When our motivation for writing songs of celebration, praise and worship to God is to ensure that they’re worded in such a way as to reach as wide an audience as possible; when we intentionally craft the lyrics to lessen the offense of the Gospel, or make our worship songs sound like ambiguous love songs, we are guilty of the same syncretism that the ancient northern kingdom was guilty of. We must Repent! Amos 5:16-27 (Author’s translation)
16 Therefore thus says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord God/Judge Who goes warring, the Master (Lord): “In all inner city streets there is wailing and in all highways they say, ‘Oiy va voiy! Oh no, alas!’ And they call a ploughman to mourning and those who know (are skilled in) lamentation to wail. 17 And in all vineyards mourning, because I will pass through the inner part of you,” says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord. 18 Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord, for what is it to you? The day of the Lord it will be darkness and not light; 19 Like when a man flees from the face of the lion and is met by the bear, and goes to the house and leans his hand on the wall and is bitten by the snake. 20 Will it not be darkness, the day of the Lord instead of light, and gloom with no brightness? 21 “I hate, I reject your festivals, and I won’t smell your sacred assemblies. 22 Because though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your freewill grain offerings, I will not accept; and peace offerings of your fat beasts I will not look at. 23 Turn aside from Me on to the ground the noise of your songs; and the melody of musical instruments I will not listen. 24 But let judgement run down as waters, and righteousness like a torrent of water in the wadi (stream bed) that is never ending. 25 “Did you present Me with sacrifices and freewill grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? 26 But you have carried the tent of your king Molech and an idol of the god Saturn, your images (idols) of your star gods which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will make you go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord, God/Judge Who goes warring is His Name. Amos 5:16-27 (Line Upon Line) 16 Lachein Therefore koh-amar thus says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord Eloheiy God/Judge tzevaot Who goes warring, Adonay the Master (Lord): “Bekhol In all rechovot inner city streets mispeid there is wailing uvekhol-chutzot and in all highways yomeru they say, ‘Ho-ho Oiy va voiy! Oh no, alas!’ Vekareu And they call ikar a ploughman el-eivel to mourning umispeid el-yodeiy nehiy and those who know (are skilled in) lamentation to wail. 16 Therefore thus says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord God/Judge Who goes warring, the Master (Lord): “In all inner city streets there is wailing and in all highways they say, ‘Oiy va voiy! Oh no, alas!’ And they call a ploughman to mourning and those who know (are skilled in) lamentation to wail. Therefore thus says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord God/Judge Who goes warring, the Master (Lord): Mercy, the God and Judge of all, Who goes warring to save His people. “In all inner city streets there is wailing and in all highways they say, ‘Oiy va voiy! Oh no, alas!’ In every part of the northern kingdom the people will be terrified and cry out “alas, woe is me”! This as a result of their un-abating evil practices. The Assyrians will leave people dead on the streets of the towns and cities and on the highways throughout the territories of the northern tribes. This firmly establishes what was said previously concerning the diminishing numbers of Israel’s cities and towns. And they call a ploughman to mourning and those who know (are skilled in) lamentation to wail. This Chapter began with a song of lament. Therefore, it makes sense that the weight of the Word of God which is carried upon the people of Israel within His prophet, will move the people to call on every member of the community, from the simple ploughman to the professional mourner (Jer. 9:17; Matt. 9:23), to wail in the face of the death and destruction that is about to come against Israel as a just consequence of her perpetual sin. The calling of the ploughman to mourning by necessity means he will not be ploughing in order to plant crops and as a result famine will ensue. 17 Uvekhol And in all keramiym vineyards mispeid mourning, kiy-e’evor because I will pass bekirbekha through the inner part of you,” Amar says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord. 17 And in all vineyards mourning, because I will pass through the inner part of you,” says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord. Vineyards produce sweet grapes and wine, wine being a symbol of sweet abundance, and celebration of God’s goodness and provision. It is drunk in rejoicing at Israel’s festivals, and yet here it will be turned to mourning because God will “pass through the inner part” of all the people. This appears to be an allusion to the passing through of the messenger of death in Egypt (Ex. 12:12). This means that only the righteous remnant living in the northern kingdom will escape unscathed (albeit, taken into captivity as the result of the judgement against the entire northern kingdom). 18 Hoy Woe to you hamitaviym who are longing for et-yom YHVH the day of the Lord, lama-zeh for what is it lechem to you? Yom YHVH the day of the Lord hu choshekh it will be darkness velo-or and not light; 18 Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord, for what is it to you? The day of the Lord it will be darkness and not light; Isaiah the prophet, whose ministry converged with the latter part of the ministry of Amos wrote: 18“Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it! 20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!” -Yishayahu (Isaiah) 5:18-23 KJV Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord, for what is it to you? This is an indictment against those who claim to follow YHVH the God of Israel and yet syncretise (combine) pagan practices with their worship of Him. For all intents and purposes they believed they were godly and walking rightly before God in spite of the fact that they were contradicting His Word. So confident were they that they were right with God that they would proclaim their excitement about the coming day of the LORD, promoting it as a day of prosperity and celebration when their lifestyle would be approved of by the presence of God’s light. How chillingly familiar this is. It could easily be read today to the modern body of believers, as a description of the words and practices of popular Christianity and its love affair with predictive eschatology (study of the end times). God’s answer to this hypocrisy is: The day of the Lord it will be darkness and not light; In the context of the writings of Amos, the day of the LORD is first fulfilled in the attack of the Assyrians, then in the invasion of the Babylonians, however, the phrase “Day of the LORD” has far-reaching and yet to be fully filled manifestations. There will eventually be a final “Day of the LORD” called Yom Ha-Din “The Day of Judgement”. And whether this day is 24 hours or a thousand years the result will be the same. To the wicked, the hypocrite, the willfully unrepentant, the one who claims to know the LORD but does not, it will be a day of darkness and not light (John 3:19). Eschatological knowledge (knowledge of the end times) will not save the hypocrite from what is coming. 19 ka’asher Like when yanus iysh a man flees mipeneiy from the face of ha’ariy the lion ufegao and is met hadov by the bear, uva habayit and goes to the house vesamach and leans yado his hand al-hakiyr on the wall uneshacho and is bitten by hanachash the snake. 