Amos 9:9-10

Amos 9:9-10 carry further the thought of 8b. The judgment has a disciplinary purpose, to separate the pure from the corrupt; the pure will be preserved, the corrupt destroyed. This teaching is in accord with the philosophical conceptions of the times; the prophet does not consider the possibility of a righteous man being cut off, while an ungodly person might escape.

I will Better, I am about to (see on Amos 2:13).

Command The divine executioner (Amos 6:14).

Sift R.V. margin, “cause to move to and fro,” as the grain in the sieve is shaken back and forth.

House of Israel All, good and bad alike.

Among all nations Among which the Israelites were to be scattered in exile. That experience would test the loyalty of the people, just as the sifting process tests the character of the grain. Grain [“kernel”] Literally, pebble. In view of the figure of the sieve it seems best to interpret the word figuratively of the solid, sound grain of corn. Not even the smallest sound kernel will be allowed to fall to the ground and be trampled under foot; carefully it will be preserved, to be used according to the wishes of the husbandman. Thus the righteous kernel among the exiles will be preserved for God’s own use; only the godless chaff will perish. Some interpret the word literally, pebble, or little stone. The pebbles are kept in the sieve while the good grain is allowed to fall through, to be gathered and preserved; so the wicked will be retained in exile, while the pious will be restored. In either case the thought is that the fate of the righteous will not be the same as that of the wicked; the former will be preserved for a brighter future.

The sinners Not the righteous, who have been separated by the sifting process.

By the sword Of the enemy. A figure of violent death, whatever the means.

The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us For the second verb, now obsolete in the sense required here, R.V. reads “meet us.” This is undoubtedly the sense of the passage but to justify this translation two slight changes in the verb forms may be necessary.

Evil Misfortune or calamity. The prophet has in mind especially the self-secure sinners who, relying upon their membership in the chosen race (Amos 9:7; Amos 3:2), or upon their religious zeal (Amos 5:21 ff.), fancy that the judgment cannot touch them (Amos 6:3; compare Micah 3:11; Isaiah 5:19).