Amos has described God's judgment on countries around Samaria and Judah. That description continues, spiraling in towards the two kingdoms of Israel.
Amos 2:1-3, Moab
This is what the LORD says:
"For three sins of Moab, even for four,
I will not turn back [my wrath].
Because he burned, as if to lime, the bones of Edom's king,
I will send fire upon Moab that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.
Moab will go down in great tumult amid war cries
and the blast of the trumpet.
I will destroy her ruler and kill
all her officials with him,"
says the LORD.
Moab has committed numerous sins. (The escalating "three, no four" is a typical Hebrew means of emphasis.) For their sins, Moab will be burned, as they apparently burned the bones of a king of Edom, desecrating his body. McComiskey notes that this is a crime by one pagan against another pagan; even if the victim was not an Israelite, this was still a gross sin deserving judgment.
There has been a long history of conflict between Moab and Israel dating back to the famous story of Balaam's donkey during the wilderness wanderings (Numbers 22.) At one point in that journey, Moabite women seduced Isrealite men (Numbers 25:1-3) and, in addition to the sexual immorality, encouraged the men to worship their gods with them. The enmity between the tribes continued throughout the time of the judges and the kings of Israel/Judah. The Mesha Steele is an ancient stone tablet from about 840 BC in which a Moabite king boasts of victory over the Israelites.
The town of Kerioth is mentioned in Jeremiah 48:21-25 but nothing else is known about it. Indeed, it is possible (McComiskey) that the Hebrew word Qeriyyoth merely means "towns" and could refer generically to a collection of cities, without intending any specific identification.
Amos 2:4-5, Judah
This is what the LORD says:
"For three sins of Judah, even for four,
I will not turn back [my wrath].
Because they have rejected the law of the LORD
and have not kept his decrees,
because they have been led astray by false gods,
the gods their ancestors followed,
I will send fire upon Judah
that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem."
Judah, also, has sinned against YHWH and so is here included in judgment. Judah also will face fire that destroys its fortresses. (2 Kings 25 records Nebuchadnezzar's defeat of Jerusalem, including the burning of the town. That defeat occurred about 170 years after the ministry of Amos.)
Amos 2:6-8, Israel too
This is what the LORD says:
"For three sins of Israel, even for four,
I will not turn back [my wrath].
They sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
They trample on the heads of the poor
as upon the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.
They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.
In the house of their god
they drink wine taken as fines.
Even Israel, Amos's target community, has also violated God's holiness and profaned His name. They sell the poor into slavery, have sex with the same girl (involving incest or prostitution) and thus use God's name in vain. They get drunk on wine they did not buy, lie down for sex on garments they have stolen, next to the altar of an idol. There appears to be no limit to Israel's debauchery.
Amos 2:9-10, Ancient victories recalled
"I destroyed the Amorite before them,
though he was tall as the cedars
and strong as the oaks.
I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots below.
"I brought you up out of Egypt,
and I led you forty years in the desert
to give you the land of the Amorites.
YHWH gave Israel victory over the Amorites (Canaanites) some of whom were described as "giants." (See Numbers 13:26-33 for the early report on "giants".) Before that, YHWH brought the people out of slavery in Egypt so that they could possess Canaan.
Amos 2:11-12, Abused the righteous
I also raised up prophets from among your sons
and Nazirites from among your young men.
Is this not true, people of Israel?"
declares the LORD.
"But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
The rulers of Israel have abused righteous groups like the prophets and Nazirites. They have muzzled the prophets and the Nazirites, who do not drink wine, have been forced to break their vows and drink wine.
Amos 2:13-16, Pressed into the mud
"Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.
The swift will not escape,
the strong will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.
The archer will not stand his ground,
the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
and the horseman will not save his life.
Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,"
declares the LORD.
Like a cart pressed deep into the mud, the leaders of Israel will not escape. In the coming judgment, earthly powers like speed, strength, good weapons, will all be useless. (This passage uses the word "not" repeatedly to confront reliance on numerous warrior qualities.)
First published June 27, 2025; updated June 27, 2025
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