The Meaning of Amos 6:2 Explained

Amos 6:2

KJV: Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

YLT: Pass ye over to Calneh and see, And go thence to Hamath the great, And go down to Gath of the Philistines, Are they better than these kingdoms? Greater is their border than your border?

Darby: Pass unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go to Hamath the great; and go down to Gath of the Philistines: are they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

ASV: Pass 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?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Pass  ye unto Calneh,  and see;  and from thence go  ye to Hamath  the great:  then go down  to Gath  of the Philistines:  [be they] better  than these kingdoms?  or their border  greater  than your border? 

What does Amos 6:2 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Amos challenged these proud leaders to visit other cities that had once considered themselves great. Calneh (or Calno, Isaiah 10:9) and Hamath were city-states in northern Aramea. Shalmaneser III of Assyria had overrun them in854-846 B.C, but Israel controlled them in Amos" day. Gath had been a notable city in Philistia, but it had fallen before King Hazael of Aram in815 B.C. and again to King Uzziah of Judah in760 B.C. Presently Judah controlled it. Samaria was no better than those city-states, and their territories were larger than Samaria"s. Yet they had fallen to foreign invaders. What had happened to them could happen to Samaria even though the people of Israel believed that Yahweh would protect it.

Context Summary

Amos 6:1-14 - "woe To Them That Are At Ease In Zion!"
Zion is included with Samaria in this prophecy and the nobles are especially condemned for their drunkenness, gluttony, and insolence. The prophet quotes the example of great neighboring peoples as a warning that the abuse of God's good gifts leads to their withdrawal. Calneh on the Tigris, and Hamath, had fallen before Assyria; Gath, also, had been recently overwhelmed-how unlikely, therefore, that Israel, eaten through by extravagance and luxury, could endure. National dissolution is not far away, when palaces are filled with riot while the poor rot in neglect. It was thus that Joseph's brethren ate their food at the pit's mouth, while Joseph lay beneath. Many professing Christians are similarly "at ease," indifferent to their brother's woe.
The greatness of approaching judgment is illustrated by a simple incident. A household of eleven is smitten by plague; ten die, one only survives. So great has been the mortality that no nearer relative than an uncle is left to carry out the dead for cremation; and when the matter of a funeral service is broached, the suggestion is instantly met by the remark, "Those old customs cannot be observed amid the stress of such a time; we do not now mention God's name." Funeral rites would pass out of use. God's dealings with His people had been as useless as plowing rocks would be. [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 6

1  The wantonness of Israel,
7  shall be plagued with desolation;
12  and their incorrigibleness shall end in affliction

What do the individual words in Amos 6:2 mean?

Go over to Calneh and see and go from there to Hamath the great great and go down to Gath of the Philistines [Are [you] better than kingdoms these Or is greater their territory than your territory
עִבְר֤וּ כַֽלְנֵה֙ וּרְא֔וּ וּלְכ֥וּ מִשָּׁ֖ם חֲמַ֣ת רַבָּ֑ה וּרְד֣וּ גַת־ פְּלִשְׁתּ֗ים‪‬ הֲטוֹבִים֙ מִן־ ؟ הַמַּמְלָכ֣וֹת הָאֵ֔לֶּה אִם־ רַ֥ב גְּבוּלָ֖ם ؟ מִגְּבֻלְכֶֽם

עִבְר֤וּ  Go  over 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
כַֽלְנֵה֙  to  Calneh 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: כַּלְנֵה 
Sense: a city of Babylonia named among the cities of Nimrod.
וּרְא֔וּ  and  see 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וּלְכ֥וּ  and  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
מִשָּׁ֖ם  from  there 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adverb
Root: שָׁם  
Sense: there, thither.
חֲמַ֣ת  to  Hamath  the  great 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֲמָת 
Sense: the principle city of upper Syria in the valley of the Orontes.
רַבָּ֑ה  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
וּרְד֣וּ  and  go  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
גַת־  to  Gath 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גַּת  
Sense: one of the five royal or chief cities of the Philistines and the native city of Goliath.
פְּלִשְׁתּ֗ים‪‬  of  the  Philistines 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: פְּלִשְׁתִּי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan.
הֲטוֹבִים֙  [Are  [you]  better 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
מִן־  than 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
؟ הַמַּמְלָכ֣וֹת  kingdoms 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: מַמְלָכָה  
Sense: kingdom, dominion, reign, sovereignty.
הָאֵ֔לֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
רַ֥ב  is  greater 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
גְּבוּלָ֖ם  their  territory 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: גְּבוּל  
Sense: border, territory.
؟ מִגְּבֻלְכֶֽם  than  your  territory 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: גְּבוּל  
Sense: border, territory.