Amos 5:16-27

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Amos 5:16-20

Here is, I. A very terrible threatening of destruction approaching, Amos 5:16, 17. Since they would not take the right course to obtain the favour of God, God would take an effectual course to make them feel the weight of his displeasure. The threatening is introduced with more than ordinary solemnity, to strike an awe upon them; it is not the word of the prophet only (if so, it might be made light of) but it is the Lord Jehovah, who has an infinite eternal being; it is the God of hosts, who... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Amos 5:21-27

The scope of these verses is to show how little God valued their shows of devotion, nay, how much he detested them, while they went on in their sins. Observe, I. How unpleasing, nay, how displeasing, their hypocritical services were to God. They had their feast-days at Bethel, in imitation of those at Jerusalem, in which they pretended to rejoice before God. They had their solemn assemblies for religious worship, in which they put on the gravity of those who come before God as his people come,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:16

Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus ,.... The connection of these words is not with those that immediately precede, but with the whole context; seeing neither promises nor threats, exhortations, good advice, and intimations of grace and mercy, had no effect, at least upon the generality of the people, therefore the Lord declared as follows: wailing shall be in all streets ; in all the streets of the towns and cities of Israel, because of the slain and wounded in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:17

And in all vineyards shall be wailing ,.... The vines being destroyed, and no grapes to be gathered, and put into the press; when there used to be great shoutings, and large expressions of joy, at the gathering in of the vintage, and pressing the grapes; but now there shall be a different tone; see Jeremiah 48:32 ; for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord ; through their cities, towns, and country, fields and vineyards, and destroy all in his way, as he passed through Egypt when... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:18

Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord ,.... Either the day of Christ's coming in the flesh, as Cocceius interprets it; and which was desired by the people of Israel, not on account of spiritual and eternal salvation, but that they might be delivered by him from outward troubles and enemies, and enjoy temporal felicity; they had a notion of him as a temporal Saviour and Redeemer, in whose days they should possess much outward happiness, and therefore desired his coming; see Malachi... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:19

As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him ,.... That is, should the day of the Lord come as they desired, they would not be the better for it; it would be only going from one trouble to another, like escaping Scylla, and falling into Charybdis: or as if a man, upon the sight of a lion, and at his yell, should take to his heels, and flee "from the face" of him, as the phrase is F9 מפני "a facie", V. L. Pagninus; "a faciebus", Montanus; "a conspectu", Mercerus. , and a bear,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:20

Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light ?.... The design of such a question is strongly to affirm, that, in this day of the Lord spoken of, there should be nothing but misery and distress, and no prosperity and happiness, at least to the wicked Israelites, or the unbelieving Jews: even very dark, and no brightness in it ? signifying that there should be no deliverance, nor the least glimmering view or hope of it; that the calamity should be so very great, and the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:21

I hate, I despise your feast days ,.... Kimchi thinks this is said, and what follows, with respect to the kingdom of the house of Judah, which kept the feast the Lord commanded; but it is not necessary so to understand it; for doubtless the ten tribes imitated the worship at Jerusalem, and kept the feasts as the Jews did there, in the observance of which they trusted; but the Lord rejects their vain confidence, and lets them know that these were no ways acceptable to him; and were so far... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:22

Though ye offer me burnt offerings, and your meat offerings, I will not accept them ,.... The daily burnt offerings, morning and night, and others which were wholly the Lord's; and the "minchah", or bread offering, which went along with them; in which they thought to do God service, and to merit his favour; but instead of that they were unacceptable to him, being neither offered up in a proper place, if in a right manner according to the law of Moses; however, not in the faith of the great... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:23

Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs ,.... The ten tribes, very probably, imitated the, temple music at Jerusalem, both vocal and instrumental, and had their songs and hymns of praise, which they sung to certain tunes; but the music of these is called a noise, being very disagreeable to the Lord, as coming from such carnal and wicked persons; and therefore he desires it might cease, be took away, and he be no more troubled with it: for I will not hear the melody of thy viols :... read more

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