19 Like when a man flees from the face of the lion and is met by the bear, and goes to the house and leans his hand on the wall and is bitten by the snake. These three examples are examples of the terror experienced by the ancient Israelite when faced with circumstances that will result in certain death. There were no hospitals or anti-venom treatments in ancient Israel. Each of these examples of animal attacks were fatal and an unexpected surprise for their victims. Therefore: “1Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” -1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 NIV “42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” -Yeshua: Matthew 24:42-44 NIV The message here is that death will come suddenly and that each person should be prepared beforehand to face death and what comes after death. Believers are not instructed by Scripture to predict Messiah’s coming but are admonished not to bother with such nonsense, knowing that they cannot know when Messiah is coming, in the same way they cannot know if a thief will break into their homes on any given night, or whether they will be bitten by a snake, or to put it in a modern context, whether one might be hit by a car or in a car accident caused by another driver etc. I recall the foolish predictions of so called godly leaders only a few years ago, who based on blood moons and the Hebrew calendar predicted catastrophic events, the end of this world and the coming of the Messiah. On the back of blood moons books were sold, videos made and profits soured. However, the events predicted did not occur, the world did not end and the Messiah did not return, and yet the majority of those leaders remain unchallenged to this day, and many continue to make eschatology their god. God does not instruct us to focus on predicting the Day of the LORD, but on being prepared for His coming so that we might be found faithful. 20 Halo-choshech yom YHVH velo-or Will it not be darkness, the day of the Lord instead of light, ve’afeil and gloom velo-nogah with no brightness? 20 Will it not be darkness, the day of the Lord instead of light, and gloom with no brightness? In true Hebrew poetic repetition the darkness that will come to the wicked on the Day of the LORD is firmly established against the wilfully unrepentant. 21 “Saneitiy I hate, ma’astiy I reject chageichem your festivals, velo and I won’t ariyach smell be’atzeroteiychem your sacred assemblies. 21 “I hate, I reject your festivals, and I won’t smell your sacred assemblies. We note that it is not the festivals God has established for Israel that He hates, but the festivals Israel has created by syncretising pagan ritual and modifying the festivals of God to be practiced outside of the centre He appointed in Jerusalem (Deut. 12:11-21; 16:2-11; Deut. 26:2 etc.). He says, “I reject Your festivals”. The phrase “I won’t smell your sacred assemblies” is a counterpoint to the well-known phrase “A pleasing aroma to the LORD”, which is found throughout the Torah in reference to the aroma of the sacrifices which are offered to God according to His instructions (Ex. 29:18, 25, 41; Lev. 1:9, 13, 17 etc.). 22 Kiy Because im-ta’alu-liy though you offer up to Me olot burnt offerings uminchoteiychem and your freewill grain offerings, lo ertzeh I will not accept; veshelem and peace offerings meriyeiychem of your fat beasts lo abiyt I will not look at. 22 Because though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your freewill grain offerings, I will not accept; and peace offerings of your fat beasts I will not look at. Because the offerings in question, which are three of the primary offerings prescribed by Torah, are offered according to apostate rituals and in syncretism with pagan worship, God will not so much as look at them (an idiom denoting God’s rejection of the offerings). Israel was offering God gifts with someone else’s name on them. A modern example might be gifting a present to someone who then opens it to find that someone else’s name is engraved on it. 23 Haser Turn aside mei’alay from Me on to the ground hamon the noise shireycha of your songs; vezimrat and the melody of nevaleycha musical instruments lo eshma I will not listen. 23 Turn aside from Me on to the ground the noise of your songs; and the melody of musical instruments I will not listen. There is nothing wrong with godly worship songs, however, there is something wrong with godly worship songs being sung by ungodly people. There is also something wrong with worship songs that combine the lies of pagan or secular beliefs with the truth of God’s word. How sickening it is to realise that a large number of modern Christian worship songs fit this description. God is not listening to them. When our motivation for writing songs of celebration, praise and worship to God is to ensure that they’re worded in such a way as to reach as wide an audience as possible; when we intentionally craft the lyrics to lessen the offense of the Gospel, or make our worship songs sound like ambiguous love songs, we are guilty of the same syncretism that the ancient northern kingdom was guilty of. We must Repent! 24 Veyigal kamayim mishpat But let judgement run down as waters, utzedakah and righteousness kenachal eiytan like a torrent of water in the wadi stream bed that is never ending. 24 But let judgement run down as waters, and righteousness like a torrent of water in the wadi stream bed that is never ending. The common translation “Let justice run down like a river” is acceptable but does not necessarily relay the full meaning here. It is justice in the form of Mishpat “judgement” that is being alluded to. Justice results from God’s judgement. The resulting justice will have an unending affect like the transforming affect that the torrential rainfall in the desert wadis has on the valleys of Israel. The water of that floods the wadis, represents life, however it is devastating to those caught in it. Today, when these torrential rains occur in Israel out of season, it is often the case that hikers and IDF companies out on patrol are caught in the landslides created by the rain which causes flooding in the wadis, resulting in unforeseen deaths and severe injuries. Even in the spring months when torrential rain is not expected a seasoned guide taking hikers through the desert lands of Israel will avoid wadis and dangerous zones surrounding them, because he is aware of the potential disaster. The imagery here is that of an unseasonal torrential rain fall that causes the water of life to become the agent of death for those caught unaware. Once again the emphasis is on preparedness. In an ironic and poignant twist, it is the tradition of certain Moroccan Jews* living in Israel to gather the waters of unseasonal rains like that described and to drink them in order to be healed from sicknesses. While this is a superstition, it is nonetheless a living mashal (parable) which teaches that the same waters which bring death to the wicked will also bring life to the righteous. *(I know this because we were having Shabbat with the Moroccan family of one of our Israeli sons following Pesach and during unseasonal rain). 25 “Hazevachiym uminchah higashtem-liy Did you present Me with sacrifices and freewill grain offerings vamidbar in the wilderness arbaiym shanah for forty years, beiyt Yisrael house of Israel? 25 “Did you present Me with sacrifices and freewill grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? This does not mean that Israel offered no sacrifices during her forty year sojourn. After all, the Torah records the sacrifices offered (Ex. 24:5; Lev.8:1; Num. 7:12). While the regular offering of sacrifices was not as prolific during the period of wandering, neither was it none existent. What this verse means is that there were a number among the people of Israel who during that forty year period offered sacrifices to false gods outside the camp and practiced superstitions contrary to God’s instruction. In other words, “Did you offer sacrifices to Me? No, you offered them to demons, or worse, you offered them to Me and to demons at the same time.” This is affirmed by the following verse. 26 Unesatem But you have carried et sikut the tent malkekhem of your king Molech ve’eit kiyun and an idol of the god Saturn, tzalmeiychem your images (idols) kochav eloheiychem of your star gods asher asiytem lachem which you made for yourselves. 