Amos 6:4-7 New English Translation
4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory,[a]
and sprawl out on their couches.
They eat lambs from the flock,
and calves from the middle of the pen.
5 They sing[b] to the tune of[c] stringed instruments;[d]
like David they invent[e] musical instruments.
6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls,[f]
and pour the very best oils on themselves.[g]
Yet they are not concerned over[h] the ruin[i] of Joseph.
7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile,[j]
and the religious banquets[k] where they sprawl on couches[l] will end.
Footnotes
- Amos 6:4 tn Heb “beds of ivory.”
- Amos 6:5 tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּרַט (parat), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. Some translate “strum,” “pluck,” or “improvise.”
- Amos 6:5 tn Heb “upon the mouth of,” that is, “according to.”
- Amos 6:5 sn The stringed instruments mentioned here are probably harps (cf. NIV, NRSV) or lutes (cf. NEB).
- Amos 6:5 tn The meaning of the Hebrew phrase חָשְׁבוּ לָהֶם (khashevu lahem) is uncertain. Various options include: (1) “they think their musical instruments are like David’s”; (2) “they consider themselves musicians like David”; (3) “they esteem musical instruments highly like David”; (4) “they improvise [new songs] for themselves [on] instruments like David”; and (5) “they invent musical instruments like David.” However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that given in the translation (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 206-7).
- Amos 6:6 sn Perhaps some religious rite is in view, or the size of the bowls is emphasized (i.e., bowls as large as sacrificial bowls).
- Amos 6:6 tn Heb “with the best of oils they anoint [themselves].”
- Amos 6:6 tn Or “not sickened by.”
- Amos 6:6 sn The ruin of Joseph may refer to the societal disintegration in Israel, or to the effects of the impending judgment.
- Amos 6:7 tn Heb “they will go into exile at the head of the exiles.”
- Amos 6:7 sn Religious banquets. This refers to the מַרְזֵחַ (marzeakh), a type of pagan religious banquet popular among the upper class of Israel at this time and apparently associated with mourning. See P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 137-61; J. L. McLaughlin, The “Marzeah” in the Prophetic Literature (VTSup). Scholars debate whether at this banquet the dead were simply remembered or actually venerated in a formal, cultic sense.
- Amos 6:7 tn Heb “of the sprawled out.” See v. 4.
New English Translation (NET)
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