the Week of Proper 4 / Ordinary 9
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J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Amos 6:2
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Go look at the city of Calneh, and from there go to the great city Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. You are no better than these kingdoms. Your land is no larger than theirs.
They say to the people: "Journey over to Calneh and look at it! Then go from there to Hamath-Rabbah! Then go down to Gath of the Philistines! Are they superior to our two kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?"
Go on to Calneh and see; and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines: are you better than these kingdoms? or is your land wider than theirs?
Go you vnto Calneh, and see, and from thence go you to Hemath the great, then go downe to Gath of the Philistines: be they better then these kingdomes? or the border of their lande greater then your border?
Go ye in to Calamye, and se ye, and go ye fro thennus in to Emath the greet; and go ye doun in to Geth of Palestyns, and to alle the beste rewmes of hem, if her terme be broddere than youre terme.
Pass ye over [to] Calneh and see, And go thence [to] Hamath the great, And go down [to] Gath of the Philistines, Are [they] better than these kingdoms? Greater [is] their border than your border?
Pass ye over to Chalane, and see, and go from thence into Emath the great: and go down into Geth of the Philistines, and to all the best kingdoms of these: if their border be larger than your border.
Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or is their border greater than your border?
Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?
Goe you vnto Calneh, and see: and from thence goe you to Hamath the great: then goe downe to Gath of the Philistims: be they better then these kingdomes? or the border of their land greater then your border,
Pass over to Caliah and see; and from thence go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory?
Look what happened to the cities of Calneh, powerful Hamath, and Gath in Philistia. Are you greater than any of those kingdoms?
Travel to Kalneh and see; from there go on to Hamat the great; then go down to Gat of the P'lishtim. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?
Pass unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go to Hamath the great; and go down to Gath of the Philistines: are they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
Go to Kalneh, and see; And from there go to Hamat the great; Then go down to Gat of the Pelishtim. Are they better than these kingdoms? Or is their border greater than your border?
Cross over to Calneh and see, and go from there to Hamath Rabbah and go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than your territory?
Go look at Calneh. From there, go to the large city Hamath. Go to the Philistine city of Gath. Are you better than these kingdoms? Their countries are larger than yours.
Pass over to Calneh, and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory,
Go over to Calneh and look, And go from there to Hamath the great, Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, Or is their territory greater than yours?
Go and look at the city of Calneh. Then go on to the great city of Hamath and on down to the Philistine city of Gath. Were they any better than the kingdoms of Judah and Israel? Was their territory larger than yours?
Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?
Go to Calneh, and see; And from there go to Hamath the great; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? Or is their border greater than your border?
Pass ye unto Calneh, and see, and from thence go ye to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines; are they better than these kingdoms? or is their border greater than your border?
Passe ye vnto Calneh, and see, and from thence go ye to Hemath the great: then goe downe to Gath of the Philistines: bee they better then these kingdomes? Or their border greater then your border?
Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
Cross to Calneh and see; and from there go to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, or their border than your border?
Go vnto Calne, and se: and from thence get you to Hemath the greate cite, and so go downe to Gath of the Philistines: be they better at ease then these kyngdomes, or the border of their londe wyder then yours?
Go over to Calneh [in Babylonia] and look, And from there go [north of Damascus] to the great city of Hamath; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms [of yours], Or is their territory greater than yours?
Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines: are they better than these kingdoms? or is their border greater than your border?
Go over to Calneh and see; And from there go to Hamath the great; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory?
But go over to Calneh and see what happened there. Then go to the great city of Hamath and down to the Philistine city of Gath. You are no better than they were, and look at how they were destroyed.
Go over to Calneh and look. And go from there to great Hamath. Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these nations? Is their land better than yours?
Cross over to Calneh, and see; from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is your territory greater than their territory,
Pass over to Calneh, and see; and thence go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory,
O house of Israel, pass by all of you, and see; and pass by thence to Ematrabba; and thence descend to Geth of the Philistines, the chief of all these kingdoms, see if their coasts are greater than your coasts.
Pass to Calneh, and see; and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines: are they better than these kingdoms? or is their border greater than your border?
