Amos 5:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Indeed, when God chooses not to chastise in such a manner, it appears as if He is absent; however, when He administers judgment, one can affirm His presence, issuing punishment after punishment. For instance, the angels came to Sodom to bring destruction upon the wicked, almost as if He were not present prior to the retribution. Therefore, the phrase “I will pass through the midst of thee” signifies a visitation and heralds the advent of divine correction.

However, because you have refused to heed my commands and have turned your backs on me as I depart, thus says the Lord God Almighty, the Lord of Hosts: There will be tears and mourning everywhere. They will summon the farmers to weep and call upon those knowledgeable in lamentation to weep. In all the thoroughfares, there shall be sorrow, as I will pass through among you. When the phrase "I will pass through," translates from the Hebrew 'herbog,' is mentioned in the Scriptures, it signifies divine chastisement—indicating that God does not remain with them but instead passes through and departs. Similarly, in other scriptures, when God's anger is invoked, His wrath is described as urgency.

This applies to the heretics as well, for their unwillingness to act rightly will result in sorrow throughout their streets. The path leading to death is broad and inviting, as noted in the Gospel, and since heretics and pagans build upon a foundation of sand, it is similarly stated, "and in all the places that are out, they shall say, Woe, woe!" Those in the Church will not hear "Woe," the gravest of judgments, but if they stray, they will surely grieve. Outside, on all roads, they will cry "Woe, woe!" for they lack the one true path to life—the King's way—choosing instead indirect and distorted paths that deviate right and left, disregarding the Lord's counsel to avoid excessive righteousness and where the ways are corrupt and perverse. They endure grief in both body and spirit, in this life and the next, while the members of the Church are instead called to rejoice, as the apostle teaches, "Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice."

Moreover, the farmer is called to weep (for heretics cultivate fields overrun with thorns and thistles), and those capable of mourning are invited to weep, whether for their own transgressions or for those of others. This can be interpreted positively, as a Church member calling others to repentance reflects Christ's command to weep not for themselves but for the lost, as Samuel once mourned for Saul, king of Israel. The apostle also spoke of his sorrow for unrepentant souls. In the vineyards, there will be weeping, for these vineyards are likened to those of Sodom, producing not the wine that gladdens the heart (as sung in the Psalms) but rather a bitter brew of wrath and despair. All these afflictions will come upon them because the Lord will pass through their midst, not to abide with them, but to declare, "I will dwell among them and walk among them," and, "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."