“All of them
Deserted Jesus.
They fled.”
καὶ ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ἔφυγον πάντες.
This is similar to Matthew, chapter 26:56. Luke, chapter 22, and John, chapter 18, did not say anything about all the apostles fleeing, but it might be presumed. Mark said that all the disciples went away or deserted Jesus (καὶ ἀφέντες αὐτὸν). They all escaped or fled from Jesus (ἔφυγον πάντες). Jesus had told them all earlier that night that this was going to happen.
“The river gates
Are opened.
The palace trembles.
It is decreed
That the city
Be exiled.
Its slave women were
Led away,
Moaning
Like doves,
Beating their breasts.
Nineveh is
Like a pool
Whose waters
Run away.
‘Halt!
Halt!’
They cry.
But no one turns back.
Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
There is no end
Of treasure.
There is an abundance
Of every precious thing.
Devastation!
Desolation!
Destruction!
Hearts faint!
Knees tremble!
All loins quake!
All faces grow pale!”
Nahum painted this picture of chaos in Nineveh. He said that the river gates were opened, so that the palace and the people in it were trembling. The people of this city were going to go into exile. The slave women were led away, moaning like doves and beating their breasts. The whole city of Nineveh had become like an overflowing pool. People were saying stop, but no one was listening. No one turned back as they keep on fleeing. Meanwhile, there was a great plunder of their treasures of gold, silver, and the other abundant precious things. Everywhere there was devastation, desolation, and destruction in this great city. Hearts were fainting, while kneels were trembling. Their faces grew pale as their loins shook.
“Woe to you!
You who desire
The day of Yahweh!
Why do you want
The day of Yahweh?
It is darkness,
Not light.
It is like
As if someone fled
From a lion,
But a bear met him.
It is like
Someone went into the house.
They then rested
Their hand
Against the wall.
Then a serpent bit him.
Is not
The day of Yahweh
Darkness,
Not light?
It is gloom
With no brightness in it.”
The day of Yahweh meant many different things to the ancient Israelites. For some, it was a favorable intervention of Yahweh. For others, as here, it was a day of Yahweh’s anger. After the exile, it was considered a day of hope that the anger of Yahweh would turn on Israel’s oppressors. Then this day of Yahweh became a day of judgment, as a triumph for the righteous. Finally, there were cosmic signs that would accompany this day of Yahweh. Here, Amos wanted to know why anyone would want the day of Yahweh to come, because it was a time of darkness, not light. In fact, he wanted to curse them for wishing the day of Yahweh to come. This day of Yahweh was more like a person fleeing from a lion, only to run into a bear. It was like going into a house, and then resting your arm on the wall, only to be bit by a snake. For Amos, the day of Yahweh was a time of darkness, not light, a time of gloom and not brightness.
“Concerning Damascus.
‘Hamath is confounded.
Arpad is confounded.
They have heard bad news.
They melt in fear.
They are troubled
Like the sea
That cannot be quiet.
Damascus has become feeble.
She turned to flee.
Panic seized her.
Anguish has taken hold of her.
Sorrows have taken hold of her,
As a woman in labor.
How the famous city is forsaken!
The joyful town!
Therefore her young men
Shall fall
In her squares.
All her soldiers
Shall be destroyed,
On that day.’
Says Yahweh of hosts!
‘I will kindle a fire
At the wall of Damascus.
It shall devour
The strongholds of Ben-hadad.’”
Damascus had been under the control of the Assyrians since around 740 BCE, before the fall of the northern Israelites to Assyria in 724 BCE. Now the Babylonians were taking over for the Assyrians. The two other cities mentioned with Damascus, were Hamath and Arpad. Hamath was in upper Syria with Arpad nearly a 100 miles further north. These northern towns were upset and troubled over the news about southern Damascus. They felt like they were on troubled waters and could not be quiet. Damascus itself was weak and in panic. This former joyful town saw people fleeing with panic. Once again they had become weak like women in labor. Their young men were dying in the squares since the soldiers had been killed. The soldiers also died. There was a huge fire that destroyed the walls and royal buildings of Ben-hadad. King Ben-hadad was a 9th century BCE king of Damascus who had some battles with King Asa of Judah and King Omri of Israel, in 1 Kings, chapter 20. However, there were 2 other kings with the same name, so that it clearly referred to the royal palaces or fortresses in Damascus. Once again there is no mention of a restoration for Damascus.
