Commentaire sur Amos 7:20

Thus... showed me—retribution, that He wished to bring locusts.

at the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth [Heb. לֶקֶשׁ, an expression of the latter rain (מַלְקוֹש) when the grain shoots up in its stalk.

and behold the latter growth—was growing after the king’s mowings—After they mowed the king’s grains. Before it would shoot up in its stalk, they would mow it [as] young corn (שַׁחַת) to feed the cattle, and so did Jonathan render it: [After] the king’s young corn (שַׁחֲתָא) was mown. This is a mishnaic expression. (Menachoth 10:8) “One may cut young corn (שַׁחַת) and feed the cattle.”

And it came to pass when it finished Heb. אִם. When it finished eating.

the grass of the earth—in that field.

and I said, “O Lord God! Forgive now!”—and destroy not the land.

who shall arise [with] Jacob—[Jonathan renders:] Who shall arise and beseech for their sins?

for he is small [Jonathan renders:] For they are wandering.

The Lord relented concerning this—He acquiesced to my prayer and was entreated of me.

showed me—another retribution to bring upon them.

and behold... calls—His household to contend with them by the retribution of the kindling of fire.

the field Heb. הַחֵלֶק, the parcel of land.

on a wall made by a plumbline—On the wall of justice, and so did Dunash interpret it: אֲנָךְ is an Arabic expression for the plumbline. The lead by which the builder of the walls looks to straighten the row of stones. Here, too, it is an expression of the plumbline of justice. [from Teshuvoth Dunash, p.12]

Behold I place a plumbline—Behold I judge them with the line of strict justice.

pardon them—to wait for them for their transgressions.

and the sanctuaries of Israel—That is Bethel, as it is said: (verse 13) “For it is the sanctuary of a king.”

upon the house of Jeroboam—son of Joash.

the priest of Bethel—A priest of the idols.

Jeroboam shall die by the sword—But he did not say that, only, “And I will rise upon the house of Jeroboam,” and that refers to his son, Zechariah, who was assassinated by Shallum son of Jabesh (II Kings 15).

“Seer”—You, who prophesy the future.

go, run away to the land of Judah—for there is the sanctuary of the Holy One, blessed be He, in Whose Name you prophesy.

and eat bread there—This is an expression of derision. He said to him, “There they will give you crumbs of bread as pay for what you prophesy.”

But do not continue to prophesy in Bethel—for here they mention only the name of the idols.

I am neither a prophet—I am not one of your false prophets, who take pay for prophesying. I do not need all this, and I never behaved in that manner, for I am wealthy and an owner of cattle and property, as Jonathan renders: For I am an owner of cattle and I have sycamores in the plain.

a cattle herder Heb. בוֹקֵר

and an inspector of sycamores Heb. וּבוֹלֵס. One who searches the sycamores to see which one has reached its time to cut in order to increase the branches, and which one is fit for beams, for so was the custom to cut the virgin sycamores. וּבוֹלֵס is like וּבוֹלֵש, a searcher, but Amos was a stammerer, for so they said: Why was he named Amos? Because he was burdened (עָמוּס) by his tongue, and Israel would call him pesilus (Greek for tongue-tied) as it is stated in Pesikta. [from Pesikta de-Rav Kahana p.125]

and do not prophesy [Heb.. וְלֹאתַטִּיף. It is an expression of prophecy, and there are many in Scripture, e.g. (Ezekiel 21:2) “And prophesy (וְהַטֵּף) to the south.”