And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.
The songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day - (Amos 5:23). The joyous hymns in the temple of Judah (or, rather, in the Bethel 'royal-temple,' Amos 7:13, "the king's chapel," or sanctuary; because the allusion is to Israel, not Judah, throughout this chapter) shall be changed into howlings. Grotius translates, 'the palace,' instead of "the temple;" cf. Amos 6:5 as to the songs there. But Amos 5:23; Amos 7:13, favour the English version.
They shall cast them forth with silence - not as margin, 'be silent' [chaac]. It is an adverb, silently (Maurer). But Pusey and Henderson translate it literally, 'He casts forth, hush!' Each casts forth those dear to him, as "dung on the face of the earth" (Jeremiah 8:2). Grief is too strong for words-living and dead are hushed as the grave. There shall be so great slaughter as even to prevent the bodies being buried with customary rites (Calvin). There shall be none of the usual professional mourners (Amos 5:16), but the bodies will be cast out in silence. Perhaps also it is meant, terror both of God (cf. Amos 6:10) and of the foe shall close their lips.