Amos 5:2. Forsaken, &c.— Cast down, or laid prostrate, &c. The kingdom of Israel, or of the ten tribes, after being carried into captivity, was never more re-established: it never formed a distinct kingdom from that of Judah. read more
2. virgin of Israel—the Israelite state heretofore unsubdued by foreigners. Compare Isaiah 23:12; Jeremiah 18:13; Jeremiah 31:4; Jeremiah 31:21; Lamentations 2:13; may be interpreted, Thou who wast once the "virgin daughter of Zion." Rather, "virgin" as applied to a state implies its beauty, and the delights on which it prides itself, its luxuries, power, and wealth [CALVIN]. no more rise—in the existing order of things: in the Messianic dispensation it is to rise again, according to many... read more
A description of certain judgment 5:1-3 read more
3. The third message on injustice 5:1-17The structure of this message is chiastic, which focuses attention and emphasis on the middle part.A A description of certain judgment Amos 5:1-3B A call for individual repentance Amos 5:4-6C An accusation of legal injustice Amos 5:7D A portrayal of sovereign Yahweh Amos 5:8-9C’ An accusation of legal injustice Amos 5:10-13B’ A call for individual repentance Amos 5:14-15A’ A description of certain judgment Amos 5:16-17Another structural feature stresses... read more
Amos announced that the virgin Israel, in the prime of her beauty and vigor, had fallen fatally. "Fallen" in funeral songs usually means "fallen in battle" (cf. 2 Samuel 1:19; 2 Samuel 1:25; 2 Samuel 1:27; 2 Samuel 3:34; Lamentations 2:21). She would never rise to her former position again. No one came to her aid, even Yahweh (cf. Judges 6:13; 2 Kings 21:14; Isaiah 2:6). She lay forsaken in her land. read more
The Third Address1-6. A lament, a warning, and an invitation. 7, 10-20. Denunciation of injustice and oppression, with threats of pestilence and judgment. 21-27. A repudiation of their attempt to please God by mere ritual.1, 2. Lamentation] a technical term for mournful poetry consisting of short lines of unequal length: here, for instance (Amos 5:2), the dirge consists of four lines, the first and third having three accents, the second and fourth two. Virgin] because, though often defeated,... read more
(2) Forsaken.—Or rather dashed to the earth. “Virgin” is a feminine designation of Israel poetically expressive of grace and beauty. Comp. the epithet “daughter of Zion,” nations and cities being represented by a feminine personification. She is not annihilated, but obliterated as a nation. read more
The Works of God Amos 5:8 The text brings the works of God and the name of God into one focus, and makes use of both as an argument with man to raise himself from the low and unworthy pretences of religion to Him Who sits high above the magnificence of all material forms, yet deigns to listen to the whisper of a kneeling child. I. Seek Him because He is Immutable. This is declared by 'the seven stars and Orion,' and by all the constellations among which the Pleiades are set. It is a... read more
2. FOR WORSHIP, JUSTICEAmos 5:1-27In the next of these groups of oracles Amos continues his attack on the national ritual, and now contrasts it with the service of God in public life-the relief of the poor, the discharge of justice. But he does not begin with this. The group opens with an elegy, which bewails the nation as already fallen. It is always difficult to mark where the style of a prophet passes from rhythmical prose into what we may justly call a metrical form. But in this short wail,... read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Amos 5:2
"The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up."It is a mistake to make this whole chapter into a "poem," for it is no such thing. The lament was certainly cast into poetic form; but this was merely an attention-getting device used by the prophet as the background for the shocking and devastating words of God's prophecy which he was delivering to Israel.The virgin of Israel is fallen ..." The use of the present tense here... read more