Amos 7:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The one who stood on this firm barrier held a piece of adamant in His hand and prompted the prophet with the question, "What do you see, Amos?" When the prophet recognized and declared it to be adamant, the Lord assured him of His intent to impart this knowledge to the people of Israel.

In this context, the adamantine may symbolize either the Assyrian, fierce and untouchable, who exists by God's design (as the Lord strengthens whom He chooses), or it could represent the unyielding and potent word of God, which remains eternal and effectual. What God intends, He will accomplish without obstruction. The Lord asserts, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). He also affirmed that He would not overlook the transgressions of Israel; rather, He would hold them accountable for their sinful actions and would hand them over to adversaries alongside their temples, altars, and idols. The jesters of folly, which symbolize idols, will be consumed. The term ‘laughter’ represents the essence of all idolatry, particularly reflecting on Peor, the most disgraceful of idols. This instance reveals the emptiness of idol-worship. Therefore, the altars shall be dismantled, along with the fruits of Israel's idolatrous rituals, which are detestable and destructive. It has been plainly shown that Jeroboam, who held royal splendor, along with his idols, would meet his downfall. Notably, this Jeroboam is different; he is the son of Joash, distinct from the son of Nebat.

The observations made relate to this historical account. However, the true adamantine is Christ, the Lord of might, who serves as an impenetrable stronghold, vanquishing foes and prevailing against all attacks, unassailable by any adversary. He is like a chosen stone among mankind, having come to earth and dwelt among the people; hence, He was designated by the angel as Immanuel, meaning "God is with us" (Matthew 1:23). He was indeed with us by assuming our likeness, embodying God the Father as an adamantine stone, and shattering the dominion of evil. He eradicated the foundations of folly, for when Immanuel emerged, He illuminated all the inhabitants of heaven with the light of true wisdom, revealing Himself as the perfect reflection of the Father, dispelling the shadows of ancient wickedness. The principal source of this wickedness, Satan, fell alongside the abhorrent and idolatrous practices that opposed God.

The leaders of the people gathered against Him with the intention of destroying Him, for His messages were not to their liking. It is stated, "on whom it will fall, it will shatter and grind," as it obliterated idolatry and similar practices. The stone that shattered the statue became a towering mountain and filled the entire earth (Dan. 2:35).

I will no longer go around it.’ The altars of mirth will be destroyed, the shrines of Israel will be utter desolation, and I will rise up with the sword against the house of Jeroboam.”

Before discussing ‘diamond,’ as translated by Symmachus and the LXX instead of the Hebrew word ‘enach,’ it’s pertinent to note that Abila rendered this as γάvωσιν, while Theodotion chose τηκόμενον. The former suggests ‘the shine of tin,’ and the latter means ‘melting.’ Just as the frying-pan mentioned in Ezekiel symbolizes how the people would seemingly be scorched during the siege, tin here symbolizes the ten tribes and Jeroboam’s kingdom, under whom this vision was given to the prophet. Thus, the Lord is depicted standing on a wall adorned with tin or plaster, holding a tin plumb line, a trowel used for applying plaster that makes walls both lovely and resilient against rain and frequent storms.

In Ezekiel 13, the Lord warns that when the storm and hail approach, He will not cover the wall of Israel but will allow the rains to ruin it. The One described as the builder of the wall, the cornerstone, and the architect of the house declares that He will leave the trowel among His people Israel and will not use it again to cover the walls in divine protection. When the Lord chooses to leave the trowel unused, He withdraws His safeguard, resulting in the destruction of the heights of idols, or ‘bamoth’ in Hebrew, the desolation of the shrines of the ten tribes, along with the ruin of Dan and Bethel where the golden calves were worshipped.

We have presented the Jewish tradition regarding the historical context of this passage, and now we will explore its deeper significance. Xenocrates wrote about the properties of both common and precious stones. ‘Diamond (Adamas) is a stone that, true to its name, can be referred to in Latin as ‘indomitum,’ signifying it is unbreakable, as it is stronger than any substance, even iron. If you place it on an anvil and strike it, the anvil or hammer is more likely to be damaged before the diamond ever breaks. Fire, which consumes all, actually enhances the diamond's resilience, leaving it unaffected by the strongest flames. I have seen a diamond the size of a millet grain set in gold, which, while the gold tarnished over time, the diamond remained unblemished and couldn’t be cut or damaged, instead wearing down everything it came into contact with. This hardest and most enduring stone only dissolves in goat’s blood and, when dipped in warm blood, it loses its toughness.

There are four categories of diamonds: the first is Indian, the second Arabian, the third Macedonian, and the fourth Cypriot, distinguished by the hardness inherent to their respective regions. It is also said, similar to amber, that it can neutralize poison and resist charms. Such is the nature of our Lord and Savior, who, though in the image of God, did not consider equality with God something to cling to. Instead, He humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, identifiable with humanity, and became obedient even to death, even to the dreadful death of the cross.

Isaiah expresses it well: “He has no form nor comeliness; we have seen Him, and there is no beauty that we should desire Him; despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” He stands upon the wall of diamonds—representing His saints and apostles—who have also been designated as diamonds, empowered to triumph over challenges, saying, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” Further, “We are assured that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Consider Peter, as the most resilient diamond, against whom hell's gates shall not prevail. This Lord, standing upon the mountain of diamonds, holds a diamond that loses its hardness unless God upholds it, mirrored in the Gospel, “No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” He is so robust that it is proclaimed, “When you pass through the fire, you will not be burned.” The more trials he endures, the stronger he becomes, savoring joy in the name of the Savior. Nothing can conquer him, save the flame of deadly desire. It is said that goat’s blood and the goat itself are particularly susceptible to igniting lust, as its blood alone disrupts what fire cannot conquer.

This is the kind of diamond that the Lord places among His people Israel. He will cease to shield it or to spare the altars deserving of laughter and scorn, and the sword will strike against the secrets of the heretics and the house of Jeroboam, the instigator of division within God’s people.

This prophecy came to pass, not during Jeroboam’s reign, but afterward and following the reigns of the other six kings. When these words were declared by the Prophet, Amasiah, the priest of Bethel, concerned that the people, driven to fear by God's warnings and turning to repentance, might abandon idol worship, sought to protect his position by accusing the Prophet to the king and mingling falsehood with truth.