Amos is a prophet in the old testament who existed when Israel and Judah were in wrangles. The issues of morality and belief mainly initiated the conflict. Amos-1-2 illustrates how he had foreseen Israel a few years before the nation experienced an earthquake. His prophecy was revealed to him by God, who regarded Israel as his chosen nation. Therefore, in his book, Amos issues a decree from the almighty Yahweh to the nation of Israel and its neighbors.
The oracles against the nations, according to Amos 1-2, have a certain styling in their delivery. According to Crawford, the first four of the oracles, which are aimed towards Ammon, Gaza, Moab, and Damascus, contain a similar pattern, which is an introduction formula, “Thus says Yahweh,” this being a declaration that it is not the prophet’s command but God’s. It is followed by a formula statement, “for three transgressions and four,” where Amos introduces the nation’s ill-doings. Third, comes a statement of wrongdoing, an infinitive construct with the pronominal suffix. What comes after is a foreseen disaster proclamation opened with a sentence concerning “fire” and ends with a constructive sentence issuing the ramification of supreme action. Lastly, there is a closing formula, “says Yahweh,” which closes the Oracle.
Then comes the second group that comprises three oracles, namely, Tyre, Edom, and Judah. This section has a similar introduction to the initial group, ” Thus says Yahweh”, repeated by a formula. The third category has an ‘al’ followed by an infinitive phrase expanded by verbs. However, the fourth is a declaration of a coming disaster with no declarative statement giving the results of a divine action. Finally, in this category, there is no closing formula in the three oracles. John Hayes also states that in the last three oracles, the sentence of misconduct is longer than the illustration of the advancing catastrophe. It is also crucial to know that the oracle of the second group lacks the fourth characteristic which is present in the first category; how they describe the coming of disaster is a multiple-colon unit.
The last oracle against the Israelites belongs to the second group. It is similar in all matters except that it has an expanded ‘ál’ plus an infinitive phrase but does not have the multiple-colon unit or the concluding formula. The oracle against the Israelites is distinct in a single attribute: it doesn’t contain the “punishment formula” and “I will send fire against” which appears in the other oracles and later in the book of Amos 3’11’. The uniqueness of the oracle against Israel makes it special than other oracles witnessed in other countries.
The oracle against the Israelites is the most intense and Amos intentionally focuses on this oracle. As a result, Amos avoids the discussion of the impediment punishment in the subsequent verses. Shalom argues that the six nations’ oracle are connected to one another in a successive pattern by appealing words used in adjoining oracles. For instance:
With Damascus, I will cut off the resident from the valley of Aven and the person who has the scepter in ( Beth Eden ) and Gaza, saying, “I will cut off the inhabitant from (Ashdod) and the one who holds the scepter from (Ashkelon).” followed by Gaza’s one saying, ‘because they took captive the entire captivity to deliver them to Edom’’ then Tyre’s one says,’ because they delivered the entire captivity to Edom.
Similarly, the expression is used between Edom and Tyre. Tyre illustrates, ‘and did not remember the covenant of brothers,’ then Edom states, ‘his brother.’ A fourth comparable statement expressed is between Edom and Ammon. Edom demonstrates that, ‘because he pursued his brother with the sword and destroyed girls’ while Ammon illustrates, ‘because he ripped open pregnant women of Gilead.’ The last oracle is between Ammon and Moab, with Ammon’s one saying, ‘with shouting; his princes’ then Moab’s states, ‘with shouting; its princes.’ This repetition is lacking in the oracles of Judah and Israel.
Moreover, the oracles against the nation have a specific pattern in the manner in which they are placed in Amos’ book. The first three oracles, for instance, the first group, address urban-states; Gaza, Damascus, and their relative states such as Tyre. However, the oracles of the second group, address states by their state identity; sons of Ammon, Moa, Eden. Lastly, the oracles refer to particular nations with a unique relationship to Yahweh, for example, Judah, and Israel. The association with God is used solely in the oracles against Israel and Judah because they are accused of religious crimes. Moreover, they are the only oracles against the nations that break the chain of catchy phrases from the first six oracles. Furthermore, this feature accentuates their unique relationship with their God.
The oracles against the nations in Amos’s grand larger scheme is both unique to each country, however they are wholly directed towards Israel. First of all, it calls out the neighboring nations about conventional or customary law on international conduct. According to John Barton, Amos starts to lure his viewers by using known information before he surprises them with new ideas. Israel’s neighbors deserve supreme judgment on account of their senile misconduct. The astonishing news is that Israel and Judah’s sins are similar to evil, and they are not excluded from God’s judgment. Consequently, Amos was informing the other nations of their misdoings while showing that Israel and Judah were not special in that they were comparable to their neighbors. Amos also wanted to introduce a sense of morality in the larger picture by pointing out what was ignored.
The main addressee of these oracles against the nations was Israel, and this is how the oracles band together to form a rhetorical form of entrapment. The countries are judged because of their hostility to God’s chosen nations. However, the other communities are being warned for encroaching and destroying a country while going through their misdeeds, which places Israel on the forefront as a perpetrator.
Secondly, Israel’s moral obligations before Yahweh equivalently relate to other nations. This is derived from an understanding driven by Israelite’s covenant relationship with God and the nations’ bitterness towards the people. According to Robert, these interpretations are “Israel-centered” in their emphasis. The third oracle is that all countries, more so Israel and Judah, must abide by God’s universal law flowing from his supreme sovereignty over all the universe, and this, all humans would obediently follow Yahweh the Israelites God. Finally, the other nations are not punished for actions such as idolatry or unfaithfulness to Yahweh. They are being punished for their evil-doing, which contradicts their moral sense. Therefore, Yahweh here tells Israelites that it is not their unfaithfulness to him but rather their treatment of fellow Israelites within the kingdom. The oracles against other nations point the finger at many nations but eventually tell a tale of mistreatment among fellow Israelites.
Bibliography
Andersen, Francis I., and David N. Freedman. Amos: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York: The Anchor Bible 1989.
Barton, John, and Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture John Barton. Amos’s Oracles Against the Nations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980.
Chisholm, Robert B. Handbook on the Prophets. Ada: Baker Academic, 2009.
Crawford, Dewayne. “A Rhetorical-Literary Analysis Of Amos 1:3-2:16:” In A Roll Call Of Judgment Against The Nations. Dallas: 2014.
Estes, Daniel J. Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms. Ada: Baker Academic, 2010.
Paul, Shalom M. “Amos 1:3-2:3: A Concatenous Literary Pattern.” Journal of Biblical Literature 90, no. 4 (1971), 397.
Radine, Jason H. The Book of Amos and Emergent Judahite National Identity. Michigan: Michigan University Press, 2007.
Tawil, Hayim. “Amos’ Oracles against the Nations: A New Interpretation.” Beit Mikra: Journal for the Study of the Bible and Its World / בית מקרא: כתב–עת לחקר המקרא ועולמו מא, no. ד (קמז) (1996): 388-75. Web.