26 But you have carried the tent of your king Molech and an idol of the god Saturn, your images (idols) of your star gods which you made for yourselves. This description of heinous syncretism is heart breaking. Malkekhem “your king (other than God)”, is a reference to Molech and a word play incorporating the kings of the northern tribes. Molech was a Canaanite deity to which children were sacrificed. The Hebrew sikut translated “tent” also reflects the name of a Mesopotamian astral deity and is used as an aural pun which likens his name to Shikutz a Hebrew word meaning “detestable things”. The allusion to carrying the “tent” of their “king (Molech)” is a sad indictment against their rejection of the One true King YHVH and His mishkan “Tent of Meeting”. The Targum Yonatan reads: “You (pl.) have borne the tabernacle of your priests, Khiyun (Mesopotamian astral deity) your image, the star your god, which you have made to yourselves.” Israel’s rejection of the appointed place of worship symbolised by the “tent” and her syncretism with Molech is only a small part of her apostacy. Numerous false gods were added to the pantheon of the apostate, including but not limited to the god Saturn (kiyun) and various other star deities each purported to aid in certain areas of life (ref. Jer. 7:18). “Which you made yourselves” is a reminder that they were worshipping things they created rather than worshipping the God who created them. We are no different. Many modern believers syncretise pagan practices with their worship of God. Some mix fortune telling with prophecy and call it godly. Some mix cultural superstition with their faith in Messiah. Some use unproven herbal remedies which have been passed on from the ancient and superstitious worship of earth deities found within animistic cultures, some practice forms of exercise that involve positions named for the worship of false gods, and in doing all these things we claim that they are gifts of God for health, healing and enlightenment. Anything or anyone we allow pride of place in our lives is a false god. We were created worshipping, everything we think, do and say is an act of worship, we are either worshipping God or we are worshipping something or someone else. The first Messianic Jewish martyr Stephen, a Grecian Jew, quoted Sefer Amos when he called his Jewish brothers and sisters to repentance: “42 Then Elohim turned, and gave them up to worship the host (stars and planets) of the heavens; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘You house of Israel, did you offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness? 43 Behold, you took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which you made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’” -Acts of the Sent Ones 7:42-43 (Author’s translation) 27 Vehigleiytiy etchem Therefore I will make you go into captivity meihalah beyond ledamasek Damascus,” amar says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord, Eloheiy God/Judge tzevaot Who goes warring shemo is His Name. 27 Therefore I will make you go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord, God/Judge Who goes warring is His Name. This speaks of the coming Assyrian, and by extension, Babylonian captivity. Once again God is named “Mercy, the God and Judge, Who goes warring to save His people”! Copyright 2022 Yaakov Brown Will He relent? The answer is “Most certainly not!” Because He is holy He is loving, because He is loving He is just, because He is just He cannot allow injustice to go unaccounted for. Introduction:
This chapter concludes the opening prophetic indictment against the nations with words spoken against Moav (one of Israel’s greatest historic enemies). The last nation to be charged is, Y’hudah and Yisrael. No, this isn’t a grammatical error, Judah and Israel, in spite of their being divided into two separate kingdoms at this point in history, are nonetheless am echad, one people, a complex unity. So complex in fact as to be a divided unity. This in part is what God is addressing through the prophet Amos. Reconciliation to God means reconciliation to one another. Through destruction and exile (Assyria, Babylon) God will unite and return Israel to the land as a whole people. That people will return to Judea to the remnant of the tribe of Judah and thus from the conclusion of the Babylonian exile onward all the tribes of Israel become known colloquially as “Y’hudiym” (Jews), from their association with Y’hudah (Judea). Effectively the opening words of indictment expressed in the scroll of Amos (Ch. 1 & 2) have addressed the neighboring enemies of all Israel [all 12 tribes] (many of whom Israel had formerly been charged with eradicating from the land) in descending order, from the then most recently active to that first and perhaps most notorious of enemies Moav, who came against Israel seeking to curse and annihilate her as she wandered out of Egypt toward the land of promise (Num. 22-25). The litany of charges (Ch. 1 & 2) addresses first the sin of the nations’ regarding universal moral law and then the sin of Judah and Israel regarding their violating of the sacred covenant made between God and their forebears. The charges against Judah and Israel are more detailed and have far reaching consequences. However, ultimately the final consequences of Israel’s discipline are her redemption, reconciliation, and restoration. This, because YHVH (Mercy) the God of Israel has purposed in the love that radiates from His holiness, to redeem Israel and the nations by His own everlasting blood through the King Messiah Yeshua (Who is fully God and fully man). Amos Chapter Two (Author’s translation) 1 Here is what YHVH, the Lord says: “Upon three rebellions of Moav, and upon four, I will not turn away, upon his burning bones of a king of Edom to whitewash. 2 And I will send fire in Moav and it will eat the citadels of Keriyot; and death in an uproar will come to Moav amid the sounding of judgement in the voice of a shofar. 3 And I will cut off a judge from her inner part and all her princes will be slain with him,” says YHVH the Lord. 4 Here is what YHVH, the Lord says: “Upon three rebellions of Y’hudah, and upon four, I will not turn away, upon their rejecting the Instructions YHVH of the Lord and the prescribed limits they have not guarded; and astray they wander because of lies which their fathers walked in. 5 And I will send fire upon Y’hudah, and it will eat the citadels of Yerushalayim.” 6 Here is what YHVH, the Lord says: “Upon three rebellions of Yisrael, and upon four, I will not turn away, upon their selling for silver a righteous one and the needy in order to get a pair of sandals. 7 That breathe heavily upon dust of the land on the head of the ones who are low, and the way of the humble they have bent, and a man and his father enter the same servant girl with intent to pollute My Holy Name. 8 And upon clothing bound in pledge stretched out near every altar (of slaughter), and the wine of those condemned, fined, they drink in a house of their God. 9 “And I, indeed I destroyed the Amorite from before their faces, whose height was like cedars height and strong was he, like oaks, yet I destroyed his fruit from higher up still and his roots from beneath. 10 And I, yes I caused you all to ascend from the land of Egypt and you all walked in the desert forty years to take possession of the land from the Amorites. 11 And I raised up from your children some to be prophets, and from your young men some to be Nazirites. Is this not so, children of Israel?” declares YHVH the Lord. 12 “And you forced the Nazarites to drink wine, and you placed upon the prophets, orders saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’ 13 Behold, now, pay attention! I am making a rut beneath you, like that which is made by the pressing of the cart when it’s filled with sheaves of grain. 14 And escape will perish from the swift, and the strong will not be strengthened because of his power, and the mighty will not deliver his soul. 15 And the one who grasps the bow will not stand, the swift in foot will not slip away, and the rider of the horse will not save his soul. 16 And the mighty of heart among the mighty ones, will flee naked in that day,” declares YHVH the Lord. Amos Chapter Two: Line Upon Line 1 Here is what amar YHVH (Mercy), the Lord says: “Al Upon sheloshah three pisheiy rebellions of Moav (from his father), ve'al and upon arba’ah four, lo ashiyvenu I will not turn away, al upon sarfo his burning atzmot bones of Melekh a king of Edom (red: descendants of Esau) lasiyd to lime, whitewash. A heinous root of sin was established in Moab (a people related to Israel being descended from Lot Abraham’s brother) from conception. Moab being the son born to Lot’s eldest daughter through incest (Gen. 19:30-38). Moab later became notorious as a people for their hatred of Israel and their calling on the false prophet Bala’am (not of the people) to curse Israel as she journeyed out of Egypt toward the land of promise (Num. 22-25). Moab’s many sins included horrific idolatrous practices in worship of the false gods Chemosh (Subduer) and Ba’al Peor (husband, master, lord of the cleft/gap [2 Kings 11:7, 33]). Hosea, one of the contemporaries of Amos writes: “I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripeness in the fig tree in her first fruiting time: but they went to Baal Peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according to their love.” -Hosea 9:10 Israel, having been delivered by God from slavery in Egypt and brought out of the desert into the land of promise, had none the less rejected YHVH and gone after the demonic husband Ba’al Peor, God of the Moabites (enemies and haters of Israel). Jeremiah (48:13) likens the shame of Moab’s worship of Chemosh to Israel’s apostate worship at Bethel. God is indicting Moab while pointing toward Israel’s syncretism. Thus, the indictment of Moab is also the beginning of the indictment against all of Israel. It’s worth noting that Moav means “from his father”. This is significant because it points to the indictment against Judah in verse 4 which says that Judah has gone astray “because of lies which their fathers walked in.” “upon his burning bones of a king of Edom to lime, whitewash.” The Targum (a second century CE Aramaic translation of the Scriptures), and the Jewish commentators Yarchi and Kimkhi say that a ruler of Moab burnt the bones of a king of Edom until they became powder likened to lime, and then used the powder in a recipe for plaster which he used to plaster the walls of his palace in order to show contempt for Edom.