“Then those in Judea
Must flee
To the mountains.”
τότε οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ φευγέτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὄρη,
This is exactly the same, word for word in Mark, chapter 13:14, and in Luke, chapter 21:21. Then those people in Judea (τότε οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ) should flee or escape to the mountains or the hills (φευγέτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὄρη). Head to the hills! Maybe this is a reference to the Jewish revolt in 66-70 CE, when many Jews fled Judea as the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed.
“Therefore,
The heavens above you
Have withheld
The dew.
The earth has withheld
Its produce.
I have called
For a drought
On the land,
On the hills,
On the grain,
On the new wine,
On the oil,
On what the soil produces,
On human beings,
On animals,
On all their labors.’”
Haggai said that Yahweh was punishing them with a drought. The heavens were withholding their dew from the high skies, while the earth was withholding its products from below the ground. Yahweh had called for a drought on practically everything, including the land, the hills, the grain, the new wine, the oil, and whatever the soil produced, even on human beings and animals, including their work.
“Thus says Yahweh of hosts.
‘Consider how you have fared.
Go up to the hills!
Bring wood!
Build the house!
Thus,
I may take pleasure
In it.
I will be honored.’
Says Yahweh.”
Once again there was an oracle of Yahweh, via Haggai. This time there were suggestions on what to do. They were to go up into the hills or mountains around Jerusalem. There, they would get some wood to build the house that Yahweh wanted. Then, Yahweh would take pleasure in it by being honored and glorified.
“You split the earth
With rivers.
The mountains saw you.
They writhed,
As a torrent of water
Swept by.
The deep
Gave forth its voice.
It raised high its hands.”
Yahweh split the earth with various rivers, since he controlled everything on earth. When the mountains saw Yahweh, they writhed as they twisted and squirmed, since they were swept away by torrential waters. The deep sea had its own voice. Thus, it raised its hands to Yahweh in compliance, because Yahweh controlled the deep sea as well as the land, the hills, and the rivers.
“Hear what Yahweh says!
‘Rise!
Plead your case
Before the mountains!
Let the hills hear
Your voice.
Hear
The controversy of Yahweh!
You mountains!
You enduring foundations
Of the earth!
Yahweh has a controversy
With his people.
He will contend with Israel.”
Yahweh wanted them to rise up and plead their case. He wanted them to do this before the mountains. All the great communications between Yahweh and his people took place on the mountains or the hills, the closest that humans could get to heaven. Yahweh then spoke directly to the mountains, called them ‘you’. Yahweh had a controversy with his people, the Israelites. This controversy was that they had forgotten how to walk with Yahweh. They had forgotten the sayings and actions of their ancestors. He was going to contend with them.
“In days to come
The mountain of Yahweh’s house
Shall be established
As the highest of the mountains.
It shall be raised above the hills.
People shall stream to it.
Many nations shall come.
They shall say.
‘Come!
Let us go up
To the mountain of Yahweh!
Let us go
To the house of the God of Jacob!
He may teach us his ways.
We may walk in his paths.’
Out of Zion
Shall go forth instruction.
The word of Yahweh
Comes from Jerusalem.”
This is exactly the same as an oracle of Isaiah, chapter 2, word for word. The Lord’s house would be on the highest mountain above the hills at Zion in Jerusalem. All the nations of the world would come to the God of the house of Jacob, so that they could learn the ways and paths of Yahweh, the Lord God.
“I hate your festivals!
I despise your festivals!
I take no delight
In your solemn assemblies!
Even though you offer me
Your burnt offerings,
Your grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
I will not look upon
The peace offerings
Of your fatted animals.
Take away from me
The noise of your songs.
I will not listen
To the melody
Of your harps.
But let justice
Roll down
Like water.
Let righteousness be
Like an ever-flowing stream.”
Amos has Yahweh reject the Temple cultic worship side of Israelite life in very strong terms. Yahweh hated and despised the religious festivals that were part of Temple worship. Neither did Yahweh take any delight in their solemn assemblies. Yahweh was not going to accept their burnt offerings and grain offerings. He was not going to even look at their peace offerings of fat animals. He wanted them to take away the noise of their chants and songs, since he was not going to listen to their melodic harps. Instead, he wanted justice to roll down from the hills like gushing water. He wanted righteousness to be like a continual flowing stream. Justice not worship was his cry, a theme that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, (1929-1968) often mentioned, as he wanted justice to roll down from the hills like running water.
“In that day,
The mountains shall drip
Sweet wine.
The hills shall flow
With milk.
All the stream beds
Of Judah
Shall flow with water.
A fountain shall come forth
From the house of Yahweh.
It will water
The valley of Shittim.”
In the day of Yahweh, the mountains would drip a sweet wine, while the hills would flow with milk. There would be multiple streams of water in Judah to make the land fertile. In fact, a fountain would flow from the house of Yahweh to the Shittim valley that was in Moab.
“Samaria’s king
Shall perish,
Like a twig
On the face
Of the waters.
The high places of Aven,
The sin of Israel,
Shall be destroyed.
Thorn
With thistle
Shall grow up
On their altars.
They shall say
To the mountains.
‘Cover us!’
They shall say
To the hills.
‘Fall upon us!’”
The king of Samaria, the northern king of Israel, would perish like a twig floating on water. The idol high places at Beth-aven, near Bethel, would be destroyed. These idol worship places were the real sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles would grow on these false idol altars. The people and these altars would cry to have the mountains and the hills fall on them and cover them up. There would be great destruction in northern Israel, especially around the various idol worship altars and shrines.
“They sacrifice
On the tops
Of the mountains.
They make offerings
Upon the hills.
They make offerings
Under the oak trees,
Under the poplar trees,
Under the terebinth trees.
Their shade is good.
Therefore,
Your daughters
Play the prostitute.
Your daughters-in-law
Commit adultery.”
The Israelites were sacrificing to the various Canaanite gods on the tops of the mountains. They were making offerings on the hills. They preferred to make these offerings under the various trees, the oak, the poplar, and the terebinth, because the shade of those trees was good. Thus, their daughters became prostitutes, while their daughters-in-law committed adultery. Clearly, they were unfaithful to Yahweh.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 