Amo 4:11 | KingComments | STEP | The reference to Sodom and Gomorrah is to indicate that the destruction is complete. Turning the people upside down refers to the destruction of the state after war has been waged on its territory ( ). This destruction is referred to in several places ( ; ). The destruction is complete, but is not definitive. Some will escape judgment. They are compared with “a firebrand snatched from a blaze”. The fire has taken hold of it, and if a power had not come from outside that tore the piece of wood out of the fire, it would have been completely consumed (cf. ). This is how it is with the people. The fact that they are still there is due to a God Who did not totally destroy them. Just as He saved Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah, He will also bring back a remnant of the people from the captivity of the Syrian ( ).

‏ Amos 4:11

A Firebrand Snatched From a Blaze

The reference to Sodom and Gomorrah is to indicate that the destruction is complete. Turning the people upside down refers to the destruction of the state after war has been waged on its territory (Joel 2:3). This destruction is referred to in several places (Isa 1:9 ; Isa 13:19; Jer 50:40).

The destruction is complete, but is not definitive. Some will escape judgment. They are compared with “a firebrand snatched from a blaze”. The fire has taken hold of it, and if a power had not come from outside that tore the piece of wood out of the fire, it would have been completely consumed (cf. Zec 3:2). This is how it is with the people. The fact that they are still there is due to a God Who did not totally destroy them. Just as He saved Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah, He will also bring back a remnant of the people from the captivity of the Syrian (2Kgs 13:5 ; 2Kgs 17:27-28).