SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:3
¶ Así dijo el SEÑOR: Por tres pecados de Damasco, y por el cuarto, no la convertiré; porque trillaron a Galaad con trillos de hierro.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Amos 1:3
Verse 3. For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four] These expressions of three and four, so often repeated in this chapter, mean repetition, abundance, and any thing that goes towards excess. Very, very exceedingly; and so it was used among the ancient Greek and Latin poets. See the passionate exclamation of Ulysses, in the storm, Odyss., lib. v., ver. 30vi. - triv makarev davaoi kai tetrakiv, oi totÆ olonto troih en eureih, carin atreidhsi ferontev. "Thrice happy Greeks! and four times who were slain In Atreus' cause, upon the Trojan plain." Which words Virgil translates, and puts in the mouth of his hero in similar circumstances, AEn. i. 93.
Extemplo AEneae solvuntur frigore membra: Ingemit; et, duplicis tendens ad sidera palmas, Talia voce refert: O terque quaterque beati! Queis ante ora patrum Trojae sub moenibus altis Contigit oppetere.
"Struck with unusual fright, the Trojan chief With lifted hands and eyes invokes relief. And thrice, and four times happy those, he cried, That under Ilion's walls before their parents died." DRYDEN.
On the words, O terque quaterque, SERVIUS makes this remark, "Hoc est saepias; finitus numerous pro infinito."O thrice and four times, that is, very often, a finite number for an infinite." Other poets use the same form of expression. So SENECA in Hippolyt., Act. ii. 694.
O ter quaterque prospero fato dati, Quos hausit, et peremit, et leto dedit Odium dolusque! "O thrice and four times happy were the men Whom hate devoured, and fraud, hard pressing on, Gave as a prey to death." And so the ancient oracle quoted by Pausanias Achaic., lib. vii., c. 6: triv makarev keinoi kai tetrakiv andrev esntai; "Those men shall be thrice and four times happy." These quotations are sufficient to show that this form of speech is neither unfrequent nor inelegant, being employed by the most correct writers of antiquity. Damascus was the capital of Syria.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 3. Thus saith the Lord , etc.] Lest it should be thought that the words that Amos spoke were his own, and he spake them of himself, this and the following prophecies are prefaced in this manner; and he begins with the nations near to the people of Israel and Judah, who had greatly afflicted them, and for that reason would be punished; which is foretold, to let Israel see that those judgments on them did not come by chance; and lest they should promise themselves impunity from the prosperity of these sinful nations; and to awaken them to a sense of their sin and danger, who might expect the visitation of God for their transgressions; as also to take off all offence at the prophet, who began not with them, but with their enemies: for three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away [the punishment] thereof ; Damascus was an ancient city; it was in the times of Abraham, ( Genesis 15:2). It was the “metropolis” of Syria, ( Isaiah 7:8); and so Pliny calls it, “Damascus of Syria” f20 . Of the situation of this place, and the delightfulness of it, (see Gill on “ Jeremiah 49:25”); and of its founder, and the signification of its name, (see Gill on “ Acts 9:2”); to which may be added, that though Justin f21 says it had its name from Damascus, a king of it before Abraham and Israel, whom he also makes kings of it; and Josephus would have Uz the son of Aram the founder of it, to which Bochart agrees; yet the Arabic writers ascribe the building of it to others; for the Arabs have a tradition, as Schultens says, that there were Canaanites anciently in Syria; for they talk of Dimashc the son of Canaan, who built the famous city of Damascus, and so it should seem to be called after his name; and Abulpharagius f25 says, that Murkus or Murphus, as others call him, king of Palestine, built the city of Damascus twenty years before the birth of Abraham: from this place many things have their names, which continue with us to this day, as the “damask” rose, and the “damascene” plum, transplanted from the gardens that were about it, for which it was famous; and very probably the invention of the silk and linen called “damasks” owes its rise from hence. It is here put for the whole country of Syria, and the inhabitants of it, for whose numerous transgressions, signified by “three” and “four”, the Lord would not turn away his fury from them, justly raised by their sins; or the decree which he had passed in his own mind, and now made a declaration of, he would not revoke; or not inflict the punishment they had deserved, and he had threatened. The sense is, that he would not spare them, or have mercy on them, or defer the execution of punishment any longer; he would not forgive their transgressions. So the Targum, “I will not pardon them.”