* This is consistent with what we know of the ancient practice of using bone ash in formulas for paint and cosmetics. * Scholia in Targum in loc. Bone ash (called “lime” in English translations of the TaNaKh [OT]) “was used in ancient formulas for white paint and cosmetic pigments, and in the cupellation process to separate silver from lead.[1][2].”* *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_ash [1]. Phosphate Minerals. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 2010. p. 3. [2]. Charvat, Petr (2003). Mesopotamia Before History. Taylor & Francis. It appears highly likely that the king in question was the heir to the throne of Edom whom the king of Moab offered as a burnt sacrifice to his gods on the wall of Edom’s defences, as recorded in 2 Kings 3:26-27. While in many cases the bone ash used to whitewash tombs and that utilized in ancient cosmetics was derived from the calcination of animal bones, the indictment used here infers the use of the ash of the bones of a king of Edom as whitewash. This is a vile desecration of moral law concerning the sanctity of human life and the honouring of human remains. The Torah says that blood guilt remains on the land and cannot be atoned for except by the blood of the one guilty of shedding that innocent blood (Num. 35:33). This reference to whitewash may also further illuminate the meaning of Yeshua’s words: “27 Alas, Oiy, a warning to you, scribes and Perushiym (Set apart ones), hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed (limed) tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 In the same way, you appear outwardly righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and devoid of law (without Torah).” -Mattitiyahu (Matthew) 23:27-28 (Author’s translation) 2 Veshilachtiy And I will send eish fire bemoav in Moab ve’achlah and it will eat armenot the citadels of ha-Keriyot (literally “cities”: specifically a city in the territory of Moab); umeit and death beshaon in an uproar will come to Moav bit’ruah amid the sounding (teruah: shofar sound of warning and judgement) bekol in the voice shofar of a ram’s horn. “And I will send fire in Moab and it will eat the citadels of ha-Keriyot” Ha-Keriyot can be understood as both “all the cities” and as a specific city of Moab (Jer. 48:24). Either way, destruction against the entire people of Moab is denoted. Just as Moab had offered a king of Edom on the walls of Edom’s defences, as a burnt sacrifice to their false gods (2 Kings 3:26-27), so now God will burn Moab and devour its cities. “and death in an uproar will come to Moav amid the sounding (teruah: shofar sound of warning and judgement) in the voice of a ram’s horn.” It’s not a “trumpet” as many English translations mistranslate (a trumpet is usually made of silver, brass etc.), but a shofar (ram’s horn) that is sounded in this verse. The symbolic significance of the ram’s horn finds its origin in Ha-Akeidah (the Binding of Isaac Gen. 22). The shofar warning of coming judgement through warfare which is sounded from the beginning of the scroll of Amos (in the name of his town), is here reiterated against Moab. In the midst of battle and destruction she will hear again the warning call of the shofar of God, a reminder that she had every opportunity to repent and did not. In like manner the final great shofar blast (Tekiah Gedolah) announcing Yom Ha-Din (the Judgement Day) will strike terror into the hearts of those who have rejected God’s warning and offer of redemption. 3 Vehichratiy And I will cut off (kill) shofeit a judge mikirbah from her inner part vekol-sareyah and all her princes eherog will be slain imo with him,” amar says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord. “And I will cut off (kill) a judge from her inner part and all her princes will be slain with him,” says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord.” Most scholars agree that the judge in question is probably the king of Moab who acted as judge over the people. This is supported by the following clause which alludes to the princes or sub-rulers of Moab being slain. This took place five years after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem (589-587 BCE).* * Josephus Antiquities of the Jews l. 10. c. 9. sect. 7. 4 Here is what amar YHVH (Mercy), the Lord says: “Al Upon sheloshah three pisheiy rebellions of Y’hudah (Praise), ve'al and upon arba’ah four, lo ashiyvenu I will not turn away, al upon mo’osam their rejecting et-torat the Instructions YHVH (Mercy) of the Lord vechukayv and the prescribed limits lo shamaru they have not guarded; vayat’um and astray they wander kizveiyhem because of lies asher-halechu avotam achareiyhem which their fathers walked in. “Upon three pisheiy rebellions of Y’hudah, even upon four” Having addressed all the neighbours of Israel and Judah, the prophet now speaks the word of the LORD to the chosen people Israel, beginning with the tribe of Judah (including Benjamin) and concluding with the northern tribes, here called Israel as distinct from Judah. We note that God is just, judging Judah with the same formula used in judgement of the heathen nations that neighbour her. “upon their rejecting the instructions of the Lord and the prescribed limits, they have not guarded;” The indictment against Judah differs in regard to the specific laws that Judah has broken. Being ignorant of the specific laws of distinction commanded to Israel the nations had nonetheless sinned in regard to the universal laws of morality contained in the Torah as an indictment against all sin. Judah on the other hand had sinned not only in regard to general morality but also in regard to the very specific laws given by God to His chosen, set apart people. Laws relating to identity, purity, cleanliness, worship etc. Judah has rejected “et-torat” the instructions contained within the wealth of holy Scriptures which were accessible to them at that point. Including, but not limited to the Torah, parts of the record of the kings, the writings of Solomon, the psalms of David, and numerous early prophetic works. We note that while many claim “torat”, (teachings), refers to the Torah alone, they can’t explain why the text uses “et-torat”, meaning the instructions or teachings, rather than “Ha-Torah”, which refers specifically to the five books of Moses. The Torah is of course part of the greater number of instructions being alluded to, but it is not the only instruction that had been given to Israel by that time in her history. The Hebrew “vechukayv” translated “and commands” in most English versions of the Bible, does not carry the same meaning as the Hebrew “mitzvot” but is from the root “chok” meaning “limit”, denoting prescribed boundaries, portions, and civil conduct. It is specifically used to point toward the social injustices being committed within the framework of God’s justice. “and astray they wander because of lies which their fathers walked in.” Judah hasn’t just wandered, she continues to wander. She has gone astray because of generational sin. Her father’s, forebears, having adopted the idolatry of the inhabitants of the land and syncretised (mixed it into) their worship of YHVH the God of Israel, have passed on their sin to the subsequent generations. The Jewish commentator Kimkhi notes that the “lies” referred to were those of the false prophets. Regardless of the origin of the lies, the point is that Judah had traded the truth of HaShem for lies. 5 Veshilachtiy And I will send eish fire bey’hudah upon Judah (Praise), ve’achlah and it will eat armenot the citadels of Yerushalayim (Flood of Peace) Jerusalem.” “And I will send fire upon Judah, and it will eat the citadels of Jerusalem.” “God is no respecter of persons”, meaning, He shows no partiality. Thus the punishment against Judah mirrors that of her neighbours (Aram [1:4], Gaza [1:7], Tyre [1:10], Edom [1:12], Amon [1:14], Moab [2:2]). The temple of the most High God (YHVH), and the palaces of the king of Judah and his princes were burned with fire when Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonian army, approximately two hundred years after this prophecy (589-587 BCE). 