“‘Why do you boast
In your strength?
Your strength is ebbing.
O faithless daughter!
You trusted
In your treasures.
Saying,
‘Who will attack me?’
Says Yahweh
God of hosts.
‘I am going to bring terror
Upon you
From your neighbors.
You will be scattered,
Each headlong,
With no one
To gather the fugitives.’”
Yahweh, via Jeremiah, was clear. The Ammonites were going to suffer in terror. Why had they boasted about their strength, when they were actually losing strength. They had trusted in their treasures, thinking that no one would be able to attack them. Yahweh had other plans for them, although he also called them faithless daughters as if they were like the northern Israelites. They were going to be attacked by their neighbors, scattered headlong against each other. There would be no one left to gather all those who were fleeing Ammon.
“Come down from glory!
Sit on the parched ground!
Enthroned daughter Dibon!
The destroyer of Moab
Has come up
Against you!
He has destroyed
Your strongholds.
Stand by the road!
Watch!
You inhabitants of Aroer!
Ask the man fleeing!
Ask the woman escaping!
Say!
‘What has happened?’
Moab is put to shame.
Moab is broken down.
Wail!
Cry!
Tell it by the Arnon,
That Moab is laid waste.”
Moab was going to come down from its glory days to the parched land. They had their Dibon River with its capital city of Dibon. However their strong fortresses were destroyed. Jeremiah wanted them to stand by the road at Aroer, on the banks of the Arnon River. There they were to ask the simple question to both the men and women who were escaping and fleeing. What was going on? What was happening? The response was simple and direct. Moab was put to shame and broken down, as it was laid waste. All they could do now by the banks of the Arnon River was to wail and cry for their lost country of Moab.
“I looked on the earth.
O!
It was waste and void.
I looked to the heavens.
They had no light.
I looked on the mountains.
O!
They were quaking.
All the hills moved to and fro.
I looked!
O!
There was no one at all.
All the birds of the air had fled.
I looked!
O!
The fruitful land was a desert.
All its cities were laid in ruins.
Before Yahweh!
Before his fierce anger!”
This lamenting vision or view of Jeremiah points out a ruined land that was wasted and empty. He looked to the heavens and there was no light. He saw that the mountains and hills were shaking back and forth. There was no one on earth. Even the birds were fleeing. The beautiful fruitful land was now a desert with the cities in ruin. All this happened because of the fierce anger of Yahweh.
“On that day,
Yahweh,
With his hard sword,
With his great sword,
With his strong sword,
Will punish
Leviathan,
The fleeing serpent.
Leviathan was
The twisting serpent.
Yahweh will kill
The dragon
That is in the sea.”
Leviathan was a mythical personified sea serpent that was also mentioned predominately in the Book of Job, chapters 40-41, so that this oracle may be from the same milieu. Isaiah says that Yahweh will take his hard, great, and strong sword to punish the fleeing serpent Leviathan. Yahweh was going to kill this twisting serpent dragon of the sea. Later in medieval Christianity, the Leviathan was considered to be the devil in popular works. For the philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), Leviathan was a symbol of big government that came from a social contract.
“The oracle concerning the desert plain.
In the scrub of the desert plain
You will lodge.
O caravans of Dedanites!
Bring water to the thirsty!
Meet the fugitive with bread!
O inhabitants of the land of Tema!
They have fled
From the swords,
From the drawn sword,
From the bent bow,
From the stress of battle.”
This oracle is about the wandering Arab tribes in the desert of Arabia, currently known as Saudi Arabia. They lived among the scrubs of the desert. They lodged in caravans. These people were called Dedanites, as a reference to northern Arabs. However, they seem to be very peaceful people. They brought water to the thirsty and gave bread to the people fleeing. Tema was an oasis in northwest Arabia that was mentioned 4 other times in the Bible. This also was a peaceful place, since people went there to get away from drawn swords, bent bows, and the stress of battles itself.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 