Amos 9:14

To the land thus blessed by nature, Israel shall be restored: it shall rebuild its waste places, and dwell in them securely; it shall also enjoy, without interruption or interference, the varied produce of the soil.

I will turn the captivity The precise sense of the Hebrew expression is disputed; and others as Ewald, Kuenen, Dillmann (on Job 42:10), Cheyne and Kirkpatrick on Psalms 14:7 prefer to render "turn the fortune(lit. turn the turning) of my people," i.e. effect a decisive and epoch-making change in its lot. In the present passage, however, even though the latter be the true meaning, the general sense remains the same: for, as Amos pictures the people as exiled (Amos 7:17 &c.), the change of fortune which, upon this view would be predicated in the expression, would of course be a return from captivity. Comp. Hosea 6:11. The promise of restoration from exile (or captivity) is naturally common in the later prophets: for similar promises in earlier prophets, see Hosea 11:10-11.

and they shall build waste cities, and inhabitthem] waste cities, as Jeremiah 33:10; Isaiah 54:3; cf. Ezekiel 36:35. The similar promise in Isaiah 65:21 may also be compared ("they shall build houses, and inhabit them," opposed to Isaiah 65:22 "they shall not build, and another inhabit"). Contrast ch. Amos 5:11; also Deuteronomy 28:30 ("thou shalt build a house, and not inhabit it"), Zephaniah 1:13.

and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof Cf. Isaiah 65:21 ("they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof"); also Ezekiel 28:26. Contrast ch. Amos 4:9; Amos 5:11; also Deuteronomy 28:30; Deuteronomy 28:39; Zephaniah 1:13.

and they shall make gardens, and eat the fruit of them Contrast ch. Amos 4:9.