Amos 2:1-3

1-3. The sin and punishment of Moab.

Moab The third nation east of the Jordan closely related to the Hebrews (Amos 1:11; Amos 1:13). The territory of the Moabites was to the south of Ammon, on the uplands east of the Dead Sea. It was well adapted to agriculture, for it contained many broad valleys and well-watered fields. As a result the Moabites became at a very early period a settled people with large cities. War was waged between Israel and Moab from an early time (Judges 3:16; 1Sa 14:47 ; 2 Samuel 8:2; but compare Ruth 1:4; 1 Samuel 22:3). After the division Moab seems to have secured its independence, for Omri was compelled to conquer it (2 Kings 3:4; compare Moabite Stone, ll. 4, 5). Subsequently King Mesha revolted and secured his independence (2 Kings 3:5 ff.; compare Moabite Stone, ll. 5ff.), which was never again lost to Israel.

Burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime The exact nature of this crime is uncertain. Was the king burned alive, or after he had died but before he had been buried, or was his body taken from the tomb and burned? To burn the king alive would be extreme cruelty, but to prevent proper burial by burning a corpse or to desecrate a tomb by removing the corpse would also be considered a heinous crime; for, according to ancient Semitic conception, the departed who received no proper burial (Jeremiah 36:30) or whose resting place was disturbed found no rest in Sheol. Many sepulchral inscriptions contain awful curses upon disturbers of the resting places of the departed. Eshmunazar of Sidon, for example, prays that he who desecrates his tomb “may have no root beneath, or fruit above, or any beauty among the living under the sun.” Amos’ sentiments are not due to any heathenish superstition; he is aroused by the spirit of hatred and vindictiveness that manifests itself in the crime. The fact that Moab is condemned not for sins committed against Israel but against the very enemies of the Hebrews is another indication of the high ethical standards of Amos.

Of the crime mentioned nothing is known otherwise; it may have been committed after the joint attack upon Moab by Judah, Israel, and Edom (about 850 B.C.). According to 2 Kings 3:26, the king of Moab seems to have harbored special hatred against the king of Edom. Perhaps he was unable to avenge himself while the king was alive, and therefore pursued him even after death.

Fire A sin :4.

Kirioth R.V., “Kerioth.” Since it represents the whole country, it must have been a city of prominence. It is mentioned again in Jeremiah 48:41, and on the Moabite Stone, 50. 13 . Its location is not certain. Some identify it with Kir (or Ar) of Moab (Isaiah 15:1), chiefly because of the similarity of the names and the fact that wherever Ar or Kir is mentioned no mention is made of Kirioth. Another name for the same locality is thought to be Kir-hareseth or Kir-heres (Isaiah 16:7; Isaiah 16:11). This, on the testimony of the Targum, is identified with the modern Kerak, about eleven miles east of the southern bay of the Dead Sea, eighteen miles south of the Arnon. Others think that Kerioth may be identified with the modern Kureiyat, north of the Arnon, which it has been customary to identify with the ancient Kiriathaim.

With tumult The noise and confusion of battle. Jeremiah calls the Moabites “sons of tumult” (Jeremiah 48:45; compare Numbers 24:17) There is no warrant for Hoffmann’s suggestion that the Hebrew translated “tumult” is the name of the acropolis of Ar, and that the preposition should be rendered “in,” the name of the acropolis being used instead of the name of the city, as Zion is used sometimes in the place of Jerusalem.

With shouting See on Amos 1:14.

Sound of the trumpet Or, horn ( see on Hosea 5:8). The sound is the signal to advance.

Judge Since Moab was governed by kings, the use of judge has been explained by assuming that Moab at the time of Amos had no independent king, that judge is equivalent to governor or viceroy, and that Jeroboam II had deposed the king and placed a governor upon the throne of Moab. However, 2 Kings 14:25, is not a sufficient basis for this assumption, the verse does not prove even that Moab was subject to Jeroboam (see on Amos 6:14); besides, Mesha, who was a vassal of Omri, is called “ king” (2 Kings 3:4). It is better to interpret judge as equivalent to king (compare Micah 5:1). The title is appropriate since one of the chief functions of the ancient king was the administration of justice (2 Samuel 8:15; 2Sa 15:2 ; 1 Kings 7:7, etc.).

When this prophecy found its fulfillment it is impossible to say. The kings of Moab are mentioned as tributaries in the Assyrian inscriptions from the time of Tiglath-pileser III onward. Isaiah 15, 16; Jeremiah 48:0; Ezekiel 25:0 contain announcements of judgment and disaster upon Moab (compare also Zephaniah 2:8-10).