Pass ye to Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: [are they] better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
Go over to Calneh and look, And go from there to Hamath the great, Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, Or is their territory greater than yours?
Pass on over to Calneh and look,And go from there to Hamath the great,Then go down to Gath of the Philistines.Are they better than these kingdoms,Or are their borders greater than your borders?
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Pass: Jeremiah 2:10, Jeremiah 2:11, Nahum 3:8
Calneh: Genesis 10:10, Isaiah 10:9, Calno
Hamath: 2 Kings 17:24, 2 Kings 17:30, 2 Kings 18:34, 2 Kings 19:13
Gath: 1 Samuel 17:4, 1 Samuel 17:23, 2 Chronicles 26:6
better: Isaiah 10:9-11, Isaiah 36:18, Isaiah 36:19, Isaiah 37:12, Isaiah 37:13, Ezekiel 31:2, Ezekiel 31:3, Nahum 3:8
Reciprocal: Numbers 13:21 - Hamath Joshua 13:5 - unto the 1 Samuel 5:8 - Gath 1 Samuel 6:17 - Gath 2 Samuel 8:9 - Hamath 1 Kings 19:4 - better Ecclesiastes 5:8 - regardeth Isaiah 10:13 - I have removed Ezekiel 27:23 - Canneh Malachi 1:4 - The border
Cross-References
And, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was desirable to the eyes and the tree was pleasant to make one knowing, then took she of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and she gave to her husband also, along with her, and he did eat.
And to Seth - to him also, was born a son, and he called his name Enosh, - then, was a beginning made, to call on the name of Yahweh.
And it came to pass when men had begun to multiply on the face of the ground and daughters had been born to them,
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men! that they were, fair, - so they took to themselves wives of whomsoever they chose,
And Yahweh said - My spirit shall not rule in man to times age - abiding, for that, he also, is flesh, - Yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.
The giants, were in the each in these days, and also, after that, when the sons of God began to go in unto the daughters of men, and sons were born to them, the same, were the heroes that were from age-past times the men of renown.
and it grieved Yahweh, that he had made man in the earth, - and he took sorrow unto his heart.
And Yahweh said - I must wipe off man whom I created from off the face of the ground, from man unto beast unto creeping thing, and unto the bird of the heavens, - for I am grieved that I made them.
But, Noah, had found favour in the eyes, of Yahweh.
And God beheld the earth, and lo! it had corrupted itself, - surely all flesh had corrupted its way, on the earth.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Pass ye unto Calneh, and see,.... What is become of that city, which was in the land of Shinar, an ancient city, as early as the days of Nimrod, and built by him, and was with others the beginning of his kingdom, Genesis 10:10; it belonged to Babylon, and is by Jarchi here interpreted by it, being put for Babel, as he supposes. According to Jerom g, it is the same city, sometimes called Seleucia, in his days Ctesiphon; very probably it had been lately taken by the king of Assyria, and therefore made mention of; see Isaiah 10:9; where it is called Calno;
and from thence go ye to Hamath the great; the same with Antiochia, as Jarchi and Jerom; called the great, to distinguish it from Hamath the less, sometimes called Epiphania; or from Hamathzobah, near Tadmor, or Palmyra, in the wilderness, 2 Chronicles 8:3; though it might be so called with respect to its own grandeur and magnificence; as Sidon is called "Sidon the great", though there was no other, Joshua 11:8; for it was a royal city; we read of Toi, king of Hamath, in the times of David, 2 Samuel 8:9. It is placed by Josephus h on the north of the land of Canaan; and so it appears to be, and to be between Damascus and the Mediterranean sea, from Ezekiel 47:15. Abu'lfeda i, a learned prince, who reigned in Hamath, and should know its situation, places it on the Orontes, between Hems and Apamea, that river surrounding it on the east and north. The learned Vitringa k thinks that neither Antiochia nor Epiphania are meant, but the city Emissa; which Ammianus Marcellinus l makes mention of along with Damascus, as a famous city in Syria, equal to Tyre, Sidon, and Berytus: and of the same opinion was Theodoret m among the ancients, and so Calmet n of late. And so Hamath and Damascus are mentioned together as recovered by Jeroboam, 2 Kings 14:28; very probably the kingdom of Hamath became subject to the kings of Damascus; see Jeremiah 49:23; but, be it what place it will, it is very likely it had been lately spoiled by the king of Assyria; see Isaiah 37:13.
