Amos 6:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In contrast, the wise David acknowledged God's sovereignty and declared, “You are the glory of their strength” (Psalm 88:18), adding, “On You, our enemies will be humbled” (Psalm 43:6). For all strength is derived from Him, and without His support, we can accomplish nothing of significance. As it is written, “The Lord is a man of war” (Exodus 15:3).

However, you have been found guilty of such pride and reckless speech. Behold, I shall raise up a tongue (surely one full of desire) against you, and it shall utterly defeat you; you will not reach Emath to access the waters of the west. Emath was one of the eastern cities once part of the kingdom of Damascus, now known as Antioch or Epiphany. The waters of the west refer to the river Egypt, located to the west of Judah. Since it was common for the Israelites, when faced with the threat of war, to seek assistance from the Syrians of Damascus or to flee to Egypt, it is stated that a powerful force will come against them, overwhelming them to such an extent that they will be unable to call upon the help of either the Damascene or Egyptian power. For if the Lord has shut the door, as it is written (Job 12:14), who can open it? What hope remains for salvation if the Almighty leads to ruin?

For you have transformed justice into anger and the fruits of righteousness into bitterness, you who do not rejoice in righteousness, declaring, "Have we not attained strength through our own might?" Behold, declares the Lord God of Hosts, I will raise up a fierce nation against you, O house of Israel, and will crush you before you can enter Emath or the river in the West. Because you have succumbed to such madness that you refuse to invoke the name of the Lord even in perilous times, the Lord will command and strike the greater house with devastation and the lesser house with fractures. If He commands, how does He strike, and if He strikes, how does He command? Since He commands and sends forth His servants to execute judgment, He Himself is the one who ultimately delivers the blow. Thus, although the Father commands and the Son acts, the Commander is the Doer, as indicated in the scripture: ‘He spoke, and they came into being; He commanded, and they were created’ (Psalm 148:5). For ‘all things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that was made’ (John 1:3). Additionally, when the death of the firstborn in Egypt is referenced, the Lord Himself is identified as the one who struck them down (Ex. 12). In this context, the Lord gives the command and through His servants inflicts desolation upon the greater house, meaning the ten tribes collectively known as Israel, and the lesser house, referring to the two tribes governed by the line of David, suffers fractures. Notice the distinctions in the fate of each. Israel, having sinned gravely, is met with complete destruction and condemned to everlasting captivity. Conversely, the house of Judah, where the temple resided and which has sinned in part, will endure captivity for seventy years, suffering not total destruction but only fractures. For a house with fractures can be mended, while total destruction necessitates rebuilding anew. The destruction and fractures of both houses are likened to horses and buffaloes; the former cannot run on stone, and the latter are so untamed they cannot be burdened with yokes and, like wild bulls in the forests, refuse to break the earth with a plow. However, you have altered the nature of God, transforming sweetness into bitterness, and turning His truth’s fruit into wormwood, the most bitter of herbs. You take joy in emptiness — in idols and golden calves that are void, as noted in Esther’s words, ‘Thou shalt not give Thy scepter to those that are naught’ (Esther 4:17), or in falsehoods. You believe your strength has gained you power and influence, which you will use to scatter your foes. Therefore, O great house and lesser house, destined for destruction and fractures, the house of Israel and all twelve tribes, behold, I will raise up against you a fiercely cruel nation, the Assyrians and Chaldeans, who will devastate you entirely, from the borders of your land to the river in the West, effectively from Emath to Rinokorura, between which lies the Nile’s arm or the stream that flows from the wilderness into the sea. Previously, we referred to Emath as Epiphania, named after Antiochus, known as Epiphanes. Those who believe that the term ‘house of Israel’ refers solely to the ten tribes cannot explain why the warning covers the ten tribes, alleging they would be struck from Epiphanius to the limits of Egypt, for those borders encompass not just ten but all twelve tribes, including Judah and Benjamin. Some interpret that allegorically the greater house and lesser house represent the Jewish nation and the church comprised of Gentiles. They are termed ‘great’ due to the fathers, the law, and the prophets, while we are termed ‘lesser’ for lacking the covenant and commandments of God, as expressed in the Song: ‘My sister is small and has no suckling’ (Song 8:8). Should this greater and lesser house, united as one family of God, not embody the