Amo 9:1-10 | TNotes | STEP | 9:1 I saw ... the Lord (see 7:1 ): God ceased to reveal how or why he would punish Israel; he was now poised to act. • beside the altar: Judgment must begin with the center of worship (cp. 1 Pet 4:17 ). This altar probably refers to the Bethel shrine, although it could refer to the Temple in Jerusalem.

9:1 ^a I saw ... the Lord (see 7:1 ^b): God ceased to reveal how or why he would punish Israel; he was now poised to act.

• beside the altar: Judgment must begin with the center of worship (cp. 1 Pet 4:17 ^c). This altar probably refers to the Bethel shrine, although it could refer to the Temple in Jerusalem.
Summary for Amos 9:2-4: 9:2-4 ^d God is inescapable (cp. Ps 139:7-12 ^e). When people trust, believe, and obey God, his inescapability is a great blessing. But because Israel rejected God’s revelation, his presence would mean judgment, not comfort. 9:2 ^f to the place of the dead (literally to Sheol): In the Old Testament, Sheol is a place beneath the earth where the dead have their abode.
9:3 ^g Though Mount Carmel is not the highest mountain in the region, its lofty grandeur often represents the beauty and richness of the land.

• sea serpent: In the ancient Near East, the sea was a symbol of chaos, often pitted against the national god (cp. Pss 74:14 ^h; 89:10 ⁱ; 104:26 ^j). However, the biblical text does not grant divine status to the sea monster (“Leviathan,” also called “Rahab”; Ps 89:9-10 ^k) but sees it as subject to the Lord’s command and judgment (Isa 27:1 ^l). Here, Amos portrays God’s sovereign power to summon the sea serpent to his service.
Summary for Amos 9:5-6: 9:5-6 ^m Amos uses a third hymn fragment (also 4:13 ⁿ; 5:8-9 ^o) to remind Israel that God’s domain is universal.
9:7 ^p the Ethiopians (literally the Cushites): Cush (see Gen 10:6-7 ^q) was south of the Second Cataract of the Nile (cp. Isa 18:1 ^r) and was often linked with Egypt, its neighbor to the north.

• Israel’s exodus out of Egypt is compared to two other ancient migrations: the Philistines from Crete (see also Jer 47:4 ^s) and the Arameans out of Kir (cp. Amos 1:5 ^t; 2 Kgs 16:9 ^u).
9:8 ^v Although God would severely punish Israel by uprooting and scattering them, he would never completely destroy them. A remnant would always exist.
Summary for Amos 9:9-10: 9:9-10 ^w Even the Lord’s most severe judgment is just. Only the sinners are destroyed, but not one true kernel will be lost; God will save the righteous, who are faithful to him.