then go down to Gath of the Philistines; one of their five principalities, and a chief one, so called to distinguish it from other Gaths, as Gathhepher, Gathrimmon. It stood about five or six miles south of Jamnia, about fourteen south of Joppa, and thirty two west of Jerusalem. A village of this name as shown, as Jerom o says, five miles from Eleutheropolis, as you go to Diospolis or Lydda, and is taken to be the same place. It is famous for being the birthplace of Goliath; and is called in 2 Samuel 8:1; compared with 1 Chronicles 18:1, Methegammah, or the bridle of Ammah, or Metheg and her mother; that is, Gath and her daughters. Reland p thinks Gath is the city Cadytis of Herodotus q, who says it is a city of the Syrians, called Palestines or Philistines, and speaks of the mountains of it; and this city was not far from the mountainous country of Judea: now this city had been taken by Hazael, king of Syria, and its wall was broke down by Uzziah, king of Judah, 2 Kings 12:17;
[be they] better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? that is, do Calneh, Hamath, and Gath, excel in dignity and grandeur, in wealth and strength, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah? or are they of a larger circumference, and exceed them in length and breadth? no, they did not; and therefore the more ungrateful were Israel and Judah to sin against the Lord as they had done, who had given them such rich and large kingdoms, and therefore might expect to be taken and spoiled as well as they: though some think there is a change of number and persons in the text, and that the sense is, are you better than these kingdoms, or your border greater than theirs? and, if not, you may expect to fare as they; see a like expression in Nahum 3:8.
g Quaest. in Gen. fol. 66. M. h Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 1. i See the Universal History, vol. 2. p. 316. k Comment. in Jessiam, c. 10. 9. l Lib. 23. m Comment. in Jer. ii. 15. and xlix. 23. n Dictionary, in the word "Hamath". o De locis Hebr. fol. 92. A. p Palestina Illustrata, tom. 2. l. 3. p. 669. q Euterpe, sive l. 2. c. 159. & Thalia, sive l. 3. c. 5.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Pass over to Calneh - He bids them behold, east, north, and west, survey three neighboring kingdoms, and see whether God had not, even in the gifts of this world, dealt better with Israel. Why then so requite Him? “Calneh” (which Isaiah calls “Calno” Isaiah 10:9, Ezekiel, “Canneh Ezekiel 27:23), was one of the four cities, built by Nimrod “in the land of Shinar Genesis 10:10, the beginning of his kingdom.” From that time, until this of Amos, no mention of it occurs. It, probably, was more than once conquered by the Assyrians , lying, as it did, on the Tigris, some 40 miles perhaps from Babylon. Hence, it was said, under its new name Ctesiphon , to have been built, that is, rebuilt, by the Macedonians , and again by the Parthians, , whose “kings made it their winter residence on account of its good air.”
It was anew destroyed by Severus , rebuilt by Sapor II in the 4th Century . Julian’s generals held it impregnable , being built on a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Tigris . It became the scene of repeated persecutions of Christianity ; Nestorianism was favored . A center of Persian luxury, it tell at once and forever before Omar , and the Persian empire perished with it. It was replaced by the neighboring Bagdad. The history illustrates the tenacity of life in those well-chosen sites, and the character of the place, of whose conquest Sennacherib boasted, with which Amos compared the land of Israel.
Go thence to Hamath the great - Originally, a Canaanite kingdom Genesis 10:18. “The entrance to” it was assigned as the northern border of Israel Numbers 34:7-8; Joshua 13:5. In David’s time its king was at war with the king of Zobah 2 Samuel 8:9-10, and made presents to David on his subdual. In Solomon’s time it had fallen under the power of the king of Zobah, from where it was called Hamath-zobah. Solomon won it from him, incorporated it with Israel, and built towns in its territory 2 Chronicles 8:3-4. The “Hamathites” were, under their own king, united with Benhadad, the Hittites, and the Phoenicians in their war with Shalmanubar, and defeated by him . Ezekiel speaks of the “border of Damascus” and “the coast of Hamath” Ezekiel 47:16; Ezekiel 48:1, as of places of like importance, and Zechariah Zechariah 9:1-2, of their joint subdual by Alexander. To judge from the present site, it in some respects resembled Samaria. It lay in a narrow oval valley of the Orontes; its citadel on a round hill in the center.
