Amos 5 - Wesley's Explanatory Notes

The virgin — So she was, when first espoused to God. Upon her land — Broken to pieces upon her own land, and so left as a broken vessel.

By a thousand — That sent out one thousand soldiers. An hundred — Shall lose nine parts of them.

Ye shall live — It shall be well with you.

Seek not — Consult not, worship not the idol at Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba.

The house of Joseph — The kingdom of the ten tribes, the chief whereof was Ephraim, the son of Joseph. In Beth — el — If once this fire breaks out, all your idols in Beth — el shall not be able to quench it.

Ye — Rulers and judges. Judgment — The righteous sentence of the law. To wormwood — Proverbially understood; bitterness, injustice and oppression. Leave off — Make to cease in your courts of judicature.

The seven stars — A constellation, whose rising about September was usually accompanied with sweet showers. Orion — Which arising about November brings usually cold, rains and frosts intermixt very seasonable for the earth. The shadow of the earth — The greatest adversity into as great prosperity. Dark with might — Changes prosperity into adversity. That calleth — Commands the vapour to ascend, which he turns into rain; and then pours from the clouds to make the earth fruitful.

The strong — The mighty, victorious and insolent. Shall come — Shall rally and form a siege against their besiegers.

They — The judges and people. In the gate — Where judges sat, and where the prophets many times delivered their message.

Your treading — You utterly oppress the helpless. Ye take — Ye extort from the poor great quantities of wheat, on which he should live.

In the gate — In their courts of justice.

Shall keep silence — Be forced to it. Evil — Both for the sinfulness of it, and for the troubles, wars, and captivity now at hand.

With you — To bless and save you yet.

The evil — All evil among the people, and yourselves. Love — Commend, encourage, defend: let your heart be toward good things, and good men. Remnant — What the invasions of enemies, or the civil wars have spared, and left in Samaria and Israel.

Therefore — The prophet foreseeing their obstinacy, proceeds to denounce judgment against them. The husbandman — This sort of men are little used to such ceremonies of mourning, but now such also shall be called upon; leave your toil, betake yourselves to publick mourning.

Vineyards — In these places were usually the greatest joy. Pass through — To punish all every where.

That desire — Scoffingly, not believing any such day would come. To what end — What do you think to get by it? Is darkness — All adversity, black and doleful. Not light — No joy, or comfort an it.

And a bear — You may escape one, but shall fall in another calamity. Into the house — At home you may hope for safety, but there other kind of mischief shall meet you.

I hate — Impure and unholy as they are. Will not smell — A savour, of rest or delight, I will not accept and be pleased with.

Thy songs — Used in their sacrifices, and solemn feasts; herein they imitated the temple — worship, but all was unpleasing to the Lord. Will not hear — Not with delight and acceptance. Thy viols — This one kind of musical instrument is put for all the rest.

Let judgment — Let justice be administered constantly. Righteousness — Equity. Stream — Bearing down all that opposes it.

Have ye — Their fathers and they, tho' at so great a distance of time, are one people, and so the prophet considers them. Unto me — Was it to me, or to your idols, that you offered, even in the wilderness?

Ye have borne — Ye carried along with you in the wilderness; the shrine, or canopy in which the image was placed. Moloch — The great idol of the Ammonites. Chiun — Another idol.

Therefore — For all your idolatry and other sins, in which you have obstinately continued.