Amos 7 2

Amos 7:2 kjv

And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

Amos 7:2 nkjv

And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said: "O Lord GOD, forgive, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small!"

Amos 7:2 niv

When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, "Sovereign LORD, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!"

Amos 7:2 esv

When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, "O Lord GOD, please forgive! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!"

Amos 7:2 nlt

In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight. Then I said, "O Sovereign LORD, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small."

Amos 7 verses

Amos 7 2 meaning

Amos 7:2 describes the prophet Amos's immediate intercession before the Lord God. After witnessing a vision of devastating locusts consuming all the vegetation of the land, Amos cries out for forgiveness for Israel, reasoning that the nation, referred to as Jacob, is too vulnerable and insignificant to withstand such a total judgment. His plea appeals to God's mercy based on Israel's weakness rather than its merit.

Amos 7 2 Context

Amos 7:2 is situated within the first of five visions that the prophet Amos received concerning God's judgment upon Israel. This vision, described in Amos 7:1, portrays a devastating locust plague meticulously consuming the "spring pasturage," leaving nothing for the subsequent crops that sustained the nation. The historical context is significant: Amos prophesied during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II in the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Amos 1:1). Despite outward national strength and security, internal corruption, social injustice, and idolatry were rampant. The nation felt self-sufficient, oblivious to its true spiritual vulnerability. This verse highlights Amos’s response to such a catastrophic judgment—an earnest plea for mercy that reveals the profound theological tension between God’s impending judgment and His enduring compassion, activated by a righteous intercessor.

Amos 7 2 Word analysis

• And it came to pass: (וְהָיָה, wəhāyāh) A common narrative introductory phrase, signaling a transition from the vision’s description to Amos’s immediate reaction.
• that when they had made an end of eating: (כְכַלּוֹתָה לֶאֱכוֹל, kəḵallōṯāh le’ĕḵōl)
  • kəḵallōṯāh (כְכַלּוֹתָה): Derived from kalah (כָּלָה), meaning "to finish, complete, consume, cease, be destroyed." Here it emphasizes the total consumption, implying absolute and utter devastation without remainder.
  • le’ĕḵōl (לֶאֱכוֹל): "to eat, devour." Describes the action of the locusts, stressing the complete obliteration of food sources.
• the grass of the land: (אֶת־עֵשֶׂב הָאָרֶץ, ’eṯ-ʿēśeḇ hā’āreṣ)
  • ʿēśeḇ (עֵשֶׂב): Refers to herbs, shoots, young grass, pasturage—the basic vegetation essential for agricultural societies, providing sustenance for livestock and a precursor to crops. Its consumption means economic ruin and famine.
  • hā’āreṣ (הָאָרֶץ): "the land," specifically Israel's land, indicating the scope of the destruction.
• then I said: (וָאֹמַר, wā’ōmar) Signifies Amos’s immediate, personal, and verbal response. He doesn’t merely observe but actively intervenes through prayer.
• O Lord GOD: (אֲדֹנָי יְהוָה, ’Ădonāy YHWH)
  • ’Ădonāy (אֲדֹנָי): "my Lord," emphasizing sovereignty and authority. Amos addresses God as his absolute Master.
  • YHWH (יְהוָה): The divine covenant name, signifying God's personal, faithful relationship with Israel, despite their apostasy. This combined form is a solemn, reverent appeal to God's ultimate power and covenantal faithfulness.
• forgive, I beseech thee: (סְלַח־נָא, səlakh-nā’)
  • səlakh (סְלַח): From salach (סָלַח), "to pardon, forgive, remit." A direct, urgent plea for divine clemency, indicating recognition of the nation's guilt.
  • nā’ (נָא): An emphatic particle of entreaty, akin to "please" or "I pray you," adding urgency and humility to the request.
• by whom shall Jacob arise?: (מִי יָקוּם יַעֲקֹב, mî yāqūm yaʿăqōḇ)
  • mî (מִי): "who?" A rhetorical question that implies "no one" or "how can he?" stressing utter helplessness.
  • yāqum (יָקוּם): From qum (קוּם), "to rise, stand up, recover, establish, revive." The question concerns Israel's ability to survive, regain strength, or recover from such a devastating judgment.
  • Ya‘ăqōḇ (יַעֲקֹב): "Jacob," a metonymy for the nation of Israel. This connects the nation to its foundational patriarch, emphasizing its heritage and perhaps its earlier vulnerability and dependence on God.
• for he is small: (כִּי קָטֹן הוּא, kî qāṭōn hû’)
  • kî (כִּי): "for, because," providing the reason for the rhetorical question and the plea for mercy.
  • qāṭōn (קָטֹן): "small, insignificant, young, humble, weak, inferior." This is a crucial justification. It appeals not to Israel’s righteousness, but to its perceived weakness and inability to fend for itself against such divine judgment. It might refer to numerical size (relative to other nations), but more likely to a state of being humbled or utterly without recourse in the face of complete devastation.

