the purpose of earning money. "[He was] a dresser of sycamores: This insipid fruit, which grows especially in the lowlands of Palestine, is related to, but smaller than, the fig; it was the food of the poor." [3]
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Amos 8:4-6, 9-12
#381 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?”
We will diminish the containers for measuring,
add to the weights,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
On that day, says the Lord God,
I will make the sun set at midday
and cover the earth with darkness in broad daylight.
I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentations.
I will cover the loins of all with sackcloth
and make every head bald.
I will make them mourn as for an only son,
and bring their day to a bitter end.
Yes, days are coming, says the Lord God,
when I will send famine upon the land:
Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the Lord.
Then shall they wander from sea to sea
and rove from the north to the east
In search of the word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.
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Commentary on Am 8:4-6, 9-12
In his fourth vision, the prophet Amos’ oracle now turns to God’s response to greed. The Israelites wait impatiently for the end of the holy days (“When will the new moon be over” see Numbers 28:11-15) so they can engage in business. Their practice of cheating on the measure of grain (the ephah is slightly more than a bushel) is strictly forbidden by Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:36 and Deuteronomy 25:13-15).
The response by God is a judgment against them. Although the original intent was an attack on those who were dishonest, we see the deeper allusion to God’s response to the rejection of Christ, and the death of his Son. The total eclipse is always a sign of God’s impending judgment, and the lamentations that follow (“I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentations”). Finally the prediction that the Word of the Lord (the sacred name is used in the Hebrew text) will be gone from them, and they will search for it in vain, can be seen not only as the loss of the prophet (the original intent), but the loss of the Logos, the Messiah.
CCC: Am 8:4-10 2269; Am 8:4-6 2409; Am 8:6 2449; Am 8:11 2835
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Amos 8:4-7
#135C Solemnities C Context (25th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?
We will diminish the ephah,
add to the shekel,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly for silver,
and the poor for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Never will I forget a thing they have done!
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Commentary on Am 8:4-7
This passage marks the beginning of Amos' “Fourth Vision,” that of ripe fruit. The prophet envisions God’s response to greed. The Israelites wait impatiently for the end of the monthly holy days so they can engage in business. (“When will the new moon be over” see Numbers 28:11-15, at the new moon the faithful are required to sacrifice some of their material blessings from God's bounty before they begin selling things.) Their practices of cheating on the measure of grain (the ephah is slightly more than a bushel) is strictly forbidden by Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:36 and Deuteronomy 25:13-15). The Prophet Amos holds the faithful to a higher standard than the shrewd business people who lead them. He denounces injustice, and reminds them that the Lord will hold them to account if they deal badly with the poor and the weak.
CCC: Am 8:4-10 2269; Am 8:4-6 2409; Am 8:6 2449
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Amos 9:11-15
#382 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
On that day I will raise up
the fallen hut of David;
I will wall up its breaches,
raise up its ruins,
and rebuild it as in the days of old,
That they may conquer what is left of Edom
and all the nations that shall bear my name,
say I, the Lord, who will do this.
Yes, days are coming,
says the Lord,
When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
and the vintager, him who sows the seed;
The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains,
and all the hills shall run with it.
I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel;
they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities,
Plant vineyards and drink the wine,
set out gardens and eat the fruits.
I will plant them upon their own ground;
never again shall they be plucked
From the land I have given them,
say I, the Lord, your God.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 9:11-15
The prophet speaks of God’s purpose in causing the fall of the Kingdom of Israel (in actuality all kingdoms of that region in his day). The people were sinful, and those that did not follow God’s Law were either killed or carried off into bondage. But the faithful remnant would be saved and rebuilt (“On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David”), saying that the House of Israel would be restored. The oracle predicts that it will be greater than before. All this is accomplished only through the will and might of God.
“In Acts 15:15-17 St. James interprets this passage in a messianic sense. Fallen hut: the kingdom. The nations that shall bear my name: the Gentile peoples who shall be converted to the Lord, that is, conquered by him, and therefore shall bear his name.”[4]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fin
[1] See NAB footnote on Amos 5:21
[2] ibid
[3] See Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 14:34, pp. 251.
