Amos 8:14 - Exposition

They who trusted in idols shall find no help in them. They who swear by. Those who reverence and worship, as Deuteronomy 6:13 ; Deuteronomy 10:20 . The sin of Samaria. The golden calf at Bethel (comp. Deuteronomy 9:21 ; Hosea 8:5 , Hosea 8:6 ). Septuagint, κατὰ τοῦ ἱλασμοῦ σαμαρείας , "by the propitiation of Samaria." Thy god, O Dan, liveth; i.e. as thy god liveth, by the life of thy god. This was the other calf erected at Dan, near the source of the Jordan, in the extreme north ( 1 Kings 12:29 ). The manner of Beersheba liveth; Septuagint, ζῆ ὁ θεός σου βηρσαβεέ , "Thy god, O Beersheba, lives." Some commentators, ancient and modem, think that the actual road which led to Beersheba is here meant, and would translate, "As the way to Beersheba liveth," "By the life of the way to Beersheba," as Mohammedans swear by the pilgrimage to Mecca. But it is best to take the word rendered "manner" in the sense of "way," as ὁδὸς is used in Acts ( Acts 9:2 ; Acts 19:9 , Acts 19:23 ) for mode of worship, or form of religion, the ritual, or use of the service there. (For Beersheba, see note on Amos 5:5 .) From Dan to Beersheba is just a hundred and forty-four miles. They shall fall, etc. This was partially fulfilled by the destruction of the kingdom of Israel and the deportation of its inhabitants; and its truth to this day is demonstrated by the fate of the Jews who will not receive Jesus as the promised Messiah.