Antiguo Testamento

Amos — Capítulo 5

This chapter opens with a tender and pathetic lamentation, in the style of a funeral song, over the house of Israel, Amo 5:1, Amo 5:2. The prophet then glances at the awful threatening denounced against them, Amo 5:3;…

Versión

Texto — Reina-Valera 1960

1Oíd esta palabra que yo levanto para lamentación sobre vosotros, casa de Israel.

2Cayó la virgen de Israel, y no podrá levantarse ya más; fue dejada sobre su tierra, no hay quien la levante.

3Porque así ha dicho Jehová el Señor: La ciudad que salga con mil, volverá con ciento, y la que salga con ciento volverá con diez, en la casa de Israel.

4Pero así dice Jehová a la casa de Israel: Buscadme, y viviréis;

5y no busquéis a Bet-el, ni entréis en Gilgal, ni paséis a Beerseba; porque Gilgal será llevada en cautiverio, y Bet-el será deshecha.

6Buscad a Jehová, y vivid; no sea que acometa como fuego a la casa de José y la consuma, sin haber en Bet-el quien lo apague.

7Los que convertís en ajenjo el juicio, y la justicia la echáis por tierra,

8buscad al que hace las Pléyades y el Orión, y vuelve las tinieblas en mañana, y hace oscurecer el día como noche; el que llama a las aguas del mar, y las derrama sobre la faz de la tierra; Jehová es su nombre;

9que da esfuerzo al despojador sobre el fuerte, y hace que el despojador venga sobre la fortaleza.

10Ellos aborrecieron al reprensor en la puerta de la ciudad, y al que hablaba lo recto abominaron.

11Por tanto, puesto que vejáis al pobre y recibís de él carga de trigo, edificasteis casas de piedra labrada, mas no las habitaréis; plantasteis hermosas viñas, mas no beberéis el vino de ellas.

12Porque yo sé de vuestras muchas rebeliones, y de vuestros grandes pecados; sé que afligís al justo, y recibís cohecho, y en los tribunales hacéis perder su causa a los pobres.

13Por tanto, el prudente en tal tiempo calla, porque el tiempo es malo.

14Buscad lo bueno, y no lo malo, para que viváis; porque así Jehová Dios de los ejércitos estará con vosotros, como decís.

15Aborreced el mal, y amad el bien, y estableced la justicia en juicio; quizá Jehová Dios de los ejércitos tendrá piedad del remanente de José.

16Por tanto, así ha dicho Jehová, Dios de los ejércitos: En todas las plazas habrá llanto, y en todas las calles dirán: ¡Ay! ¡Ay!, y al labrador llamarán a lloro, y a endecha a los que sepan endechar.

17Y en todas las viñas habrá llanto; porque pasaré en medio de ti, dice Jehová.

18¡Ay de los que desean el día de Jehová! ¿Para qué queréis este día de Jehová? Será de tinieblas, y no de luz;

19como el que huye de delante del león, y se encuentra con el oso; o como si entrare en casa y apoyare su mano en la pared, y le muerde una culebra.

20¿No será el día de Jehová tinieblas, y no luz; oscuridad, que no tiene resplandor?

21Aborrecí, abominé vuestras solemnidades, y no me complaceré en vuestras asambleas.

22Y si me ofreciereis vuestros holocaustos y vuestras ofrendas, no los recibiré, ni miraré a las ofrendas de paz de vuestros animales engordados.

23Quita de mí la multitud de tus cantares, pues no escucharé las salmodias de tus instrumentos.

24Pero corra el juicio como las aguas, y la justicia como impetuoso arroyo.

25¿Me ofrecisteis sacrificios y ofrendas en el desierto en cuarenta años, oh casa de Israel?

26Antes bien, llevabais el tabernáculo de vuestro Moloc y Quiún, ídolos vuestros, la estrella de vuestros dioses que os hicisteis.

27Os haré, pues, transportar más allá de Damasco, ha dicho Jehová, cuyo nombre es Dios de los ejércitos.

ADAM CLARKE BIBLE COMMENTARY

Versículo 1

I. Hear ye this word - Attend to this doleful song which I make for the house of Israel.

Hear ye this word - Attend to this doleful song which I make for the house of Israel.

Versículo 2

II. The virgin of Israel - The kingdom of Israel, or the ten tribes, which were carried into captivit…

The virgin of Israel - The kingdom of Israel, or the ten tribes, which were carried into captivity; and are now totally lost in the nations of the earth.

Versículo 3

III. The city that went out by a thousand - The city that could easily have furnished, on any emergenc…

The city that went out by a thousand - The city that could easily have furnished, on any emergency, a thousand fighting men, can now produce scarcely one hundred - one in ten of the former number; and now of the hundred scarcely ten remain: so reduced was Israel when Shalmaneser besieged and took Samaria, and carried the residue into captivity.

Versículo 4

IV. Seek ye me, and ye shall live - Cease your rebellion against me; return to me with all your heart…

Seek ye me, and ye shall live - Cease your rebellion against me; return to me with all your heart; and though consigned to death, ye shall be rescued and live. Deplorable as your case is, it is not utterly desperate.

Versículo 5

V. But seek not Beth-el - There was one of Jeroboam's golden calves, and at Gilgal were carved image…

But seek not Beth-el - There was one of Jeroboam's golden calves, and at Gilgal were carved images; both were places in which idolatry was triumphant. The prophet shows them that all hope from those quarters is utterly vain; for Gilgal shall go into captivity, and Beth-el be brought to naught. There is a play or paronomasia on the letters and words in this clause: הגלגל גלה יגלה ובית אל יהיה לאון haggilgal galoh yigleh, ubeith el yiheyeh leaven. "This Gilgal shall go captive into captivity; and Beth-el (the house of God) shall be for Beth-aven," (the house of iniquity.)

Versículo 6

VI. Seek the Lord, and ye shall live - Repeated from Amo 5:4.

Seek the Lord, and ye shall live - Repeated from Amo 5:4. In the house of Joseph - The Israelites of the ten tribes, of whom Ephraim and Manasseh, sons of Joseph, were the chief.

Versículo 7

VII. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood - Who pervert judgment; causing him who obtains his suit to mour…

Ye who turn judgment to wormwood - Who pervert judgment; causing him who obtains his suit to mourn sorely over the expenses he has incurred in gaining his right.

Versículo 8

VIII. That maketh the seven stars and Orion - Or, Hyades and Arcturus, Kimah and Kesil. See my notes on…

That maketh the seven stars and Orion - Or, Hyades and Arcturus, Kimah and Kesil. See my notes on Job 9:9; Job 38:32, where the subject of this verse is largely considered. Turneth the shadow of death into the morning - Who makes day and night, light and darkness. Calleth for the waters of the sea - Raising them up by evaporation, and collecting them into clouds. And poureth them out - Causing them to drop down in showers upon the face of the earth. Who has done this? Jehovah is his name.

Versículo 9

IX. That strengtheneth the spoiled - Who takes the part of the poor and oppressed against the oppress…

That strengtheneth the spoiled - Who takes the part of the poor and oppressed against the oppressor; and, in the course of his providence, sets up the former, and depresses the latter.

Versículo 10

X. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate - They cannot bear an upright magistrate, and will not ha…

They hate him that rebuketh in the gate - They cannot bear an upright magistrate, and will not have righteous laws executed.

Versículo 11

XI. Your treading is upon the poor - You tread them under your feet; they form the road on which ye w…

Your treading is upon the poor - You tread them under your feet; they form the road on which ye walk; and yet it was by oppressing and impoverishing them that ye gained your riches. Ye take from him burdens of wheat - Ye will have his bread for doing him justice.

Versículo 12

XII. I know your manifold transgressions - I have marked the multitude of your smaller crimes, as well…

I know your manifold transgressions - I have marked the multitude of your smaller crimes, as well as your mighty offenses. Among their greater offenses were, 1. Their afflicting the righteous. 2. Taking bribes to blind their eyes in judgment. And, 3. Refusing to hear the poor, who had no money to give them.

Versículo 13

XIII. The prudent shall keep silence - A wise man will consider that it is useless to complain. He can …

The prudent shall keep silence - A wise man will consider that it is useless to complain. He can have no justice without bribes; and he has no money to give: consequently, in such an evil time, it is best to keep silence.

Versículo 14

XIV. Seek good, and not evil - Is there a greater mystery in the world, than that a mall, instead of s…

Seek good, and not evil - Is there a greater mystery in the world, than that a mall, instead of seeking good, will seek evil, knowing that it is evil? And so the Lord - As God is the Fountain of good, so they who seek the supreme good seek him: and they who seek shall find him; For the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with him.

Versículo 15

XV. Hate the evil, and love the good - What ruins you, avoid; what helps you, cleave to. And as a pro…

Hate the evil, and love the good - What ruins you, avoid; what helps you, cleave to. And as a proof that you take this advice, purify the seats of justice, and then expect God to be gracious to the remnant of Joseph - to the posterity of the ten tribes.

Versículo 16

16. They shall call the husbandman to mourning - Because the crops have failed, and the ground has be…

They shall call the husbandman to mourning - Because the crops have failed, and the ground has been tilled in vain. Such as are skillful of lamentation - See the note on Jer 9:17.

Versículo 17

17. And in all vineyards shall be wailing - The places where festivity especially used to prevail.

And in all vineyards shall be wailing - The places where festivity especially used to prevail. I will pass through thee - As I passed, by the ministry of the destroying angel, through Egypt, not to spare, but to destroy.

