The Meaning of Amos 3:9 Explained

Amos 3:9

KJV: Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.

YLT: Sound ye unto palaces in Ashdod, And to palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: Be ye gathered on mountains of Samaria, And see many troubles within her, And oppressed ones in her midst.

Darby: Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great uproar in the midst thereof, and the oppressions that are within her:

ASV: Publish ye in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold what great tumults are therein, and what oppressions in the midst thereof.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Publish  in the palaces  at Ashdod,  and in the palaces  in the land  of Egypt,  and say,  Assemble  yourselves upon the mountains  of Samaria,  and behold  the great  tumults  in the midst  thereof, and the oppressed  in the midst  thereof. 

What does Amos 3:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Amos called for announcements to be made to the large buildings (i.e, to the people living in them) of Ashdod in Philistia and to those in Egypt. The Mosaic Law required two witnesses in cases involving the death penalty ( Deuteronomy 17:6). Here those witnesses were Ashdod and Egypt. Amos may have chosen these nations because they had previously oppressed the Israelites. People who lived in citadels were the wealthy and the leaders of those areas. A "citadel" (Heb. "armon) was almost any fortified building higher than an ordinary house (cf. Psalm 48:3; Isaiah 34:13; Jeremiah 9:21). These structures became part of a city"s defense system because they were high and easier to defend than ordinary houses. Usually important people lived in these larger buildings, and they were often part of the palaces of kings (cf. 1 Kings 16:18; 2 Kings 15:25). Here, because of the military terminology in the passage, their function as fortresses is particularly in view. These witnesses should come and stand on the mountains surrounding Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom. There they would see great tumults, not the peace and order that should have prevailed, and oppressions within Samaria. The Israelites were assaulting and robbing one another; the rich were taking advantage of the poor.

Context Summary

Amos 3:1-15 - The Lord's Word Must Come True
The closer our relationship with God, the more searching His scrutiny and chastening. The sins of God's children which may seem of slight consequence are rigorously dealt with by their Heavenly Father, who loves them too well to allow their life to be permanently injured. It is because God loves us that He is so quick in detecting the least symptoms of disease. But we must agree with Him as to the sinfulness of sin, the need of cleansing, the hopelessness of our old nature, and the world's urgent need both of our sympathy and sacrifice. So only shall we walk with God as Enoch did. The soul that is one with Him is on the alert, as is the traveler who hears the lion's roar in the forest. Watch; ye know not the hour!
The nobles of Egypt and Philistia are summoned to view the sins of Samaria and to confirm the justice of her penalty. From all sides the invader would descend on the recreant land. Only a fragment should escape, like the small piece of a lamb rescued from the jaws of the savage beast of prey. The couch of luxury, the bed of sloth, the golden calf of Beth-el-all marked the degeneracy of the Chosen People. May the sorrows through which the world is passing at this hour be the means of cleansing human society from these same evils that our Christian civilization may escape the penalties that overtook Israel! [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 3

1  The necessity of God's judgment against Israel
9  The publication of it, with the causes thereof

What do the individual words in Amos 3:9 mean?

Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod and in in the land of Egypt and say Assemble on the mountains of Samaria and See tumults great in her midst and the oppressed within her
הַשְׁמִ֙יעוּ֙ עַל־ אַרְמְנ֣וֹת בְּאַשְׁדּ֔וֹד וְעַֽל־ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְאִמְר֗וּ הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ עַל־ הָרֵ֣י שֹׁמְר֔וֹן וּרְא֞וּ מְהוּמֹ֤ת רַבּוֹת֙ בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ וַעֲשׁוּקִ֖ים בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ

הַשְׁמִ֙יעוּ֙  Proclaim 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אַרְמְנ֣וֹת  the  palaces 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אַרְמֹון  
Sense: citadel, palace, fortress.
בְּאַשְׁדּ֔וֹד  at  Ashdod 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַשְׁדֹּוד  
Sense: a major Philistine city on the Mediterranean Sea west from Jerusalem, modern Esdud.
וְעַֽל־  and  in 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
בְּאֶ֣רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מִצְרָ֑יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
וְאִמְר֗וּ  and  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙  Assemble 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: אָסַף 
Sense: to gather, receive, remove, gather in.
הָרֵ֣י  the  mountains 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
שֹׁמְר֔וֹן  of  Samaria 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שֹׁמְרֹון  
Sense: the region of northern Palestine associated with the northern kingdom of the 0 tribes of Israel which split from the kingdom after the death of Solomon during the reign of his son Rehoboam and were ruled by Jeroboam.
וּרְא֞וּ  and  See 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
מְהוּמֹ֤ת  tumults 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: מְהוּמָה  
Sense: tumult, confusion, disquietude, discomfiture, destruction, trouble, vexed, vexation.
רַבּוֹת֙  great 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ  in  her  midst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
וַעֲשׁוּקִ֖ים  and  the  oppressed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֲשׁוּקִים  
Sense: oppression, extortion.
בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ  within  her 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.