The Meaning of Amos 7:9 Explained

Amos 7:9

KJV: And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

YLT: And desolated have been high places of Isaac, And sanctuaries of Israel are wasted, And I have risen against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.'

Darby: And the high places of Isaac shall be desolated, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will arise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

ASV: and the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the high places  of Isaac  shall be desolate,  and the sanctuaries  of Israel  shall be laid waste;  and I will rise  against the house  of Jeroboam  with the sword. 

What does Amos 7:9 Mean?

Study Notes

raise
As prophesied and fulfilled, 2 Kings 15:10 .

Verse Meaning

The method of judgment God would use would not be locust invasion or fire but the sword. An enemy would invade Israel (cf. Deuteronomy 28:49-50). This enemy, as Yahweh"s agent, would destroy the outdoor high places on hilltops and the temple sanctuaries at Dan and Bethel where the people worshipped God and idols, namely, all their worship centers.
Amos probably used "Isaac" simply as a synonym for "Jacob" and "Israel." Another view follows.
"Amos seems to have in mind the special veneration for Isaac which members of the Northern Kingdom displayed in making pilgrimages south to Beersheba (cf. Amos 5:5; Amos 8:14), Isaac"s birthplace." [1]
The "house of Jeroboam" probably refers to the dynasty of Jeroboam II, but it could refer to the nation of Israel as headed by Jeroboam I. Jeroboam II"s dynasty came to an end with the assassination of his son and successor Zechariah ( 2 Kings 15:8-10).
These three visions appear to have come to Amos in close succession. The final compiler of Amos" prophecies, probably Amos himself, undoubtedly grouped them because of their similarity. They are obviously alike and together present a picture of judgment mercifully deferred twice but finally brought on Israel. They clarify the method of Israel"s punishment, namely, defeat by an enemy"s invading army, and they show that judgment would come after God"s patience with the nation had been exhausted.

Context Summary

Amos 7:1-17 - The Herdsman's Message
The king's mowings were the earliest yield of the grasslands, which were exacted by him. Our King also has His mowings, when He takes to Himself our dearest and best while the dew of youth is still upon them-but He is only claiming His own.
Three disasters threatened the guilty land-locusts, fire, and plague; but the prophet's intercessions warded off the blow. The Bible often tells a similar story of the power of intercession. If only the Church were united and prayed with one voice, she would be able to secure deliverance for the smitten earth. When God is said to repent, we must not attribute to Him changeableness of purpose, but He seems to repent, because man has changed his attitude. If you walk against the wind, it resists you; but if you turn and walk in the opposite direction, it helps you. The plumbline, Amos 7:7, is used to discover the extent of the mischief, before the order, for destruction is issued.
Amaziah, the chief priest of the national idolatry, found the stalwart witness of the herdsman-prophet extremely inconvenient and wanted to get rid of him. There was great simplicity and dignity in the reply. Like Luther in after years, Amos could "do no other." [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 7

1  The judgments of the grasshoppers,
4  and of the fire are diverted by the prayer of Amos
7  By the wall of a plumb line is signified the rejection of Israel
10  Amaziah complains of Amos
14  Amos shows his calling
16  and Amaziah's judgment

What do the individual words in Amos 7:9 mean?

And shall be desolate the high places of Isaac and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword -
וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙ בָּמ֣וֹת יִשְׂחָ֔ק וּמִקְדְּשֵׁ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יֶחֱרָ֑בוּ וְקַמְתִּ֛י עַל־ בֵּ֥ית יָרָבְעָ֖ם בֶּחָֽרֶב פ

וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙  And  shall  be  desolate 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁמֵם  
Sense: to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy.
בָּמ֣וֹת  the  high  places 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
יִשְׂחָ֔ק  of  Isaac 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂחָק  
Sense: son of Abraham by Sarah his wife and father of Jacob and Esau.
וּמִקְדְּשֵׁ֥י  and  the  sanctuaries 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מִקְדָּשׁ  
Sense: sacred place, sanctuary, holy place.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
יֶחֱרָ֑בוּ  shall  be  laid  waste 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: חָרֵב 
Sense: to be waste, lay waste, make desolate, be desolate, be in ruins.
וְקַמְתִּ֛י  and  I  will  rise 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
עַל־  against 
Parse: 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.
בֵּ֥ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יָרָבְעָ֖ם  of  Jeroboam 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָרָבְעָם  
Sense: the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel when the kingdom split at the death of Solomon and the 0 tribes split off from Judah and Benjamin and the kingdom under Solomon’s son Rehoboam; idolatry was introduced at the beginning of his reign.
בֶּחָֽרֶב  with  the  sword 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation