Amos 2:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Instead, they have been led astray by their own vanities, just as their ancestors did, forgetting the One who liberated them from Egypt, who expelled the Amorite before them, who chose their sons as prophets and their youth for sanctification. I honored them, yet they descended into folly, binding their garments with terror, creating veils, and indulging in consecrated wine in the house of their God, even offering wine to those set apart and instructing the prophets, “Do not prophesy.” Therefore, burdened by your iniquities—like an axle under a chariot loaded with straw and sheaves—I will give forth a loud cry. The consequences of this, along with the calamities that may ensue, are clarified in the following words. It is crucial to recognize how perilous it is to anger God and how grave it is to reach a state of corruption where our sins become intolerable to Him, despite His inherent mercy, goodness, and gentleness. We must be cautious not to develop a strong tendency to provoke His wrath. Should we happen to sin due to human frailty, we must not hesitate to repent and allow our transgressions to multiply. On the contrary, equipped with the vigilance characteristic of the saints, we must strive to distance ourselves from sin and aim to restore the soul afflicted by such moral illness. Only then will He be patient with us, and in His goodness, He will bestow upon us His mercy.

The focus is not solely on the princes, but rather on their families and heirs. The strong are represented by Baasha, known for his military might. The one who cannot save his life denotes Omri. Regarding the archer who cannot endure, it is believed to refer to Jehu, son of Nimshi, who shot King Joram of Israel. The swift runner alludes to Menahem, who hastily sought gifts for the king of Assyria. The horseman is identified as Pekah, son of Remaliah, who, allying himself with Aram, ravaged Judah under King Ahaz. In that day, he who stands firm in spirit among the brave shall flee on foot, states the Lord. Only Hosea, the final king of the ten tribes, who tried to guide the errant people back to God, will flee from the flames, though he is termed naked, as during his reign the ten tribes were taken captive. This understanding comes from the Jewish tradition, and we share it as it has been accurately transmitted to us.

Now, let us return to our interpretation. God threatens that a cart laden with hay or straw will turn beneath them, ensuring their hay and straw, lacking true grain, will be consumed by fire. This hay is what the prophet remarks, “Let them be like grass in the field, which withers before the harvest,” and “All flesh is like grass.” The straw alludes to the lament of the prophet, expressing, “I am bereaved, for I was like a harvester of hay, like a gleaner among grapes, not a reaper to eat the firstborn. Alas, my soul, for the godly have perished from the earth, and there is no one who deals justly among men; all are hidden in blood.” These refer to the hay and straw of which the Apostle speaks, as he notes, “Wood, hay, stubble, each work will be revealed,” for on the day of the Lord it will be tested by fire. The turning cart signifies what we read in Isaiah: “The Moabites shall be trampled down, as chaff is crushed underfoot.” In another passage, he states, “I will make you like a new threshing instrument having sharp edges; you shall crush the mountains and make the hills like chaff.” Once the mountains and hills are laid low, the nimble will find no power to escape, as Paul says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize?” And again, “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?” Therefore, out of concern for himself, he says, “But I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” All of this was done to ensure that the swift do not lose their power to flee. When he attained his goal and received the crown of victory, he declared, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.” If we run with speed, sin will not be able to ensnare us; and if evil entangles our feet, we can say with the psalmist, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” Thus, the apostle acknowledges that those who run poorly find that victory does not come from willing or running, but from the mercy of God. It follows that “the strong shall not withhold his strength,” not because of his might, but because he boasts in his own ability, or wherein he trusts in his own strength rather than in divine mercy, as it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” This does not imply that true wisdom will vanish or understanding will be rejected, but refers to the wisdom of those who see themselves as wise and rely upon their intellect.

Further, the stout warrior who cannot rescue himself does so because he lacks the full armor of the apostles; he possesses a shield but lacks the shield of faith, girds his loins but lacks truth, dons armor but does not wear the breastplate of righteousness, takes up a sword but does not wield the sword of salvation. Such a warrior is unprepared for the battle of holiness and cannot contend against the Lord’s foes. He cannot declare, “Blessed be the Lord, my God, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.” Those who are heretical also have archers, whose futile attempts to shoot their arrows cannot withstand the Lord’s weapon, who states through Isaiah, “I have made you a polished arrow; in the quiver of the Lord you are hidden.” David also mentions these arrows, saying, “The wicked have drawn their bows; they prepare their arrows to shoot in the darkness at the upright in heart.” The prophet states that the quick-footed will not prevail, denoting those who, with their cunning, shift from one Scriptural reference to another, relying on articulate speech and dialectical fallacies to undermine the truth. Such a person will ultimately face confusion and fall, as they place their trust in their own abilities rather than in God. The one who rides a horse will not save his life—he pays no heed to the prophet’s warning that “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Those who rely on their own strength will not survive but will perish, hearing the words, “These trust in chariots and these in horses, but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God.” The steadfast in spirit among the brave will flee on foot. This phrase can be interpreted in two ways: either he flees because he has shed the old self and the garments of sin, thus carrying no burden, or he is metaphorically naked because he has lost the garment of Christ, as the apostle exhorts, “Put on Christ.” Moreover, if he is unclothed and has lost this garment, the power of his strength will avail him nothing. On the day of conflict and confrontation, he will flee from his pursuers, powerless without the complete armor of God to withstand his enemies.