6:1-14. THE 2ND WOE. SECURITY.
P2  y1  1-6. Incrimination. Security.
     z1  7. Threatening. Captivity.
    y2  8-. Incrimination. Pride.
     z2  -8-11. Threatening. Depopulation.
    y3  12,13. Incrimination. Injustice.
     z3  14. Threatening. Invasion.

689-687 B.C.

Amos 6)

1 Woe (the 2nd woe) to them (i.e. the nobles of Judah, in comparison with the nobles of Jerusalem [in Samaria] in the next clause) that are careless in Zion, and them that confide in the mountain of Samaria (house of Judah), [the men of] name (cp. Num. 1:17) of chief of the nations (i.e. Israel. Ex. 19:5), to whom the house of Israel came [for justice and judgment]! (Don't put your trust in nations.)
2 Pass over (i.e. the Euphrates. Cp. Jer. 2:10) you to Calneh (on the Tigris. Built by Nimrod [Gen. 10:10. Called Cano [Isa. 10:9]; Canneh [Ezek. 27:23]), and consider [this fate]; and from there go you to Hamath the great (on the North Now called Hama, on the Orontes, north of Damascus. Ref. Gen. 10:18. Num. 34:7,8. Cp. v.14): then go down to Gath (now Tell es Safi, in the south. See 1 Sam. 5:8) of the Philistines: be they better (i.e. these nobles and chief men) than these kingdoms? (which have been overthrown) or [is] their border (or boundary) greater than your (i.e. i.e. the borders of Israel and Judah) border? [yet I overthrew them; how much more shall I judge you!]. (He humbled these great nations.)
3 You that thrust far away the day of calamity (cp. 3:6; 5:13; 9:10), and cause the seat (or throne) of violence to come near; (Ignorant people don't worry about it.)
4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; (Jesurun, fat cats.)
5 That breakout in song to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of song, as David did; (David did it to the Lord.)
6 That drink wine in sacred bowls (not in goblets. They drank in party bowl. They were gluttonous), and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. (Put for the 10 northern tribes. They didn't worry about their heritage.)

7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed. (No more sin parties.)

8 The Lord GOD has sworn by His soul (ref. Gen. 22:16. Cp. Jer. 51:14. Very serious), say the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency (arrogance, prideful) of Jacob, and hate his palaces:

therefore will I deliver up the city with the fullness therein. (To the Assyrian.)
9 And it shall come to pass, if there remain (i.e. after the siege) ten men in one house, that they shall die. (I.e. by pestilence.)
10 And a relative shall take him (i.e. the corpse) up, and he that burns him (see 4:10. 1 Sam. 31:12. Spiritual death, cremation. It was a common practice of the Horites [cp. Gen. 14:6. Deut. 2:12,22], whose remains were found in the excavation at Gezar. See 1 Kings 9:15-17), to bring out the bones (i.e. one reduced to a mere skeleton. Cp. Job 7:15; 19:20) out of the house, and shall say to him that is in the midst of the house (i.e. the survivor), 'Is there yet any (i.e. any live or dead) with you?' and he shall say, 'No.' Then shall he say, 'Hush! for we may not call upon (or invoke. Cp. Isa. 26:13; 49:1; 62:6) the name of the LORD.' (Too late to pray.)
11 For, behold, the LORD commands, and He will smite the great house with breaches (ruins), and the little house with slivers. (See Matt.24.)

12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there [the sea] with oxen? (Irony, stupidity) for you have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:(See Deut. 29:18, same word as 'wormwood')
13 You which rejoice in a thing of naught, which say, 'Have we not taken to us horns (put for the power put forth by them) by our own strength?' (They make light of God's power. We have no concept of the super-natural.)

14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation (ref. Deut. 28;49), O house of Israel, says the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you (ref. Ex. 3:9. Deut. 26:7) from the entering in of Hemath (1 Cron. 2:55) to (i.e. from the length and the breadth of the land) the river of the wilderness." (I.e the plain, south of Judah. Deut. 1:1,&c. Darkness at end of day. Near the end of this earth age when locust army [Kenites] swarm. This is that locust army God warns of in Joel 1:6. God's truth is sometimes overlooked because He requires a little work on your part. The lazy person may simply skip over a passage such as this one because it may require a little homework to understand. The "entering of Hemath" indicates the Kenite nation, documented in the fact that in I Chronicles 2:55, Hemath was the father of all Rechabites, who were the Kenites. The "river of the wilderness" in the Hebrew means "until the dusk of the day" which always indicates the end times.)

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