6 Here is what amar YHVH (Mercy), the Lord says: “Al Upon sheloshah three pisheiy rebellions of Yisrael (overcomes in Elohiym), ve'al and upon arba’ah four, lo ashiyvenu I will not turn away, al upon, michram their selling bakesef for silver tzadiyk a righteous one ve’evyon and the needy ba’avur, in order to get na’alayim a pair of sandals. “Upon three rebellions of Yisrael, and upon four” While Israel in the form of the northern tribes is being delineated as a unique entity, the pursuant allusion to the deliverance from Egypt draws on the united experience of the twelve tribes of Israel. Therefore, in part, the judgement against the northern tribes is also an indictment against Judah. This is of course not the case where specific northern locations and sin practices are referred to. “upon, their selling for silver a righteous one” In this context, given that disregard for God’s et-torat (instructions) is the premise for the judgement, it is likely that the plain meaning “selling for silver a righteous one” alludes to the sale of a man who is without debt, this being akin to slavery and contrary to Torah (Deut. 15:7-11; Lev. 25:39-43). The singular phrasing “a righteous one” seems intentional and looks back to the sinful actions of Joseph’s brothers and forward to the sinful actions of Judah Ish-kariyot. Notice that Judas Iscariot is Judah “ish” a man from “keriyot”, Judas who betrayed Messiah was from the chief city of Moab (which in the first century C.E. was no longer a Moabite city). The rabbis who arranged Amos 2:6-3:8 as the Haftarah (completion/fulfilment of instruction) portion for Va-yeshev [And dwelt Jacob] (Gen. 37:1-40:23) [the Torah portion that recounts the selling of the righteous man Joseph into slavery] clearly understood this phrase to have prophetic significance. “and the needy, in order to get a pair of sandals.” This describes the heinous act of selling on an indentured poor person for a pitiful sum, thus openly devaluing that person. This is also in direct opposition to the command concerning those poor who have no other choice but to sell themselves into indentured service. The Torah requires justice in these circumstances and the release of that person at the end of their term of service (Lev. 25). 7 Hasho’afiym That breathe heavily al upon afar-eretz dust of the land berosh on the head daliym of the ones who are low, vederekh and the way anaviym of the humble yatu they have bent, ve’iysh and a man veaviv and his father yelechu enter el-hana’arah the same servant girl lema’an with intent to chaleil pollute et-sheim kadshiy My Holy Name. “That breathe heavily upon dust of the land on the head of the ones who are low” This is a Hebrew idiom that speaks directly to the oppression of those in the community who are suffering. Again, this contradicts the Torah, which states: “You shall not pervert the justice that is owed to your needy brother in his dispute. 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.” -Shemot (Exodus) 23:6-7 “and the way of the humble they have bent” The humble are not synonymous with the poor as some wrongly conclude. This is in fact referring to the righteous remnant who walk humbly before God (Micah 6:8). This particular indictment therefore, regards the intentional harming of the livelihood and future of the righteous ones living among the community. “a man and his father enter the same servant girl” Not only is the sharing of the same woman by father and son considered repugnant universally, it is also very specifically outlawed by Torah (Lev. 18:7-8, 15; 20:11-12). Additionally, using any woman in this way, be she a servant or otherwise, was strictly forbidden. According to the Torah, women were to be honoured and cared for in the ancient Israelite community. Where a man received sex from a woman he was obligated to marry and provide for her in a age when survival as an abandoned woman was difficult (Ex. 22:16; Deut. 22:28-29). “with intent to pollute My Holy Name.” While many read this phrase as being a separate indictment against idolatry which is unrelated to the sexual sin named in the previous clause, I understand it as being related. The sexual sin in the previous clause is made more heinous due to the fact that the man and his son in question are performing these acts as part of a syncretised worship practice which names the God of Israel. It is an abhorrent desecration of the Holy Name that unites the immoral sexual sin act with the worship of false gods, and links the entire practice to the worship of the God of Israel. As modern believing men we may look upon this vile sin retrospectively from our position in history and say, “Thank God that I haven’t done anything that terrible”. And yet, today, believing men and their sons lust after the same actresses, sportswomen and models. Yeshua says: 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 And I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” -Matthew 5:27-28 Rather than smugly tutting our tongues at Israel, we would do well to repent and rely on Messiah’s strength to maintain our walk with integrity. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” -Exodus 20:17 KJV 8 Ve’al-begadiym And upon clothing chavuliym bound in pledge yatu stretched out eitzel near kol-mizbeiach every altar (of slaughter), ve’yiyn and the wine of anushiym those condemned, fined, yishtu they drink in Beit a house Eloheiyham of their God. We note that this is speaking of the ten northern tribes, so that when the text says “Beit Eloheiyham”, (a house of their God), it is not speaking of the temple in Jerusalem, something that is wrongly inferred by the standard English translation, which reads “in the house of their God”. The northern tribes were not worshipping God at the appointed place (the temple on Mt Zion in Jerusalem) according to the command of Torah (Deut. 12:5-12; Josh. 21:41-43), but were instead worshipping Him, and or other deities along with Him at various high places in the north, one of the chief locations being Beit-El (Bethel). Therefore, God is commanding punishment upon the northern tribes regarding their practice of syncretism, the assimilation of heathen practices into their worship of the God of Israel. Which is one of the reasons HaShem has said “a man and his father enter the same servant girl with intent to pollute My Holy Name”. “upon clothing bound in pledge stretched out near every altar” This refers to withholding the garments taken from poor people in pledge (Deut. 4:17; Job 22:6, 24:3-4, 9) and compounding the sin by laying the garments out in worship of either false gods or in hypocritical worship of the God of Israel in syncretism with false gods (Ex. 22:26). Thus the poor are left shivering in the night while their garments are used as an offering to God by wicked people who have plenty. “the wine of those fined, they drink in a house of their God.” The Hebrew allows for the readings “in a house of there god”. In other words, they are not necessarily even worshipping the God of Israel. The wine can be understood as the wine that should have been given to the poor, suffering and the dying as a means of pain management (Proverbs 31:6-7), or it can be understood as wine gained by fining innocent people. Either way, and whether or not they are drinking the wine in worship of the God of Israel or some other deity, their sin is a vile desecration of the Torah. 