Amos 8:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Moreover, it signifies that Israel would be devoid not only of the beneficial and necessary messages of God conveyed through prophets, but also of false prophecies from diviners and demons, communicated through maidens and youths. Thus, it is declared that on that day, virtuous maidens will disappear. This implies that alongside others, the faithful virgins will also face ruin. Additionally, the text scorns the young men who invoke the purity attributed to the Samaritans, suggesting they have developed a custom of swearing by the deities of Samaria, likening them to heifers. They audaciously attribute what is divine to graven images, asserting, “Your God lives to Dan, and your God to Bathsheba,” referring to the cities of Judah, which mark the border of the land and metaphorically encompass the entirety of the territory.

Consequently, when they swore, it was as if they were proclaiming, “The God of the land of Judah lives,” identifying the calf as synonymous with their land, illustrating a complete representation from the extremities to the center. The text states that the virgins and young men will thirst because they can no longer offer false prophecies and will instead become susceptible to foreign oppression or face violent demise and shameful captivity. When Christ was crucified and concealed from the Jews, they were stripped not only of physical light but also of spiritual illumination and insight from the Holy Spirit. As a result, their virtuous maidens and young men, epitomizing pure souls whose purity is reflected in virginity and whose strength is symbolized by youth, were deprived of God's word and the ultimate comfort.

Truly, who among them is considered holy if the law fails to achieve perfection and is inadequate for justification? Who possesses true spiritual vigor or mental fortitude if they lack awareness of the glorious principles of the gospel? Are they not all stuck and languid in their transgressions? Can there be any doubt about this? Thus, they became parched, and it was not said to them, “Drink water from the fountain of salvation” (Is. 12:3). Instead, they were commanded that the clouds should “not rain” upon them (Is. 5:6) due to their disobedience to Christ, who declared, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (Jn. 7:37). As they turned away from Him, the font of life, they forsook “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13) and aligned themselves with the doctrines and commandments of men (Is. 29:13), which fail to nourish those seeking life and offer no means to preserve salvation.

The ancient texts convey a similar warning: behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God; a famine shall be sent across the land, not of bread nor of thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. The faithful will traverse from sea to sea and wander from the north to the east, seeking the word of the Lord, yet will find it not. On that day, the lovely maidens and the chosen ones, who swear by the purification of Samaria and say, "Your God lives," will experience thirst. They will fall and rise no more.

The Hebrew word for water is absent here, replaced by the notion of purification—‘asamath,’ which denotes an idol and signifies the root of sin. Throughout history, it is well noted that nothing is more agonizing than hunger, leading even the most loving of parents to heinous acts in their desperation. If such suffering exists due to physical hunger, what can be said of the anguish of spiritual deprivation? This profound hunger combined with unbearable thirst afflicted the Jews at the Resurrection, as they lacked the true Bread from Heaven and the living Water that flows from Christ. The law has been taken from them, and the prophets remain mute. They scour the earth, from sea to sea and from the British Ocean to the Atlantic, yet they are unable to find the word of God.

This prompts us to ask the Jews: what does this day signify, one in which they yearn for the word of the Lord, despite possessing the Scriptures and following their literal text? This foretells a famine of spiritual insight, which allows one to see Christ and to acknowledge the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection. In their search across the world, they seek the word of the Lord but find it not, having rejected the word that was proclaimed through all the prophets, the Word that was with the Father from the beginning and that became flesh, dwelling among us (John 1).

In those days, the pure souls—symbolized by the beautiful virgins—will grow scarce, and the chosen teachers, referred to as ‘baurim,’ will also face thirst. The beautiful virgins represent the synagogues, while the chosen signify the instructors of the people. Their depletion marks the realization of the curses found in the book of Deuteronomy regarding Judah's people. These chosen ones and teachers have sworn by the idol of Samaria, saying, "Your God lives, Dan," in the land of Judah—a place where the golden calf was worshiped—and "the way to Bathsheba lives," acknowledging the arduous journey due to the actions of the Kings of Judah, both righteous and unrighteous.

For these deeds, they will fall and not ascend again; they will not regain their former state. The Lord has indeed sent a famine upon the earth aimed at those wise in worldly matters, one not of bread or thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. This occurs as a result of the people's sins, leading to a scarcity of teaching within the churches. They traverse from sea to sea, seeking solace only in the bitterest waters, and yearning to escape the northern winds, not realizing they stray from the royal path.

At such times, pure souls, whom the Apostle calls undefiled, will diminish, as he writes to the Corinthians: "For I have betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2-3). If all were virtuous, it would not be said, "the good virgins shall wither away." Rather, in juxtaposition to those who lack wisdom, the holy virgins—those exemplifying the light of virtue—are the ones destined to approach the Bridegroom’s altar.

The vigilant will become impoverished because they will fail to discover the word of the Lord. Hence, when the teaching within churches is absent, chastity diminishes, purity fades, and all virtues vanish, for without the sustenance of the Lord’s word, one cannot flourish. He who partakes of this divine nourishment will hear the wisdom of Solomon: "The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the stomach of the wicked shall be in want" (Proverbs 13:26). David, in his older years, proclaimed, "I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread" (Psalms 36:25). Yet, many martyrs perished amidst persecution, yearning for both bread and earthly sustenance—this speaks to the Bread from Heaven. Whoever consumes it shall never experience hunger or thirst again.

As the virgins suffer from lack, the young men, once victorious over the world, will also face famine—this stems from their oaths taken by the idol of Samaria, which symbolizes heretics as noted by the prophet: "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and trust in Mount Samaria" (Amos 6:1). Heretics scorn the Church of God, placing their hope in false teachings and causing division among His people, declaring, "We have no portion in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jesse" (2 Samuel 20:1). Thus, should anyone swear by the sin of Samaria, and claim, "Your God lives, Dan, and the path to Bathsheba lives," they will fall and never rise again. The tribe of Dan, seeking inheritance amongst the Jews, as chronicled in the book of Judges (chapter 18), finds its name synonymous with judgment. Bathsheba, in our tongue, translates to “the well of oaths” or the place of fulfillment and sevens.

In a similar vein, heretics will suffer thirst, disregarding God's judgment while pursuing the pathways to Bathsheba, which resides in Judah. Aspiring to replicate the multitude of Church ordinances, they assert their satisfaction and fulness. They are reproached by Paul’s words, "Behold, you are already full; you are already rich" (1 Corinthians 4:8). They invoke the name of the Lord, yet having fallen, they shall find no means to rise, as they acknowledge idol gods as their deity. In contrast, those who repent and refuse to declare, "Your God lives, Dan, and the way to Bathsheba lives," may heed Jeremiah's words: "He who falls shall not rise, and he who turns away will not be restored" (Jeremiah 8:4).