Amos 1:6 - Exposition

Gaza is here used as the representative of the five cities of the Philistines. Three others are mentioned in Amos 1:8 , Gath being omitted as having long lost its importance, if not already destroyed. Gaza, modern Guzzeh, was the most southern city of Philistia in the immediate neighbourhood of the desert. The whole captivity; Hebrew, "an entire captivity," the whole people, so that neither age nor sex was spared. A similar complaint is made in Joel 3:4 , Joel 3:6 . What the LXX . mean by their rendering here and Joel 3:9 , αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ σαλωμὼν , it is very hard to say. Probably they punctuated the word translated "perfect" ( shelemah ) shelomoh , making "Solomon" stand for his people Israel. Cyril supposes that the reference is to cities which Solomon established among neighbouring nations; these had now been destroyed or seized. The event referred to may be the invasion of Judah by Philistines and Arabians in the time of Joram, mentioned in 2 Chronicles 21:16 , etc; and in which it is possible that a compact was made that the captive Judaeans should be delivered to their bitterest enemies, the Edomites. One would rather have expected a reference to some evil inflicted on Israel (as in 2 Chronicles 21:3 ) instead of an injury done to Judah.