Amos 1:3-10
For Three Transgressions
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3This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron.
4So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael to consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.
5I will break down the gates of Damascus; I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven and the one who wields the scepter in Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,” says the LORD.
6This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Gaza, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they exiled a whole population, delivering them up to Edom.
7So I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza, to consume its citadels.
8I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord GOD.
9This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they delivered up a whole congregation of exiles to Edom and broke a covenant of brotherhood.
10So I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre to consume its citadels.”
Berean Standard Bible
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The LORD announces judgment against Damascus, Gaza, and Tyre. Each warning uses the phrase “For three transgressions … even four.” The repeated expression presents offenses that have accumulated; it does not make the first three sins acceptable.
Damascus threshed Gilead with iron sledges, a picture of brutal violence. The LORD will send fire upon Hazael’s house and Ben-hadad’s citadels, break Damascus’s gates, remove rulers, and send the people of Aram into exile in Kir.
Gaza delivered an entire population to Edom. Its walls and citadels will burn, rulers in Ashdod and Ashkelon will be cut off, and the LORD will turn against Ekron. The remnant of the Philistines will perish.
Tyre also delivered a whole community of exiles to Edom and broke a covenant of brotherhood. Its walls and citadels face fire. Each accusation names a wrong done to people. Strong defenses and influential rulers do not put those acts beyond the LORD’s judgment.
Questions
1 What does the repeated “three and four” phrase communicate?
AnswerIt communicates repeated and full transgression rather than a literal limit of four offenses; the nations have persisted until judgment is deserved.
2 What did Damascus do to Gilead?
AnswerIt threshed Gilead with sledges of iron, an image of brutal violence against that people.
3 What did Gaza and Tyre do?
AnswerThey sold whole populations of exiles to Edom, and Tyre also broke a covenant of brotherhood, turning human lives and promises into profit.
4 What do the fire judgments consume?
AnswerThey consume the walls and citadels of the named cities, bringing down the public defenses in which their rulers trusted.
What This Means for Us
Tyre is charged with handing over an entire community and forgetting a covenant of brotherhood. People who should have been protected were treated as goods to sell.
Take seriously the trust someone has placed in you. Keep a confidence, honor an agreement, and refuse an advantage that requires betraying a person who depends on you. If another person is in danger, protecting them may require seeking help rather than keeping a harmful secret.
Prayer
God who hears the oppressed, defend people displaced by violence and exploitation. Give leaders moral courage, expose systems that traffic in people, and keep our household from treating distant suffering as someone else's concern. Amen.