AmosChapitre 5

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Hear this word that I raise over you as a lament, house of Israel:

Fallen is the virgin Israel, never to rise again; abandoned on her own soil, with no one to lift her up.

For this is what the Lord GOD says: The city that marches out a thousand strong will have a hundred left, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have ten left, for the house of Israel.

For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live!

Do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.

Seek the LORD and live, or he will break out like fire against the house of Joseph—it will devour, and there will be no one at Bethel to put it out.

You who turn justice into bitterness and throw righteousness to the ground!

He it is who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns deep darkness into morning and darkens the day into night. He summons the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the earth—the LORD is his name.

He brings ruin on the strong, and destruction comes upon the fortress.

They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they despise the one who speaks with integrity.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor and extort grain from them, you have built houses of cut stone, but you will not live in them; you have planted lovely vineyards, but you will not drink their wine.

For I know how many your transgressions are, how great your sins: you oppress the righteous, you take bribes, and you turn the needy away in the gate.

Therefore the prudent keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you claim.

Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate. Perhaps then the LORD, the God of hosts, will show mercy to the remnant of Joseph.

Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, says: In every public square there will be wailing, and in every street they will cry, "Alas! Alas!" They will call the farmers to mourning and the singers of dirges to lamentation.

There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will pass through your midst, says the LORD.

Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! What will that day be for you? It will be darkness, not light.

It will be as when a man flees from a lion, only to meet a bear; or he comes home, rests his hand against the wall, and a snake bites him.

Will not the day of the LORD be darkness and not light, gloom without a ray of brightness?

I hate, I despise your festivals; I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

Even if you bring me burnt offerings, I will not accept them; your grain offerings give me no pleasure, and I will not look at the fellowship offerings of your fattened cattle.

Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the music of your harps.

But let justice roll on like water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings those forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel?

Yet you carried Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

So I will send you into exile beyond Damascus, says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

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Résumé2

Chapitre 5

Main Theme: God laments over the fall of Israel and calls them to repentance through justice rather than empty worship.

Content: The chapter opens with a lament over "virgin Israel," who has fallen. God urges the people to seek Him and live, warning against the shrines at Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba. Israel is accused of oppressing the poor and perverting justice. God rejects their festivals and sacrifices, demanding instead that "justice roll down like waters." The chapter concludes with a threat of exile beyond Damascus.

Key Words/Images:

Lament (קִינָה): The prophet sings a funeral song over Israel as if they have already fallen—a shocking rhetorical device.
The Day of the Lord: Warns against longing for this day, for it will be darkness, not light—an unexpected message to the self-assured.
Justice rolling down like waters (v. 24): The famous image of justice as a constantly flowing stream, in contrast to empty rituals.
Virgin Israel: A picture of the nation as young and vulnerable, now lying abandoned on its own land.

Contexte historique

Historical and Cultural Context for Amos 5

Places

The chapter mentions three important cult sites: Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba. Bethel (Hebrew בֵּית־אֵל, "House of God") was one of the two royal sanctuaries in the Northern Kingdom, established by Jeroboam I with a golden calf (1 Kings 12:28-29). Gilgal, located near the Jordan River, held significance from the time of the conquest and was associated with Israel's entry into the land (Joshua 4:19-20). Beersheba lay in the southern part of Judah but apparently served as a pilgrimage destination for northern Israelites. Amos' wordplay on Gilgal (גָּלֹה יִגְלֶה, "shall surely go into exile") and Bethel becoming אָוֶן (aven, "wickedness/nothingness") demonstrates his literary power.

Damascus is mentioned in verse 27 as the destination for exile. This was the capital of the Aramean kingdom and represented a threat from the north – ironically, the actual exile in 722 BC would go even further, to Assyria.

Events and Customs

The function of the gate (שַׁעַר) is central to this chapter (vv. 10, 12, 15). The city gate was the most important place for legal proceedings and judicial decisions in ancient Israel. Here, the city elders gathered to judge disputes. Amos accuses the powerful of hating the one who "rebukes at the gate" – that is, the one who speaks truth in court cases – and of taking bribes (כֹּפֶר) to twist judgment against the poor.

Mourning rituals are described in detail in verses 16-17. Professional mourning women (יוֹדְעֵי נֶהִי, "those who know lamentation") were hired for funerals. Amos warns that this lamentation will fill all the streets and even the vineyards – places normally associated with joy – when the day of the Lord comes.

Key Terms

Qinah (קִינָה) in verse 1 is a funeral lament. Amos uses this genre prophetically – he sings the funeral song over a people who are still alive, which must have been shocking. The expression "Virgin Israel" (בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל) intensifies the tragedy; the nation is portrayed as a young woman dying before she can experience marriage and motherhood.

The day of the Lord (יוֹם יְהוָה) in verses 18-20 is the earliest developed treatment of this concept in the preserved prophetic writings. The people clearly expected this day as a time of God's victory over their enemies. Amos radically reverses this expectation: the day becomes darkness, not light (vv. 18, 20) – judgment on Israel itself, not victory over enemies.

Sikkuth and Kiyyun (v. 26) likely refer to Mesopotamian star deities. Sikkuth may be linked to Sakkut, an Assyrian deity, while Kiyyun is often identified with the Saturn god Kaiwan. This suggests that the Israelites had adopted astral worship from surrounding cultures.

Chapter-Specific Findings

The astronomical reference in verse 8 mentions the star clusters כִימָה (Kimah, Pleiades) and כְסִיל (Kesil, Orion). These constellations were well known throughout the ancient Near East and used to mark seasons and agricultural cycles. In Mesopotamian religion, stars were associated with fate goddesses, but Amos emphasizes that Israel's God is the creator of these heavenly bodies.

Houses of hewn stone (בָּתֵּי גָזִית) mentioned in verse 11 are archaeologically confirmed from this period. Excavations in Samaria and other cities from the 8th century BC show luxury homes with finely cut stone blocks, contrasting with the simpler brick houses of ordinary people. This supports Amos' accusation of economic inequality where the rich built splendid homes at the expense of the poor.

Personnages2

Sikkuth1 Kijjun1

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Mots-clés8

Righteousness — A moral principle that involves acting rightly and justly in accordance with God's will and laws.
Judgment — God's righteous evaluation and punishment of human actions, especially those that break his commands and decrees.
Mourn — An expression of grief, sadness, or regret over something that has happened or been lost, often used in connection with the judgment and destruction coming upon Israel.
Israel — The name of God's chosen people, descendants of Jacob, which includes twelve tribes and their land.
Samaria — The capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, often mentioned as a symbol of the nation's sin and idolatry.
Bethel — A holy city in the southern kingdom of Judah, known for its religious significance and as a place of worship and sacrifice.
The day of Zion — A reference to God's coming judgment and punishment upon Israel and other nations, also known as "the day of the Lord".
Repentance — A change of heart and mind that leads a person to turn away from sin and turn to God for forgiveness and salvation.