9 “Ve’anochiy And I, indeed hishmadtiy I destroyed et-ha’amoriy the Amorite (public speaker) mipeneiyhem from before their faces, asher whose kegovah height was like araziym cedars gaveho height vechason and strong hu was he ka’aloniym like oaks va’ashmiyd yet I destroyed piryo his fruit mi’ma’al from higher up still (above) vesharashayv and his roots mitachat from beneath. What follows is a summary of Israel’s journey. Throughout God is faithful, and throughout Israel is rebellious, unfaithful, in need of discipline. We note that this is a reference to Numbers 13 and 14 which record the sending of the spies and the rebellion of Israel, born of a fearful report concerning the inhabitants of the land (Num. 13:33). Therefore, this rebuke likens the rebellion of the northern tribes to that of all Israel in approaching the land of promise, a rebellion that resulted in their wandering for another 40 years. The metaphor used points to the fact that when a people gives in to the fear of anyone or anything other than YHVH, that people are prone to rebel against Him. Instead of trusting in YHVH, they have trusted in the strength of the false gods of the land, gods which HaShem has and will uproot and remove. We remember that the fear of YHVH is an end to fear and its fruit. The metaphor of the mighty oaks is meant to show that even something as strong and enduring as the oak is subject to God’s might. Where the Cedars of Lebanon are high, they are nonetheless vulnerable to strong winds, whereas the oak is both high and strong (thick), able to withstand strong winds. However, God is higher and stronger, and His Spirit (wind) can tear up even the strongest tree. Thus, the intimidating Amorites whom Israel feared when told of their stature (Num. 13:28), were uprooted, that is the source of their strength was removed. 10 Ve’anochiy And I, he’eleiytiy etchem I caused you all to ascend mei’eretz from the land mitzrayim (double distress) of Egypt va’oleich etchem and you all walked bamidbar (in and from the Word) in the desert arbaiym shanah forty years lareshet to take possession et-eretz of the land from ha’emoriy Amorites. This is a reminder of the consequences of Israel’s rebellion, as well as being a reminder of God’s faithfulness. In spite of Israel’s rebellion God made the defeat of the Amorites possible. 11 Va’akiym And I raised up mibeneichem from your children lin’viyiym some to be prophets umibachureiychem and from your young men lin’ziriym some to be Nazirites (consecrated ones). Ha’af eiyn-zot Is this not so, beneiy-Yisrael children of Israel?” neum declares YHVH (Mercy) the Lord. “And I raised up from your children some to be prophets” Throughout Israel’s history up to that point in time God had raised up prophets, from Joseph the son of Jacob to Moses, Joshua, Samuel and so on. All Israel is included here. At this point in the indictment Judah and Benjamin are implicitly included in the phrase “beneiy-Yisrael”. Upon hearing these words from Amos few Israelites would have been able to forget the following words of the Torah: “15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” 17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.” -Deuteronomy 18:15-19 NIV “from your young men some to be Nazirites” The Hebrew “nazir” (Nazarite) from the root “nazar”, means “consecrated”. Numbers 6:1-21 explains that the Nazarite vow was one that a person chose as an act of their freewill and out of a desire to set themselves apart as devoted to God (Judges 13:5). “Is this not so, children of Israel?” declares YHVH (Mercy) the Lord.” To paraphrase, “Have I not given you ample warning children of Israel?” 12 “Vatashku et-hanezitiym yayin And you forced the Nazirites to drink wine, veal-haneviyiym and you placed upon the prophets, tziviytem orders leimor saying, ‘lo tinaveu You shall not prophesy!’ In spite of the goodness of God in giving Israel righteous ones to direct them toward Him, Israel rebelled by defiling those righteous ones, either by tempting or by forcing violation of their vows upon them. In the case of the prophets Israel had hated what they heard and had told the true prophets of God to be silent while inviting the false prophets to speak. Ironically, Amaziyah the apostate priest of Bethel would later tell Amos to go away and prophesy to Judah (7:12-13). Following this Amos speaks the word of the LORD which quotes the people of Israel as saying: “You say, ‘Don’t Prophesy against Israel’, and ‘Don’t drop the Word against the house of Isaac’.” -Amos 7:16b (Author’s translation) Therefore, for the duration of the ten years of the prophetic ministry of Amos, Israel had wilfully ignored his warning to repent for their having demanded that the prophets of God be silent, and instead, nearing the end of his ministry, they repeated this sin like children with their fingers in their ears yelling “La, la, la…” 13 Hineih Behold, now, pay attention! Anochiy I am mei’iyk making a rut tachteiychem beneath you, ka’asher like that which is made ta’iyk by the pressing ha’agalah of the cart hamleiam lah when it’s filled amiyr with sheaves of grain. “Hineih” is a wakeup call. “Pay attention now!”, would be a better modern translation than the old English “Behold”. The metaphor of the heavily laden cart at harvest time is poignant. At this time in history Israel was heavily laden with riches and success, just like the overloaded cart at harvest time. However, her successes would soon weigh her down so as to make a rut beneath her that she will not be able to climb out of. This is essentially a metaphor describing the fruit of the love of worldly wealth (1 Tim. 6:10). The love of worldly wealth being a form of idolatry. Israel had planted the seed of rebellion in the soil of her abundance and would soon reap the fruit of rebellion. Destruction. 14 Veavad manos And escape will perish mikal from the swift, vechazak and the strong lo-ye’ameitz will not be strengthened kocho because of his power, vegibor and the mighty lo-yemaleit will not deliver nafsho his soul. Although Israel considered herself strong at this point in history, she would nonetheless be unable to escape. Her strong men will be unable to overcome in the coming fire of judgement in spite of their strength, they will not even be able to deliver themselves. 15 Vetofeis And the one who grasps hakeshet the bow lo ya’amod will not stand, vekal the swift beraglayv in foot lo yemaleit will not slip away, verocheiv and the rider of hasus the horse lo yemaleit will not save nafsho his soul. The bowman will fail to have an effect in the coming battle that will topple the northern kingdom, and the fastest runners will not be able to escape, nor will the rider on the swiftest horse be able to save himself. 16 Veamiytz And the mighty libo of heart bagiboriym among the mighty ones, arom yanus will flee naked bayom-hahu in that day,” neum declares YHVH (Mercy) the Lord. The most courageous of Israel’s warriors will flee naked, meaning “unarmed”, shaking like terrified children in that promised day when God brings the fire of His discipline against the northern tribes. This is something God declares through Amos as a foregone conclusion. Will He relent? The answer is “Most certainly not!” Because He is holy He is loving, because He is loving He is just, because He is just He cannot allow injustice to go unaccounted for. We know that “God is love”, good! Now let’s go and learn what love is. We don’t define love, God does. Any love founded in the temporal fallen emotion of humanity is false love. We know that “God is love”, good! Now let’s go and learn Who love is. Copyright 2022 Yaakov Brown Those united in hatred seek only the death of their enemies. In them the lesser lusts of the material world submit to the goal of their hatred, death. Once sated, all that remains is for them to consider their own fragile mortality and turn on one another. Introduction: This section of Isaiah from chapter 13 through 23, is a series of divine judgements against the nations: punishments for the sin they have committed against God and the nation of Israel. These judgements are called “Burdens” and deal with Israel’s neighbors. There are a similar group of judgements in Jeremiah (Chapters 46-51), and in Ezekiel (Chapters 25-32). A careful reading of the Hebrew text suggests that Jeremiah was acquainted with Isaiah 13. The first to be judged (keeping in mind that God has already judged Israel through the prophet’s previous proclamations) is Bavel, that is Babylon, the capital of the Chaldean Empire, situated in modern day Iraq. Babylon is used symbolically throughout Scripture as the center of the proud God defying pagan world. It is a figure denoting the seat of Satan’s power on earth and is seen as being part of an empire that resists both God and His chosen people ethno-religious Israel, the Jews. This prophecy against Babylon, was fulfilled approximately 240 years after it was recorded. The Medes and Persians under Cyrus the Great (Isa. 45:8) of Persia conquered the Babylonian empire in 539 BCE. Cyrus was of Median descent and thus he was the perfect candidate for leading the combined armies of the Medes and Persians. As is the case with all Hebrew prophecy, the cyclical nature of the prophecy allows for multiple fulfillments. Therefore, given that the literal