teaching and fulfillment of His commandments, it will indeed be afflicted with destruction and fractures. Thus, whenever the house of God, the Church, falls into disrepair due to persecution or is divided by heresy and discord, it reveals the striking hand of God. To avert such outcomes, we must learn from these examples and heed them. Horses cannot pursue on rocky terrain. The rock represents Christ (1 Cor. 10), who desired His apostles also be referred to as rocks: ‘Thou art Peter, and on this rock I shall build My Church’ (Matt. 16:18). One who stands upon these stones cannot be overtaken by adversarial forces, likened to horses; they will falter and fall at every stone. Let us transition to another comparison, reviewing the LXX translation; if we focus solely on the Hebrew text, it may seem as though we mislead the curious reader, neglecting the common version. ‘Or shall be silent,’ he mentions, “before the females,” undoubtedly referencing horses pursued, alluded to earlier, ‘that are to be driven across the rocks.’ These horses represent the unclean forces burning with lust; if they encounter a man strengthened by God’s power, they dare not approach. But if they see a soul weakened by pleasures and female indifference, they become frantic, unable to contain their desires. Thus it follows: ‘For you have turned justice into rage.’ The individual who turns justice into fury casts judgment in anger, forgetting the Lord’s commandment not to show favoritism in judgments (Deut. 16:19) or failing to show compassion to the needy (Ex. 23:3), as ‘The judgment belongs to God’ (Deut. 1:17). Acting in an unsettled manner, they prematurely determine a verdict without discerning the truth of the situation and convert the sweet fruits of truth into bitterness. This reasoning, which applies to one virtue, extends likewise to others — such as prudence, courage, and temperance, whose fruits cannot be grasped by those given over to anger; if they are attained, they will also be bitter. Therefore, Isaiah laments: ‘Woe to those who call bitter sweet and sweet bitter’ (Isaiah 5:20). This condemns those who do not examine the essence of matters, merely judging by appearances, thus tainting the pure fruit of Christ’s truth with bitterness. Consequently, anyone who approaches judgment with bias—whether due to friendship or enmity—distorts Christ's truth and renders its fruit bitter. Those who act this way find no joy in good things and celebrate ‘in vain,’ as Simmachus translates, declaring with arrogance, ‘Have we not acquired power through our own strength?’ In contrast, the righteous declare glory in the Lord’s name, stating, ‘Through Thee, we shall cast out enemies’ (Psalms 43:6), emphasizing dread of reliance on their weaponry: ‘I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me’ (ibid. v. 7). As seen in the Hebrew text and the Avila edition of Exodus: ‘And Moses knew not that his face shone’ (Ex. 34:29), rightly asserting, ‘By you, I will rescue my enemies with strength.’ Further, it is written, ‘He shall raise the horn of His people’ (Psalms 148:14), and ‘He shall lift the horn of His anointed’ (1 Kings 2:10). We also speak of the horn of the altar and of clean, horned creatures fitting for offering to God; however, this is not the time for elaboration. Due to such grievous sins and rampant pride, speaking wickedness against God, and raising their voices before heaven (Psalm 73), the Lord Almighty proclaims He will summon a merciless people who will crush them or prevent their entrance into Emath and the river in the West. Emath signifies 'wall' or 'fortified stronghold.' Thus, this cruel people, tasked with carrying out the punishment, will hinder them from seeking refuge in the stronghold, symbolized as the heavenly Jerusalem, preventing them from entering and achieving salvation, similar to God placing a cherubim with a fiery sword to guard access to the tree of life (Gen. 3), thus ensuring those expelled from paradise are barred from returning unworthy. The following words, ‘to the flood in the West,’ can be interpreted in light of the sixty-seventh Psalm: ‘Sing unto the Lord, sing praises to His name; prepare the way for Him who ascended to the West’ (Psalm 67:5). For if our wicked deeds remain, Christ will not rise over us; when they dissipate, we shall have Christ leading us onward, guiding us in righteousness, and following the command presented in the same psalm: ‘Sing to God, sing to the Lord, who has ascended into the heavens’ (Psalm 67:33-34). Therefore, in the sacraments, we must first renounce what dwells in the West — our sins — and then, turning toward the East, unite with the Sun of righteousness, pledging to serve Him. Instead of ‘the stream in the West,’ Simmachus rendered it as ‘the valley of the field,’ Theodotion as ‘the stream in Arabia,’ and Aquila as ‘the stream that is in the plain.’ These interpretations reveal that those who are estranged from the fortified city cannot let go of their sins and cannot reach the stream in the field, the plain, or the wilderness termed the river of sweetness, in line with the statement in the Psalm: ‘From the river of Thy delight, Thou shalt guide them’ (Psalm 35:9).