Amos 4:4-5

4, 5. A mistaken zeal.

Beth-el See on Amos 3:14.

Gilgal The first camping ground of the Israelites west of the Jordan. Its very name (circle, that is, of stones cromlech) testifies to its sacred character. It is mentioned frequently in the Old Testament; and even after the ark had been removed to a more permanent location it continued to be a favorite sanctuary (1 Samuel 10:8; Hosea 4:15, etc.). It is commonly identified with the modern Jiljul, four and one half miles from the Jordan, one and one half miles east-southeast of Jericho. Others identify the sanctuary mentioned by Amos and Hosea with Julejil, two and one half miles southeast of Nablus, near Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (Deuteronomy 11:30), while some suggest a still different location (2 Kings 4:38), the modern Jil-jiliyeh, about seven miles north of Beth-el, in a southwesterly direction from Shiloh.

Come The tone of voice would indicate whether Amos was in earnest or not; that he was not is proved by the next verb.

Transgress Their religious observances were of no value; they were an abomination, a transgression in the sight of Jehovah. Why? Not because the prophet or Jehovah was opposed to sacrifice and forms of worship as such (see on Hosea 6:6), but because their coming and their sacrificing was of a character to arouse the divine wrath. This was due to the absence of the proper spirit in their worship, the inconsistency and corruption of their lives, the introduction of foreign heathenish practices into their worship (Amos 2:7-8), and the consequent disregard of Jehovah as the supreme God of Israel and his reduction to the level of the Baalim of Canaan.

At Gilgal The construction reproduced in R.V. is preferable: “(Come) to Gilgal and multiply transgressions.” For the reasons just suggested, the more zealous they were in their heartless worship, the farther they traveled to the sanctuaries, and the more numerous the places visited, the greater the indignation of Jehovah.

Sacrifices A general term for sacrifices and offerings, though the word used here is employed frequently in the restricted sense of animal sacrifice.

Tithes The tenth part of the income consecrated to the deity. The system of tithing was known among many nations of antiquity. The Hebrew laws on the subject are not very explicit, and it seems, that the details in the administration of the system were not always the same (Deuteronomy 12:6; Deuteronomy 12:11; Deuteronomy 12:17; Deuteronomy 14:22-29; Deuteronomy 26:12).

Every morning,… after three years R.V., following more closely the Hebrew reads for the last, “every three days.” The reference is to the bringing of the annual sacrifice ( 1Sa 1:3 ; 1 Samuel 1:7; 1 Samuel 1:21), and to the triennial payment of tithes (Deuteronomy 14:28; Deuteronomy 26:12). The prophet exhorts the people ironically to increase their zeal; to bring sacrifice every morning, instead of once a year, and to pay tithes every three days, instead of every three years. Wellhausen suggests a different translation, which is permitted by the Hebrew, “in the morning… on the third day.” He assumes that it was customary to offer sacrifice on the morning after arrival, and to pay the tithes on the third day; and he interprets the ironical exhortation as calling for the punctilious observance of the prescribed routine. This interpretation does not imply the exaggeration involved in the other, but its accuracy is doubtful because it is based upon an apparently unwarranted assumption.

Offer Margin, “offer by burning.” See on Hosea 2:13, where the same word is translated “burn incense.”

Sacrifice of thanksgiving Offered in recognition of unmerited and unexpected blessings (Leviticus 7:12-13; Leviticus 7:15; Jeremiah 17:26, etc.).

With leaven R.V., “of that which is leavened”; Targum, “from violence”; some translate “without leaven.” The translation of the R.V. is to be preferred. According to Leviticus 2:11; Exodus 23:18, the use of leaven as a part of sacrifice was forbidden; on the other hand, Leviticus 7:13, would seem to permit its use, and the language of Amos implies that its use was regarded as an indication of special virtue, a conception that may be traced to the extreme zeal of the people, which would cause them to consider hard, unleavened bread too common for their God. Assuming this viewpoint of the people, the prophet exhorts them to do even more than the law requires.

Proclaim and publish Not in the sense of exhorting others to bring them, but of letting everyone know their piety and good works; they are urged to sound the trumpet before them (Matthew 6:2).

Free [“freewill”] offerings The offerings brought out of a spontaneous impulse as an expression of irresistible love (Deuteronomy 12:6; Deuteronomy 12:17).

This liketh you Better, R.V., “this pleaseth you,” with the emphasis on you; Jehovah has no delight in their performances.