location of Babylon (85km south of Baghdad) is now the subject of modern restoration projects, one must conclude that in order for this prophecy to made perfect it must be fully filled at the end of days. Thus, the prophecy of Revelation, as it pertains to Babylon and the Serpent (Satan) is intrinsically linked to the present text. “And a mighty messenger took up a stone, it was a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, ‘Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all.” -Revelation 18:21 Text: Isa 13:1 Masa Burden of Bavel (Babylon: Confusion), which chazah is perceived, seen, foreseen, by Yeshayahu (Isaiah: The Salvation of YHVH [Mercy] is his) the son of Amotz (Strong). A burden of confusion foreseen by the one for whom Salvation is from Mercy, he is a son born of strength. The Targum Yonatan (1 Century BCE) reads: "the burden of the cup of cursing to give Babylon to drink:'' It’s important to note that the entire chapter is qualified by the fact that this is a prophecy concerning Babylon, which is, from the prophet’s perspective, in far off Chaldea. Therefore, the locations, the land (ha-aretz) etc. are all geographically linked to that eastern region and do not relate to the land of Israel. This is one of the exceptions to the use of ha-aretz as it is explained in my previous commentary on Isaiah. The Hebrew “Masa” translated “Burden”, is derived from the root nasah, which means “to lift up, carry, bear”. In the present text it denotes the fact that the prophet is lifting up his voice against the enemies of Israel and is unable to keep silent because the weight of the prophecy given to him is too much to contain. “And the rage of HaShem (YHVH: Mercy) fills me, I am weary, impatient, grieved and offended, I cannot contain the measure of it.” -Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 6:11 Given the use of the Hebrew “chazah”, it is possible that Isaiah saw these things in a vision. Isa 13:2 Upon a mountain swept bare, seu lift up, carry, take neis a sign, miracle, banner, lift up your kol voice to them: they waved a hand and they enter into the doorways, openings, gates of nediyviym nobles, generous, princes, willing hearted. The phrasing here is typical of Isaiah’s imagery throughout the scroll, and makes the arguments of those who say this was written by someone else and or redacted, untenable (5:26; 11:10; 18:3). A cleared hill or mountain top was typically used to summon tribes and armies from distant places to gather for war. As warriors approached hand gestures were used and they would be called to from the hill top, “Enter into the gates of the nobles!” This mountain or hill top is situated in the region of the Chaldean empire in modern day Iraq. Some claim that there was actually a gate to Babylon called “The Gate of the Nobles”. “Vitringa thinks there may be an allusion to the mountain Zagrius, which divides Media and Persia from Assyria, mentioned by Strabo.” - Geograph. l. 11. p. 359 Babylon itself is spoken of as a mountain in the book of Jeremiah: “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, says Hashem (YHVH), which destroys all the earth; and I will stretch out my hand upon you, and roll you down from the rocks, and will make you a burnt mountain.” -Yermiyahu (Jeremiah 51:25 The Hebrew “Neis”, meaning sign, miraculous sign, banner etc. is used in Talmudic literature to refer to a proclamation of war: "to gather against the mountain that is quiet, and trusts in its tranquillity, lift up a banner to the nations.''-Yarchi We need not choose between the various meanings given for neis: it denotes something miraculous that God is doing as well as being a practical sign for the accumulation of the armed forces who are to fight against Babylon. “Lift up your kol voice to them” refers to those being called to war against the city of Babylon, that is the Medes (13:17). Isa 13:3 Ani I have tziveitiy given My orders lim’kudashay to My consecrated, sanctified, set apart ones, also, I have called My mighty men for my flaring nostril (anger), even My proudly exulting ones. It is difficult for the modern reader to understand why HaShem would call otherwise pagan nations “My consecrated” and “My mighty men”, and “My proudly exulting ones”. This is where an understanding of the Hebrew concept of holiness kadosh is necessary. “Lim’kudashay”, translates as “My consecrated ones” but is best understood as “My set apart ones”, meaning that the pagan nations of Mede and Persia have been set apart for a divine task. This does not mean that they are worshippers of the God of Israel, it simply means that God is in control of all things and calls nations to do His will for the sake of the redemption of Israel and the nations. Isa 13:4 A kol voice, sound, noise of a multitude behariym in the mountains, in the likeness of a great am people! A kol voice, sound, noise of sheon a din, crash, uproar, tumult of the kingdoms of goyim nations gathered together! HaShem (YHVH: Mercy) Tzevaot (Who goes forth to war, of heavens armies) is mustering tzeva those who go forth to battle. The poetry, word play and turn of phrase in the Hebrew text is delightful. Tzevaot the God “Who goes out to war” is mustering tzeva those “who go out to battle”. The noise of this great army was probably heard in the mountains of Media or on the mountains that bordered Chaldea, as the troops gathered to do battle against Babylon under the leadership of Cyrus the Great. We know from Jeremiah that the army of Cyrus consisted not only of Medians and Persians but also of a number of smaller nations from the region. “Set up a standard in the land, blow the horn among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; appoint a marshal against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough canker- worm.” -Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 51:28 Isa 13:5 They come from meieretz a land in a distant place, from the extremity of the heavens, HaShem (YHVH: Mercy), and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy all Ha-aretz the land. The phrase Ha-aretz usually refers to the land of Israel. However, in the context of the present judgement it is qualified by the fact that the entire portion of Isaiah 13 refers to God’s wrath against Babylon and the empire of the Chaldeans. Therefore, ha-aretz here refers to the Land of what is now known as modern Iraq. “They” refers to the Medes, Persians, and the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Isa 13:6 Heiylilu Wail, howl, because near is yom a day of HaShem (YHVH: Mercy); keshod violence, havoc, destruction, devastation and ruin miShaday from the Almighty shall it come. The Babylonians are instructed to howl in terror at the coming wrath of God. “Keshod meShaddai” destruction from the One Who is the All Sufficient Protector. Isa 13:7 Upon, therefore col yadayim all hands a disheartening, and every levav inner being (heart) of a person will yimas dissolve, melt: Complete and utter hopelessness will descend upon the people of Babylon and Chaldea, both civilian and soldier alike. Not only will their physical strength grow weak with hands hanging down but also their inner being and spiritual assurance will be dissolved like worthless chaff dissolved in sulphur pools. Isa 13:8 and they will be terrified, hurried, dismayed; tziyriym envoys (pangs) vachavaliym and attached companies (sorrows) will grasp, seize, possess and take hold of them; they will be in pain as a woman in the travail of labour: they will look to one another in amazement; peneiy their faces lehaviym like flaming blade faces. “The king of Babylon has heard the fame of them, and his hands wax feeble; anguish has taken hold of him, and pain, as of a woman in travail.” -Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 50:43 The Hebrew phrase “Peneiy lehaviym peneiyhem”, their faces like flaming blade faces, denotes both red faced terror and the act of turning and striking a companion. Thus, in their terror at the wrath coming against them the Babylonians turned on each other. God has used similar circumstances to save Israel on other occasions. “HaShem confused the enemy camp, so that the Ammonite and Moabite troops attacked and completely destroyed those from Edom. Then they turned against each other and fought until the entire camp was wiped out!” -2 Chronicles 20:22-23 “When the three hundred trumpets sounded, HaShem caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.” -Judges 7:22 Isa 13:9 Hinei, Now, behold, yom a day of HaShem (YHVH: Mercy) is coming, cruel, with an outpouring of wrath, fury, and fierce nostril flaring anger; to