[4] NAB footnote on Amos 9:11-12
#377 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
For three crimes of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke my word;
Because they sell the just man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals.
They trample the heads of the weak
into the dust of the earth,
and force the lowly out of the way.
Son and father go to the same prostitute,
profaning my holy name.
Upon garments taken in pledge
they recline beside any altar;
And the wine of those who have been fined
they drink in the house of their god.
Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them,
who were as tall as the cedars,
and as strong as the oak trees.
I destroyed their fruit above,
and their roots beneath.
It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and who led you through the desert for forty years,
to occupy the land of the Amorites.
Beware, I will crush you into the ground
as a wagon crushes when laden with sheaves.
Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong man shall not retain his strength;
The warrior shall not save his life,
nor the bowman stand his ground;
The swift of foot shall not escape,
nor the horseman save his life.
And the most stouthearted of warriors
shall flee naked on that day, says the Lord.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 2:6-10, 13-16
Placed in context, the prophet protests against the crimes of Moab (2 Kings 3:9ff). The selection from Amos begins with a detailed list of the crimes the Hebrew people of Jerusalem have committed. They disregard the poor, and treat them without dignity; they take that which was given in tribute to God, and use it for their own pleasure; they turn to idolatry (“they recline beside any altar”). They did so in the face of God’s faithfulness: God stood with their armies as they defeated the Amorites, and was with Moses who led them out of bondage in Egypt.
The prophet concludes with a warning oracle. (“I will crush you into the ground.”) God will abandon them, and they will not be able to hide from his punishment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12
#378 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Hear this word, O children of Israel, that the Lord pronounces over you,
over the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt:
You alone have I favored,
more than all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you
for all your crimes.
Do two walk together
unless they have agreed?
Does a lion roar in the forest
when it has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from its den
unless it has seized something?
Is a bird brought to earth by a snare
when there is no lure for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground
without catching anything?
If the trumpet sounds in a city, will the people not be frightened?
If evil befalls a city,
has not the Lord caused it?
Indeed, the Lord God does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants, the prophets.
The lion roars—
who will not be afraid!
The Lord God speaks—
who will not prophesy!
I brought upon you such upheaval
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah:
you were like a brand plucked from the fire;
Yet you returned not to me,
says the Lord.
So now I will deal with you in my own way, O Israel!
and since I will deal thus with you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 3:1-8; 4:11-12
The Prophet Amos issues a warning to Israel (the Northern Kingdom). He begins his address by explaining that, because the people of Israel are God’s chosen ones, the Lord will hold them to a higher standard of behavior (under the Law of Moses). Then he starts with his own divinely inspired compulsion to exhort them with his prophetic vision using a series of everyday events with which his listeners would have been familiar. (“Do two walk together unless they have agreed?” Agreement goes before harmony. “Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey?” The answer would be understood as no, etc.) The prophet therefore must also speak: “The Lord God speaks—who will not prophesy!” The concluding remarks in this selection indicate the Lord’s judgment is at hand.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amos 5:4, 14-15, 21-24
#892 Mass for Various Needs Context (II. For Public Needs, 15. Reconciliation, Third Option)
For thus says the LORD God
Seek me, that you may live.
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
Then truly will the Lord, the God of hosts,
be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate;
Then it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the Lord,
I take no pleasure in your solemnities;
Your cereal offerings I will not accept,
nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings.
Away with your noisy songs!
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
But if you would offer me burnt offerings,
then let justice surge like water,
and goodness like an unfailing stream.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 5:4, 14-15, 21-24
The Prophet enjoins the people of Israel to seek salvation in the Lord God as he continues his pronouncement of “Woes to Israel” with what is called the Third Word. “The Lord condemns, not ritual worship in itself, but the cult whose exterior rites and solemnity have no relation to interior morality and justice. The Israelites falsely worshiped him as neighboring nations adored Baal or Chamos, deities which were thought to protect their respective peoples against their enemies in return for ritual observances, without any relation to right conduct.”[1]
CCC: Am 5:21-5 2100; Am 5:24 1435
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amos 5:14-15, 21-24
#379 Weekday Year II Context (Wednesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
Then truly will the Lord, the God of hosts,
be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate;
Then it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the Lord,
I take no pleasure in your solemnities;
Your cereal offerings I will not accept,
nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings.
