the Lord GOD. Hebrew Adonai Jehovah. App-4 . behold . . . lo. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 . formed = was forming. grasshoppers = locusts. Compare Nahum 3:17 . the king's mowings. Exacted by the king from the People (1 Kings 4:7 ; 1 Kings 18:1 ). These are the symbols of the army of Amos 6:14 . read more
Here begins the final major section of Amos, consisting principally of five visions, three of which are found in this chapter: (1) that of the locusts (Amos 7:1-3); (2) that of the fire (Amos 7:4-6); and (3) that of the plumb-line (Amos 7:7-9). The balance of the chapter (Amos 7:10-14) has an exceedingly interesting and instructive narrative of the confrontation between God's Prophet (Amos) and Jeroboam's Priest. The appearance of this historical narrative in the midst of these visions has been... read more
Amos 7:1. He formed grasshoppers— Locusts. Houbigant. See the notes on Joel 1:2 and the introductory note to this prophet. read more
1. showed . . . me; and, behold—The same formula prefaces the three visions in this chapter, and the fourth in Amos 8:1. grasshoppers—rather, "locusts" in the caterpillar state, from a Hebrew root, "to creep forth." In the autumn the eggs are deposited in the earth; in the spring the young come forth [MAURER]. the latter growth—namely, of grass, which comes up after the mowing. They do not in the East mow their grass and make hay of it, but cut it off the ground as they require it. the king's... read more
Sovereign Yahweh showed Amos a mass of locusts swarming in the springtime after the first harvest and before the second. The Lord was forming this swarm of locusts. Ideally the very first crops harvested in the spring went to feed the king’s household and animals (cf. 1 Kings 18:5). The crops that the people harvested later in the spring fed their animals and themselves. If anything happened to prevent that second harvesting, the people would have little to eat until the next harvest in the... read more
1. The swarming locusts 7:1-3 read more
A. Three short visions of impending judgment 7:1-9The three visions in this section are similar and may have followed one another in quick succession. The first two describe methods of divine judgment from which Amos persuaded God to turn aside, and the last one the method He would not abandon to judge Israel. read more
Three Visions and an Interruption1-9. The visions. 10-17. The interruption.There are two senses in which the word ’Vision’ may be used of one of the forms of Hebrew prophecy. In the first sense a state of mind closely akin to that of a dreamer is intended: ’I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, I will speak with him in a dream’ (Numbers 12:6). The prophet falls into a kind of ecstasy, and has no control over the pictures which pass before his mind. Every one will remember the... read more
(1) Each of the visions is introduced with closely resembling words. For “grasshopper,” read locusts. The phrase “king’s mowings” suggests that the king claimed tyrannically the first-fruits of the hay harvest, which was ordinarily followed by the early “rain upon the mown grass.” (Comp. 1 Kings 18:5.) read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Amos 7:1-9
7:1-9:10 VISIONS OF JUDGMENTGod’s patience before judgment (7:1-9)Farmers paid their taxes by giving the king the first reaping of their harvest. After this a second crop grew up, which provided the main harvest for the people. It was this second crop that Amos, in his vision, saw threatened with destruction from a plague of locusts. If God judged Israel in this way, it might never recover. When Amos pleaded on Israel’s behalf for God’s mercy, God answered his prayer (7:1-3). God later answered... read more