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whosoever shall call on the name of LORD shall be delivered for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. (B)

CHAP. III.

FOR, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people, and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.

4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; 5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

CHAP. II.

[Jehoshaphat.

6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.

7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.

12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe come, get you down; for

EXPOSITION.

(B) An alarm sounded through the country. The priests are ordered to sound their trumpets on the approach of this aërial army. The locusts are described--They are compared to cavalry; and the noise and din of their approach to the rattling of war-chariots and the crackling of burning stubble. The regularity and rapidity of their march is theu stated; and their invincibility, as it respects human weapons. The heavens are clothed in blackness, and the voice of God announces their approach as his army.

The nation is then pathetically exhorted to deep and humble repentance; to rend, not their garments only, but their hearts also; as the only means to avert national judgments. In the conclusion, as is common with many of the prophets, the days of the Messiah and the gospel dispensation are adverted to, especially the miraculous effusion of the Holy Spirit on the day of pentecost, and the awful indications of divine judgment preceding the destruction of Jerusalem, and the consequent dispersion of the Jews.

NOTES.

CHAP. III. Ver. 2. The valley of Jehoshaphatis literally" the valley of God's judgment," and ought not, perhaps, to be confined to any one spot; though there is probably an allusion to the victory of Jehoshaphat. Newcoine. 2 Chron. xxii. 8.

Ver. 3. They have cast lots.-A spirit of gambling seems to have prevailed very early in the world, and there is no doubt but human life has often been the subject of such speculations, in the case of slaves. Sir Jn. Chardin says, "In Mingrelia, they often sell

children for provisions and for wine." Harmer, vol. ii. p. 74.

Ver.4. Tyre and Zidon.-See Jer. xxv. 20-30. Ver.6. To the Grecians.—See Ezek. xxvii, 13. & N. Ver. 8 I will sell your sons.-This might happen on occasion of Judas Maccabeus's victories. 1 Macc. v. 3, 7, 15, 21.

Ver. 10. Beat your plowshares.—See Isa. ii. 4. Ver. 13. The jats-Newcome, "vats." See Rev. xiv. 15-20.

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the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

[Israel's enemies

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the val ley of Shittim.

19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed in nocent blood in their land.

20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to ge neration.

21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion. (C)

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CHAP. III.

EXPOSITION.

(C) As the latter part of the preceding chapter referred to gospel times, and the blessings to accompany the dispensation of Messiah, so this appears to refer to a still more distant period, when the Jews shall be released from all their captivities, delivered from all their enemies, aud finally restored to their own land; after which there seems an allusion to the same distant and mysterious events, that we have seen mentioned in the latter chapters of Ezekiel, and shall have farther occasion to notice in the close of the New Testament.

The judgment of the valley of Jebosha phat, must not be confounded with the final judgment of the world. It relates evidently to the punishment of certain heathen nations-perhaps the Gog and Magog referred to by Ezekiel and St. John. (See Ezek. xxxviii, xxxix ; Rev. xx, xxi.)

It is an encouraging circumstance to the church, that the denunciation of God's judgments generally end with promises of mercy to his people. When God shall have cleared the earth of crime, his people shall reign with him in everlasting peate and happiness. (See Rev. xxi.)

NOTES-Chap. III. Con.

Ver 14. Valley of decision-Newcome," excision." Jonathan's Targum renders this," The valley of the division of judgment;" i, e. the judgment of the Lord, as ver 2. Chandler.

Ver. 15. The sun and the moon-Comp. èh, ii. 31. Ver. 16. Roar out of Zion-Jer. xxv. 30,-The hope of Newcome, "A refuge to."

Ver. 17. My holy mountain-Heh. "The mountain of my holiness."- Be holy-Heb. "holiness." Ver. 18. Drop down new wine.-See Amos ix. 13.

—— A fountain shall come forth, &c.-See Ent xlvii. I, &c.-Valley of Shittim-in the plains of Moab, near Jordan, Num. xxxii. 49.

Ver. 20. Judah skall dwell-Marg," abide." Ver. 21. I will cleanse- Newcome, "Avenge." That is, God will cleanse the world from bloodguiltiness, by avenging his people of their enemies. See Prov. xviii. 20; xix. 2, &c.—For the LordMarg. "Even I the Lord that dwelleth," &c.

AMOS.

INTRODUCTION.

AMOS was contemporary with Hosea, though he did not, probably, live so long. He was not educated in the Schools of the Prophets, founded by Samuel; but was called to the prophetic office from being a shepherd and herdsman in Tekoa, in the territory of Judah, and sent to exhort the people of Israel to repentance. He begins, however, with denouncing judgments against other nations, and concludes with comfortable promises of God's restoring the tabernacle of David, and erecting Messiah's kingdom. Several of this Prophet's images are borrowed from those rural objects with which he was familiar. His sentiments are frequently lofty, and his style beautiful, as well as plain. "The same celestial Spirit (says Bp. Lowth) actuated Isaiah and Daniel in the court, and Amos in the sheep-fold; occasionally employing the natural eloquence of

some, and occasionally making others eloquent."

CHAP. I.

