Commentaire sur Amos 8:17

a basket of late figs Heb. כְּלוּב. A basket full of late figs, which are not good

And the songs of the temple—which they sing within their temples at their banquets.

corpses shall increase—The corpses of the slain shall increase. [from Jonathan]

everywhere “Cast away, remove!”—Everywhere one will say, “Cast away, remove!” Cast away from here, remove these corpses from here. [from Jonathan]

you who swallow up Heb. הַשֹׁאֲפִים, who swallow up the needy.

and to cut off Heb. וְלַשְׁבִּית, like וּלְהַשְׁבִּית. And examples [of this are found in Isaiah 23:11:] “To destroy (לַשְׁמִד) its strongholds.” (II Kings 9:15) “To go and tell (לַגִיד) in Jezreel.”

Saying, “When will the month be delayed”—This is the swallowing up. They anticipate the time that the grain will be expensive and will be sold to the poor with interest, and they will take their fields. the month be delayed Heb. יַעֲבֹר. Jonathan renders: When will the year be interpolated and [when] will the month of interpolation come? This is an expression of delay, like (Jer. 46:17) “Has allowed the appointed time to pass by (הֶעֱבִיר).” And because they delay the offering up of the Omer, and the year is extended, and the old grain becomes expensive.

and the Sabbatical Year, so that we will open grain—When will the Sabbatical Year come, and the grain will become expensive, and we will open our storehouses of grain.

to make the ephah smaller To sell for a smaller measure, and our money we will receive with a large shekel.

in order to inherit them Heb. בַּעֲבוּר נַעֲלָיִם. [from Jonathan]

and the refuse of the corn we will sell—[Jonathan renders:] And the sweepings of the grains we will sell. The refuse that fell from the wheat into the sieve, to sell at high prices to the poor.

Shall the land not quake for this—Is this iniquity not serious enough that the land be destroyed because of it?

Yea, it shall rise up wholly like the rain cloud Heb. כָּאֹר. And in another place (9:5), Scripture says: “And it shall come up wholly like the river (כַיְאֹר),” and Jonathan renders them both identically: And a king shall rise upon it with his camp as numerous as the waters of the river, and cover it completely. To me, it seems difficult to define כָאֹר like כַיְאֹר. It can, however be explained like: (Job 36:32) “On the clouds, the rain (אוֹר) is covered. (Job 37:11)” He scatters his rain cloud (אוֹרוֹ) .” And it shall go up wholly like a rain cloud, pitch darkness.

and it shall overflow and sink like the river of Egypt—The Nile overflows once in forty years and waters the land, and when it overflows, it brings up mud and dirt on its banks, and when it returns from watering, it returns over its banks and its water sinks. And that is called sinking, for the dirt that makes the water murky, settles. and it shall cast up Heb. וְנִגְרְשָׁה, Like (Isa. 57:20) “And its waters cast up (וַ ִיּגְרְשׁוּ) mud and dirt.” Also the land will spew out the wicked in its midst, and afterwards it will rest.

I will cause the sun to set at midday—When there will be exceeding tranquility, a sudden downfall will come and our Rabbis said: This refers to the day of Josiah who died by the “peaceful sword” as our Rabbis said: There was no more peaceful sword than Pharaoh-Neco who said to Josiah, (II Chron. 35:21) “What do I have to do with you, O king of Judah; not upon you yourself today.” Not upon you do I come today, but to pass through your land “to the house against which I wage war etc.” [from Mo’ed Katan, Ta’anith 22a]

the sun—The kingdom of the house of David is compared to the sun, as it is said: (Psalms 89:37) “And his throne is like the sun opposite Me.”

And I will turn your festivals into mourning—as the matter is stated: (II Chron 35:24) “And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.”

and all your songs into lamentation—as the matter is stated: (ibid. verse 25) “And all the singing men and singing women spoke in their lamentations.”

like the mourning for an only son—Like a father who mourns over an only son.

but to hear—for the holy spirit shall terminate from them.

shall faint Heb. תִּתְעַלַּפְנָה. Their spirit shall fly out. Cf. (Jonah 4:8) “And he fainted (וַיִּתְעַלָּף).” And so, (Ezekiel 31:15) “The trees of the field fainted (עֻלְפֶּה) for him.” And so in the language of the Mishnah (Chullin 3b): “He may faint (נִתְעַלְּפָה),” pasmer, (pamer) in French. [from Dunash p.84]

“As your god lives, O Dan,”—One of the calves that Jeroboam erected in Dan.