Amos 3:9
in Amos 3Proclaim to the citadels of Ashdod and to the citadels of Egypt: “Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest in the city and the acts of oppression in her midst.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
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
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.
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This verse in Amos 3
Commentary
9 notes on this verse(Vers. 9, 10.) Make it heard in the houses of Azotus, and in the houses of the land of Egypt, and say: Gather yourselves together upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the many follies in the midst thereof, them that suffer wrong, and that oppress in the innermost parts thereof, and they have not known to do the right thing, saith the Lord: treasuring up iniquity and spoils in their houses.
This site's exposition
Publish in the palaces at Ashdod
on Amos 3:9-10
The summons goes out to Israel's own historic enemies, Ashdod of the Philistines and the land of Egypt, called as witnesses against Samaria's tumults and oppression, a device the bench finds bitterly ironic, since it means pagan nations can see and name what Israel's own leaders deny. They know not to do right is the charge, moral blindness rather than mere weakness, and it is spoken of a people who store up violence and robbery in their own palaces, the very houses of the powerful named as the treasury of their crimes. The device of outside witnesses returns the argument to where chapter 1 began, nations under judgment for plain cruelty, only now Israel stands accused by the same standard she saw applied to them.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Tumults - The seditious counsels, and rebellious conspiracies among them. The oppressed - Multitudes of oppressed ones, as the usurpers took it to be their interest to crush all they feared or suspected. In the midst - Yea, throughout the whole kingdom of Samaria.
If they have grown impudent in sin, let them bear the shame: " Publish it in Ashdod, in Egypt. " 1. Let them see how black the charge is, and how well proved. Let them observe the behaviour of the inhabitants of Samaria; let them look off from the adjacent hills, and they may see how rude and boisterous they are, and hear how loud they cry of their sin is, as was that of Sodom.
Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt,....
8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord G OD hath spoken, who can but prophesy? The scope of these verses is to convince the people of Israel that God had a controversy with them. That which the prophet has to say to them is to let them know that the Lord has something to say against them,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Publish - “ye,” they are the words of God, commissioning His prophets In (on) the palaces of Ashdod - , that is, on the flat roofs of their high buidings, from where all can hear And in (on) the palaces in the land of Egypt - Theodoret: “Since ye disbelieve, I will manifest to Ashdodites and Egyptians the transgressions of which ye are guilty.” Amos had already pronounced God’s sentence on “the palaces of Ashdod” and all Philistia, for their sins against Himself in His people (see the notes at Amo 1:6-8).
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
(The opposite formula to "Tell it not in Gath," namely, lest the heathen should glory over Israel). Even these idolaters, in looking on your enormities, will condemn you; how much more will the holy God? upon the mountains of Samaria--on the hills surrounding and commanding the view of Samaria, the metropolis of the ten tribes, which was on a lower hill (Am 4:1;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Publish in the palaces - The housetops or flat roofs were the places from which public declarations were made. See on Isa 21:1 (note), and on Mat 10:27 (note). See whether in those places there be not tumults, oppressions, and rapine sufficient to excite my wrath against them.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַשְׁמִ֙יעוּ֙ | hashmiu | proclaim | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | to | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אַרְמְנ֣וֹת | ʾarmenot | [the] fortresses | H759 → | 32 times |
| בְּאַשְׁדּ֔וֹד | beashdod | in Ashdod | H795 → | |
| וְעַֽל־ | veal- | and to | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אַרְמְנ֖וֹת | ʾarmenot | [the] fortresses | H759 → | 32 times |
| בְּאֶ֣רֶץ | beeretz | in [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִצְרָ֑יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| וְאִמְר֗וּ | veimru | and say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ | heasefu | gather yourselves | H622 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָרֵ֣י | harei | [the] mountains of | H2022 → | 546 times |
| שֹׁמְר֔וֹן | shomeron | Samaria | H8111 → | 109 times |
| וּרְא֞וּ | ureu | and see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| מְהוּמֹ֤ת | mehumot | disturbances | H4103 → | |
| רַבּוֹת֙ | rabot | great | H7227 → | 454 times |
| בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ | betokhah | in [the] midst of it | H8432 → | |
| וַעֲשׁוּקִ֖ים | vaashukim | and oppression<s> | H6217 → | |
| בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ׃ | bekirbah | in midst its | H7130 → | 227 times |
הַשְׁמִ֙יעוּ֙proclaim
hashmiuH8085 →1159 times
עַל־to
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
אַרְמְנ֣וֹת[the] fortresses
ʾarmenotH759 →32 times
בְּאַשְׁדּ֔וֹדin Ashdod
beashdodH795 →
וְעַֽל־and to
veal-H5921 →5755 times
אַרְמְנ֖וֹת[the] fortresses
ʾarmenotH759 →32 times
בְּאֶ֣רֶץin [the] land of
beeretzH776 →2504 times
מִצְרָ֑יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
וְאִמְר֗וּand say
veimruH559 →5305 times
הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙gather yourselves
heasefuH622 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָרֵ֣י[the] mountains of
hareiH2022 →546 times
שֹׁמְר֔וֹןSamaria
shomeronH8111 →109 times
וּרְא֞וּand see
ureuH7200 →1300 times
מְהוּמֹ֤תdisturbances
mehumotH4103 →
רַבּוֹת֙great
rabotH7227 →454 times
בְּתוֹכָ֔הּin [the] midst of it
betokhahH8432 →
וַעֲשׁוּקִ֖יםand oppression<s>
vaashukimH6217 →
בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ׃in midst its
bekirbahH7130 →227 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Amos 6:1Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes.
it leads to
- James 5:5
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.
- Isaiah 32:9–11
Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters.
- Luke 12:17–20
So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’
- Amos 4:1
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to your husbands, “Bring us more to drink.”
- James 5:5
Through
Amos 1:8I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 25:16
therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant along the coast.
- Ezekiel 25:16
Through
Amos 4:1Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to your husbands, “Bring us more to drink.”
it leads to
- Psalms 22:12
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
- Amos 6:1
Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes.
- Psalms 22:12
Through
Amos 8:6Let us buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!”
it leads to
- Amos 2:6
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Israel, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals.
- Amos 2:6
About Amos
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PlaceThe NileEgyptThe land where Joseph rose, where Israel grew into a nation in bondage, where the Passover lamb was slain and the sea opened, and…
- PlaceThe northern hill countrySamariaThe hill Omri bought and built his capital on, where Ahab raised a temple to Baal, where the four lepers found the Aramean camp em…
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Amos; John Calvin, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.