Amos Chapter 4 — A Call to Repentance
Amos rebukes the wealthy for oppressing the poor and reminds Israel of God's repeated warnings through natural disasters that they ignored.
1Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husbands, “Bring us drinks!”
2The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness,
3You will go out at the breaks in the wall,
4“Go to Bethel, and sin;
5offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,
6“I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
7“I also have withheld the rain from you,
8So two or three cities staggered to one city to drink water,
9“I struck you with blight and mildew many times in your gardens and your vineyards,
10“I sent plagues among you like I did Egypt.
11“I have overthrown some of you,
12“Therefore I will do this to you, Israel;
13For, behold, he who forms the mountains, creates the wind, declares to man what is his thought,
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Amos 4:1
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husbands, “Bring us drinks!””
This verse highlights the social injustice and greed that the prophet Amos was sent to condemn.
Amos 4:12
“Therefore I will do this to you, Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”
This is a climactic warning that despite past disciplines, the nation must now face a direct encounter with God.
Chapter Summary
Amos Chapter 4 begins with a sharp rebuke of the wealthy women of Samaria, referred to as the 'cows of Bashan,' for their role in oppressing the needy and their self-indulgence. The prophet then uses irony to describe the people's religious rituals at Bethel and Gilgal, suggesting their sacrifices are mere sins because their hearts are far from God. The middle section of the chapter lists a series of divine disciplines—famine, drought, agricultural blight, and plagues—that God sent to turn the people back to Him. Despite these hardships, the recurring phrase 'yet you haven't returned to me' emphasizes Israel's persistent stubbornness. The chapter concludes with a solemn warning for Israel to prepare to meet their God and a declaration of God's supreme power as the creator of the mountains and the wind, who reveals His thoughts to humanity.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 'cows of Bashan' is a metaphorical term used by Amos to address the wealthy, pampered women of Samaria. He criticizes them for living in luxury at the expense of the poor and needy.
According to the text, God sent famine, drought, and plagues as disciplinary measures. Their purpose was to encourage the people of Israel to return to God, though the text notes they repeatedly failed to do so.
This phrase serves as a final, solemn warning to the nation of Israel. Since they ignored previous warnings and natural disasters, they are now told to prepare for a direct encounter with God's judgment.
Study Note
The mention of 'cleanness of teeth' in verse 6 is a poetic Hebrew idiom referring to famine, as there was no food to get the teeth dirty.
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