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Introduction

Amos chapter 6 delivers a scathing rebuke against the wealthy and complacent leaders of Israel and Judah, condemning their false sense of security and indulgent lifestyles while ignoring the coming judgment. The prophet criticizes those who live in luxury, enjoying music, fine food, and expensive furnishings, while remaining indifferent to the suffering and moral decline surrounding them. Amos warns that their complacency and arrogance will not protect them from disaster, as God’s judgment is certain to overtake the entire nation regardless of their perceived security. The chapter highlights the pride of Israel’s leaders, who trust in their own strength and achievements rather than acknowledging their dependence on God. Amos closes with a vivid depiction of impending destruction, warning that the coming judgment will affect every level of society, sparing neither the wealthy elite nor the general population, as a direct consequence of their persistent sin and injustice.

Chapter 6 (BBE)

1 Sorrow to those who are resting in comfort in Zion, and to those who have no fear of danger in the mountain of Samaria, the noted men of the chief of the nations, to whom the people of Israel come!
2 Go on to Calneh and see; and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines: are you better than these kingdoms? or is your land wider than theirs?
3 You who put far away the evil day, causing the rule of the violent to come near;
4 Who are resting on beds of ivory, stretched out on soft seats, feasting on lambs from the flock and young oxen from the cattle-house;
5 Making foolish songs to the sound of corded instruments, and designing for themselves instruments of music, like David;
6 Drinking wine in basins, rubbing themselves with the best oils; but they have no grief for the destruction of Joseph.
7 So now they will go away prisoners with the first of those who are made prisoners, and the loud cry of those who were stretched out will come to an end.
8 The Lord God has taken an oath by himself, says the Lord, the God of armies: the pride of Jacob is disgusting to me, and I have hate for his great houses: so I will give up the town with everything in it.
9 Then it will come about that if there are still ten men in a house, death will overtake them.
10 And when a man’s relation, even the one who is responsible for burning his body, lifting him up to take his bones out of the house, says to him who is in the inmost part of the house, Is there still anyone with you? and he says, No; then he will say, Keep quiet, for the name of the Lord may not be named.
11 For see, at the order of the Lord the great house will be full of cracks and the little house will be broken.
12 Is it possible for horses to go running on the rock? may the sea be ploughed with oxen? for the right to be turned by you into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into a bitter plant?
13 You whose joy is in a thing of no value, who say, Have we not taken for ourselves horns by the strength which is ours?
14 For see, I will send against you a nation, O Israel, says the Lord, the God of armies, ruling you cruelly from the way into Hamath as far as the stream of the Arabah.

Important Verses

  • Verse 1 Amos condemns the complacent leaders of Israel and Judah who feel secure despite the coming judgment.
  • Verse 4 to 6 The prophet criticizes the wealthy for indulging in luxury and comfort while ignoring the suffering and moral decay around them.
  • Verse 8 God declares His hatred for the pride and arrogance of Israel’s leaders, promising to bring judgment upon their strongholds.
  • Verse 12 Amos uses vivid imagery to illustrate how Israel has perverted justice and righteousness into something harmful and corrupt.
  • Verse 13 to 14 The chapter closes with a warning that a foreign nation will oppress Israel from one end of the land to the other, as a direct consequence of their sin.

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