Versículo 18

18. Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord - The prophet had often denounced the coming of God's…

Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord - The prophet had often denounced the coming of God's day, that is, of a time of judgment; and the unbelievers had said, "Let his day come, that we may see it." Now the prophet tells them that that day would be to them darkness - calamity, and not light - not prosperity.

Versículo 19

19. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him - They shall go from one evil to another. He…

As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him - They shall go from one evil to another. He who escapes from the lion's mouth shall fall into the bear's paws: - Incidit in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Charybdim. The Israelites, under their king Menahem, wishing to avoid a civil war, called in Pul, king of Assyria, to help them. This led to a series of evils inflicted by the Syrian and Assyrian kings, till at last Israel was ravaged by Shalmaneser, and carried into captivity. Thus, in avoiding one evil they fell into another still more grievous. Leaned his hands on a wall, and a serpent bit him - Snakes and venomous animals are fond of taking up their lodging in walls of houses, where they can either find or make holes; and it is dangerous to sit near them or lean against them. In the East Indies they keep the faithful mongose, a species of ichneumon, in their houses, for the purpose of destroying the snakes that infest them.

Versículo 21

20. I hate, I despise your feast days - I abominate those sacrificial festivals where there is no pie…

I hate, I despise your feast days - I abominate those sacrificial festivals where there is no piety, and I despise them because they pretend to be what they are not. This may refer to the three annual festivals which were still observed in a certain way among the Israelites.

Versículo 22

21. The peace-offerings of your fat beasts - מריאיכם merieychem probably means buffaloes; and so Boch…

The peace-offerings of your fat beasts - מריאיכם merieychem probably means buffaloes; and so Bochart.

Versículo 23

22. The noise of thy songs - the melody of thy viols - They had both vocal and instrumental music in …

The noise of thy songs - the melody of thy viols - They had both vocal and instrumental music in those sacrificial festivals; and God hated the noise of the one and shut his ears against the melody of the other. In the first there was nothing but noise, because their hearts were not right with God; and in the latter there could be nothing but (זמרת zimrath) cutting and scraping, because there was no heart - no religious sense in the thing, and nearly as little in them that used it. See on Amo 6:5 (note).

Versículo 24

23. Let judgment run down - Let the execution of justice be everywhere like the showers that fall upo…

Let judgment run down - Let the execution of justice be everywhere like the showers that fall upon the land to render it fertile; and let righteousness in heart and life be like a mighty river, or the Jordan, that shall wind its course through the whole nation, and carry every abomination into the Dead Sea. Let justice and righteousness prevail everywhere, and sweep their contraries out of the land.

Versículo 25

24. Have ye offered unto me sacrifices - Some have been led to think that "during the forty years whi…

Have ye offered unto me sacrifices - Some have been led to think that "during the forty years which the Israelites spent in the wilderness, between Egypt and the promised land, they did not offer any sacrifices, as in their circumstances it was impossible; they offered none because they had none." But such people must have forgotten that when the covenant was made at Sinai, there were burnt-offerings and peace-offerings of oxen sacrificed to the Lord, Exo 24:5; and at the setting up of the tabernacle the twelve princes of the twelve tribes offered each a young bullock, a ram, and a lamb, for a burnt-offering; a kid for a sin-offering; two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs, for a peace-offering, Num 7:12, etc.; which amounted to an immense number of victims offered in the course of the twelve days during which this feast of the dedication lasted. At the consecration of priests, bullocks and rams to a considerable number were offered, see Lev 8:1, etc.; but they were not offered so regularly, nor in such abundance, as they were after the settlement in the promised land. Learned men, therefore, have considered this verse as speaking thus: Did ye offer to me, during forty years in the wilderness, sacrifices in such a way as was pleasing to me? Ye did not; for your hearts were divided, and ye were generally in a spirit of insurrection or murmuring.

Versículo 26

25. But ye have borne - The preceding verse spoke of their fathers; the present verse speaks of the I…

But ye have borne - The preceding verse spoke of their fathers; the present verse speaks of the Israelites then existing, who were so grievously addicted to idolatry, that they not only worshipped at stated public places the idols set up by public authority, but they carried their gods about with them everywhere. The tabernacle of your Moloch - Probably a small portable shrine, with an image of their god in it, such as Moloch; and the star or representative of their god Chiun. For an ample exposition of this verse, see the note on Act 7:42; to which let me add, that from Picart's Religious Ceremonies, vol. 3 p. 199, we find that there was an idol named Choun worshipped among the Peruvians from the remotest antiquity.

Versículo 27

26. Will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus - That is, into Assyria, the way to which, …

Will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus - That is, into Assyria, the way to which, from Judea, was by Damascus. But St. Stephen says, Act 7:43, beyond Babylon; because the Holy Spirit that was in him chose to extend the meaning of the original text to that great and final captivity of the Jews in general, when Zedekiah, their last king, and the people of Judea, were carried into Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Media; see Kg2 17:7, Kg2 17:24. This captivity happened after the time of Amos.

Cargando AMO 5...