Amos 6:4

That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; THAT LIE - (see ). UPON BEDS OF IVORY - i:e., adorned or inlaid with ivory (). AND STRETCH THEMSELVES - literally, pour themselves out, unnerved and relaxed, in luxurious self-indulgence. AND EAT THE LAMBS OUT OF THE FLOCK - picked out as the choicest for their owners' selfish gratification. AND EAT THE LAMBS OUT OF THE FLOCK - picked out as the choicest for their owners' selfish gratification. CALVES OUT OF THE MIDST OF THE STALL - stall-fed, to fatten them....

Amos still pursues the reproof we have noticed at the beginning of the chapter, — that the chief men, of whom he speaks, cast away from them all cares and anxieties, and indulged in pleasures, while the whole country was miserably distressed. We must ever bear in mind what I have already said, — that luxury is not simply reprehended by the Prophet, as some incorrectly think, without sufficiently considering what is said, for it is not what the Prophet treats of; but he upbraids the Israelites for setting up an iron neck against God’s judgments, yea, for shamelessly trifling with God, while he was endeavoring to lead them by degrees to repentance. The Prophet complains that nothing availed with them. He then says, first, that they _slept on ivory beds. _To use ivory beds was not in itself bad, except that excess is ever to be condemned; for, when we give up ourselves to pomps and pleasure...

1-7 Those are looked upon as doing well for themselves, who do well for their bodies; but we are here told what their ease is, and what their woe is. Here is a description of the pride, security, and sensuality, for which God would reckon. Careless sinners are every where in danger; but those at ease in Zion, who are stupid, vainly confident, and abusing their privileges, are in the greatest danger. Yet many fancy themselves the people of God, who are living in sin, and in conformity to the world. But the examples of others' ruin forbid us to be secure. Those who are set upon their pleasures are commonly careless of the troubles of others, but this is great offence to God. Those who placed their happiness in the pleasures of sense, and set their hearts upon them, shall be deprived of those pleasures. Those who try to put the evil day far from them, find it nearest to them....

Verse Amos 6:4. _THAT LIE UPON BEDS OF IVORY_] The word הוי _hoi, wo_, is understood at the beginning of each of the _first, third, fourth,_ _fifth_, and _sixth_ verses. The _beds_ mentioned here may be either _sofas to recline on at table_, or _beds to sleep on_; and these among the ancients were ornamented with ivory inlaid. They were called _lectos eburatos_ by Plautus, _lectos eburnos_ by Horace, "ivory beds." Probably those ornamented with _shells_, or _mother-of-pearl_, may be intended. Several works of this kind may be still seen in Palestine and other places. I have before me a cross brought from Jerusalem, incrusted all over with _mother-of-pearl_, and various figures chased on it. There must have been a great deal of luxury and effeminacy among the Israelites at this time; and, consequently, abundance of riche

THAT LIE UPON BEDS (THAT IS, SOFAS) OF IVORY - that is, probably inlaid with ivory. The word might, in itself, express either the bed, in which they slept by night, or the divan, on which the Easterns lay at their meals; “and stretch themselves,” literally, “are poured” out , stretching their listless length, dissolved, unnerved, in luxury and sloth, “upon their couches,” perhaps under an awning: “and eat the lambs,” probably “fatted lambs (as in Deuteronomy 32:14; Psa 37:20; 1 Samuel 15:9; Jeremiah 51:40), out of the flock,” chosen, selected out of it as the best, and “calves out of the midst of the stall;” that is, the place where they were ti

EXPOSITION AMOS 6:1 With a second woe the prophet denounces the chiefs of the whole nation, who were quite satisfied with the present state of things, and, revelling in luxury, feared no coming judgment. AMOS 6:1 THEM THAT ARE AT EASE IN ZION; living in fancied security and self-pleasing (Isaiah 32:9, Isaiah 32:11; Zephaniah 1:12). Judah is included in the denunciation, because she is equally guilty; the whole covenant nation is sunk in the same dangerous apathy. Septuagint, τοῖς ἐξουθ

THAT LIE UPON BEDS OF IVORY,.... That were made of it, or inlaid with it, or covered with it, as the Targum; nor was it improbable that these were made wholly of ivory, for such beds we read of: Timaeus says r, the Agrigentines had beds entirely made of ivory; and Horace s also speaks of such beds: and if any credit can be given to the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem on Genesis 50:1. Joseph made his father Jacob to lie on a bed of ivory. Indeed, the Latin interpreters of these Targums render it a cedar bed; but Buxtorf t conjectures that ivory is meant by the word used; and so Bochart u translates it; on these they lay either for sleep and rest, or to eat their meals; AND STRETCH THEMSELVES UPON THEIR COUCHES; for the same purposes, living in great splendour, and indulging themselves in ease and sloth; as it was the custom of the eastern countries, and is of the Arabs now

Amos was a herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit. His words are rugged, but sometimes he rises to sublimity. His expressions are somewhat dark, and not readily to be understood; but when we learn the meaning of them, we perceive that they are full of deep, earnest, solemn warning and instruction. Amos 6:1. _Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!_ It was a time of great sin, and also of great judgment, yet there were some in Zion who were quite at ease under all that was happening. No sense of sin grieved them, no thought of coming judgment alarmed them. What did they care if the nation went to rack and ruin? What did it signify to them that God was angry with his people? They were atheists; or, at least, they acted as if they were. Whatever might happen, they would

CHAPTER 6 The Fourth Discourse _ 1. Woe to them that are at ease in Zion (Amos 6:1) _ 2. The punishment announced (Amos 6:7) Amos 6:1. This woe concerns the great men, the chiefs of the nation, who were sunk into a godless self-security, and dreamt on in their darkness, while the clouds of judgment were gathering above them. They were to go from Calneh to Hamath and then down to Gath of the Philistines. Calneh was built by Nimrod in the land of Shinar Genesis 10:10; Hamath was the capital of a Syrian kingdom, and Gath the center of Philistia. These places were the places of vileness and corruption. But were the kingdoms of both J

THE LUXURY OF ISRAEL'S RULERS. Extravagance in ritual often indicates a perverted sense of what constitutes a true philosophy of life. The price of luxury is far greater than men realise. The prophet now contrasts the careless luxury of the rich with the misery that is soon to overtake them (_cf. Amos 6:8_). The reference to Zion in Amos 6:1 has been suspected, on the ground that Amos preached exclusively to the Northern Kingdom. But a slight changes gives: Woe to those that are at ease in (their) pride (so Ehrlich). Woe to the rulers of the people in Israel and Samaria, the men of mark of Israel, the first of the nations. Consider the fate of other nations (Isaiah 10:9 *,...