[[Am-06]] Prev: [[Prophecies in Am-05]] | Next: [[Prophecies in Am-07]] --- ### Therefore they will now go captive with the first who go captive; and the feasting and lounging will end. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: Amos predicts that the wealthy elite and leaders of Israel, who lived in luxury and complacency, would be the very first to be taken away into exile. *Historical context*: This was fulfilled in 722/721 BCE when the Neo-Assyrian Empire, under Shalmaneser V and Sargon II, conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Historical and biblical records ([[2 Kings|2 Kings 17]]) confirm that the Assyrians prioritized the deportation of the upper classes, officials, and skilled craftsmen to various regions of Mesopotamia to prevent future rebellion. *Related to*: ### Therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is in it... the great house will be smashed to pieces, and the little house into bits. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: A prediction of the total destruction of the capital city (Samaria) and its architectural structures, regardless of their size or status. *Historical context*: Archaeological excavations at the site of ancient Samaria have uncovered a significant destruction layer dating to the late 8th century BCE. While the city was later rebuilt as an Assyrian administrative center (Samerina), the original Israelite capital's palaces and residences suffered extensive damage during the three-year Assyrian siege ending in 722 BCE. *Related to*: ### It will happen, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die... then he will say, 'Hush! Indeed we must not mention Yahweh's name.' *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: A prophecy of extreme mortality and terror, likely due to plague or the conditions of a siege, where the survivors are so traumatized or fearful of divine wrath that they dare not even speak the name of God. *Historical context*: During the protracted three-year siege of Samaria by the Assyrian army, conditions within the city were dire. Ancient sieges were characterized by severe famine and the rapid spread of infectious diseases (plagues) due to overcrowding and lack of sanitation, leading to the high death rates described in this passage. *Related to*: ### you who rejoice in a thing of nothing, who say, 'Haven't we taken for ourselves horns by our own strength?' *Type*: fulfillment *Summary*: This verse refers to the recent military conquests of Lo-debar (a 'thing of nothing') and Karnaim ('horns') by the Northern Kingdom under Jeroboam II, which were the fulfillment of an earlier prophecy regarding the restoration of Israel's borders. *Historical context*: [[2 Kings-14#v25|2 Kings 14:25]] states that Jeroboam II 'restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah,' fulfilling the word of Yahweh spoken through the prophet Jonah son of Amittai. Amos references these specific victories to point out that the people had become arrogant, attributing the fulfillment of God's promise to their own military might. *Related to*: Jonah's prophecy in [[2 Kings-14#v25|2 Kings 14:25]] regarding the restoration of Israel's borders. ### For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, house of Israel... and they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: Amos predicts a foreign invasion that will systematically overrun and afflict the entire territory of Israel, from its northernmost boundary to its southernmost limit. *Historical context*: The 'nation' raised up was the Assyrian Empire. Starting around 734 BCE, Tiglath-Pileser III began seizing the northern territories (Hamath), and by 722 BCE, the entire kingdom was annexed. The specific geographic range mentioned—Hamath to the Arabah—represented the full extent of the land Jeroboam II had previously reclaimed, effectively predicting the complete reversal of Israel's recent expansion. *Related to*: --- #ai_prophecy