Deuteronomy Dieu refers it to the earthquake before mentioned, that God would not turn away that, but cause it to come, as he had foretold, for the transgressions of these, and other nations after spoken of; but rather it refers to Damascus; and so some render it, “I will not turn”, or “convert it” f26 ; to repentance, and so to my mercy; but leave it in its sins, and to my just judgments. Kimchi thinks that this respects four particular seasons, in which Damascus, or the Syrians, evilly treated and distressed the people of Israel; first in the times of Baasha; then in the times of Ahab; a third time in the days of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu; and the fourth in the times of Ahaz; and then they were punished for them all: because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron ; that is, “the inhabitants of the land of Gilead,” as the Targum; this country lay beyond Jordan, and was inhabited by the Reubenites and Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh; who were used in a very cruel manner, by Hazael king of Syria, as was foretold by Elisha, ( 2 Kings 7:12); not literally, as in ( 2 Samuel 12:31); but by him they were beat, oppressed, and crushed, as the grain of the threshingfloor; which used to be threshed out by means of a wooden instrument stuck with iron teeth, the top of which was filled with stones to press it down, and so drawn to and fro over the sheaves of corn, by which means it was beaten out, to which the allusion is here; (see Gill on “ 1 Corinthians 9:9”). This was done by Hazael king of Syria, who is said to destroy the people, and make them “like the dust by threshing”, ( 2 Kings 10:32,33 2 Kings 13:3,7).
Matthew Henry Commentary
God's judgments in the latter days. (Joel 3:1-8) The extent of thes judgments. (Joel 3:9-17) The blessings the church shall enjoy. (Joe 3:18-21)
Joel 3:1-8 The restoration of the Jews, and the final victory of tru religion over all opposers, appear to be here foretold. The contemp and scorn with which the Jews have often been treated as a people, an the little value set upon them, are noticed. None ever hardened his heart against God or his church, and prospered long.
Joel 3:9-17 Here is a challenge to all the enemies of God's people There is no escaping God's judgments; hardened sinners, in that day of wrath, shall be cut off from all comfort and joy. Most of the prophet foretell the same final victory of the church of God over all tha oppose it. To the wicked it will be a terrible day, but to the righteous it will be a joyful day. What cause have those who possess a interest in Christ, to glory in their Strength and their Redeemer! The acceptable year of the Lord, a day of such great favour to some, wil be a day of remarkable vengeance to others: let every one that is ou of Christ awake, and flee from the wrath to come.
Joel 3:18-21 There shall be abundant Divine influences, and the gospe will spread speedily into the remotest corners of the earth. Thes events are predicted under significant emblems; there is a day coming when every thing amiss shall be amended. The fountain of this plenty is in the house of God, whence the streams take rise. Christ is thi Fountain; his sufferings, merit, and grace, cleanse, refresh, and make fruitful. Gospel grace, flowing from Christ, shall reach to the Gentil world, to the most remote regions, and make them abound in fruits of righteousness; and from the house of the Lord above, from his heavenl temple, flows all the good we daily taste, and hope to enjoy eternally.
Judgments against the Syrians, Philistines, Tyrians, Edomites, an Ammonites.
--GOD employed a shepherd, a herdsman, to reprove and warn the people Those to whom God gives abilities for his services, ought not to be despised for their origin, or their employment. Judgments are denounce against the neighbouring nations, the oppressors of God's people. The number of transgressions does not here mean that exact number, but many: they had filled the measure of their sins, and were ripe for vengeance. The method in dealing with these nations is, in part, the same, yet in each there is something peculiar. In all ages thi bitterness has been shown against the Lord's people. When the Lor reckons with his enemies, how tremendous are his judgments __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
כה 3541 אמר 559 יהוה 3068 על 5921 שׁלשׁה 7969 פשׁעי 6588 דמשׂק 1834 ועל 5921 ארבעה 702 לא 3808 אשׁיבנו 7725 על 5921 דושׁם 1758 בחרצות 2742 הברזל 1270 את 853 הגלעד׃ 1568
