Amos 8:14
in Amos 8Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria and say, ‘As surely as your god lives, O Dan,’ or, ‘As surely as the way of Beersheba lives’—they will fall, never to rise again.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, As thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, As the way of Beer-sheba liveth; they shall fall, and never rise up again.
KJV
They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer–sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
⋯
This verse in Amos 8
Commentary
8 notes on this verseBy the sin of Samaria - Baal, who was worshipped here. Thy god, O Dan - The golden calf, or ox, the representative of the Egyptian god Apis, or Osiris. The manner of Beer-sheba - The worship, or object of worship. Another of the golden calves which Jeroboam had set up there. The word דרך derech, way, is here taken for the object and mode of worship; see Act 19:9, where way is taken for the creed and form of Divine worship as practiced by the followers of Christ, and by which they were distinguished from the Jews.
This site's exposition
faint for thirst
on Amos 8:13-14
The fair virgins and young men, the strongest of the people, faint for thirst, the famine of the word reaching even those with every natural advantage. Those who swear by the sin of Samaria and by the god of Dan and the manner of Beer-sheba are named by the false worship centers themselves, the calf shrine at Dan and the corrupted rites at Beer-sheba standing in for the true altar at Jerusalem, and the sentence they shall fall, and never rise up again closes the chapter on the same finality the basket of summer fruit announced, no further reprieve on offer.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
The sin they are charged with: They swear by the sin of Samaria, that is, by the god of Samaria, the idol that was worshipped at Bethel, not far off from Samaria.
); yet for this, which is the most mournful judgment of all, they are not here brought in mourning. The Vision of Summer Fruit. 1 Thus hath the Lord G OD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
They - Who sacrifice to and swear by the calves at Daniel and Beth-el. By the sin - Who say the idol at Daniel is the true and living God. The manner - The idol which is worshipped at Beersheba.
They that swear by the sin of Samaria,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The manner--that is, as "the way" is used (Ps 139:24; Ac 9:2), the mode of worship. Thy god, O Dan--the other golden calf at Dan (1Ki 22:26-30). liveth . . . liveth--rather, "May thy god . . . live . . . may the manner . . . live." Or, "As (surely as) thy god, O Dan, liveth." This is their formula when they swear; not "May Jehovah live!" or, "As Jehovah liveth!"
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Who swear - Literally, “the swearing,” they who habitually swear. He assigns, at the end, the ground of all this misery, the forsaking of God. God had commanded that all appeals by oath should be made to Himself, who alone governs the world, to whom alone His creatures owe obedience, who alone revenges. “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve Him and swear by His Name” Deu 6:13; Deu 10:20. On the other hand Joshua warned them, “Neither make mention of the name of their gods nor cause to swear by them nor serve them” Jos 23:7. But these “sware by the sin of Samaria,” probably “the calf at Bethel,” which was near Samaria and the center of their idolatry, from where Hosea calls it “thy calf.” “Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off. The calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces” Hos 8:5-6. He calls it “the guilt of Samaria,” as the source of all their guilt, as it is said of the princes of Judah using this same word, “they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served idols, and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass” 2Ch 24:18. “And say, thy god, O Dan! liveth,” that is, as surely as thy god liveth! by the life of thy god! as they who worshiped God said, “as the Lord liveth!” It was a direct substitution of the creature for the Creator, an ascribing to it the attribute of God; “as the Father hath life in Himself” Joh 5:26. It was an appeal to it, as the Avenger of false-swearing, as though it were the moral Governor of the world. The manner of Beersheba liveth! […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
“As your god lives, O Dan,” —One of the calves that Jeroboam erected in Dan.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַנִּשְׁבָּעִים֙ | hanishbaim | those [who] swear | H7650 → | 186 times |
| בְּאַשְׁמַ֣ת | beashmat | by [the] guilt of | H819 → | |
| שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן | shomeron | Samaria | H8111 → | 109 times |
| וְאָמְר֗וּ | veameru | and they will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| חֵ֤י | chei | [by] [the] life of | H2416 → | |
| אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ | ʾeloheikha | gods your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| דָּ֔ן | dan | O Dan | H1835 → | |
| וְחֵ֖י | vechei | and [by] [the] life | H2416 → | |
| דֶּ֣רֶךְ | derekh | of [the] way of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| בְּאֵֽר־ | beer- | Beer | H884 → | 68 times |
| שָׁ֑בַע | shava' | Sheba | H884 → | 68 times |
| וְנָפְל֖וּ | venafelu | and they will fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| וְלֹא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָק֥וּמוּ | yakumu | they will rise | H6965 → | 628 times |
| עֽוֹד׃ ס | od | again | H5750 → | 490 times |
הַנִּשְׁבָּעִים֙those [who] swear
hanishbaimH7650 →186 times
בְּאַשְׁמַ֣תby [the] guilt of
beashmatH819 →
שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹןSamaria
shomeronH8111 →109 times
וְאָמְר֗וּand they will say
veameruH559 →5305 times
חֵ֤י[by] [the] life of
cheiH2416 →
אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙gods your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
דָּ֔ןO Dan
danH1835 →
וְחֵ֖יand [by] [the] life
vecheiH2416 →
דֶּ֣רֶךְof [the] way of
derekhH1870 →707 times
בְּאֵֽר־Beer
beer-H884 →68 times
שָׁ֑בַעSheba
shava'H884 →68 times
וְנָפְל֖וּand they will fall
venafeluH5307 →435 times
וְלֹא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
יָק֥וּמוּthey will rise
yakumuH6965 →628 times
עֽוֹד׃ סagain
odH5750 →490 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
Acts 9:2and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
it leads to
- Acts 19:23
About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.
- Acts 19:9
But when some of them stubbornly refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way, Paul took his disciples and left the synagogue to conduct daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
- Acts 24:14
I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and…
- Acts 22:4–5
I persecuted this Way even to the death, detaining both men and women and throwing them into prison,
- Acts 19:23
Through
Amos 5:5Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.
it leads to
- Hosea 4:15
Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt! Do not journey to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’
- Amos 4:4
“Go to Bethel and transgress; rebel even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days.
- Genesis 21:33
And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God.
- Hosea 4:15
Through
Deuteronomy 9:21And I took that sinful thing, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust, and I cast it…
it leads to
- Exodus 32:20
Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink…
- Exodus 32:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Amos
Who and where
3 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PlaceThe NegevBeershebaThe well of the oath at the south of the land, where Abraham made his covenant with Abimelech and planted a tamarisk, where Isaac…
- 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…
- PlaceNorthern border, at the foot of HermonDanThe northern limit of the land, where the tribe of Dan settled after taking Laish and where Jeroboam set up one of his two golden…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; 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.