Amos 6
1Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and to them that are secure in the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come! 2Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines: are they better than these kingdoms? or is their border greater than your border? 3—ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5that sing idle songs to the sound of the viol; that invent for themselves instruments of music, like David; 6that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
7Therefore shall they now go captive with the first that go captive; and the revelry of them that stretched themselves shall pass away. 8The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, saith Jehovah, the God of hosts: I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces; therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein. 9And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die. 10And when a man’s uncle shall take him up, even he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is in the innermost parts of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No; then shall he say, Hold thy peace; for we may not make mention of the name of Jehovah. 11For, behold, Jehovah commandeth, and the great house shall be smitten with breaches, and the little house with clefts. 12Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plowtherewith oxen? that ye have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood; 13ye that rejoice in a thing of nought, that say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? 14For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah, the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of the Arabah. 15
What is Amos 6 about?
The woe continues against "them that are at ease in Zion," who lounge on beds of ivory, feast and sing, and drink wine in bowls, yet "are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." The LORD abhors the pride of Jacob and swears to deliver up the city, striking great house and small alike. Their boasts of strength—the towns of Lo-debar and Karnaim taken by their own might—are exposed as a thing of nought before the nation He will raise up to afflict them from the entering of Hamath to the river of the wilderness. Complacent luxury, indifferent to the poor and confident in itself, is shown to be ripe for the coming oppressor.
Matthew Henry on Amos 6