appoint Ha-aretz the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners removing them from it. Here the Hebrew text speaks of “a day of the Lord” rather than “the day of the Lord”. However, verse 13 speaks of “the day of His anger”. It seems that wrath will be poured out upon Babylon on a specific day during a figurative day, which can be understood to be the day of the Lord (A figurative day spanning many literal days). Isa 13:10 For the stars (fig. brothers) of ha-shamayim the heavens and the constellations will not yaheilu give (fig. boast of) their oram light; choshakh darkened will be ha-shemesh the sun in its going forth, and the moon will not shine his (its) light. This portion of the text employees personification as a figurative example of the all-encompassing distress that will be poured out upon Babylon and her empire. The distress of the constellations and luminaries is of special significance to the Babylonians because they worshipped various deities associated to the heavenly host. Their gods would be in as much distress as they would. Thus, the complete devastation of the physical and spiritual nature of Babylon and the Chaldean empire and all that it represents. That is, the seat of Satan’s work on earth. Isa 13:11 Upakad’tiy And I will punish, number, reckon al-tevel upon the world ra’ah evil, distress, misery and upon the wicked for their avonam perversity, iniquity: and I will put an end to the prideful presumption, and the haughty ones will be laid low with awful terror. The phrase “upon the world” refers specifically to the world of Babylon. After all, the Medes and Persians who were to attack her were not at that time suffering punishment. Isa 13:12 Esteemed of great value will be enosh a human being like fine gold, veadam and humanity will be like gold from Ophiyr (Reduced to ashes). This is a figurative way of saying that there will be few Babylonians left to tell the tale. It is ironic that the gold of Ophiyr is referenced, as Ophiyr literally means “Reduced to ashes”. Interestingly, the Targum Yonatan ( 1st Century BCE) gives figurative paraphrase of this verse and suggests that the survivors mentioned are actually righteous Israelites who lived within Babylon when she was overthrown: "I will love them that fear me more than gold, of which men glory; and those that keep the law more than the fine gold of Ophir;'' -Targum Yonatan Isa 13:13 Accordingly therefore, shamayim heavens will tremble and shaken will be Ha-aretz the land from its place, in the wrath of HaShem (YHVH: Mercy) Tzevaot (Who goes forth to war, of heavens armies), uveyom and in the day of his nostril flaring anger. This can be taken both literally and figuratively relative to the worship of the celestial bodies. The land referred to is the region including and surrounding modern day Iraq. This language is also reminiscent of the description of wrath following the seventh bowl of Revelation: “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” – Revelation 16:17 Isa 13:14 Vehayah And it comes to pass, that as kitzviy the roebuck (beauty) mudakh is driven away, and as sheep that no man gathers, they will turn every man amo to his own people, and will flee every man artzo to his own land. It comes to pass that like beauty driven away and sheep without anyone to gather them, each one will turn to his own people, each one fleeing to his own land. Literally this verse describes those living in Babylon who have originated from other nations either by choice or by conquest. They will flee in terror to the nations and tribes of their birth. Figuratively, the beauty of Babylon is driven away. “Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handles the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn everyone to his people, and they shall flee everyone to his own land.” – Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 50:16 Isa 13:15 All that is found will be pierced through; and all who are hanispeh caught up, swept away, taken, shall fall by the sword. Isa 13:16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted, and their wives raped. Simply put, everyone who is found in the city when it is taken will be put to death in callus ways. “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” -Revelation 18:4 Isa 13:17 Hineniy Now, behold, I am ready, I will incite upon them the Maday (Medes: middle land), who will not regard silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it. The Medes and Persians suffered under the Chaldean empire and its capital Babylon. Thus, they came against her with vengeance in mind rather than for the purpose of gaining wealth. Therefore, they had no intention of showing mercy in battle. Those united in hatred seek only the death of their enemies. In them the lesser lusts of the material world submit to the goal of their hatred, death. Once sated, all that remains is for them to consider their own fragile mortality and turn on one another. Isa 13:18 And bows will dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. The Medes were renowned for their prowess with the bow. The historian Xenophon suggests that Cyrus came to Babylon with a great number of archers and slingers (Cyropaedia, l. 2. sect. 1.). The national vengeance of the Medes and Persians would be such that they would wantonly slay even mothers and babies. The Medes were notorious for their cruelty, which eventually resulted in the ruin of their empire (Ammian. Marcellin. l. 23. c. 6. Diodor. Sicul. l. 13. p. 342.). Isa 13:19 And it comes to pass that Bavel (Babylon: confusion, mixing), the beauty of kingdoms, the splendour and majesty of the Kasdiym (Chaldeans' clod breakers) their pride, will be destroyed by Elohiym (God: Judge) like Sedom (Sodom: Burning) and Amorah (Gomorrah: submersion). The first and most ancient of kingdoms was Bavel, confusion, Babylon the Great (Gen. 10:10). In the dream of Nebuchadnezzar recorded in Daniel Babylon is represented as the head of gold (Daniel 2:31), she is also later called “lady of kingdoms” by Isaiah (Isa. 47:5). Babylon is the ultimate symbol of human pride, it first divided the peoples when at the tower of Bavel (Gen. 11) the nations unified under her banner sought to be gods. Later Nebuchadnezzar would make a proud claim: “The king spoke, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). Like the very symbols of prideful and ancient debauchery Sodom and Gomorrah, Babylon would not be allowed to continue indefinitely. Isa 13:20 Never to be inhabited in perpetuity, neither will it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither will the Araviy (Arabian: mixed) pitch tent there; neither will shepherds allow their flocks to lie down there. Babylon was destroyed and left desolate in 539 BCE, however, as the centuries have gone on restoration projects have been working toward its rebuilding. Thus, the first fulfilment of the prophecy is only partly qualified by the present text. Therefore, we await the perfection of this prophecy in the future. The Revelation affirms this by describing the ultimate and lasting destruction of Babylon, which is a figure for Satan’s seat of power on earth. Isa 13:21 But wild beasts of the desert will lie there; and their houses will be full of howling animals; and benot yaanah a daughter bird (ostriches) will dwell there, usheiyriym and hairy demonic goats shall dance there. There are a number of folk allusions in this verse. “Daughter of a bird” is literal but is also seen as a figurative description of sirens or bird women, which were demonic beings in ancient folk lore. The Hairy goats are seen by ancient commentators (Targum etc.) as demonic goats, satyrs (man goat hybrids) possessed goats (like the pigs Yeshua allowed a legion of demons to go into [Matt. 8:31-33; Mark 5:11-13; Luke 8:31-33]). “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” -Revelation 18:2 Isa 13:22 Veanah And testifying, answering, howling will be the jackals in the widow houses (deserted structures), vetaniym and the serpent beheiychleiy in the temples of delight: and near to come is her time, and her days shall not be prolonged. We notice here the intrinsic connection to the final destruction of the satanic agenda and the seat of Satan’s power on earth. The Serpent may well have his temple of delight, but one day soon it will be left eternally desolate. “He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” -Revelation 20:2 Copyright Yaakov Brown 2018 |
Yaakov BrownFounder of the Beth Melekh International Messiah Following Jewish Community, Archives
February 2024
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