Away with your noisy songs!
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
But if you would offer me burnt offerings,
then let justice surge like water,
and goodness like an unfailing stream.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 5:14-15, 21-24
The Prophet continues his pronouncement of “Woes to Israel” with what is called the "Third Word." “The Lord condemns, not ritual worship in itself, but the cult whose exterior rites and solemnity have no relation to interior morality and justice. The Israelites falsely worshiped him as neighboring nations adored Baal or Chamos, deities which were thought to protect their respective peoples against their enemies in return for ritual observances, without any relation to right conduct.”[2]
CCC: Am 5:21-5 2100; Am 5:24 1435
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Amos 6:1a, 4-7
#138C Solemnities C Context (26th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
Thus says the Lord the God of hosts:
Woe to the complacent in Zion!
Lying upon beds of ivory,
stretched comfortably on their couches,
they eat lambs taken from the flock,
and calves from the stall!
Improvising to the music of the harp,
like David, they devise their own accompaniment.
They drink wine from bowls
and anoint themselves with the best oils;
yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!
Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile,
and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 6:1a, 4-7
In his third "woe,” the Prophet Amos warns his own people in the south, through his criticism of the rich and complacent people of the northern kingdom. There are two fragments laid out in this selection. The moral argument is they have lavished themselves in luxury (this includes the people in exile) and have ignored the plight of the poor - a religious duty. The Assyrians have already started their aggression ("Pass over to Calneh and see, go from there to Hamath the great, and down to Gath of the Philistines." Amos 6:2a), and it is clear that their neighbors have not heeded this threat. The broader message is to remain vigilant and faithful, following the commandments of hospitality and charity.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amos 7:10-17
#380 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam,
king of Israel:
“Amos has conspired against you here within Israel;
the country cannot endure all his words.
For this is what Amos says:
Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land.”
To Amos, Amaziah said:
“Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”
Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
Now hear the word of the LORD!”
You say: prophesy not against Israel,
preach not against the house of Isaac.
Now thus says the LORD:
Your wife shall be made a harlot in the city,
and your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword;
Your land shall be divided by measuring line,
and you yourself shall die in an unclean land;
Israel shall be exiled far from its land.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 7:10-17
This selection shows the tension between prophet (Amos) and priest (Amaziah). The latter takes Amos’ words out of context and distorts them into what appears to be an attack on the king. As a consequence, Amos is expelled from Bethel (the national sanctuary of the northern kingdom), and would no longer be providing guidance to King Jeroboam II as “court visionary” or prophet.
In reply to the savage rebuke of the high priest, Amos lists his credentials. He denounces the professional prophets, and disclaims any connection with them. Amos had no interest in being a prophet for the purpose of earning money. "[He was] a dresser of sycamores: This insipid fruit, which grows especially in the lowlands of Palestine, is related to, but smaller than, the fig; it was the food of the poor."[3]
Amos has the last word (v.17). He gives Amaziah the dooming prophecy for the king and his family. The reference to death “in an unclean land” is a reference to Assyria.
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Amos 7:12-15
#104B Solemnities B Context (15th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos,
"Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple."
Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
Go, prophesy to my people Israel."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Am 7:12-15
This selection from Amos, the first recorded of the twelve Old Testament prophets, is part of an anthology of visions and oracles delivered by the prophet at Bethel and Samaria. In this passage Amos describes his call to the vocation of prophet as he defends against the persecution of Amaziah.
In reply to the savage rebuke of the high priest, Amos lists his credentials. He denounces the professional prophets and disclaims any connection with them. Amos had no interest in being a prophet for the purpose of earning money. "[He was] a dresser of sycamores: This insipid fruit, which grows especially in the lowlands of Palestine, is related to, but smaller than, the fig; it was the food of the poor." [3]
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Amos 8:4-6, 9-12
#381 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?”