The city rises up the steep sides of the hills which enclose it . Vast water-wheels , some of a diameter of 67 , 80, 90 feet, raise the water of the Orontes to supply, by aid of aqueducts, the upper city, or to water the neighboring gardens. : “The western part of its territory is the granary of northern Syria.” Even when Antiochus Epiphanes called it after himself Epiphania, its inhabitants called it after its old name . Mention occurs of it in the crusades . In the 13th century it had its own well-known prince ; and has still a population of some 30,000 .
Gath - (Winepress) must, from its name have been situated in a rich country. It lay on the confines of Judea and Philistia, for Rehoboam fortified it as a border-fortress 2 Chronicles 11:8. It had been contrariwise fortified by the Philistines against Judah, since, when David took it “out of the hand of the Philistines,” it had the title (2 Samuel 8:1, compare 1 Chronicles 18:1) “methegammah,” “bridle of the mother city,” or metropolis. It had at that time “daughter towns” 1 Chronicles 18:1 dependent upon it. It must also have been near Micah’s birthplace, “Moresheth Gath,” that is, Moresheth of Gath, which in Jerome’s time was “a small village near Eleutheropolis,” (Bethgabrin). Of Gath itself Jerome says , “It is one of the five cities of Philistia, near the confines of Judea, and now too a very large village on the way from Eleuthcropolis to Gaza.” Eusebius says , “about the 5th milestone from Eleutheropolis to Diospolis” (Lydda).
Since the Philistines carried the ark of God from Ashdod to Gath, and thence to Ekron 1Sa 5:8, 1 Samuel 5:10, it seems likely that Gath lay nearer to Ashdod than Ekron, although necessarily more inland than either, since it was a border-city to Judah. The Tel-es-Safiyeh corresponds with these conditions, lying at the entrance of the Shephelah, about 5 miles from Beit-Jibrin on the road to Lydda, (Ludd). It “rises about 100 feet above the eastern ridge which it terminates, and perhaps 200 over the plain which terminates its western base. The ruins and subterranean reservoirs shew that it is a site of high antiquity, great strength, and importance.” Gath had at this time probably been taken by Uzziah who “broke down” its “wall” 2 Chronicles 26:6; and since it is not mentioned with the other four Philistine cities, whose sentence is pronounced by Amos Amos 1:7-8 himself, Zephaniah Zephaniah 2:4, and Zechariah Zechariah 9:5, it is probable that it never recovered.
Be they better than these kingdoms? - The prophet seems purposely to say less than he might, in order that his hearers might have to supply the more. Calneh, Hamath, Gath, had not been more guilty against God than Ephraim, yet probably they had all been conquered: Gath by Judah; Hamath by Israel (see the note below at Amos 6:14) himself; Calneh by Assyria. Both Shalmanubar and Shamasiva conquered in Babylonia ; and Shamasiva “declares that he took above 200 towns” in Babylonia. Amos, then, upbraids Israel for their ingratitude, both as to the original gift of their good land, and its continuance. The pagan had suffered; they, the guiltier, had been spared; yet still they acted no otherwise than these pagan.
Rib.: “What spacious, what wide border have we, boundless as the life of God and eternity!” Lap.: “Our hopes and the bounds of our bliss are measured, not like those of the worldly and ungodly, by the limits of a petty time or by this dot of earth, but by the boundless space of eternity and of heaven; so that we may say confidently to the ungodly, ‘Is not our border wider than your border? ‘“
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Amos 6:2. Pass ye unto Calneh — This is, says Calmet, the Ctesiphon on the river Tigris.
Hamath — The same as Emesa. Hamath was a city on the Orontes, in Syria.
Gath — A well-known town, and head of one of the five seignories of the Philistines.
Be they better — You have no more reason to expect exemption from the consequences of your sins than they had. They have been punished; so shall you. Why then will ye trust in their gods, that could not save their own cities?