THE words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

2 And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.

3 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:

4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.

5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant

CHAP. I. Ver. 1. Tekoa-a city of Judah, Chron. xv. 20.

from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.

6 Thus saith the LORD; for three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:

7 But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof:

8 And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD.

9 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up

NOTES.

2

Ver. 2. The Lord will roar.-Jer. xxv. 30. Ver. 3. Not turn away, &c.—that is, says Newcome, not rescue it from punishment.Threshing instruments - Newcome, ". Wains of iron," which were driven over the corn to thresh it (Isa. xxviii. 27, 28), and which here mark the oppressions which they inflicted on Israel. See 2 Kings x. 32, 33.

Ver. 5. Break the bar.-The LXX, Syriac, Newcome, &c. read "bars;" i. e. force the gates. Com. pare Jer. li. 30; Lam. ii. 9; Nahum iii. 13.

Ibid. The house of Eden (Marg. "Beth-eden") and the plain of Aven (or O)-both are included according to Bochart, in the rich valley of Damascus.

Ver. 6. The whole captivity. The Philistines seized the Israelites, and sold them for slaves to the Edomites. Boothroyd. See 2 Chron. xxi, 16.

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the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant: 10 But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.

11 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for

ever:

12 But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.

13 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:

14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind :

15 And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the LORD. (A)

CHAP. I.

[Edom and Moab.

CHAP. II.

THUS saith the LORD; For three

transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punish ment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:

2 But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kirioth and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:

3 And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD.

4 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked :

5 But I will send a fire upon Judab, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.

6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous

EXPOSITION.

(A) God's judgments against several heathen nations. This chapter denounces judgments against several nations bordering on Palestine, inimical to the Jews. The same judgments were predicted by other prophets, and had their accomplishment by degrees, at different periods, and by different instruments. The prophecy against the Syrians, whose capitol was Damascus, was fulfilled by the king of Assyria. (2 Kings xvi. 9.) Those against the Philistines by Hezekiah, 2 Kings xviii. 8; and by Uzziah, 2 Chr. xxvi. 6.—All Sy

ria was also subdued by Pharoah-Necho, and again by Nebuchadnezzar, who took Tyre, as did afterwards Alexander. Nebuchadnezzar also subdued the Edomites, Jer. xxv. 9, 21, and xxvii. 3, 6. Judas Maccabeus gained fresh victories over them, 1 Mac. v. 3.; and Hyrcanus brought them under entire subjection. The Ammouites were likewise conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. (Jer. xxvii. 3-6.)

The earthquake which the Prophet takes for his æra is referred to Zech. xiv. 5., (and probably in Isaiah v. 25.) Josephus ascribes it to Uzziah's invasion of the priestly office. (Sec 2 Chron. xxvi. 16.)

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Ver. 4. Their lies-either their false gods, as
Newcome, or perhaps their false prophets.
Ver. 6. A pair of shoes--Newcome," sandals.”

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CHAP. III.

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[Judah and Israel.

13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.

14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself.

15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow: and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.

16 And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD. (B)

CHAP. III.

HEAR this word that the LORD

hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, againt the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,

2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cryout of his den, if ye have taken nothing?

EXPOSITION.

(B) God's judgments against Moab, Judah and Israel. It is observable, that though sin is not screened in any nation or individual, it is never so severely censured as when found among the professors of true religion. The knowledge of God, and the blessings he bestows on those who know him, are great aggravations of their guilt; but we have here some circumstances peculiarly aggravating. The wicked Jews, after taking pledges from their brethreu of the garments or coverlets in which they

slept, instead of returning them at night, as they ought to have done (Exod. xxii. 26, 27), took them with them to their idol temples to lounge or sleep on, where they ought never to have entered. The tempting their Nazarites with wine, which they knew to be forbidden, is a circumstance to which Mr. Henry compares the conduct of those who attempt to draw young professors into parties of mirth and pleasure. "Multitudes of young men (says he) that have bid fair for eminent professors of religion, have erred through wine, and been undone for ever."

NOTES.

Ver. 7. That pant after, &c.-Newcome, "They bruise the head of the poor in the dust," &c. So Boothroyd. Same maid-Newcome, "da.nsel." -Mine holy name-Heb. " The name of my holi

ness,"

Ver. 8. And they lay themselves down, &c.-Newcome, "And they stretch themselves on garments, or bed-clothes, taken to pledge, rear every altar.They drink the wine of the condemned.-Newcome thinks this refers to wine procured by unjust mulets, or fines. The LXX says, they drink wine earned by their slanders." Chaldee, "Wine of rapine."

Such was the wine of Nabaoth's vineyard. 1 Kings xxi. 15.

Ver. 12. Prophesy not.-Sec chap. vii. 12, 13. Ver. 13. Behold, I am pressed - Marg. "I will press your place." The Chaldee and Syriac versions, also Castell, Houbigant, Newcome, &c. give this verb an active signification. See Isa. xxviii. 27.28.

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Ver. 16. He that is courageous-Heb. Strong of heart." Abp. Newcome supposes that the tour last verses of this chapter refer to the earthquake mentioned in the close of ver. 1.

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