Amos 9 - Wesley's Explanatory Notes

The altar — Of burnt — offering before the temple at Jerusalem, this altar and temple Israel had forsaken, and set up others against it; and here God in his jealousy appears prepared to take vengeance. Possibly it may intimate his future departure from Judah too. There Ezekiel, Ezekiel 9:2, saw the slaughter — men stand. The door — The door of the gate that led into the priests court. And cut them — Wound deep, the people who were visionally represented as standing in the court of the temple.

Hell — The center of the earth, or the depth of hell.

The serpent — The crocodile or shark.

Set my eyes — I will perpetually watch over them.

Toucheth — He needs not take great pains therein, a touch of his finger will do this. Shall melt — As snow before the sun.

His stories — The celestial orbs one over another, as so many stories in an high and stately palace. And he hath founded his troop in the earth: all the creatures, which are one army, one body; so closely are they connected, and so harmoniously do they all act for the accomplishing of their creator's purposes. Calleth for the waters — Either in judgment to drown, or in mercy to give rain.

The Arabians — A wild, thievish, and servile nation. Have not I brought — And whereas you boast my kindness to you, bringing you out of Egypt, and thereupon conclude, God cannot leave you whom he hath so redeemed; you argue amiss, for this aggravates your sin. From Kir — Conquered by some potent enemies, and sent away to Kir, a country of Media, yet at last delivered. Should these nations, argue themselves to be out of danger of divine justice, because I had done this for them.

The sinful kingdom — Every sinful kingdom.

The least grain — Though tumbled and tossed with the great violence, yet the smallest, good grain, shall not be lost or destroyed.

All the sinners — The great, notorious sinners. The evil — Is far off, we shall die first, and be safe in the grave.

In that day — In the set time which I have fixt. Raise up — Bring back out of captivity, and re — establish in their own land, the house of David, and those that adhere to his family. Fallen — By the revolt of the ten tribes. The breaches — Which are in it by that long division.

They — Literally the Jews. Possess — Both the lands of Edom, and some of the posterity of Edom; these as servants, the other as their propriety. The remnant — Left by Nebuchadnezzar. All the heathen — That is, round about. That doth this — But this is also a prophecy of setting up the kingdom of the Messiah, and bringing in the Gentiles.

Behold the days come — Here is another promise literally of abundant plenty to the returned captives, and mystically of abundant grace poured forth in gospel — days. The plowman — Who breaks up the ground, and prepares it for sowing, shall be ready to tread on the heels of the reaper who shall have a harvest so large, that before he can gather it all in, it shall be time to plow the ground again. The treader of grapes — So great shall their vintage be that e'er the treaders of grapes can have finished their work, the seeds — man shall be sowing his seed against the next season. Shall drop — The vineyards shall be so fruitful, and new wine so plentiful as if it ran down from the mountains. Shall melt — Or, as if whole hills were melted into such liquors. If any object, it never was so: I answer, the sins of the returned captives prevented these blessings, which are promised under a tacit condition.

Pulled up — On condition that they seek the Lord. This was on God's part with admirable constancy performed through six hundred years, perhaps the longest time of freedom from captivity they ever knew.