Words-group analysis

• made an end of eating the grass of the land: This phrase vividly paints a picture of comprehensive and total destruction of all basic resources and means of sustenance. It implies famine, economic collapse, and existential threat.
• O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: This solemn invocation and urgent petition highlight the prophet's profound reverence and deep understanding of God's sovereignty alongside His capacity for mercy. It acknowledges divine justice but appeals to divine compassion.
• by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small: This rhetorical question coupled with the justification emphasizes Israel's utter powerlessness and dependency. It is an argument ad misericordiam, a plea for mercy based on the perceived vulnerability of the condemned, an appeal to God's compassionate character who upholds the weak.

Amos 7 2 Bonus section

• Prophetic Tension: This verse beautifully illustrates the tension within a prophet’s role—between being a messenger of divine judgment and an intercessor pleading for the condemned. Amos, known for his unyielding messages of doom, surprisingly acts as an advocate for his people, showing true compassion.
• Divine Relenting: The fact that God relented ("The LORD changed his mind concerning this," Amos 7:3) in response to Amos's prayer highlights a key theological principle: God is sovereign but can be moved by the prayers of His people. This dynamic implies that divine decrees are not always absolute and unalterable, particularly when repentance or intercession occurs (cf. Jer 18:7-10).
• Echoes of Patriarchal Intercession: Amos’s intercession parallels that of Moses (Ex 32:11-14) and Abraham (Gen 18:23-33), underscoring the enduring pattern of mediators appealing to God’s mercy for His people or for those in peril.
• The Significance of "Smallness": The "smallness" of Jacob serves not as an excuse for their sin, but as a compelling argument for divine mercy based on their absolute inability to recover without God's direct intervention. It redirects focus from Israel's (failed) self-reliance to God's sustaining power alone.

Amos 7 2 Commentary

Amos 7:2 reveals a crucial aspect of prophetic ministry often overlooked amidst pronouncements of judgment: intercession. Upon seeing the terrifying vision of a complete locust devastation, Amos does not rejoice in divine retribution for Israel’s sins but immediately turns to prayer, appealing for mercy. His address "O Lord GOD" (Adonai YHWH) reflects both reverence for God's sovereign authority and trust in His covenantal faithfulness, despite Israel's infidelity. The core of his plea, "forgive, I beseech thee," is a direct acknowledgment of Israel's culpability and a desperate cry for pardon.

His rationale, "by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small," is a profound appeal to God's character. "Jacob" represents the entire nation, stripped of its self-perceived greatness and shown in its vulnerable reality. "Small" here implies not merely numerical inferiority, but rather the inability to recover, survive, or resist such a complete, divinely ordained catastrophe. Amos argues that Israel is utterly helpless, relying entirely on God’s grace. This plea reminds God of His election of a "small" people (Dt 7:7) and His ongoing commitment to sustain them. God, in response to Amos’s earnest intercession, relents (Amos 7:3), illustrating that even prophesied judgments can be mitigated or postponed through genuine repentance and the fervent prayers of a righteous intercessor.