We will diminish the containers for measuring,
add to the weights,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
On that day, says the Lord God,
I will make the sun set at midday
and cover the earth with darkness in broad daylight.
I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentations.
I will cover the loins of all with sackcloth
and make every head bald.
I will make them mourn as for an only son,
and bring their day to a bitter end.
Yes, days are coming, says the Lord God,
when I will send famine upon the land:
Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the Lord.
Then shall they wander from sea to sea
and rove from the north to the east
In search of the word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.
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Commentary on Am 8:4-6, 9-12
In his fourth vision, the prophet Amos’ oracle now turns to God’s response to greed. The Israelites wait impatiently for the end of the holy days (“When will the new moon be over” see Numbers 28:11-15) so they can engage in business. Their practice of cheating on the measure of grain (the ephah is slightly more than a bushel) is strictly forbidden by Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:36 and Deuteronomy 25:13-15).
The response by God is a judgment against them. Although the original intent was an attack on those who were dishonest, we see the deeper allusion to God’s response to the rejection of Christ, and the death of his Son. The total eclipse is always a sign of God’s impending judgment, and the lamentations that follow (“I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentations”). Finally the prediction that the Word of the Lord (the sacred name is used in the Hebrew text) will be gone from them, and they will search for it in vain, can be seen not only as the loss of the prophet (the original intent), but the loss of the Logos, the Messiah.
CCC: Am 8:4-10 2269; Am 8:4-6 2409; Am 8:6 2449; Am 8:11 2835
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Amos 8:4-7
#135C Solemnities C Context (25th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?
We will diminish the ephah,
add to the shekel,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly for silver,
and the poor for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Never will I forget a thing they have done!
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Commentary on Am 8:4-7
This passage marks the beginning of Amos' “Fourth Vision,” that of ripe fruit. The prophet envisions God’s response to greed. The Israelites wait impatiently for the end of the monthly holy days so they can engage in business. (“When will the new moon be over” see Numbers 28:11-15, at the new moon the faithful are required to sacrifice some of their material blessings from God's bounty before they begin selling things.) Their practices of cheating on the measure of grain (the ephah is slightly more than a bushel) is strictly forbidden by Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:36 and Deuteronomy 25:13-15). The Prophet Amos holds the faithful to a higher standard than the shrewd business people who lead them. He denounces injustice, and reminds them that the Lord will hold them to account if they deal badly with the poor and the weak.
CCC: Am 8:4-10 2269; Am 8:4-6 2409; Am 8:6 2449
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Amos 9:11-15
#382 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
Thus says the Lord:
On that day I will raise up
the fallen hut of David;
I will wall up its breaches,
raise up its ruins,
and rebuild it as in the days of old,
That they may conquer what is left of Edom
and all the nations that shall bear my name,
say I, the Lord, who will do this.
Yes, days are coming,
says the Lord,
When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
and the vintager, him who sows the seed;
The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains,
and all the hills shall run with it.
I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel;
they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities,
Plant vineyards and drink the wine,
set out gardens and eat the fruits.
I will plant them upon their own ground;
never again shall they be plucked
From the land I have given them,
say I, the Lord, your God.
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Commentary on Am 9:11-15
The prophet speaks of God’s purpose in causing the fall of the Kingdom of Israel (in actuality all kingdoms of that region in his day). The people were sinful, and those that did not follow God’s Law were either killed or carried off into bondage. But the faithful remnant would be saved and rebuilt (“On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David”), saying that the House of Israel would be restored. The oracle predicts that it will be greater than before. All this is accomplished only through the will and might of God.
“In Acts 15:15-17 St. James interprets this passage in a messianic sense. Fallen hut: the kingdom. The nations that shall bear my name: the Gentile peoples who shall be converted to the Lord, that is, conquered by him, and therefore shall bear his name.”[4]
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Fin
[1] See NAB footnote on Amos 5:21
[2] ibid
[3] See Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 14:34, pp. 251.
[4] NAB footnote on Amos 9:11-12
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