Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_400.lzh/6_478.TXT

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tivity, in case of impenitence; and to comfort the truly
godly with promises of the Messiah's coming and
kingdom. The authenticity of this book is not to be
questioned, since many passages out of it were taken
.b..y following prophets, as the words in ch. i. 2, by Joel,
iii. 16, and by Jeremiah, ch. xxv. 30; ch. iv. 9. by Hagg.
ii. 17; ch. ix. 13. by Joel, iii. 18; and others are quoted
by the writers of the New Testament as divinely in-
spired, as ch. v. 25, 2, 27, and ix. 11, in Acts vii.
42, 43, and xv. 15, 16. nor is there any room to doubt
of his being the writer of this book, as is manifest of
his speaking of himself as the first person in it; though
Hobbes {g} says it does not appear. Some have thought
that his language is rustic, suitable to his former cha-
racter and employment; but certain it is there are
masterly strokes and great beauties of eloquence in it;
and which shews that it is more than human. According
to some writers, he was often beat and buffeted by
Amaziah ,the priest of Beth-el; and at last the son of
the priest drove a nail into his temples, upon which he
was carried alive into his own country, and there died,
and was buried in the sepuichre of his ancestors at
Tekoa h.

CHAP. I.

THIS chapter begins with the general title of the
book, in which the author is described by name, and
by his condition of life, and by his country, and the
time of his prophecy fixed, ver. 1. He first foretels
a drought in the land of Israel, in the most fruitful
places, which would cause mourning among the shep-
herds, vet. 2 then the captivity of the Syrians, whose
metropolis was Damascus, ver. 3, 4, 5. Next the de-
struction of the Philistines, whose principal cities were
Gaza, Ashdod, Askelon, and Ekron, yet. 6, 7, 8. After
that the ruin of Tyre, with the reason of it, ver. 9, 10.
then the calamities that should come upon Rdom,
whose chief places were Teman and Bozrah, ver. 11,12.
and lastly the desolations of the Ammonites, whose
metropolis, Rabbah, should be des|toyed, and their
king and princes go into captivity, vet. 13, I4, 15. and
all this for the sins of these several nations.
Vet. 1. The words of Amos, &c.] Not which he
spoke of or for himself, but from the Lord; all the
prophecies, visions, and revelations made unto him, are
intended: who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa;
which was not in the tribe of Asher, af Kimchi; nor
of Zebulun, as Pseudo-Epiphanius {i}; but in the tribe
of Judah, 9 Chron. xi. 5, 6. Jer. vi. 1. It lay to the
south, and was six miles from Beth-lehem. Mr. Maun-
drell {k} says it is nine miles distant, to the south of it;
and, according to Jerom {l}, it was twelve miles froin Je-
rusalem; though he elsewhere= says, Thecua, or Tekoa,
is a village at this day, nine miles from _/Ella or Jerusa-
lem, of which place was Amos the prophet, and where
his sepnlchre is seen: either there is a mistake of the
number, or of AElia for Beth-lehem; the former rather
seems to be the case; according to Josephus {n}, it was not
far from the castle of Herodium. The Misnic doctors°
speak of it as famous for oil, where the best was to be
had; near to it was a wilderness, called the wilderness
of Tekoa; and Jerom {p} says, that beyond it there was
no village, nor so much as huts and cottages, but a
large wilderness, which reached to the Red sea, and to
the borders of the Persians, Ethiopians, and Indians,
and was full of shepherds, among whom Amos was;
whether he was a master-herdsman, or a servant of
one, is not said. The word is used of the king of
Moab, who is said to be a sheep-master, 2 Kings iii. 4.
he traded in cattle, and got riches thereby; and so the
Targum here renders it, "who was lord or master of
"cattle ;" and Kimchi interprets it, he was a great man
among the herdsmen; and so it was a piece of self-de-
nial to leave his business, and go to prophesylug; but
rather he was a servant, and kept cattle for others,
which best agrees with ch. vii. 14. and so is expressive
of the grace of God in calling so mean a person to such
a high office. The word used signifies to mark; and
shepherds were so called from marking their sheep to
distinguish them, which seems to be the work of ser-
vants; and, in the Arabic language, a kind of sheep
deformed, and of short feet, are so called: which he
saw concerning Israel; or, against Israel {q}, the ten
tribes, to whom he was sent, and against whom he
prophesied chiefly; for he says very little of Judah.
Words are more properly said to be spoken or heard;
but here they are said to be seen; which shews that
not bare words are meant, but things, which the pro-
phet had revealed to him in a visionary way, and he
delivered; see Isa. ii. I: in the days of Uzziah king of
Judah; who was also called Azariah, 2 Kings xv. 1:
and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of
Israel; so he is called to distinguish him from Jero-
boam the son of Nebat; this king was' the grandson
of Jehu; he was, as Jerom says, before Sardanapalus
reigned over the A. ssyrians, and Procas Sylvius over
the Latines: two years before the earthquake; which
was well known in those times, and fresh in memory.
Zechariah speaks of it many years after, from whom
we learn it was in the days of Uzziah, ch. xiv. 5. The
Jewish writers generally say that it was when Uzziah
was smote with Leprosy tbr invading the priest's office;
and was in the year in which he died, when Isaiah
had a vision of the glory of the Lord, and the posts of
the house moved, Isa. vi. 1, 4. and with whom Jose-
phus {r} agrees; who also relates, that the temple being
rent by the earthquake, the bright light of the sun

{g} Leviathan, c. 33.
{h} Pseudo-Epiphan. de Prophet. Vit. c. 12. lsidor. de Vit. Sanct. c.
43. Jerom. de locis Hebr. in voce Elthei, fol. 91. B.
{i} De Vita Prophet. c. 12.
{k} Journey froom Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 88.
{l} Proem. in Amos & Comment. in Jer. vi. 1.
{m} De locis Hebr. in voce Elthei, fol. 91. B.
{n} De Bello Jud. I. 4. c. 9. sect. 5.
{o} Misn. Menachot, c. 8. sect. 3.
{p} Proem. in Amos.
{q} \^larvy le\^ "contra Israelem", so some in Drusius
{r} Antiqu. 1.9. c. 10. sect. 4.