It is worth noting that each of the oracles begins with the formula For three transgressions of [name of city or state], even for four, though Amos only listed one transgression for each nation, except for Israel which received all four of them (Amos 2:616). 16:9). Future Assyrian campaigns will do just that in the 740s-720s BCE. as the Targum; this country lay beyond Jordan, and was inhabited by the Reubenites and Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh; who were used in a very cruel manner, by Hazael king of Syria, as was foretold by Elisha, 2 Kings 7:12; not literally, as in 2 Samuel 12:31; but by him they were beat, oppressed, and crushed, as the grain of the threshingfloor; which used to be threshed out by means of a wooden instrument stuck with iron teeth, the top of which was filled with stones to press it down, and so drawn to and fro over the sheaves of corn, by which means it was beaten out, to which the allusion is here; See Gill on 1 Corinthians 9:9. Turn away . Others believe the threshing is a metaphor for Israels defeat at the hands of Syria (cf. As a result of God breaking the gate bar of Damascus, the people of Aram would go exiled to Kir. Seven is used as a symbol of a whole, since on the seventh day God rested from all which He had made, and therefore the number seven entered so largely into the whole Jewish ritual. , ' <-144 , . How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. In pagan poetry also, as a trace of a mystery which they had forgotten, three is a sacred whole; from where thrice and fourfold blessed stands among them for something exceeding even a full and perfect blessing, a super-abundance of blessings. [5] I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and him that holds the scepter from Beth-eden; This entry was posted on Blog, A Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, Genesis 1:12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. In this second volume on the Minor Prophets, Dr. Bailey discusses the books of Joel to Zephaniah. And God saw that the light was good. So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad. All is vanity. As such, it attracted the Arameans who were one of the most frequent enemies of Israel. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. T Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.Leviticus 11:1-47 And theLordspoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.1 Kings 5:11 While Solomon gave Hiram 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, and 20,000 cors of beaten oil. All the fields have to be checked. with threshing sledges of iron. Frequently threshing sledges (28:27) made of wood (2 Sam. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 John Mark Hicks. sn Like threshing sledges with iron teeth. Here in Amos, we see that the people of Damascus rebelled against the LORD because they threshed Gilead with implements of sharp iron. 12:19; 2 Kgs. 41:15).The NKJV Study Bible. Again, Sowing discord among brethren Proverbs 6:16-19, has a special hatefulness, as not only being sin, but causing widewasting sin, and destroying in others the chief grace, love. Deeper sins bring deeper damnation at the last. They journeyed to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks, where they found rich, good pasture, and the land was very broad, quiet, and peaceful, for the former inhabitants there belonged to Ham. H "Thrice happy Greeks! The LORD was the one who gave His words to His prophet. Whichever is the case, Amos condemns Damascus for their violent aggression against Israel. They beat down my people in Gilead as grain is threshed with iron sledges. W After this Joash decided to restore the house of theLord. So the handmaid which displaceth her mistress Proverbs 30:21-23 is more intolerable and overbearing than the others. International ethics are important to Amos. 5 I will p break the gate-bar of l Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of q Aven, 4. and him who holds the scepter from r Beth-eden; Again, There be three things which go well; yea, four are comely in going Proverbs 30:29-31. A threshing sledge was made of wooden boards embedded with sharp stones or iron teeth. Chedorlaomer and the four kings with him, doubtless, came that way, since the first whom they smote were at Ashteroth Karnaim Genesis 14:5-6 in Jaulan or Gaulonitis, and thence they swept on southward, along the west side of Jordan, smiting, as they went, first the Zuzim, (probably the same as the Zamzummim Deuteronomy 2:2 O) in Ammonitis; then the Emim in the plain of Kiriathaim in Moab Genesis 14:15. The fourth transgression of these pagan nations is alone mentioned. The consequences, however, are essentially the samefire will burn destroy the cities/citadels (1:7, 10, 12). perhaps more (cf. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. The two on the northern side water Salahiyeh at the foot of the hills about a mile from the city, and then irrigate the higher portions of the plain to the distance of nearly twenty miles. Publication date: Jun 3, 2010. We are encouraged to Work Hard and keep ourselves busy. The names Hazael and Ben-hadad, two kings of Aram, are also known from 2 Kings 8. They are carried along the precipitous banks of the ravine, being in some places tunnelled in the solid rock. His mothers name was Zibiah of Beersheba. And he will bless you in the land that theLordyour God is giving you.Deuteronomy 15:1-10 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. Rezon renewed, throughout the later part of Solomons reign, the aggression of Hadad. Benhadad II had thirty-two vassal kings 1 Kings 20:1, 1 Kings 20:24, (dependent kings like those of Canaan, each of his own city and little territory,) and led them against Samaria, intending to plunder it 1 Kings 20:6-7, and, on occasion of the plundering, probably to make it his own or to destroy it. . So Paul speaks of those who treasure up to themselves wrath against the Day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God Romans 2:5. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.Deuteronomy 28:8 The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. The identification of the sin becomes the key element of the oracle itself with its subsequent consequence. Gaza sent whole communities into exile to Edom. And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. Its wealth, as a great emporium of transit-commerce, (as it is now) furnished it with sinews for war. "O thrice and four times, that is, very often, a finite number for an infinite." Of the situation of this place, and the delightfulness of it; see Gill on Jeremiah 49:25; and of its founder, and the signification of its name; see Gill on Acts 9:2; to which may be added, that though Justin says it had its name from Damascus, a king of it before Abraham and Israel, whom he also makes kings of it; and Josephus would have Uz the son of Aram the founder of it, to which Bochart agrees; yet the Arabic writers ascribe the building of it to others; for the Arabs have a tradition, as Schultens says, that there were Canaanites anciently in Syria; for they talk of Dimashc the son of Canaan, who built the famous city of Damascus, and so it should seem to be called after his name; and Abulpharagius says, that Murkus or Murphus, as others call him, king of Palestine, built the city of Damascus twenty years before the birth of Abraham: from this place many things have their names, which continue with us to this day, as the "damask" rose, and the "damascene" plum, transplanted from the gardens that were about it, for which it was famous; and very probably the invention of the silk and linen called "damasks" owes its rise from hence. Conclusion: The Lord God has spoken (not always present). For we are Gods fellow workers. 1 Kings 19:17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. The LORD pronounces judgment on the inhabitants of Damascus because they slaughtered the people of Gilead. R Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window). Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing? because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron. Will the sun really be turned to darkness and the moon to blood (Joel 2:31). One cant speed up nature. Proverb: Because of the three transgressions of and because of four, I will not cause (him/it) to return.. Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Damascus and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I shall not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because they have threshed Gilead This is what the LORD says: "The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! What then shall we say to these things? Not only would the kingdom of Aram fall, and its rulers have their authority crushed, its people would be conquered and taken into exile by its conquerors. . The animals have to be cared for. : the drag (or board), under the same name rtz (properly something sharpened) which it has in Amos 1:3, in Isaiah 28:27, "For not with a sharp threshing-board is Nigella-seed [Tristram, N. H. B. p. 444] trodden out; nor is the wheel of a (threshing-) wagon turned about upon cummin," Job 41: . Literally, the text says they shut up the whole into captivity. The Philistines assaulted surrounding communities. Frequently threshing sledges (28:27) made of wood (2 Sam. 13:3, 2225). 2 Chronicles 21:16-17)and removed them to Edom (which is located southeast of Judah). The third, having gained the greatest power of all, seeking to repair the defeat of his grandfather, warring against the Jews, wasted what is now callcd Samaritis. They could not brook a defeat, which they had brought upon themselves. On a daily basis, relationships have to be enhanced. Which words Virgil translates, and puts in the mouth of his hero in similar circumstances, Aen. Before this, Scripture speaks of the people only of Damascus, not of their kings. Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away. 3 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good., Isaiah 32:20 Happy are you who sow beside all waters, who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free.Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Kimchi thinks that this respects four particular seasons, in which Damascus, or the Syrians, evilly treated and distressed the people of Israel; first in the times of Baasha; then in the times of Ahab; a third time in the days of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu; and the fourth in the times of Ahaz; and then they were punished for them all: because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron; that is. Beginning with Damascus, Amos stated, Thus says theLord, Forthree transgressions ofDamascus and for four, I will notrevoke itspunishment. As mentioned earlier, the statement thus says the LORD tells the reader that the message of Amos originated from God. Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing? Meonothai fathered Ophrah; and Seraiah fathered Joab, the father of Ge-harashim, so-called because they were craftsmen. Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron. This rhetorical pattern stresses the sin and the consequence. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. 10 million Ukrainians without power because of Russia. . God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. It lay on the best route from the interior of Asia to the Mediterranean, to Tyre, and even to Egypt. The name Damascus probably betokened the strenuous, energetic character of its founder. And since they had no root, they withered away. because they have threshed m Gilead . Genesis 8:22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.Isaiah 9:3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.Deuteronomy 11:14 He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.Zechariah 10:1 Ask rain from theLordin the season of the spring rain, from theLordwho makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.2 Samuel 24:22 Then Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. As the sledge was pulled over the threshing floor the stones or iron teeth would separate the grain from the stalks. How then could it refuse to believe of itself, what it believed of others like itself? Why Did God Use Adams Rib to Create Eve? Where the water of one is diffusing life and verdure over the surface, another branch is collecting a new supply. In former days these extended over the whole plain to the lakes, thus irrigating the fields and gardens in every part of it., Damascus then was, of old, famed for its beauty.