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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
The Visions of the Grasshoppers, of the Fire, and of the Plumb-Line.
v. 1. Thus hath the Lord God showed unto me, in visions and pictures shown by the Spirit of God, and, behold, He formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth, of the second crop of the season; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings, the first crop, apparently, belonging to the king as a part of the nation's revenue. The time of the grasshoppers' coming, therefore, was very unfortunate, since the first crop had been delivered as the law required, and the second crop was bound to be ruined.
v. 2. And it came to pass that, "when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, all the plants which came up at that time, in the rest of the season, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech Thee; by whom shall Jacob, the northern kingdom, arise? maintain his ground, not be annihilated altogether. For he is small, even now reduced in numbers and strength.
v. 3. The Lord repented for this. It shall not be, saith the Lord, He was willing to spare the people and the land upon the intercession of the' prophet.
v. 4. Thus hath the Lord God showed unto me, in a second vision; and, behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, that is, He directed that the punishment was to be made by fire, and it devoured the great deep, the great ocean itself, and did eat up a part, the heritage of Jehovah, which is Israel. It was a picture of the Lord's devouring anger directed against His own people.
v. 5. Then said I, O Lord God, cease, I beseech Thee; by whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small, the prophet thus once more interceding in behalf of his sinful nation.
v. 6. The Lord repented for this. This also shall not be, saith the Lord God, as little as the punishment of the first vision.
v. 7. Thus He showed me, in a third vision; and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb-line, one which was built upright and according to all the rules of the craft, with a plumb-line in His hand.
v. 8. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? the purpose of the question being to impress the importance of the vision upon the prophet's mind. And I said, A plumb-line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of My people Israel, the object, in this case, like in 2Ki_21:13; Isa_34:11, being to tear down a building. I will not again pass by them any more, He was determined not to show lenience any longer;
v. 9. and the high places of Isaac, in this case used of the northern kingdom, shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel, the various places devoted to idolatrous purposes, shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam, in this instance representing the entire kingdom and royal family, with the sword. Thus the destruction of the kingdom, the dissolution of the nation, was definitely foretold, and the prophet did not dare to intercede any more in behalf of his people.